Iran Raises Gas Prices Sparking Fears of Unrest; Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Arrested – 12/13/2025, 12:25:11 PM

Here are some of the most prominent world stories currently leading major outlets:

• Fighting continues on the Thailand–Cambodia border despite former U.S. President Trump’s claim that a ceasefire had been reached, with clashes causing significant instability along the frontier.[1]

• Mass evacuations in Thailand near the Cambodian border are ongoing, while some Thai villagers are staying behind to guard empty homes amid continued border clashes.[1]

• Eritrea has withdrawn from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a key East African regional bloc, prompting UN concern over rising tensions with Ethiopia.[1]

• Iran has raised gasoline prices for the first time since the deadly 2019 protests, introducing a new tiered pricing system for subsidized fuel and raising fears of renewed unrest.[1]

• Iranian authorities have arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, according to her supporters, in a move drawing international criticism over Iran’s human rights record.[1]

• Russia says it has not seen the latest version of a U.S.-proposed peace plan for Ukraine, even as diplomatic efforts continue to seek an end to the war.[1][2]

• The Kremlin says Russian police and National Guard forces will remain in Ukraine’s Donbas region even after any future peace settlement, signaling plans for a lasting security presence.[1]

• A Danish intelligence report warns that the United States, under Trump, is using economic power and threats of military force against both allies and adversaries, highlighting allied unease over U.S. policy.[1]

• U.S.–Venezuela tensions are escalating as the Trump administration imposes new sanctions on close relatives of President Nicolás Maduro and continues a military buildup around Venezuela, framed by Washington as part of anti-drug efforts but tied to broader struggles over oil, refugees, and influence involving Russia, China, and Iran.[2]

• Ukraine has sent the United States a revised peace proposal to end the war with Russia; the White House has expressed skepticism but says it may send a delegation to Europe if there is a “real chance at peace.”[2]

• In Europe, Pope Leo XIV has met with Italian intelligence officials, urging them to act ethically and not misuse confidential information for blackmail or other abuses.[1]

• At the Auschwitz museum in Poland, a new permanent exhibition has opened that uses prisoners’ personal belongings to illustrate daily life and the reality of the Nazi death camp.[1]