For today, links to five reports: from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, and the Associated Press; others or headlines to others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, UKRAINE, WEST BANK, LEBANON, SYRIA and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-15-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill 14 people in Gaza over past day, Palestinian medics say. From Reuters. CAIRO — Israeli military strikes have killed at least 14 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the enclave’s Health Ministry said today, as Arab and U.S. mediators work to shore up a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 15  U.S. bombs Sanaa as Trump threatens to ‘rain hell’ on Yemen over Gaza support. From the Cradle. U.S. and British warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes on a residential neighborhood in the Shuaab district of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, late Saturday, killing at least nine civilians and injuring several more. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. airstrikes on Yemen condemned as Sanaa vows stronger support for Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The political leadership in Sanaa has strongly condemned the latest U.S. airstrikes on Yemen, denouncing them as “war crimes” after a series of deadly raids targeted residential areas in the capital and other provinces. Yemeni officials described the strikes as . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM MARCH 15  U.S. and Israel look to Africa for moving Palestinians uprooted from Gaza, by Josef Federman, Matthew Lee and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM— The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments — those of Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland — to discuss . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Voice of America, and to an article of commentary from Middle East Eye; others or headlines for others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, UKRAINE, WEST BANK, LEBANON, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  MEDIA 3-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 15  Trump signs order to gut staff at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media organizations, by Nicholas Riccardi and David Bauder | AP  President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday began making deep cuts to Voice of America and other government-run, pro-democracy programming, with the organization’s director saying all VOA employees have been . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and NPR.

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Website of Voice of America English as of this afternoon.   Click HERE for selection of articles.

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Trump is getting pushback from an unlikely place — the conservative media. Reported by David Folkenflik and Ayesha Rascoe | NPR  With consumer confidence plunging and investors dumping stocks, the tone of the conservative media towards President Donald Trump and his economic policies has shifted. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 12  ‘No Other Land’ shows Israeli occupation cannot be whitewashed, by Ahmad Tibi | Middle East Eye  The uproar surrounding the documentary ‘No Other Land’ is unsurprising. Films that document the occupation and expose its unbearable human consequences always provoke harsh reactions from the Israeli establishment. This one focuses on the daily realities of Palestinians in the Masafer Yatta area — one that includes home demolitions, family expulsions, dispossession and . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to six reports from the Cradle, Reuters, the Associated Press and Middle East Monitor; other reports or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. SYRIA 3-13-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 14  Syrian FM urges Iraq to reopen border in first visit since armed coup. From the Cradle. Syria’s de facto Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, arrived in Baghdad on 14 March for his first official visit to Iraq since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Syria’s government announces a new Constitution even as it struggles to unite the country. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Simon | NPR  Just over three months since the fall of the Assad regime, Syria’s leaders are struggling to build a new, unified country. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 14  Dozens of Syrian Druze make a rare visit to Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, by Alon Bernstein | AP  MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights — Dozens of clerics and others from Syria’s minority Druze community crossed into the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights Friday for the first time in decades. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MARCH 14  The goals of Israel’s ongoing aggression against Syria, by Aziz Mustafa | Middle East Monitor  Israel’s aggressive operations against Syria continue by air and on the ground suggest that its approach to Syria goes beyond mere military strikes but rather aims . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eightreports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others or at least headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below, (SYRIA, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-13-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrike kills nine people in north Gaza town, medics say, amid ceasefire disputes, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — At least nine Palestinians were killed, including two local journalists, and others wounded today in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s northern Beit Lahiya town, Gaza’s health ministry said, as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says it will only release American-Israeli captive if Israel ends blockade From Middle East Eye. A senior Hamas official has said the group will only release American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander and the bodies of four other captives if Israel agrees to the existing ceasefire agreement. READ MORE . . .

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Tensions rise between Washington, Tel Aviv over U.S.-Hamas talks. From Middle East Monitor. U.S. and Israeli officials are attempting to contain the escalating tensions behind the scenes following the unprecedented direct talks held by the U.S. Trump administration with the Palestinian movement Hamas . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for related report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MARCH 14  Hamas says it will release a U.S.-Israeli hostage and 4 bodies, but Israel expresses immediate doubt, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Palestinian militant group Hamas said Friday it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual nationals who had died in captivity. The Israeli prime minister’s office . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Monitor and the Cradle. 

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FROM MARCH 13  Hamas welcomes UN report on Israel’s genocidal acts as Tel Aviv decries ‘blood libel.’ From the Cradle. Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says a damming report by the UN Commission of Inquiry into Israel’s abuses inside Gaza “confirms the atrocity” committed by the occupation army with support from the west. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  MEDIA 3-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 14  Dorothy Thompson: The journalist who warned us about Hitler, by Mycah Hazel | NPR  Thompson first encountered the Nazi movement in the early 1920s as a Berlin-based correspondent for Philadelphia’s Public Ledger. Hitler made headlines in 1923 for his failed coup attempt in Munich. Thompson immediately sought to interview him. Click HERE to listen and read. 

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For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from CraigMurray.org.uk and Medium, both via Consortium News; other articles or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.  (SYRIA, GAZA and MEDIA entries are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-14-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russia and Ukraine launch aerial attacks amid proposed ceasefire talks. From AP. KYIV — Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows overnight Saturday, with both sides reporting more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from AFP.

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At Trump’s request, Putin says he will let Ukrainian troops in Kursk live if they surrender. From Reuters. WASHINGTON / MOSCOW — U.S. President Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of its Kursk region, an appeal Putin said he would honour if they surrendered. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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Starmer to host coalition call, says Putin ‘not serious about peace.’ From AFP. UK premier Keir Starmer will prod fellow leaders today to sign up to a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine. He is expected to tell some 25 fellow leaders during a virtual summit that . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian forces hit energy facilities that support Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian servicemen have hit Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure and energy facilities that provide work of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 12  Putin is no Hitler, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  There is a logical fallacy that dominates European neoliberal “thinking” at the moment. It goes like this: “Hitler had . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 13  Ukraine & revolution, by John Wight | Medium / Consortium News  The real enemy of any government or regime, in the last analysis, is its own people. They are who rulers fear most. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: There are no other entries today.

For today, links to eight reports: from the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Naional Public Radio, and Reuters; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 3-13-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Putin-Trump meeting dates to be discussed after U.S. envoy briefs White House on Ukraine talks, Kremlin says. From the Moscow Times. Russian and U.S. officials will organize a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff relays Putin’s response to a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent and Tass.

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FROM MARCH 13  Putin agrees in principle with proposal for Ukraine ceasefire and says more discussions are needed. From AP.  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and added that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and  Reuters.

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Moscow targeted by second Ukrainian drone attack in a week. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for a second time this week, with city authorities saying early today that air defense systems downed four unmanned aircraft near the Russian capital. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to three reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, or scroll down. IRAN 3-10-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Iran summons UK, France, Germany over closed-door UN meeting. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran’s foreign ministry today summoned the envoys of Britain, France and Germany over what it called a “misuse of the U.N. Security Council to hold a closed-door meeting” over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Iranian state media reported. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s leader rebuffs U.S. over starting nuclear program talks. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Michel Martin | NPR  Iran’s supreme leader rebuffed President Trump’s hopes to start talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iranian press review: Russia’s mediation divides pro-nuclear talks factions. From Middle East Eye. Russia‘s willingness to mediate nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. has drawn mixed reactions in Tehran, with moderate political groups divided on the issue. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (IRAN, WEST BANK, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 3-9-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Lebanon seeks to firm up state authority by naming new army chief, top security officials.  From AP. BEIRUT — Lebanon appointed a new army chief and heads of three security agencies today as the government seeks to firm up state authority, especially in the country’s south, following the militant Hezbollah group’s devastating war with Israel. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports: from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. (WEST BANK 3-12-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gulf states linked to Israeli businesses on UN settlements blacklist, by Simon Hooper and Dania Akkad | Middle East Eye  An investment firm headed by Jared Kushner and backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is the largest shareholder in an Israelicompany which in turn holds shares in businesses accused by the United Nations of operating in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. READ MORE . . .

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UN Rapporteur Albanese says ‘ethnic cleansing’ is happening in occupied West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, said in an interview Sunday that what is happening in the West Bank is the “litmus test” of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign against the Palestinians, with the occupation regime . . . READ MORE . . .

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