* A NOTE about access is at the bottom of this page.

First, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-4-25, and for today’s WEST BANK, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries so far.) — MCM

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Israeli bombs south Lebanon one day after direct talks with Beirut. From the Cradle. The Israeli army launched violent attacks on south Lebanon on Thursday after issuing threats ordering the evacuation of residents in several towns. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

* From time to time, for whatever reason, new entries or additions to entries are delayed for hours for visitors depending on, I guess, what computers or browsers are being used, no matter what I do to “flush cache” (whatever that means), shut my computer down and restart, or take other measures. If you sense what you are reading is stale, you can try to “restart” by clicking on the little circle with clockwise arrow up top, which may help. If that doesn’t work, please return later. Thank you.

* A NOTE about access is at the bottom of this page.

For now, links to three reports: from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-4-25, and up or down for today’s LEBANON, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries so far.) — MCM

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Palestinian man killed by Israeli army fire. From Middle East Monitor. A Palestinian man was killed today by Israeli army fire during clashes south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, authorities said, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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UN says 95,000 Palestinians hit by intensifying Israeli operations in northern West Bank. From Middle East Eye. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its weekly briefing that Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank — particularly in Jenin and Tubas — affected more than 95,000 Palestinians over the past week. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 4  Four Palestinians hit by Israeli army, illegal settlers in occupied West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. Four Palestinians were injured Thursday in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, medics said, Anadolu reports.

READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

* From time to time, for whatever reason, new entries or additions to entries are delayed for hours for visitors depending on, I guess, what computers or browsers are being used, no matter what I do to “flush cache” (whatever that means), shut my computer down and restart, or take other measures. If you sense what you are reading is stale, you can try to “restart” by clicking on the little circle with clockwise arrow up top, which may help. If that doesn’t work, please return later. Thank you.

* A NOTE about access is at the bottom of this page.

For now, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-4-25, and up or down for today’s LEBANON, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries so far.) — MCM

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Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion. From AP. NEW YORK — Netflix has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy the legacy Hollywood giant’s studio and streaming business for $72 billion — which would bring two of the industry’s biggest players in film and TV under one roof. READ MORE . . .

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EU slaps 120-mn-euro fine on X for breaking digital rules. From AFP. BRUSSELS —The European Union today hit Elon Musk’s X with a 120-million-euro ($140-million) fine for breaking its digital rules, in a move that risks a fresh clash with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 4  Former ‘Morning Edition’ host on his newest venture — a local newspaper. Reported by Alejandra Marquez Janse, Patrick Jarenwattananon, and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Kelly speaks with former NPR host David Greene who is set to take over LNP, the Pennsylvania newspaper where he was once an intern.. Click HERE to read and — only with some diligence and technical creativity — listen to.

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FROM DEC. 4  Remembering Steve Cropper, guitarist and member of Stax Records’ Booker T & the M.G.’s. Reported by Chloe Veltman | NPR  Steve Cropper, the Booker T. & the MG guitarist, songwriter and producer who was instrumental in the rise of R&B powerhouse Stax Records, died in Nashville at 84. Click HERE to read and — only with some diligence and technical creativity — listen to.

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Zac Brown shares his harrowing childhood story on ‘Love & Fear.’ Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  The Zac Brown Band’s first five albums hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts. Their latest is “Love & Fear,” and the band is celebrating with a set of shows at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

* From time to time, for whatever reason, new entries or additions to entries are delayed for hours for visitors depending on, I guess, what computers or browsers are being used, no matter what I do to “flush cache” (whatever that means), shut my computer down and restart, or take other measures. If you sense what you are reading is stale, you can try to “restart” by clicking on the little circle with clockwise arrow up top, which may help. If that doesn’t work, please return later. Thank you.

* A NOTE about access is at the bottom of this page.

For now, links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-4-25, and scroll up for today’s LEBANON, MEDIA and WEST BANK entries so far.) — MCM

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Russian drone strike kills 12-year-old boy in Ukraine as peace talks kept under wraps, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian drones struck a house in central Ukraine, killing a 12-year-old boy, officials said, while long-range Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted a Russian port and an oil refinery as U.S. peace efforts continued out of public view. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 4  Corruption investigation rocks Ukraine’s leadership. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  A corruption scandal in Ukraine hits Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle but not the president himself. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

* From time to time, for whatever reason, new entries or additions to entries are delayed for hours for visitors depending on, I guess, what computers or browsers are being used, no matter what I do to “flush cache” (whatever that means), shut my computer down and restart, or take other measures. If you sense what you are reading is stale, you can try to “restart” by clicking on the little circle with clockwise arrow up top, which may help. If that doesn’t work, please return later. Thank you.

First, a link to a report from Anadolu Ajansi; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-3-25, and for today’s LEBANON, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 1  4 foreign activists injured by illegal Israeli settlers’ attack in occupied West Bank, by Betul Yilmaz and Aysar Alais | Anadolu  ISTANBUL — The Israeli army launched a large-scale arrest campaign in the occupied West Bank as illegal settlers attacked foreign activists and Palestinians on Sunday, according to local sources. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Dec. 4 Anadolu report in French, and HERE for others.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to a report from Agence France-Presse and to an article of commentary from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-3-25, and for GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries.) — MCM

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Israel says to strike south Lebanon, issues evacuation call. From AFP. The Israeli military said today it would soon strike what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon and warned people in two villages to evacuate immediately. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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FROM DEC. 3  Israel’s silent war on Lebanon: How digital espionage rewrites the rules of assassination, by Mohamad Shams Eddine | The Cradle  For every assassination Israel carries out against a Hezbollah commander, a familiar question reverberates through Lebanon’s resistance circles: how did they track him? READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Moscow Times; headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-3-25, and up or down for LEBANON, GAZA and MEDIA entries.) — MCM

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Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the U.S. proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, by Dasha Litvinova | AP  Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published to day that any deal . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. 

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Ukraine stares down the barrel of population collapse, by Max Hunder | Reuters  HOSHCHA, Ukraine — The maternity ward in the Hoshcha hospital has recorded just 139 births so far this year, down from 164 in 2024 — a far cry from over a decade ago when more than 400 babies were born every year, according to local authorities. Ukraine is facing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump says he believes Russia wants peace even as Putin vows to take all of Donbas. From the Moscow Times. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believes Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, while the Kremlin leader has renewed threats to seize more Ukrainian territory, and peace talks in Moscow this week . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from National Public Radio and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and to an article of commentary from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-1-25, and up for LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries.) — MCM

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New York Times sues Pentagon over media restrictions, by David Folkenflik | NPR  The New York Times sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today over the Pentagon’s new policy that requires media outlets to pledge not to gather information unless defense officials formally authorize its release. Click HERE to read and, later, listen.

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FROM DEC. 2  Inside Israel’s shadow campaign to win over American media, by Conner Echols | Responsible Statecraft  Back in March 2011, the Israeli consulate in New York City had a problem. A group of soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces were coming to the U.S. on a PR trip, and Israeli officials needed help . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 3  Israel’s silent war on Lebanon: How digital espionage rewrites the rules of assassination, by Mohamad Shams Eddine | The Cradle  For every assassination Israel carries out against a Hezbollah commander, a familiar question reverberates through Lebanon’s resistance circles: how did they track him? READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 2  Is Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ simply . . . horrible? Reported by Scott Neuman | NPR  There are almost certainly worse holiday songs than Paul McCartney’s 1979 “Wonderful Christmastime” — by the same Beatle who penned “Let It Be” on the band’s final album. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 3  In ‘Wings,’ Paul McCartney recounts the making of his post-Beatles band. A Martínez of NPR speaks with Paul McCartney about his new book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, an oral history of the band McCartney formed after The Beatles broke up. Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to two reports: from Middle East Eye and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-2-25 — and for today’s GAZA, UKRAINE and LEBANON entries.) — MCM

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Israel to build wall deep inside West Bank that ‘accelerates annexation,’ by Lubna Masarwa and Huthifa Fayyad | Middle East Eye  JERUSALEM —  The Israeli army is preparing to erect a new separation wall deep inside the occupied West Bank, in what experts warn is a dangerous redesign of Palestinian geography to advance de facto annexation. Haaretz first reported on the planned barrier. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 2  Photos capture olive harvest as villagers fear more violence by Israeli settlers, by Leo Correa | AP  TURMUS AYYA, West Bank — The olive harvest that was marked by violence is complete in the West Bank, but fear still hangs over many Palestinian villages, where residents keep constant watch for armed Israeli settlers. In recent months . . . Click HERE for more text and a dozen or so photographs by Correa.

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