For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Tass, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. – MCM

–   –   –

Russian ships damaged in Ukrainian strike on annexed Crimea. From AFP. A Ukrainian cruise missile and seaborne drone attack on a shipyard in annexed Crimea damaged two Russian warships that had been undergoing repairs, Russian and Ukrainian military officials said today. The overnight attack targeted a shipyard in the port city of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet, causing a blaze that injured at least 24 . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine says it hit Russian naval targets in attack on Crimea, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine said it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure early today in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, in what appeared to the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The attack on Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014, was confirmed by Moscow. It highlighted . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian ships damaged in Ukraine’s attacks on shipyard in Sevastopol to re-enter duty. From Tass. MOSCOW — The two Russian naval ships damaged in Kiev’s attack on the Ordzhonikidze shipyard in Sevastopol will be fully restored and re-enter combat service in their fleets, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. It said earlier . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

North Korea’s Kim vows full support for Russia’s ‘just fight’ after viewing launch pads with Putin, by Kim Tong-Hyung and Dasha Litvinova | AP  SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed support for Russia’s “just fight” during a summit with President Vladimir Putin today that the U.S. warned could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. After touring launch pads with Putin at a remote space base in Russia’s Far East, Kim . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin and Kim hold meeting at a remote spaceport in Russia’s Far East. Reported by Leila Fadel, Anthony Kuhn and Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Russian city of Vladivostok — the same site as their last meeting in 2019, but under different circumstances. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press (one in Spanish), Reuters, and commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. – MCM

–   –   –

UN says Colombia’s coca crop at all-time high as officials promote new drug policies, by Manuel Rueda | The Associated Press  BOGOTA — Coca cultivation reached an all-time high in Colombia last year, the U.N. said, as the administration of President Gustavo Petro struggles to reduce poverty in remote areas and contain armed groups that are profiting from the cocaine trade. In a report published over the weekend, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime said 230,000 hectares (nearly 570,000 acres) of farmland in Colombia were planted with coca in 2022, a 13% increase from . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

50 years after the coup, by Eva Vergara and Daniel Politi | AP   The world remembers Gen. Augusto Pinochet as the dictator whose regime tortured, killed and disappeared 3,065 people in the name of fighting communism. But as Chile marks the 50th anniversary of the coup that brought Pinochet to power for almost 17 years, many in the country don’t see it as a dark day. Amid a weak economy and . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Chile conmemora medio siglo del golpe que dio paso a la cruenta dictadura militar, por Eva Vergara | Agencia AP  SANTIAGO — Chile conmemoró el lunes 50 años del golpe de Estado que dio paso a una cruenta dictadura militar con una ceremonia en el palacio de gobierno de La Moneda a la que asisten diversos líderes regionales. El régimen militar liderado por el general Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) dejó un saldo de 3.200 asesinados, incluidos 1.469 desaparecidos. Medio siglo después, hay . . . LEA MÁS . . .

–   –   –

Argentina August inflation forecast at highest since 1991, by Hernan Nessi | Reuters BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) likely rose 11.8% in August, which would be the highest monthly figuresince 1991, according to a Reuters poll of analysts on Monday, after a sharp devaluation of the local peso currency last month. The country’s government devalued the currency by nearly 20% in mid-August after . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Chile 50 years: U.S. scars from 9/11/73, by Brad Evans | Consortium News Fifty years ago this week, in the early morning of Sept. 11 1973, a U.S. backed coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet began with Chile’s military taking control of strategic locations in the capital city Santiago, including the main radio and television networks. At 8.30 a.m., a declaration was broadcast that the military was now in control of the country.During the 16 years of Pinochet’s reign, 1,100 people were officially registered as “forcibly disappeared”. Only 104 bodies were ever found, although . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, Tass, and Agence France-Presse, followed by a link to two pieces of commentary from Moon of Alabama, the second via Popular Resistance; other articles are accessible by clicking on the outlets’ names or initials below. — MCM

–   –   –

Ukraine’s Antonov turns to drones in response to Russian invasion, by Joanna Plucinska, Valerie Insinna and Max Hunder | Reuters  LONDON / KYIV — Ukraine’s Antonov is expanding in drone making, a presentation by the country’s umbrella defence group shows, as it diversifies its core cargo plane business in response to Russia’s invasion. Drones made and adapted in Ukraine play a major . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin says nearly half a million added to army in a year. From Reuters. President Vladimir Putin said today that the Russian army has added over half a million people in the last year — both drafted and volunteer fighters – to fight in Ukraine. “We had a partial mobilization,” he said. “We called up 300,000 people. Now, in the last six-seven months, 270,000 people have voluntarily signed contracts to serve in the , , , READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian air defense systems destroy 41 Ukrainian drones in past day — Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense systems shot down 41 Ukrainian drones in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. Apart from that, the ministry, said, air defense systems intercepted four HIMARS rockets. According to . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin says F-16 deliveries for Ukraine will ‘only prolong conflict.’ From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin today dismissed the significance of recent announcements by Ukrainian officials that their armed forces would soon receive F-16 fighter jets from Kyiv’s allies in the West. “They are going to deliver F-16s. Will this change anything? I don’t think so. It will just prolong . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Western military commentators finally accept the obvious, by Moon of Alabama | Moon of Alabama  The Kuebler-Ross model of grief describes the human coping mechanism to deal with extremely difficult situations. It has five phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. With regard to the Ukrainian counter-offensive the last phase of the grief model has been reached. While not all politicians are yet there . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Zelensky threatens to terrorize Europe, by Moon of Alabama | Popular Resistance  The Economist published another interview with the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski. It includes his usual unrealistic platitudes about not ending the war until Russia has completely pulled back. He didn’t miss to mention the ever misunderstood story about Chamberlain’s move in Munich: “Tapping loudly on the table, Mr Zelensky rejects outright the idea of compromise with . . . READ MORE . . .

Twenty-two years ago this morning, mass murder, mayhem, and — for many — misinformation visited the world, mostly through televised news. Each anniversary the story is at least slightly different, relying less on official accounts. For today, here are links to a small selection of reports and commentary, from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Springfield Republican, Newsweek, and the Substack account of the founder of Global Research. — MCM

–   –   –

Latest Marine recruits at Parris Island, S.C., were all born after Sept. 11 attacks. Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR  Twenty-two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, different motivations are drawing Marine recruits into service. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

The U.S. marks 22 years since 9/11 with tributes and tears, from ground zero to Alaska, by Jennifer Peltz and Karen Matthews | AP  NEW YORK — From ground zero to small towns, Americans looked back today on 9/11 with moments of silence, tearful words and appeals to teach younger generations about the terror attacks that struck the nation exactly 22 years before. “For those of us who lost people on that day . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

For his sister, life’s joys help keep sadness at bay, by Cynthia Simison | The Springfield Republican  There are moments of sadness as Ann Murphy Fraro reflects on all the celebratory moments in their family’s life that her brother Brian J. Murphy has missed since that morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Brian, 41, was at work in the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Timeline: How September 11 attack on WTC, Pentagon, Flight 93 unfolded, by Nick Mordowanec | Newsweek Twenty-two years ago, the United States was the target of the deadliest attack on its soil when 19 men hijacked four airplanes as part of a mission orchestrated by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, and more die each year because of related . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

From Reagan’s Al Qaeda sponsored war on Afghanistan to George W. Bush’s 9/11, by Michel Chossudovsky | Substack Osama bin Laden, America’s bogeyman, was recruited by the CIA in 1979 at the very outset of the U.S.-sponsored jihad. He was 22 years old and was trained in a CIA-sponsored guerrilla training camp. The architects of the covert . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to three reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible  by clicking on its initials below. —  MCM

–   –   –

Decades after Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile, the fight for justice continues. Reported by Carrie Kahn | NPR  It’s been 50 years since a U.S. backed coup toppled the democratically elected president of Chile and installed a dictatorship. After five decades many victims say they still haven’t seen justice. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

The U.S. set the stage for a coup in Chile. It had unintended consequences at home, by James Doubek | NPR  Fifty years ago in Chile, the United States worked to end the presidency of an elected Marxist and, in turn, helped usher in an authoritarian right-wing dictatorship. During the ensuing 17-year rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, more than 3,000 people would be disappeared or killed and some 38,000 would become political prisoners — most of them victims of torture. The . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

A rare chance to look into Nicaragua, a country that shuts itself off to journalists. Reported by Michel Martin and Eyder Peralta  | NPR  For more than a yeae, Nicaragua has kept foreign journalists out. NPR’s Eyder Peralta managed to get in, and he brings us some exclusive on-the-ground reporting. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For now, links to reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

–   –   –

Ukraine says regains control of Black Sea oil platform. From AFP. KYIV —Kyiv said today its forces had recaptured an oil and gas drilling platform in the Black Sea that had been controlled by Moscow since 2015. The platform is roughly halfway between the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula and the coast of Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region. “Ukraine regains . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine collects Russian bodies on ‘road of death’ in retaken southeast, by Anna Voitenko | Reuters BLAHODATNE, Ukraine — Wearing face masks, the Ukrainian soldiers poked sticks into the undergrowth along a deserted country road, searching for the bodies of Russian soldiers they hoped to exchange for their own comrades, living and dead. Three months on, the frontline had shifted south and it was finally safe enough for the three-man team of Ukrainian soldiers to . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

MAY BE CONTINUED

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

–   –   –

Moscow carries out drone attack on Ukrainian capital, by Tom Balmforth and Gleb Garanich | Reuters KYIV — Russia fired nearly three dozen drones at Kyiv early today, with blasts ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and the surrounding region for around two hours and debris falling across several city districts, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s air force said the military destroyed 26 out of the 33 drones. They all targeted Kyiv and . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Moscow says destroyed 3 Ukrainian speedboats in Black Sea. From AFP. Russia said today it destroyed three military speedboats carrying Ukrainian soldiers in the Black Sea which Moscow claims were headed toward annexed Crimea. The Russian army said in a separate statement that eight Ukrainian drones were shot down by its air defense over Crimea and another in . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

G20 agreement reflects sharp differences over Ukraine and the rising clout of the Global South, by Adam Schreck and David Rising | AP  NEW DELHI — The Group of 20 top world economies added the African Union as a member at their annual summit Saturday, and host India was able to get the disparate group to sign off on a final statement, but only after softening language on the contentious issue of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The final statement highlighted the . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russia is turning to old ally North Korea to resupply its arsenal for the war in Ukraine. From AP. After a year and a half of fighting in Ukraine, Russia needs to replenish its supplies of ammunition for what could be a long war of attrition. Along with ramping up its domestic arms production, Moscow is turning to an old ally with a vast arsenal — North Korea. Estimates say . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russia cannot be excluded from grain deal — Turkish leader. From Tass. NEW DELHI  Russia cannot be excluded from the grain deal as it is fraught with the growth of tension in the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today after the Group of Twenty summit. “It has . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass, followed by articles from a Substack account and, via Popular Resistance, from the Grayzone; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

–   –   –

UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety as fighting spikes near plant in Ukraine, by Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — The United Nations atomic watchdog warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive today. The International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts deployed at . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russia ramps up artillery production but still falling short, Western official says, by Phil Stewart | Reuters WASHINGTON — Russia may be able to increase production of artillery in the next couple years to about 2 million shells annually, about double some previous Western expectations but still far short of Moscow’s Ukraine war needs, a Western official said on Friday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official estimated . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

G20 decries ‘use of force’ in Ukraine for ‘territorial’ gain. From AFP. G20 leaders decried the use of force in Ukraine for territorial gain in a summit statement today, without naming Russia.  Referencing the “war in Ukraine”, the document said that “all states” should “refrain from the threat or use . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian artillerymen disrupt Ukrainian rotation in Krasny Liman with howitzer fire. From Tass. MOSCOW — The servicemen of the D-20 howitzer artillery units have destroyed the enemy’s reserves with accurate fire and disrupted the rotation of Ukrainian servicemen in the Krasny Liman area, the Russian Defense Ministry told TASS. “The servicemen of the . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Why Putin killed Prigozhin, by Seymour Hersh | Stubstack  Let’s start with the fallout from the death last month of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group. The mercenary made a fortune renting out his forces as guns for hire, largely in Central Africa, and the group took enormous losses in brutal and successful house-to-house combat this year in the city of Bakhmut against an equally courageous Ukraine army.  Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in June that . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine’s ‘biggest arms supplier’ orchestrated 2014 Maidan massacre, by Kit Klarenberg | The Grayzone  Years before emerging as Kiev’s top private weapons trafficker, ex-legislator Serhiy Pashinsky played a key role in the 2014 U.S.-backed coup that toppled Ukraine’s democratically-elected president and set the stage for a devastating civil war. Though condemned by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “criminal” as recently as 2019, a lengthy exposé  published by the New York Times on Aug. 12 identified Pashinsky as the Ukrainian government’s “biggest private . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and National Public Radio, followed by a link to an op-ed column in the Sept. 5 Berkshire Eagle; other links are accessible by clicking on news organizations’ names or initials below.— MCM

–   –   –

Russian missile attack kills policeman, injures 52 others in Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, by Hanna Arhirova | AP   KYIV — A Russian missile attack today on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine killed one policeman and injured at least 52 others, emergency officials said, while another attack in the southern Kherson region killed three people. The strikes were among multiple Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said. Meanwhile, . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Cuba arrests 17 for trafficking young men to fight for Russia in Ukraine, by Nelson Acosta | Reuters  HAVANA — Cuban authorities said they had arrested 17 people on charges related to a ring of human traffickers that allegedly lured young Cuban men to serve in the Russian military amid the Ukraine conflict. Cuba earlier this week revealed authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network, which it said . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian forces destroy two Challenger tanks in Zaporozhye Region — acting governor. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces have destroyed two British-made Challenger tanks in the Zaporozhye Region with Kornet anti-tank missile systems, according to the region’s acting governor. “The Kornets coped with them easily,” he said. “Our . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine strains to safely operate nuclear power plants while under Russian invasion. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR  KHMELNYTSKYI, Ukraine — The head of Ukraine’s nuclear energy utility, Energoatom, says his country is trying to do something never before attempted: operate a large network of atomic reactors in the midst of a full-scale war. “Never such case has happened before actually,” said Petro Kotin, said recently in a room deep inside the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in . . . Click HERE to read more and listen.

–   –   –

The U.S. will send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine as part of an aid package. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  The munitions are considered radioactive. The Kremlin cries foul while the U.S. says it’s not a big deal. What are these weapons and what does it mean that they are being used in this war? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

The eastern influence game for lands of post-Putin Russia, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Ukraine already has several fighting units composed of ethnic and regional groups from the former Soviet Union: Georgians, Chechens, Belarusians, Buryats and Siberian’s. To counter future Chinese dominance, former CIA analyst Paul A. Goble says, Washington should identify Russia’s regions most likely to . . . READ MORE . . .

“False flag” has become a common term over the last two decades to describe an actual or suspected staged event of deception. The author of the article linked here uses it in recapitulating the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, and its aftermath to date in the self-described “News Magazine of the Islamic Movement.” NOTE: For a partial list of anniversary events, scroll down or click HERE. And for today’s brief selection of news items about the Ukraine war, scroll down or click HERE. — MCM

–   –   –

9/11, 22 years later: Will we ever get the truth? by Kevin Barrett | Crescent International  9/11 was the neocons’ new Pearl Harbor. But it was not merely designed to launch the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, or even the destruction of “seven countries in five years.” Its less-obvious but more important purpose was to implant Islamophobia deeply and permanently into the western subconscious mind. By equating Islam with terrorism, 9/11 hoodwinked the west into . . . READ MORE . . .