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 . . .

 

A link to an article from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 16  A farewell to truth, by Scott Ritter | Special to Consortium News  The execution of a search warrant on my residence by the F.B.I. on Aug. 7 was not my first run-in with America’s premier law enforcement agency. In the 1990s, when I was working as chief weapons inspector for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Diplomacy intensifies to halt the Israel-Hamas war and prevent wider regional war, by Ravi Nessman | AP  JERUSALEM — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict intensified today, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel while internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for AUG 15 report from NPR.

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FROM AUG. 15  Gazans are caught in a cycle of displacement by the Israeli military. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  As ceasefire talks hang in the balance, Palestinians in Gaza seem to be caught in an endless cycle of displacement as the Israeli military pushes into areas they have previously been. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel is slaughtering Palestinians with western arms, by Dr Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  While many are earnestly pointing at the devastation of war, the rampant human rights violations and the deliberate relegation of international and humanitarian law, there are those who see war from an entirely different perspective: profits. READ MORE . . .

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Why Arab regimes’ betrayal of Palestine may come back to haunt them, by Abdullah Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Several Arab states have offered Israel significant support since it unleashed its assault on Gaza. This has brought into focus a long-developing regional picture of how these states have been enlisted in the US-Israeli security order. Some . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to eight reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.)— MCM

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Ukrainian forces now control more than 400 square miles of Russian territory. Reported by Michel Martin | NPR  Ukraine says it has solidified its control over parts of Russia’s Kursk region. Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges talks about Ukraine’s strategic goals behind the operation. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from AP.

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Russia destroys Ukrainian unit armed with NATO weapons in Kursk region, RIA says. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage unit that was armed with weapons from NATO countries in Russia’s western Kursk region, the RIA state-run media agency reported today, citing unidentified security sources. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. considering sending Ukraine first long-range cruise missiles this fall, source says, by Kateryna Hodunova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Talks between Ukraine and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration about supplies of long-range cruise missiles are “in the advanced stages,” according to a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration. The timeline . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says Ukraine struck shopping mall in occupied Donetsk. From the Moscow Times. A crowded shopping mall in the Russian occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk caught fire after alleged Ukrainian shelling today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Situation in Kursk Region: elimination of Ukrainian mobile groups, HIMARS launchers. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine’s losses in the Kursk area have amounted up to 220 troops and 19 armored vehicles, the Russian defense ministry said. READ MORE . . .

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Secret Russian counter-drone EW system recovered by Ukraine in Kursk Region, by Steve Brown | Kyiv Post  An editor from the Censor.net news site posted a video on his Facebook channel on Aug. 14 showing the secret Russian Volnorez (Breakwater) counter-drone electronic warfare system recovered by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region along with . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED