For today, links to eight reports: from Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, the Assocated Press, and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA 8-29-25 is HERE, or scroll down.   YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

–   –   –

NEWER  4 Israeli soldiers missing, others killed in resistance ambush in Zeitoun neighbourhood east of Gaza: Israel media. From Middle East Monitor.  Israeli media reported that 4 soldiers were missing, and others were killed and wounded in Gaza, as part of a large ambush to capture Israeli soldiers carried out by the Qassam Brigades in the Zeitoun neighbourhood east of Gaza City. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

–   –   –

NEWER  Palestinian president’s office urges U.S. to reinstate his visa ahead of key UN  meetings, by Imad Isseid | AP  RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president’s office today urged the U.S. government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa, weeks before he was meant to appear at the U.N.’s main annual meeting and an international conference about creating a Palestinian state. The European Union asked . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Red Cross chief says mass evacuation of Gaza City ‘impossible.’ From AFP. GENEVA — The head of the international Red Cross today denounced Israel’s plans for a mass evacuation of Gaza City ahead of a military takeover, insisting there was no way it could be done safely. READ MORE . . .  

–   –   –

Israel will soon slow or halt aid into parts of northern Gaza as it ramps up offensive, by Julia Frankel and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its offensive attempting to cripple Hamas, an official said today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG.29  Washington blocks Palestinian leaders from attending UN General Assembly. From the Cradle. In an unprecedented move, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday revoked visas for Palestinian Authority leaders scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for report from AP and Reuters.

.

For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (YEMEN 7-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Sanaa. From AP. CAIRO — The Iranian-backed Houthis said today an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The rebels said Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with . . . READ MORE . . .

.

For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, France-Presse, and Kyiv Post, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; other articles or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 8-29-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and YEMEN entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills one, injures 24, governor says. From Reuters. KYIV— Russia launched a sweeping attack on Ukraine which killed one person, injured at least 24 others, and damaged infrastructure and residential buildings, authorities said today. Three children . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

–   –   –

Ukraine opens murder probe after former speaker killed. From AFP. Ukraine launched a murder investigation today after former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy, a key figure in the 2014 Maidan revolution, was shot dead in the western city of Lviv. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukrainian former parliamentary speaker Parubiy shot dead in Lviv. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the western city of Lviv today and a search was under way for the killer. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  Zelenskyy seeks talks with Trump and European leaders on slow progress of peace efforts with Russia, by Hanna Aarhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Ukrainian officials want to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss recent developments in efforts to end . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  European defense leaders pledge pressure to end the war after Russian strike on Kyiv, by Sam McNeil | AP  BRUSSELS — European defense ministers pledged Friday to ramp up support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia, a day after a Russian air assault on Kyiv killed 23 people and badly damaged a European diplomatic compound. Outrage over . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  ‘Trump is a Russian asset,’ says Portuguese president, by Craig Luczkiw | Kyiv Post  Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Wednesday that U.S.President Donald Trump, “the supreme leader of the world’s greatest superpower, objectively, is a Soviet or Russian asset.”  READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM FEB. 27  Is Donald Trump a Russian asset? This U.S. author is ‘completely certain’ he is, by Chris York | The Kyiv Independent  Craig Unger, an American journalist and writer who has written two books on Trump’s connections to Russia’s security services and the Russian mafia stretching all the way back to the 1980s, says he is . . . READ MORE . . .

.

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

–   –   –

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 . . .  

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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.

.

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

–   –   –

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 . . .

 –   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

.

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

–   –   –

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.

.

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

–   –   –

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 . . .

.

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

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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 . . .

–   –   –

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.

–   –   –

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 . . .

.

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

–   –   –

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.

.

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

–   –   –

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 . . .

.