Rishi Sunak began the week as the strong favorite to become the country’s next prime minister; Russia’s defense chief alleged Ukraine was preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device; and North and South Korea fired warning shots at each other. These stories highlight the Daily Rundown for Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Sunak likely to become…

While much of the world focuses on the war in Ukraine, in the Pacific, the focus is squarely on China. Because of China’s saber-rattling on Taiwan, Japan is committing more money to increase its military spending while Taiwan could get billions in defense funding from the United States. After Russia invaded Ukraine, many Japanese began…

Russia and the United States are both on the same page and calling for peace. Not in Ukraine, but in another war-torn region involving two former members of the Soviet Union. Over the last few days, fighting broke out again between Armenia and Azerbaijan, worrying the U.S., Russia and other nations. The two countries are…

After months of hustings (campaign events), Liz Truss, the British Foreign Secretary, won the race to become the UK’s prime minister. Truss defeated Rishi Sunak, a former member of Parliament, to become the leader of the conservative Tory Party.  “I have a bold vision for our future backed up by huge experience,” Truss said in…

A blackout at the nuclear site in Ukraine could have caused a world catastrophe overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both Ukraine and Russia are blaming the other for fires sparked in ash pits of a nearby coal station that disconnected the Zaporozhzhia plant from the power grid. “The situation is extremely dangerous,” Ukrainian…

Russia appears to be ramping up threats of a nuclear war. On Tuesday, a Russian diplomat told the United Nations that while the Ukraine invasion does not warrant the use of nuclear weapons, Russia could resort to nukes in response to “direct aggression” from the West. The comments came just one day after Ukraine asked…

Wheat prices jumped Monday morning after Russia’s weekend attack on the major Ukrainian port of Odesa. The missile strikes penetrated doubt in a UN-backed deal reached Friday to resume Ukraine grain exports, which have been piling up since Russia’s invasion, contributing to a global food crisis. On the day of the deal, wheat futures had…

The mega-yachts and luxury real estate seized from Russian oligarchs is worth billions of dollars, yet the Justice Department is limited in what it can do with those assets. Now, the Senate is working on a bipartisan bill to allow proceeds from sanctioned assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. “This illegal amount of money is marked…

On the same day NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, President Joe Biden promised to maintain the United States’ recently-increased military presence in Europe for the “foreseeable future.” Both moves are seen as steps to bolster their respective defense capacities in Europe amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “I think the…

Russia and Turkey voiced support for a safe corridor in the Black Sea that would allow for Ukrainian grain exports. The support came as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Ankara on Wednesday. Russia also demanded Ukraine remove mines from the Black Sea. Ukraine is one of the world’s…