For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE, and an AMERICAS entry for today is HERE.) — MCM

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The Gaza war’s youngest evacuees reach safety in Egypt — many without their parents. Reported by Anas Baba, Lauren Frayer and Ruth Sherlock | NPR  RAFAH, the Gaza Strip — Twenty-eight premature babies traveled in a convoy of ambulances Monday with four parents — all mothers, no fathers — from scarcely functioning Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Two of them were twins Leen and Bayan. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Hamas chief says close to truce agreement with Israel, by Nadal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — The chief of Hamas said Tuesday that the Palestinian militant group was near a truce agreement with Israel, even as the . . . READ MORE . . .

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A deal for the release of Israeli hostages appears close, officials say, by Scott Neuman, Brian Mann, Greg Myre, and Jane Arraf | NPR  TEL AVIV, Israel — A possible deal to release some of the roughly 240 hostages seized by Hamas during last month’s attacks on Israel appeared to be inching forward, but the details and timing of such an agreement remains unclear. Meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel reveals signs of Hamas activity at Shifa, but a promised command center remains elusive, by Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — Three weeks ago, the Israeli military unveiled a detailed 3D model of Gaza’s Shifa Hospital – showing a series of underground installations that it said was part of an elaborate Hamas command and control center under the territory’s largest health-care center. As of Nov. 20, the military had yet to unveil this purported center. But it has . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Today’s GAZA entry is HERE, and an AMERICAS entry for today is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia says it skuppers more Ukrainian attempts to cross the Dnipro. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia’s defense ministry said today that marines, aviation and artillery had scuppered more Ukrainian attempts to gain a foothold on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro and on islands at the mouth of the river in southern Ukraine. “Black Sea Fleet marines are stopping all attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out amphibious landings on . . . READ MORE . . .

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10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — On Nov. 21, 2013, the Moscow-friendly president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, announced he was shelving an agreement to bring the country closer to the European Union and instead would deepen ties with President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Outraged crowds soon filled Independence Square for peaceful anti-government protests. Later, after riot police . . . READ MORE . . .

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Ukraine to pledge long-term U.S. support. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Nathan Rott | NPR  Ukraine enters the winter months with stalled front lines and uncertainty about continued Western support for its war with Russia. Congress is debating whether to approve a new block of funding. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Germany pledges new military aid worth 1.3 bn euros for Ukraine. From AFP. Germany today announced 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) more in military gear for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, including four further IRIS T-SLM air defence systems as well as artillery ammunition. The IRIS-T systems are highly sought after by Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. The latest four pledged . . . READ MORE . . .

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Number of Western businesses recruit mercenaries for Ukraine, says Russian envoy. From Tass. MOSCOW — A number of Western companies have been recruiting foreign mercenaries to take part in the hostilities in Ukraine, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy for the crimes of the Kiev regime, said at a briefing. Ukrainian diplomatic missions “are engaged in this activity in full,” which is “incompatible with diplomatic work,” he said. READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, links to analysis from ScheerPost, and to commentary from Popular Resistance. (The UKRAINE entry for today is HERE.) Next, via Popular Resistance, a link to an interview on the Real News Network. Finally for today, a link to an Oct. 27 report from the Grayzone mentioned in the interview. — MCM

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Premature Gaza babies evacuated to Egypt; deaths reported at Indonesian hospital, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — A first group of prematurely born babies evacuated from Gaza’s biggest hospital were taken into Egypt for treatment tpday, while Palestinian health authorities said people were killed inside another hospital encircled by Israeli tanks. More than two dozen babies were expected to cross, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians say first field hospital enters Gaza since war began. From AFP. RAFAH — Palestinian officials said a field hospital sent by Jordan entered the Gaza Strip today, the first since the war between Israel and the territory’s rulers Hamas erupted on October 7. There are around 30,000 wounded people across Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The death toll in Gaza has hit 13,000, mostly . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s plan to eradicate Hamas is an impossible goal, Hamas expert says. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Tareq Baconi of the think tank Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network, and author of the book Hamas Contained, about whether Hamas can be eliminated. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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New challenges lie ahead for Israeli military. Reported by Peter Kenyon | NPR  Israeli military experts see a long, hard road ahead for Israel in the war in Gaza, both for the military and Palestinian civilians.  Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ann Boyer’s powerful New York Times resignation letter. From ScheerPost. According to Literary Hub, “[Early on Nov. 16, 2023], the news broke that Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, essayist, and poetry editor of the New York Times Magazine, Anne Boyer, has resigned from her post, writing that ‘the Israeli state’s U.S.-backed war against the people of Gaza is not a war for anyone . . .’” READ MORE . . .

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Lies surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital recall those preceding the Iraq invasion, by Max Jones | ScheerPost  In the weeks before the Israel Defense Forces raided the Al-Shifa hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, the IDF “went to great lengths to depict the medical complex as a headquarters for Hamas, from where its attacks on Israel were planned,” according to The Guardian. The U.S. has claimed that it produced its own intelligence that verifies this claim. National security . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza, the ghetto, by Col. Ann Wright (Ret.) | Popular Resistance  The intention of Israel and the United States is now very clear — ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza — as the world watches. The impunity of Israel and the U.S. is startling and dangerous for the security of the State of Israel and the United States of America as it perpetrates an unforgivable and unforgettable criminal act against Palestinians and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Did Israel’s military kill its own citizens on Oct. 7? Chris Hedges of the Real News Network talks with Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone. From Hedges’ introduction: “For all the sensationalism surrounding the events of Oct. 7, when Hamas broke through the Gaza fence and seized territory in the Gaza Envelope as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, there is still much that we do not know.” Click HERE to watch, listen, and read.

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Oct. 7 testimonies reveal Israel’s military ‘shelling’ Israeli citizens with tanks, missiles, by Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone  Several new [as of late October] testimonies by Israeli witnesses to the Oct. 7 Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel add to growing evidence . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to just two reports, from the Associated Press and Tass; others from these agencies are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (The GAZA entry for this date is HERE.— MCM

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U.S. defense secretary meets with Zelenskyy in Kyiv to show steadfast support for Ukraine, by Tara Copp and Felipe Dana | AP  KYIV — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today in a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine. Austin, who traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and was scheduled to meet with . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces hammer Ukrainian troops, equipment in 123 areas over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian troops and military hardware in 123 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. “Operational/tactical and army aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press and, via Consortium News, a link to commentary by a Britain-based observer; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (The UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Hamas battles Israeli forces in north Gaza, amid hopes of hostage deal, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie  | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — Hamas militants battled Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza’s largest refugee camp today and Israeli air strikes to the south killed dozens of Palestinians, witnesses said, as a U.S. media report of a nascent hostage release deal was denied. The Washington Post said U.S. mediators were close to a deal . . . READ MORE . . .

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Jordan’s foreign minister offers blistering criticism of Israel as its war on Hamas rages on, by Jon Gambrell | AP  Jordan’s foreign minister offered blistering criticism Saturday of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, describing it as “blatant aggression” against Palestinian civilians that threatens to engulf the wider Middle East. Ayman Safadi’s harsh assessment, alleging . . . READ MORE . . .

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The war machine wants you to condemn Hamas, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  However counter-intuitive it may sound, there are three good grounds — ethical ones, at that — for refusing to join in the chorus of condemnation of Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7. That isn’t . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Tass, followed by links to commentary by a Berkshire Eagle columnist and a Britain-based observer; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names below. (The GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian drones target Kyiv as UK Defense Ministry says little chance of front-line change. From AP. KYIV — Russian drones targeted Kyiv today as the British Defense Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian front line as the war enters its second winter. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian army says advancing at Dnipro River as drones target Kyiv. From AFP. The Ukrainian army said today it has pushed Russian forces back “three to eight kilometres” from the banks of Dnipro river, which if confirmed would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive. Ukrainian and Russian forces have been . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian army losses 145 troops in South Donetsk direction in 24 hours. From Tass. MOSCOW — Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 145 servicemen in the South Donetsk direction, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry specified . . . READ MORE . . .

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With Crimea bridge crippled, Russia forced to rethink regional strategy, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Over the last decade, Russia turned Crimea into a massive aircraft carrier in the Black Sea. Two years ago, Russia used the peninsula as a springboard for its invasion of southern Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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The media’s Nord Stream lies just keep coming, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net  Want to understand why the media we consume is either owned by billionaires or under the thumb of government? The latest reporting of who was behind the explosions that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines provides the answer. Although . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Substack, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, followed by links to commentary from NPR and the New York Times; others are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (The UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Hamas health ministry says 32 dead in one family, including 19 children, in new strike. From AFP. An official in the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said that more than 80 people were killed today in double Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp. “At least 50 people” were killed in an Israeli strike at dawn on the UN-run Al-Fakhura school in the camp, which had . . . READ MORE . . .  

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After Al-Shifra, by Seymour Hersh | Substack  Talks between the Hamas leadership and Israel, with support from the United States, are now going on in Qatar. The American team includes CIA Director William Burns, President Biden’s most experienced foreign policy aide. A tentative agreement was reached days ago: Hamas agreed to release . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli air strikes kill 32 in south Gaza amid calls for civilians to flee, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza / JERUSALEM — Israeli air strikes on residential blocks in south Gaza killed at least 32 Palestinians today, medics said, after Israel again warned civilians to relocate as it girds for an assault on Hamas in the enclave’s south after subduing the north. Such an offensive could compel hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli troops kill 5 Palestinians, including 3 militants, as West Bank violence surges, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israeli forces on Friday killed five Palestinians, including three militants, across the West Bank, deepening a surge of violence in the occupied territory that has accompanied Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. The deaths raised to 205 the number of Palestinians killed in West Bank violence since the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, making . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel military evacuates Gaza’s largest hospital. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Israel’s military is evacuating Gaza’s largest hospital, which has been the center of the war for weeks. Meanwhile, negotiations continue with Hamas over the release of hostages. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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In a tale of two protests, a stark divide among young voters on the Israel-Hamas war. Reported by Elena Moore | NPR  As the war rages on in the Middle East, young Americans are weighing in on how the White House’s response may affect their own view of politics. Millennial and Gen Z voters have voted for Democratic candidates, but against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, some  . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Unpacking Netanyahu’s intentions for the future of Gaza. Reported by Tyler Bartlam, Kathryn Fox, Ari Shapiro and Greg Myre  | NPR  Shapiro and Myre discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions for Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  What gets lost in the ‘Big Picture,‘ by Scott Simon | NPR  We watch from afar as hard decisions are made in the councils of power. But . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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In Israel, there Is grief and there Is fury. Beneath the fury, fear, by Bret Stephens | The New York Times / The Springfield Republican  I landed in Israel and went straight to a funeral. It was at a . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, Associated Press, and Tass, followed by a link to commentary from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (The GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian drone attack hits Ukraine infrastructure, causes power outage, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Russia carried out a major drone attack on Ukraine overnight, hitting infrastructure facilities and causing power outages in more than 400 towns and villages in the south, southeast, and north of the country, Ukrainian officials said today. Ukraine air defences shot down 29 out of . . . READ MORE . . .

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The world’s attention is on Gaza, and Ukrainians worry war fatigue will hurt their cause, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, a trend began that worries many Ukrainians. They fear that a combination of global fatigue, competing political agendas and limited resources will result in less aid for their military, hurting the country’s ability to sustain its . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia says Ukraine lost up to 180 troops, Bradley fighting vehicle near Donetsk. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine lost up to 180 servicemen and a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle near Donetsk over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a more general briefing. “In the Donetsk area, units from the battlegroup South, acting in cooperation with aircraft and artillery . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  What gets lost in the ‘Big Picture,‘ by Scott Simon | NPR  We watch from afar as hard decisions are made in the councils of power. But . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Netanyahu says Gaza needs a new ‘civilian government,’ but won’t say who. Reported by Rachel Treisman and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an Interview with NPR that Israel is committed to doing three things in Gaza: destroying Hamas, freeing the Israeli hostages it’s holding and giving Gaza a different future. But the prime minister did not say: who he thinks should govern the territory. Click HERE to listen and  read,

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An Egyptian-led ‘conscience convoy’ to Rafah, by Mahmoud Hashem| Peoples Dispatch / Consortium News  The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate has called on “the free people of the world” to join its “Global Conscience Convoy” aiming to apply pressure to open the Rafah Crossing — the Gaza Strip’s lifeline — to allow all forms of humanitarian aid — such as food, water, medication and fuel — to enter sustainably, and for an unconditional exit for the critically wounded. The convoy . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN says starvation imminent in Gaza, no let-up in Israeli assault, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ari Rabinovitch | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — U.N. aid deliveries to Gaza were suspended again today due to shortages of fuel and a communications shutdown, deepening the misery of thousands of hungry and homeless Palestinians as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the enclave. There was no sign of any let-up despite international calls for a ceasefire or at least for humanitarian . . . READ MORE . . .

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Thousands of bodies lie buried in rubble in Gaza. Families dig to retrieve them, often by hand, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The wreckage goes on for block after devastated block. The smell is sickening. Every day, hundreds of people claw through tons of rubble with shovels and iron bars and their bare hands. They are looking for the bodies of their children. Their parents. Their neighbors. All of them killed in Israeli missile strikes. The corpses are there, somewhere in the . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukrainian marines claim multiple bridgeheads across a key Russian strategic barrier, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s marine corps said today it has secured multiple bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region in fighting it described as having left nearly 3,500 Russians killed or wounded and dozens of ammunition depots, tanks, armored vehicles and other weaponry destroyed. The Marine Infantry Command’s claims are the first to come directly from the Ukrainian military about . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says carried out ‘successful’ attacks on Dnipro east bank, by Daria Andriievska | AFP Ukraine said today it had carried out a series of successful attacks on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro river, days after Moscow admitted Kyiv’s forces had gained a foothold there. A sustained Ukrainian breakthrough across the frontline river would . . . READ MORE . . .

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East Ukraine’s Kharkiv builds underground schools as Russia keeps up attacks, by Vitalii Hnidyi | Reuters  KHARKIV, Ukraine — Faced with the constant threat of Russian air strikes, officials in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region have begun building heavily fortified underground schools that will allow children to safely return to in-person studies as Moscow’s invasion grinds on. Schools in the region of around 2.5 million people, which borders Russia, were forced into online learning after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops destroy command staff of several Ukrainian army brigades near Donetsk — adviser. From Tass. DONETSK — Russian troops destroyed a command post with commanders of several Ukrainian army brigades near Donetsk, Yan Gagin, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic said toay. Among those killed, he said, were . . . READ MORE . . .

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Senate Foreign Relations chair says funding for Israel, Ukraine is ‘critical.’ Reported by Gabriel J. Sánchez, Sarah Handel and Ailsa Chang | NPR  Ailsa Chang talks with Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, about the absence of military aid to Ukraine in Congress’s bill averting a government shutdown. Click HERE to listen and read.

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U.S. aims to hold Russia, Belarus accountable for Ukrainian children sent to Russia. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The State Department and the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab release new information about Belarus’ “complicity in and support for” Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.