For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radion; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entry for this date are HERE and HERE.)

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FROM DEC. 26  An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence, by Abby Sewell | AP  HOMS, Syria — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs on Thursday, a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 27  Visiting the market in the old city of Damascus, once inaccessible to many Syrians. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  A visit to the souk in the old city in the Syrian capital of Damascus tell us a lot about the state of the country’s current economy. Click HERE to listen and read.