Links to TWO reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-9-26 and WEST BANK and MEDIA.) — MCM

NOTE: Other perspectives are at the Moscow Times (based in Belgium); Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent (both operating under martial law); and Tass (a Russian state news service). Each is a click away.

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EU drafts a list of concessions it says Russia must make to secure real peace in Ukraine, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — The European Union is drafting a list of concessions that it believes Russia must make to secure any long-term peace in Ukraine, the bloc’s top diplomat said Tuesday, as U.S.-run talks to end four years of war show little sign of progress. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 9  Russian forces pressuring Pokrovsk as ‘last battles’ rage, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  KYIV — Russian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Monday, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TWO reports: from National Public Radio and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-9-26 and up or down for UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israel passes measure to make purchasing real estate from Palestinians easier. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  The Israeli government has passed measures to ease West Bank land purchases for settlers and strengthen control in the occupied territory. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 9  Israel’s new West Bank measures ‘accelerate annexation and end Oslo Accords,’ by Lubna Masarwa and Huthifa Fayyad | Middle East Eye  Announced on Sunday, the sweeping changes expand Israel’s civil control in Areas A and B  — where all major Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank are located — which since the Oslo Accords of 1993 have officially been under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction. READ MORE . . .

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Llinks to THREE reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 2-9-26.  Scroll up for UKRAINE and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 9  Bad Bunny’s joyful defiance captivates Super Bowl halftime. Reported by Adrian Florido | NPR  Bad Bunny delivered a joyful 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance with a message of unity as well as pride in Latin American culture at a time when many Latinos in the U.S. feel under attack. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 9  Watching Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show in Puerto Rico. Reported by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | NPR  In San Juan, Puerto Rico, we watched the Super Bowl halftime show with the audience Bad Bunny has represented since his start: his fellow Puerto Ricans. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Breaking down the symbols and messages in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. Reported by Anamaria Artemisa Sayre | NPR  Anamaria Sayre of NPR Music breaks down the Easter eggs and references still being unpacked from Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to SIX reports: from the Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, and Al Jazeera, including one on video; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-6-26 and UKRAINE, WEST BANK, MEDIA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 8  Israel ‘imposes de facto annexation’ with sweeping West Bank policy change. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli government on Sunday approved sweeping changes to land registration and civil control in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the changes would “dramatically” alter West Bank policy, paving the way for expanded settlements and land seizure. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 8  Israel’s security cabinet approves measures to strengthen control over the West Bank. From AP. JERUSALEM — The measures approved on Sunday aim to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. The office of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said they would make it easier for Jewish settlers to force Palestinians to give up land: “We will continue to bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for Feb. 8 and 9 reports from Reuters and the Cradle.

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FROM FEB. 8  Israeli security cabinet approves rules to increase control over West Bank. From Al Jazeera with news agencies. Israel’s security cabinet has approved new rules aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, according to local media reports, drawing condemnation from Palestinian authorities. Click HERE for report including a map.

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VIDEO:  Israeli settlers target Palestinian water supply in West Bank, cutting access for 100,000. Reported by Nina Ibraham | Al Jazeera  The main water source for 100,000 Palestinians in the central occupied West Bank is under threat — again. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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Links to FOUR reports: from the Moscow Times and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-4-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, MEDIA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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Thousands without running water in Belgorod after Ukrainian attack. From the Moscow Times. Around 100,000 customers in the city of Belgorod were without running water early Monday after power surges caused by Ukrainian airstrikes on the local power grid forced two pumping stations to go into emergency shutdown. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 8  Russian airstrike on Ukrainian city kills 1 as U.S. pushes June deadline for peace deal. From AP. KYIV — A Russian airstrike on a residential area in eastern Ukraine killed one person and wounded two, officials said Sunday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a peace deal. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Ukrainian security services were behind shooting of GRU general, FSB says. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s FSB security service said today that the men arrested for the attempted assassination of senior military intelligence officer Vladimir Alexeyev in Moscow last week have admitted they were carrying out orders from Ukraine’s SBU security service. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian strikes cost Russian oil sector over $13bln in 2025, insurers say. From the Moscow Times. Russian oil companies suffered more than 1 trillion rubles ($12.9 billion) in losses as a result of Ukraine’s campaign of strikes on Russian oil refineries in 2025, a senior executive at insurance broker Mains told the Kommersant business daily. READ MORE . . .

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Links a review from the Associated Press and to THREE reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 2-8-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 8  Bad Bunny brought Puerto Rico’s history and culture to a revolutionary Super Bowl show, by Maria Sherman | AP  From a small Caribbean island with a complicated colonial history, to the world: The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio brought Puerto Rican culture to the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for his 2026 Super Bowl halftime show in what was always going to be a landmark moment for Latinos. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 8  What you should know about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. Reported by Anamaria Artemisa Sayre | NPR  One week after winning the Grammy for album of the year, Bad Bunny is about to put on the performance of his already astonishing career. If you’re aiming for world domination, there’s just one musician to call. Here are the answers to some questions. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Days after mass layoffs, Washington Post CEO steps down. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  Washington Post publisher and CEO Will Lewis stepped down late Saturday, days after the newspaper cut a third of the staff. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  A Hong Kong court sentenced 78-year-old activist and publisher Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty under China’s national security law. Click HERE to listen and read.

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A link to the first report — a news release — from Exposing 9/11; in the future others will be accessible by clicking on its address: exposing911.substack.com. (Scroll down for 9/11 TRUTH 2-1-26.  Scroll up for WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 7  There’s a new player on the field: Exposing 9/11, by Craig McKee | Exposing 9/11  It has become increasingly clear in recent years that a new voice is badly needed in the fight to expose the 9/11 false flag. That voice is Exposing 9/11. We are an independent research, education, and advocacy group dedicated to exposing the truth about the crimes of Sept. 11, 2001. READ MORE . . .

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Links to FIVE reports: from Anadolu Ajansi, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-7-26 and LEBANON,  GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Iranian FM says uranium enrichment to continue ‘even at cost of war.’ From the Cradle. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that the Islamic Republic will not give up uranium enrichment, as Israel and the U.S. are demanding – stressing that Tehran will continue to pursue a peaceful nuclear program even at the cost of war. READ MORE . . .

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Iranian president says talks with U.S, ‘a step forward,’ dialogue key to ‘peaceful solution,’ by Rania Abushamala | Anadolu  ISTANBUL —“Dialogue has always been our strategy for achieving peaceful solutions,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said today, stressing that Iran’s approach to the nuclear issue is based on “the rights guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same Anadolu report in French, and HERE for others.

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Iran doubts whether U.S. taking negotiations seriously: foreign minister. From AFP.  TEHRAN — Iran has reason to doubt the United States is serious about resolving the current crisis in relations through negotiations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today. READ MORE . . .

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Iran insists on right to enrichment, ready for confidence. From Reuters. DUBAI — Recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium is key for nuclear talks with the U.S. to succeed, Foreign Minister Abbas ​Araqchi said today. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s top diplomat strikes a hard line on U.S. talks, saying Tehran’s power comes from . . .  by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s top diplomat insisted today that Tehran’s strength came from its ability to “say no to the great powers,” striking a maximalist position just after . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. [ NOTE: For this update AP has done a new headline and relegated most of the diplomacy element to the second half of its report in favor of the news that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to an additional 7 years or so in prison. ]

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Links to one report, two articles of commentary, and a video commentary, all from Middle East Eye; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 2-3-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 5  Lebanon says ‘toxic’ chemical spray by Israel constitutes environmental crime. From Middle East Eye. “This is an environmental and health crime against Lebanese citizens and their land,” Lebanon‘s President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday, calling the spraying over southern towns a “blatant violation” of Lebanon’s sovereignty. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 7  U.S. pressure to disarm Hezbollah is pushing Lebanon to the brink, by Paul Khalifeh | Middle East Eye  Israel has never fully respected the November 2024 ceasefire deal that ended the 66-day war with Hezbollah. Since then . . . Click HERE to read and for video commentary by Maya Saad of Middle East Eye.

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FROM DEC. 11  Why Lebanon’s army cannot defend the nation after a year of ‘ceasefire,‘ by Hala Jaber | Middle East Eye  The bombing of residential buildings in Mahrouna, Jbaa, al-Majadel and Baraachit in early December — flattening them into ash, families fleeing with seconds to spare from homes that had stood for generations — was a reminder that Israel’s definition of ceasefire is unilateral. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TWO reports: from Middle East Eye and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-7-26.  Scroll up for IRAN, LEBANON and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal rejects foreign rule in Gaza. From Middle East Eye.  “We adhere to our national principles and reject the logic of guardianship, any foreign intervention, or the return of a mandate in any form,” Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal said at a conference in Qatar’s capital, Doha. READ MORE. . .

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Rafah crossing reopens, allowing limited travel as Palestinians claim delays and mistreatment, by Samy Magdy and Melanie Lidman | AP  CAIRO — A limited number of Palestinians were able to travel between Gaza and Egypt today, after Gaza’s Rafah crossing reopened after a two-day closure, Egyptian state media reported. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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