For today, links to eleven reports: from Deutsche Welle, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 4-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Ukraine says Chinese men captured fighting for Russia, by Richard Connor with AFP, Reuters | DW  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today said Kyiv’s troops had captured two Chinese citizens fighting “in the Russian army” in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from AFP, and HERE, HERE and HERE and for reports from Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia pushes Ukrainian troops from one of their last footholds in Kursk region, army says, by Andrew Osborn | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia is close to regaining full control of its western Kursk region after pushing Ukrainian forces from one of their last footholds there, the regional governor and state media said today. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from AFP.

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FROM APRIL 7  Ukraine braces for a new Russian spring offensive, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent  Fighting since March has continued along the Russia-Ukraine border areas, but despite a costly and, at times, chaotic retreat from the salient, Ukrainian units in the area have taken up an active defense and prevented . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zaluzhnyi reveals details of Wiesbaden HQ in Ukraine’s war effort, calls it ‘secret weapon,‘ by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., today described the joint Ukrainian-U.S. headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, as a “secret weapon” for planning military operations during the war, following a related March 29 New York Times report. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 7  Zelenskyy confirms Ukrainian troops active in Russia’s Belgorod region, by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar | Reuters  Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian troops have been active in Russia’s Belgorod region as they seek to protect Ukrainian towns near the border. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM APRIL 6  Russia says captured village in Ukraine’s Sumy border. From AFP. Russia’s defence ministry on Sunday said a unit of its North group forces “liberated the village of Basovka” — the Russian name for Bashivka — in Ukraine’s Sumy region close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region. It was a rare cross-border advance. READ MORE . . .

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For today, just one link: to a report from the Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  (WEST BANK 4-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 6  Over 500 illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection, by Awad Rjoob and Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  RAMALLAH, Palestine / ANKARA — More than 500 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday under heavy protection from Israeli forces, local officials said. READ MORE . . .

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For today, just the link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.  GAZA 4-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel controls 50% of Gaza after razing land to expand its buffer zone, by Sam Mednick | AP  TEL AVIV — The largest contiguous area Israel’s army controls is around the Gaza border, where the military has razed Palestinian homes, farmland and infrastructure to the point of uninhabitability, Israeli soldiers and rights groups say. This military buffer zone has doubled in size in recent weeks. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to just two reports, from Reuters and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Indian Punchline, Radio Free Europe and CNN; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK and GAZA entry for this date are HERE and HERE.  UKRAINE 4-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Kremlin says nobody has yet answered Russia’s questions around a proposed Ukraine ceasefire, by Dmitry Antonov and Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin still supports the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russia has not yet been given answers to key questions it has about a truce proposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .

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Russia making fewer territorial gains in Ukraine in 2025. Reported by A Martínez | NPR  Russia has made fewer territorial gains in Ukraine in 2025. George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, speaks with NPR about how Ukraine may seek to gain advantage. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM APRIL 6  Russia and the U.S. made ‘three steps forward’ after two days of consultations in Washington, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Kirill Dmitriev’s visit to Washington on April 2-3 appears to have been a modest achievement whose productive outcome will be crucial in the rest of U.S.-Russia relations. READ MORE . . .  And click HERE and HERE for articles from Radio Free Europe and CNN in this commentary.

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For today, links to three reports: from the Cradle and Reuters; others or at least headlines others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (YEMEN, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN 4-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Washington deploys second THAAD system to Israel as U.S.-Iran tensions grow: report. From the Cradle. The U.S. has transferred a second Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System to Israel, Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported on today, coming as there have been increasing threats by Washington to attack Iran. READ MORE . . .

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Iran warns six regional countries against aiding potential U.S. attack: Reuters report. From the Cradle. A senior Iranian official said that Tehran has warned Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, and Bahrain that they will face “severe consequences” if they support Washington in a military attack against the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported today.  READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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First, links to reports from the Cradle and CNN; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN 4-5-25 is HERE or scroll down.) — MCM

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U.S. fails to weaken Yemeni military despite burning through nearly $1bn in three weeks: report. From the Cradle. The U.S. military’s bombing campaign in Yemen has cost nearly $1 billion in under three weeks, according to sources speaking with CNN, who said the campaign had caused a limited impact on the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces’ capabilities. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from CNN.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 4-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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1 killed in Russian attack on Kyiv as death toll from earlier missile strike rises to 19. From AP. KYIV — One person was killed today as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while the death toll from Friday’s deadly attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih continued to rise. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Anadolu Agency and the Kyiv Independent.  

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Zelensky says attacks ‘increasing’ as 2 killed in missile and drone strikes, talks next week. From AFP. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Moscow is increasing its aerial bombardment after Russia mounted a “massive” missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight, killing two people and wounding at least seven. READ MORE . . .

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Russian missile strike destroys Ukrainian channel Freedom TV’s newsroom in Kyiv. From the Kyiv Independent. The channel said the attack destroyed the newsroom of the Ukrainian television channel Freedom TV in Kyiv overnight but no employees were hurt, adding that three top floors of an office building where international broadcasting channels were located were “destroyed” and the lower floors . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian army liberates Basovka in Sumy Region — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Over the past day units of the Russian army’s Battlegroup North liberated Basovka in the Sumy Region and defeated several Ukrainian units in the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Russia strikes Ukraine’s central arms artillery base, defense enterprises — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military struck at night Ukraine’s central artillery arms base and defense industry enterprises engaged in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, the Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Russian envoy says next Russia-U.S. contact could be ‘next week.’ From AFP. The Kremlin’s international economy envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said today that the next contact between Russia and the United States could happen “already next week,” TASS reported. Dmitriev visited Washington last week. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports: from the Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.  GAZA 4-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli army kills 26 more Gazans as death toll nears 50,700, by Ikrame Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 26 more Palestinians in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 50,695, the Health Ministry said today. “Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE and HERE reports from the Cradle and AP.

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Israeli military changes initial account of Gaza aid worker killings after video shows deadly attack. From Reuters. Fifteen paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead in Gaza on March 23, their bodies buried and, a week later, found in a shallow grave by United Nations and Palestinian Red Crescent officials. Now new details provided by the Israeli military . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 5  Egypt presents new ceasefire, prisoner swap proposal: Israeli media, by Said Amouri and Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM / ANKARA  Egypt has reportedly submitted a new proposal that includes a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Anadolu Agency and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. YEMEN 4-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Iran-backed Houthis group targets Israeli military site in Tel Aviv, by Esra Tekin | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen said today it targeted an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv with a drone — in support of the Palestinian people. READ MORE . . .

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Tensions are rising in the Middle East again, and the U.S. is deeply involved. Reported by Greg Myre and Scott Simon | NPR  Just a couple of months ago, the Middle East seemed to be calming down, at least a bit. But now the region is heating up again, and the U.S. is very deeply involved. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Anadolu Agency and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or inititals below. (YEMEN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. (WEST BANK 3-30-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Displacement of Palestinians from West Bank done in support of state: Israeli groups, by Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — The Israeli government is sponsoring violence by illegal settlers to displace Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli rights groups Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said today in a report. READ MORE . . .

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