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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For now, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Post, the Associated Press and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia’s Putin says Ukraine shot down plane, deliberately or in error. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that a Russian military plane that crashed near the border with Ukraine was shot down by Ukrainian air defences, whether on purpose or by mistake. Moscow accuses Kyiv of downing the Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region on Wednesday and killing 74 people on board, including . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Why hide the bodies?’ – Ukraine demands proof from Russia as POW mystery deepens. From Kyiv Post.  Kyiv has questioned why Russia has so far failed to provide proof of its claim that 65 Ukrainian POWs were on board a military plane shot down near Belgorod on Wednesday. “There are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says corrupt officials stole $40 million meant to buy arms for the war with Russia. From AP.  KYIV — Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine’s security service reported. The SBU said late Saturday that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia open to substantive proposals for diplomatic settlement in Ukraine — MFA. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia remains open to truly substantive proposals for a diplomatic settlement of the situation around Ukraine, said Alexey Polishchuk, the head of the Second Department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry. He said there’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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It may be genocide, but it won’t be stopped, by Chris Hedges | Scheer Post / Consortium News  The International Court of Justice refused to implement the most crucial demand made by South African jurists: “the State of Israel shall immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza.” But it delivered . . . READ MORE . . .

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Advisory: CN Live! to have discussion about ICJ preliminary ruling on Israel. Consortium News. At 3 p.m. EST today, Craig Murrray, Alexander Mercouris, Ray McGovern and Francis Boyle will discuss the meaning of the World Court’s Jan. 26 ruling on Israel. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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South Gaza battles rage as heavy rain hits displaced further north, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Fadi Shana | Reuters  DOHA / GAZA — Israel pressed ahead on today with its campaign against Hamas in Gaza’s Khan Younis area, while bad weather hit displaced Palestinians seeking refuge further north in the battered enclave. Residents . . . READ MORE . . .

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Federal court hears case alleging Biden complicit in genocide, by Julia Conley | Common Dreams / CN  Calling for an emergency injunction to stop the Biden administration from aiding Israel in its bombardment of Gaza, human rights organizations and Palestinians in the United States on Friday took federal leaders to court to stop U.S. “complicity in the Israeli government’s unfolding genocide.” The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. pauses funding to UN agency for Palestinians after claims staffers were involved in Hamas attack, by Wafaa Shurafa and Jack Jeffery | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees fired a number of its staffers in Gaza suspected of taking part in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other militants on southern Israel, its director said Friday, prompting the United States — the agency’s biggest donor — to temporarily halt its funding. The agency, known by its acronym, NRWA, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Airstrike kills 3 Palestinians in southern Gaza as Israel presses on with its war against Hamas, by Najib Jobain and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Two women and a man were killed early today in what witnesses said was an Israeli airstrike on a home in the southernmost part of Gaza, as Israel pursued its military offensive against the Palestinian enclave. The strike came . . . READ MORE . . .

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ICJ finds genocide case against Israel ‘plausible,’ orders it to stop violations. Reported by Scott Simon and Eyder Peralta | NPR The International Court of Justice stopped short of ordering a cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war as part of the genocide case South Africa has brought against Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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

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Putin to ask Investigative Committee to publicize details of Il-76 crash. From Tass.  ST. PETERSBURG — Russian President Vladimir Putin will instruct the Investigative Committee to make details of the crash of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Ilyushin-76 (IL-76) military transport plane as much public as possible, he said, “so that people in Ukraine can also find out what really happened.” Investigative bodies are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it has no evidence for Russia’s claim that dozens of POWs died in a shot down plane. From AP. KYIV — Officials in Ukraine said Russia has provided no credible evidence to back its claims that their own forces shot down a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be swapped for Russian POWs. The Ukrainian agency that deals with prisoner exchanges said late Friday that. . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia and Ukraine exchange blame for a plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners being shot. By Charles Maynes | NPR  Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for the downing of a Russian military transport plane this week, which Russia says had 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war aboard. All aboard were killed. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian officials meet relatives of POWs who Russia claims were in crashed Il-76, say no evidence to confirm that, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Friday that during the planned exchange of POWs two days earlier Moscow was to return to Ukraine 65 people from one of the lists Russian propagandists shared after the crash of Il-76 transport plane . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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World Court stops short of Gaza ceasefire order, says Israel must prevent genocide, by Stephanie van den Berg, Bassam Masoud and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  THE HAGUE / GAZA — The World Court today ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa. While . . . READ MORE . . .

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Top UN court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but stops short of ordering cease-fire, by Mike Corder and Raf Casert | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United Nations’ top court today ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in its military offensive in Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a cease-fire. South Africa . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Reactions to World Court ruling on Israel’s war in Gaza. From Reuters. The World Court today ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas militants in Gaza, and do more to help civilians, but it stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire as requested by South Africa. Following are . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine invites China’s Xi to ‘peace summit’ — Zelenskiy’s top adviser, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to participate in a planned “peace summit” of world leaders in Switzerland, a top diplomatic adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as Russia’s invasion approaches its second anniversary. China has . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia, Ukraine exchange fallen soldiers’ remains. From the Moscow Times. Russia and Ukraine said today they have exchanged the bodies of 132 fallen soldiers, just two days after Moscow accused Kyiv of killing dozens of its own servicemen by shooting down a Russian warplane. Reportedly, Moscow received the remains of 55 soldiers, and Ukraine repatriated 77 bodies. READ MORE . . .

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