For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press and  National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 8-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE, COVID ETC. and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel pounds Gaza City outskirts as military push quickens. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military stepped up armed operations around Gaza City today, ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries, as it announced the recovery of the body of Ilan Weiss, a hostage seized by Hamas. READ MORE . . .  

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FROM AUG. 28  UN food agency chief says women and children are starving in Gaza and pressed Netanyahu on aid, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — The head of the U.N. food agency said today it was “very evident” during her visit to Gaza this week that there isn’t enough food in the Palestinian territoryand that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 28  The role the U.S. has played in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Reported by Tom Bowman and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  As famine plagues Gaza, NPR exclusive reporting looks at the U.S. role in the humanitarian crisis. Many former officials NPR interviewed share a common refrain: Did we do enough to prevent this? Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for longer article at npr.org.

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For today, links to three reports: from Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, and Tass, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent and via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 8-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, COVID ETC. and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down up or down.) — MCM

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Zelensky: Russia cannot occupy Ukraine, but borders can’t be restored by force, by Sergii Kostezh | Kyiv Post  President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Russia will never occupy Ukraine but acknowledged that Kyiv currently cannot reclaim all its internationally recognized territories by military means. He emphasized . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia grinds ahead in Donetsk, testing Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt,’ by Anastasi Tenisheva | The Moscow Times  Russian forces are pressing ahead in eastern Ukraine, making incremental but closely watched advances in the Donetsk region as the Trump administration struggles to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s defense chief talks about army advance, Kiev’s losses, UAV supplies to troops. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops have increased the pace of liberating territories from Ukrainian armed formations while Kiev has lost over 340,000 soldiers this year, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said. Specifically . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why Ukraine security guarantees are dead in the water, by Chris York, Dominic Culverwell, Martin Fornusek and Oleksiy Sorokin | The Kyiv Independent  There’s a new buzzword in capitals across Europe and North America — “security guarantees” — a set of measures that are supposed to ensure . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 27  Europe’s final descent, by Uroš Lipušcek | Special to Consortium News  LJUBLJANA — It’s not yet clear to the European politicians who took part in the Oval Office lesson in geopolitics that the strategic interests of the United States and Europe are increasingly diverging. READ MORE . . .

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For today, because of a time crunch, just one link: to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (COVID ETC. 8-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 28  Former CDC director weighs in on leadership shakeup. Reported by Mary Louise Kelly, Avery Keatley and Sarah Handel | NPR  The White House says CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired because she was not aligned with President Trump’s mission to make America healthy again. What does the exodus mean for the agency? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, a link to commentary from Common Dreams via Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (MEDIA 8-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 28  The attack on Palestine Chronicle, by Mohamed El Mokhtar | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The Palestine Chronicle is a modest, independent publication, sustained by small donations and animated by a singular mission: to bear witness. It tells the untold stories of Palestine, documenting dispossession, resistance and . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 8-27-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE, COVID ETC. and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Modest food aid increasese in Gaza aid not enough to stop starvation, says World Food Programme, by Olivia Le Poidevin | Reuters  More food aid is reaching Gaza but it still remains far from enough to prevent widespread starvation, the head of the World Food Programme told Reuters today. READ MORE . . .

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Israel increases bombardment of Gaza City, kills 16 people around the enclave, medics say, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces killed at least 16 Palestinians across Gaza today and wounded dozens in the south of the enclave, local health officials said, as residents reported intensified military bombardment in the suburbs of Gaza City. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 27  Israeli ground forces pave way for occupation in Gaza City outskirts. From the Cradle. The Israeli army said on Wednesday that its ground forces are operating on the outskirts of Gaza City in preparation for the upcoming assault to seize and occupy the area, as . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN rights staff demand Gaza war be called genocide. From Middle East Eye. More than 500 staff at the United Nations human rights office say their boss must use the word genocide to describe Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in less than two years and pushed the besegied Strip into famine. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 27  Pope demands end to ‘collective punishment’ and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, by Nicole Winfield | AP  ROME — Pope Leo XIV demanded Wednesday that Israel stop the “collective punishment” and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as he pleaded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the besieged territory amid preparations by Israel for a new military offensive. READ MORE . . .

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Ex-Biden administration officials detail contentious talks over Israel’s war in Gaza. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf and Leila Fadel | NPR  National Public Radio reporters have uncovered some of the tensions within the Biden administration as the U.S. responded to Israel’s war in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 27  A look at why it is so hard to end the war in Gaza, by Joseph Krauss | AP  The international community, along with nearly all Palestinians and many Israelis, wanted the war to end a long time ago — and a ceasefire seemed possible as recently as last month. So why . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 8-27-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, COVID ETC. and MEDIA entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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At least 17 killed in major Russian attack that included rare strikes on center of Ukrainian capital, by Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — A major Russian air attack on Kyiv early today, including a rare strike in the city center that damaged the European Union’s diplomatic offices, killed at least 17 people and wounded 48 more, authorities said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Moscow Times and Reuters.

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (COVID ETC. 2-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than a month on the job and other agency leaders resign, by Mike Stobbe | AP  NEW YORK  — The director of the nation’s top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Los Angeles Times; others may be accessed by clicking on its name below. (MEDIA 8-27-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entry for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 27  NPR’s ‘All Things Considered ‘ names Scott Detrow as new full-time host, by Cerys Davies | Los Angeles Times  NPR’s “All Things Considered” is getting a new weekday voice. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 8-26-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for today are HERE and HERE or scroll down.) — MCM

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U.S. contractors in Gaza pursued MEE journalist before his killing, by Khaled Shalaby, Daniel Hilton and Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — U.S. contractors at a Gaza aid centre interrogated a source of Middle East Eye journalist Mohamed Salama seeking information about his identity and whereabouts before he was killed — alongside MEE reporter Ahmed Abu Aziz and three other journalists on Monday morning. READ MORE . . .

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Israel calls Gaza City evacuation ‘inevitable’ as U.S. hosts talks on post-war Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa, Sam Metz and Sally Abou Aljoud | AP  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli and U.S. officials will meet in Washington today to discuss post-war Gaza, even as Israel’s military calls the evacuation of Gaza City “inevitable” ahead of a military offensive and with no sign of a ceasefire in sight. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Hussam al-Masri, the Reuters journalist killed by Israeli fire in Gaza. From Reuters. Hussam al-Masri, the Reuters journalist killed by Israeli fire on Monday while operating a live video feed at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, reported on the war’s civilian suffering while himself living in a tent and struggling to find food for his family. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 19, 2025, and OCT. 4, 2011  Why Palestine is already a state, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  A combination of mistakes, whether through ignorance or design, and significant omissions of fact have left the American public misinformed about why the Palestinians have gone to the United Nations and what . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Tass, Reuters, and the Moscow Times; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 8-26-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and MEDIA entries for today are HERE, and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Donbas water woes worsen, supply cuts to 6 more cities, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Authorities in the Russia-occupied sections of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region today announced water supplies to six cities would be drastically reduced or cut off completely, worsening a water crisis that has already left tens thousands of homes and businesses with bone-dry faucets for months. READ MORE . . .

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Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix, by Yuliia Taradiuk | The Kyiv Independent  Years of neglect and war damage have left Russian-occupied areas of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts with barely functioning infrastructure, while in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces break into another region of Ukraine with peace efforts stuck, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia’s invading forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said today, seeking to capture more ground in their three-year war of attrition as U.S.-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Pervoye Maya community in Donetsk region over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Pervoye Maya in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin says it doesn’t like European proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia takes a negative view of European proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine and will not accept any presence of NATO troops on its neighbour’s territory, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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