For today, links to articles of commentary from Consortium News and Counterpunch; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 11  How Britain would be obliged to free Julian Assange, while Biden ‘considers’ ending the case, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  President Joe Biden’s remark on Wednesday that his administration is considering ending the prosecution of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange appears based on a calculation that the U.S. could lose in court on Assange’s appeal against Britain’s order to extradite him. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 10, 2023  The betrayers of Assange, by John Pilger | Counterpunch  I first interviewed Julian Assange in London in 2010. I immediately liked his dry, dark sense of humour, often dispensed with an infectious giggle. He is a proud outsider: sharp and thoughtful. We have become friends, and I have sat in many courtrooms listening to the tribunes of the state try . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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FROM APRIL 11  Netanyahu says Israel preparing for scenarios in areas other than Gaza, by James Mackenzie and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  As the war between Israel and Gaza continues, Israel is also preparing for scenarios in other areas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, amid concern that Iran was preparing to strike Israel in response to the killing of senior Iranian commanders. “Whoever harms us, we . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN refugee chief says outflow of Gazans into Egypt would make conflict resolution impossible, by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | Reuters  The prospect of Gazans crossing into Egypt from the border town of Rafah to escape a military assault would make the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible and cause an “atrocious dilemma” for the people fleeing, the UN refugee chief said today. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High . . . READ MORE . . .

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EU sanctions Hamas over sexual violence during Oct. 7 attacks. From AFP. The European Union today imposed sanctions on the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for “widespread” sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The bloc said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  More aid is supposed to be entering the Gaza Strip. Why isn’t it helping? by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Under heavy U.S. pressure, Israel has promised to ramp up aid to Gaza dramatically, saying last week it would open another cargo crossing and surge more trucks than ever before into the besieged enclave. But days later, there . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why Israel is losing the war of global public opinion over its tactics in Gaza. Michel Martin of NPR talks to Ami Ayalon, former head of Israel’s domestic security service, about Israeli leaders’ political mistakes as the tide of global opinion turns against them. Click HERE to listen and

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

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Ukraine’s air defence shortages leave Kharkiv more exposed to Russian bombs, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KHARKIV, Ukraine  — As Russia has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in the last month, hammering its energy infrastructure and urban areas, no major city has been harder hit than Kharkiv. Just 30 km (18 miles) from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Norway to transfer 22 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Norway will transfer a total of 22 F-16s to Ukraine, of which 12 are fully combat-capable, and another 10 that may or not still be airworthy, and some . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin says 2022 draft document could serve as starting point for future Ukraine peace talks. From AP. MOSCOW — A draft peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine negotiated in the early days of the war could serve as a starting point for talks to end the fighting, the Kremlin said today, reviving a proposal that Ukraine had rejected. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian soldiers who quit Putin’s war get no hero’s welcome abroad as asylum claims surge, by Erika Kinetz | AP  ASTANA, Kazakhstan — The Associated Press spoke with five officers and one soldier who deserted the Russian military. All have criminal cases against them in Russia. Each is waiting for a welcome from the West that . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  Russia launches large-scale attack, destroys critical energy infrastructure. From the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine overnight on Thursday, targeting critical infrastructure in multiple regions. They damaged energy facilities in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Lviv oblasts, according to . . .READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine has adopted a new mobilization law to boost its military ranks. Reported by A Martínez and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  After months of deliberations, Ukraine’s parliament adopted the law to mobilize hundreds of thousands of new soldiers. Russian troops are on the offensive, and Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Where could Ukraine get more Patriot missile systems from? by Steve Brown | Kyiv Post  The “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target” (PATRIOT) surface-to-air guided air and missile defense system was advertised as . . . READ MORE . . .

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 or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) – MCM

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FROM APRIL 10  An Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 3 sons and 4 grandchildren of Hamas’ top leader, by Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  TEL AVIV — Israeli aircraft killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate cease-fire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu not consulted on killing of Haniyeh’s sons, Israeli media say. From Reuters. Israeli forces killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an air strike in Gaza without consulting senior commanders or political leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli media reported today. Quoting senior Israeli officials, Walla news agency said neither Netanyahu nor Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. . . READ MORE . . .

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll at 33,545. From AFP. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said today that at least 33,545 people have been killed in the territory during more than six months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  How the Gaza war is evolving: Fighting has gone down. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  The fighting in Gaza is down sharply. Israel has withdrawn most of its troops. Hamas has suffered heavy losses. Months of high-intensity battles have now given way to a low-intensity conflict. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from Tass, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, and the Associated Press, and to an editorial from the New York Times; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below, although some may require subscriptions to read. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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UK-trained Ukrainian commandos carry out attack on Tendra Spit in Black Sea — FSB. From Tass. MOSCOW — A team of Ukrainian commandos trained by a British Royal Navy special forces unit carried out an attack on the Tendra Spit in the Kherson Region, Russia’s Federal Security Service said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian air strikes destroy major Kyiv power plant, damage other stations, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions today, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Ukraine runs low on air defences. The major attack . . . READ MORE . . .

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Strike on southern Ukraine city kills 2, wounds 4. From AFP. A strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv today killed two people and wounded four, the Ukrainian governor of the region said. READ MORE . . .

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EU Parliament refuses decision on budget until members commit more Patriots to Ukraine, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  By a vote of 515 to 62, members of the European Parliament today refused discharge of the EU Council’s budget until European leaders decide to support Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems, MEP Guy Verhofstadt said. As Russia . . . READ MORE . . .

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Negotiations on Ukraine make no sense without Russia — Kremlin spokesman. From Tass. MOSCOW — Any peace talks on Ukraine that do not include Russia are pointless, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said regarding Switzerland’s initiative to host a conference on the so-called Ukrainian peace formula in June. “First we need to understand . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv adopts mobilization law as Moscow strikes facilities across country. From AFP. Ukrainian lawmakers today approved an army mobilization bill that will keep more long-serving soldiers fighting Russia’s offensive, as Moscow pounded energy facilities in another “massive” air raid across the country. The move came as Kyiv has struggled on the battlefield for months, weakened by . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s parliament passes a controversial law to boost much-needed conscripts and fill army ranks, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s parliament passed a law today that will govern how the country recruits new conscripts, following months of delay and after thousands of amendments were submitted to water down the initial draft. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky in Lithuania to ‘consolidate’ support. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced today that he had arrived in Lithuania for talks with Central and Eastern European leaders on support for his war-torn country. “The main thing now is to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine and Latvia sign security agreement, Zelensky says. From Reuters. Ukraine and Latvia signed a 10-year security agreement today, envisaging annual Latvian military support for Ukraine at 0.25% of GDP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding that Latvia also . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 6  Help Ukraine hold the line. From the New York Times. After more than two years of brutal, unrelenting war, Ukraine is still ready and has the capacity to defend its democracy and territory against Russia. But it cannot do so without U.S. military assistance, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Biden says Netanyahu’s approach to the war is a mistake, deepening a rift between the two allies, by Tia Goldenberg and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel would let 150,000 Gazans return north in potential truce, officials say, by James Mackenzie | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Israel has agreed in Gaza war ceasefire talks in Egypt to concessions about the return of Palestinians to the north of the enclave, but believes Islamist group Hamas does not want to strike a deal, two Israeli officials said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  Hundreds of aid trucks are entering Gaza as Israel faces pressure to allow them in. Reported by Carrie Kahn | NPR  The number of trucks delivering food and other humanitarian aid to Gaza has surged in the past 24 hours. Distribution remains a difficult challenge. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 28, 2012  Origins of Israel’s anti-Arab racism, by Lawrence Davidson | Special to Consortium News 11-plus years ago  By the middle of the 19th Century, the multi-ethnic empire was on its way out as the dominant political paradigm in Europe. Replacing it was the nation-state, a political form which allowed the concentration of ethnic groups within . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Press, Reuters, Tass, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, and Foreign Policy and to commentary from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names below, although FP may require a subscription. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Switzerland to host a Ukraine peace conference in June and hopes Russia can join one day, by Jamey Keaten | AP  GENEVA — Switzerland’s government said today it will host a high-level international conference in June to help chart a path toward peace in Ukraine. The June 15-16 gathering is expected to draw top government officials from dozens of countries including President Biden of the United States. READ MORE . .

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Russia will not take part in Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland: minister. From AFP. Russia will not take part in a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland in mid-June, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said today, stressing the aim to include Moscow in future talks. READ MORE . . .

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Russia slams planned peace conference as U.S. project. From AFP. Russia’s foreign ministry today criticised plans to hold a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland as a futile initiative of the U.S. Democratic Party ahead of this year’s U.S. presidential election. “American Democrats, who need . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia targets Ukrainian energy sites in overnight attacks. From AFP. Russia hit two energy sites in aerial strikes on southern Ukraine overnight, officials said today, the latest in Moscow’s targeted attacks against the country’s power network. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. general warns time running out for Ukraine without U.S. aid, by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali | Reuters  WASHINGTON — The top U.S. general in Europe told Congress today that Ukraine will run out of artillery shells and air defense interceptors “in fairly short order” without U.S. support, leaving them vulnerable to a partial or total defeat. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops wipe out Ukrainian depot with 32 howitzers, 2 UAV assembly workshops. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops destroyed a Ukrainian storage facility with 32 howitzers and two UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) assembly workshops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. Its statement . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Ukraine has plan for counteroffensive, but modern weapons needed’: Zelensky, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that Ukraine has devised a plan for a new counteroffensive, stressing the critical need for modern weapons. “Yes, Russia has more people, more weapons. But the united West has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Almost 3 quarters of Germany’s arms exports in 2024 intended for Ukraine, by Dinara Khalilova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  From Jan. 1 to March 27, the German government approved the export of military goods worth at least 4.89 billion euros (around $5.3 billion), with almost three-quarters of this amount intended for Ukraine, the German news agency DPA reported today. Germany has become . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  U.S. to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades, by Mike Stone | Reuters  WASHINGTON — The United States will sell Ukraine up to $138 million worth of equipment to maintain and upgrade its HAWK air defense systems to help defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, a U.S. State Department official said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  Ukraine’s cheap drones are decimating Russia’s tanks, by Jack Detsch | Foreign Policy  In the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, first-person-view (FPV) drones have become nearly ubiquitous on the Ukrainian battlefield. Many of them can carry 10 pounds of explosives or more, and after nearly 780 days of nonstop war . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Kagan’s last bugle for ruinous empire, by Bruce Fein | Special to Consortium News  Whom the gods would destroy, they have first listen to Robert Kagan. Kagan postulates in a profusion of books and articles that Americans are God’s chosen people, that the United States is . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  Hamas says Israeli proposal fails to meet demands, but is under review, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  Israel’s proposal that Hamas received from Qatari and Egyptian mediators did not meet any of the demands of Palestinian factions, the militant group has said. However, Hamas said today it would study the proposal, which . . .READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s security ‘at core’ of Berlin foreign policy, Germany tells UN court, by Jan Hennop | AFP  Israel’s security is at the “core” of German foreign policy, the UN’s highest court heard today. Berlin has denied a claim that it is aiding in a “genocide” in Gaza. Nicaragua brought Germany before the International Court of Justice to demand . . . READ MORE . . .

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Turkey imposes trade restrictions on Israel: ministry. From AFP.  Turkey will impose trade restrictions on Israel starting today on a range of products including cement and steel and iron construction materials in response to Israel’s war on Gaza, the trade ministry said in a statement. “This . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Palestinians returning to Khan Younis after Israeli withdrawal find an unrecognizable city, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Stunned Palestinians found their home city unrecognizable Monday as they filtered in to salvage what they could from the vast destruction left by Israeli troops who withdrew from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis a day earlier after months of fighting and bombardment. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Gaza truce talks still deadlocked, Netanyahu sets date for offensive, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan | Reuters  CAIRO  — Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal made at talks in Cairo, a senior Hamas official said on Monday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date was set for an invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s last refuge for displaced Palestinians. READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  UN atomic watchdog says status of Ukrainian nuclear plant occupied by Russia is ‘extremely serious,’ by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The International Atomic Energy Agence said an explosion caused by an alleged drone attack at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine today posed no direct threat to its safety but underscored the “extremely serious situation” at the facility that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops destroy Ukrainian militants with smart munitions near Spornoye in DPR. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops used smart munitions to destroy Ukrainian militants at firing positions near the settlement of Spornoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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Drone strikes target flight school in Russia’s Voronezh region – reports. From the Moscow Times. Authorities in western Russia’s Voronezh region said today air defense systems had downed two drones overnight, with unconfirmed reports saying that a flight training school was damaged in the incident. Voronezh region Governor Alexander Gusev said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s FM Lavrov slam’s West’s ‘unlawful sanctions’ in China talks. From AFP. Moscow’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov today slammed “unlawful sanctions” by the West against Russia and other countries as he met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine races to fix and shield its power plants after Russian onslaught, by Anastasiia Malenko | Reuters  UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Ukraine — Avoiding energy system collapse depends largely on rapid repairs of facilities like the one visited by Reuters on Monday, where people in protective suits and hard hats worked in a vast hall filled with metal and concrete dislodged and twisted by an air strike. READ MORE . . .

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UK’s David Cameron in Washington for Ukraine talks after meeting Donald Trump in Florida. From AP.  WASHINGTON — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is in Washington today to press senior Republicans to unlock money for Ukraine, after meeting a skeptical Donald Trump in Florida. Cameron says victory for Ukraine is “vital for . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine bombs 3 Russian air bases, then vows to send drones deeper into Russia, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Over the last two years, Ukraine has used drones and rockets to sink one-third of Russia’s warships in the Black Sea. Now, Ukraine is turning its drone power on land targets: air bases, refineries and military factories deep inside Russia. That reach was demonstrated last week when . . . READ MORE . . .

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Are Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries hindering Russia’s war machine? From the Moscow Times. Ukraine has escalated its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in an effort to cripple Russia’s economy and constrain fuel supplies to its military. Despite the increased intensity of these strikes, experts who spoke to The Moscow Times agree that their impact on the Russian economy has so far . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from ScheerPost and the Washington Post; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below, although the latter online source may require a subscription. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Nicaragua urges the top UN court to halt German military aid to Israel because of Gaza assault, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Nicaragua called on the International Court of Justice today to halt German military aid to Israel, arguing that Berlin’s support enables acts of genocide and breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Germany is the second-largest supplier . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says Gaza truce talks still deadlocked despite reports of progress, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan | Reuters  CAIRO — A Hamas official said today no progress was made at a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo also attended by delegations from Israel, Qatar and the U.S., shortly after Egyptian sources said headway had been achieved . . . READ MORE . . .

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An Israeli teacher was held hostage in Gaza — her American husband is still there. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Aviva Siegel who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and held for 51 days. Her husband, Keith, is among the hostages still held in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 7  These Palestinian mothers in Gaza gave birth Oct. 7. Their babies have known only war, by Julia Frankel and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  NUSEIRAT, Gaza Strip — Rockets streaked through the morning sky in Gaza on Oct. 7 as Amal Al-Taweel hurried to the hospital in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, already in labor. Rola Saqer’s water broke that day as she sheltered from Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia, a Gaza town near . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 6  Morality challenged, by Michael Brenner | ScheerPost  Is there now a moral void at the heart of Western societies?  That question haunts as governments in the United States and Europe act as accomplices in Israeli’s atrocious crimes against the Palestinians. The Jewish state’s conduct . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 2   The International Court of Justice is waging lawfare on Israel, by Ruth Marcus | The Washington Post  The International Court of Justice is allowing itself to be used as a geopolitical weapon in the Israel-Gaza war. In January, the court found that South Africa had made a “plausible” claim that Israel was . . . READ MORE . . .