For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to an interview from the Grayzone; other material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.  (YEMEN 4-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels fire a missile toward northern Israel, a rare target for the group, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile early today toward northern Israel, a rare target for the group as a monthlong intense U.S. airstrike campaign continues to target them. The Houthis separately claimed shooting down another MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM APRIL 21   ‘A battle between right and wrong’: Houthi spokesman on confronting the U.S. and Israel. Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone speaks with Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, senior political officer and spokesman for Ansar Allah (the Houthi movement), for his views on Yemen’s direct confrontation with “a U.S. military machine hellbent on destroying its ability to resist Israel.” Click HERE for video.

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For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 4-22-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Mediators work on proposal for long-term truce as Israeli strike on Gaza kills 23, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Arab mediators are working on a proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war that would include a five to seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said today. Local authorities said an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, and the Cradle.

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FROM APRIL 22  Israel expects ‘significant crisis’ in Gaza as it plans to continue total blockade, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — Israel will continue its complete blockade of Gaza, with the army expecting a “significant crisis” to unfold in the Palestinian enclave in two weeks “regarding food, medical equipment and medicines,” Walla reported. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 22 Gaza’s unquenchable thirst: The water tragedy amid relentless bombardment and total blockade, by AbdulMajed Al-Aloul | Middle East Monitor  Under the weight of war and a suffocating blockade, more than two million people in the Gaza Strip are facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens their daily survival. What was already dire . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, and Tass; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 4-22-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.)— MCM

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Russia hammers major Ukraine city transformer station, multiple cities, ‘ceasefire’ is over, by Stefan Korshak |  Kyiv Post  Russian drones and artillery blasted transformers and electricity transformers in Kherson on Wednesday, ending a nearly month-long tacit agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to hit each other’s power grids. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine insists on ‘immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,’ Zelensky says, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine insists on an “immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said today amid strained peace efforts and intensifying Russian attacks. READ MORE . . .

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London talks on ending Russia-Ukraine war pared down as Russian drone attack on bus kills 9, by Illia Novikov, Aamer Madhani and Jill Lawless | AP   KYIV — A planned meeting today between top U.S., British, French and Ukrainian diplomats to push for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine was scrapped at the last minute amid little sign of progress in international efforts to end the more than three-year war. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, NPR and the Moscow Times.

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Vance tells Russia and Ukraine to accept peace terms or risk U.S. abandoning talks. From Moscow Times. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance today warned that Washington may abandon efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine unless Moscow and Kyiv agree to terms currently under discussion. His comments echoed those issued earlier . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian combat engineers survey 45 communities in Kursk border area for explosives. From Tass. KURSK — Russian combat engineers have surveyed 45 communities in border areas of the Kursk Region for the presence of explosives, and similar efforts are underway in 28 more settlements, acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein said today. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  9/11 TRUTH, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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U.S.–Iran nuclear talks advancing ‘better than expected’: report. From the Cradle. Sources cited by Al-Araby al-Jadeed today said nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington have been progressing “better than expected.” READ MORE . . .

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Links to a news release from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, to  reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Hill, and to commentary from the New Republic; their websites are accessible by clicking on their names below. (9/11 TRUTH 4-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Wisconsin senator backs WTC demolition investigation. From Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. For the first time, a sitting U.S. senator has publicly endorsed the position that World Trade Center Building 7 was brought down in a controlled demolition on Sept. 11, 2001. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., says he became convinced that the government account of what brought the WTC towers down is false after . . .  Click HERE to read, and for video of interview, and HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Hill, and for commentary from the New Republic — and HERE for the documentary film “Calling Out Bravo 7,” to which Johnson refers.

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For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Cradle, and to commentary from the Cradle; other articles, or just headlines, are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (LEBANON 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli strike south of Beirut kills commander in Sunni Islamist group, statement says. From Reuters. BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike south of the Lebanese capital killed a top commander from militant group Jama’a Islamiya today, the group said, in an attack later confirmed by Israel. The Israeli military announced that it had killed Hussein Atawi, a “key figure in the Jama’a Islamiya with ties to Hamas” . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM APRIL 21  Lebanon’s disarmament dilemma: The battle for Palestinian camps. From the Cradle. A quiet but strategic campaign is underway in Lebanon to disarm Palestinian refugee camps, long considered autonomous zones with their own political and military hierarchies. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 4-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill 14 in Gaza and destroy heavy equipment needed to clear rubble, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. READ MORE . . .

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Israel steps up Gaza strikes; polio vaccination halted by blockade, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks today, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel’s blockade of all supplies and suspension of a U.N.-backed polio vaccination campaign . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel urges on Palestinians in Gaza to get in touch to arrange ‘travel abroad.’ From Middle East Monitor. Israeli intelligence agencies have sent messages to Palestinians in Gaza urging them to contact regional officers to arrange what the messages described as “travel abroad”, the Palestinian Information Centre said yesterday, calling them part of a psychological warfare campaign. READ MORE . . .

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Under U.S. pressure, Hamas and Israel to meet in Cairo for new round of talks. From Middle East Monitor. A new round of negotiations is expected within two days to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo for the talks. An Israeli delegation reportedly has already arrived in Cairo to continue the talks. READ MORE . . .

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Why Hamas will not surrender, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  Call Gaza what you will: killing fields, an endless loop of blood, pain and death, the world’s largest concentration camp. Or, as the population of Israel appears to be intent on doing, you can ignore it altogether. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Kyiv Post, and Tass; others or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 4-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, LEBANON and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russian drones batter Ukraine’s Odesa as peace talks come to a crux, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime attack, local authorities said today, less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war. READ MORE . . .

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Russian bombs kill 1, injure 22 in Zaporizhzhia amid Kyiv’s calls for civilian infrastructure truce, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia today, killing at least one person and injuring at least 22, including three children, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin: Putin willing to discuss Zelenskiy’s call for halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure, by Dmitry Antonov | Reuters   MOSCOW — Russia is ready to consider a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a halt to attacks by both sides on each other’s civilian infrastructure, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .

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‘Russia Is source of war,’ Ukraine still open to ceasefire – Zelensky. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country remains open to the idea of a ceasefire on long-range strikes and is just awaiting a “clear response from Moscow.” READ MORE . . .

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Russian servicemen liberate Gornal monastery in Kursk Region — sources. From Tass. KURSK — Russian servicemen have liberated the St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery in the village of Gornal in the Kursk Region, according to security forces who said the Ukrainian military used it as a military facility. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Pope Francis dies at 88. From AP. Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died, as announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo. He was 88. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for links to five reports from NPR.

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Cradle and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor via Informed Comment; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  THE POPE, SYRIA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE,HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 20  Israel releases findings of its investigation into killing of 15 Palestinian medics. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Miles Parks | NPR  Israel’s military has released a long-awaited investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza by its troops. The Israeli military says “failures” occurred. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 20  Hamas turns ‘military disadvantage into opportunity’ in Gaza: report. From the Cradle. Hamas’s armed wing the Qassam Brigades has turned its “military disadvantage into an advantage” and is working to “throw the  [Israeli] army off balance,” Maariv newspaper’s Avi Ashkenazi reported on Sunday, a . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 18  All captives will be released from Gaza if Israel agrees to end war, Hamas says. From Middle East Eye. The head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Thursday that all remaining captives will be released from Gaza if Israel ends its war on the enclave. Hamas, he said, is . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 17  Israeli genocide in Gaza: Dwarf babies, 300% spike in miscarriages, 4K malnourished expectant mothers, by Mustafa Aziz | Middle East Monitor / Informed Comment  — The ongoing Israeli genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has killed over 50,000 people, including more than 16,000 children. This includes nearly 200 infants who were born and martyred during the war. A UN investigation concluded . . . READ MORE . . .

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