söndag 2 augusti 2026
Parts of Cuba without power – again
Several Cuban provinces have again suffered extensive power outages after problems in the country's power grid, state-owned electricity company UNE said.
"Five of the country's 15 provinces were without power as a result of a partial collapse in the power grid at 6:07 p.m.," the company wrote on X.
The capital Havana and several other parts of western Cuba are among the areas affected. A lack of oil in the country's power plants is said to be one of the reasons for this weekend's outage.
The country has suffered major power outages repeatedly this year as a result of the US blockade against oil supplies to the country.
Venezuela: Talks with opposition next week
Talks about Venezuela's political transition and future are to begin next week, the government and opposition in the country say.
Former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has ruled as interim leader since the US captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Jorge Rodríguez, speaker of the National Assembly and Delcy Rodríguez's brother, says he spoke with opposition politician Dinorah Figuera by phone.
- We have agreed on a first personal meeting in Caracas next week, says Jorge Rodríguez.
He also states that the parties "established a working order with clear and verifiable objectives" and that the talks will, among other things, be about "strengthening democracy".
Both Freedom House and V-Dem, which researches democracy, have identified a sharp democratic decline in Venezuela over the past 25 years.
Climate threat Extreme weather in Europe
Drought Hits French Agriculture Hard: “Catastrophic”
The repeated heat waves in France and the UK this summer have hit future harvests hard, Le Monde and the BBC write. The situation is described in some places as “catastrophic”.
In England, only a few percent of the usual June rainfall has fallen in some places. In France, the corn harvest is expected to decrease by thirty percent and chicken owners have sounded the alarm about unusually high mortality in their flocks.
“The western parts of the country, from Landes via Centre-Val de Loire, are the hardest hit,” Cyril Pogu of the vegetable organization Légumes de France tells Le Monde.
In some parts of France, it has not rained for two months and many farmers are considering a change of crops for future summers.
New heat wave puts Italy on high alert
On Monday, temperatures of over 30 degrees – and in some cases up to 40 degrees – are expected in almost all of Italy. This means that authorities in almost all major cities will be put on high alert, writes TT.
The upcoming heat wave is moving into the country from North Africa via the Mediterranean, reports the BBC. The Italian authorities are urging their citizens to avoid direct sunlight between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and to drink plenty of fluids.
During July, several countries in Southern Europe have been plagued by severe forest fires, which have led to deaths, extensive destruction and extensive evacuations.
Middle East Crisis Iran War
Iran denies Trump's claim: We have not appealed to the US
Iranian representatives deny Donald Trump's claim that they have appealed to him to cancel their planned attack on the country, AFP reports.
"A new lie," the regime announced, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr.
Representatives from the Revolutionary Guards say at the same time that Iranian forces are on alert and ready to act regardless of the course of events.
The US president wrote on Truth Social last night that the US had prepared for the largest attack since the days of World War II, but that he stopped it at the last moment:
"Based on this request, I have agreed to, for the good of the world and for the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, cancel the attack," he wrote.
Trump called off attack on Iran – claims deal is close
In
a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump writes that the US paused an
attack on Iran during the night of Sunday, because the countries have
agreed on the "framework for a deal", reports TT. According to Trump,
the pause will also apply to attacks that would have been carried out by
Israel.
"The deal would include the immediate, complete and
total opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear
threat", Trump writes.
According to information to the news
agency AP, the announcement came after Trump spoke on the phone with
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is said to be
concerned that the war is about to escalate further.
Analysis: Ignoring the US – a Winning Strategy
Iran's
leaders show unity regarding the country's war strategy. By not bowing
down to repeated US threats, the leadership is confident that it can
achieve more than its enemies, AP correspondents write.
However,
there seems to be disagreement, the news agency develops, about what
this stance should lead to. While a large part of the Iranian leadership
does not care about the US at all, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is
among those who seem to want to gain an advantage at the negotiating
table.
"Negotiation is a political tool and a complement to military action," he wrote on Telegram on Thursday, according to AP.
The
New York Times' Steven Erlanger believes that Iran, through its stance,
has revealed a weakness in Trump's US that both Russia and China seem
to welcome.
“Washington has started a war that they don’t seem to know how to win or end,” he writes.
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