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

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Ukraine claims it has sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea using high-tech sea drones, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukraine claimed today it has sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea using high-tech sea drones as Kyiv’s forces continue to take aim at targets deep behind the war’s front line. READ MORE . . .

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France’s Macron urges allies not be a ‘coward’ on Ukraine. From Reuters. PRAGUE — French President Emmanuel Macron today said it was time for Ukraine’s allies to step up, stressing now was not the time to be cowardly. “We . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian military analysts describe scenario for potential attack on Russia. From Tass.  MOSCOW — Russian military analysts have presented their vision of a likely scenario for an attack on Russia by a hypothetical adversary in an article in the magazine Voyennaya Mysl (Military Thought), a publication of the Russian Defense Ministry. Its authors speculate that an attack might begin with a rapid global strike alongside . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin’s nuclear warning is direct and explicit, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The spectre of Armageddon has been raised often enough during the 2-year old war in Ukraine that the reference to it in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state of the union address on Feb. 29 had a familiar ring about it. Therein lies the risk of misjudgement. Three things must be noted . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for related article.

For today, links to reports from Reuters and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKAINE entry for this date and a HEINBERG entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Hamas says it presses on with Gaza truce talks without Israelis, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud | Reuters  CAIRO / RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas said today it was pressing on with talks on securing a ceasefire in Gaza despite Israel’s decision not to attend, while Washington appeared to take a tougher line in demanding its ally Israel ease the plight of suffering civilians. The ceasefire talks . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kamala Harris’ blunt Gaza words reflect intense government frustration over war, by Jeff Mason | Reuters  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris bluntly called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas militants. Speaking in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama . . . READ MORE . . .

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As cease-fire talks continue, U.S. airdrops food into Gaza as famine fears grow. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, about conditions in Gaza after his recent visit. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Palestinians who settled in Iraq have remained stateless for generations. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  There are an estimated six million Palestinian refugees in the diaspora — most of them descendants of families who left 76 years ago during the war when Israel was established. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA entry for this date and a HEINBERG entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Putin ally says Ukraine is ‘definitely Russia’, rules out talks with Zelenskiy. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said today that Ukraine was part of Russia and ruled out peace talks with the current Ukrainian leadership. In a . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian cluster munitions attack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast kills civilian, by Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces struck the village of Rizdvianka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with cluster munitions, killing a civilian, Governor Ivan Fedorov said today. Settlements in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy another U.S.-made Abrams tank near Avdeyevka — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Russian forces destroyed another US-made Abrams tank of the Ukrainian army in the Avdeyevka area near Donetsk over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. Units of Russia’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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Europe steps in as U.S. dithers: Czechia says more ammo will arrive in weeks, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  The first emergency deliveries of artillery shells bought by EU nations to compensate for the impasse in U.S. military support to Ukraine may reach the front line “within weeks,” a senior official in Prague said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 2  Russia says Ukraine attacked Crimea with 38 drones. From Reuters. RUSSIAN air defence systems destroyed all 38 drones that Ukraine launched at the Crimean Peninsula early on Sunday, Russia’s defence ministry said, after reports on Ukrainian and Russian social media of powerful explosions in the port of Feodosia. READ MORE . . .

A link to two parts of the Museletter for February from the Post Carbon Institute; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Museletter #371, by Richard Heinberg | Post Carbon Institute February’s Museletter kicks off with “I hear voices,” which takes the form of a self-therapy session on responses to the existential crises facing the world. The second essay, “Is World Population Peaking Now?,” is an interview with scientist and population modeller Chris Bystroff. Click HERE to read both.

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

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Hamas arrives in Cairo for ceasefire talks with deal ‘on the table’, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud | Reuters  CAIRO / RAFAH, Gaza Strip — A delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo today for crunch talks on a Gaza ceasefire, billed as a potential final hurdle towards an agreement that would halt the fighting for six weeks. Washington said a ceasefire deal was already “on the table”, approved by Israel and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says Gaza truce possible ‘within 24 to 48 hours’ if Israel accepts terms. From AFP. A senior Hamas official said today that a ceasefire in Gaza may be secured “within 24 to 48 hours” if Israel accepts the Palestinian group’s demands in ongoing talks. “If . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s wartime Cabinet is rattled by a dispute between Netanyahu and his top political rival, by Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — A top Israeli Cabinet minister headed to Washington today for talks with U.S. officials, sparking a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an Israeli official, in a sign of widening cracks in Israel’s wartime government nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined . . . READ MORE . . .

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In North Gaza, a local soup kitchen tries to compensate for hunger amid dwindling aid. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe | NPR  Ayesha Rascoe OF NPR speaks with Hani Almadhoun, director of philanthropy at UNRWA USA, about a soup kitchen his brother recently opened in northern Gaza, where hunger is widespread. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 2  Some Minnesota democrats turn primary into a referendum on Gaza. Reported by Clay Masters | NPR  Some Minnesota voters seek to leverage uncommitted votes in the Democratic primary to protest the war in Gaza, similar to Michigan, hoping it will sway President Biden to change course on Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 1  Galloway back in Parliament, declaring duopoly defeated, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  George Galloway began his victory speech in Rochdale, England, on Friday morning with these words: “Keir Starmer: This is for Gaza.” It was a clear message that he sent the British Labour leader: “You will . . . Click HERE for article and video, and HERE for related CN videos.

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FROM MARCH 1  U.S. complicity in Gaza case gets June appeal date, by Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams  As over 100,000 Michiganders signaled to President Joe Biden that they oppose U.S. support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, a federal court this week granted a motion to expedite the appeal of a recently dismissed lawsuit against senior U.S. officials including the president. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM MARCH 1  Nicaragua hits Germany with ICJ case for aiding Israel in Gaza genocide, by Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams  Nicaragua on Friday launched a case against Germany at the International Court of Justice, accusing the nation responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust of helping Israel commit genocide in the Gaza Strip over the past . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to report from Reuters, the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Moscow says Russia, China agree that Russia must be present in Ukraine talks. From Reuters.  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said it was impossible to discuss a Ukraine settlement without Moscow’s participation, the Russian foreign ministry said today. Li’s European tour will also include Poland, Ukraine and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Death toll rises from Russian drone strike on Ukrainian port city, as China’s envoy tours Moscow, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — The death toll rose to 10 today from a Russian drone strike that destroyed an apartment block in Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa the previous day. Russia’s defense ministry said 38 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight into today over the Crimean peninsula. And in Moscow, China’s special envoy on Ukraine. . . READ MORE . . .

A link to a report from Consortium News; others are accessible by click on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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MSM target Galloway at victory party, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  Hours afters after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was “beyond alarming” that George Galloway had been elected to Parliament in a by-election at Rochdale, mainstream media reporters descended on the newly elected MP’s headquarters to confront him. Galloway’s supporters, working people and their families, had . . . Click HERE to read, listen and view video. Coverage by CN of election outcome is HERE.

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

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NEWER  U.S. military aircraft airdrop thousands of meals into Gaza in emergency humanitarian aid operation, by Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — U.S. military C-130 cargo planes dropped food in pallets over Gaza today in the opening stage of an emergency humanitarian assistance . . . READ MORE . . .

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Biden says U.S. military to airdrop food and supplies into Gaza, by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Nandita Bose | Reuters  U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Friday plans for a military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza. He said it would take place in the coming days but offered . . . READ MORE . . .

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Many of those killed or wounded in Gaza stampede for aid were shot by Israel’s army, EU arm says, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Many of the Palestinians killed or wounded in the chaos as they tried to get bags of flour from an aid convoy were hit by Israeli army fire, the European Union’s diplomatic service said today, urging an international investigation. Outrage . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Tass, the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Post, and the New York Times, and to two pieces of commentary about the NYT report from ScheerPost and other commentary from the Berkshire Eagle and the Kyiv Independent; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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If Austin talks about risk of NATO-Russia conflict, it means U.S. has a plan for it — Lavrov. From Tass. ANTALYA, Turkey — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, by saying that NATO and Russia could end up fighting each other if Ukraine is defeated, proved that the U.S. has a plan for it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a diplomatic conference in Antalya. “The meaning of this statement . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian drone attacks kill two in Kharkiv, Odesa. From the Moscow Times.  Overnight Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Odesa regions killed at least two people, authorities said early today. Odesa officials said a Russian drone attack damaged multiple high-rise apartment buildings in the port city, killing a young man and injuring . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Number of dead from Russian drone strike rises to 5, including one child. From Kyiv Post.  An overnight Russian drone attack in Odesa destroyed 18 apartments in a high-rise building, killing five people, including one two-year-old, and at least eight more were injured. Emergency services said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 25  Ukraine’s CIA deepened over a decade: Kiev officials courted agency, becoming vital to U.S. efforts against Russia, by Adam Entous and Michael Schwirtz | The New York Times  Nestled in.a dense forest, the Ukrainian military base appears abandoned and destroyed, the command center a burned-out . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 29  The CIA in Ukraine — an ex-CIA agent’s view, by John Kiriakou | Original to ScheerPost  The New York Times on Feb. 25 published an explosive story of what purports to be the history of the CIA in Ukraine from the Maidan coup of 2014 to the present.  The story is one of initial bilateral distrust, but a mutual fear and hatred of Russia, that progresses to a relationship so intimate . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 29  The CIA in Ukraine — the NYT gets a guided tour, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  If you have paid attention to what various polls and officials in the U.S. and elsewhere in the West have been doing and saying about Ukraine lately, you know the look and sound of desperation. You would be desperate, too, if . . . READ MORE . . .

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The economic toll of 10 years of Russia’s war against Ukraine in charts, by Dominic Culverwell | The Kyiv Independent  Russia’s 10-year aggression against Ukraine has caused widespread and sure to be long-lasting damage to the country’s economy and demographics. Positive growth predictions were squashed in 2014 and 2022. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s country’s financial sector and economy . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Ukraine loses ground, it gains some victories in the sky, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  On the ground, Ukrainian soldiers are on the defensive, outgunned and outmanned by Russia. In the air, it’s a different story. Over 13 days through Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine destroyed 13 Russian military aircraft in 2 weeks. How? by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine reported the downing of 13 Russian warplanes within the last two weeks, among the highest Russian Air Force losses since the early days of the full-scale invasion. This list includes . . . READ MORE . . .