For today, just two links: to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 4-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russia launches scores of drones on Ukraine, four people injured, Kyiv says, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, injuring three people in Kyiv and one person in Kharkiv and damaging residential and commercial buildings in Kyiv and other parts of the country, Ukrainian officials said on today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. ambassador to Ukraine to step down as peace talks uncertain, by Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is stepping down from her post after nearly three years in Kyiv amid uncertainty over the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Cradle, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, GAZA and IRAN entries are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  SYRIA 4-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 11  Israel signals support for ‘limited’ Turkish military presence in Syria. From the Cradle. Israel is “very optimistic” about ongoing deconfliction talks with Turkiye, which may allow Ankara to maintain a “limited” military base in Syria, the Times of Israel reported on Friday. Israeli and Turkish officials spoke positively . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  Druze population resists Syrian government’s push to disband militias. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In a challenge to Syria’s new government, an influential religious minority rejects calls to integrate its militias. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM APRIL 2  Israel suspends entry of Druze workers from southern Syria over security concerns, by Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL  Israel suspended the entry of Druze workers from villages in southern Syria into the occupied Golan Heights following an objection by one of its security agencies, local media said on April 2. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to four reports: from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, and the Electronic Intifada; others or headlines only are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 4-11-25 is HERE, and a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli forces have completed encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, military says, by Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM — It is part of an announced plan to seize more areas of the enclave, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population. The military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to . . .  READ MORE . . .   Click HERE and HERE for April 12 and April 11 reports from the Cradle (including an April 7 video from the Electronic Intifada) and from EI.

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FROM APRIL 11  Israeli evacuation orders leave Palestinians with less than a third of Gaza to live in: UN. From Middle East Monitor. A UN spokesperson said Israel on Friday issued “two new displacement orders covering vast areas in northern and southern Gaza,” in which are located “medical facilities and storage sites containing critical supplies.” The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than two-thirds of the Gaza Strip is either under active displacement orders or designated as no go zones. READ MORE . . .  Compare with April 11 report from National Public Radio HERE.

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For today, link to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  IRAN 4-9-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Envoys from Iran and the U.S. arrive in Oman for first round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, by Jon Gambrell | AP MUSCAT — Envoys from Iran and the United States arrived today in Oman ahead of the first talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for an April 11 AP report. 

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FROM APRIL 11  Steve Witkoff’s Iran mission holds seamless possibilities, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline   The rubric of the U.S.-Iranian talks slated for Saturday in Muscat turned into a vanity fair of sorts — whether the talks should be called “indirect” or “direct.” U.S. President Donald Trump sought direct talks . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (YEMEN, SYRIA, and GAZA entries are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 4-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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European countries vow billions in military support for Ukraine as U.S. envoy meets Putin, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — European countries today vowed to sends billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’s invasion, as a U.S. envoy pursued peace efforts in a trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine will be able to keep fighting, say Britain and Germany, by Andrew Gray and Sabine Siebold | Reuters  BRUSSELS — Germany and Britain today sent a message to Russia that Ukraine will be able to keep up its fight thanks to Western support, even as the U.S. pushed ahead with talks with Moscow. READ MORE . . .

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Trump tells Russia to ‘get moving’ on Ukraine peace negotiations. From the Moscow Times. U.S. President Donald Trump said today that Russia needs to “get moving” with Ukraine ceasefire talks as his special envoy was expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg later in the day. “Too many people DYING, thousands a week” . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine European allies hike deliveries of weaponry for “close-in” battle, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  European military assistance to Ukraine is accelerating and focusing particularly on lower-tech weaponry proved in close-in combat against the Russian army, and manufacturing in Ukraine if possible. READ MORE . . .

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Deputy defense minister resigns following procurement scandal, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk said today he had decided to resign as first deputy defense minister. He did not elaborate. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate four communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated four communities in the Kursk and Sumy Regions and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the week of April 5-11 in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  YEMEN 4-9-25, including a map, is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. war on Yemen ‘helps to enhance our military capabilites’: Ansarallah leader. From the Cradle. Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that Washington’s war on Yemen “will not be able” to weaken the Yemeni Armed Forces and is instead “contributing to their further development.” READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Associated Press, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  SYRIA 4-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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One month on, killings persist in Syria’s Alawi heartlands. From Middle East Eye. LATAKIA, Syria — In the weeks following the worst sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad — unrest the government has said it is trying to contain — locals of Syria’s northwestern coast continue to report killings, abductions, and raids targeting the Alawi community. Twenty eyewitnesses and relatives of victims confirmed that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Syria’s Sharaa grants three-month extension to committee probing coastal killings. From Reuters. DAMASCUS — Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has extended a deadline for a fact-finding committee to produce its report on the killings of Alawites on Syria’s coast last month, the deadliest episode of sectarian violence since Sunni Islamist rebels seized power. In early March hundreds of Alawites were killed . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP. 

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Syria rejects Israel’s ‘theft’ of its water resources, UNSC hears. From Middle East Monitor. Syria voiced its rejection of Israel’s interference in its internal affairs and its attempts to “steal” Syrian water resources, Anadolu reported, citing a speech Syria’s representative delivered Thursday to the United Nations in the Security Council. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, the Anadolu Agency, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, YEMEN and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  GAZA 4-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gazans struggle to find water as clean sources become increasingly scarce, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa | Reuters  GAZA / CAIRO — Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents have lost their only source of clean water in the past week after supplies from Israel’s water utility were cut by the Israeli army’s renewed offensive, municipal authorities in the territory said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  Gaza’s territory is dramatically shrinking as Israel seizes more areas. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Israel is taking over large areas of Gaza and eyeing the entire southern swath of Rafah as a buffer zone. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Israel’s army says it will fire air force reservists who condemned the war, by Sam Mednick | AP  TEL AVIV — Israel’s military said today it will fire air force reservists who signed a letter condemning the war in Gaza and accusing it of only serving political interests and not bringing the hostages home. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Israeli army renews evacuation orders for 7 neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City, by Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — The Israeli army today reissued urgent evacuation warnings to residents of seven neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City, threatening “intense” military strikes in those areas. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu discussed Egyptian proposal for prisoner swap with Hamas: report, by Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a new Egyptian proposal for a prisoner exchange with the Palestinian group Hamas during a briefing session Thursday that included Israel’s negotiation team and heads of security agencies, an Israeli TV channel reported. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  Israel destroyed ‘only 25 percent’ of Hamas tunnels in Rafah: reports. From the Cradle. The Israeli army has only destroyed around 25 percent of the Palestinian resistance’s underground tunnel network in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah — where Hamas’s Qassam Brigades retains a significant bulk of its fighting force, according to Hebrew media reports. READ MORE . . .

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First, links to reports from Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and 9/11 TRUTH entries, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.  GAZA 4-9-25, which includes a map, is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Fighter pilots call on Israel to prioritise release of Gaza hostages, even if war must stop, by Emily Rose | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Nearly 1,000 Israeli retired and reservist fighter pilots called in an open letter published today for the government to prioritise freeing remaining hostages held in Gaza, even if that meant halting the war against Hamas. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor and the Cradle.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to nine reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.  UKRAINE 4-9-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russian drone attack injures 12 in two Ukrainian cities, officials say. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight, injuring at least 12 people, authorities said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says accepting curbs to its military would be red line in talks to end war, by Anastasiia Malenko | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine has told the U.S. that accepting curbs on the size of its armed forces or on its military’s overall readiness would be a red line, a senior Ukrainian official said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Defense chiefs from around 30 countries expected at NATO for talks on a future Ukraine force. From AP. BRUSSELS — Britain and France are convening a meeting of defense ministers from around 30 countries today to press ahead with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky accuses Moscow of dragging Beijing Into Ukraine war amid Chinese recruitment claims. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of dragging China into the war and alleged that Beijing knew dozens of its citizens had been recruited to fight for Moscow. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for related reports from AFP and the Kyiv Independent.

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EU sends Ukraine €1b from interest of frozen Russian assets, by Olena Hrazhdan | Kyiv Post  Ukraine received a €1 billion ($1.08 billion) disbursement from the European Union under the G7-backed Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration initiative, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Wednesday. The tranche will . . . READ MORE . .

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Video shows 4 captive Ukrainian troops killed by men identified as Russian forces, by Erika Kintze, John Leicester and Beatrice Dupuy | AP  A Ukrainian drone video show soldiers with Russian uniform markings raising their weapons and shooting each of the four Ukrainians in the back with such ferocity that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Bodies of 9 civilians found in Russia’s Kursk Region after Ukrainian shelling — agency. From Tass. MOSCOW — A Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman said investigators found the bodies of nine civilians in the village of Makhnovka in the Kursk Region and determined they were killed in . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED