Links to three reports: from the Associated Press and Agence-France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 1-22-26, and up or down for WEST BANK (restored), IRAN, VENEZUELA, WEST BANK (temporarily erased), GAZA, and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Putin hosts Syria’s interim leader for talks, with Russian military bases on the agenda, by Vladimir Ischenkov | AP  MOSCOW — Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow today for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AFP, and HERE and HERE for others in English or French.

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FROM JAN. 27  Russian forces begin pulling out of bases in northeast Syria, by Hogir al Abdo | AP  QAMISHLI, Syria  — Russian forces have begun pulling out of positions in northeast Syria in an area still controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the group lost most of its territory in an offensive by government forces. READ MORE . . .