The Venezuelan military thwarted an attempted naval invasion by heavily-armed mercenaries coming from Colombia on Sunday morning, neutralizing multiple fighters and capturing at least two US nationals among them. More mercenaries have surrendered in the days since.

A briefcase stuffed with ricin… Mayors under police protection… An alleged Russian assassination plot has thrown Czech foreign policy into turmoil. Reports that Russian assassins are targeting Czechs politicians may sound like the plot of a classic Cold War thriller, but they are the product of a very contemporary tussle.

Dozens of refugees and migrants trying to cross Albania have been reduced to begging for food on the streets of Tirana, victims of gang violence and under-funding at a state-run reception centre.