For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, followed by a link, via Consortium News, to commentary by a member of the University of Arizona faculty; other articles are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names below. — MCM

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Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms, by Isabel Debre, Edith M. Lederer and Wafaa Shurafa | The Associated Press  JERUSALEM — Palestinians began a mass exodus from northern Gaza Friday after Israel’s military told some 1 million people to evacuate toward the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group. The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and urged Israel to reverse the order. Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with blankets and possessions streamed down a main road out of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Countries urge Israel to hold off on Gaza assault with civilians in firing line, by Henrietta Chacar, Michelle Nichols and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  JERUSALEM / NEW YORK / TEL AVIV — Countries urged Israel today to hold off on plans for an all-out assault on northern Gaza, where more than a million civilians largely defied its order to evacuate before it goes after Hamas militants who slaughtered Israelis a week ago. Hamas, which controls the densely populated Palestinian territory, vowed to fight until the last . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel made raids into Gaza ‘over past 24 hours’: army. From Agence France-Presse. Israeli ground forces made raids into Gaza over the past 24 hours, the military said today, ahead of an expected ground offensive on the densely populated Palestinian territory. The raids came amid incessant Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants firing back with rockets. READ MORE . . .

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A history of the Gaza Strip, by Maha Nassar | University of Arizona / Consortium News  The focus of the conflict in the Middle East has again returned to the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s defense minister ordering a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave. Israel’s military operation, which involves extensive bombing of residences, follows a surprise attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants who infiltrated Israel from Gaza and killed more than 900 Israelis, which set off reprisal airstrikes . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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Russia pummels east Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in heavy fighting, by Anna Pruchnicka | Reuters  Russian forces pummelled the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka from the ground and air today, the fourth day of intense fighting in the biggest offensive by Russian forces in months. Ukraine said its forces were holding their ground but . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian forces redeploy reserves to Avdeyevka — military expert. From Tass. DONETSK — The Ukrainian armed forces has transferred reserves from the Artyomovsk area to reinforce Avdeyevka, according to Yan Gagin, a military analyst and an adviser to the DPR head. “The act is reckless and almost useless,” he said. “Dragging reserves from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine hit two Russian vessels in drone attacks — intelligence source. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine struck a Russian missile carrier and a patrol ship in separate attacks this week involving sea-borne drones carrying experimental weapons, a Ukrainian intelligence source said today. The source said the “Buyan” missile carrier was attacked today and the “Pavel Derzhavin” missile carrier was attacked on Wednesday in . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Linked below, commentary from Behind the Curtain, published there on Oct. 9, and today by Global Research. (This is the second entry today.) — MCM

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A message to Donald Rumsfeld’s ghost about my known knowns, by Edward J. Curtin Jr. | Behind the Curtain  The evidence for United States’ crimes of all sorts has been available to anyone who wished to face the truth.  It does not take great expertise, just an eye for the obvious and the willingness to do a little homework. Despite this, journalists and writers on the left have continued to admit that they were beguiled by people such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joseph Biden, con men all.  I do not mean writers for the mainstream press, but those considered . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (This is the first of two entries today.) — MCM

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Ukrainian troops ‘holding ground’ in eastern town of Avdiivka — Zelenskiy. From Reuters. KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today Ukrainian troops were holding their ground in the eastern town of Avdiivka, where fighting with Russian forces has intensified this week. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have redirected . . . READ MORE . . .

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Downed drone kills 3 in Russia, including child — governor. From AFP. Debris from a drone destroyed over Russia’s western region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, fell on homes and killed three people, including a young child, the regional governor said today. Air defense systems “shot down . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy two artillery guns, U.S.-made howitzer in Kupyansk area in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian motorized artillery systems and a U.S.-made howitzer in the Kupyansk area in the past day, Russia’s Battlegroup West Spokesman Sergey Zybinsky said today. “The enemy’s losses totaled as many as . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO member Romania finds more drone fragments on its soil after Russian again hits southern Ukraine, by Stephen McGrath | AP  BUCHAREST — Romanian authorities said today they found a crater from a suspected drone that may have exploded on impact on its territory near the border with Ukraine, reviving concerns about possible spillover of Russia’s war in Ukraine onto a NATO member country. The pre-dawn discovery . . . READ MORE . . .

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Tank-killing Switchblade drone said heading to Ukraine in ever-increasing numbers. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine is set to receive a fresh shipment of Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones, a critical asset in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) arsenal for neutralizing Russian tanks, according to Newsweek. Charlie Dean, the Vice President of AeroVironment, a U.S. defense industry manufacturing company, hinted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian forces intercept reconnaissance group near Russian border in Sumy Oblast, by Nate Ostiller and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces operating in Sumy Oblast intercepted a reconnaissance group of eight Russian soldiers headed in the direction of local critical infrastructure installations inflicting casualties and forcing them to retreat, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said today. Russian forces withdrew from Sumy Oblast in April 2022, after . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Commentary by a former British diplomat, linked below, comes via Consortium News. — MCM

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Condemnation, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  It is plain from social media that the public is by no means as unanimous in their support of Israel as are the political and media class. But then the public are not bought and paid for. Oppressed and colonised people don’t have . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, and Kyiv Post, followed by commentary ScheerPost published on Oct. 5; other articles are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. — MCM

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Ukraine President Zelenskyy at NATO defense ministers meeting seeking more support to fight Russia, by Lorne Cook and Lolita Baldor | AP  BRUSSELS — For the first time, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders from around the world Wednesday to make a personal pitch for military aid, in the face of lagging political support in the U.S. and new pressure on allies to send weapons to bolster Israel’s war with Hamas. His presence . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine accuses two men of helping guide missile that killed dozens in Hroza village, by Max Hunder | Reuters KYIV — Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service today accused two villagers who fled to Russia of helping guide a missile strike that killed dozens of people, mostly civilians, at a soldiers’ wake in the Ukrainian village of Hroza. The Oct. 5 strike . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian gunners wipe out Ukrainian stronghold, mortar team in Krasny Liman area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Artillery squads of Grad multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) from Russia’s Central Military District destroyed a stronghold and mortar positions of the Ukrainian army in the Krasny Liman area, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. “While on . . . READ MORE . . .

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How much progress has Ukraine’s government made against corruption? Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Ukraine tries to expel Russian forces from its territory, it’s fighting a second war — on corruption — as it seeks to join the European Union and NATO and keep U.S. funds flowing. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Two former defense officials held over ‘embezzlement’ already suspects in other cases, by Maryna Shashkova  | Kyiv Post  Two senior defense ministry officials being held on suspicion of embezzling $7 million earmarked for buying bulletproof vests were both previously arrested earlier this year over their alleged involvement in other corruption schemes. On Tuesday , , , READ MORE . . .

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Depleted Ukrainium, by Patrick Lawrence | ScheerPost  You cannot name the last time you read anything about a parliamentary election in Slovakia, so I won’t bother asking. But you did read about one, assuming you still follow mainstream media — if only to understand what you are supposed to think about one or another event, as against what has actually occurred. In results announced in Bratislava . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Ukrainian forces make headway in east, south – officials. From Reuters. Ukrainian forces are making some headway in the eastern and southern theatres of their four-month-old counteroffensive, military officials said on Monday. Russian accounts said Moscow’s forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut and inflicted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Two Ukrainian Defence Ministry officials held for ’embezzlement.’  From AFP. Ukraine said today it was holding two senior defence ministry officials on suspicion of embezzling $7 million earmarked for buying bulletproof vests. The announcements came as President Volodymyr Zelensky intensifies his anti-corruption drive, firing officials accused of graft. The State Bureau of Investigation said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian glider bombs are hitting Ukrainian positions with impunity, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  The Kremlin is employing a new tool in its long-term strategy to turn its invasion of Ukraine into a frozen conflict too bloody for Kyiv and its western allies to continue — massed strikes of precision-guided glider bombs Ukrainian forces currently have no effective means of countering. Field reports say the latest wave of 250 and 500 kg munitions, at least ten weapons, were dropped this morning by Russian fighter bombers hitting Ukrainian positions around the Donetsk Region town of Avdiivka. In the afternoon . . . READ MORE . . .

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Despite reports, Russian Navy unlikely to have abandoned Sevastopol base, by Charlie Hancock | The Moscow Times  Following a wave of attacks from Ukraine attacking warships, submarines, and infrastructure in the strategic naval base, reports circulated last week that Russia had withdrawn much of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. But such conclusions may be premature. Analysts say that Russia’s repositioning of its warships . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims `neo-Nazis’ were at wake for Ukrainian soldier in village café where missile killed 52, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s U.N. ambassador alleged Monday that “neo-Nazis” and military-age men were at the wake for a Ukrainian soldier in a village café where a missile last week killed 52 people. Vassily Nebenzia told a U.N. Security Council meeting called by Ukraine that the soldier was “a high-ranking Ukrainian nationalist,” with “a lot of neo-Nazi accomplices attending.” In . . . READ MORE . . .

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Venezuelan leader slams West for ignoring how Kiev-bound weapons turn up on black market. From Tass. CARACAS — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has strongly condemned the West for its failure to react to reports that Western weapons sent to Kiev are now ending up on the global arms black market. “The governments of the United States and European countries, which have , , , READ MORE . . .

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Some in Congress want to cut Ukraine aid and boost Taiwan’s. But Taiwan sees its fate tied to Kyiv’s, by Didi Tang | AP  WASHINGTON — To U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, China is a bigger threat to the United States than Russia. So the Georgia Republican has voted against providing military aid to Ukraine as he advocates for doing more to arm Taiwan. For Collins and other Republican lawmakers, Taiwan and Ukraine are effectively rivals for a limited pool of U.S. military . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and El País; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, by Ali Swenson | AP  PHILADELPHIA — Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said today he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Kennedy was running a long-shot primary bid and has better favorability ratings among Republicans than . . . READ MORE . . .

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Progressive activist Cornel West leaves the Green Party and will run for president as an independent, by Steve Peoples | AP  NEW YORK — Progressive activist Cornel West said Thursday that he is no longer running for president under the Green Party banner. Instead, the high-profile African American thought leader will run as an independent. “I’m running . . . to end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true democracy!” West wrote on the social media platform X. “People are hungry for change. They want . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ecuador removes, investigates security officials after killings of suspects in candidate assassination. From Reuters. Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso announced on Saturday a shake up of the high ranks of the security forces following the killing of seven inmates accused in the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He removed the prisons director and the head of the police investigations unit, and replaced the head of the national police with a long-time member of the force with nearly 35 years . . . READ MORE . . .

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Guatemalans protest attempts to overturn the results of presidential election. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR  For over a week now, thousands of people in Guatemala have been blockading roads and taking to the streets in protest at attempts to undermine the president-elect’s transition to power. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Guatemala’s attorney general asks authorities to act against pro-democracy protests. From AP. GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala’s attorney general today called for the government to act against largely peaceful protesters, who have taken to the streets demanding her resignation for what they say are clear attempts to undermine their nation’s democracy. Protests broke out in Guatemala two weeks ago following one of the most tumultuous elections in the country’s recent history. The protests are fueled . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Without water, there is no life’: Drought in Brazil’s Amazon is sharpening fears for the future, by Edmar Barros | AP  MANAUS, Brazil — Communities dependent on the Amazon rainforest’s waterways are stranded without supply of fuel, food or filtered water. Dozens of river dolphins perished and washed up on shore. Thousands of lifeless fish float on the water’s surface. These are the first grim visions of extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon. Wildlife and hundreds of thousands of people are affected, with experts predicting . . . READ MORE . . .

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La sequía en la Amazonía de Brasil agudiza los temores para el futuro, por Edmar Barros | Agencia AP  MANAOS, Brasil — Comunidades que dependen de las vías fluviales de la selva de la Amazonía están aisladas, sin recibir suministros de combustible, alimentos o agua filtrada. Decenas de delfines de río murieron y fueron arrastrados a la orilla. Miles de peces sin vida flotan sobre la superficie del agua. Estas son algunas de las primeras imágenes sombrías de la extrema sequía que se extiende por la Amazonía de Brasil. Los niveles de agua históricamente bajos . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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La ‘puerta giratoria’ de Ortega y Murillo en Nicaragua: el régimen vuelve a llenar las cárceles de presos políticos, por Wilfredo Miranda | El País  SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Dos diputados y otro sacerdote han sido los últimos presos políticos que el régimen de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo ha metido entre rejas en Nicaragua. En un contexto de represión sin freno, y luego de excarcelar y desterrar a 222 prisioneros en febrero pasado, el aparato sandinista ha mantenido . . . LEA MÁS . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters, Tass, Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Finally, repeated from yesterday, a link via Consortium News to an “extensive overview” of the war in Ukraine in the form of a talk given on Sept. 26 in Rhode Island. — MCM

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Ukraine’s president replaces Territorial Defence Forces commander. From Reuters. KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced the commander of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces, which have played an important role in helping defend the country since Russia’s invasion. A presidential order published today announced the appointment of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s military loses 200 troops at Vremevka bulge in DPR over past day. From Tass. DONETSK — The Ukrainian military lost about 200 troops at the Vremevka bulge in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia movement, said today. “About 200 Ukrainian militants, including three subversive/reconnaissance groups, were destroyed over the past 24 hours. Their remnants were . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine claims one missile team blew up 25 Russian tanks in four days, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Official Ukrainian army sources have claimed a single anti-tank missile unit destroyed 24 Russian tanks in 96 hours of fighting, but independent confirmation was limited. The standout battle performance took place on the eastern front during a series of Russian army attacks against Kyiv troops in the Lyman sector, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia deploys reserves north of Bakhmut, launches over 700 strikes in Kupiansk-Lyman direction, by Daria Shulzhenko | The Kyiv Independent  Russia deploys “all available” forces and reserves north of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, in an attempt to deter Ukraine’s advancing counteroffensive there, Eastern Force Grouping spokesperson Illia Yevlash said on Saturday. He said Ukrainian forces have been trying to thwart any Russian advance by inflicting “maximum . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine sounds out bondholders on debt restructuring, new financing sources, by Karin Strohecker and Jorgelina Do Rosario | Reuters LONDON — Ukraine has been sounding out major investors over plans to restructure the country’s $20 billion in international debt and the possibility of raising fresh financing, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. Interactions have intensified in recent weeks led by the head of the debt management office, Yuri Butsa, who. . . READ MORE . . .

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The many lessons of the Ukraine war, by Chas W. Freeman, Jr | ChasFreeman.net / Consortium News  I want to speak tonight about Ukraine – what has happened to it and why, how it is likely to emerge from the ordeal to which great power rivalry has subjected it; and what we can learn from this.  I do so with some trepidation and a warning to this audience.  My talk, like the conflict in Ukraine, is a long and complicated one.  It contradicts . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, followed by articles from Popular Resistance and Scheer Post; others from these sources are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, a link from Consortium News to what CN calls an “expansive overview” of the war in Ukraine in a talk given in Rhode Island on Sept. 26. — MCM

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Russia hits Odesa grain facility in overnight missile strike. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces carried out an overnight missile strike on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, damaging port infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said early on Saturday. Governor Oleh Kiper said four people were wounded in the strike, which hit a boarding house and a portside grain facility. Ukraine’s military said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it shoots down two missiles over Crimea. From Reuters. Russia’s defence ministry said the country’s air defence systems had “detected and destroyed” two Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missiles, thwarting attacks it said Kyiv attempted four hours apart on the Crimean Peninsula on Saturday. Reuters could not verify . . . READ MORE . . .

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Days after deadly missile strike on Ukrainian cafe, grief and a search for answers, by Hanna Arhirova and Joanna Kozlowska | AP  HROZA, Ukraine  — U.N. and local investigators searched for answers on Saturday at the site of a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village that days earlier turned its sole cafe to rubble and killed nearly 52 people gathered for a dead soldier’s wake, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv. The United Nations Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine expects ‘record’ number of drone attacks this winter, air force says. From Reuters. ZAPORIZHZHIA — Ukraine’s air force expects a record number of Russian drone attacks on its soil this winter, its spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said today, as Kyiv girds for a second winter of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Activists arrested at sit-in for peace at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office. From Codepink – Women for Peace / Popular Resistance WASHINGTON, D.C. – A group of 50 activists and Vermont constituents staged a sit-in inside Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office on Wednesday, demanding the senator to call for peace and diplomacy in Ukraine instead of more weapons and war. Eleven were arrested, including . . . READ MORE . . .

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In occupation, they cared for the vulnerable, now they’re in jail for it, by Oleksiy Arunyan | Scheer Post / Popular Resistance  When the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman was occupied for five months last year, Valentyna Tkach and Tetiana Potapenko stayed behind. They volunteered to help their vulnerable neighbours — they cared for elderly residents, contacted the Russian occupation administration to ask for food and coal for them, and buried dead bodies. Now, both women are in detention, having been accused by Ukraine’s Secret Service of . . . READ MORE . . .

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The many lessons of the Ukraine war, by Chas W. Freeman, Jr | ChasFreeman.net / Consortium News  I want to speak to you tonight about Ukraine – what has happened to it and why, how it is likely to emerge from the ordeal to which great power rivalry has subjected it; and what we can learn from this.  I do so with some trepidation and a warning to this audience.  My talk, like the conflict in Ukraine, is a long and complicated one.  It contradicts propaganda that has been very convincing.  My talk will . . . READ MORE . . .