Links to TWO reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-9-26, and up or down for CUBA, IRAN and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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Russia fires barrage at Ukrainian cities as next round of U.S.-brokered talks is unclear, by Susie Blann and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks, officials reported today as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was “hesitating” about another round of U.S.-brokered talks on stopping the fighting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Links to a report from the Associated Press and to an interview from People’s Dispatch; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-11-26, and up or down for CUBA, UKRAINE and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 11  What to know as Iran and the U.S. weigh holding a second round of nuclear talks, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — The talks over Tehran’s nuclear program would come after Israel launched a 12-day war on the country in June and the Islamic Republic carried out a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. U.S. President Donald Trump has moved an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the Persian Gulf. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 11  ‘U.S. aggression against Iran is an attack on BRICS and the multipolar world,’ says geopolitical analyst, by Marco Fernandes | Peoples Dispatch  Approaching its 47th anniversary, the Islamic Revolution has always been a thorn in the side of the U.S. and, especially, Israel. Tehran is one of the biggest supporters of the Palestinian cause in the world and, in practice, the biggest obstacle to the Zionist project of “Greater Israel.” READ MORE . . .

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A link to an article of commentary from Peoples Dispatch and to links to FOUR reports: from NBC News, National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 2-2-26. Scroll up for CUBA, UKRAINE and IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 11  Amnesty in Venezuela is neither weakness nor oblivion, by Guillermo R Barreto | Peoples Dispatch  It is worth remembering the events of April 2002 when the business sector, private media, and minority sectors of the Armed Forces, supported by the governments of the United States and Spain, conspired to overthrow Hugo Chávez’s government. READ MORE . . .

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Nicolás Maduro is still the ‘legitimate president’ of Venezuela, acting leader Delcy Rodriguez says, by Babak Dehghanpisheh | NBC News  Nicolás Maduro is still the legitimate leader of Venezuela, the country’s acting president said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.  Click HERE to read and for interview excerpt.

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FROM FEB. 10  Venezuelans test limits of new freedoms. Reported by Manuel Rueda | NPR  CARACAS — On a weekday morning in central Caracas last week, a group of university students did something bold. They staged an anti-government protest. They were demanding the liberation of Venezuela’s remaining political prisoners. But something else was also on display. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 9  Venezuela’s top prosecutor orders the arrest of opposition leader’s ally, hours after his release, by Regina García Cano | AP  CARACAS — Venezuela’s top prosecutor said on Monday that his office had requested the arrest of one of the closest allies of opposition leader María Corina Machado, less than 12 hours after his release from a detention facility as part of a government move to free those facing politically motivated accusations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 5  Venezuela advances amnesty bill that could lead to mass release of political prisoners. From AP.  CARACAS — Venezuela’s legislature on Thursday advanced an amnesty billproposed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez that could lead to the release of hundreds of opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. READ MORE . . .

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Links to a piece of video commentary from Al Jazeera and to an article of commentary from Al-Shakaba; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-9-26, and IRAN and GAZA.) — MCM

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Will any countries take action to stop Israel’s West Bank annexation? by Fathi Nimer | Al-Shabaka / Al Jazeera  There is talk but very little action. Popular support, popular pressure, boycotts — these are the only things in our repertoire. Everything that has been going on since the Nakba is a continuous story. Click HERE while it’s still up to watch and listen, and HERE for Feb. 3 article of commentary by Nimer.

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Links to FOUR reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera, and to an article of commentary from Middle East Eye; other published materials is accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-8-26, and up or down for WEST BANK and GAZA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Netanyahu in Washington to push Israeli ‘outlook’ on Iran talks. From the Cradle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived today for his sixth U.S. visit since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term and is expected to push for Tel Aviv’s demands concerning Iran. Since landing, he has met with U.S. envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and unofficial advisor Jared Kushner. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu wants Trump to demand more from Iran. The leaders will meet this week, by Melanie Liman | AP  TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Washington on Tuesday to encourage President Donald Trump to expand the scope of high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran. The negotiations resumed last week against the backdrop of a U.S. military buildup. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Al Jazeera.

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FROM FEB. 10  Iranian security chief visits Oman as U.S. threatens Tehran to ‘make the wise choice.’ From the Cradle. Iran’s top security chief visited Oman on Tuesday for bilateral talks with the country’s leadership, following new threats against the Islamic Republic and coming days after Muscat hosted indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington. READ MORE . . .

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What western ‘experts’ mean when they predict Iran’s collapse, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Whether it was Iran and Guatemala in the 1950s, Chile in 1973 or Iraq in 2003, western powers used the same predictable language, claiming with certainty that a regime is rotting and on the verge of collapse. This rhetoric is once again being deployed. READ MORE . . .

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Links to SEVEN reports: from Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Michigan Public; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-10-26. Scroll up for WEST BANK and IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 10  Israeli weapons ‘evaporate’ thousands of Palestinians in Gaza: investigation, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  Israel used internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons, leaving thousands of Palestinian bodies “evaporated” as a result, an investigation by Al Jazeera revealed. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Feb. 10 report from Al Jazeera. 

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Israeli drone strike kills 2 cyclists in Gaza as death toll mounts despite ceasefire, by Wafaa Shurafa and Edna Tarigan| AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians on bicycles Tuesday, officials Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said, adding that the hospital also received the body of a woman killed by Israeli gunfire in central Maghazi refugee camp. READ MORE . . . Click HEREfor same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 10  Israeli strikes kill five Palestinians in latest undermining of Gaza ceasefire. From Reuters.  Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed five Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, health officials said, the latest violence to undermine a four-month-old, U.S.-brokered truce in the enclave. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 10  Israel’s far-right dreams of rebuilding Gaza settlements. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Itay Stern | NPR  President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza has been rejected by far-right Israeli officials who want the land for Jewish settlements. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A father in Gaza searches for his family’s bones in the rubble of their home, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Crouching, Mahmoud Hammad scoops dirt into a large sieve and shakes it, looking carefully before dumping it out. In recent days, he was lucky. Tiny bones appeared. He believes they belong to the unborn girl his pregnant wife was carrying when . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 10  Mothers in the U.S. use crowdfunding tactics to help families in war-torn Gaza. Reported by Beenish Ahmed | Michigan Public / NPR  After connecting through social media, an informal network of moms started crowdfunding to help families in Gaza afford food and shelter. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Links to TWO reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-9-26 and WEST BANK and MEDIA.) — MCM

NOTE: Other perspectives are at the Moscow Times (based in Belgium); Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent (both operating under martial law); and Tass (a Russian state news service). Each is a click away.

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EU drafts a list of concessions it says Russia must make to secure real peace in Ukraine, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — The European Union is drafting a list of concessions that it believes Russia must make to secure any long-term peace in Ukraine, the bloc’s top diplomat said Tuesday, as U.S.-run talks to end four years of war show little sign of progress. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 9  Russian forces pressuring Pokrovsk as ‘last battles’ rage, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  KYIV — Russian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TWO reports: from National Public Radio and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-9-26 and up or down for UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israel passes measure to make purchasing real estate from Palestinians easier. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  The Israeli government has passed measures to ease West Bank land purchases for settlers and strengthen control in the occupied territory. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 9  Israel’s new West Bank measures ‘accelerate annexation and end Oslo Accords,’ by Lubna Masarwa and Huthifa Fayyad | Middle East Eye  Announced on Sunday, the sweeping changes expand Israel’s civil control in Areas A and B  — where all major Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank are located — which since the Oslo Accords of 1993 have officially been under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction. READ MORE . . .

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Llinks to THREE reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 2-9-26.  Scroll up for UKRAINE and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 9  Bad Bunny’s joyful defiance captivates Super Bowl halftime. Reported by Adrian Florido | NPR  Bad Bunny delivered a joyful 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance with a message of unity as well as pride in Latin American culture at a time when many Latinos in the U.S. feel under attack. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 9  Watching Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show in Puerto Rico. Reported by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | NPR  In San Juan, Puerto Rico, we watched the Super Bowl halftime show with the audience Bad Bunny has represented since his start: his fellow Puerto Ricans. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Breaking down the symbols and messages in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. Reported by Anamaria Artemisa Sayre | NPR  Anamaria Sayre of NPR Music breaks down the Easter eggs and references still being unpacked from Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to SIX reports: from the Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, and Al Jazeera, including one on video; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-6-26 and UKRAINE, WEST BANK, MEDIA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 8  Israel ‘imposes de facto annexation’ with sweeping West Bank policy change. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli government on Sunday approved sweeping changes to land registration and civil control in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the changes would “dramatically” alter West Bank policy, paving the way for expanded settlements and land seizure. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 8  Israel’s security cabinet approves measures to strengthen control over the West Bank. From AP. JERUSALEM — The measures approved on Sunday aim to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. The office of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said they would make it easier for Jewish settlers to force Palestinians to give up land: “We will continue to bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for Feb. 8 and 9 reports from Reuters and the Cradle.

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FROM FEB. 8  Israeli security cabinet approves rules to increase control over West Bank. From Al Jazeera with news agencies. Israel’s security cabinet has approved new rules aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, according to local media reports, drawing condemnation from Palestinian authorities. Click HERE for report including a map.

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VIDEO:  Israeli settlers target Palestinian water supply in West Bank, cutting access for 100,000. Reported by Nina Ibraham | Al Jazeera  The main water source for 100,000 Palestinians in the central occupied West Bank is under threat — again. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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