For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 16  U.S. Secretary of State says Syria faces ‘two choices, transformation or brutal civil war.’ From the Cradle. “There are two routes here,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday after a meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Turkiye. “One will be success, and we will have a major transformation in the region, or you are going to have . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, National Public Radio,, Tass, Reuters, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK and SYRIA entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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A Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine kills 9 people, officials say, by Yehor Konovalov and Joanna Kozlowksa | AP  KYIV — A Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region today, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said. Seven people were also injured in the attack in a town around 10 kilometers from Russia’s border. READ MORE . . .

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SBU drone strike hits Russian ammo depot in occupied Crimea, killing troops, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service on Friday struck an ammunition depot used by Russia’s 126th Separate Guards Coastal Defense Brigade near the village of Perevalne in occupied Crimea, sources in the security services said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 16  Ukraine peace talks achieve little beyond prisoner swap pledge. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree to a prisoner swap but made no major breakthroughs in Istanbul ceasefire talks. Click HERE to listen and read.  Click HERE and HERE for report from AP and Tass. 

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FROM MAY 16  Ukraine calls on allies to keep pressure on Russia after talks yield no ceasefire, by Tom Balmforth, Can Sezer and Vladimir Soldatkin | Reuters  ISTANBUL — Ukraine rallied support from its Western allies on Friday after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in more than three years, with Russia presenting conditions that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia demanded Kyiv pull back troops before ceasefire, Ukrainian source says. From Reuters. ISTANBUL — Russian negotiators at peace talks in Istanbul demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all the Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks said. The Kremlin declined to comment . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin-Zelensky meeting possible after ‘agreements’ reached. From Reuters. The Kremlin said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in the future, but only if certain agreements were reached. READ MORE . . .

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Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reports, by Anna Fratsyvir | The Kyiv Independent  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call allegedly at the initiative of the American side to discuss the future of bilateral contacts between Moscow and Washington and recent Istanbul peace talks, Russian state-controlled media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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There will be no other entries for today.

For this date, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye and via Facebook; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down. Also scroll down for previous dates’ entries for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, 9/11 TRUTH, MEDIA, WEST BANK, YEMEN, LEBANON, and SYRIA.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill at least 93 people in Gaza as Trump wraps up his Middle East visit, by Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 93 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza today. Strikes overnight hit across Gaza, including the outskirts of Deir al-Balah and the city of Khan Younis. Gaza’s health ministry said hundreds more were injured . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Israeli tanks push deep into north Gaza as bombs drop ‘every four minutes.’ From the Cradle. Israeli tanks advanced near Gaza’s northern city of Beit Lahia today, as relentless bombardment has displaced dozens of families and killed scores more — raising fears that Tel Aviv’s plan to widen its assault against the strip will begin soon. READ MORE . . .

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Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza, Trump says ‘people are starving,‘ by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 250 people since Thursday morning, local health authorities said today, one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March, with a new ground offensive expected soon. U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  The U.S. is working on a new plan to deliver aid in Gaza. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  Israel has blocked the entry of aid for weeks, accusing Hamas of theft. The U.S. says its plan will address Israel’s concerns. Experts say it may change humanitarian responses in conflict zones. Click HERE to read and listen.  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MAY 15  Trump revives his Gaza proposal on his Middle East trip. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR  President Trump hasn’t talked about the war in Gaza much since landing in the Middle East. But on Thursday, he doubled down on his plan to develop it as a “freedom zone.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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Arab Gulf States Institute scholar discusses Trump’s Middle East trip. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Hussein Ibish of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C., about President Trump’s Gulf trip. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for May 8 commentary from the Arab Gulf States Institute.

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President of Arab Gulf States Institute on Trump’s Middle East trip. A Martínez of NPR talks with Doug Silliman, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, about President Trump’s Gulf trip and Iran’s offer to revive a nuclear deal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel has already lost the Gaza war. It just doesn’t know it yet, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  In a span of eight years, the U.S. dropped more than five million tons of bombs on Vietnam, making it the most bombed place on earth. By January of this year, Israel had dropped at least 100,000 tons of bombs on Gaza. Put another way, the U.S. dropped around 15 tonnes of explosives per square kilometre of Vietnam, while Israel has dropped 275 tons per square kilometre of Gaza. Click HERE for article and for related video described below.

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Arab trillions for Trump as Israel massacres children in Gaza. Soumaya Ghannoushi, an observer of politics in the Middle East, comments on U.S. President Donald Trump’s visits there in light of Israel’s genocide in Gaza — questioning the Gulf monarchs’ apparent failure to pressure him to halt the slaughter. Click HERE for article and video, both published by Middle East Eye, and HERE for video on Facebook.

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For now, links to reports from Reuters and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN 4-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)

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U.S. very close to a nuclear deal with Iran, says Trump. From Reuters. DUBAI – President Donald Trump said today the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to six reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, the Cradle, Reuters, and Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli attacks across Gaza kill over 100 people. From Middle East Eye. Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 103 people, the majority of them children and women, today, rescuers said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM MAY 14  Israeli army admits civilians make up 80 percent of those killed in Gaza since March. From the Cradle. In response to a request from the magazine Hamakom, the office of the Israeli military’s spokesperson also said that as of Tuesday 500 of the 2,780 killed in the Gaza Strip since Israeli breached the ceasefire in March were “terrorists,” and the remaining 2,280 people killed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump says U.S. should ‘take’ Gaza and turn it into ‘freedom zone.’ From Middle East Eye. “I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good,” U.S. President Donald Trump said today in Qatar on the third day of his Middle East trip, “make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MAY 13  Senior UN official — ‘It will be too late’ to rule it ‘genocide’ . . . ‘What more evidence do you need?’ Via Consortium News. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday, excoriating Israel for intentionally starving Gaza and shaming the rest of the world for failing to stop it. Click HERE for video and transcript.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Kyiv Post, and Tass; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-14-25 is HERE or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH and GAZA entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.)

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Zelenskiy says no need for Putin meeting if technical talks agree ceasefire. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today a proposed meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be skipped if an agreement on a ceasefire between the two countries is agreed during technical talks in Istanbul. He Ukrainian leader told a press conference in Ankara that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives in Turkey for peace talks but Putin is absent, by Mehmet Guzel | AP  ISTANBUL — Delegations from Ukraine and Russia traveled to Turkey today for peace talks, but while Ukrainian President Volomyr Zelenskyy was present, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stayed away, prompting criticism from Western officials that . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Reuters.

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More European fire power for Ukraine, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian Ground Forces cannon and howitzer gunners got more good news from Europe this week with new and substantial commitments . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate two communities in Donetsk region over last day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Russian troops liberated the communities of Torskoye and Novoaleksandrovka in the Donetsk region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement.  READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to an interview from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and the Jimmy Dore Show. (9/11TRUTH 5-13-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE. and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 9  The official 9/11 story is collapsing — a conversation. Jimmy Dore of the Jimmy Dore Show talks with architects Richard Gage and Kamal Obeid on the successful challenges to the federal government’s falsehoods around the terror events of Sept. 11, 2001. Click HERE for intro from AE911Truth, and HERE to watch and listen.

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First, a link to an address before the United Nations Security Council, via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on CN’s name below. (GAZA 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for today are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 13  Senior UN official — ‘It will be too late’ to rule it ‘genocide’ . . . ‘What more evidence do you need?’ Via Consortium News. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday, excoriating Israel for intentionally starving Gaza and shaming the rest of the world for failing to stop it. Click HERE for video and transcript.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below (GAZA 5-13-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, UKRAINE, YEMEN, SYRIA and MEDIA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up down.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 70 people, including 22 children, health officials say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes pounded northern and southern Gaza today, killing at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children, according to local hospitals and health officials, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Middle East Eye.

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FROM MAY 13  Report finds dire risk of starvation in Gaza as Israeli blockade continues. Reported by Erika Ryan, Juana Summers and Christopher Intagliata | NPR  Antoine Renard of the U.N. World Food Programme talks about the increasing risk of famine in Gaza, as Israel’s block on humanitarian aid into the strip continues. Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to two reports from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 5-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE, YEMEN, SYRIA and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Palestinian Authority forces in occupied West Bank kill two men in ‘cold blood.’ From Middle East Eye. Palestinian Authority forces have killed two people and injured a child in Tubas and Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Witnesses said officers in civilian clothing shot Palestinian Rami Zahran in the head on Tuesday while he was in his car inside the Fara refugee camp near Tubas . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 13  How China is quietly aiding Israel’s settlement enterprise, by Razan Shawamreh | Middle East Eye  Chinese labour is actively and visibly contributing to the construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land — in direct contradiction to China’s own stated policy; a decade ago, China forbade Chinese construction crews from working in Israeli settlements. READ MORE . . .

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