Links to five reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-2-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, LEBANON, IRAN and UKRAINE.) — MCM

Israel withholds hundreds of Palestinian bodies as ‘bargaining chips’: report. From the Cradle. Israeli authorities are withholding the bodies of at least 766 identified Palestinians, nearly half of whom have been held since October 2023, despite no Israeli captives remaining inside the Gaza Strip, according to a report published by WAFA on Jan. 27, citing the National Campaign for the Recovery of Martyrs’ Bodies and Disclosing the Fate of the Missing. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians line up to cross Rafah after rocky first day of reopening of Gaza-Egypt border crossing, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Palestinians gathered today on both sides of Gaza’s border with Egypt, hoping to get through the Rafah crossing after its reopening the previous day was marred by delays and uncertainty over who would be allowed to cross. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and the Cradle.

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FROM FEB. 2  UAE denies reports alleging Emirati ‘take over’ of Gaza. From the Cradle. The government of the United Arab Emirates denied in a statement on Monday the reports that Abu Dhabi is in talks with Tel Aviv to take over civil administration in the Gaza Strip, calling it “unfounded.” READ MORE . . .

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Links to four reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-2-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Iran’s president seeks ‘fair and equitable negotiations’ with the United States, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s president said today he instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States, the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate amid high tensions with Washington after the Mideast country’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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‘No nuclear program, no ballistic missiles, no support for resistance’: Israel sets red lines ahead of Iran–U.S. talks. From the Cradle. Israel is pushing the U.S. to maintain the “three no’s” in upcoming talks with Iran, Israeli media reported — referring to the demand that Tehran end enrichment and give up its nuclear program, end its ballistic missile program, and halt support for resistance groups in the region. READ MORE . . .

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Turkey says location of Iran-U.S. meeting still unknown, by Ragip Soylu and Oscar Rickett | Middle East Eye  ANKARA —  A meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Friday might now be held outside Turkey, according to Turkish officials. READ MORE . . .

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Voices from Iran: Women defy fear in the face of brutal crackdown. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Over the past few weeks, an NPR producer reached out to several people in Iran to tell their story. People were terrified by the brutal government crackdown and wouldn’t allow us to record their voices. Eventually, three women agreed. Click HERE to listen and read.

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A link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-2-26. Scroll up for WEST BANK, LEBANON, GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and missiles a day before planned peace talks, by Kamila Hrabchuk | AP  KYIV — Russia carried out a major attack on Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, as representatives of the two countries were due to attend U.S.-brokered talks on Wednesday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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A link to a report from Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-30-26 and IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON, VENEZUELA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Russia accelerated Ukraine advances in January: analysis. From AFP. PARIS — Russian forces advanced 430 square kilometres into Ukrainian territory in January and are headed towards the logistics hub of Pokrovsk, according to an AFP analysis of data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-1-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, GAZA, LEBANON, VENEZUELA, and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest Revolutionary Guard being listed as a terror group, by Jon Gambrell and Suzan Fraser | AP  DUBAI — Iran said today it had summoned all of the European Union’s ambassadors in the country to protest the bloc’s listing of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terror group. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran warns U.S. attack would spark regional war. What’s next for the country? Reported by A Martínez | NPR  After President Trump sent an armada to the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned a U.S. attack would spark regional war. The International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez talks about what’s next. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-1-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, LEBANON, VENEZUELA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Gaza’s border crossing to Egypt reopens in a key step for truce but few Palestinians can cross, by Samy Magdy and Josef Federman | AP  CAIRO — Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened today for limited traffic, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire but a mostly symbolic one as few people will be allowed to travel in either direction and no goods will pass through. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others, and HERE for a report from NPR.

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A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 1-27-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, VENEZUELA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 1  With Iran in turmoil, the U.S. pressures Lebanon’s Hezbollah to disarm. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Hezbollah is being squeezed in Lebanon as Iran’s economic crisis limits support, and the U.S. presses Beirut to force the group to disarm while Israel keeps bombarding Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-30-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM FEB.1  What does normal look like in Caracas one month after the Maduro operation? Reported by Menuel Rueda and Sarah McCammon | NPR  Nearly a month after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro, Caracas is settling into an uneasy normal, with major changes and lingering questions about what lasts and what comes next. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to a song by Bill Withers from Eric Records and Tommy Boy Records via YouTube; info about them may be accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-30-26. Scroll up for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 1972  ‘Lean on Me,’ by Bill Withers, with Benorce Blackmon, Raymond Jackson, Melvin Dunlap and James Gadson | Eric Records  Single version of Withers’s 1972 hit. Click HERE for it, and HERE for a 1987 version by Club Nouveau from Tommy Boy Records via YouTube.

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Links to five reports: from Middle East Eye, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; and to an advertisement from Uniq Rugs; other published material or at least headlines accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-31-26 and GAZA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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Khamenei warns of ‘regional war’ if U.S. attacks Iran. From Middle East Eye. Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned today of a “regional war” if the United States attacked after Washington’s recent military build-up in the Gulf. READ MORE . . .

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Khamenei says recent ant-government protests akin to ‘coup.’ From AFP. The rioters “attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Koran,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today. “The coup was suppressed.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Trump has sent an armada of ships to Iran. What are the implications of a regional war? Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Mehrzad Boroujerdi of the Missouri University of Science and Technology about the path ahead for Iran as President Trump threatens new strikes there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 30  Iran is ready for talks with the U.S., but there are no plans yet, foreign minister says, by Mehmet Guzel | AP  ISTANBUL — Iran is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions with the United States but that there are no concrete plans for talks with Washington, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday, even as Tehran faces . . . Click HERE for report including a map . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 30. How U.S. sanctions and external threats destroyed Iran’s economy, by Yasmine El-Sabawi | Middle East Eye  U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made the Trump administration’s sanctions policy clear in March 2025, when he spoke to the New York Economic Club and said the goal is “making Iran broke again.” READ MORE . . .

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