First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, and Tass, followed by a link, via Popular Resistance, to a documentary from Mintpress News — much of it in Arabic without subtitles — about a May 2021 Israeli air attack in Gaza and its aftermath; other articles from these sources is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Today’s Ukraine entry is HERE). — MCM

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Palestinians are struggling to flee south in Gaza after Israel gives an evacuation order, by Joseph Kraus and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians struggled today to flee from areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli military while grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the region ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel. Israel renewed calls for Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The U.N. and aid groups . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians flee northern Gaza as Israel masses troops for assault, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and John Davison | Reuters GAZA / JERUSALEM — Thousands of Palestinians fled the north of the Gaza Strip today from the path of an expected Israeli ground assault, while Israel pounded the area with more air strikes and said it kept two roads open to let people escape. Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza in retaliation for a rampage by fighters who stormed . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Israeli military said it conducted overnight raids in Gaza to take back hostages. Reported by Scott Simon and Peter Kenyon | NPR  The latest developments from Israel, where the Israeli military continued airstrikes on Gaza and staged limited raids overnight. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. 

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Hamas says Israel strikes kill nine more captives. From AFP. Nine people captured by Hamas in an attack on Israel a week ago have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Islamist group’s armed wing said today. Qassam Brigades said at least five Israelis and four foreigners had been killed in Israeli “strikes on locations where the prisoners were held.” The deaths bring to 22 the overall number of fatalities among the estimated 150 hostages — Israelis, foreigners and dual-nationals — seized by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7.

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Israeli army conducts massive strikes against Hamas military targets in Gaza. From Tass. TEL AVIV — The Israeli military has begun to deliver massive strikes against the radical Palestinian movement Hamas’s locations in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said today. Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the area bordering the Gaza Strip and . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Highest regard’ for Gaza humanitarian plight needed: Germany. From AFP. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today that Israel’s war against Hamas must be carried out with the greatest care for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, so that the suffering of the population does not foment further hate. Israel has been bombarding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the Islamists stormed Israel’s southern border a week ago, shooting to death civilians in their homes, on the roads and at a rave party. Some . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Gaza Fights Back,’ directed by Dan Cohen | Mintpress News / Popular Resistance  Filmed during and after May 2021 Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the documentary tells the story of how Gaza’s armed resistance groups “outwitted the vastly superior Israeli military and established their ability to intervene against Israeli ethnic cleansing of neighborhoods like Sheikh Jarrah and provocations at the al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem.” Click HERE to read introduction and view documentary.  

Here are links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Today’s other entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Fierce fighting persists in Ukraine’s east as Kyiv reports nonstop assaults by Russia on a key city. From The Associated Press. KYIV — Ukrainian officials reported intense combat, characterized by relentless assaults by Russian forces, as the ongoing attack on an eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka entered its fifth consecutive day today. City head Vitalii Barabash said Moscow was deploying additional forces to encircle the strategically important city . . . READ MORE . . .

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Top Ukraine general says fighting in northeast has ‘significantly worsened’. From Reuters. KYIV — Fighting along the northern portion of Ukraine’s eastern front has “significantly worsened” in recent days, the commander of Kyiv’s ground forces said today. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was visiting Ukrainian troops in the area, said Russian forces had regrouped after suffering losses and were attacking around the village of Makiivka and towards the city of Kupiansk. “The main . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces defeat Ukrainian units in Donetsk area — Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian armed forces have repelled a Ukrainian attack and defeated the enemy’s manpower and equipment near Andreyevka, Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka and Maryinka, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The losses of the enemy in this area amounted to 185 servicemen,” it said. The Ukrainian forces also . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, followed by a link, via Consortium News, to commentary by a member of the University of Arizona faculty; other articles are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names below. — MCM

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Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms, by Isabel Debre, Edith M. Lederer and Wafaa Shurafa | The Associated Press  JERUSALEM — Palestinians began a mass exodus from northern Gaza Friday after Israel’s military told some 1 million people to evacuate toward the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group. The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and urged Israel to reverse the order. Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with blankets and possessions streamed down a main road out of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Countries urge Israel to hold off on Gaza assault with civilians in firing line, by Henrietta Chacar, Michelle Nichols and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  JERUSALEM / NEW YORK / TEL AVIV — Countries urged Israel today to hold off on plans for an all-out assault on northern Gaza, where more than a million civilians largely defied its order to evacuate before it goes after Hamas militants who slaughtered Israelis a week ago. Hamas, which controls the densely populated Palestinian territory, vowed to fight until the last . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel made raids into Gaza ‘over past 24 hours’: army. From Agence France-Presse. Israeli ground forces made raids into Gaza over the past 24 hours, the military said today, ahead of an expected ground offensive on the densely populated Palestinian territory. The raids came amid incessant Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants firing back with rockets. READ MORE . . .

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A history of the Gaza Strip, by Maha Nassar | University of Arizona / Consortium News  The focus of the conflict in the Middle East has again returned to the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s defense minister ordering a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave. Israel’s military operation, which involves extensive bombing of residences, follows a surprise attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants who infiltrated Israel from Gaza and killed more than 900 Israelis, which set off reprisal airstrikes . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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Russia pummels east Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in heavy fighting, by Anna Pruchnicka | Reuters  Russian forces pummelled the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka from the ground and air today, the fourth day of intense fighting in the biggest offensive by Russian forces in months. Ukraine said its forces were holding their ground but . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian forces redeploy reserves to Avdeyevka — military expert. From Tass. DONETSK — The Ukrainian armed forces has transferred reserves from the Artyomovsk area to reinforce Avdeyevka, according to Yan Gagin, a military analyst and an adviser to the DPR head. “The act is reckless and almost useless,” he said. “Dragging reserves from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine hit two Russian vessels in drone attacks — intelligence source. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine struck a Russian missile carrier and a patrol ship in separate attacks this week involving sea-borne drones carrying experimental weapons, a Ukrainian intelligence source said today. The source said the “Buyan” missile carrier was attacked today and the “Pavel Derzhavin” missile carrier was attacked on Wednesday in . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Linked below, commentary from Behind the Curtain, published there on Oct. 9, and today by Global Research. (This is the second entry today.) — MCM

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A message to Donald Rumsfeld’s ghost about my known knowns, by Edward J. Curtin Jr. | Behind the Curtain  The evidence for United States’ crimes of all sorts has been available to anyone who wished to face the truth.  It does not take great expertise, just an eye for the obvious and the willingness to do a little homework. Despite this, journalists and writers on the left have continued to admit that they were beguiled by people such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joseph Biden, con men all.  I do not mean writers for the mainstream press, but those considered . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (This is the first of two entries today.) — MCM

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Ukrainian troops ‘holding ground’ in eastern town of Avdiivka — Zelenskiy. From Reuters. KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today Ukrainian troops were holding their ground in the eastern town of Avdiivka, where fighting with Russian forces has intensified this week. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have redirected . . . READ MORE . . .

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Downed drone kills 3 in Russia, including child — governor. From AFP. Debris from a drone destroyed over Russia’s western region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, fell on homes and killed three people, including a young child, the regional governor said today. Air defense systems “shot down . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy two artillery guns, U.S.-made howitzer in Kupyansk area in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian motorized artillery systems and a U.S.-made howitzer in the Kupyansk area in the past day, Russia’s Battlegroup West Spokesman Sergey Zybinsky said today. “The enemy’s losses totaled as many as . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO member Romania finds more drone fragments on its soil after Russian again hits southern Ukraine, by Stephen McGrath | AP  BUCHAREST — Romanian authorities said today they found a crater from a suspected drone that may have exploded on impact on its territory near the border with Ukraine, reviving concerns about possible spillover of Russia’s war in Ukraine onto a NATO member country. The pre-dawn discovery . . . READ MORE . . .

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Tank-killing Switchblade drone said heading to Ukraine in ever-increasing numbers. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine is set to receive a fresh shipment of Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones, a critical asset in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) arsenal for neutralizing Russian tanks, according to Newsweek. Charlie Dean, the Vice President of AeroVironment, a U.S. defense industry manufacturing company, hinted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian forces intercept reconnaissance group near Russian border in Sumy Oblast, by Nate Ostiller and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces operating in Sumy Oblast intercepted a reconnaissance group of eight Russian soldiers headed in the direction of local critical infrastructure installations inflicting casualties and forcing them to retreat, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said today. Russian forces withdrew from Sumy Oblast in April 2022, after . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Commentary by a former British diplomat, linked below, comes via Consortium News. — MCM

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Condemnation, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  It is plain from social media that the public is by no means as unanimous in their support of Israel as are the political and media class. But then the public are not bought and paid for. Oppressed and colonised people don’t have . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, and Kyiv Post, followed by commentary ScheerPost published on Oct. 5; other articles are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. — MCM

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Ukraine President Zelenskyy at NATO defense ministers meeting seeking more support to fight Russia, by Lorne Cook and Lolita Baldor | AP  BRUSSELS — For the first time, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders from around the world Wednesday to make a personal pitch for military aid, in the face of lagging political support in the U.S. and new pressure on allies to send weapons to bolster Israel’s war with Hamas. His presence . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine accuses two men of helping guide missile that killed dozens in Hroza village, by Max Hunder | Reuters KYIV — Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service today accused two villagers who fled to Russia of helping guide a missile strike that killed dozens of people, mostly civilians, at a soldiers’ wake in the Ukrainian village of Hroza. The Oct. 5 strike . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian gunners wipe out Ukrainian stronghold, mortar team in Krasny Liman area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Artillery squads of Grad multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) from Russia’s Central Military District destroyed a stronghold and mortar positions of the Ukrainian army in the Krasny Liman area, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. “While on . . . READ MORE . . .

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How much progress has Ukraine’s government made against corruption? Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Ukraine tries to expel Russian forces from its territory, it’s fighting a second war — on corruption — as it seeks to join the European Union and NATO and keep U.S. funds flowing. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Two former defense officials held over ‘embezzlement’ already suspects in other cases, by Maryna Shashkova  | Kyiv Post  Two senior defense ministry officials being held on suspicion of embezzling $7 million earmarked for buying bulletproof vests were both previously arrested earlier this year over their alleged involvement in other corruption schemes. On Tuesday , , , READ MORE . . .

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Depleted Ukrainium, by Patrick Lawrence | ScheerPost  You cannot name the last time you read anything about a parliamentary election in Slovakia, so I won’t bother asking. But you did read about one, assuming you still follow mainstream media — if only to understand what you are supposed to think about one or another event, as against what has actually occurred. In results announced in Bratislava . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Ukrainian forces make headway in east, south – officials. From Reuters. Ukrainian forces are making some headway in the eastern and southern theatres of their four-month-old counteroffensive, military officials said on Monday. Russian accounts said Moscow’s forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut and inflicted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Two Ukrainian Defence Ministry officials held for ’embezzlement.’  From AFP. Ukraine said today it was holding two senior defence ministry officials on suspicion of embezzling $7 million earmarked for buying bulletproof vests. The announcements came as President Volodymyr Zelensky intensifies his anti-corruption drive, firing officials accused of graft. The State Bureau of Investigation said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian glider bombs are hitting Ukrainian positions with impunity, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  The Kremlin is employing a new tool in its long-term strategy to turn its invasion of Ukraine into a frozen conflict too bloody for Kyiv and its western allies to continue — massed strikes of precision-guided glider bombs Ukrainian forces currently have no effective means of countering. Field reports say the latest wave of 250 and 500 kg munitions, at least ten weapons, were dropped this morning by Russian fighter bombers hitting Ukrainian positions around the Donetsk Region town of Avdiivka. In the afternoon . . . READ MORE . . .

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Despite reports, Russian Navy unlikely to have abandoned Sevastopol base, by Charlie Hancock | The Moscow Times  Following a wave of attacks from Ukraine attacking warships, submarines, and infrastructure in the strategic naval base, reports circulated last week that Russia had withdrawn much of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. But such conclusions may be premature. Analysts say that Russia’s repositioning of its warships . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims `neo-Nazis’ were at wake for Ukrainian soldier in village café where missile killed 52, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s U.N. ambassador alleged Monday that “neo-Nazis” and military-age men were at the wake for a Ukrainian soldier in a village café where a missile last week killed 52 people. Vassily Nebenzia told a U.N. Security Council meeting called by Ukraine that the soldier was “a high-ranking Ukrainian nationalist,” with “a lot of neo-Nazi accomplices attending.” In . . . READ MORE . . .

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Venezuelan leader slams West for ignoring how Kiev-bound weapons turn up on black market. From Tass. CARACAS — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has strongly condemned the West for its failure to react to reports that Western weapons sent to Kiev are now ending up on the global arms black market. “The governments of the United States and European countries, which have , , , READ MORE . . .

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Some in Congress want to cut Ukraine aid and boost Taiwan’s. But Taiwan sees its fate tied to Kyiv’s, by Didi Tang | AP  WASHINGTON — To U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, China is a bigger threat to the United States than Russia. So the Georgia Republican has voted against providing military aid to Ukraine as he advocates for doing more to arm Taiwan. For Collins and other Republican lawmakers, Taiwan and Ukraine are effectively rivals for a limited pool of U.S. military . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and El País; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, by Ali Swenson | AP  PHILADELPHIA — Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said today he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Kennedy was running a long-shot primary bid and has better favorability ratings among Republicans than . . . READ MORE . . .

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Progressive activist Cornel West leaves the Green Party and will run for president as an independent, by Steve Peoples | AP  NEW YORK — Progressive activist Cornel West said Thursday that he is no longer running for president under the Green Party banner. Instead, the high-profile African American thought leader will run as an independent. “I’m running . . . to end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true democracy!” West wrote on the social media platform X. “People are hungry for change. They want . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ecuador removes, investigates security officials after killings of suspects in candidate assassination. From Reuters. Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso announced on Saturday a shake up of the high ranks of the security forces following the killing of seven inmates accused in the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He removed the prisons director and the head of the police investigations unit, and replaced the head of the national police with a long-time member of the force with nearly 35 years . . . READ MORE . . .

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Guatemalans protest attempts to overturn the results of presidential election. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR  For over a week now, thousands of people in Guatemala have been blockading roads and taking to the streets in protest at attempts to undermine the president-elect’s transition to power. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Guatemala’s attorney general asks authorities to act against pro-democracy protests. From AP. GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala’s attorney general today called for the government to act against largely peaceful protesters, who have taken to the streets demanding her resignation for what they say are clear attempts to undermine their nation’s democracy. Protests broke out in Guatemala two weeks ago following one of the most tumultuous elections in the country’s recent history. The protests are fueled . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Without water, there is no life’: Drought in Brazil’s Amazon is sharpening fears for the future, by Edmar Barros | AP  MANAUS, Brazil — Communities dependent on the Amazon rainforest’s waterways are stranded without supply of fuel, food or filtered water. Dozens of river dolphins perished and washed up on shore. Thousands of lifeless fish float on the water’s surface. These are the first grim visions of extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon. Wildlife and hundreds of thousands of people are affected, with experts predicting . . . READ MORE . . .

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La sequía en la Amazonía de Brasil agudiza los temores para el futuro, por Edmar Barros | Agencia AP  MANAOS, Brasil — Comunidades que dependen de las vías fluviales de la selva de la Amazonía están aisladas, sin recibir suministros de combustible, alimentos o agua filtrada. Decenas de delfines de río murieron y fueron arrastrados a la orilla. Miles de peces sin vida flotan sobre la superficie del agua. Estas son algunas de las primeras imágenes sombrías de la extrema sequía que se extiende por la Amazonía de Brasil. Los niveles de agua históricamente bajos . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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La ‘puerta giratoria’ de Ortega y Murillo en Nicaragua: el régimen vuelve a llenar las cárceles de presos políticos, por Wilfredo Miranda | El País  SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Dos diputados y otro sacerdote han sido los últimos presos políticos que el régimen de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo ha metido entre rejas en Nicaragua. En un contexto de represión sin freno, y luego de excarcelar y desterrar a 222 prisioneros en febrero pasado, el aparato sandinista ha mantenido . . . LEA MÁS . . .