Latest news

US attack on Venezuela  New regime
Trump's deal may require constitutional amendment in Venezuela

Venezuela's giving up control of a huge amount of its oil is facing resistance from many quarters, writes the Washington Post.

The agreement comes after Donald Trump ordered special forces to invade the country and kidnap the country's dictator Nicolás Maduro. It is his successor, Delcy Rodríguez, who has agreed to give the US control of nearly a quarter of Venezuela's untapped oil reserves.

In order for the agreement to be implemented, the Venezuelan constitution may need to be amended.

"An illegitimate Venezuelan transitional government [...] that lacks the legitimacy to enter into this unconstitutional agreement," writes Ricardo Hausmann, an economist at Harvard and Venezuela's Minister of Planning in the early 1990s, on X.

Another obstacle is the enormous investments required to boost oil production. Such large American investments of tax money would likely need to be approved by Congress, which Republicans look set to lose control of in the fall's midterm elections. 

EU referendum in Iceland
Nail biters await as Iceland votes on EU talks

Iceland's voters will today say yes or no to resumed talks on EU membership in a referendum that is predicted to be very close.

- It is the tightest race I have seen in Icelandic politics, says political scientist Eiríkur Bergmann to TT.

The yes side raises Icelandic security as a weighty argument. The country relies almost entirely on the United States for its defense, but American foreign policy under Donald Trump has made many Icelanders doubt the agreement.

- It is becoming more and more dangerous for a small country to be outside the EU. I think it is safer to be part of a larger family, says horse breeder Hrafnkell Gudnason, who intends to vote yes, to AFP.

33-year-old office worker Vilborg Inga Magnúsdóttir plans to vote no instead.

- Why would we want to join the EU? What would we get out of it, when things are already good? she says.

Security in Europe
Sources: Europe sees no signs of Russian attack

European intelligence agencies see no signs that Russia is preparing an attack on the Baltics or other NATO countries, according to sources to Bloomberg.

According to several American media sources, CIA director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow this week to warn Russia against attacking a NATO country. This is denied by both the White House and the Kremlin.

Bloomberg's sources state that the European assessment is based solely on its own intelligence and knowledge of how the United States normally acts.

From a European perspective, Ratcliffe's visit is considered to have been more about persuading Moscow not to overreact to economic measures against Iran that could also affect Russia, and to persuade the Russians to withdraw support for Iran. 

Drone alarm in Europe
Sources: Merz intends to point out Russia for the drone

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz intends to officially point out Russia as responsible for the explosive drone at Leipzig airport, and to introduce “comprehensive” sanctions. This is according to sources for Politico and Welt am Sonntag.

According to the sources, the announcement is expected to come no later than next week, in connection with the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Ireland. What sanctions will be introduced is unclear.

Between August 4 and 5, two drone incidents occurred at Leipzig airport, which is a hub for military transport to Ukraine. One of the drones had explosives and was found near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane.

Merz’s announcement comes ahead of several upcoming state elections, where the pro-Russian far-right AfD party is expected to reap great successes.