US News

• The Biden administration on Monday announced a series of steps it’s taking against Nicaragua in the most expansive sanctions on the country since the US rejected the results of last year’s Nicaraguan presidential election. AWC

Russia

• Amid talk that it may be harder to push Ukraine aid through a Republican-controlled House if they win the majority in midterms, lawmakers from both parties are considering passing a new massive piece of legislation before newly elected members are sworn in this January. AWC
• British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said Thursday that a Russian fighter jet released a missile near a British spy plane over the Black Sea in an encounter on September 29. AWC
• Western reliance on nuclear energy technology from Moscow is interfering with US sanctions on Russia, driving Washington to seek alternatives as the United States and its European allies aim to decouple from Russia’s energy sector. The Institute 
• The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday made an unprecedented visit to a nuclear-armed submarine in the Arabian Sea, a move that comes amid soaring tensions between the US and Russia over the potential use of nuclear weapons. AWC
• A Kremlin spokesperson said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been open to talks over Ukraine since the war began. Meanwhile, America’s top diplomat claimed there has been “no evidence” Moscow wishes to engage in diplomacy. AWC
• Russia’s top defense official held a flurry of calls with other military chiefs to forewarn a nuclear false flag would soon happen in Ukraine. The call between Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was the second in three days. AWC
• The White House has deployed thousands of American soldiers just miles from Ukraine to prepare for war, according to CBS News. Officers speaking with the outlet revealed they were there for combat against Russia. AWC
• After eight months of Washington and other NATO members pouring billions of dollars of arms and other military equipment into Ukraine, the proxy war has depleted the allies’ weapons stockpiles, according to the Associated Press. “The allies expect the war will continue for months, maybe years, with both sides rapidly using up weapons supplies. Victory may come down to who can last longer,” the report said. AWC
• European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the bloc would give Kiev 18 billion euros next year while it continues fighting Russia, Reuters reported on Friday. AWC
• A group of progressive House Democrats is urging President Biden to negotiate with Russia and seek a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. AWC
• A Russian military official on Monday said that Russia is preparing its forces to work under “radioactive contamination” as Moscow is accusing Ukraine of planning to use a munition mixed with nuclear material, known as a dirty bomb. AWC
• Sweden’s foreign minister on Monday said that the new Swedish government will work to fulfill a deal signed with Turkey that is required for the Nordic nation to join NATO. AWC

China

• A high-level Navy official said Wednesday that the US should prepare for the possibility of China invading Taiwan as soon as this year. AWC
• Taiwan has signed a contract with the US for maintenance of the island’s Patriot air defense missile systems, a move that comes as Washington is working to bolster Taipei’s military. AWC

Afghanistan 

• An American Marine stole an Afghan child. The parents are seeking the return of the child. Marine Times

Israel

• For the first time in a month, Israel carried out a missile attack against Syria, targeting the capital city of Damascus and suburbs in the southern region near the border. AWC
• A Syrian soldier was injured by an Israeli airstrike that targeted Damascus on Monday, the Syrian news agency SANA reported. AWC
• Israel officials falsely claimed that the family of a Palestinian-American man killed in the West Bank settled with Tel Aviv. The family says they are seeking justice, not finical compensation. MEE