For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Post, and National Public Radio, followed by commentary, via Popular Resistance, from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on these sources names or initials below.. — MCM

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Russia has turned food, energy and even children into weapons against Ukraine, Zelenskyy says at UN, by Jennifer Peltz and Derek Gatopoulos | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Russia is “weaponizing” everything from food and energy to abducted children in its war against Ukraine — and he warned world leaders that the same could happen to them. “When hatred . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian soldiers hope for Western arms to speed up counteroffensive, by Anna Voitenko | Reuters  NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Despite recent battlefield gains, Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the eastern front say they need more Western weapons to speed up their grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces. Kyiv says it has in recent fighting recaptured two villages south of Bakhmut which will help its forces advance on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says 4 Ukrainian drones destroyed. From AFP. Russia said early today it had destroyed four Ukrainian drones overnight in its western Belgorod and Oryol regions. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops lose seven units of hardware, over 100 personnel in Zaporozhye area. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Russian forces have eliminated seven pieces of equipment and more than 100 Ukrainian troops near the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area in the last 24 hours, Vladimir Rogov, according to the leader of the We Are Together With Russia movement. “The adversary is seeing no success,” he said. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine confirms missile attack in Crimea, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | The Kyiv Post  Kyiv confirmed that Ukrainian missiles were behind explosions today near a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea.  Andriy Yusov, spokesperson of the Main Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), said: “Missile strikes are being launched on the military facilities of the invaders in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea.” READ MORE . . .

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At UN, world leaders talk Russia’s war against Ukraine, coups and climate change. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Climate change dominates the opening day of the UN general assembly, with speeches from President Biden amongst other leaders, with a warning from the UN Secretary General. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Zelenskyy’s U.S. visit comes as Republican opposition to Ukraine aid grows. Reported by Susan Davis | NPR  The Ukraine aid package is expected to ultimately pass, but how much more, and for how much longer, is a question that will linger in Washington long after Zelenskyy returns to Kyiv. Click HERE to listen and read.

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U.N. Secretary-General warns geopolitical tensions are rising around the world. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Colum Lynch, senior global reporter for Devex, about the General Assembly. Only one leader of the five permanent members of the Security Council showed up: President Biden. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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The ‘Biden phase of the Ukraine war, by  M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Popular Resistance  The ground war in Ukraine has run its course, a new phase is beginning. Even diehard supporters of Ukraine in the Western media and think tanks are admitting that a military victory over Russia is impossible and a vacation of the territory under Russian control is way beyond Kiev’s capability. Hence the ingenuity of the Biden administration in exploring Plan B — counseling Kiev . . . READ MORE . . .

Other links from the newspaper are accessible by clicking on its name below. — MCM

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Massachusetts will be the first state to stop buying single-use plastic, governor says, by Matthew Medsger | Boston Herald   Massachusetts will no longer buy single-use plastic products, the governor announced to start the week. Speaking Monday in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, Gov. Maura Healey used her brief time at the podium to announce she will issue two executive orders in the coming days, one of which would call on the state’s procurement officers . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Heading for UN, Ukraine’s president questions why Russia still has a place there, by Jennifer Peltz | AP  NEW YORK — Days before potentially crossing paths with Russia’s top diplomat at the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested today that the world body needs to answer for allowing his country’s invader a seat at the tables of power. “For us, it’s very important . . . READ MORE . . .

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Graft accusations dog top Zelenskiy aides, by Stephen Grey and Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  VIENNA / KYIV — In his years as the chief executive of one of Ukraine’s biggest construction firms, Oleh Maiboroda kept rolls of dollar bills in a safe behind his desk. The task of handing over the cash to bribe public officials, he said, was entrusted to a lawyer named Oleh Tatarov, now a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia destroys Ukrainian equipment while repulsing attacks near Rabotino — politician. From Tass. MELITOPOL — The Russian armed forces have destroyed ten Ukrainian armored vehicles while repulsing two enemy attacks near Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area, according to Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the ‘We Are Together with Russia’ movement. “The fighting has sharply . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian drone attack on a city in western Ukraine sparks an inferno at a warehouse and kills 1, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched a massive drone attack on the western city of Lviv early today, burning down a warehouse said to house humanitarian supplies and killing one man, Ukrainian authorities said. The Air Force said Ukraine intercepted most of the 30 Shahed drones overnight . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to a revised article in Harper’s Magazine. — MCM

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The spotlight is on Ukraine at UN leaders’ gathering, but is there room for other global priorities? by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The war in Ukraine and its visiting president take center stage at the United Nations this week, but developing countries will be vying for the spotlight as well in the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel three years ago. The annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly . . . READ MORE . . .

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World leaders are gathering in New York for U.N. General Assembly. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  World leaders are taking stock of a set of ambitious goals to fight poverty and hunger around the world. Ukraine’s president is also expected to attend the general assembly. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine retakes more territory in the east, south in counteroffensive. From Reuters. Ukraine reported today that its troops had recaptured more territory on the eastern front and advanced in the south in its military counteroffensive against Russian forces. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Two people killed in overnight attacks on Ukraine — Officials. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia carried out a new wave of overnight air strikes and shelling in Ukraine, killing two elderly people and wounding several others in the southern region of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said today in various statements. In one they said Ukraine had downed 18 drones of 24 Russian drones and 17 cruise missiles overnight over the Dnipropetrovs’k, Poltava and Khmelnytskyi regions. READ MORE . . ..

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Chinese foreign minister to visit Russia for security talks. From AFP. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a four-day trip to Russia for security talks on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the latest in a series of high-level visits and phone calls between the two sides. READ MORE . . .

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Russian Su-34 hits Ukrainian brigade’s deployment point in Kupyansk direction. From Tass. MOSCOW —The Russian Battlegroup West’s Su-34 fighter-bomber delivered a strike on a temporary deployment point of Ukraine’s 103rd territorial defense brigade in the Kupyansk direction, Battlegroup Spokesman Sergey Zybinsky told Tass. In addition . . . READ MORE . . .

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The tragedy of Volodymyr Zelensky, by Michael C. Desch | Harper’s Magazine  In December 2022, Time magazine named the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky its Person of the Year. The reasons seemed obvious: When Russia invaded in February of that year, few thought that Ukraine would survive more than a week, or that its president would remain at his post in Kyiv. But . . . READ MORE with subscription . . .

First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, commentary from Responsible Statecraft. — MCM

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Ukraine is under pressure to step up its advances against Russia before winter sets in. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Greg Myre | NPR  Ukraine needs to make more advances against Russia before winter weather makes conditions more difficult. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Five killed, one wounded in Donetsk, Russian-installed official says. From Reuters. Five civilians were killed and one wounded as a result of intense Ukrainian shelling of the Donetsk region on Saturday, said a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine. The five . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims seven Ukrainian drones destroyed over Moscow, Crimea. From AFP.  Russia shot down one Ukrainian drone over the outskirts of Moscow and six others over the annexed Crimean peninsula today, according to the Ministry of Defense. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said . . . READ MORE . . .

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New U.S. sanctions target workarounds that let Russia get Western tech for war, by Emma Burrows | AP  The United States said Thursday that it was sanctioning more than 150 businesses and people from Russia to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Georgia to try to crack down on evasion and deny the Kremlin access to technology, money and financial channels that fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. The sanctions package is . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. pursuing war against Russia — Lavrov on supplies of longer-range missiles to Kiev. From Tass. MOSCOW — The U.S. controls the military actions in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says. “Ukraine has been prepared, has long been prepared for inflicting strategic defeat to Russia using its hands and its bodies,” the minister . . . READ MORE . . .

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Antony Blinken and the diplomacy deficit, by James Carden | Responsible Statecraft  If Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Wednesday address in Washington is any indication, any hopes that the thousands of freshly dug graves across Ukraine and Russia might be giving rise to introspection or regret that diplomatic overtures could have staved off the war, are bound to be dashed. In a speech titled, “The Power and Purpose of American Diplomacy in a New Era,” Blinken set forth a vision of U.S. foreign policy that is both exhaustingly familiar and deeply concerning because . . . READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and National Public Radio, followed by links to an op-ed piece in today’s Berkshire Eagle, to commentary from Consortium News, and to a podcast interview; other offerings from these sources are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Poland, Hungary, Slovakia to introduce bans on Ukraine grains, by Julia Payne and Alan Charlish | Reuters  BRUSSELS / WARSAW — Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend its ban on imports into Ukraine’s five EU neighbours. Ukraine was one of the world’s top grain exporters before . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia denies losing frontline village to Ukraine forces. From AFP. Russia said today its forces had not been pushed out of Andriivka, a village near the key frontline town of Bakhmut, a day after Ukraine said it had “liberated” the site and inflicted heavy losses on enemy troops. Andriivka is around 14 kilometers (nine miles) south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian armed forces deliver 11 strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure over week. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces have delivered 11 massive surgical strikes on port infrastructure targets, personnel locations and the production and storage facilities of Ukrainian unmanned motorboats over a week, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said the strikes disrupted supplies to Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas and eliminated a large . . . READ MORE . . .

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In Ukraine’s Odesa, a Soviet-era writer remains a powerful figure. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  A century ago, author Isaac Babel immortalized the Jewish community in one of Ukraine’s principal cities. He’s still remembered fondly today. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian strikes deep behind Russia’s front lines boost Zelenskyy for Biden meeting, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Ukrainian rockets destroyed $1.5 billion worth of Russian warships and anti-aircraft systems in Crimea this week. Seen around the world, the dramatic videos of the fireballs and explosions will boost Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is set to arrive in the U.S. on Sunday. In New York, he will address the United Nations General Assembly. In Washington, he will meet U.S. President Joe Biden. The fireworks in Russia-controlled Crimea follow . . . READ MORE . . .

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Westmoreland revisited, by Barbara Koeppel | Consortium News At the end of 1967, the Vietnam War was a stalemate — at least to those who could see straight. Some, like Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded the American forces, couldn’t. Thus, in November 1967, he claimed “a new phase is starting” in Vietnam.” What’s more, he “could see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Despite his rosy . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Ep. 97: Ask the Inspector.’ Jeff Norman of the U.S. Tour of Duty podcast hosts Scott Ridder, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and former UN arms inspector as Ritter responds to questions and comments from around the world. This “Episode 97” podcast took place on Sept. 11. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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The essay that begins below was posted yesterday on the author’s website, Behind the Curtain. Global Research posted it less legibly today, and several other sites are expected to post or link to it soon. — MCM

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Another magical JFK assassination pseudo-debate and limited hangout, by Edward J. Curtin, Jr. | Behind the Curtain Much has been made of the Sept. 9 simultaneous reports in The New York Times and Vanity Fair of the claims of a former Secret Service agent, Paul Landis, who was part of the security detail in Dallas, Texas, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963.  Like so many reports by such media that have covered up the truth of the assassination for sixty years, this one about “the magic bullet” is also a red herring. It encourages pseudo-debates and confusion and is a rather dumb “limited hangout,” which is . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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In Ukraine, the focus is the fighting, but are negotiations possible? Reported by Greg Myre | NPR A former U.S. diplomat and national security official now at Georgetown University, Charles Kupchan, was part of a small, unofficial group that met quietly this year with Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He has been . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Meet the Ukrainian soldiers removing the explosives Russia buried under the frontline. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  In Ukraine, possibly the world’s most mined country, a team of sappers races to clear explosives left by Russians along the southeastern frontline to help Ukrainian troops take back occupied land. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukrainian forces reclaim a village in the east as part of counteroffensive, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s forces have recaptured a village in the country’s east after intense battles with Russian troops, the military said today as the invaded nation pursues a multi-pronged counteroffensive. The village of Andriivka, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia hunts for Ukrainian war planes used in Crimea strikes — Kyiv. From Reuters. KYIV — Kyiv said today a Russian drone attack overnight on a region that hosts a Ukrainian military airfield showed Moscow was searching for warplanes involved in strikes this week on Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s air force said it had downed all 17 of the “kamikadze” drones Russia had fired in the central Khmelnytskyi region, home to the Starokostiantyniv air . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian Su-25SM attack jets wipe out Ukrainian stronghold near Krasny Liman — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Su-25SM attack aircraft from Russia’s Central Military District have destroyed a Ukrainian stronghold in the Krasny Liman area with S-8 unguided rockets, the Russian Defense Ministry says. The strike was executed with . . . READ MORE . . .

Here are links to a few of this week’s reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press (two in Spanish as well as English), and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. — MCM

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Most of the 177 environmental activists killed last year were in Latin America. Reported by Carrie Kahn | NPR  Global Witness says 177 environmental activists were killed in 2022, and the majority were murdered in Latin America. Click HERE to listen and read to report, and HERE for a link to Global Witness.

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Guatemala President-elect suspends transition after agents raid election facilities, open vote boxes, by Sonia Pérez D. | AP  GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo said Tuesday he was temporarily suspending the transition process and called for the resignation of the attorney general following raids on electoral facilities during which government agents opened boxes of votes and photographed their contents in what experts called an unprecedented violation of the law. Arévalo said he had notified outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei and would only return to the process . . . READ MORE . . .

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El presidente electo de Guatemala rompe diálogo con gobierno saliente y suspende transición, por Sonia Pérez D. | Agencia AP  CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA — El presidente electo de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, rompió el diálogo el martes con el gobierno saliente al anunciar que suspende el proceso administrativo de transición de poder, tras la última arremetida de la fiscalía con el allanamiento a dos sedes de Tribunal Supremo Electoral y la revisión de cajas con votos. Arévalo pidió la renuncia de la fiscal general Consuelo Porras, así como del . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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UN says Nicaragua’s human rights violations and persecution of dissidents are on the rise, by Gabriela Selser | AP  MEXICO CITY — Nicaragua has increased human rights violations and persecution of the opposition as it ratchets up its efforts to stifle dissent, a United Nations group of experts monitoring the country said Tuesday. The Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, that the government continues increasing pressure on human rights defenders to force them to leave the . . . READ MORE . . .

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El Chapo’s wife released from U.S. custody after completing 3-year prison sentence. From AP. The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was released from federal custody on Wednesday after completing a three-year sentence for helping him run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire, the federal Bureau of Prisons said. Emma Coronel Aispuro, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to three federal offenses as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, had been moved from a Texas prison to a California halfway house prior to her release. She will now serve . . . READ MORE . . .

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Emma Coronel, esposa del “Chapo”, queda en libertad tras cumplir condena en EEUU. De AP. La esposa del narcotraficante mexicano Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán quedó en libertad tras purgar una condena de tres años por ayudarlo a manejar su imperio criminal multimillonario, informó la Agencia Federal de Prisiones de Estados Unidos. Emma Coronel Aispuro, quien en 2021 se declaró culpable de tres delitos federales como parte de un acuerdo con la fiscalía, había sido trasladada de una prisión en Texas a un centro de rehabilitación en California antes de su liberación. Le resta cumplir . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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Lula names two ministers from opposition to buttress congressional support, by Anthony Boadle | Reuters BRASILIA — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva swore in two new ministers from center-right opposition parties on Wednesday, in a bid to increase congressional support for his minority leftist government. The move should help Lula pass his economic agenda, including tax hikes, political analysts said, but he still faces an uphill battle to get Brazil’s conservative-led legislature to . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, Tass, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent, followed by a link to commentary from a Substack account; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. – MCM

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‘New surprises await Russians in Crimea’ – Ukraine destroys yet another air defense system. From the Kyiv Post. A Ukrainian drone and missile attack destroyed a sophisticated Russian air defense complex in Crimea early this morning, as Kyiv warned those living on the occupied peninsula to expect more “surprises.” A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) source said an S-400 “Triumf” air-defense system, with an estimated value of $1.2 billion, was taken out near . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia repels overnight wave of Ukrainian drones in border regions. From AFP. Russia said today it destroyed multiple Ukrainian drones in its border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod during the night and into today, with no casualties reported. The Russian Defense Ministry said six drones had been shot down in four locations in the Bryansk region, located around 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow. “Air defense systems . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian army shells borderline Belgorod Region about 140 times in 24 hours — governor. From Tass. MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. Ukraine’s armed forces have shelled the borderline Belgorod Region about 140 times over a 24-hour period, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. “In the Belgorodsky District . . . READ MORE . . .

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Danger lurks behind ‘every bush’ for brigade in Ukrainian counteroffensive, by Anna Voitenko | Reuters  ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine — For soldiers in Ukraine’s “Spartan” brigade, danger could lurk behind every bush and in every field as they fight in Kyiv’s counteroffensive against deeply entrenched Russian forces. Progress through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences . . . READ MORE . . .

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Here’s what happened in Kim Jong Un’s meeting with Putin. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged support for Russia’s war in Ukraine at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Deadly drone arms race intensifies as Ukraine, Russia embrace the future of war, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent DONETSK OBLAST The expanded role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on both sides of Russia’s war against Ukraine spans from basic reconnaissance to long-range strikes deep into the enemy’s rear. Both sides are getting serious with their drone game: ramping up production while looking to come up with new innovations that could prove . . . READ MORE . . .

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When the intelligence is inconvenient, by Seymour Hersh | Substack  It is an accepted reality that presidents in the post-9/11 era do not hesitate to manipulate and lie about even the most competent of intelligence reports if they do not fit into their political agenda. What began in the Bush/Cheney years continued during the presidency of the much beloved, much misunderstood Barack Obama. Ten years ago, amid calls for the U.S. to intervene in the Syrian civil war . . . READ MORE . . .

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