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EU-China Relations
Sources: EU preparing measures against China

The EU is preparing a mechanism to exclude a rival nation from its internal market should that country attack the EU’s economy. According to Bloomberg News, citing sources, this tool could potentially be used against China.

The European Commission, which oversees the union’s trade policy, has reportedly been tasked by EU heads of state with drafting and presenting a proposal before the end of the year.

China has threatened to retaliate if the EU introduces new trade barriers or restrictions targeting Chinese companies or products.

Putin’s Russia
Editor-in-chief of Russian opposition newspaper arrested

Sergei Sokolov, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper *Novaya Gazeta*, has been arrested, the publication reports on its website. The news agency TT and *The Moscow Times* have also reported on the incident.

According to *Novaya Gazeta*, Sokolov disappeared shortly before an editorial meeting in Moscow on Thursday. His phones were reportedly “disconnected,” and a Telegram account linked to the Russian security services claimed that a search was being conducted at Sokolov’s home.

The Russian state news agency TASS reports that *Novaya Gazeta* has been under investigation since this spring for the “illegal use of personal information.” According to TASS, Sokolov is set to be questioned as part of that investigation.

Midterm Elections The US Election Campaign
Letters containing white powder sent to election offices across the US

The FBI has launched an investigation into letters containing white powder that have been sent to election offices and the offices of members of Congress in several US states, the AP reports.

Election workers are being urged to treat the letters as potentially dangerous and to contact the police. No injuries have been reported so far, though in Louisiana, one person was taken to the hospital as a precaution after opening a package, NBC reports. Election offices have been evacuated in several locations. "These incidents do not affect our ability to hold secure elections," writes Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, in a statement.

The contents of the letters are being analyzed by forensic experts, CNN reports. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, similar letters containing the potent opioid fentanyl were sent to several election offices.

The Oil Fund’s Investments
Proposal: Norwegian oil wealth could be invested in nuclear weapons

Norway should allow its sovereign wealth fund—the "Oil Fund"—to invest in defense companies that produce nuclear weapons. This is according to a report containing new ethical recommendations presented on Thursday, EFN reports.

Currently, the fund is prohibited from investing in companies involved with nuclear weapons, but that ban could now be relaxed.

According to the Norwegian newspaper *Dagens Næringsliv*, the proposal would allow for investments in companies "based in a state that is a nuclear-weapon state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and is an ally of Norway."

The Norwegian Oil Fund is currently valued at approximately 21.8 trillion Norwegian kroner—equivalent to about 22.8 trillion Swedish kronor.