First, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via the Greanville Post, a link to two pieces of commentary by a close observer of the war in Ukraine, the first in a podcast interview with Danny Haiphong posted Aug. 25, the second in his Aug. 23 article in an online New Zealand daily. — MCM

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Russia launches overnight air attack on northern, central Ukraine. From Reuters. Russia launched an overnight air attack against Ukraine today, sending missiles over other northern and central parts of the country, authorities said. The Ukrainian military reported shooting down four cruise missiles out of up to eight total airborne targets detected, adding that the rest of the targets were “probably false”. It also . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine investigates incident that killed 3 pilots while Russia attacks with cruise missiles. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after a midair collision between two warplanes in the west of the country killed three pilots. The air force’s Telegram page says two L-39 training military aircraft collided on Friday during a combat mission over Ukraine’s western Zhytomyr region. Russian forces, in the meantime, targeted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says its forces repelled four Ukrainian counterattacks near Kupyansk. From Tass. MOSCOW — Assault units of the battlegroup West have repelled four Ukrainian counterattacks and seized two strongpoints in the Kupyansk area, said Yaroslav Yakimkin, a spokesman for the battlegroup. He said the enemy had lost up to three platoons, two tanks, one mortar unit and two Kozak armored vehicles over the past day. READ MORE . . .

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Wagner boss Prigozhin’s death confirmed by Russian investigators — Moscow. From AFP. The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner paramilitary group, following a plane crash on Wednesday has been confirmed by formal genetic analysis, Russia’s Investigative Committee said today. “The identities of all 10 victims correspond to the list stated in the flight list,” a committee spokesman said. Speculation . . . READ MORE . . .

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Prigozhin’s death, Ukraine, BRICS’s new members + more! Danny Haiphong of the podcast DH on Twitter speaks with former UN arms inspector Scott Ritter for nearly hours on topics including the jet crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and several associates, the Ukraine war, and BRICS’s increasing membership. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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For NATO and Ukraine, reality bites, by Scott Ritter | Daily Telegraph NZ  Ukraine has dispatched the last of its strategic reserves, led by the elite 82nd Airlanding Brigade, into the battle for the Zaporozhye village of Rabotino. Here, in fields made fallow by conditions of war, Ukraine’s best fighting forces have been eviscerated by Russian defenders who have refused to yield. Based upon the experience of the lead elements of the 82nd Brigade, this fate awaits . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Tass, the Kyiv Post, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, links to an op-ed column in today’s Berkshire Eagle by its foreign affairs writer and to an Atlantic Council observer whom he mentions. — MCM

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Russia says downs 2 drones as Ukrainian shelling wounds 6. From AFP. Russia said today its air defences shot down one drone approaching Moscow and another in a border region while Ukrainian shelling wounded six in a border town. Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula have been hit by a wave of attacks in recent days as Kyiv warns it aims . . . READ MORE . . .

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Shelling kills civilians in Ukraine’s northeast as fears grow of a second Russian takeover, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — Russian forces struck a cafe in a key front-line area in northeastern Ukraine today, killing two civilians and wounding a third, regional officials said. The shelling near the city of Kupiansk came as U.K. officials said that Russia may . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces improve positions in Kupyansk area – Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces improved their positions on the frontline in the Kupyansk area in the past day, repelling five attacks by Ukrainian assault teams, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. According to him, the enemy lost . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv confirms Black Sea fleet attack, warns Moscow of more ‘surprises,’ by Maryna Shashkova | The Kyiv Post  Ukraine carried out a successful drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea on Friday, killing and wounding “several dozen” Russian servicemen and damaging ammunition dumps and storage facilities, Kyiv Post has been told. Russian officials tried to play down the attack, but according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign oath of allegiance, by Andrew Osborn | Reuters  MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin has ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state after a deadly plane crash believed to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the volatile chief of the mercenary group. Putin signed the decree bringing in the change with immediate effect on Friday after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy denies any role in the plane crash that killed Wagner Group chief Prigozhin. Reported by Scott Simon and Brian Mann | NPR  In Ukraine, news of the apparent death of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash is being greeted with satisfaction and gallows humor. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian main lines of defense in some areas, top U.S. general says. From the Kyiv Independent. Throughout their counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have managed to attack through Russia’s first main defensive belt in some areas along the front lines, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said in an interview. “Specifically on . . . READ MORE . . .

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What to make of Oliver Anthony, the full red-bearded young Virginian who has taken much of the country by storm with “Rich Men North of Richmond”?

“He seems to be so genuine, so authentic,” someone close to me just said. In an era of fakery and lying those two words seem to fit him and his new song perfectly.

NPR tried to catch the song (and the young man) for their listeners HERE on “Morning Edition.” Did they succeed? Surely they’ll try again.

A YouTube version of it is HERE, and some may find it difficult to listen to and watch just one time. His dogs and all the trees — both silent — don’t hurt either.

For some, “Rich Men” will be a forceful echo of “Sixteen Tons.” Tennessee Ernie Ford’s rendition was No. 1 for weeks and weeks in 1955. It seems like THIS version was the one played over and over on A.M. radio.

“Frankie Laine recorded it also,” writes someone named Mark Gallagher who may have put together THIS moving audio-video combo. “But if you didn’t live in the U.K. you might not have heard Frankie’s version. Frankie had a Top 10 recording in England, but for some reason it was never issued in the States.”

Photos honoring coal miners bring home what Merle Travis tried to get across.

And don’t forget John Prine’s wistful “Paradise,” HERE, inspired by his family’s Muhlenberg County Kentucky roots and, I’m guessing, in part by Travis.

Where does Anthony fit in all of this? In the future.

— MCM

First, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Russia says Ukraine fired missile towards Moscow, hit Crimea with drones. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia said today Ukraine had fired a missile towards Moscow and attacked Crimea with 42 drones, in what would be one of the biggest known coordinated Ukrainian air attacks to date on Russian-held territory. The Russian defence ministry said a modified S-200 missile had been shot down over the Kaluga region, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Absolute lie’: Kremlin rejects it ordered Prigozhin’s death. From AFP. The Kremlin today rejected rumours it had ordered the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed to have died in a plane crash Wednesday between Moscow and St. Petersburg, two months after leading a mutiny in Russia. Speculation. . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia expert says it would make sense that Putin was behind the death of Prigozhin. Reported by Michael Levitt,Tinbete Ermyas and Ari Shapiro | NPR  Ari Shapiro of NPR with Fiona Hill, senior policy advisor at the Brookings Institute and former White House advisor, about the apparent death of Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NATO-member Norway to donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, becoming third country to do so, by Jan M Olsen | AP  COPENHAGEN, Denmark — NATO-member Norway will donate several F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Thursday, amid Kyiv’s difficult counteroffensive against Russia. Speaking in Kyiv . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to keep fighting Russia as it remembers the fallen, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — Ukraine on Thursday marked its second Independence Day since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with officials vowing to keep up their fight to drive out the Kremlin’s forces and local people remembering their fallen . . . READ MORE . . .

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The GOP candidates’ differing takes on the war in Ukraine. Reported by Brian Mann and Tom Bowman | NPR  Last night, eight of the Republican candidates running for president took the debate stage for the first time. They had one major point of disagreement: Russia’s war on Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Economic sanctions against Russia not achieving desired result — German foreign minister. From Tass. BERLIN The economic sanctions imposed by Germany and other Western countries over the Ukrainian conflict are not having the desired result on Russia, according to Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The sanctions against Russia “should have had an economic effect. However, this is not the case,” she was quoted as saying by the DPA agency. READ MORE . . .

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Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko says Russian invasion of Ukraine through Belarus was ‘unexpected,’ by Maria Yeryoma | The Kyiv Independent  Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko admitted that Russian forces invaded Ukraine from Belarus at the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. He claimed Russian troops were in Belarus as part of planned military exercises and that their crossing the Ukrainian border from of Belarus on Feb. 23 and 24 of last year was “unexpected,” adding . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Mercenary chief Prigozhin is presumed to have died in a plane crash seen as the Kremlin’s revenge. From AP. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants were presumed dead in a plane crash— widely seen today as an assassination to avenge a mutiny that challenged President Vladimir Putin’s authority. The founder of the Wagner military company and six other passengers . . . READ MORE . . .  

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Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin reported killed in plane crash. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Charles Maynes | NPR  Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a brief uprising against Russia’s military in June. A plane crashed in Russia Wednesday, and he may be among the people who died. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine says it launched ‘special operation’ in Russian-occupied Crimea. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s navy and military intelligence carried out a “special operation” overnight in which units landed on Russian-occupied Crimea, the defence ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said today. Brief and dark video footage posted alongside the statement . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops wipe out two Ukrainian army sites, two ammo depots in DPR. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops struck Ukrainian army units near Grigorovka and Umanskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), destroying two enemy deployment sites and tw  ammunition depots over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Southern Battlegroup Spokesman Vadim Astafyev said today. Also, the following . . . READ MORE . . .

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Despite dangers and hardship of war, Ukrainians enjoy Black Sea beaches this summer. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR  This summer Ukrainians are thumbing their noses at Putin by sunbathing and swimming on Black Sea beaches that have reopened despite the dangers of war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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Criticism mounts in Russia as Ukrainian strike toll rises. From AFP. KYIV — Russia said today the toll climbed to 89 in its worst single reported loss from a Ukrainian strike, which under-criticism Moscow blamed on troops using mobile phones. But the Ukrainian military’s strategic communications unit has said nearly 400 Russian soldiers were killed in the town of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, France’s President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that his country would send French-made light tanks . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says drone attack on Moscow thwarted, 3 killed near Ukrainian border. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia said today it had thwarted the latest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow but three people were killed in a drone strike near the Ukrainian border. The governor of Belgorod region, which neighbours Ukraine and has come under frequent attack, said the drone hit a sanatorium in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces improve positions in Kupyansk advance over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces conducted offensive operations and improved their tactical position in the Kupyansk area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said today. “In the . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine media say Kyiv saboteurs were behind drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kyiv’s military intelligence services carried out a pair of recent drone attacks that hit parked bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia, Ukraine media claimed today. The attacks on Russian airfields on Saturday and Monday destroyed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it gains foothold in strategic southeastern village. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine said today its troops had entered the strategic southeastern village of Robotyne, a potentially significant advance in its counteroffensive against Russian forces. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian soldiers were organising the evacuation of civilians after entering Robotyne but . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Is the Robotyne roll on?’ by Pete Shmigel | The Kyiv Post  The Ukrainian roll may be on at Robotyne with reports of “tactically significant” territorial gains, breakthroughs and retreating Russians. But the news is less good from Kupyansk on the northern front where an evacuation is underway. On Tuesday morning, the Ukrainian military published video showing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it repels border incursion from Ukraine. From AFP. Moscow’s forces have repelled an attempt by Ukrainian “saboteurs” to break into the Russian border region of Bryansk, the region’s local governor said. “Today . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it destroyed Ukrainian military boat in Black Sea. From AFP. MOSCOW — Moscow said today it destroyed a Ukrainian military reconnaissance vessel near Russian gas infrastructure in the Black Sea, in the latest clash in the waterway since Moscow’s withdrawal from a major grain export deal. Attacks by both sides have escalated in the Black Sea since Russia in July pulled out of the United Nations-brokered . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine and Bulgaria say commercial vessels are defying Russia in the Black Sea. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR  Ukraine and Bulgaria sounded a defiant tone on the future of grain and other shipments on the Black Sea. They say Russia’s efforT to strangle Ukraine with an embargo and missile strikes isn’t working. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Zelensky attends Balkan summit, talks F-16s, grain exports, EU accession, by Elsa Court and the news desk | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the Ukraine-Balkan summit in Athens today. He said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine lost about 100 personnel in attempts to break into LPR territory. From Tass. LUGANSK — Ukrainian forces have lost about 100 personnel as killed and injured in one week of attempts to break into LPR territory, Acting LPR Head Leonid Pasechnik says. “In their breach attempts at. . . READ MORE . . .

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Heavy Ukrainian losses likely cause of reporters being banned from frontline — report. From Tass. GENEVA — The heavy losses of the Ukrainian forces, whose so-called counteroffensive failed to result in a breakthrough, could be the reason behind the ban on foreign reporters visiting the frontline, Switzerland’s Le Temps says. The article . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO-trained Ukrainian troops contribute to offensive to push out Russian forces. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukrainian soldiers trained by the U.S. in Germany speak to NPR about using Western tactics — and weapons — in the latest counteroffensive to push out Russian forces. Click HERE to listen and read.

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THERE  MAY  BE  A  DELAY  BEFORE  THE  NEXT ENTRY  BECAUSE  OF  TECHNICAL  DIFFICULTIES.  THANK  YOU  FOR  YOUR  PATIENCE.  —  MCM

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For now, links to reports in English and Spanish from the Associated Press and El País; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Guatemala elects progressive Arévalo as president but there are legal moves to block him from office, by Christopher Sherman and Sonia Pérez | AP  GUATEMALA CITY — A progressive from outside Guatemala’s power structure was resoundingly elected the country’s next president in a reprimand to the governing elite over widespread allegations of corruption. Despite preliminary results Sunday showing a potential landslide for anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo, the attention immediately turned to whether . . . READ MORE . . .

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A presidential runoff is likely in Ecuador between an ally of ex-president and a banana tycoon’s son, by Regina Garcia Cano | AP  GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — Ecuadorian voters looking for a new leader to help curb the country’s unprecedented violence will have to head to the polls again in October for a runoff that is likely to see the ally of a convicted former president vie against . . . READ MORE. . .

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Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon, ending operations in protected area. From AP. RIO DE JANEIRO — Ecuadorians voted against drilling for oil in a protected area of the Amazon, an important decision that will require the state oil company to end its operations in a region that’s home to two uncontacted tribes and is a hotspot of biodiversity. Yasuni National Park is inhabited by the Tagaeri and Taromenani, who live . . . READ MORE . . .

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El progresista Arévalo se perfila como nuevo presidente de Guatemala, por Sonia Pérez y Christopher Sherman | AP  CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA — La rotunda victoria del progresista Bernardo Arévalo el domingo en la segunda segunda vuelta presidencial de Guatemala encajó en el país como una reprimenda de los votantes a la élite política gobernante en medio de críticas a la corrupción generalizada. Los resultados preliminares mostraron una ventaja abrumadora sobre su oponente de derecha Sandra Torres, per . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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El progresista Bernardo Arévalo gana las elecciones en Guatemala, por Lorena Arroyo y Evelyn Boche Ventura | El País  CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA —  El sociólogo progresista Bernardo Arévalo, del Movimiento Semilla, ha ganado las elecciones de Guatemala. El diputado y diplomático ha obtenido el 58% de los votos frente al 37,2% de su rival, la ex primera dama Sandra Torres, de la Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE), que . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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Bernardo Arévalo, el atípico candidato ‘antisistema’ que gobernará Guatemala, por Lorena Arroyo | El País  Este político, que se identifica como socialdemócrata, ha sido, entre otros cargos diplomáticos, embajador de Guatemala en España y desde el año 2020 lideró la bancada de Movimiento Semilla, un partido que surgió al calor de las protestas anticorrupción de 2015. Ahora ha. . . LEA MÁS . . .

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Resultados de las elecciones en Ecuador: la correísta Luisa González se enfrentará al empresario Daniel Noboa en la segunda vuelta, por Inés Santaeulalia | El País  QUITO — Ecuador volverá a las urnas el 15 de octubre. La candidata del correísmo, Luisa González (33%), y el joven empresario Daniel Noboa (24%) se aseguraron el domingo un lugar en la segunda vuelta. Una vez que finalice el escrutinio . . . LEA MÁS . . .

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

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Two injured in Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow region, nearly 50 flights disrupted. From Reuters. MOSCOW — At least two people were injured today when parts of a Ukrainian drone destroyed by Russian air defences fell on a house in the Moscow region, the regional governor said. Nearly 50 plane flights in and out of the capital   . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says recaptured 3 square km near Bakhmut. From AFP. Ukrainian forces have recaptured a clutch of territory around the eastern war-battered town of Bakhmut but made no major advances on the southern front, the deputy defence minister said today. Bakhmut, an industrial town that was once home . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian recon officers, assault team seize Ukrainian stronghold near Krasny Liman. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Central Military District’s reconnaissance detected the location of a stronghold of Ukrainian nationalists, ensuring its seizure in the Krasny Liman direction, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. The combat task was accomplished . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hiding beneath normality, daily life in Kyiv conceals the burdens of war, by Hanna Arhirova and Jae C. Hong | AP  KYIV — Life in the capital of a war-torn country seems normal on the surface. In the mornings, people rush to their work holding cups of coffee. Streets are filled with cars, and in the evenings restaurants are packed. But the details tell another story. Click HERE for article and 28 photos.

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