US and Japan Boost AI, Semiconductor Alliance; EU Eyes Reduction in China Dependence 
Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity 
US election: two graphs show how young voters influence presidential results as Biden gets poll boost 
Who will Trump pick as his running mate? 
Nvidia RTX 4090D Embroiled in US-China Tech Rivalry; South Korea Navigates Chip Export Dilemma 
The 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution 
Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’ 
Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict 
US Commerce Secretary Asserts Huawei Chip Lag, Affirms Export Control Success 
US Finalizes Ban List for Chinese Chipmakers; Boosts Mexico Semiconductor Ties 
China's Commerce Minister to Advocate EV Sector in Europe Amid Subsidy, Tariff Probe 
History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy? 
The politics stopping the UK from opening a youth mobility scheme with Europe 
The United States has accused Russia of trying to “freeze” Ukraine into submission as the war moves toward its ninth month. The accusations come amidst Moscow’s push to move thousands of civilians out of the partially occupied Kherson region.
Following a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Germany Friday last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that as Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to succeed on the battlefield, he has turned to try and “freeze” Ukraine into submission. On the same day of the G7 meeting, US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Kyiv to reaffirm Washington’s support for Ukraine.
This comes amidst advances by Ukrainian troops on the ground, while Russia has repeatedly bombarded the country’s infrastructure with missiles and drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has left around 4.5 million people without power.
During Sullivan’s visit to Kyiv, he told a news conference that Ukraine is in need of air defense at this time amidst the barrage of missiles and explosive drones sent by Russia.
On the ground, Ukrainian forces are gearing up for an offensive in the southern territory to reclaim occupied areas. Moscow moved forward with moving civilians out of the partially-occupied territory of Kherson, and the Russian army said that around 5,000 residents were being evacuated from the region. Russia has already been urging civilians to leave Kherson since mid-October, pledging to turn its main city into a fortress.
Kyiv said the so-called evacuations of civilians by Moscow were like the Soviet-era “deportations” of its people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in what might be an indirect comment to Russia and the West, called on nations to prevent the threats or use of nuclear weapons in Europe and in Asia, during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing Friday last week.
“The international community should…jointly oppose the use or threats to use nuclear weapons, advocate that nuclear wars must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought, in order to prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia,” said Xi.
