“Cambodia has shut its border crossings with Thailand, as fighting continues between the two forces on Saturday despite US President Donald Trump earlier saying they had agreed to a ceasefire. The crossings will be closed until further notice, according to Cambodia’s interior ministry. Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump a ceasefire would only be possible after Cambodia had withdrawn all its forces and removed landmines. Thai officials said four soldiers were killed on Saturday, as both sides reported continued bombing and artillery exchanges. Cambodia has not been updating its military casualty figure. Cambodia’s defence ministry said that Thai fighter jets bombed hotel buildings and a bridge, while Thailand reported several civilians were injured in a Cambodian rocket attack. The four deaths on Saturday bring Thailand’s total military death toll since Monday to 15, with 270 others injured. It added that six civilians had also been injured.” (12/13/25)
“Supporters of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi say she has been arrested while attending a memorial ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The Narges Foundation said on Friday that Mohammadi, 53, was arrested during an event honouring a human rights lawyer who recently died in unclear circumstances. Iranian authorities have not commented on her reported detention, and it remains uncertain whether she will be returned to prison to complete a previous sentence. The arrest comes amid a broader clampdown on activists and civil society figures as Iran faces sanctions, economic pressures and heightened regional tensions.” (12/12/25)
“Scientists on California’s Central Coast recently spotted a giant, evasive seven-arm octopus while on a research expedition in Monterey Bay. The rare creature, called Haliphron atlanticus, was seen by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s biodiversity and biooptics team on Nov. 6, the institute confirmed to SFGATE via email. Prior to this sighting, scientists with MBARI had only seen the octopus four times in the past 35 years. Haliphron atlanticus was last seen by MBARI scientists in 2017, when they discovered the octopus is partial to a diet of jellyfish and gelatinous plankton. Last month, the team again witnessed the elusive animal. Led by senior scientist Steven Haddock, the MBARI team was studying marine life in the ocean’s midwater — a vast range between the water’s surface and the seafloor — when they came across Haliphron atlanticus at a depth of about 2,300 feet.” (12/11/25)
“A climate of fear reigned Saturday in Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo, days after it fell to the Rwanda -backed M23 group, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S. mediated peace deal. The Associated Press gained rare access to the city, which was the Congo government’s last major foothold in South Kivu province after the provincial capital of Bukavu fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east. M23 said it took control of Uvira earlier this week, following a rapid offensive launched at the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 people killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say. On Saturday, the situation in Uvira still had not returned to normal. There was absolute silence and no traffic, apart from military jeeps circulating on the empty streets.” (12/13/25)
“A federal judge on Friday barred U.S. immigration authorities from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego García, acting on fears raised by his lawyers that officials intended to take him into custody just hours after he was ordered released. Those concerns arose in response to government maneuvers in the wake of U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’s ruling Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been unlawfully detaining Abrego for months. Abrego, a 30-year-old undocumented immigrant and longtime Maryland resident, became a flash point in the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. The White House had repeatedly called Abrego a smuggler and ‘a proven gang member,’ though those allegations are still pending in the courts, and threatened to deport him to countries in Africa or Central America.” (12/12/25)
“Democrats on Friday released 19 new photos from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, showing him alongside President Trump and former President Clinton. … Democrats said they had obtained 95,000 new photos from the Epstein estate. The 19 they released online include images of Epstein and several notable figures. The images posted by Oversight Democrats included a black-and-white photo of Trump with six women. The women’s faces are covered with black boxes to prevent their identification. Another photo shows condoms with a cartoon image of Trump on each package along with the words ‘I’m HUUUUGE!’ … The photos released by Democrats show a number of famous people with Epstein, including Steve Bannon, the former Trump adviser, as well as Clinton, filmmaker Woody Allen, attorney Alan Dershowitz and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.” (12/12/25)
“South Korea’s former acting leader Choi Sang-mok was indicted Thursday on charges related to the brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol, becoming the latest high-profile figure embroiled in legal troubles over the case. Choi is one of three top Yoon administration officials who served as caretaker presidents after Yoon was impeached and removed from office over the martial law declaration that plunged South Korea into massive political turmoil. Yoon is now in jail while facing a high-stakes criminal trial on rebellion charges. Dozens of high-level officials and military commanders of the Yoon administration have also been arrested, indicted or investigated over their roles in Yoon’s martial law debacle and other allegations.” (12/12/25)
“Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court aiming to overturn the country’s under-16 social media ban, Reuters reported. The forum platform called the law contrary to Australia’s constitution as it intrudes on free political discourse. It also argued that Reddit shouldn’t have been included in the ban since it isn’t a social media site, based on the law’s definition. The action is likely to set in motion a protracted legal battle, given Reddit’s resources and its popularity in Australia. Australia’s minimum age social media ban, the first of its kind in the world, went into effect on December 10. The ten platforms affected, including Reddit, must bar underage users or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million). Platforms are using a variety of means to determine age, including age inference based on activity and selfies.” (12/12/25)
Once we’ve raised $2,750.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the goal of $5,501 … after which, I’ll stop talking about money ENTIRELY for the remainder of 2025, and MOSTLY until October of 2026.
If you think your prospective contribution is “too small to bother with,” you’re almost certainly wrong. $2.50, $5, or $10 makes a real difference, and if you value our publication in that amount and can afford to, I hope you’ll help out via:
“Indiana Republicans have withstood immense pressure from President Donald Trump — and ignored threats on their lives — to defeat his plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, dealing him one of his most significant political setbacks since his return to the White House. The GOP-controlled state Senate on Thursday voted down the map that gerrymandered two more safe GOP seats, undercutting the party’s chances at holding control of Congress next November. The failed vote is the culmination of a brass-knuckled four-month pressure campaign from the White House on recalcitrant Indiana Republicans that included private meetings and public shaming from Trump, multiple visits from Vice President JD Vance, whip calls from Speaker Mike Johnson and veiled threats of withheld federal funds. The members held out in spite of pipe bomb threats, unsolicited pizza deliveries to their homes, and swattings of their homes.” (12/11/25)
