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 . . .