Cuba, 11-3-26

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Links to three reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for this date’s GAZA, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT so far. CUBA 6-23-25 and CUBA 5-23-26 are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Charity-run kitchens in Havana feed a growing number of Cubans as crisis deepens, by Andrea Rodríguez | AP  HAVANA — Every night, hundreds of people line up outside a charity-run food pantry in the heart of Havana, some sleeping on the sidewalk as they wait for what may be their only meal of the day. When the doors open . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 7  Struggling to survive in Cuba. Reported by Eyder Peralta and Scott Simon | NPR  Cuba faces deepening crisis and isolation under heavy U.S. sanctions. Our Havana correspondent reports on how locals use ingenious—and sometimes desperate—ways to survive and make a living. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for a second NPR report.

Gaza, 11-13-26

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Links to three reports and an editorial: from Informed Comment, Middle East Monitor and Mondoweiss; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for this date’s CUBA, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT so far, and down for GAZA 11-12-26.) — MCM

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* A report by Juan Cole and an editorial from Middle East Monitor, both via Informed Comment today, are HERE and HERE. *

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Hamas says Board of Peace adopts misleading Israeli narrative on Gaza hospitals. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas on Thursday strongly rejected the Board of Peace’s adoption of what it called a misleading Israeli narrative about the use of hospitals in Gaza for military purposes, accusing the board of covering up Israeli violations against civilians and medical facilities in the besieged territory. READ MORE . . .

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Aid organizations in Gaza are pulling back, by Tareq S. Hajjaj | Mondoweiss  Israel’s systematic campaign against Palestinians in Gaza continues to target everyone capable of providing them with assistance. READ MORE . . .

Iran, 11-13-26

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Links to six reports and a commentary: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for this date’s CUBA, GAZA, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT so far, and down for IRAN 11-12-26.) — MCM

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U.S. says it shot down two Iranian drones heading towards Bahrain. From Middle East Eye. The U.S. military today said it had shot down two Iranian attack drones launched towards Bahrain, denying an Iranian claim that its forces had struck a U.S. early-warning radar system in the Gulf kingdom. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 12  Iraq, Turkiye, Pakistan defy U.S. pressure, refuse to seal borders with Iran: NYT. From the Cradle. U.S. efforts to pressure Iran’s neighboring states to close their land borders had failed, stalling Washington’s campaign to cripple the Iranian economy, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 12  Trump bluntly tells JD Vance to shift focus from Iran to targeting ‘corruption and crime’ at home, by Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday directed Vice President JD Vance to shift his focus away from the Iran war and instead devote himself to fighting what the president says is corruption and crime in Democratic-controlled cities and states. Vance served as the lead negotiator for a short-lived truce in . . . Report with photos is HERE. Same AP report in Spanish is HERE, and others are HERE.

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FROM NOV. 12  Vance weighs face-to-face meeting with Iranian security chief: WSJ. From the Cradle. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is weighing a direct meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, after U.S. President Donald Trump requested him to negotiate an end to the war on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  Iran security chief vows to strike U.S. bases in Europe if war restarted. From the Cradle. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran could strike U.S. bases in Europe if they are used to launch a new attack on Iran during an interview with Al-Mayadeen. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah vows to defend Iran, urges probe into PM’s ‘massive financial empire.’ From the Cradle. Kataib Hezbollah security chief Abu Mujahid al-Assaf on Tuesday reaffirmed the group’s commitment to armed resistance and vowed to defend Iran against any new attack. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 12  As U.S. support for Israel erodes, Iran and Russia play the long game, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The public attitude in the United States toward Israel has undergone a phenomenal shift. This has coalesced with . . . READ MORE . . .

Ukraine, 11-13-26

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Links to four reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for this date’s CUBA, GAZA, IRAN and ALL OF IT so far, and down for UKRAINE 11-12-26.) — MCM

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Ukraine fires nearly 1,200 drones at Russia as U.S.-led talks consider wider European security, by Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine fired almost 1,200 drones at Russian targets overnight in one of its biggest aerial attacks since Moscow’s invasion nearly five years ago. Meanwhile . . . Report with photos is HERE. Same AP report in Spanish is HERE, and others are HERE. A second AP report is HERE.

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Ukrainian drone attack kills 4 workers, sparks fire at Volgograd oil refinery. From the Moscow Times. Four people were killed and two injured after Ukrainian drones attacked an industrial zone in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, regional Governor Andrei Bocharov said Friday morning. READ MORE . . .

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Trump’s envoys hope to get Europe involved in Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Reported by Hannah Bloch, Charles Maynes and A Martínez | NPR President Trump’s envoys met with Russia’s president and say further talks are likely, perhaps with European participation. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

All of it, 11-13-26

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First, links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for this date’s CUBA, GAZA, IRAN and UKRAINE so far, and down for ALL OF IT 11-12-26.) — MCM

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FROM NOV.  12  Leaders of countries already hit hard by climate change tell UN summit that urgent action is needed, by Suzan Fraser, Seth Borenstein, Sibi Arasu and Tammy Webber | AP  ANTALYA, Turkey — Urgent action is needed to help countries hardest-hit by the effects of climate change, small island leaders said Thursday at the United Nations climate talks in Turkey, describing global warming as a life-or-death issue for their people. Click HERE for report with one photo. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM NOV. 12  Colorado flood victims hope for speedier federal help. Reported by Havalin Haskell | CPR News / NPR  Local and state officials in Colorado say recent floods have outstripped their ability to respond. They’re worried about federal response after Trump delayed flood aid for political reasons in 2025. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 12  Dangerous weather, communication difficulties highlighted deadly June wildfire in Colorado, by Tom Hesse | CPR  At 3:19 p.m. on June 27, Rifle Helitack squad leader Emily Barker commanded four other firefighters on her team battling a wildfire in Mesa County to “pull shelters.” Click HERE for report with photos and map.

Lebanon, 11-12-26

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for this date’s YEMEN, GAZA, ALL OF IT, WEST BANK and UKRAINE, and for LEBANON 11-2-26.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 11  Over one million Lebanese face ‘crisis-level’ food insecurity as Israel ravages farmland. From the Cradle. Crisis-level or worse food insecurity has affected more than one million people in Lebanon, according to a UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis published on Wednesday, as Israeli attacks in the south ravage farmland and cut farmers off from their land. READ MORE . . .

 

Yemen, 11-12-26

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for this date’s LEBANON, GAZA, ALL OF IT, WEST BANK and UKRAINE, and down for YEMEN 11-9-26.) — MCM

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Yemeni army advances on Bab al-Mandab front against Saudi-backed forces. From the Cradle. The Yemeni Armed Forces today advanced in southwestern Lahj, gaining territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and pushing back Saudi-backed forces in Aden and Taiz. READ MORE . . .

Gaza, 11-12-26

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Links to eight reports and a commentary: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for this date’s LEBANON, YEMEN, ALL OF IT, WEST BANK and UKRAINE, and down for GAZA 11-10-26.) — MCM

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Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills 6 people, including a doctor and a child, Health Ministry says, by LAbdel Karen Hana and Toqa Ezzidin | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip  — An Israeli airstrike hit one of the main hospitals still operating in the Gaza Strip today, killing six people, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Click HERE for report with photos. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle, and HERE for a later report from Middle East Eye.  

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Clashes break out between Palestinian resistance, Israel-backed militias in central Gaza. From the Cradle. The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, announced today that its fighters had clashed with Israeli-backed militias in central Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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Aid groups call on Israel to allow shelters in Gaza amid a humanitarian emergency. Reported by Anas Baba | NPR  Winter storms have brought flooding and deadly landslides to thousands living in tents in Gaza. Palestinians have no where to go after years of devastating war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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53 countries, aid organizations urge Israel to allow rapid humanitarian access to Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. A group of 53 countries and organizations, including Turkiye, today urged Israel to allow rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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How Gaza’s winter ‘crisis’ is manufactured by Israel, by Katherine Hearst | Middle East Eye  The deaths of Gaza’s babies in freezing, storm-battered tents is now becoming an annual phenomenon in the aid-starved enclave. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  Gaza flooding is a catastrophe by design — and the spineless West is complicit, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  It’s a great time to be a war criminal. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  Israel’s top court blocks release of 14 Palestinian doctors abducted from Gaza. From the Cradle. Israel’s top court has rejected petitions for the release of 14 Palestinian doctors abducted from the Gaza Strip, Physicians for Human Rights Israel announced on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

All of it, 11-12-26

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Links to two reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up or down for this date’s LEBANON, YEMEN, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE, and down for ALL OF IT 11-11-26.) — MCM

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Leaders at the U.N. climate summit urged to get tougher on global warming. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  World leaders are gathered in Turkey for climate talks, after a year of conflict that has frayed international ties and upended global energy markets. One conspicuous absence: the U.S. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Drought threatens Iraq’s marshes, risking one of the oldest ways of life. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  The unique marshes of southern Iraq are beginning to revive after five years of devastating drought. But challenges remain for one of the world’s oldest ways of life. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

West Bank, 11-12-26

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Links to reports from Middle East Eye and West Bank Alerts; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for this date’s LEBANON, YEMEN, GAZA, ALL OF IT and UKRAINE, and down for WEST BANK 11-10-26.) — MCM

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Israeli soldier accused of smearing feces on Palestinian detainee’s face, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  An Israeli soldier has been accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee at a military outpost in the occupied West Bank, including beating him, urinating on him and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  ‘Oh world, oh people, come help us,’ by Cara MariAnna | West Bank Alerts  Beginning of a text from Adnan in Kisan: “I received a call from my married sister, who lives in Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, north of Ramallah. She was screaming and crying. She also has three young daughters, the eldest being seven years old. She was pleading for help after an attack by dozens of settlers who set fire to a junkyard. The settlers tried to burn down her house and several others, but . . .” Click HERE for texts, intro and videos.