South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
The Iranian judiciary carried out the execution of two men over the weekend who were convicted of killing a security agent during the ongoing protests. The latest executions bring up the number of protest-related executions in recent months.
In a statement published by the IRNA news outlet on Saturday, the Iranian judiciary said the two men who were executed, Mohammed Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammed Hosseini, were convicted for killing a member of the Tehran-backed Basij paramilitary force. Three others were given death sentences, while 11 were sentenced to prison.
“Mohammed Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammed Hosseini, principal perpetrators of the crime that led to the unjust martyrdom of Ruhollah Ajamian were hanged this morning,” said the judiciary in the statement, marking the number of protest-related executions to four.
The latest executions drew condemnation from the West. The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the executions on the same day, calling on Iran to immediately stop sentencing detained protesters to death and annul the existing death sentences. Borrell called the executions another indication of the Islamic Republic’s “repression of civilian protesters.”
The United States special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, called the executions a result of “sham trials” and said such executions must stop. British foreign minister James Cleverly also condemned the executions on Saturday and called on Tehran to “immediately end the violence against its own people.”
The French foreign ministry said the latest executions were “revolting” and urged Iranian authorities to heed the “legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people.” The Dutch government said it intends to summon the Iranian ambassador for the second time to relay its concerns over the execution of protesters.
A lawyer for Hosseini said in a tweet on December 18 that Hosseini was severely tortured and his confession under torture had no legal basis.
The Oversight Board of social media firm Meta on Monday overturned Meta’s decision to remove a post on Facebook calling for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying that it did not violate a rule that bars violent threats.
The board said in a ruling that the phrase is often used to mean “down with Khamenei” while urging the platform to develop better ways to factor such context in its content policies, outlining clearly when it comes to rhetoric threats against leaders are permitted.
