Poland has reduced work permits for non-EU citizens, while Hungary has stopped issuing worker visas to several nationalities.

Source: Reuters

The planned bidirectional pipeline would supply gas to the island and could eventually transport Eastern Mediterranean gas to Türkiye and onward to Europe.

Source: Bloomberg

At his joint press conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly confirmed that a secret German-Russian backchannel meeting took place in Baku on July 12–14 — moments after Merz flatly denied knowing anything about it.

Asked by Deutsche Welle's Roman Goncharenko about German media reports of "an informal German-Russian meeting" with "former high-ranking politicians from governing parties," Merz said simply:

I know nothing of such a meeting.

Aliyev then contradicted him with forensic detail.

He said Azerbaijan itself only learned of the meeting from The Times, had its border service check the flight records, and confirmed the names:

On July 12, on a flight from Berlin to Baku, two known persons arrived — the former head of the [Chancellor's] administration, Mr. [Ronald] Pofalla, and Mr. [Matthias] Platzeck.

Coming from Moscow to Baku was the former Prime Minister of Russia, Mr. [Viktor] Zubkov, and the head of the civil society council, Mr. [Valery] Fadeyev.

Our territory was used without our information for their meeting.

These flight records give me the ability to say that a secret meeting took place in Baku.

Anonymous Kremlin sources say Putin now aims to seize all of Ukraine's Donetsk region and retain parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv border areas as buffer zones.

Russia is unlikely to resume peace talks until it achieves these military objectives, despite stronger Ukrainian long-range strikes and the threat of tougher U.S. sanctions.

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Although Washington initially said it would hold the funds in trust for Venezuela, officials have since given conflicting explanations.

President Trump has said the US is "making a lot of money" from the oil, while the State Department says billions have been returned to Venezuela under strict oversight. Public records show only 300 million dollars has been officially disclosed.

Economists say Venezuela's weaker-than-expected economic recovery suggests much of the oil revenue has not reached the country.

Source: FT

Despite months of U.S. and Israeli strikes, Iran has shown it still has a capable missile force.

A recent missile attack on a U.S. air base in Jordan that killed three American servicemembers suggests Tehran has restored access to underground missile sites and continues to launch advanced ballistic missiles, including the Kheibar Shekan.

Military analysts say Iran has repaired damaged bases, retained significant missile stockpiles, and improved its ability to challenge U.S. air defenses.

While U.S. officials say Iran's missile capabilities have been severely degraded, recent strikes indicate the threat remains substantial.

Officials argued that the UAE, particularly posed a significant risk of sensitive American technology being diverted to China due to its business ties and security vulnerabilities.

Source: Politico

The war in Ukraine has impeded the ability of Russia and the U.S. to find areas of agreement on other topics.

We think it would be good for Russia if that war came to an end.

The U.S. remains open and willing to play a constructive role in bringing that war to an end.

We and Russia are the two largest nuclear-armed countries on the planet.

For us not to talk would be reckless and irresponsible.

We have to have a relationship with the Russian government.

The request comes after Pakistan helped mediate talks related to the Iran conflict, with Islamabad hoping its diplomatic role will translate into stronger economic ties with Washington.

If approved, the rare U.S. financial backstop would ease Pakistan's liquidity pressures, though the Treasury has not commented and no decision has been announced.

Source: Reuters

The share of MAGA voters who think the war is worth the economic cost fell from 50% in May to 37% in July, while more now say the U.S. should only stay involved if costs don't rise further, or end the war altogether.

Rising gas prices, U.S. military casualties, and concerns about the economy appear to be driving the decline.

Source: Politico

Kyiv frames the sites as logistics chains supplying sanctioned components for Russian drone production.

Moscow and Wildberries call them ordinary commercial facilities with civilian workers.

Around 8 killed and dozens injured across the first wave alone, plus more casualties in the southern strikes.

Kim, the CEO, called it a "terrible night" and announced payouts to families of the dead.

Sellers on the platform are panicking about inventory losses, especially since Wildberries updated its terms in early July to treat drone strikes as force majeure — excluding liability for lost goods.

Targeted sites:

1- Elektrostal, Moscow region Size: ~188,000 m²

2- Kotovsk, Tambov region Size: ~108,000 m²

3- Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai region Size: ~150,000 m²

4- Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai region Size: ~120,000 m²

Total area: ~566,000 m² (Equivalent to around 79 football pitches).

Analysts say losses "could reach hundreds of billions of rubles."

Western outlets estimate £1–1.5 billion+ so far.