For today, links to seven reports: from the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from AP; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine says destroyed Russian army pontoon bridges in Kursk Region. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian special forces said today that they destroyed several Russian military pontoon bridges along a river in the Kursk region, coming days after authorities in Russia said Kyiv’s military blew up three bridges spanning the waterway.  READ MORE . . .

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Moscow sees one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks as fighting rages in Kursk and eastern Ukraine. From AP. MOSCOW — Moscow came under one of the largest attacks yet by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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In Kursk Region, Ukraine forces regroup, suffer losses. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukrainian troops lost up to 300 servicemen and 26 armored vehicles in the Kursk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Attack on Kursk Region a priori cancels possibility of talks with Kiev — Russian MFA. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk Region a priori reduces to nothing the chances of any negotiations with the current regime in Kiev, according to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. READ MORE . . .

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What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia say about a so-called ‘red line’? Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  Former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Evelyn Farkas, now at the McCain Institute, talks about Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, and implications for U.S. and allied policy. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 20  Ukraine civilians try the army for a week. Reported by Polina Lytvynova | NPR  Ukraine needs more soldiers as its troops hold the defense on Ukrainian territory and carry out an offensive in Russia. An elite Ukrainian military unit offers civilians a one-week tryout as soldiers. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Putin’s slow response to the Kursk attack could test the patience of some of his backers in Russia, by Emma Burrows | AP  Russian President Vladmir Putin has a history of responding slowly to various crises in his tenure, and he has so far played down Ukrainian forces’ attack in the Kursk Region. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to a report from the Associated Press, and to commentary from nader.org and, via Consortium News, Telegram; other articles may accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died, by Julie Carr Smyth | AP  Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. Dubbed “the king of . . . READ MORE . . .

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On the passing of Phil Donahue (1935-2024), by Ralph Nader | nader.org  Given the frequency of his programs and the size of his live television audiences, Phil Donahue gave early national voice to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Remembering Phil Donahue, by Scott Ritter | Telegram / Consortium News  I got to know Phil in 2002, when he returned to the television talk show circuit on MSNBC as the host of “Donahue.” America was, at that time . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Middle East Monitor, and to a profile from The New Yorker; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Blinken visits Gaza mediators in pursuit of cease-fire deal. From AP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead today with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken in Egypt seeking progress towards Gaza ceasefire deal, by Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  ALAMEIN, Egypt — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for progress towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal as he visited Egypt today, but major areas of dispute are still to be resolved in talks planned for later this week. He flew to Egypt from Tel Aviv, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military retrieves bodies of six hostages from Gaza, by Maytaal Angel | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Israel has retrieved the bodies of six hostages from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, the military said today, as negotiations continued in an effort to bring back more than 100 who remain in the besieged enclave. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM AUG. 19  Blinken says Israel OKs a plan to break the cease-fire impasse and urges Hamas to do the same, by Matthew Lee | AP  TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether concerns cited by the militant group had been addressed. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 19  The latest on Blinken’s cease-fire negotiations in Israel. Reported by Michele Kelemen and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Blinken heads to Egypt and Qatar to try to seal Gaza cease-fire deal. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has agreed to a cease-fire proposal for the war in Gaza. That announcement came after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu in Jerusalem. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Why is Israel demanding control over 2 Gaza corridors in the cease-fire talks? by Joseph Krauss | AP  Israel’s demand for lasting control over two strategic corridors in Gaza, which Hamas has long rejected, threatens to unravel cease-fire talks aimed at ending the 10-month-old war, freeing scores of hostages and preventing an even wider conflict. Officials close to . . . READ MORE . . .

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What is happening in Gaza is not a war, but massacres committed by the Zionists, Algeria says. From Middle East Monitor. Algeria is ready to build three field hospitals in Gaza if the border between Egypt and the enclave is reopened, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 3  The life of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, by David Remnick | The New Yorker  In the archives of Israel’s military courts, there is a six-page document, handwritten in Hebrew, that records an interrogation of Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. The document . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE to report from NPR.

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

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A massive fire rages for a third day at a Russian oil depot targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian authorities struggled today to put out a massive fire in the southern Rostov region for a third consecutive day after an oil depot was hit by Ukrainian drones as Ukrainian forces push into Russia’s Kursk region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 19  Civilians flee Pokrovsk as Russia’s army bears down on the key eastern Ukraine city, by Alex Babenko | AP  POKROVSK, Ukraine — Civilians with small children in their arms and lugging heavy suitcases fled Monday from Ukraine’s eastern city of Pokrovsk, where the Russian army was bearing down fast . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine air defences down 3 missiles, 25 drones fired by Russia, Ukrainian air force says. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s air defences shot down three missiles and 25 drones fired by Russia in an overnight attack today, the Ukrainian air force said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia preparing new attacks in Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Russia has increased aerial reconnaissance and is preparing new assault operations in Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s Kharkiv group of forces said today. Vovchansk is an embattled town some 60 kilometers . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s steady advance in DPR indicates weakness of Kiev’s strategy — WaPo. From Tass. WASHINGTON, August 20. /TASS/. The advance of Russian troops in DPR indicates potential miscalculations in the Kiev’s strategy in the Kursk Region, The Washington Post said. The newspaper notes, citing experts, that . . . READ MORE . . .

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17 killed, 140 injured since Ukraine launched border incursion – Tass. From the Moscow Times. At least 17 people have died in southwestern Russia’s Kursk region in the two weeks since Ukrainian forceS stormed across the border, the state-run news agency TASS reported Tuesday, citing unnamed medical personnel. “The latest figures . . . READ MORE . . .

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My time in the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk Region of Russia, by Jason Jay Smart | Kyiv Post  Due to the noise, chatting in the back of an American-made Humvee of the Ukrainian military as it rolled into Russia was challenging. But the ride still proved to be informative. As hundreds of Ukrainian military vehicles fly back and forth on . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For now, links to six reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Mondoweiss; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for Aug. 18 are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Egypt agrees to Israeli control of Gaza border in return for Rafah reopening, by Ahmed Abdeen | Middle East Eye  Egypt and Israel have reached an understanding that would allow an Israeli security presence along the Egyptian-Gaza border in exchange for the Rafah crossing reopened and operated by Palestinians, according to three senior Egyptian sources. READ MORE . . .

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Blinken, in Israel, says now is ‘maybe the last’ chance for a Gaza cease-fire deal, by Matthew Lee | AP  TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today the time is now to conclude a Gaza cease-fire agreement that would return hostages held by Hamas and bring relief to Palestinian suffering after 10 months of devastating fighting in Gaza. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from NPR. 

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Hamas, Islamic Jihad claim responsibility for bomb blast in Tel Aviv. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility today for a bomb blast near a synagogue in Tel Aviv late Sunday that Israeli police and the Shin Bet intelligence agency described as a terrorist attack. A man who was carrying the bomb was killed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and the Anadolu Agency.

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The Palestinian resistance groups have their finger on the trigger in negotiations, by Amira Abo el-Fetouh | Middle East Monitor  We hear conflicting news every day about the Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Doha that include senior U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari intelligence officials. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 16  A comparative study of the New York Times reporting in Ukraine and Gaza, by Writers Against the War in Gaza | Mondoweiss / ScheerPost  “Words like ‘slaughter,’ ‘massacre’ and ‘carnage’ often convey more emotion than information,” wrote New York Times standards desk editor Susan Wessling in a November 2023 memo to the staff of the “paper of record.” READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, the Anadolu Agency, and the Kyiv Post, and to commentary from Mondoweiss via ScheerPost; other news and commentary are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for Aug. 18 are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukrainian officials issue an evacuation order for families with children from the city of Pokrovsk, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian authorities today ordered families with children to urgently evacuate the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where the Russian army is bearing down after a six-month slog across Ukraine’s Donetsk region following the capture of Avdiivka. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Idependent.

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Russia says third bridge damaged in Ukrainian incursion in Kursk region, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine said today it was achieving its goals in its two-week-old incursion into Russia’s Kursk region after Moscow confirmed Ukrainian forces had damaged a third bridge after striking two others used to supply troops. Kyiv says it has seized . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberates Artyomovo community in DPR over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberated the settlement of Artyomovo (called Zaliznoye by Ukraine} in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 18  Ukraine’s incursion into Russia may have changed the course of the war. Reported by David Folkenflik | NPR  Strategic studies professor Phillips O’Brien of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland talks about the significance of Ukraine’s military incursion into Russia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukrainian president says goal of Kursk incursion ‘establishment of buffer zone,’ by Elena Teslova | Anadolu Agency  MOSCOW — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the goal of the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was to create a “buffer zone,” an area serving to separate Ukraine from Russia and delay Moscow’s military actions. READ MORE . . .

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Russia suspends peace talks efforts after Ukrainian troops’ incursion into Kursk region, by Elena Teslova | Anadolu Agency  MOSCOW — Russia said today that peace talks with Ukraine are currently impossible, citing Moscow’s peace proposal and Kyiv’s incursion into the western Kursk region. Presidential aide Yury Ushakov said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine is now fighting Russia on 3 separate fronts. Reported by A Martínez | NPR  Ukraine’s incursion into Russia opens a third front that Kyiv is counting on to build leverage and morale. The Financial Times’s Ukraine correspondent Christopher Miller gives his perspective. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian personnel losses break 600,000 mark, says Ukraine. From Kyiv Post. Russia’s personnel losses during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian estimations, now exceed 600,000, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 16  A comparative study of the New York Times reporting in Ukraine and Gaza, by Writers Against the War in Gaza | Mondoweiss / ScheerPost  “Words like ‘slaughter,’ ‘massacre’ and ‘carnage’ often convey more emotion than information,” wrote New York Times standards desk editor Susan Wessling in a November 2023 memo to the staff of the “paper of record.” READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, 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

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Israel strikes Gaza as Blinken heads to region to try to help close cease-fire deal, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes across Gaza killed 19 people overnight, including a woman and her six children, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the region today to try to seal a cease-fire deal after months of contentious negotiations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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NEWER  Woman, her 6 children among 20 more Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — At least 20 Palestinians including a woman and her six children were killed todaY when the Israeli army targeted several areas in Gaza Strip. Medical sources . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 17Who is Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar? Reported by Michael Levitt and Adrian Ma | NPR  New Yorker editor David Remnick talks about his recent profile of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM AUG. 17  How U.S. policy in the Middle East is unravelling, by Jehad Abusalim | Middle East Eye  As we stand on the precipice of what could be a decisive turning point in the region’s history, it is essential to ask how we got here. Over the past 10 to 15 years . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press. Tass, National Public Radio, and 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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Russia launches third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia today carried out its third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month but preliminary data indicated most of the projectiles were shot down on approach, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says struck another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region. From AFP. Ukraine said today it had struck a second key bridge in the Kursk region, seeking to disrupt Moscow’s supply routes as Kyiv’s unprecedented incursion on Russian soil stretched through its second week. Russia meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian drones spark fuel fire in south Russia. From AFP. Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region early this morning, sparking a large fuel fire, the local governor said. Videos  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops have struck 2 key bridges in Russia. Could it mean they’re there to stay? From AP. KYIV — Ukraine has destroyed a key bridge in Russia’s Kursk region and struck a second one nearby, less than two weeks into its stunning cross-border incursion, disrupting Russian supply routes and possibly signaling that its troops are planning to dig in. READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses down 10 HIMARS rockets, 35 Ukrainian drones over day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses destroyed 10 U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, two French-made Hammer bombs and 35 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours, according to the Defense Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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Russia denies report about indirect talks with Ukraine. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia today denied a report that Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk region had derailed indirect talks with Kyiv on halting strikes on energy and power targets, saying there had been no talks with Kyiv about civilian infrastructure facilities. The Washington Post reported on Saturday . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. should immediately negotiate with Russia, Ukraine — presidential candidate. From Tass. WASHINGTON — The United States should immediately sit at the negotiating table with Russia, Ukraine and other stakeholders, said Jill Stein Friday after she was approved as the Green Party’s U.S. presidential candidate earlier in the day. “We need to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 17  Ukraine’s assault on Russia: What do we know? Reported by Adrian Ma | NPR  Nick Connolly, who covers Kyiv for German news outlet DW, talks about the Ukrainian invasion of Russia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukrainian military engineers to receive Buffalo mine protected vehicles. From Kyiv Post. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense says it has codified and approved the Buffalo mine protected armored engineering vehicle for delivery. The Buffalo is manufactured by the U.S. company Force Protection, Inc, a division of General Dynamics. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 17  Ukraine offensive doesn’t alter Western anti-escalation stance, Poland says, by Justyna Pawlak and Marek Strzelecki | Reuters  WARSAW — Ukraine is reaping “huge political gains” from its military offensive into western Russia but the incursion is not altering the “anti-escalation approach” of the West, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said. Ukraine says it has seized more than . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Eye; and to commentary from Antiwar.com via Consortium News and ScheerPost, and from Arabi21 via Middle East Monitor; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and RITTER entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Deadly violence persists in Gaza despite mediators’ hopes for a truce, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — As mediators expressed optimism for an imminent cease-fire deal, violence raged today in the Gaza Strip, where an Israeli airstrike killed at least 18 people, all from the same family. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM AUG. 16  Gaza ceasefire talks paused with resumption planned next week, by Andrew Mills and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  DOHA / CAIRO — Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha paused on Friday with negotiators to meet again next week seeking an agreement to end fighting between Israel and Hamas and free remaining hostages, as U.S. President Joe Biden said “we’re not there yet”. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM AUG. 16  When presidents kill, by Andrew P. Napolitano | Antiwar.com / Consortium News  Today, American troops are on the ground in Ukraine showing Ukrainian forces how to use American weapons to kill Russian troops and in Israel showing the Israeli Defense Forces how to kill civilians in Gaza — by secret presidential orders that . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 14  Gaza’s genocide started with the Rabaa massacre, by Osama Gaweesh | Arabi21 / Middle East Monitor  What I experienced eleven years ago and what I have been witnessing in the last ten months of genocide in the Gaza Strip makes me believe that the genocide in Gaza actually began on the day of the Egyption army’s massacre at Rabaa square in Cairo, Aug. 14, 2013. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Moscow Times, Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent; and to commentary from Reuters, the Kyiv Post, and, via Consortium News and ScheerPost, from Antiwar.com. (GAZA and RITTER entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM 

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FROM AUG. 16  Ukrainian army destroys bridge in Russia’s Kursk Region. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian forces on Friday destroyed a key bridge in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, disrupting a link between Russian-controlled areas and those where Kyiv has made incremental advances, according to pro-Kremlin media and military bloggers. READ MORE. . .

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Russia says Ukraine used Western rockets to destroy bridge in Kursk region. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign ministry said Friday Ukraine had used Western rockets, likely U.S.-made HIMARS, to destroy a bridge over the Seym river in the Kursk region, killing volunteers trying to evacuate civilians. “For the first time . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia continues to suppress Ukrainian breakthrough attempts in Kursk area — top commander. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops are suppressing Ukrainian breakthrough attempts in the Kursk area around the clock, according to the Deputy Chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Department, Akhmat Special Forces, Commander Maj. Gen. Apty Alaudinov. READ MORE . . .

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Russian missile sparks blaze in Ukraine as Kyiv’s troops push into Russia’s Kursk region. From AP. Russia kept up its assault on Ukraine today even as Ukrainian forces pushed into Russia’s Kursk border region. A Russian missile sparked a blaze in the city of Sumy that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses down 10 HIMARS rockets, 35 Ukrainian drones over day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses destroyed 10 U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, two French-made Hammer rockets and 35 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Thousands flee as Russian troops take one Donetsk Oblast village after another, by Emmanuelle Chaze | The Kyiv Independent  For the thousands of civilians living under the constant threat of Russian fire, life has become unsustainable, but leaving is not always an option. In the village of Selydove . . . READ MORE . . .

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How Russia looked the wrong way as Ukraine invaded, by Mark Trevelyan, Anastasiia Malenko and Gleb Stolyarov | Reuters  LONDON / KYIV — In the hours before Ukrainian soldiers stormed across Russia’s western border, there was no sign from Moscow that anything was amiss. At midnight at the start of Aug. 6 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region is a game-changer, by Eugene Czolij | Kyiv Post  Ukraine’s successful military incursion into Russia has not only amazed the West, but also stunned the Kremlin by exposing its actual vulnerability, both to NATO and Russia’s oligarchic elite, particularly when . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 16  When presidents kill, by Andrew P. Napolitano | Antiwar.com / Consortium News / ScheerPost  Today, American troops are on the ground in Ukraine showing Ukrainian forces how to use American weapons to kill Russian troops and in Israel showing the Israeli Defense Forces how to kill civilians in Gaza — by secret presidential orders that . . . READ MORE . . .