* 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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For today, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-20-2025 and up or down for UKRAINE, WEST BANK, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Jordan says its air force joined U.S, strikes on Islamic State in Syria. From AP. DAMASCUS — Jordan confirmed Saturday that its air force took part in strikes launched by the United States on Islamic State group targets in Syria in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. citizens earlier this month. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 19  U.S. scrambles to ‘save’ Damascus-IDF integration deal amid Turkish threats: report. From the Cradle. Talks between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have accelerated ahead of a year-end deadline to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Syrian, Kurdish, and western sources. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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For today, links to two reports, both from Middle East Eye, the second including an interview on video from YouTube; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-19-25 and up and down for UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Israel’s settlers gather to ‘raise flag’ in Gaza, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  SDEROT, Israel — Settlers from the Nachala organisation gathered near Israel’s border with Gaza on Thursday for an event titled “Raising the Flag in Gaza.” As the name suggests, their aim . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 18  Palestinian prisoners speak out about how they were raped in Israeli jails, by Lubna Masarwa | Middle East Eye  [Two Palestinians detained in separate Israeli prisons recount harrowing details of violent sexual assault.] Click HERE to read, and HERE for video with one of them via YouTube.

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For now, links to two reports: from National Public Radio and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-18-25, and scroll up for UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and GAZA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Covering vaccines in an age of distrust. Reported by Rob Stein, Linah Mohammad and Miles Parks | NPR  Stein explains why covering vaccines is no longer routine science journalism, but a political battleground. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Dmitriev calls for acknowledging existence of warmonger campaigns in Western media. From Tass. MOSCOW — Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the Russian President and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, called for acknowledging the existence of “well-funded and well-organized campaigns inciting war” in the U.S., UK, and EU media. READ MORE . . .

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First, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-18-25 and today’s UKRAINE and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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U.S. bombs ‘ISIS targets’ in Syria hours after lifting sanctions on ISIS-linked govt. From the Cradle. The US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of alleged ISIS targets in Syria on Friday, following an attack on U.S. military personnel last week. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, France24, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-19-25 and up and down for today’s SYRIA and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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Odessa port hit by Russian missile, killing 8, as U.S hosts a Russian envoy for talks. From AP. KYIV — A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa in southern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded 27, Ukraine’s emergency service said Saturday, as a a Kremlin envoy was set to travel to Florida for talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war, READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. 

For now, links to five reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, the Cradle, CNN, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-19-25.  Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE so far.) — MCM

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Israel kills six Palestinians in strike on Gaza school hosting wedding. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli army on Friday shelled a school being used as a shelter, where displaced Palestinian families had gathered for a wedding, killing at least six people, including a five-month-old baby. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Dec. 19 report from AP.

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Armed gangs use Israeli-occupied areas of Gaza to target Hamas, seek to be ‘subcontracted’ for post-war role. From the Cradle. Israeli-supported armed gangs and militias are using Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza as a base to carry out operations to topple Hamas, CNN reported today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from CNN.

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FROM DEC. 19  Famine fades in Gaza, but experts warn hunger crisis not over. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  The leading food security organization says there is no longer famine in Gaza, but the situation remains fragile. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED