For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, MEDIA and ASSANGE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.)  — MCM

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Russia launches barrage of 99 drones and missiles on Ukraine’s energy system, officials say. From AP. KYIV — Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure today, with a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles hitting regions across the country, Ukraine’s armed forces said. The Ukrainian air force said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Lavrov tells newspaper that Ukraine peace plan is pointless. From Reuters. Ukraine’s proposed peace planwas pointless as it was based on unacceptable notions like Moscow’s withdrawal from areas it has captured, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said today. “We are in any case ready to hold discussions but not on the bases of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine receives $1.5 bln funding tranche under World Bank programme, says PM. From Reuters. Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion tranche of funding under a World Bank programme, the country’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said today — $984 million from Japan and $516 million from the UK — for social and humanitarian needs and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses destroy over 40 Ukrainian UAVs in DPR over past day. From Tass. DONETSK — Russian air defense forces destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, the DPR defense headquarters said today. The Ukrainian drones . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lithuania’s foreign minister reminds Washington what’s at stake in Ukraine war. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Lithuania’s foreign minister visited Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. this week to make a pitch to the divided electorate in the U.S. that Europe needs American support to win the war in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Longtime diplomat Victoria Nuland reflects on what she’s learned over the decades. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with the woman to retired this month as the nation’s third-highest ranking diplomat, about her career in diplomacy. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For now, a link to a report from National Public Radio done in collaboration with Floodlight; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 28  Chevron owns this city’s news site. Many stories aren’t told. Reported by Miranda Green of Floodlight and David Folkenflik of NPR  Chevron is the largest employer in Richmond Calif., its largest taxpayer and largest polluter. When writing about Chevron, The Richmond Standard toes the company line. The reason: Chevron owns The Standard. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for more about Floodlight.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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FROM MARCH 27  Israel asks U.S. to reschedule scrapped meeting on Rafah military plans, by Nandita Bose and Matt Spetalnick | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Israel has asked the White House to reschedule a high-level meeting on military plans for Gaza’s southern city of Rafah that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had abruptly canceled, officials said on Wednesday, in an apparent bid to ease . . . READ MORE . . .

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Struggle, struggle, struggle.’ What new and expecting mothers are facing in Gaza. Reported by Elissa Nadworny | NPR  Some 20,000 children have been born in Gaza since Israel began its bombardment of the enclave in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Amid a spiraling humanitarian crisis, women who are pregnant or have recently given birth are . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Israeli soldiers play with Gaza women’s underwear in online posts, by Estelle Shirbon and Pola Grzanka | Reuters  Israeli soldiers have been posting photos and videos of themselves toying with lingerie found in Palestinian homes, creating a dissonant visual record of the war in Gaza as a looming famine intensifies world scrutiny of Israel’s offensive. In one . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 27  Questions surround international humanitarian law as Gaza’s hospitals are attacked. Reported by Linah Mohammad, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Since Oct. 7, there have been at least 410 attacks on health care in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization. What does international humanitarian law say about targeting hospitals? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 27  A former State Department employee speaks out against Biden’s support for Israel. Reported by James Hider, Vincent Acovino and Michele Kelemen | NPR  A few days after resigning from the State Department, Annelle Sheline speaks out against the Biden administration’s support for Israel and says many of her former colleagues share her concerns. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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

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Russia perseveres with bombardments of Ukraine in an effort to wear down air defenses, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia fired salvoes of drones and missiles overnight at southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, authorities said today, injuring more than a dozen people as the Kremlin’s forces persevered with attritional attacks designed to wear down Ukrainian defenses. The regular bombardment of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin says Russia will not attack NATO, but F-16s will be shot down in Ukraine. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia has no designs on any NATO country and will not attack Poland, the Baltic states or the Czech Republic but if the West supplies F-16 fighters to Ukraine then they will be shot down by Russian forces, President Vladimir . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv military chief warns of Russian sabotage threat in city. From Kyiv Post.  The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Serhiy Popko, has raised concerns about the threat of Russian sabotage-reconnaissance groups attempting to infiltrate the city. Recent statements by Russian leaders signaled . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia seizes initiative as Ukraine faces troop, ammunition shortages — newspaper. From Tass. LONDON — Russia has seized the initiative in the special military operation zone because the Ukrainian armed forces are facing manpower and ammunition shortages, the Financial Times writes. According to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Portrait of the invader: 2 years of Russian soldiering in Ukraine, by Igor Kossov | The Kyiv Independent  In two years of total war, Moscow has tried every trick to keep the death march going. It . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 27  Duty to warn, by Seymour M. Hersh | seymourhersh.Substack.com  President Putin chose to ignore the warnings from American intelligence, and in the aftermath of the ISIS-K attack he has fixated on what he apparently and wrongly believes was an attack that had been orchestrated or known in advance by the Ukrainian government. READ MORE . . .

Links to a news release from Consortium News, and to commentary from ScheerPost; their reports and commentary are accessible by clicking on their names below. NOTE: The Spanish-language link in the CN news release may not work, but the link consortiumnews.com/es does work. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 27  Consortium News introduces international editions. From Consortium News. Consortium News now has dedicated websites in more than 100 languages, providing separate national editions of its award-winning journalism. Readers in numerous countries can . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 24  PEN America self-destructs, by Chris Hedges | ScheerPost   PEN America, once an important defender of rights for writers, editors and artists, has, under the direction of former State Department official Suzanne Nossel, abandoned its mission, destroyed its credibility and provoked a revolt among its members. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, and to commentary by an Australian observer; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE. ASSANGE and HEINBERG entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ahmed Zakot | Reuters  Israel bombed at least three homes in Rafah overnight, raising new fear among the more than a million people sheltering in the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip that a long-threatened ground assault could be coming. One of the airstrikes killed 11 people from a family, health officials said. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  U.N. expert in Israel genocide accusation says she has been threatened, by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | Reuters  GENEVA — A United Nations expert who published a report saying there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza during its military campaign against Hamas said today she had received threats throughout her mandate. READ MORE . . .

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7 Lebanese and an Israeli killed in an exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border, by Mohammad Zaatari and Melanie Lidman | AP HEBBARIYE, Lebanon — An Israeli airstrike on a paramedics center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in south Lebanon killed seven of its members early today and triggered a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed one person in northern Israel, officials said. The strike on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Jordanian anti-riot police use batons to push back protesters near Israeli embassy, by Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters  AMMAN — Jordanian anti-riot police beat and arrested dozens of demonstrators trying to march towards the heavily guarded Israeli embassy in the capital Amman, witnesses and residents said today. More than two thousand protesters . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Colombia threatens to break ties with Israel if it doesn’t comply with a UN cease-fire resolution, by Manuel Rueda | AP  BOGOTA — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to break off diplomatic ties with Israel if the country doesn’t comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Foreign Ministry replied . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Things that have been discredited during the destruction of Gaza, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com.au  The U.S. vetoed multiple UN ceasefire resolutions, then put forward . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  At least 32 Ukrainian POWs executed in Russian captivity during winter, UN says, by Elsa Court and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  At least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), recently captured by Russia, have been executed between Dec. 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, a report by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Tuesday. Reports . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia attacks Ukraine with 13 drones. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s air force chief said today that Russia launched 13 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight, 10 of which were downed in Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions. “Anti-aircraft. . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region wound 4. From AFP. Four people were wounded by Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, officials said today, as Moscow said it had downed a barrage of Ukrainian rockets targeting its territory. The Kharkiv region borders Russia and has . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian troops move forward near Rabotino in Zaporozhye area. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Russian troops moved forward northeast of Novoprokopovka and northwest of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, said today. “There are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian navy says a third of Russian warships in the Black Sea have been destroyed or disabled. From AP. KYIV — Ukraine has sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea in just over two years of war, the navy spokesman said today, a heavy blow to Moscow’s military capability. Ukraine’s Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reportedly blasts Russian Buk missile system with HIMARS. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian servicemen have reportedly destroyed a Russian Buk missile system using American HIMARS, according to a report from the Special Operations Forces. “A Buk missile system belonging to the enemy . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Consortium News, and Agence France-Presse, and to commentary from an Australian observer and, via CN, a British observer; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE. An ASSANGE entry is HERE, and a HEINBERG entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 26  UK court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until U.S. rules out death penalty, by Sylvia Hui and Jill Lawless | AP  LONDON — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents. Two High Court judges said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Julian Assange wins temporary reprieve from extradition to U.S., by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin | Reuters  LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States from Britain was put on hold on Tuesday after London’s High Court said the United States must provide assurances he would not face the death penalty. U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange, 52, on trial on 18 counts, all . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Assange’s fate awaits U.S. ‘Assurances,’ by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  The High Court in London on Tuesday gave the United States an opportunity to rebuff Julian Assange’s plea that he be allowed to appeal the Home Office’s order to extradite him to the U.S. to face espionage charges. In a complex ruling at the Royal Courts of Justice, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia calls UK courts ‘a farce’ over Assange case. From AFP. Russia called Britain’s judiciary a “farce” Tuesday over its treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who must wait weeks to learn if he can appeal against extradition to the United States. The 52-year-old, who . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  The empire slowly suffocates Assange like it slowly suffocates all its enemies, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitinjohnstone.com.au  The British High Court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may potentially get a final appeal against extradition to the United States, but only within a very limited scope and only if . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 26  Assange’s ‘reprieve’ is another lie, hiding the real goal of keeping him endlessly locked up, by Jonathan Cook | jonathan-cook.net  / CN  The interminable and abhorrent saga of Julian Assange’s incarceration for the crime of journalism continues. And once again, the headline news is a lie, one designed both to buy our passivity and to buy more time for . . . READ MORE . . .

Here is a link to an essay from Post Carbon Institute, the first of three in the author’s MuseLetter for March; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. An ASSANGE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Why artificial intelligence must be stopped now, by Richard Heinberg | Post Carbon Institute  Those advocating for artificial intelligence tout the huge benefits of using this technology. However, any advantages that AI may promise are eclipsed by its cataclysmic dangers. Humanity has a narrow chance to stop a technological revolution whose unintended negative consequences . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israel and Hamas dig in as international pressure builds for a cease-fire in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa, Tia Goldenberg and Jack Jeffrey | AP  JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today vowed to press ahead with Israel’s offensive and blasted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a pause in the fighting, saying it had emboldened Hamas to reject a separate proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release. As the war in Gaza . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN demand for Gaza cease-fire provokes strongest clash between U.S. and Israel since war began, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel cancels Washington talks after cease-fire vote clears the U.N. Reported by Debbie Elliott and Jennifer Ludden | NPR  A U.N. Security Council resolution calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. It passed after the U.S. abstained from blocking the measure. The move angered Israel, but how deep is the rift? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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U.S. allows adoption of Gaza ceasefire resolution, without asserting a change in course, by Carrie Nooten and Piotr Smolar | Le Monde  After five and a half months of deadlock, the United Nations Security Council on Monday finally adopted a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. This text only applies to the month of Ramadan, which began on March 11. Its. . . Click HERE to read article in English and HERE for French version.

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FROM MARCH 25  U.S. allows UN Security Council to pass resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  A UN resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza passed thanks to a rare U.S. abstention. That angered Israel, which canceled a delegation to Washington to talk about its plans for an assault on Rafah. Click HERE to listen and read.