Links to three reports and an interview: from Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE, and down for IRAN 8-13-26.) — MCM

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Iran formalizes Strait of Hormuz control as U.S. struggles to sustain war it launched with Israel, by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  Iran has taken another step towards formalising its control of the Strait of Hormuz, as the U.S. threatens unprecedented sanctions while struggling to sustain the war it launched alongside Israel. READ MORE . . .

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Hormuz traffic slows further after U.S. threatens more economic pressure on Iran. From Reuters. LONDON / PANAMA CITY — Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill today as two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade indefinitely. READ MORE . . .

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Two UAE tankers attacked while transiting Strait of Hormuz, and other news from the Middle East. From AP. The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for firing drones at two tankers operated by a state-owned oil company as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Friday that the attacks  on Thursday were acts of piracy. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

Links to three reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA, WEST BANK and IRAN, and down for UKRAINE 8-13-26.) — MCM

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A link to a commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s WEST BANK and COVID ETC., and for GAZA 8-10-26.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 12  Why the world must force accountability on Gaza now, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  It is now official: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flatly rejected the core conditions of the Board of Peace framework, explicitly stating that Israel will neither adhere to a ceasefire nor withdraw its forces from Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s GAZA and COVID ETC so far, and down for WEST BANK 8-11-26.) — MCM

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Settler siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank a ‘horrific act of terror,’ U.S. ambassador says, by Sam Metz and Aref Tufaha | AP  QUSRA, West Bank — Israeli settlers have besieged three homes in the the occupied West Bank for several days, including one owned by a Palestinian American, in what U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee today called a “horrific act of terror.”  Click HERE for report including photos. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

For now, links to a Congressional hearing via ScheerPost and to reports from National Review and the Associated Press; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s GAZA and WEST BANK so far, and down for COVID ETC 8-4-26, or click HERE.) — MCM

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AUG. 12 and MAY 13  CIA whistleblower alleges officials manipulated Covid-19 origins assessment. Via ScheerPost. Subpoenaed former senior CIA official James Erdman III tells the Senate Homeland Security Committee that agency managers suppressed the judgments of experienced scientists and pressured analysts to abandon conclusions supporting a possible laboratory origin of Covid-19. Click HERE for print intro and video of hearing. Click HERE for report from National Review.

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FROM APRIL 19  How the search for the origins of Covid-19 turned politically poisonous, by Dake Kang and Maria Cheng | AP  BEIJING — The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has gone dark in China, the victim of political infighting after a series of stalled and thwarted attempts to find the source of the virus that killed millions and paralyzed the world for months. Click HERE for report including photos.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to three reports: from the Cradle and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s UKRAINE, IRAN and MEDIA so far, and for YEMEN 8-9-26.) — MCM

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Yemen targets Saudi assets with ballistic missiles, inflicts ‘dozens of casualties.’ From the Cradle. The Yemeni Armed Forces announced a series of new missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi troops and assets in southwestern Yemen, detailing the operations in a statement released on its official page late on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye, and HERE for Aug. 11 report from the Cradle.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to a report from the Associated Press and the Moscow Times, and to a commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s IRAN and MEDIA so far, and for UKRAINE 8-11-26.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says a nighttime blitz damages Russia’s Black Sea naval stronghold, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, jet-powered aerial drones and sea drones blitzed a major Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast in a “unique” nighttime operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today. Click HERE for report including photos. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HEREfor others.

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Russia forced to import gasoline from India amid domestic shortages. From the Moscow Times. Russia last week received its first shipment of gasoline from India to offset domestic fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on its oil refineries, Bloomberg reported today, citing ship tracking data. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 6  Trump returns to peacemaking in Ukraine but war must mature first, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline The Russian President Vladimir Putin fired the political equivalent of Oroshnik hypersonic missile on Aug. 5 to scatter the recent pot shots by hawkish factions at the Russian “power vertical,” never a unified construct actually, over the future directions of Ukraine war.READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to six reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s UKRAINE and MEDIA so far, and for IRAN 8-11-26.) — MCM

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New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse. From Reuters. DUBAI — The United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have reported separate attacks on shipping, as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for earlier report from Reuters.

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FROM AUG. 11  Trump touts big peace deals in Iran and Gaza but struggles to follow through. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Franco Ordoñez | NPR  Iran has set a high price for President Trump to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel’s prime minister has rejected his Gaza plan. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM AUG. 11   Author Max Boot says Trump’s approach to Iran is ‘guaranteed to fail.’ Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with author Max Boot about President Trump’s recent foreign policy setbacks. Boot writes that Trump’s “zigzagging” approach to Iran is “guaranteed to fail.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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Iraq’s new prime minister promises Trump he’ll disarm Iran-backed militias. Reported by Jane Arraf and Leila Fadel | NPR  Iraq’s new leader wants to disarm Iran-backed militias, but the move risks opening a new front in the Mideast. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 11  IRGC Quds Force chief in Baghdad for high level talks with govt, resistance. From the Cradle. The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, visited Iraq’s capital on Tuesday and met with several political and resistance leaders. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 11  Trump claims U.S. controls Iranian money. From Middle East Monitor. President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that the US has “total control” over Iran’s money, with Washington effectively acting as Tehran’s banker as the two countries remain locked in a military conflict, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to two reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE and IRAN so far, and down for MEDIA 8-9-26.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 11  New book explores the cultural impact of Paul Simon’s signature album, ‘Graceland.’ A Martínez of NPR  speaks with Ashley Kahn, author of Days of Miracle and Wonder, a new book that celebrates the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s signature album, “Graceland.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM AUG. 9  Regal Cinema CEO comes out in support of Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Mandalit del Barco | NPR  CEOs of the country’s two biggest theater chains say they support the merger of Paramount-Skydance with Warner Brothers-Discovery. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Cradle and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for today’s LEBANON, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT so far, and for WEST BANK 8-7-26.) — MCM

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Settler attacks on Palestinians surge by 63 percent in occupied West Bank during first half of 2026. From the Cradle. Israeli authorities have documented a drastic 63 percent rise in attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in the first half of 2026, Israel’s Public Broadcaster (KAN) reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 10  Israeli occupiers establish illegal settlement outpost in yard of Palestinian home in West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli occupiers established an illegal settlement outpost in the yard of a Palestinian home in the northern occupied West Bank, with Israeli soldiers filmed sitting and praying alongside them, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Monday, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED