Wall Street Journal reports the US will take a 35% stake in Venezuelan tycoon Betancourt’s oil project.

Kyodo: Multiple Japanese firms have formed a development consortium to co-develop AI technology for industrial robots.

Iceland holds a nationwide referendum on the 29th on whether to restart EU accession talks. Voting began at 09:00 local time and polls close at 22:00; voters choose "Yes" or "No", with a "Yes" authorizing the government to reopen negotiations. Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 and launched talks that were shelved in 2013 after a eurosceptic government took office. Vote counting will begin after polls close. Analysts say Iceland joining the EU could set a precedent for other non‑EU European countries.