For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and National Public Radio; 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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NEWER  Missile from Lebanon kills 2 Israeli civilians as Israel-Hamas war rages for 100th day, by Melanie Lidman, Samy Magdy and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  JERUSALEM — An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit a home in northern Israel today, killing two civilians and renewing concerns about the risk of a second front erupting in the Israel-Hamas war. The deadly strike near the border came . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Fierce fighting in Gaza as war hits 100 days, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Fadi Shana | Reuters  DOHA / GAZA — Israeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central Gaza today and there were fierce gun battles in some areas as the war reached 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack led by gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement. Communications and internet services were down for the third day . . . READ MORE . . .

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100 days of war: 23,000 killed in Gaza, with over 60% of homes destroyed. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Aya Batrawy | NPR  Since Israel’s war with Hamas began in Gaza almost 100 days ago, more than 1 percent of the population has been killed. Most of the dead are women and children, according to Gaza health officials. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 13  Israeli lawmaker on the U.N. genocide case against Israel. Andrew Limbong of NPR speaks with Ofer Cassif, a member of Israel’s parliament, about his support of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel’s government at the International Court of Justice. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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NEWER  83 countries hold Ukraine peace talks. From AFP. More than 80 countries were holding talks today seeking common ground on Ukraine’s peace formula, as the Swiss co-hosts admitted that being ready to include Russia remains some way off. National security advisors from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s ally China needed to end Ukraine war — Swiss diplomat, by Victoria Waldersee and Dmitry Zhdannikov | Reuters  DAVOS, Switzerland — China needs to be involved in efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, Switzerland’s co-chair of a meeting of top diplomats to prepare the ground for a peace plan said today. China was not represented at the gathering of national security advisers . . . READ MORE . . .

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Estonian PM: ‘Our taxpayers shouldn’t pay for damages caused by Russia,’ by Toma Istomina | The Kyiv Independent  Estonia has been one of Ukraine’s most reliable allies since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The small Baltic country of 1.3 million people bordering Russia has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy Ukrainian ammo depot near Kharkov Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian servicemen have destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Volchansk in the Kharkov Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “In addition . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to report from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, followed by links to commentary from ScheerPost and an Australian observer via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (UKRAINE and YEMEN entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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More than 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli Gaza strikes while fears grow the conflict could widen, by Jajib Jobain, David Rising and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 30 Palestinians, including young children, were killed in Israeli bombardments overnight into today in the Gaza Strip, officials said, while a new U.S. strike against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen heightened fears that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a regional . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel presses on with Gaza offensive approaching 100 days of war, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud | Reuters  DOHA / GAZA — Israel kept up bombardments in the Gaza Strip today as its deadly war on the enclave’s Hamas rulers approached 100 days with no end in sight. In the . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 12  Israel rejects genocide charges at International Court of Justice. Reported by Rob Schmitz | NPR  Israel had its day in the International Court of Justice, defending against genocide charges, calling the case a “deliberately curated, decontextualized and manipulative description of hostilities.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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The case for genocide, by Chris Hedges | ScheerPost  The exhaustive 84-page brief submitted by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) charging Israel with genocide is hard to refute. Israel’s campaign of indiscriminate killing, wholesale destruction of infrastructure, including housing, hospitals and water treatment plants, along with its use of starvation as a weapon, accompanied by . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 12  Empire bombs Yemen to protect Israel’s genocide, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com.au / Consortium News  The U.S and UK have reportedly struck over a dozen sites in Yemen using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, backed by logistical support from Australia, Canada, Bahrain and the Netherlands. U.S. President Joe Biden asserts that the strikes are a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.” He does not . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, the Berkshire Eagle, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and YEMEN entries for this date are HERE and HERE. — MCM

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Russia targets regions across Ukraine in mass missile attack, by Elsa Court | The Kyiv Independent  Russia carried out a mass attack against regions across Ukraine this morning, using a range of weapons, including hypersonic missiles, according to the local authorities and the Air Force. Russia launched missiles at . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s new strategy is bringing the war home to Russia, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  With artillery shells, drones, missiles and ground forays, Ukraine has made more than 2,000 attacks in 20 months on four Russian regions near or bordering Ukraine. They represent the first time since the Nazi invasion of 1941 that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defense forces down 21 Ukrainian drones, eight HIMARS rockets in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces shot down 21 Ukrainian drones and destroyed eight HIMARS MLRS projectiles in the past day, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. It specified . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 12  Ukraine needs more attack aircraft for war effort – ground forces commander, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — Ukraine’s ground forces commander said on Friday that Kyiv needed more military aircraft for its war effort, such as U.S. A-10 attack jets to support infantry and planes that could fire long-range cruise missiles. . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to a reflection from the Center for Action and Contemplation; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. — MCM

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A lever and a place to stand, by Richard Rohr | CAC  “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the whole earth with a lever.” Archimedes, a third-century BCE Greek philosopher and mathematician, noticed that a lever balanced in the correct place, on the correct fulcrum, could move proportionally much greater weights than the force actually applied. He calculated that . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Consortium News, the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, followed by commentary from Indian Punchline, MintPress News via Popular Resistance, and ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a ROHR entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel dismisses genocidal intent as ‘random assertions,’ by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  In its defense against allegations by South Africa that it is committing genocide in Gaza, a British barrister arguing today at the World Court for Israel downplayed numerous statements by senior Israeli officials of genocidal intent against Palestinians as mere “random assertions” that proves nothing. Kings Counselor Malcolm Shaw, for Israel, told the Court: “As far as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel defends itself at the UN’s top court against allegations of genocide against Palestinians, by Mike Corder and Raf Casert | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations’ highest court today that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and said instead that Hamas was guilty of genocide. Israel described . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel rejects genocide charges, tells World Court it must defend itself, by Anthony Deutsch, Toby Sterling and Stephanie van den Berg | Reuters   THE HAGUE — Israel today rejected as false and “grossly distorted” accusations brought by South Africa at the U.N.’s top court that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against the Palestinian population. It called on . . . READ MORE . . .

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South Africa charges Israel with genocide in Gaza. Israel defends itself at The Hague. Reported by Leila Fadel and Rob Schmitz | NPR  Israel presents its rebuttal to the charge of genocide it faces in Gaza at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN 11  SA’s impassioned plea to stop Israel’s genocide, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News   South Africa was not arguing on Thursday the merits of the case of whether Israel is or isn’t committing genocide, which will be decided much later, but rather whether there is sufficient evidence at the outset for the International Court of Justice to issue a “provisional measure” ordering Israel to immediately end its military operation. Proving intent is crucial to arriving at a finding of . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 11  South Africa outlines genocide case against Israel at International Court of Justice. Reported by Rob Schmitz | NPR  At The Hague, proceedings began on South Africa’s accusation of genocide by Israel in Gaza. Health officials in Gaza say more than 23,000 people have died in the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 11  Palestinians and Israelis react to International Court of Justice proceedings. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Palestinians and Israelis watch the genocide case at a United Nations court — as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Palestine: EU’s Burrell bats for U.S., by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell appeared in the region at the same time as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. His destinations were Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. The EU announcement said that Borrell’s mission “will be an occasion to discuss all aspects of the situation in and around Gaza, including . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s goal of expelling Palestinians from Gaza is closer to reality, by Jessica Buxbaum | MintPress News / Popular Resistance  Once considered a fringe pipe dream, the once taboo idea of Israelis recolonizing portions of Gaza has been reinvigorated after Hama. Just as 2024 began, Israeli politicians . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 8  U.S. policy as spectacle, by Patrick Lawrence | ScheerPost The Americans’ leadership cliques long ago took up the practice of obscuring what they mean and what they are doing. If these people are going to run an imperium their own citizens are not supposed to see, the last thing required is . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Tass, the Kyiv Post, and National Public Radio, followed by commentary from ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a ROHR entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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4 killed as Russia, Ukraine exchange attacks. | From AFP. Russian shelling today killed two people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, while a drone attack by Kyiv in the Moscow-controlled east killed another two, officials said. As the war . . . READ MORE . . .

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The UK prime minister visits Kyiv to announce more support for Ukraine in in its war with Russia, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Kyiv today to unveil a new support package for Ukraine, including an increase in military funding for its war with Russia. The 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) in military funding . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. stops arms supplies to Ukraine — White House. From Tass. WASHINGTON — The United States has halted its deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine due to the lack of budget funds for such programs, Coordinator for Strategic Communications of the White House’s National Security Council John Kirby has said. “We have issued the last drawdown package that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Pentagon flags tracking issues in weapons for Ukraine, denies evidence of misuse. From Kyiv Post. A recent Pentagon report reveals that over $1 billion worth of military equipment, including shoulder-fired missiles, kamikaze drones, and night-vision goggles, sent by the United States to Ukraine has not been adequately tracked by American officials. The findings . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why are nearly 40,000 U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine unaccounted for? A Martinez of NPR talks with retired Col. Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies about a Pentagon report that thousands of U.S. weapons are missing in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 8  U.S. policy as spectacle, by Patrick Lawrence | ScheerPost The Americans’ leadership cliques long ago took up the practice of obscuring what they mean and what they are doing. If these people are going to run an imperium their own citizens are not supposed to see, the last thing required is . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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UN’s highest court is hearing accusations against Israel of genocide in Gaza. Reported by A Martínez and Rob Schmitz | NPR  Judges at the International Court of Justice opened two days of legal arguments in a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in its Gaza war. Israel rejects the allegation. Click HERE to listen and, later, read

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South Africa tells the UN top court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as a landmark case begins, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A continent away from the war in Gaza, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians and pleaded with the United Nations’ top court today to urgently order a halt to the country’s military operation. Israel has vehemently denied the allegations. South African lawyers said during the opening arguments that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel faces genocide charges at World Court; Gazans return to wasteland, by Mohammed Salem, Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Anthony Deutsch | Reuters  Israel faced accusations at the World Court today of genocide in its war in Gaza, as the first residents returned to northern areas where Israeli forces have begun withdrawing, leaving behind scenes of total devastation. Three months of Israeli bombardment has laid much of the narrow coastal enclave . . . READ MORE . . .

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 23,469. From AFP. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said today at least 23,469 people have been killed in the war between Israel and the Islamist group since it erupted on October 7. The ministry said another 59,604 people were . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for today and an ASSANGE entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Zelenskyy rules out a cease-fire with Russia, saying Moscow would use it to rearm, by Jim Heinz and Illia Novikov | AP  TALLINN — In a visit to Estonia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today ruled out a cease-fire in his country’s war with Russia, saying the Kremlin’s forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup before overwhelming Kyiv’s troops. “A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Estonia pledges $1.3 billion in long-term support for Kyiv as Zelensky tours Baltics, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Estonian President Alar Karis pledged to allocate 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for Kyiv until the year 2027, a major commitment from a country of 1.3 million people, after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine builds barricades, digs trenches as focus shifts to defence, by Vitalii Hnidyi and Thomas Peter | Reuters  NEAR KUPIANSK, Ukraine — New defensive lines visited by Reuters near the northeastern city of Kupiansk on Dec. 28 show how Ukraine has stepped up construction of fortifications in recent months as it shifts its military operations against Russia to a more defensive footing. The defences, which bear some similarities . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian army hits two Ukrainian ammunition depots — top brass. From Tass.  MOSCOW — The Russian army has hit two Ukrainian ammunition depots over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said today in a more general briefing. READ MORE . . .