Links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA, IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA, and for UKRAINE 6-2-26.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal before city hosts Russian economic forum. From AP. Ukrainian long-range drones struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and set it ablaze, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, sending smoke billowing over the city where President Vladimir Putin was born as it hosts Russia’s leading event for attracting foreign capital.

Links to reports from the Cradle and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE, WEST BANK, GAZA, IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA, and down for LEBANON 6-2-26.) — MCM

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Lebanon reports dozens of casualties from Israeli attacks on third day of U.S.-backed ‘truce.’ From the Cradle. Israel’s escalation in Lebanon continued to pick up pace on 3 June – following Washington’s unilateral ceasefire announcement, which has seen Tel Aviv intensify carpet bombing and indiscriminate strikes across the country’s south and elsewhere. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Links to reports from the Cradle and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE, LEBANON, GAZA, IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA, and down for WEST BANK 5-27-26.) — MCM

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Tel Aviv advances de facto annexation of occupied West Bank with massive settlement expansion. From the Cradle. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich today announced a new and major illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank, which aims to see the construction of around 2,000 houses on Palestinian land. READ MORE . . .

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Israel orders seisure of30 hectares of Palestinian land in southern West Bank: official. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli authorities have issued a military order to seize 30 hectares (74 acres) of Palestinian land near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank under the pretext of expropriation for public purposes, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE, LEBANON, WEST BANK, IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA, and down for GAZA 6-1-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 2  Hamas denies refusing to hand over governance in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas on Tuesday denied allegations that it is refusing to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip, describing claims by some on the Board of Peace as “misleading lies intended to provide cover for the occupation to continue its aggression,” Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli study finds starvation in Gaza was result of deliberate policy, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye | TEL AVIV — A recent Israeli study has concluded that starvation in Gaza resulted from a premeditated policy, despite sustained public denial by the Israeli government and much of the media. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 2  The systematic murder of international law, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Do we witness the death of international law and international justice? Have these breathed their last and must now be counted things of the past? Have we entered an era . . . READ MORE . . .

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Links to FIVE reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor, and to an interview from National Public Radio; others published material is  accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE, LEBANON, WEST BANK, CUBA and MEDIA, and down for IRAN 6-2-26.) — MCM

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Iran and the U.S. trade strikes in the Persian Gulf, further testing ceasefire, by Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — Kuwait briefly shut its main airport today after Iranian drones heavily damaged a terminal building, killing one person and wounding dozens — the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Tehran and Washington that have tested a fragile ceasefire. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.  Click HERE and HERE for later reports from Middle East Eye and Reuters.

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Iran to deepen ties with ‘principal strategic partner’ China: Ghalibaf. From the Cradle. Iranian Parliament Speaker and special representative for China affairs, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, held the first joint meeting with key economic officials today to align Tehran’s economic strategy toward Beijing. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 2  Iran says its armed force ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with U.S. From Middle East Monitor. A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that the readiness of the country’s armed forces today “is more than in the past,” claiming Tehran will use “different” types of weapons in case of a renewed war with the U.S. and Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 2  A new book charts Iran’s shift from a movement rooted in independence to present day. Reported by Ashley Brown, Mary Louise Kelly, Karen Zamora and ]Brianna Scott | NPR  What were the broken promises of the 1979 Iranian Revolution? Kelly speaks with reporter Yeganeh Torbati about the new book she co-authored, Stolen Revolution. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

Links to reports from National Public Radio and Reuters, and to a memorandum from Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity* via Consortium News; other published material or at least headlines is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE, LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA, and down for CUBA 5-23-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 2  Rubio testifies on Capitol Hill about Cuba. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Cuba needs systemic reforms. But the administration is talking to Cuban officials like ex-leader Raul Castro’s grandson. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM MAY 28  Cuba sees higher risk of U.S. military aggression as talks stall. From Reuters. Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal sees the risk of U.S. military aggression against the island growing as negotiations between the nations stagnate, she said on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 29  Avoiding catastrophic failure in Cuba. From VIPS.* Dear President Trump: We are deeply concerned that the current U.S. approach to Cuba makes an ugly humanitarian disaster — for which the U.S. will be responsible — increasingly likely. We also believe that any military option will draw us into a losing war. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 19 Cuba is out of oil. What now? Reported by Fiona Geiran, Tinbete Ermyas and Scott Detrow | NPR  Detrow speaks with Jorge Piñon, an energy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and a former oil executive, about the energy crisis taking place in Cuba. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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*  As VIPS apparently doesn’t have a website, this link is to a collection of links to VIPS memorandums on the Consortium News website.

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Links to a report from National Public Radio, to commentary from Consortium News, to an interview from CBS News, and to part of an opinion column from the New York Times; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up for UKRAINE, LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA, IRAN and CUBA, and down for MEDIA 6-1-26.) — MCM

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’60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley fired amid rising tensions at CBS News. Reported by David Folkenflik and Leila Fadel | NPR  Scott Pelley, the longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent, was fired from CBS a day after a heated staff meeting exchange with the show’s new executive producer. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 2  The systematic murder of international law, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Have we entered an era defined by the total absence of international law and the decisive destruction of the institutions founded to encode, adjudicate and enforce it? There are (in)famous cases — familiar if one does not rely on corporate media. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 10  Full transcript of Major Garrett’s interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. From CBS News. Mr. Prime Minister, Good to see you. Click HERE to read and for 79-minute video of extended interview.

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FROM MAY 28  Israel’s isolation is deepening fast, by Shira Efron | The New York Times  At the Eurovision song contest, Israel drew protesters as well as boycotts by Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia. Days later . . . Click HERE to read a bit of New York Times column.

Links to SIX reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for LEBANON and IRAN, and for UKRAINE 5-31-26.) — MCM

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Massive Russian attack kills 18 people across Ukraine, officials say, as Moscow escalates fighting, by Samya Kullab and Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP  KYIV — Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding 131 others, authorities said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for two reports from Reuters; and HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent and Tass.

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Links to SIX reports: from Reuters, the Cradle, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, and to commentaries from the Cradle and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for UKRAINE and LEBANON, and down for IRAN 6-1-26.) — MCM

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Iran studying deal to halt war as stalemate persists. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the United States to halt their war, Iran’s Mehr news reported today, after U.S. President Donald Trump said talks to reach a deal were continuing. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. pressures Oman to sever ties with Iran: report. From the Cradle. White House officials are pressuring Oman to distance itself from Tehran and sever diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, allegedly growing “increasingly frustrated” with Muscat’s neutral stance, the Wall Street Journal reported today, citing U.S. and Arab officials. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 1  Iran calls off talks with U.S. over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Gaza. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Iran says it is suspending all talks with the U.S. due to Israel’s expanding occupations in Lebanon and Gaza.  Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., shares his thoughts on the U.S.-Iran peace talks. Leila Fadel of NPR asks Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, for his view of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and negotiations. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iran’s inflation hits World War II levels, deepening economic pain, by Jon Gambrell and Nasser Karimi | AP  DUBAI — Year-on-year inflation in Iran reached a level in May unseen since World War II, underlining the economic pain average Iranians face as the Islamic Republic worries about the war with Israel and the United States restarting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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Iranians back online after a government-imposed blackout. Reported by Arezou Rezvani | NPR  People in Iran are back online after a government-imposed digital blackout that lasted nearly three months. Reconnecting has been bittersweet for many Iranians. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 1  Why Oman now holds the key to Hormuz, by Omar Ahmad | The Cradle  On May 5, Iran announced the establishment of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a body presented by Tehran as a mechanism for regulating transit through the Strait of Hormuz and collecting fees from commercial passage. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 1  Trump: ‘We shouldn’t have been in Iran,’ by Joshua Scheer | ScheerPost  In an interview conducted not by a journalist but by his daughter-in-law on Fox News, Trump stumbled into a confession that cuts through months of White House triumphalism, media cheerleading, and endless declarations of victory. He casually admitted something extraordinary. Click HERE for article and video of interview with Lara Trump.

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