Gaza, 11-16-25

For today, links to five reports: from the Cradle (including map from Drop Site News), the Guardian, and Anadolu Ajansi; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 11-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, LEBANON, IRAN and MEDIA entries are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM 

   

FROM NOV. 14  U.S. outlines plan for a divided Gaza under Israeli, foreign troop control. From the Cradle. The U.S. is planning the long-term division of Gaza into a reconstructed “green zone” under Israeli and foreign military control and a “red zone” left in ruin,the Guardian reported on Friday. Click HERE for report, HERE for report and map from Drop Site News, and HERE for beginning of report from the Guardian.

   

Trump considers skipping disarmament phase of Gaza plan amid deadlock: report. From the Cradle. The U.S. is looking to “forgo” the stage of the Gaza ceasefire initiative, which involves deploying an international security force to the strip to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions, Israeli media reported over the weekend. READ MORE . . .

   

Ex-UN rapporteur who probed Israeli violations faces interrogation in Canada, by Serdar Dincel | Anadolu Ajansi  ISTANBUL — A former UN special rapporteur who investigated Israel’s violations against Palestinians said he was questioned by Canadian officials on “national security” grounds while traveling to Canada this week to participate in a Gaza-related event. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Anadolu report in French.

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Media, 11-16-25

For today, links to two reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (MEDIA 11-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, LEBANONIRAN and GAZA entries are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE or scroll up.) — MCM

   

FROM NOV. 15  Right-wing media shrugs off latest Epstein document release. Reported by Shannon Bond | NPR What do thousands of pages of newly released material reveal about the well-documented relationship between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump? Not much of anything, according to some . . . Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for a Nov. 16 NPR report.

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Iran, 11-15-25

(NOTE: Lately entries have been fewer, later, and shorter than previously. Perhaps they’ll be back to normal soon. Visitors are encouraged to go to news sites directly for fresher news and commentary.)

NOTE: “So far” means so far.

First, links to a report from National Public Radio and to brief video from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (IRAN 11-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for today, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

   

How Iranian authorities target businesses dealing with women not covering their heads. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Instead of arresting women who shun the hijab head covering, Iran is targeting the cafes where they gather. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

FROM NOV. 12  Women on motorbikes zipping through streets of Iran’s capital are the latest sign of societal change. Video by Saeed Sarmadi of AP. When 38-year-old Merat Behnam first gathered enough courage to drive her yellow motorbike through the gridlocked streets of Iran’s capital to the coffee shop she runs, traffic wasn’t her main worry. Click HERE to read more, and for video.

   

TO BE CONTINUED

Ukraine, 11-15-25

(NOTE: Lately entries have been fewer, later, and shorter than previously. Perhaps they’ll be back to normal soon. Visitors are encouraged to go to news sites directly for fresher news and commentary.)

NOTE: “So far” means so far.

First, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE 11-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN and MEDIA entries for today, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

   

Some updates on the conflict in Ukraine. Reported by Scott Simon and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Ukrainian troops struggle to defend a key city in Ukraine’s east, a widening energy corruption scandal in Kyiv implicates a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and forces resignations in his cabinet. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

TO BE CONTINUED

Media, 11-15-25

(NOTE: Lately entries have been fewer, later, and shorter than previously. Perhaps they’ll be back to normal soon. Visitors are encouraged to go to news sites directly for fresher news and commentary.)

For now, links to three pieces of commentary: from Caitlin’s Newsletter via Consortium News, and from Drop Site News and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (MEDIA 11-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN and UKRAINE entries for today, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 14  Burying the real Epstein story, by Caitlin Johnstone | Caitlin’s Newsletter / Consortium News One of the craziest things happening right now is how there’s been report after report confirming that Jeffrey Epstein really was an Israeli intelligence operative, based on publicly available documents, and yet it’s had no measurable impact on mainstream media or politics. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM NOV. 11  Israeli spy stayed for weeks at a time with Jeffrey Epstein in Manhattan, by Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain | Drop Site News  With the looming end of the U.S. government shutdown amid a deal in the Senate, the House will soon be swearing in Adelita Grijalva to her rightful seat from Arizona, after a historic delay at the hands of Speaker Mike Johnson, taking direction from President Donald Trump, all aimed at . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Pope Leo’s hope-inspiring favorite films. Commentary by Scott Simon | NPR  The pope meets movie stars and directors at the Vatican today, including . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

West Bank, 11-14-15

For today, links to three reports: from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK 11-13-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE, IRAN and MEDIA entries are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

   

Israeli forces storm town near Ramallah, occupied West Bank. From Middle East Eye. Israeli forces stormed the town of Sarda, north of Ramallah, today, Wafa news agency reported. READ MORE . . .

   

UN chief condemns Israeli settlers attack on mosque in West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has condemned an attack by settlers on a mosque in the north of the occupied West Bank. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM NOV. 14  Unchecked Israeli violence displaced 30,000 West Bank Palestinians in 2025: UNRWA. From the Cradle. Over 30,000 Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank have been internally displaced by the Israeli army and settlers since January of this year, UNRWA reported on 13 October, amid a spike in settler violence in recent weeks. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza, 11-14-25

For now, links to reports from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 11-13-25 is HERE, or scroll down. WEST BANK, UKRAINE, IRAN and MEDIA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

   

Fears of ‘catastrophic consequences’ in Gaza as rain floods tents. From Middle East Eye. Heavy rain flooded the tents of displaced Palestinians in Gaza today, as forecast thunderstorms threaten “catastrophic consequences” for nearly two million people without shelter. READ MORE . . .

   

Report: 25 countries supplied Israel with oil during Gaza war. Middle East Monitor. A new report released on Thursday by the non-governmental organisation Oil Change International says that 25 countries supplied Israel with oil during the war in the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

   

Indonesia says 20,000 troops trained for Gaza ‘stabilization force.’ From the Cradle. Indonesia announced today it has trained up to 20,000 troops for the International Security Force envisioned in U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

   

MAY BE CONTINUED

Ukraine, 11-14-25

For today, links to just two reports: from the Associated Press and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 11-13-25 is HERE, or scroll down. IRAN and MEDIA entries are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

   

Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv kills 6 people and injures at least 35, by Hanna Arhirova, Samya Kullab and Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP  KYIV — Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Kyiv early today, killing six people, leaving gaping holes in apartment buildings and starting fires as the sound of explosions boomed across the city and lit up the night sky. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

   

Major Ukrainian drone strike halts oil deliveries at Novorossiysk terminal. From the Moscow Times. Oil deliveries to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk were suspended after Ukrainian strikes damaged key energy infrastructure in one of the most disruptive overnight attacks on the Krasnodar region in recent months, Reuters reported today, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. READ MORE . . .

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Iran, 11-14-25

First, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (IRAN 11-13-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

   

Iran seizes tanker in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. official says, as tensions remain high in region, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz today, a U.S. official said, turning the ship into Iranian territorial waters in the first-such interdiction in months in the strategic waterway. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

   

TO BE CONTINUED

Media, 11-14-25

First, a link to an article of commentary from Consortium News; then links to three reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio (two of them reconstructed here from a deleted Nov. 13 entry); other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.

(MEDIA 11-13-25  * WAS * HERE, or scroll down. In a first that I can remember in the more than seven-year existence of this website, an entry was somehow removed without my involvement or knowledge. It contained the bottom two items, both about Google; the language of the first has been softened by the news service as it appears below.  

(UKRAINE and IRAN entries for today, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 12  CN celebrates 30 years of independence, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  In terms of the internet, November 1995 is ancient history. That’s when former AP investigative reporter Robert Parry founded this website as an alternative to the repressive consensus of the mainstream media, all of which at the time was still available only on paper. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 13  EU investigates Google over concerns content is unfairly demoted in search results. From AP.  BRUSSELS — European Union regulators said Thursday they’re investigating whether Google is unfairly demoting some content from media publishers in search results under a policy the company says is aimed at combating scammers. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for a selection of other AP reports in Spanish.

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FROM NOV. 12  Google launches a lawsuit targeting text message scammers: NPR. Reported by | NPR  If you have a mobile phone, you have no doubt seen some dodgy texts. More often than not, they are scams. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

BBC apologizes for edit of Trump speech but says it won’t provide legal compensation. Reported by Willem Marx | NPR  Britain’s public broadcaster, the BBC, has firmly rejected a demand from U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal team over a misleading edit of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech in for a BBC documentary broadcast. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED