For today, links to reports from Reuters and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, commentary from Al Jazeera. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Six Ukrainian children to be returned from Russia through Qatari mediation, by Andrew Mills and Max Hunder | Reuters  DOHA / KYIV — Six Ukrainian children will be returned to Ukraine from Russia under a deal brokered by Qatar, a Qatari official said today, with a source involved in organising the returns saying they had been staying with relatives in Russia or Russian-occupied territory. The children are en route . . . READ MORE . . .

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Slovak truckers interrupt Ukraine border blockade, mull next steps. From Reuters. Slovak truckers interrupted a blockade of the country’s sole freight border crossing with Ukraine on Monday night after four days, but remain on alert and will decide on further steps later today, the chief of a hauliers’ association said. Slovak truckers have joined Polish peers in blocking some border crossings with Ukraine, demanding the reinstatement of . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian arms depot near Kherson over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian arms depot near Kherson over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. And in the Kupyansk and Kharkov . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s war effort could sputter out, as U.S., EU delay funds, by John Psaropoulos | Al Jazeera  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressed three wishes last month: he sought $61.4bn in funding from Washington for Ukraine’s war effort next year, $20.5bn from the European Union, and an EU invitation to start membership talks. Zelenskyy asked . . . READ MORE . . .