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For today, links to five reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-29-25 and up or down for YEMEN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Russia attacks Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and civilian ships, Kyiv says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia launched waves of drones to attack port infrastructure and civilian ships in Ukraine’s Odesa region ​today, Ukrainian navy and government officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted drone strike, threatens to harden peace stance. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Leila Fadel | NPR  Russia says Ukraine tried to hit one of Putin’s homes with a drone. Kyiv denies it, calling the claim staged to justify war. The Kremlin now warns it may toughen its stance in the ongoing peace talks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Leaders from Europe and Canada discuss U.S.-led peace efforts as Russia-Ukraine tensions spike, by Illia Novikov and Katie Marie Davies | AP  KYIV — Leaders from Europe and Canada held talks Tuesday on U.S.-led peace efforts to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv sparred over Russian claims, denied by Ukraine, of a mass drone attack on a lakeside residence used by President Vladimir Putin. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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A professor breaks down Russia’s negotiating tactics with Ukraine. Reported by Michel Martin | NPR  Nina Khrushcheva, professor of International Affairs at New York’s New School, talks about the negotiating tactics Russia is using in peace talks with Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine’s energy workers fight to keep the power on. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  Ukraine’s power plant employees are battling to keep the infrastructure running in the face of Russian attacks. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NOTE: These entries may not be accessible in a timely fashion on all browsers.

For today, a link to a poem from Behind the Curtain; other writings are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-29-25. Scroll up for YEMEN, UKRAINE and GAZA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 22  The classics, by Edward Curtin | Behind the Curtain  Here we are in the middle of our lives. / Somewhere someone is reading a book, / Quietly,  . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports: from Middle East Monitor and the Cradle, and to an article of commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-28-22-25 and IRAN, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ben-Gvir flees after being pelted with stones in Palestinian village in Negev. From Middle East Monitor. Angry Palestinians from the Bedouin village of Tarabin, located in the occupied Negev region of southern Palestine, which has been under Israeli control since 1948, threw stones at Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right extremist serving as the so-called Minister of National Security in the Israeli occupation government. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 28  Israeli army pulls out of Qabatiya after two days of ‘collective punishment.’ From the Cradle. The Israeli military withdrew from the occupied West Bank city of Qabatiya on Saturday, following a two-day operation launched in response to the resistance operation which killed two Israelis last week. READ MORE . . .

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Epstein, Dershowitz and the Israel lobby, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  A shrouded aspect of Jeffrey E. Epstein’s sordid legacy has been neglected in most discussions. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports: from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Click HERE for IRAN 11-22-25 or scroll way down. Scroll up or down for WEST BANK, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 27  Iran’s president says his country is in full-scale war with the West. From AP. TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday his country is in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s meeting Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 28  Iran launches 3 new satellites aboard Russia’s Soyuz carrier. From Middle East Monitor. Iran on Sunday successfully launched three new satellites into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in Russia’s Far East, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to three reports: from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Associated Press; and to two articles of commentary: from Middle East Monitor and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-28-25.  Scroll up or down for WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Officials say storms destroyed most tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza. From Middle East Eye. The civil defence in Gaza said today about 90 percent of the tents of displaced Palestinians were blown away or destroyed as a result of strong winds and heavy rains. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for other Middle East Eye reports, and HERE for Dec. 28 Middle East Monitor report including Dec. 27 Anadolu photo.

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Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire, by Will Weissert, Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP  PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, as Washington looks to create fresh momentum for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that could be in danger of stalling out before a complicated second phase. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Epstein, Dershowitz and the Israel lobby, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  A shrouded aspect of Jeffrey E. Epstein’s sordid legacy has been neglected in most discussions. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 23  Trump’s Gaza plan: A foreign force to finish the job, by F.M. Shakil | The Cradle  As 2026 approaches, Washington is laying the groundwork for yet another intervention — once again wrapped in the familiar language of peacekeeping. Behind closed doors, U.S. officials are pushing for the deployment of an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to an article of commentary from Horizons via Consortium News, and to five reports: from Agence France-Presse. the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-28-25.  Scroll up or down for WEST BANK, IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 24  Two centuries of Russophobia & rejection of peace, by Jeffrey D. Sachs | Horizons / Consortium News  From the nineteenth century to the present, Russia’s security concerns have been treated not as legitimate interests to be negotiated within a broader European order, but as moral transgressions to be resisted, contained, or overridden. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky wants any war deal to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the U.S. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also told journalists that Kyiv hoped to “move forward quickly” and was “open” to any format of meetings. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same brief AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor’s land by force. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Trump says there’s progress on a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Reported by Danielle Kurtzleben and Michel Martin | NPR  President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say they are making progress on a peace deal to end the war in Russia after meeting in Mar-a-Lago Sunday. Click HERE for listen and, later, read.  Click HERE and HERE for AFP / AFP report in English and French, and HERE and HERE for headlines of others.

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Ex-Pentagon official on the prospects of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas, now executive director of the McCain Institute, about prospects for peace following the Ukraine presidents visit to Mar-a-Lago. Click HERE for listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to four reports: from National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, and Le Figaro; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-28-25.  Scroll up for WEST BANK, IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Book distributor shutting down deals logistical blow to libraries. Reported by Andrew Limbong | NPR  Baker and Taylor is one of very few companies that do book distribution for libraries — companies that act as the middle man between libraries and publishers. A few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 28  Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died. Reported by Elizabeth Blair | NPR  Brigitte Bardot, the international sex goddess of cinema in the 1950s and ’60s, has died aged 91. Bardot’s animal rights foundation announced her death in a statement to news agency Agence France-Presse on Sunday. Click HERE to listen and read. Click HERE for a report from AFP in English, and HERE for part of one from Le Figaro in French.

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NOTE: These entries may not be accessible on all browsers.

For today, links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-27-25, and for today’s WEST BANK, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Freezing rain floods Gaza camps and leaves displaced Palestinians in dire conditions, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sally Abou Aljoud | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip  — Rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding makeshift encampments with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by the two-year war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use. READ MORE . . .

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Trump and Netanyahu meet as Gaza ceasefire hangs in the balance. Daniel Estrin of NPR speaks with Nimrod Novik, an advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, about what to expect from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NOTE: These entries may not be accessible on all browsers.

For today, a link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-26-25, and up or down for GAZA, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 27  Israeli army locks down several Palestinian villages in West Bank after gunfire. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli army locked down several Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Saturday after gunfire targeting a military checkpoint in the occupied territory, local sources said, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: These entries may not be accessible on all browsers.

For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-27-25, and up or down for GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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