For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, and Tass, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other reports or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-12-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Kremlin says U.S.-proposed truce would merely give relief to Ukraine’s military, by Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide said today that he had told Washington that a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States to pause the war in Ukraine would simply give Kyiv’s forces a respite. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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U.S. delegation heads to Moscow after Ukraine agrees to 30-day ceasefire. Reported by Charles Maynes and Michel Martin | NPR  The U.S. resumed Ukraine military aid and intelligence sharing after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. Now, a U.S. delegation is heading to Moscow for talks, hoping they accept terms of the proposal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for March 12 report from NPR.

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Russian army liberates Sudzha in Kursk border region. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s Defense Ministry saidtoday its troops regained control over the town of Sudzha in the Kursk border region after seven months under Ukrainian control. READ MORE . .. .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Putin on Ukrainian POWs in Kursk: ‘We must treat them as terrorists.’ From Kyiv Post. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that all Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk Oblast should be treated “as terrorists” during his first visit to the region since Ukrainian forces began operations there in August 2024. Moments later, he added . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump invites Putin to a roller coaster ride, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The political optics of the joint statement issued after the U.S.-Ukrainian talks at Jeddah on Tuesday lasting nine hours is hard to tell since President Donald Trump prides himself on his ability to strike deals. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to a report from the Floutist via ScheerPost and to related websites; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK 3-8-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 25  ‘Scars on the land,’ by Cara MariAnna | The Floutist / ScheerPost  On Jan. 21 apartheid Israel launched what we must now realize is its final push for annexation of the West Bank, in a blitz dubbed operation “Iron Wall.” This was only two days after the Gaza ceasefire began. In the 36 days since . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for University of Bethlehem website, and HERE for website of the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability

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FROM MARCH 6  An imagined reality, by Cara MariAnna | The Floutist / ScheerPost  The Jewish state’s creation was accompanied by a profoundly destructive transformation of the historic land of Palestine, including the illegally occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Calamitous damage to watersheds, a topic I took up in Part 1 of this report [above], was among the graver consequences of what amounts to another aspect of the catastrophe that has befallen Palestinians at the hands of the Zionist regime. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to commentary via ScheerPost and Consortium News; other reports are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-11-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 11  Trump’s Christian fascists and the war on Palestine, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost  Christian Nationalists who form the bedrock of support for Donald Trump have mounted a concerted campaign calling on the White House to back Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and Gaza. It includes . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 10  BBC’s ‘Road to Oct 7’ an utter travesty, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan.Cook.net / Consortium News  There has been a prolonged furore over the BBC’s craven decision to ban a documentary on life in Gaza under Israel’s bombs after it incensed Israel and its lobbyists by, uniquely, humanising the enclave’s children. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Moscow Times, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Agence France-Presse; to an AP analysis; and to commentary from Substack via Front Page; other articles or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK and GAZA entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  UKRAINE 3-11-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

Kremlin awaits U.S. briefing on Ukraine ceasefire plan, top spokesman says. From the Moscow Times. The Kremlin said today it was waiting for U.S. officials to provide details on a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine after talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia the day before. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Kremlin says phone conversation between Putin and Trump possible. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Kremlin does not exclude that the issue of a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump may come up in the wake of the US-Ukrainian negotiations and could be organized quickly, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. to resume security support to Ukraine as Kyiv says it is ready to accept ceasefire proposal. From Reuters. The United States agreed on Tuesday to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after talks where Kyiv said it would accept a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, the countries said in a joint statement.   READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for March 11 report from NPR and more recent NPR report.

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Russia reportedly enters Ukraine-held Sudzha in Kursk Oblast; Kyiv hasn’t confirmed, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Russian troops have launched an offensive on the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, entering the settlement, the DeepState monitoring group, the Institute for the Study of War, and the Russian state news agency TASS claimed today. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. confirms intelligence sharing with Ukraine resumes. From Kyiv Post. U.S. National Intelligence has confirmed the resumption of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, as announced by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. READ MORE . . .

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Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Odesa kills 4 Syrians, damages cargo ship. From AFP. A Russian ballistic missile strike on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa late Tuesday killed four people and damaged a Barbados-flagged cargo ship, Ukrainian authorities said today. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. said in Riyadh it wants normal relations with Russia, ready for serious talks — Lavrov. From Tass. MOSCOW — The U.S. delegation said during talks with the Russian side in Riyadh that Washington wants normal relations with Moscow and is ready for serious negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with U.S. bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry Johnson and Andrew Napolitano. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 7  Is MAGA wrong on Ukraine? by Mark Tapson | Substack / Front Page  I am hardly alone among conservatives in stating that I greatly admire Douglas Murray. But his latest piece in The Spectator, titled “The MAGA Movement is Wrong on Ukraine” is such a disappointment that I felt compelled to respond (the article is behind a paywall, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, links to commentary from Lionel Nation, the Chris Hedges Report via ScheerPost, and Jonathan-Cook.net via Consortium News; other published material may be accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up. MEDIA 3-8-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 11  How government propaganda controls our thinking and shapes reality, by Lionel | Lionel Nation  Propaganda is nothing new. Every government throughout history has engaged in it to maintain power and control the masses. But in America, propaganda has taken on a more sophisticated, insidious form. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 8  How the media walked us into autocracy. Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report talks with consumer advocate Ralph Nader about the rise of citizen power; the roles of the news media, organized labor and the Democratic Party in stifling. Some ideas — including THIS ONE — emerge. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM MARCH 10  BBC’s ‘Road to Oct 7’ an utter travesty, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan.Cook.net / Consortium News  There has been a prolonged furore over the BBC’s craven decision to ban a documentary on life in Gaza under Israel’s bombs after it incensed Israel and its lobbyists by, uniquely, humanising the enclave’s children.READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to three reports: from Middle East Eye, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor; others or headlines for others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. (WEST BANK 3-8-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in Jenin. From Middle East Eye. At least three Palestinians, including two young men and a 58-year-old woman have been killed today during Israel’s military raid of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, now in its 50th day. The Israeli army said . . . READ MORE . . .

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West Bank Bedouin community says Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep. From Reuters. EIN AL-AUJA, West Bank — Armed Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep from a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, local residents say, in one of the largest recent incidents in which Bedouins in the area have reported being attacked and harrassed. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 10  Israel to approve 1,030 new settlement units in occupied Jerusalem. Middle East Monitor. The Israeli occupation government intends to approve 1,030 new settlement units in the towns of Sur Baher and Jabal Al-Mukaber, in the occupied city of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Information Centre reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. SYRIA 3-10-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Syrian Kurds celebrate deal with Damascus as coastal residents remain wary after violence, by Hogir Abdo and Abby Sewell | AP  QMISHLI, Syria — In the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, revelers took to the streets after the announcement of a breakthrough deal between the central government in Damascus and local Kurdish-led authorities, dancing and chanting “One, one, one — the Syrian people . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 10  ‘No safe streets’: Lawlessness takes hold of Syria under HTS-led government. From the Cradle.  Syria is suffering from a wave of kidnappings, causing residents to fear leaving their homes at night, since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the New York Times reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 10  Thousands of Syrians flood into Lebanon seeking refuge from government massacres. From the Cradle. Thousands of Syrians from the Alawite minority have crossed the border into north Lebanon over the past several days after fleeing from the massacres carried out by the new government’s forces in Syria’s coastal cities and towns. READ MORE . . .

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Highlights from Reuters interview with Syria’s president, by Samia Nakhoul, Timour Azhari and Maya Gebeily | Reuters  DAMASCUS — Below are highlights from a Reuters interview with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa conducted on Monday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye, and the Cradle.

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FROM MARCH 10  A weekend from hell in coastal Syria, by Massa Bashour and Nader Durgham | Middle East Eye  JARAMANA, Syria / BEIRUT  Syria is reeling. Last weekend, the country witnessed . . . READ MORE . . .

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In Syria, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces reach agreement with new government.Reported by Jane Araf | NPR  In Syria, there’s been a major development as U.S.-backed Kurdish forces who have controlled part of the country for more than a decade have agreed to be incorporated into the Syrian state. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE and HERE for reports from the Cradle and AP.

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FROM MARCH 10  Syria looks to jumpstart its tech industry. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  One young man fled the Syrian war as a teenager. He returned as a Stanford graduate student and a budding entrepreneur, to a country trying to jumpstart its tech industry. Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to four reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-10-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 10  New Israeli army chief approves ‘offensive’ plans to restart Gaza genocide. From the Cradle. New Israeli army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir has approved new offensive plans for the Southern Command to resume the war against Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza, Ynet reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli fire kills 8 Palestinians in Gaza Strip, 3 in the occupied West Bank.From AP. Israeli fire has killed eight people in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, Palestinian officials said, even as a fragile ceasefire with Hamas has largely held. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MARCH 10  Israeli ultranationalist lawmakers work on plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Ultranationalist Israeli lawmakers held a parliamentary hearing to suggest ways to get Palestinians to leave Gaza, an idea raised by President Trump that is gaining public support in Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Why did the U.S. break with tradition and hold talks with Hamas? by Yasmine El-Sabawi | Middle East Eye  Israeli negotiators were set to resume talks today on the Gaza ceasefire in of Doha, along with the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. The first phase of the deal expired on March 1. Israel has since resumed sporadic air strikes on Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Tass, and to commentary from Substack; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-10 -25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Ukraine-U.S. talks on ending war with Russia start in Saudi Arabia as Kyiv launches huge drone attack, by Matthew Lee | AP  JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — High-stakes talks between senior delegations from Ukraine and the United States on how to end Kyiv’s three-year war with Moscow opened in Saudi Arabia today, hours after Russian air defenses shot down 337 Ukrainian drones over Russia. The massive drone attack killed two people and . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from NPR, and HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for two reports from Reuters and one each from the Moscow Times and the Kyiv Independent.

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Trump envoy Witkoff plans second meeting with Putin – reports. From the Moscow Times. U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week for the second time in two months, several Western media outlets reported. READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin claims big victory in Kursk sector, army chief of staff hands out medals, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Kremlin-controlled information platforms today claimed a major victory in the Kursk sector, with a media blitz profiling medals awarded for heroism and images of . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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FROM MARCH 10  Ukrainians describe their vision for a peace deal with Russia. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  Ukrainians hope that officials’ meeting with U.S. diplomats in Saudi Arabia will be a chance to find a framework for a ceasefire deal with Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 10  An endgame in Ukraine? by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  In Washington, the Democratic Party leadership, having spent years ignoring the impairment of President Joe Biden, is now ignoring the increasing evidence that Russia has won the war in Ukraine. Leading Democrats in Congress have . . . READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, and HERE, or scroll down. IRAN 3-9-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Iran says it is open to talks about concerns about militarization of its nuclear program. From AP. Iran said Sunday it would consider negotiations with the United States if the talks were confined to concerns about the militarization of its nuclear program. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 9  Iran would consider talks with U.S. about concerns over militarization of nuclear program, UN mission says. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran would consider negotiations with the U.S. if the aim of the talks was to address concerns regarding any potential militarization of its nuclear program, Iran’s U.N. mission said on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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Trump’s ingenuity vis-à-vis Russia, Iran, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian are quintessential nationalists and modernisers who are open to westernism. Both Russia and Iran face U.S. sanctions. Both seek . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED