For today, links to six reports: from Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, and Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, LEBANON, SYRIA, and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Russian army captures Ukrainian town in northeastern Kharkiv Region. From AFP. Russia’s Defense Ministry said today its forces captured the town of Dvorichna in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the latest territorial gain for Moscow’s advancing troops as Kyiv warned of intense fighting in two other key frontline towns. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Trump suspends aid to Ukraine, vital NGOs ‘don’t know if they’ll survive,’ by Chris York and Daria Shulzhenko | The Kyiv Independent  U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze foreign development assistance for 90 days has thrown Ukrainian organizations into turmoil, in some cases . . . READ MORE . . .

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A Ukrainian deputy defence minister sacked amid infighting over procurement, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  KYIV — The dispute burst into the open last week after the official criticised Ukraine’s arms procurement effort as having failed to deliver results for frontline troops. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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London intends to make Ukraine its colony with by concluding 100-year treaty — aide. From Tass. MOSCOW — By concluding the 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine, the UK wants to create its colony on the territory of this country, Russian Presidential Aide Nikolay Patrushev said. He recalled that the agreement provides for . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and the Columbia Spectator; and to a news release from NPR; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel says Hamas list shows 8 of 33 hostages to be freed in first phase of Gaza ceasefire are dead, by Wafaa Shurafa, Osama Saleh and Joseph Krauss | AP  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel says a Hamas list shows that eight of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire are dead. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians return to Gaza City for first time in over a year as ceasefire holds. Reported by Aya Batrawy and A Martínez | NPR  Ceasefires in Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah hit snags. A disagreement over a hostage prevented Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza. In Lebanon, Israeli troops clashed with protesters. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM JAN. 26  What a week of ceasefire looks like in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Pien Huang | NPR  President Trump says he wants Egypt and Jordan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza as a shaky ceasefire holds between Israel and Hamas. Click HERE to listen and  read.

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President Trump calls for Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees. Reported by Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, about President Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 26  Trump’s Palestinian refugee idea falls flat with Arab allies and confounds a Republican senator, by Will Weissert | AP  DORAL, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s push to have Egypt and Jordan take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees from besieged Gaza fell flat with those countries’ governments and left a key congressional ally in Washington . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 23  NPR wins Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for “The War in Gaza” coverage. From NPR. WASHINGTON — NPR has won a 2025 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for its coverage of the war in Gaza. The prestigious duPont-Columbia Award honors outstanding public service in audio and video reporting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Columbia Spectator.

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

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Ukraine replaces commander of eastern front after Russia captures another town. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced the commander of the eastern front, the most heated battlefield of the Ukraine war, after Russian forces captured another strategic town there. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces have intensified their assaults near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, deploying small groups in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops, Victor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces, said today on national television. READ MORE . . .

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Russian army retakes border village in Kursk Region. From AFP. Russia’s military said today its forces regained control of Nikolayevo-Darino, a small village captured by Ukrainian troops during their cross-border offensive into the southwestern Kursk region last year. READ MORE . . .

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Russia pounds Ukrainian military airfields, UAV assembly workshops over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfields and unmanned aerial vehicle assembly and storage sites over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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EU renews Russia sanctions after Hungarian holdup, by Julia Payne and Lili Bayer | Reuters  BRUSSELS — The European Union renewed its wide-ranging sanctions on Russia today for another six months after Hungary stopped holding up the move in return for . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

Links to a report from the Columbia Spectator and to a news release from National Public Radio; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 24  Journalism School bestows 83rd annual duPont-Columbia awards, by Joseph Zuloaga | The Columbia Spectator  The Columbia Journalism School bestowed the 83rd annual duPont-Columbia awards on Friday, honoring achievement in audio and video reporting. NPR’s “The War in Gaza Coverage,” . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Jan. 23 news release from NPR.

For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and COVID ETC. entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel blocks thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Joseph Krauss | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip today as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump wants Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Here’s why they are likely to refuse, by Joseph Krauss and Samy Magdy | AP   DUBAI / CAIRO  President Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is likely to be met with a hard “no” from the two U.S. allies and the Palestinians themselves who fear . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Anadolu Agency and Middle East Eye.

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Israeli ministers hail Trump’s call to ‘clean out’ Gaza, resettle Palestinians, by Zein Khalil | Anadolu Agency  Israeli ministers expressed support today for U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt. READ MORE . . .

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Ceasefire agreement holds for a second week after Hamas and Israel swap. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Hamas releases four female Israeli soldiers and Israel releases 200 Palestinian prisoners, as the ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar holds into its second week. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to eleven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA, and COVID ETC. entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Ukraine’s military says it downed 50 Russian drones, attacked big oil refinery. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian air defences downed 50 of 72 drones launched by Russia overnight and attacked one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, Ukraine’s military said today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM JAN. 24  Russia claims its troops are in the last stages of taking another eastern Ukraine town. From AP. KYIV — Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that Russian troops have fought their way into the center of a strategically important eastern Ukraine town and raised the Russian flag there after a monthslong battle. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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Trump is threatening more sanctions against Russia if it fails to negotiate on the war. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  As President Trump threatens new sanctions against Russia, the Russian economy thrives despite previous measures that failed to deliver the intended bite. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 25  Zelensky warns Putin wants to ‘manipulate’ Trump on Ukraine. From AFP. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to “manipulate” Donald Trump, after the Kremlin chief . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 25  Zelenskiy says Trump could end Ukraine war only if Kyiv included in talks. From Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump could fulfil his promise to end the war in Ukraine, but only if he includes Kyiv in any talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. He also said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Suspilne: Washington orders USAID to suspend projects and funding in Ukraine. From the Kyiv Independent. The U.S. Agency for International Development has been told to stop projects in Ukraine following a 90-day foreign aid freeze imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ukrainian media Suspilne reported today, citing. . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 25  U.S. has not stopped military aid to Ukraine, Zelenskyy says, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday the U.S. has not stopped military aid to Ukraine after newly sworn in U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would pause foreign aid grants for 90 days. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 25  Ukraine loses over 360 troops in Kursk area in past day — Russian Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine lost over 360 troops in the Kursk area in the past day, while five soldiers surrendered, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to three reports: from National Publc Radio and the Anadolu Agency, and to an editorial from Anadolu Agency via Middle East Monitor; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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He was forced to dig mass graves in Syria. His own brother could be one of them. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Mass graves are being discovered in Syria, testament to the horrors committed under the now ousted leader Bashar al Assad. The story of one man forced to help dig some of those graves. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 25  Syria’s new administration leader meets UN refugee agency chief, by Laith Al-Jnaidi | Anadolu Agency  DAMASCUS — Syria’s new administration leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met in Damascus on Saturday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 24  As Syria rebuilds, hope collides with painful memories in one Damascus neighborhood. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  After the fall of Syria’s despotic Assad regime, life is slowly returning to one Damascus neighborhood, where the violence and painful memories of the past are still literally being unearthed. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 24  Will the UK use Assad’s frozen fortune to help rebuild Syria? Editorial from Anadolu Agency | Middle East Monitor  Since the former leader of Syria’s Baathist regime was ousted last month, reports have surfaced in the UK about £55 million (nearly $68.3 million) of Bashar Al-Assad’s personal funds being locked in a London bank. READ MORE . . .

Links to four reports, from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Many in the medical community oppose RFK Jr.’s confirmation as head of the HHS. Reported by Will Stone and Ayesha Rascoe | NPR  Many doctors and public health workers have come out against the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. A look at his supporters and detractors. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 25  The CIA believes COVID most likely originated from a lab but has low confidence in its own finding, by David Klepper | AP  WASHINGTON — The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 24  Trump ends Fauci’s security detail and says he’d feel no responsibility if harm befell him, by Will Weissert and Zeke Miller | AP  FLETCHER, N.C. — President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Jan. 20 report from AP.

A link to a chapter in a forthcoming book from Clarity Press via ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name. (GAZA, UKRAINE, SYRIA and COVID ETC. entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN.  25  The life and public assassination of President John F. Kennedy, by Edward Curtin | Original to ScheerPost  In light of the news that President Trump has signed an executive order for a “plan” for the release of the JFK assassination files, the following article, that will appear in my upcoming book from Clarity Press, At the Lost and Found, seems appropriate. READ MORE . . .