First, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-27-26 and today’s MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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A month after Iran protests began, worry pervades Mideast over possible possible U.S. strike, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iranian officials reached out to the wider Middle East today over the threat of a possible U.S. military strike on the country, a month since the start of protests in Iran that soon spread nationwide and sparked a bloody crackdown. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-27-26.) — MCM

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Author Kurt Vonnegut’s estate files lawsuit to challenge Utah book ban law. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  The author Kurt Vonnegut’s estate has sued to challenge a Utah law that allows school districts to ban books from their libraries. Supporters of the law say it keeps pornography out of schools. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Links to nine reports: from Agence France-Presse, Le Figaro, the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye, to commentary via Middle East Eye, and to an analysis from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-26-26 and LEBANON, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  U.S. mulls ‘precision strikes’ on Iranian leaders amid military buildup: report. From the Cradle. Washington is mulling “precision strikes” on “high-value” Iranian officials and military leaders whom the U.S. holds responsible for the “deaths of protesters,” a Gulf source told Middle East Eye on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s neighbors will be considered ‘hostile’ if territory used to launch attack: IRGC. From AFP. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander warns that neighboring countries will be “considered hostile” if their “soil, sky, or waters” are used to attack Iran, after a U.S. carrier group arrived in Middle Eastern waters. READ MORE . . . Click HERE later for AFP (with Le Figaro) report in French, and HERE for others.

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NOTE: It is worth reading all three of the report just below and considering what each includes and doesn’t.

U.S. aircraft carrier enters Middle East region as Iran warns against attack. From AFP. WASHINGTON — A U.S. naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the U.S. said on Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests. READ MORE . . . Click HERE later for Jan. 26 report from the Cradle, and HERE  for one from AP.

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Iran welcomes any process to prevent war, president tells Saudi crown prince in phone call, by Jaidaa Taha, Menna El-Din and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters  Iranian President ‌Masoud Pezeshkian ​told ‍Saudi Crown ​Prince Mohammed ​bin Salman ⁠in a phone call ‌that Tehran always ​welcomes ‌any ‍process, within the ⁠framework of international law, ​that prevents war, Iranian media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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Activists say Iran’s crackdown has killed at least 6,159 people, as the country’s currency plunges, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has killed at least 6,159 people while many others still are feared dead, activists said today, as a U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East to lead any American military response to the crisis. Iran’s currency, the rial, meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Turkey plans buffer zone if Iran government falls, by Ragip Soylu | Middle East Eye  Turkey is planning to establish a buffer zone on the Iranian side of the border if a worst-case scenario unfolds and the government in Tehran collapses. READ MORE . . .

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For Iran, another U.S.–Israeli attack would be an ‘existential war,‘ by Seyed Hossein Mousavian | Middle East Eye  Iran is facing a crisis unlike any it has seen in decades. Between domestic unrest, economic instability and heightened tensions with the U.S. and Israel, Tehran is navigating a perilous landscape with profound regional and global implications. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN.  22  Iran: The Eurasian lock, by Abbas al-Zein | The Cradle  In the corridors of U.S. strategic decision-making, Iran is no longer treated as a discrete regional file. Dealing with Tehran has become inseparable from great-power competition itself. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 1-26-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israel kills Lebanese journalist Ali Noureddine. From the Cradle. Lebanese journalist for the Al Manar outlet, Ali Noureddine, was assassinated in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon’s Tyre district on Monday, bringing the number of journalists killed by Israel in Lebanon since October 2023 up to 20. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-26-26, and up or down for IRAN, LEBANON, UKRAINE, and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Hamas seeks role for its police in Gaza ahead of disarmament talks, sources say, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  CAIRO — Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, sources say, a demand likely to be opposed by Israel as the militant group debates whether to surrender its arms. READ MORE . . .

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Links to three reports: from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-26-26, and up or down for IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 6. From AFP. Russian air attacks killed at least six people and wounded dozens of others across Ukraine today, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the latest bombardment undermined ongoing peace negotiations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier AFP report in French, and HERE and HERE for others in English and French.

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Russian drones kill 2 and wound children in Ukraine as Zelenskyy urges speedier diplomacy, by Kamila Hrabchek | AP  KYIV — The heavy Russian drone bombardment of Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa involved more than 50 drones, some of them models recently upgraded by Russia to improve their range and strike power, Ukrainian officials said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Links to three reports and a video: from the Cradle, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and the Cordoba Foundation; the video is of an author’s talk and is accompanied by a related news release; other published material is accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-26-26. Scroll up for IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE.)

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Israel kills Lebanese journalist Ali Noureddine. From the Cradle. Lebanese journalist for the Al Manar outlet, Ali Noureddine, was assassinated in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon’s Tyre district on Monday, bringing the number of journalists killed by Israel in Lebanon since October 2023 up to 20. READ MORE . . .

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France has right to ban social media for under-15s, EU says. From AFP. France has the right to ban social media for under-15s as proposed in a bill passed by its lower house of parliament, though enforcement would lie with the EU, the European Commission said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

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French lawmakers approve bill banning social media for children under 15, by Samuel Petrequin | AP  PARIS — French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to enter into force at the start of the next school year in September, as the idea of setting a minimum age for use of the platforms gains momentum across Europe. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 11, 2024  Lobbying for Zionism on both sides of the Atlantic, by Ilan Pappé. The author talks about his 2024 book on the growth and political power of Zionism from the turn of the 20th century to the present, the resulting creation of the Jewish state of Israel and displacement of Palestinians from Palestine, He spoke at a gathering sponsored by the Cordoba Foundation. Click HERE for YouTube video of talk, and HERE for news release.

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 1-22-26, and up or down for IRAN, UKRAINE, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Lebanon files UN complaint over Israel’s uninterrupted ceasefire violations.  From the Cradle. The Lebanese government has filed a complaint at the UN regarding Israel’s continuous ceasefire violations and attacks against the country, noting over 2,000 breaches in the last three months of last year alone. READ MORE . . .

Links to two reports: from the Cradle and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-25-26, and up or down for LEBANON, UKRAINE, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM JAN, 25  Israeli army, CENTCOM chiefs hold ‘extended meeting’ amid threats of war on Iran. From the Cradle. The head of U.S. Central Command Brad Cooper met with Israeli army chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Saturday, their second meeting in just a few weeks – which comes amid regional concerns of a new war against Iran. READ MORE . . .

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2 Iranian-backed militias signal will to attack as Iran-U.S. tensions high, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Two Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast are signaling their willingness to launch new attacks, likely trying to back Iran today as it worried about an approaching U.S. aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump threatened military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests. READ MORE . . .

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A  link to a report from the Associated Press, followed by a note linking to four other websites; others links are accessible by clicking on AP’s initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-25-26, and up or down for LEBANON, IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Talks with U.S. and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi were constructive but major challenges remain, Kremlin says. From AP. Negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are yielding apparent signs of progress, but major challenges remain on the path to a final settlement, a senior Kremlin official said today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.