Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, links to five reports: from Anadolu Ajansi, the Cradle, the Associated Press and National Public Radio, and to an article of commentary; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-22-25  and for up or down MEDIA, LEBANON and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Israel ‘will never leave’ Gaza Strip, defense minister says, by Fekry Abdeen and Lina Altawell | Anadolu   ISTANBUL — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz today renewed his pledge that Tel Aviv “will never leave” the Gaza Strip, vowing to create a broad security zone around the Palestinian enclave and allow settlement building in the territory’s north. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same Anadolu report in French, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM DEC. 24  A blast in Gaza wounds a soldier and Israel accuses Hamas of ceasefire violation, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — An explosive device detonated in Gaza on Wednesday, injuring one Israeli soldier and prompting Israel to accuse Hamas of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. It was the latest incident to threaten the tenuous truce that has held since Oct. 10 as each side . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 21  An American doctor describes volunteering in Gaza. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  An American doctor journals her daily life as a volunteer in al-Shifa hospital, which was once Gaza’s largest medical facility. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Pope Leo XIV calls for a ceasefire in all conflicts in first Christmas Mass. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square as Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass and called for a ceasefire in all conflicts this Christmas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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What it’s like to survive in Gaza when your children are killed, by Ahmed Abu Artema | Middle East Eye  For a mother, the death of a child is a heartbreak that lasts a lifetime. In Gaza, it has reached an unprecedented and unimaginable scale. Death has not come one by one. READ MORE . . .

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Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, links to five reports: from National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-22-25, and scroll up for MEDIA, LEBANON and GAZA.) — MCM

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Pope Leo XIV calls for a ceasefire in all conflicts in first Christmas Mass. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square as Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass and called for a ceasefire in all conflicts this Christmas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE and HERE for report from AFP / AFP in English and French.

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Ukrainian drone attacks spark blazes at seaport and oil refinery in southern Russia. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian drone strikes sparked fires at a seaside fuel storage facility and an oil refinery in southern Russia, local authorities said today, as other regions across the country reported downing dozens of unmanned aircraft. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 24  Zelenskyy says he’s open to creating demilitarized zone in Ukraine’s industrial heartland, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 24  Zelenskyy says he’s open to pull back troops if Russia does too. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukraine’s president says he open to pulling troops back from parts of the east if Russia also pulls back its forces. Click HERE to listen and read.

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This will be today’s only entry. And it’s late and brief to boot. — MCM

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Holiday busy-ness and other craziness cuts into blog’s publication, by Mark Channing Miller | x-ma911truthwalk.com  For the first time in a long while, a day will pass without new entries on GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE, LEBANON, SYRIA, IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, or COVID ETC., and only this one for MEDIA. Fortunately, regular or occasional visitors may welcome a respite. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow, Dec. 24, I’ll again link to the work of journalists who try to shed light on some of what’s going on. Meanwhile, newcomers can scroll down and click on some links to get an idea of what I’ve been trying to relay — to expand, however meagerly, these people’s readership and watchership and listenership.

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, a link to a report Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-21-25 and for LEBANON, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Gaza fishermen risk everything at sea, by Maha Hussaini and Mohammed al-Hajjar | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY / NUSEIRAT — The Palestinian Fishermen Syndicate says the Israeli military has killed at least 230 Palestinian fishermen since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza Oct. 7, 2023. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, links to two reports: from Reuters and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-18-25, and up or down for GAZA, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli strike on vehicle near Sidon in Lebanon kills 3. From Reuters. BEIRUT — Lebanese state media reported three people killed in an air strike near Sidon that Israel said had targeted Hezbollah operatives today, days ahead of a deadline for Lebanon’s army to disarm the group near the border. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE and HERE for report from AFP / AFP in English and French.

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, a link to a report from Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-20-25, and up or down for GAZA, LEBANON, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Assad’s prisons emptied by Syria fill up again as abuse spreads. From Reuters. Prisons and lockups that jailed tens of thousands of people during Assad’s rule are now crowded with Syrians detained by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s security forces and held without formal charges, a Reuters investigation has found. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Anadolu Ajansi, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-21-25, and up or down for GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Car bomb kills Russian general in Moscow. From AP. MOSCOW — A car bomb killed a Russian general today, the third such killing of a senior military officer in a year. Investigators said Ukraine may be behind the attack. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for report from Anadolu / Anadolu in English and French.

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Russia says ‘slow progress’ in talks with U.S. on Ukraine. From AFP. Moscow today said there was “slow progress” in its talks with the United States over a plan to end the war in Ukraine, following weekend negotiations in Miami that failed to break the deadlock. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Ukraine is leveraging its powerful – and cheap – new drone killers for air defense, by Dmytro Zhyinas. Derek Gatopoutor and Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP  Nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure have forced Kyiv to rewrite the air defense rule book and develop cut-price drone killers costing as little as $1,000. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 21  European leaders lock in Ukraine funding amid renewed peace efforts. Reported by Henry Larson, Miles Parks and Ahmad Damen | NPR  The European Union’s ambassador to the U.S. argues that Europe’s latest financing move strengthens Ukraine’s hand at a fragile moment in peace negotiations. Click HERE to listen and read.

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-21-25, and scroll up for GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 21  What makes a great ‘Scrooge’? Reported by Miles Parks, Elena Burnett and Barrie Hardymon | NPR  Burnett and Hardymon talk about why Ebenezer Scrooge keeps returning to the screen, and what makes a great Christmas Carol adaptation endure. Click HERE to listen and read.

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM

For today, links to four reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-20-25 and for WEST BANK, SYRIA, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ukraine battles an attempted Russian breakthrough in border region. From AFP. The Ukrainian army was battling an attempted Russian breakthrough in the Sumy region, it said on Sunday, following reports that Moscow forcibly moved 50 people from a border village there. READ MORE in English.  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Putin’s readiness to speak with Macron ‘welcome’: French presidency. From AFP. The French presidency today welcomed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to speak with Emmanuel Macron, after the French leader said Europe should reach out to Russia again over ending the war in Ukraine. READ MORE in English. . . Click HERE for headlines of same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

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Russia says talks on U.S. peace plan for Ukraine ‘proceeding constructively.’ From AP. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Saturday that peace talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on “constructively” in Florida, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they were moving “quickly.” READ MORE in English. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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For today, link to three reports: from the Associated Press, Anadolu, and Middle East Eye, the second including video via YouTube; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-19-25 and up or down for SYRIA, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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