NOTE: There are no other entries today.

For today, links to eight reports: from the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Naional Public Radio, and Reuters; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 3-13-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Putin-Trump meeting dates to be discussed after U.S. envoy briefs White House on Ukraine talks, Kremlin says. From the Moscow Times. Russian and U.S. officials will organize a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff relays Putin’s response to a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent and Tass.

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FROM MARCH 13  Putin agrees in principle with proposal for Ukraine ceasefire and says more discussions are needed. From AP.  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and added that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and  Reuters.

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Moscow targeted by second Ukrainian drone attack in a week. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for a second time this week, with city authorities saying early today that air defense systems downed four unmanned aircraft near the Russian capital. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Iran summons UK, France, Germany over closed-door UN meeting. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran’s foreign ministry today summoned the envoys of Britain, France and Germany over what it called a “misuse of the U.N. Security Council to hold a closed-door meeting” over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Iranian state media reported. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s leader rebuffs U.S. over starting nuclear program talks. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Michel Martin | NPR  Iran’s supreme leader rebuffed President Trump’s hopes to start talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iranian press review: Russia’s mediation divides pro-nuclear talks factions. From Middle East Eye. Russia‘s willingness to mediate nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. has drawn mixed reactions in Tehran, with moderate political groups divided on the issue. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (IRAN, WEST BANK, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 3-9-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Lebanon seeks to firm up state authority by naming new army chief, top security officials.  From AP. BEIRUT — Lebanon appointed a new army chief and heads of three security agencies today as the government seeks to firm up state authority, especially in the country’s south, following the militant Hezbollah group’s devastating war with Israel. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports: from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. (WEST BANK 3-12-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gulf states linked to Israeli businesses on UN settlements blacklist, by Simon Hooper and Dania Akkad | Middle East Eye  An investment firm headed by Jared Kushner and backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is the largest shareholder in an Israelicompany which in turn holds shares in businesses accused by the United Nations of operating in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. READ MORE . . .

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UN Rapporteur Albanese says ‘ethnic cleansing’ is happening in occupied West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, said in an interview Sunday that what is happening in the West Bank is the “litmus test” of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign against the Palestinians, with the occupation regime . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from Middle East Eye, Reuters and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-12-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gulf states linked to Israeli businesses on UN settlements blacklist, by Simon Hooper and Dania Akkad | Middle East Eye  An investment firm headed by Jared Kushner and backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is the largest shareholder in an Israelicompany which in turn holds shares in businesses accused by the United Nations of operating in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. READ MORE . . .

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UN experts accuse Israel of genocidal acts and sexual violence in Gaza. From Reuters. Israel carried out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, and used sexual violence as a war strategy, United Nations experts said in a new report today. Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva described . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and Middle East Eye.

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FROM MARCH 12  Israel is continuing the genocide —but the UK media will not tell you, by Hamza Yusuf | Middle East Eye  A ceasefire does not mean that Israel has dropped its goal to annihilate Gaza. The mission remains the same, and the war crimes endure, including killings — the method just shifts. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Eye; other reports or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. SYRIA 3-11-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group’s rule for 5 years, by Ghaith Alsayed and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DAMASCUS — Syria’s interim president today signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase. READ MORE . . .

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Russia says 9,000 Syrians fleeing violence have taken refuge at its Hmeimim air base. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia’s air base at Hmeimim in Syria is sheltering about 9,000 people seeking refuge from a wave of sectarian violence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli airstrike targets residential building in Damascus. From AP. Israel’s military today carried out an airstrike on a residential building on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus that it said was a command center of the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MARCH 12  Over 800 extrajudicial killings documented in coastal Syria violence, by Nader Durgham | Middle East Eye  The recent surge in violence in coastal Syria has resulted in at least 803 extrajudicial killings, carried out by both sides, the war monitor Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a new report. READ MORE . . .

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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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