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

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NEWER  Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ahmed Zakot | Reuters  Israel bombed at least three homes in Rafah overnight, raising new fear among the more than a million people sheltering in the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip that a long-threatened ground assault could be coming. One of the airstrikes killed 11 people from a family, health officials said. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  U.N. expert in Israel genocide accusation says she has been threatened, by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | Reuters  GENEVA — A United Nations expert who published a report saying there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza during its military campaign against Hamas said today she had received threats throughout her mandate. READ MORE . . .

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7 Lebanese and an Israeli killed in an exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border, by Mohammad Zaatari and Melanie Lidman | AP HEBBARIYE, Lebanon — An Israeli airstrike on a paramedics center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in south Lebanon killed seven of its members early today and triggered a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed one person in northern Israel, officials said. The strike on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Jordanian anti-riot police use batons to push back protesters near Israeli embassy, by Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters  AMMAN — Jordanian anti-riot police beat and arrested dozens of demonstrators trying to march towards the heavily guarded Israeli embassy in the capital Amman, witnesses and residents said today. More than two thousand protesters . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Colombia threatens to break ties with Israel if it doesn’t comply with a UN cease-fire resolution, by Manuel Rueda | AP  BOGOTA — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to break off diplomatic ties with Israel if the country doesn’t comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Foreign Ministry replied . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Things that have been discredited during the destruction of Gaza, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com.au  The U.S. vetoed multiple UN ceasefire resolutions, then put forward . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  At least 32 Ukrainian POWs executed in Russian captivity during winter, UN says, by Elsa Court and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  At least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), recently captured by Russia, have been executed between Dec. 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, a report by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Tuesday. Reports . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia attacks Ukraine with 13 drones. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s air force chief said today that Russia launched 13 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight, 10 of which were downed in Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions. “Anti-aircraft. . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region wound 4. From AFP. Four people were wounded by Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, officials said today, as Moscow said it had downed a barrage of Ukrainian rockets targeting its territory. The Kharkiv region borders Russia and has . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian troops move forward near Rabotino in Zaporozhye area. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Russian troops moved forward northeast of Novoprokopovka and northwest of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, said today. “There are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian navy says a third of Russian warships in the Black Sea have been destroyed or disabled. From AP. KYIV — Ukraine has sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea in just over two years of war, the navy spokesman said today, a heavy blow to Moscow’s military capability. Ukraine’s Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reportedly blasts Russian Buk missile system with HIMARS. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian servicemen have reportedly destroyed a Russian Buk missile system using American HIMARS, according to a report from the Special Operations Forces. “A Buk missile system belonging to the enemy . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Consortium News, and Agence France-Presse, and to commentary from an Australian observer and, via CN, a British observer; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE. An ASSANGE entry is HERE, and a HEINBERG entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 26  UK court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until U.S. rules out death penalty, by Sylvia Hui and Jill Lawless | AP  LONDON — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents. Two High Court judges said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Julian Assange wins temporary reprieve from extradition to U.S., by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin | Reuters  LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States from Britain was put on hold on Tuesday after London’s High Court said the United States must provide assurances he would not face the death penalty. U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange, 52, on trial on 18 counts, all . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Assange’s fate awaits U.S. ‘Assurances,’ by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  The High Court in London on Tuesday gave the United States an opportunity to rebuff Julian Assange’s plea that he be allowed to appeal the Home Office’s order to extradite him to the U.S. to face espionage charges. In a complex ruling at the Royal Courts of Justice, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia calls UK courts ‘a farce’ over Assange case. From AFP. Russia called Britain’s judiciary a “farce” Tuesday over its treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who must wait weeks to learn if he can appeal against extradition to the United States. The 52-year-old, who . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  The empire slowly suffocates Assange like it slowly suffocates all its enemies, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitinjohnstone.com.au  The British High Court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may potentially get a final appeal against extradition to the United States, but only within a very limited scope and only if . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Assange’s ‘reprieve’ is another lie, hiding the real goal of keeping him endlessly locked up, by Jonathan Cook | jonathan-cook.net  / CN  The interminable and abhorrent saga of Julian Assange’s incarceration for the crime of journalism continues. And once again, the headline news is a lie, one designed both to buy our passivity and to buy more time for . . . READ MORE . . .

Here is a link to an essay from Post Carbon Institute, the first of three in the author’s MuseLetter for March; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. An ASSANGE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Why artificial intelligence must be stopped now, by Richard Heinberg | Post Carbon Institute  Those advocating for artificial intelligence tout the huge benefits of using this technology. However, any advantages that AI may promise are eclipsed by its cataclysmic dangers. Humanity has a narrow chance to stop a technological revolution whose unintended negative consequences . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israel and Hamas dig in as international pressure builds for a cease-fire in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa, Tia Goldenberg and Jack Jeffrey | AP  JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today vowed to press ahead with Israel’s offensive and blasted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a pause in the fighting, saying it had emboldened Hamas to reject a separate proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release. As the war in Gaza . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN demand for Gaza cease-fire provokes strongest clash between U.S. and Israel since war began, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel cancels Washington talks after cease-fire vote clears the U.N. Reported by Debbie Elliott and Jennifer Ludden | NPR  A U.N. Security Council resolution calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. It passed after the U.S. abstained from blocking the measure. The move angered Israel, but how deep is the rift? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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U.S. allows adoption of Gaza ceasefire resolution, without asserting a change in course, by Carrie Nooten and Piotr Smolar | Le Monde  After five and a half months of deadlock, the United Nations Security Council on Monday finally adopted a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. This text only applies to the month of Ramadan, which began on March 11. Its. . . Click HERE to read article in English and HERE for French version.

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FROM MARCH 25  U.S. allows UN Security Council to pass resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  A UN resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza passed thanks to a rare U.S. abstention. That angered Israel, which canceled a delegation to Washington to talk about its plans for an assault on Rafah. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.)— MCM

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Zelensky shuffles security leadership. From Kyiv Post. President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov and replaced him with the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleksandr Lytvynenko. The decree was posted today on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian missile attack hits Russian warship and reconnaissance vessel, navy says, by Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV — A Ukrainian missile attack struck a Russian naval reconnaissance vessel and a large landing warship that Moscow captured from Kyiv during the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Ukraine’s navy said today. The fact of the weekend strikes was already known, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says weekend missile attack damaged 4 Russian ships,  From AFP.  Ukraine said today that it had damaged four Russian naval ships in a weekend missile attack against annexed Crimea. The Ukrainian navy had previously said that the overnight attack between Saturday and Sunday damaged only . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia delivers strike at Ukrainian intelligence decision-making centers. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry said today its forces delivered a combined strike by long-range precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian intelligence decision-making centers and sites and foreign mercenaries’ deployment areas over the past day in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine ramps up spending on homemade weapons to help repel Russia, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine needs any edge it can get to repel Russia from its territory. One emerging bright spot is its small but fast-growing defense industry, which the . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 24  The French road to nuclear war. From Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, via Consortium News. An “Alert Memorandum” to President Biden. the fifth VIPS open message to the president since May 2022 concerning the war in Ukraine. Stated subject: “On the Brink of Nuclear War.” It is signed by 23 members of the VIPS steering group. Click HERE for statement and links to previous four. NOTE: VIPS does not have a website.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  UN demands cease-fire in Gaza during Muslim holy month of Ramadan, its 1st demand to halt fighting, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council today issued its first demand to halt the fighting in Gaza, calling for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a vote that drew an immediate protest from the Israeli prime minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation and  . . . Click HERE to read and watch live UN coverage.

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NEWER  UN Security Council demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza after U.S. abstains, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters   UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council today demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages after the United States abstained from the vote. The remaining 14 council member voted for the . . .  READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel will not end war until hostages released, defense minister says in Washington. From AFP.  Israel will not end its war against Hamas until militants free hostages, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said today in Washington after Israel cancelled another U.S.-bound delegation over a UN Security Council ceasefire call. “We have . . . READ MORE . . .

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Destruction, lawlessness and red tape hobble aid as Gazans go hungry, by John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Emily Rose and Farah Saafan | Reuters  CAIRO — In mid-March, a line of trucks stretched for 3 kilometers along a desert road near a crossing point from Israel into the Gaza Strip. On the same day, another line of trucks, some 1.5 kilometers long, sometimes two or three across, was backed up near . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel kills dozens in Gaza attacks and besieges two hospitals, Palestinian medics say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israel’s military killed dozens of people in new attacks in Gaza, Palestinian medics said today, and its forces maintained a blockade of two hospitals where they say Hamas . . . READ MORE . . .

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll at 32,333. From AFP. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said today that at least 32,333 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants. The toll includes . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 24  Palestinians describe bodies and ambulances crushed in Israel’s ongoing raid at Gaza’s main hospital, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians who fled an ongoing Israeli raid of Gaza’s main hospital described mass arrests and forced marches past bodies in interviews on Sunday, while the United Nations said Israel is now blocking its main agency helping Palestinians from sending food aid to the enclave’s devastated north. Israel’s military . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel warns 4 European countries against Palestinian statehood recognition. From Reuters. Israel tells four European countries that their plan to work toward recognition of a Palestinian state constitutes a “prize for terrorism” that will reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the conflict. Spain said on Friday that it had agreed with Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take first steps toward . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli officials are in Washington amid talk tactics in Gaza may threaten U.S. aid. Reported by Leila Fadel and Jennifer Ludden | NPR  Israel’s defense minister is in the U.S. today, as the two countries sharply disagree over what should happen next in Gaza. President Biden is pushing for a cease-fire. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Nearly 6 months after Hamas attacked Israel, has Israel accomplished its goals? Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Raphael Cohen, an expert in military strategy at Rand Corporation, a nonpartisan think tank, about whether Israel is winning the war against Hamas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 24  Military draft bill creates rift in Israeli government. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — A member of Israel’s war cabinet said on Sunday he would quit the national emergency government should proposed legislation that continues to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews from mandatory military service be passed into law. “The nation cannot accept it,” said centrist cabinet minister Benny Gantz, “the Knesset . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Kyiv endures a third bombardment in 5 days as Russia steps up targeting of Ukrainian cities, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched missiles against Kyiv for the third time in five days today, part of an apparent escalation of aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities as the war stretches into its third year with the front line largely stationary. Seven people . . . READ MORE . . .

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7 wounded in Russian missile attack on Kyiv, by Stanislav Doshchitsyn and Sergei Supinsky | AFP  Kyiv’s mayor said seven people including a teenage girl were wounded today after Ukrainian air defense systems downed two Russian ballistic missiles over the capital, sending metal debris crashing to the ground. Emergency workers in hard helmets cleared concrete and bent metal from one building ripped open . . . READ MORE . . .

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Security Service of Ukraine Target of Ballistic Attack on Kyiv – SBU, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  Sources within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have confirmed that two ballistic missiles were launched from Russian-occupied Crimea toward Kyiv today and were aimed at the SBU offices. Today Ukraine is observing the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops break through Ukrainian defenses northwest of Verbovoye in Zaporozhye area. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Russian troops broke through Ukrainian army defenses northwest of Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye area and advanced by 2 km, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, said today. “Our troops . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast’s Vovchansk kills elderly man, by Kateryna Denisova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Russia attacked the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast today, killing a civilian, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov reported. Settlements in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv Oblast are subjected . . . READ MORE . . .

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Latvia prepares for Russian aggression amid concern war will spread beyond Ukraine. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Latvia’s Foreign Minister Krišjanis Karinš about the threat amid waning U.S. enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine. Lithuania and Estonia officials are also in Washington, D.C. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 23  Meet the rebel units taking the fight inside Russia amid war in Ukraine, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Ten days ago, armed units of three Russian exile groups crossed into Russia from Ukraine. Since then, in a 75-mile arc in Belgorod region, rebels have taken over or are fighting for six border towns. Incursions reportedly . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Palestinians describe heavy destruction, forced marches in ongoing Israeli raid around Gaza hospital, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians who fled during an ongoing Israeli raid in and around the Gaza Strip’s main hospital described days of heavy fighting, mass arrests, forced marches past dead bodies and flattened buildings in interviews today. The Israeli . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel besieges two more Gaza hospitals, demands evacuations, Palestinians say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces besieged two more Gaza hospitals today, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, and Israel said it had captured 480 militants in continued clashes at Gaza’s main Al Shifa hospital. Israeli forces say . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kamala Harris ‘ruling out nothing’ if Israel invades Rafah: ‘There’s nowhere for those folks to go,‘ by Ben Samuels | Haaretz  WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris referred to Senator Chuck Schumer’s Israel speech in an interview with ABC News, saying that: “I will not speak for Senator Schumer. But we are very clear that that is on the Israeli people to make a decision . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Kill them all’: Inside the Israeli blockade on Gaza aid. Reported by Jeremy Loffredo | The Grayzone / ScheerPost  From introduction: “Setting out on a bus caravan through illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Loffredo arrives at the Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza, filming . . .” Click HERE to watch and listen.