China and the US are still talking but it seems the talk is how to make the crisis or crises on the horizon less risky. In the meantime both sides are preparing for the worst. On Wednesday, the process was taken a step further with the launch of the new AUKUS security arrangement, bringing together the US, the UK and Australia.

Russia remains our largest neighbour and it remains an important global actor. Not from the economic point of view, the economics of Russia is more or less the same size as Italy. It is much bigger in surface, but economically speaking it is a medium-sized state. They have a lot of gas, and gas is becoming more and more expensive. This is good news for them and bad news for us. They have the atomic arm, they have an important army and they use it when they need it. In any case, Russia will not disappear. It will be there and this will not change overnight.

A number of foreign embassies in Libya issued a joint statement calling on all Libyan actors to ensure an “inclusive, free and fair” parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for 24 December.  

Labour Party leader Jonas Gahr Stoere, who is projected to become the next prime minister, said he will seek partners for a coalition government. The 61-year-old millionaire, who comes from a wealthy family, has campaigned against social inequality.

During the exercises Russian military units, together with contingents from Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia practiced joint operations to repel advancing enemy forces, conduct maneuverable defence and deliver a massive strike and defeat a hypothetical enemy penetration.

A new report published by Amnesty International on Monday (13 September), denounces the increasing incidence of children being killed and recruited by armed terrorist groups in Niger, especially in the "three borders" area, where the country shares borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, an area where jihadist attacks have peaked in recent months.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced measures to help diversify its economy away from dependency on hydrocarbons, and to create jobs for Emiratis in new private-sector opportunities. The package includes an investment of AED24 billion to create 75,000 new private-sector jobs. The UAE government is looking to balance between creating incentives for expats to relocate to the UAE and creating employment opportunities for its own population.