For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Substack; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza overnight, Palestinians say. From AP.  Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into today killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents. The strikes . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas to stay out of Gaza truce talks, Iran considers Israel attack, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said today it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Thursday in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that Iranian sources say could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 13  The retaliation that didn’t happen, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  The new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, is known to be eager to do more  business with the outside world, and his determination to go ahead with his inauguration, in the face of grotesque murder, has . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to five reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from AP, Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Only Gaza ceasefire will delay retaliation, say Iranian officials, by Parisa Hafezi and Laila Bassam | Reuters  DUBAI / BEIRUT — Only a ceasefire deal in Gaza stemming from hoped-for talks this week would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil, three senior Iranian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire: Hamas says again it wants implementation, not more talks, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Hamas is sticking to its demand that Gaza truce talks focus on a deal already discussed with Israel and mediators rather than starting anew, an official said today, after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in the enclave. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 12  Hamas leader tells NPR about Oct. 7 attack and the war with Israel. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  A Hamas leader says the group has no regrets about the deadly Oct. 7th operation against Israel, but that mistakes happened that day. Click HERE for transcript.

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Israeli strikes on Gaza leave children without parents and parents without children, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Reem Abu Hayyah, just three months old, was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip late Monday. A few miles (kilometers) to the north, Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan lost his wife and their twin babies — just four days old — in another strike. READ MORE . . .

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5 Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing Gazan detainee released into house arrest, by Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — An Israeli military court today ordered the release of five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee into house arrest pending investigation, according to local media. They will stay . . . READ MORE . . .

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High-wire diplomacy on possible Iran retaliation in the Israel-Hamas war draws in world, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s threatened retaliatory strike on Israel over the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh drew major world powers today into a high-wire act of diplomacy. Halting or limiting . . . READ MORE . . .

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Restoring fear, that’s why Israeli soldiers use rape as a weapon of war, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin told Arutz Sheva-Israel National News on 25 October that, “Muslims are not afraid of us any more.” It might sound odd that Feiglin saw the element of fear . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why raping Palestinians is legitimate Israeli military practice, by Joseph Massad | Middle East Eye  Sadism has been characteristic of the Zionist colonists’ treatment of Palestinians since the 1880s, as even Zionist leaders complained at the time. This sadism and the sexual torture that often accompanies it . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Tass, Reuters, and the Kyiv Post, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.)— MCM

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FROM AUG. 12  Ukraine’s advance into Russia slows as Russian reinforcements reach the region. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Ukraine’s advance into western Russia has slowed in recent days as Russian reinforcements begin to reach the region. The two sides appear headed for a showdown in the coming days. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russia’s neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Putin orders military to ‘dislodge’ Ukrainian forces as 120K flee border area. From AFP.  President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his army to “dislodge” Ukrainian troops who stormed over the border last week, as authorities in the Kursk region said over 120,000 people have been displaced due to the fighting. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 12  Ukrainian attack on Kursk Region kills 12, injures 121. From Tass. NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia — The Ukrainian army’s massive attack on the Kursk Region launched on Aug. 6 has killed 12 civilians and injured 121 including 10 children, acting regional Governor Alexey Smirnov said Monday. READ MORE . . .

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Russia steps up assaults on Pokrovsk front in Ukraine’s east. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces stepped up their attacks on the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian military said today, reporting the largest number of battles in the area in a single day in a week. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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Ukrainians say they ‘faced no resistance’ in Kursk Region invasion. From Kyiv Post. As Ukrainian tanks and infantry poured over the Russian border in the Kursk region on Aug. 6 in a shock turn of the war, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade initially encountered no resistance, according to a soldier from the brigade who spoke to the Financial Times. READ MORE . . .

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It’s been a week since Ukrainian troops launched an attack in Russian territory. Reported by Steve Inskeep| NPR  Ukraine’s military says it now controls almost 400 square miles of Russia. Sergey Radchenko of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Click HERE to listen and, perhaps later, read.

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FROM AUG. 12  Kursk incursion and Crimea strikes could ease pressure on Ukraine’s Donbas forces, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast over the past week is lifting some hopes for Ukrainian soldiers losing ground on the eastern front amid worsening manpower and ammunition shortages. Ukraine launched . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Anadolu Agency, and Middle East Monitor, and to an interview from the Chris Hedges Report, via ScheerPost and Popular Resistance; other news and commentary are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel keeps up strikes in Gaza as fears of wider war grow, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces pressed on with their operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis today amid an international push for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and block a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies. READ MORE . . .

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Leaders of France, Germany and Britain endorse calls for cease-fire in Gaza. From AP. The leaders of France, Germany and Britain have endorsed calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, the return of scores of hostages held by Hamas and the “unfettered” delivery of humanitarian aid. In a joint statement released today . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel widens evacuation orders in southern Gaza. Hamas wants plans for a deal instead of more talks, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza early Sunday, a day after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed at least 80 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for transcript of report from NPR.

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Hamas calls for urgent meeting of Arab League, OIC to halt Gaza genocide, by Mohamed Majed | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine — The Palestinian resistance group Hamas called Sunday on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to hold an urgent meeting on Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

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Israel killed 1.8% of Gaza’s population, official figures show. From Middle East Monitor. Israel has killed around 1.8% of Gaza’s population since 7 October amid a devastating war on the enclave, according to figures released by the Palestinian Center Bureau of Statistics on Sunday, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 7  Israel’s mask is slipping. Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report talks with David Hearst, editor in chief of Middle East Eye, who gives his detailed perspective of the past and present and unknown future of the multi-front war between Israel and various Palestinian entities in a changing international environment. Click HERE for an introduction, the interview, and transcript.

For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, National Public Radio, and Agence France-Presse; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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More Russians are urged to flee Ukraine’s cross-border attack as the Kremlin scrambles to respond, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — An official in the Kursk border region of Russia today urged more residents to evacuate due to the “very tense situation” in the area, where Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to a surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass.

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Russian troops prepare for a counterattack after Ukraine’s surprise offensive. Reported by Greg Myre and A Martínez | NPR  After rapid advances in western Russia, a Ukrainian military offensive slowed over the weekend. Russia is sending reinforcements to the area for a likely counterattack, but hasn’t launched it yet. Click HERE for transcript.

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Ukraine, Russia trade barbs over fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. From AFP. Kyiv and Moscow exchanged blame late Sunday after a fire broke out at a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russian forces seized days after launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel broadens its evacuation orders after deadly strike on Gaza school-turned-shelter, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza early today after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed at least 80 Palestinians, according to . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM AUG. 10  Israel runs the U.S. No, the U.S. runs Israel. No, wait . . . by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  That deranged speech Bibi Netanyahu delivered to a joint session of Congress last month: I cannot get it entirely out of my mind. It did not change anything — neither the . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Kyiv Independent, Tass, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from the Kyiv Post; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 8, injure 30 over past day, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian attacks against Ukraine killed eight people and injured 30 over the past day, regional authorities said today. Russia targeted a total of 11 Ukrainian oblasts — Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk. READ MORE . . .

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Battlegroup Center repels 3 attacks of Ukrainian army in a day — Russian Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Fighters of the Battlegroup Center of the Russian armed forces repelled three counterattacks of thE Ukrainian armed forces over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine aims to ‘destabilize Russia’ with Kursk incursion. From AFP. Thousands of Ukrainian troops are taking part in an incursion aiming to destabilize Russia by showing the country’s weaknesses, a top official from Ukraine has said as the assault entered its sixth day. “We are . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AP, and HERE for related commentary from Kyiv Post.

Links to reports from Consortium News and the Albany Times-Union; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and BANGLADESH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 9  CN condemns FBI raid on CN columnist’s home. From Consortium News.  Consortium Newscondemns in the strongest terms the F.B.I. raid on the home of CN columnist Scott Ritter. Federal agents removed Ritter’s electronic equipment and numerous boxes of paper files from his Albany, N.Y. area home Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for video from Consortium News and HERE for copy of search warrant, from Substack.

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FROM AUG. 7   Scott Ritter claims search of home is related to ‘foreign agent’ law, by Patrick Tine | Albany Times-Union  BETHLEHEM, New York — FBI agents and State Police on Wednesday descended on the home of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector who in June had his passport seized by the U.S. Department of State as he attempted to fly to Russia for a conference. READ MORE . . .

Links to four reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 5  Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina resigns as widening unrest sees protesters storm her official residence, by Julia’s Alan and Krutika Pathi | AP  DHAKA — Bangladesh’s prime minister resigned and fled the country Monday after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators . . . READ MORE . . .

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Bangladesh PM Hasina did not resign before fleeing to Delhi, says son, by Krishna N. Das | Reuters  NEW DELHI — Long-time Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina had not resigned as prime minister before fleeing this week to India as anti-government protesters marched on her official residence, her son and adviser said early today. Hasina has been sheltering in New . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 6  Why did Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resign and where is she now? by Sudipto Ganguly | Reuters  Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled the country on Monday following weeks of dedly protests that began as demonstrations by students against government job quotas but surged . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a second Aug. 6 report from Reuters.

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FROM AUG. 9  Sheikh Hasina was a time-tested friend, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  There is a problem, fundamentally, in viewing the regime change in Bangladesh as a ‘stand-alone’ event. The caveat must be added right at the outset that when it comes to processing situations . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

 For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, MEDIA, and BANGLADESH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school kills at least 80 people, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City early today, killing at least 80 people, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said the strike . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.