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*** Venezuela's oil minister and top representatives of state-owned PDVSA on Friday signed contracts with U.S. oil firm Chevron Corp (CVX.N) intended to help revive the nation's oil production and expand operations. Last week, the U.S. granted Chevron a six-month license authorizing it to play an expanded role in existing projects in U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela, a move to encourage political talks between President Nicolas Maduro's government and the country's opposition toward elections.
*** Peru's president, Pedro Castillo, affirmed this Friday that he will complete his constitutional term in 2026, after a third vacancy (impeachment) motion against him was admitted in Congress. Speaking at an official act, the president stressed that "in the face of the pretension of some political sectors to try to break the constitutional order and the popular will expressed at the polls, I ratify that nothing will prevent us from continuing at the helm of the nation until the last day of our government, on July 28, 2026". The Peruvian Legislative Power is scheduled to discuss and vote next Wednesday on a third motion of vacancy (impeachment).
*** Switzerland could become the first country in the world to ban the use of electric vehicles to mitigate the energy crisis, reports Der Spiegel. According to the draft regulation, in the event of an energy emergency, "private use of electric vehicles is permitted only for absolutely necessary trips." The list includes professional practice and visits to stores, medical institutions, religious events and courts. In addition, stricter speed limits are planned for such vehicles. Switzerland gets most of its electricity from hydroelectric plants, but also imports a large amount of power from France and Germany. In the event of a supply disruption, the country could face an energy deficit.
*** The Netherlands and the United States will meet this December 3 at the Khalifa International Stadium in the round of 16 of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Netherlands come into this match having led Group A with seven points and just one goal conceded. They have a 1-1 draw with Ecuador and two victories with scores of 2-0, one with Senegal and the other with Qatar. For its part, the United States was second in Group B with five points. It comes into the match after a 1-1 draw with Wales, a goalless draw with England and a narrow win over Iran.
*** The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial instance of the UN, will hold from Monday hearings on the dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua, in which the Central American country asks for the delimitation of the continental shelf beyond 200 miles. In these four days of hearings, the ICJ will focus on the delimitation of the continental shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan coast. In addition, the parties will not be able to resume discussions already developed in the context of the ICJ, since its rules establish that in the oral hearings "the points that still separate the parties will be dealt with without restating everything that has already been dealt with in the written pleadings, nor simply repeating the facts and arguments already invoked". In that framework, the ICJ will have to hear the position of the two countries on the possibility of the continental shelf of one State extending beyond 200 nautical miles, to the point of overlapping the 200 nautical mile space of another State.
*** The flow of arms and fighters into the Lake Chad region, on the border between Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, increased following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced Tuesday at the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) Summit of Heads of State and Government. Weapons used in the Ukraine-Russia conflict "are beginning to seep into the region," where they contribute to violence and the threat of terrorism and, at the same time, nullify the efforts of LCBC countries to combat terrorist groups, Buhari stated. According to the president, along with the Ukrainian crisis, the situation in the Sahel and the war in Libya are "the main sources of weapons and fighters bolstering the ranks of terrorists."
*** The Group of Seven agreed on Friday to impose a cap on the price of Russian oil. Its leaders set that limit at $60 per barrel. "Together, the G7, the European Union and Australia have set a limit on the price of Russian seaborne oil, which will help us achieve our goal of curtailing [Russian President] Putin's main source of revenue for his illegal war in Ukraine, while preserving the stability of global energy supplies," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday. The measure is intended to "encourage the flow of discounted Russian oil to world markets." It is also designed to "help protect consumers and businesses from global supply disruptions", Yellen said.
*** Elon Musk would not rule out, if necessary, implanting one of the brain chips developed by his biotech company Neuralink in one of his children. "If they're in a serious situation like, say, they break their neck, would I feel comfortable doing it? Yes," the mogul said Wednesday during the Q&A portion of the 'Neuralink Show and Tell: Fall 2022'. The event, by way of an update, unveiled the progress in the development of the interfaces and wireless brain device over the past year. In Musk's opinion, the project being developed by Neuralink is currently at a point where "it would not be dangerous" to opt for such a procedure. The entrepreneur even assured that he plans to do part of the tests on human beings.
*** The European Commission again threatened to block Twitter if the platform does not adhere to European Union (EU) rules on content moderation. Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, in an interview with media conglomerate Funke, explained that the laws on digital markets and services, which will apply from next summer, "offer powerful tools to curb the spread of lies and hatred." "Twitter needs to meet these criteria if it wants to continue to operate in the European market," he asserted. "And if violations of the rules continue, we can shut down the platform in Europe," he stressed.
*** 11 Chinese semiconductor companies announced Wednesday that their latest chips are based on the RISC-V architecture, reports South China Morning Post. RISC-V was developed by the University of California in 2010 and is based on open source, accessible to all. Meanwhile, the dominant chip architectures, such as X86, are controlled by the US and UK and attempt to limit Beijing's access to cutting-edge chips and semiconductors. The new RISC-V-based chips "represent the advanced level of integrated circuit design," according to a statement from the China RISC-V Industry Consortium, the business group headed by VeriSilicon.
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