First, links to three reports: from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-12-25.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 12  Israel says it has killed a top Hamas commander in Gaza. From AP. JERUSALEM — This after an explosive device detonated and wounded two soldiers in the territory’s south, Israel said on Saturday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish.  Click HERE for Dec. 13 report from the Cradle.

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FROM DEC. 11  U.S. blocks European diplomats from Gaza coordination center under Israeli pressure: report. From the Cradle. The U.S. has blocked senior European envoys accredited to the Palestinian Authority from entering the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat outside the Gaza border under Israeli pressure, Haaretz reported on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Anadolu Ajansi, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-10-25, and for today’s WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S., Syrian soldiers wounded as shots fired at delegation: state media. From AFP. Several Syrian and American soldiers were wounded when shots were fired at a joint military delegation in Palmyra in central Syria today, state media said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.   Click HERE for report from Anadolu in French, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 12  Old divides in a new Syria. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  One year after the ousting of the Assad regime, some of the first Syrian revolutionaries return to their homes and try to start their lives again. But new divisions and old animosities still fester. Click HERE to listen and read.

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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 WEST BANK 12-9-25, and up or down for today‘s SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 12  Israeli troops are killing unarmed Palestinians in West Bank operations. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  A wife in the West Bank city of Nablus grieves her husband who was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers after he appeared to surrender. An Israeli human rights group weighs in. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to five reports: from Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-12-25, and up or down for today’s SYRIA, WEST BANK and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Russia says hit Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. From AFP. Russia said today it hit Ukrainian industrial and energy facilities overnight with hypersonic missiles in what it called a retaliation attack for Ukrainian strikes on “civilian targets” in Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for longer AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for report from Tass.

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FROM DEC. 12  The latest in Ukraine peace talks and war-time elections. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Europe and Ukraine offer counterproposals to the White House’s Kremlin-friendly plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, Ukraine’s president explores holding wartime elections on ceding territory. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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An international relations expert explains U.S.-Europe political split over Ukraine war. Rob Schmitz of NPR talks with Nathalie Tocci from Johns Hopkins University about what’s fueling political divisions between the U.S. and Europe over how to end the Ukraine war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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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 12-11-25, and scroll up for today’s SYRIA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 12  Dick Van Dyke is turning 100! Here’s how he danced into our lives. Reported by Bob Mondello | NPR  Comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke danced across rooftops more than 60 years ago in Mary Poppins. And he danced barefoot across his backyard last year in “All My Love,” a Coldplay video that went viral on his 99th birthday. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

* A NOTE on access is at the bottom of this page.

First, links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-6-25 and for GAZA and UKRAINE so far today.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon in new escalation. From the Cradle. The Israeli army carried out heavy attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon on 12 December, claiming in a statement that it struck Hezbollah military infrastructure and a “training camp.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 11  Hezbollah attends conference in Turkiye as Ankara ‘mediates’ between Syria, Lebanese resistance. From the Cradle. Ammar al-Moussawi, a Hezbollah member of Parliament and head of the Lebanese resistance’s international relations department, participated in a conference in Turkiye over the weekend. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to entries on this website do not appear on some browsers or computers until hours or even a day or more after they are posted, even after visitors “refresh” by clicking on the little circular arrow at top of screen. If you sense what you are reading is a bit stale, please try switching browsers or computers. Or return another time. Thank you.

* A NOTE on access is at the bottom of this page.

For now, links to four reports: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; and to two articles of commentary: from Middle East Eye, and from Jonathan-Cook-net via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-11-25 and scroll up or down for LEBANON and UKRAINE so far today.) — MCM

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Death toll from storm rises to 14. From Middle East Eye. Wafa news reports that at least 14 Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours from plummeting temperatures and collapsing buildings amid Storm Byron in Gaza — including at least three children who died from hypothermia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for longer earlier Middle East Eye report, and HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM DEC. 11  Severe storm drenches families without shelter in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  A severe winter storm makes landfall in Gaza, drenching families and makeshift tents as aid groups say Israel’s impeding shelter supplies. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 11  Storm Byron brings a new catastrophic chapter to Gaza — while Israel is safe and dry, by Lubna Masarwa | Middle East Eye  When Storm Byron first appeared on weather maps, Israelis were inundated with safety instructions: secure your windows, park cars away from trees, have emergency numbers at hand. For over a week, the media’s main preoccupation . . .READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s biggest con, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-cook.net / Consortium News  The biggest con trick Israel has managed to pull off over the past two years is imposing entirely phoney parameters on a “debate” in the West about the credibility of the death toll in Gaza, now officially standing at just over 70,000. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to entries on this website do not appear on some browsers or computers until hours or even a day or more after they are posted, even after visitors “refresh” by clicking on the little circular arrow at top of screen. If you sense what you are reading is a bit stale, please try switching browsers or computers. Or return another time. Thank you.

* A NOTE on access is at the bottom of this page.

For now, links to eleven reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, Kyiv Post, Le Monde, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-11-25, and scroll up for LEBANON and GAZA so far today.) — MCM

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Ukraine says recaptured 2 settlements in northeastern Kharkiv region. From AFP. Ukraine said today it had retaken two settlements in the northern Kharkiv region and pushed Russian troops back in Kupiansk, a key railway hub that Russia claimed to have seized last month. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for shorter version of same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Casualties in Tver, 90 drones: aftermath of overnight attack on Russian regions. From Tass. MOSCOW — Air defense forces shot down 90 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the Russian Regions during the past night, the Russian defense ministry said today in a statement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine denies Donbas ‘buffer zone’ deal, calls talks ‘theoretical,’ by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  The Presidential Office today denied reports of an agreed Donbas buffer zone, saying the discussions are “theoretical” and no decisions have been made. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for beginning of earlier Le Monde / Le Monde report in English and in French.

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Zelenskyy wants Ukrainians to have a say in the talks to end the war with Russia. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Michel Martin | NPR  Ukraine’s president says he will look into changing the constitution to hold wartime elections or a referendum on ceding territory to Russia amid ongoing peace talks to end the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Kremlin aide says all of Donbass is Russian territory. From Tass. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — “Donbass is Russian,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said today, citing a provision in the Russian Constitution. “All of Donbass is Russian.” On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the question of territory as part of a peace plan . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for related report from Kyiv Post and later one from AP.

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Former National Security Council official on the current state of the war in Ukraine. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman about the current state of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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EU set to lock up Russia’s frozen assets so Hungary and Slovakia can’t veto their use for Ukraine, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — The European Union is expected on Friday to lock up Russia’s assets held in Europe until it gives up its war in Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to entries on this website do not appear on some browsers or computers until hours or even a day or more after they are posted, even after visitors “refresh” by clicking on the little circular arrow at top of screen. If you sense what you are reading is a bit stale, please try switching browsers or computers. Or return another time. Thank you.

For today, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-10-25, and for UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Winter storm rips through Gaza, exposing failure to deliver enough aid to territory, by Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Rains drenched Gaza’s tent camps and dropping temperatures chilled Palestinians huddling inside them today as winter storm Byron descended on the war-battered territory. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others, and HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM DEC. 10  Gaza officials reveal nearly 400 Palestinians killed since October in over 700 Israeli ceasefire violations. From the Cradle. Israel has carried out at least 738 violations of the Gaza ceasefire, killing nearly 400 people since October, the Government Media Office in the strip said in a report released on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports: from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-10-25 and up or down for GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM 

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U.S. proposing no-troop ‘free economic zone’ in eastern Ukraine: Zelensky. From AFP. The United States is pushing for a demilitarised “free economic zone” between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the east of the country as part of a settlement to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for longer AFP version of AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Ukraine hits Russian oil rig in Caspian Sea for first time, official says. From Reuters. Ukrainian aerial drones struck a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first time today, halting production at the facility owned by Lukoil, according to an official from Ukraine’s Security Service. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Overnight Ukrainian drone attacks target chemical plants, disrupt Moscow airports. From the Moscow Times. Russian forces shot down 287 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of the highest single-night totals since the war began, the Defense Ministry and officials said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Russian troops liberate Liman community in Kharkov Region — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Liman in the Kharkov Region over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. presses Ukraine, not Russia, to pull back troops for proposed Donbas buffer zone: FT, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  The Financial Times cited a Ukrainian official concerning the proposed pullback of troops in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts near the eastern border of a potential demilitarized zone. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy will hold urgent talks with 30 countries as Trump pushes for swift peace deal with Russia, by Illia Novikov | AP   KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold urgent talks today with leaders and officials from about 30 countries that support Kyiv’s efforts to obtain fair terms for halting nearly four years of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Lavrov talks security guarantees and negotiations with US at a roundtable with ambassadors. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian side has submitted additional proposals regarding collective security guarantees to the United States, Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a roundtable discussion on Ukraine with ambassadors. READ MORE . . .

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