## At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown as blackout deepens

Authored by iranintl.com

Sources who spoke to Iran International requested anonymity, fearing reprisals from authorities for speaking to the media.

Hessam Khodayarifard was shot dead in the western Iranian city of Kuhdasht on the evening of New Year's eve.

The 22-year-old was killed on Wednesday night, December 31, 2025, during a crackdown on protests, two family sources told Iran International.

The claim was later publicly rejected by Hessam’s father, who spoke at his son’s funeral after the body was eventually returned.

Confrontations erupted as security personnel moved in, turning the funeral into another site of repression where grief and anger were met with force.

On New Year’s Day, gunfire cut through the night in Azna in Iran’s western Lorestan province, where Shayan Asadollahi was shot dead.

A relative told Iran International that Shayan was killed as he and a group of other protesters were returning home from a demonstration. »

### The Giant Panda Has Officially Come off the Endangered List

Authored by greenmatters.com

The Giant Panda Has Officially Come off the Endangered List There are still fewer than 2,000 pandas in the wild.

Interested in learning more about the giant panda bear and how it got off the Endangered list?

As of September 2025, the giant panda has been moved off the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources "Endangered" list. »

### “I will allow them if they are white”: Donald Trump cuts a deal to bring white South Africans to the U.S.

Authored by wtfdetective.blog

The initiative, launched under President Donald Trump, targets white South Africans of Afrikaner descent, whom his administration claims are facing race-based persecution under constitutional and human-rights law in a majority-Black South Africa.

During a May 2025 bilateral meeting, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with claims of “white genocide,” raising diplomatic and international law concerns.

Tensions escalated in mid-December when South African authorities conducted a law-enforcement raid on a U.S. refugee processing site in Johannesburg operating under cross-border immigration agreements. »

### The Xbox Developer Direct will feature a secret fourth game

Authored by videogameschronicle.com

The upcoming Xbox Developer Direct will feature a currently unannounced fourth game.

VGC can corroborate this and understands that the fourth game is a smaller-scale original game from one of Xbox Game Studios’ first-party developers.

The Xbox Developer Direct will also include “the first in-depth look” at Beast of Reincarnation, the new game from Game Freak. »

### Germany urges US to respect Greenland ahead of G7 talks

Authored by jpost.com

The principles of international law apply to everyone, including the United States, German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday, in reference to President Donald Trump's threats to seize Greenland.

Klingbeil said Germany has a strong interest in expanding international cooperation in this area in order to strengthen security of supply, reduce dependencies, and ensure reliable economic framework conditions.

"That is why it is important that we consult with our international partners and - wherever possible - act together," he said. »

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