For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia widens assaults against hard-pressed Ukraine defenses, opens new attack axis in east, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Russian forces have opened a new attack axis in the Kremlin’s ongoing and so-far relentless Donbasoffensive, launching assaults at the industrial city of Vuhledar and hitting Ukrainian defenses there with air strikes, artillery bombardments and . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian guided bomb attack on Kharkiv injures at least 13, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces attacked the city of Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs on Sept. 2, injuring at least 13 people, local authorities reported. Mayor Igor Terekhov said the residential area in the city’s Kyivskyi district . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin says Kursk incursion will not stop Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin said today that Kyiv’s incursion into southwestern Russia’s Kursk region will not halt Moscow’s advance in eastern Ukraine and vowed to deal with what he called Ukrainian “bandits” on Russian territory. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukrainian attacks thwarted: developments in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 350 troops and 14 armored vehicles in the Kursk Region in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine’s children return to school as Russia launches drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, by Illia Novikov and Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP  KYIV — Russia launched an overnight barrage of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, officials said today, as children were returning to school across Ukraine. Some pupils found classes canceled because of damage . . . READ MORE . . .

 –   –   –

Three Ukrainian teens begin their final year of high school holding onto hopes for the future, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  UZHHOROD, Ukraine — Ukrainian teens are grappling with the realities of war. One student, still haunted by memories of his hometown in the Luhansk region . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

A summer camp in western Ukraine helps kids work through their trauma. Reported by Hanna Palamarenko | NPR  The war in Ukraine has left thousands of civilians dead and has traumatized countless people. A summer camp in western Ukraine is helping kids work through their trauma. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Monitor, the Anadolu Agency, and Middle East Eye, and to an interview from the Chris Hedges Report via ScheerPost and Consortium News; other news and commentary is accessible by clicking on their names. (UKRAINE entry for this date and an ECONOMY entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israel recovers the bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, by Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel said today it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas. The military said all six had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for another report from AP, and HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and NPR.

–   –   –

Hamas blames Israeli airstrikes for death of six hostages in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. A senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, said today that the six Israeli hostages recently found in Gaza were killed as a result of ongoing Israeli airstrikes, challenging the Israeli army’s claim that Hamas executed the hostages while they were in captivity, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport to halt all arrivals, departures on Monday amid general strike, by Rania R.a. Abushamala | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Israel’s main international airport will halt all arrivals and departures on Monday amid a general strike to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians. Specifically . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Israel, Hamas agree to brief pauses in fighting for polio vaccinations, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Hussam Al-Masri | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — The United Nations, in collaboration with Palestinian health authorities, began to vaccinate 640,000 children in the Gaza Strip today, with Israel and Hamas agreeing to brief pauses in their 11-month war to allow the campaign to go ahead. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Families accuse Netanyahu of failing to return Israeli captives alive. From Middle East Eye. The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to bring their relatives home alive amid growing calls for a general strike to force a deal with Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum today . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Anadolu Agency.

–   –   –

Elderly Palestinian dies ‘of systematic torture’ in Israel’s Ayalon Prison in Ramla, by Awad Rjoob | Anadolu Agency RAMALLAH, Palestine — An elderly person from the Gaza Strip died “of systematic torture” in Israel’s Ayalon Prison in Ramla, bringing the total number of Palestinian detainees killed in custody since Oct. 7 of last year to 24, rights groups said on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

The Middle East’s roots lie in the fall of the Ottomans. Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report talks with Eugene Rogan, professor of modern Middle Eastern history at the University of Oxford, about his book The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East (2016) and how the modern geopolitical makeup of the region came to be. Click HERE for an introduction, the interview, and transcript.

For today, links to eight reports: from the Kyiv Post, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Tass, and the Associated Press; other articles and interviews are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA entry for this date and an ECONOMY entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Ukraine shifts forces to defend Pokrovsk as Russian troops advance. From Kyiv Post. Forbes says Ukraine has urgently deployed the Kara-Dag Brigade, a key offensive unit, to reinforce defenses around Pokrovsk, a crucial logistics hub in eastern Ukraine. This deployment highlights . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russia says Ukrainian drones target refinery, power plants near Moscow. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting power plants and a refinery near Moscow, sparking fires, while more than 150 drones were destroyed across other parts of the country, Russian officials said today. Drone debris . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post and Tass.

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 31  7 killed by Russian attacks as Moscow pushes ahead in Ukraine’s east. From AP.  Russian shelling in the town of Chasiv Yar on Saturday killed five people, as Moscow’s troops pushed ahead in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The regional governor said the vic tims . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin-Biden video conference on Dec. 7 made clear U.S. had no intent to continue dialogue — spokesman. From Tass. MOSCOW — The December 7 video conference conversation between Presidents of Russia and the United States was a harsh one, but it made clear that the United States have no intention to continue the dialogue, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview. READ MORE . . .

A link to an interview from ScheerPost; other articles and interviews are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

End the U.S. dollar chokehold on the world. Robert Scheer of ScheerPost and Nomi Prins, a former Goldman Sachs managing director and author most recently of Permanent Distortion: How the Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever (2022), talk about, among other things, how the Republicans and the Democrats and their high-end donors interrelate, and how the world economy is evolving away from the U.S. Click HERE for an introduction, the conversation, and a transcript.

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

–   –   –

Israeli bombardment kills dozens in Gaza as health officials prepare polio campaign, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli strikes today killed at least 48 people in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health authorities said, as clashes took place in central and southern areas of the enclave ahead of the planned start of a polio vaccination campaign. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

–   –   –

Children in Gaza get polio vaccines but the virus may already be spreading. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Scott Simon | NPR  Palestinian children in Gaza will have access to polio vaccines this weekend as the UN rushes to reach families displaced and without access to healthcare following the detection of the virus in wastewater flowing through its war-ravaged streets. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

West Bank attacks: To western leaders, there are no red lines for Israel’s slaughter, by Lubna Masarwa | Middle East Eye  The Israeli military’s assault against four refugee camps and almost every town in the north of the occupied West Bank, using battlefield weapons, commando-style helicopter landings, drones and bulldozers, cannot be classed as a response to the war on Gaza. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and the Kyiv Independent, and the Kyiv Post, and to commentary from Foreign Policy; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia says five killed, 46 injured in Ukraine strike on Belgorod. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Five people were killed and 46 injured in a Ukrainian attack on the southwestern Russian city of Belgorod late on Friday, the local governor said, the latest . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

–   –   –

5 killed by Russian strike as Moscow continues its latest push in Ukraine’s east. From AP. Five people were killed by Russian shelling in the town of Chasiv Yar today as Moscow’s troops continue their push on Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The attack struck . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

NATO chief Backs Ukraine offensive in Russia’s Kursk Region. From AFP. Ukraine was fully within its rights to launch its surprise offensive into Russia’s Kursk border region as an act of self-defense, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. The offensive launched on Aug. 6 . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for report from Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.

–   –   –

Ukraine to get 4,000 Javelins as share of U.S. Army $1.3 billion contract. From Kyiv Post. The U.S. Army has awarded a $1.3 billion follow-on production contract to the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture to produce FGM-148 Javelin Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium missiles and related equipment and services. This includes . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Media investigation identifies 66K Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. From AFP. Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona said today more than 66,000 Russian military personnel have died during the war in Ukraine according to its estimates. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 28  The murky meaning of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, by Stephen M Walt | Foreign Policy / Antiwar.com  Is Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive into Russia a critical turning point in the war, a meaningless sideshow, or a strategic misstep on Kyiv’s part? It has been mostly a success in the short term, but . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 12 reports: from the Anadolu Agency, Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, and Common Dreams; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Harris rules out Israel arms embargo: ‘Israel has a right to defend itself,‘ by Michael Hernandez | Anadolu Agency  WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday staunchly ruled out the possibility that she would institute an American arms embargo on Israel as it continues to wage a devastating war on the besieged Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Israeli delegation leaves Doha with no progress in Gaza cease-fire talks. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — The Israeli delegation that arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday for high-stakes negotiations on the Gaza cease-fire has left without reaching any agreements, Israeli media claimed today. According to Haaretz . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Israeli forces kill local Hamas commander in West Bank, by Ali Sawafta | Reuters  ZABABDEH, West Bank — Israeli forces killed a local commander of the Islamist movement Hamas in the flashpoint city of Jenin today as they pressed a major operation in the occupied West Bank for a third day, the Israeli military said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP. 

–   –   –

Aid workers killed in Israeli strike on humanitarian convoy. From Middle East Eye. An Israeli air strike has hit a humanitarian aid convoy laden with medical supplies and fuel for an Emirati-run hospital in Rafah, killing several workers. Israeli forces claimed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and Anadolu Agency.

–   –   –

UN condemns Israel minister’s call to displace Palestinians from West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. The UN human rights office today condemned an Israeli minister’s call to displace people from the West Bank, saying these statements only serve to escalate an already “very dire situation.” READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Inspector general examines the U.S. aid pier meant to get food into Gaza. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  In March, President Biden proposed a workaround to aid not getting into Gaza. The U.S. military would build a floating pier on the Gaza coast. Was the project a success? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  The U.S. urges major changes to Israel’s evacuations in Gaza, a leaked memo says. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf, Daniel Estrin and Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  TEL AVIV — The Biden administration is urging Israel’s military to make major changes to its “drastically increased” pace of mass evacuation orders that is driving repeated displacement of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, according to a U.S. Embassy memo obtained by NPR. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  UN chief demands ‘immediate cessation’ of Israel’s assault on West Bank, by Edward Carver | Common Dreams  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres late on Wednesday called for an immediate stop to Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, which continued into a second day on Thursday, leaving at least 18 Palestinians dead after two days of escalated attacks. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  Israeli minister’s call to displace people from West Bank ‘completely unacceptable’: EU foreign policy chief, by Nur Asena Ertürk | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — The Israeli foreign minister’s call to displace people from the West Bank is “completely unacceptable,” the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell said Thursday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russian attack kills two, injures 11 in Ukraine’s Sumy, authorities say. From Reuters. KYIV — A Russian attack overnight damaged a factory in Ukraine’s northern city of Sumy, killed two women and injured at least 11 people, Ukrainian authorities said today. Officials said the factory manufactured . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukraine says U.S. experts are helping figure out why a Ukrainian F-16 crashed in the war with Russia, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — U.S. experts have joined a Ukrainian investigation into why an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed earlier this week during a Russian bombardment, the country’s air force commander said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent and Kyiv Post.

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  Why Russia has struggled to halt Ukraine’s incursion in the Kursk region. From AP.  It all comes down to Russian manpower and Russian priorities. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

What is known about situation in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 380 troops and 22 armored vehicles, including a tank, in the Kursk area in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

Links to reports from National Public Radio and U.S. News & World Report, and to commentary from ScheerPost, CraigMurrary.org.uk, Substack, and Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or addresses below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

The latest chapter in a feud between Elon Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice. Reported by Julia Carneiro and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, faces possible suspension in Brazil — in a showdown with a powerful Supreme Court justice there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for report from U.S. News & World Report.

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 29  The sound of enforced silence, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  Of the many recent incidents of censorship, suppression and intimidation, the one that got me to the keyboard concerns Sharmine Narwani, who founded, three years ago this month, an online journal of news and comment called The Cradle, as in . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 27  Pavel Durov & the abuse of law, by Craig Murray | CraigMurrary.org.uk | Consortium News  The detention of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is being portrayed as a result of the EU Digital Services Act. But having spent my day reading the EU Services Act, it does not appear to me to say what it is being portrayed as saying. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM AUG. 25  On the arrest of Richard Medhurst, by Chris Hedges | Substack  The arrest of the reporter Richard Medhurst, who has been one of the most ardent critics of the genocide in Gaza and Israeli apartheid state, at Heathrow airport is part of the steady march towards the criminalization of journalism, something . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 26  NYT uncritically reported Israel’s version of Golan bombing, by Bryce Greene and Lara-Nour Walton | Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting / ScheerPost  As the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza continues, U.S. media assist in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to widen the war, parroting the words of the aggressor. A consequential example of U.S. press support for escalation was Western media’s coverage of the July 27 strike that killed 12 Druze children . . . READ MORE . . .

Links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 26  Schools are competing with cellphones. Here’s how they think they could win, by Carolyn Thompson | AP  Educators say their tried and true lesson plans are no longer enough to keep students engaged at a time of struggling mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening academic performance. At the crux of these challenges?  READ MORE . . .

–   –   –   

FROM AUG. 27  As more schools ban cell phones, this is how it’s working at one Colorado school. Reported by Rachel Cohen | NPR  More schools across the country are starting to ban students’ cell phones during classes. As one Colorado school tries it out, staff like it, but students not so much. Click HERE to listen and read.