For today, some words from the psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck (1936 – 2005), first in English as he wrote them in The Road Less Traveled, and then in two other Western languages, Spanish and French. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)– MCM

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A life of total dedication to the truth also means a life of willingness to be personally challenged. Accepting and even welcoming challenges to our maps of reality allow us to grow in wisdom and effectiveness. – M. Scott Peck

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Una vida de dedicacción total a la verdad es, en suma, una vida de disposición a ser retado personalmente. Aceptar y hasta acoger bien la oposición a nuestras mapas de realidad nos permitan a crecer en sabiduría y eficacia. – M. Scott Peck

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Une vie de complet dévouement à la vérité siginifie aussi une vie de bonne volonté d’être défié personnellement. Accepter y même accueillir avec plaisir les défis à nos cartes de réalité permettent que nous croissent en sagesse et efficacité. – M. Scott Peck

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for today and a PECK entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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As Israel resumes bombing in the north, thousands of Gazans face desperate conditions. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR  Southern Gaza has seen the heaviest fighting over the past few weeks. But bombing has restarted in the north and the humanitarian situation has worsened there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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How do you think about a future when you’re trying to survive the war in Gaza? Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Palestinian humanitarian Mahmoud Shalabi about resuming work in the north of Gaza, and his hopes for the future. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 31  Top US diplomat set to return to the Mideast for 5th time since Gaza conflict began, by Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East later this week on his fifth urgent diplomatic mission since Israel’s war with Hamas began in October, the White House and a State Department official said Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli PM says UN agency for Palestinians must close, Israeli warplanes strike Gaza, by Henriette Chacar, Mohammad Salem and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM / GAZA / DOHA — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday for the closure of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency as his forces conducted more air strikes in Gaza amid diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the enclave. Israel has accused . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a PECK entry are HERE. and HERE.) — MCM

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Tensions between Ukraine’s president and a top general have boiled over. Reported by Leila Fadel and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  There is growing tension between Ukraine’s president and his military chief of staff. If that general loses his job, Ukrainian society could be divided at a crucial time. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukraine says destroyed Russian missile boat near occupied Crimea. From the Moscow Times. Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate said today its special forces had destroyed a Russian warship off the coast of occupied Ukraine using a group of waterborne drones. It said the Ivanovets missile corvette was patrolling the Black Sea near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea. READ MORE . . .

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About 45 Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod Region recorded in 24-hour span, governor says. From Tass. MOSCOW — Around 45 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian armed forces attacked the Belgorod Region over the past 24 hours, with over 40 shells fired at the borderline region’s towns and villages, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. As a result, a man was injured and four houses, two infrastructure . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin vows to make military gains in Ukraine as he meets with his campaign staff, by Vladimir Isachenkov | AP  MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin vowed Wednesday to push back Ukrainian forces to reduce the threat of attacks on Russian territory as he met with activists running his campaign ahead of the March presidential election. Asked  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky says aid deal demonstrates ‘strong EU unity.’ From AFP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today hailed a deal reached by the European Union to supply Kyiv with 50 billion euros in aid that was initially blocked by Hungary. “It is . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 31  World Court dismisses much of Ukraine’s case against Russia, by Stephanie van den Berg | Reuters  THE HAGUE — Judges at the top U.N. court on Wednesday found that Russia violated elements of a U.N. anti-terrorism treaty, but declined to rule on allegations brought by Kyiv that Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Consortium News and Scheer Post; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel pounds Gaza, regional tensions high as Hamas studies ceasefire proposal, by Mohammed Salem and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters   GAZA / DOHA —Israeli forces pounded areas in northern and southern Gaza today after Hamas said it had received and was studying a new proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave. The . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli forces dressed as civilian women and medics kill 3 militants in a West Bank hospital, by Aref Tufaha, Melanie Lidman and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  JENIN, West Bank — Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medics stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in a dramatic raid that . . . READ MORE . . .

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How close is Qatar to negotiating an end to the fighting between Hamas and Israel? Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani about brokering a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, and an exchange of hostages and prisoners. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A Palestinian journalist shares her vision for a post-war Gaza. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad about reporting on the war in Gaza, and her hopes for the future. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hamas’s official account, etc. – Part 1, by As`ad AbuKhalil | Consortium News  Last week, the Information Office of Hamas issued a special document titled “This is our account: Why the Aqsa Deluge.” In it, the movement explains in detail its motives and goals for the operation. The document is not likely to get Western . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Palestinians won in the Hague: So did the rest of us, by Patrick Lawrence | Scheer Post / Popular Resistance  Half a dozen years ago I sat in the lobby lounge at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan talking at length with Richard Falk, the scholar, lawyer, U.N. rapporteur, and advocate of Palestinian rights. Falk has long been a recognized authority on . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of POWs. From AFP. The exchange occurred today, just a week after Moscow said Kyiv had shot down a plane carrying dozens of captured Ukrainian soldiers. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 195 of its soldiers were freed, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 207 people — both soldiers and civilians — had returned to Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskiy set to replace Ukraine’s top commander Zaluzhny — FT. From Reuters.  Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is preparing to replace top commander Valery Zaluzhny in what would be the biggest shake-up of its military brass during Russia’s almost two-year-old invasion, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Zelenskiy offered Valeriy . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says Russia not handing over alleged POWs’ bodies from crashed plane. From Reuters.  A Ukrainian military spy official said on Tuesday that Russia was showing no willingness to return the bodies of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war Moscow says died in a military plane crash in Belgorod region last week. Kyiv has said Moscow . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin says U.S. Patriot missile used to shoot down POW plane. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that a U.S.-made Patriot missile was used to shoot down a plane that Moscow says was carrying captured Ukrainian soldiers. A Russian Il-76 cargo plane crashed on Jan. 24 with Russian authorities saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine stages new drone attack on Russian oil refinery: Kyiv source. From AFP. Ukraine carried out another drone attack on an oil facility deep inside Russian territory, a military intelligence source in Kyiv told AFP today. Kyiv has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Germany’s Scholz vows to ‘do all’ to secure ‘huge’ EU aid to Ukraine. From AFP. “We will do everything,” Chancellor Olaf Schotz said to the German parliament today, “to ensure that the joint contribution from Europe is so huge that Ukraine can build on it and that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s drone operators race into the future, mostly with overclocked copters, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post Over the past 23 months, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, hobby drones have gone from a nice-to-have combat tool operated mostly by geeks and usable only for short-range reconnaissance, into a weapons system so critical that deployment of an AFU combat brigade without a dedicated drone unit would be considered . . . READ MORE . . .

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These are the most important Russian ships destroyed by Ukraine, by Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  One of the most unexpected developments of the full-scale invasion was how many big, expensive Russian ships were taken out by Ukraine, a country that technically has no navy. Around 20% of Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been destroyed as of December 2023, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.)— MCM

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Netanyaku rules out releasing ‘thoursands of terrorists’ in a Gaza truce, by Abbie Cheeseman | AFP  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and free thousands of Palestinian prisoners from its jails in order to secure a ceasefire. Despite widespread media reports . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. suspends aid to Palestinian refugee agency. Norway is still sending money. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide about why Norway hasn’t suspended aid to a U.N. agency, when some staff is accused of participating in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 29  UNRWA loses funding after charges that some employees took part in Hamas attack. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Some countries have paused funding to a UN agency that looks after Palestinian refugees after Israel provided evidence that it said showed Palestinian employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JAN. 29  Israeli and Palestinian radio stations broadcast messages for locked up loved ones. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  An Israeli radio station is airing messages and songs to hostages in Gaza, while a Palestinian station broadcasts families’ voice messages to relatives held in Israeli prisons. Click HERE to listen and read.

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A Palestinian is killed while with a group waving a white flag. Israel says it will look into it, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s military announced it would review the shooting of a Palestinian man who was killed in the Gaza Strip while walking in a group of people waving a white flag, saying footage of the episode raised concerns of possible . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from the Moscow Times, Tass, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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‘External impact’ caused Russian military plane crash – Tass. From the Moscow Times.  Information recovered from the “black boxes” of the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed near the border with Ukraine last week indicates the aircraft was shot down, the state-run news agency TASS reported today, citing an anonymous security agency source. “The data from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces improve positions in Donetsk area in past day — Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian Armed Forces improved their positions in the Donetsk area in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said. “In the Donetsk area, units of Battlegroup South, backed by aircraft, artillery forces . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine downs Russian Su-34 fighter jet over Luhansk Region. From Kyiv Post. A Russian Su-34 fighter jet was shot down on Monday over the eastern Luhansk region, Ukraine’s military has reported. The aircraft was listed on the daily . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv denies Russia captured village in Kharkiv Oblast, by Daria Shulzhenko and the news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian military has denied 29 Russia’s claims about the capture of Tabaivka, a small destroyed village in Kharkiv Oblast, about 20 kilometers southeast of Kupiansk. “The enemy claims . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian woman looks back on the Russian missile attack that changed her life. Reported by Elissa Nadworny | NPR  London art student Svitlana Dolbysheva was back in Ukraine for the holidays working for a foreign TV crew in Kharkiv when a Russian missile hit the hotel where she was staying. She was badly injured. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Deal is in the works to release Israeli hostages and for a pause in fighting in Gaza. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israel says there are still differences between the sides on what the deal should look like. This comes nearly four months into the war, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza getting worse. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Biden says U.S. ‘shall respond’ after drone strike by Iran-backed group kills 3 U.S. troops in Jordan, by Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor | AP  COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after . . . READ MORE . . .

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President Biden vows to respond to the deadly drone attack in Jordan. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Jane Arraf | NPR  A drone attack over the weekend that killed three U.S. soldiers at a remote base in Jordan was attributed to Iran-backed militias. President Biden says the U.S. “shall respond” to the attack. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Israeli settlers hold conference on resettlement in Gaza. From Reuters. Hundreds of members of the Israeli settler community gathered for a convention in Jerusalem on Sunday to call for Israel to rebuild settlements in Gaza and the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005 after . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Moscow Times and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Drone strike targets oil refinery in central Russia’s Yaroslavl Region. From the Moscow Times. An attempted drone strike against an oil refinery deep within Russia was thwarted this morning, according to regional authorities. “The Slavneft-Yanos refinery’s electronic warfare system prevented . . .READ MORE . . .

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Hungarian foreign minister visits Ukraine before EU summit on aid package. From Reuters.  KYIV — Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto arrived in Ukraine for talks with senior officials today, days before a European Union summit that will seek agreement on a financial aid package that has been held up by Budapest. Szijjarto’s talks . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 27  Several nations pause funding to UNRWA over alleged staff involvement in Hamas attack. Reported by Geoff Brumfiel | NPR  The U.N. agency charged with providing relief to Palestinians has fired several employees over their alleged involvement in the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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UN chief calls on countries to resume funding Gaza aid agency after allegations of militant ties, by Najib Jobain and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Gutierrez, today called on countries to continue funding the main agency providing aid in Gaza after several of its employees were accused of taking part . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN urges countries to reverse funding pause for Palestinian agency. From Reuters. DOHA / GENEVA — UN officials and aid groups called for countries to reconsider their decision to pause funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians on Sunday, warning that its life-saving aid for some two million people in Gaza was in jeopardy. At least nine countries have paused . . . READ MORE . . .

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A peace initiative is the latest casualty of Israeli military raids in the West Bank. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  The Jenin Freedom Theatre was ransacked by Israeli soldiers, its staff thrown in jail. Once celebrated as a peace initiative, it’s the latest casualty of near-daily military raids on the West Bank. Click HERE to watch and, later, listen.

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MAY BE CONTINUED