[Iceland holds referendum on whether to restart EU accession negotiations] August 29th, Iceland held a referendum on the 29th to vote on whether to restart EU accession negotiations. Iceland has a population of approximately 400,000. The referendum started at 9:00 local time on the 29th. Voters simply select "yes" or "no." A "yes" vote means agreeing to authorize the government to restart accession negotiations. The counting of votes will begin after the poll closes at 22:00 that day. Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 and started relevant negotiations. In 2013, the Eurosceptic government put negotiations on hold after coming to power. Some analysts believe that if Iceland eventually joins the EU, it may have a demonstration effect on other non-EU countries in Europe. (Xinhua News Agency)