Bessma Momani

⭕️ Trump is threatening new sanctions against the ICC unless the court agrees not to prosecute Trump or other U.S. officials in the future. Specifically, the U.S. wants the ICC to amend its founding treaty, the Rome Statute, to exempt U.S. officials. The move requires the support of two-thirds of ICC member states – a steep challenge. The move comes after ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

See new posts Conversation Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk SCOOP: Trump administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document and commit to not investigating President Donald Trump & his top officials, an administration official told @Reuters , adding that this ask has been made known to court & allies

See new posts Conversation Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk SCOOP: Trump administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document and commit to not investigating President Donald Trump & his top officials, an administration official told @Reuters , adding that this ask has been made known to court & allies 7:59 AM · Dec 10, 2025 · 43K Views Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h If the ICC does not act on this U.S. demand & two others - dropping investigations of Israeli leaders over the Gaza war & formally ending an earlier probe of US troops over their actions in Afghanistan - Washington may penalize more ICC officials & could sanction the court itself Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h “There is growing concern ... that in 2029 the ICC will turn its attention to the president, to the vice president, to the secretary of war and others, and pursue prosecutions against them,” the Trump official said. “That is unacceptable, and we will not allow it to happen." Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h More details in the story

See new posts Conversation Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h SCOOP: Trump administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document and commit to not investigating President Donald Trump & his top officials, an administration official told @Reuters , adding that this ask has been made known to court & allies Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h If the ICC does not act on this U.S. demand & two others - dropping investigations of Israeli leaders over the Gaza war & formally ending an earlier probe of US troops over their actions in Afghanistan - Washington may penalize more ICC officials & could sanction the court itself Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk · 5h “There is growing concern ... that in 2029 the ICC will turn its attention to the president, to the vice president, to the secretary of war and others, and pursue prosecutions against them,” the Trump official said. “That is unacceptable, and we will not allow it to happen." Hümeyra Pamuk @humeyra_pamuk More details in the story https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-threatens-new-icc-sanctions-unless-court-pledges-not-prosecute-trump-2025-12-10/

⭕️ Trump is threatening new sanctions against the ICC unless the court agrees not to prosecute Trump or other US officials in the future.

Specifically, the US wants the ICC to amend its founding treaty, the Rome Statute, to exempt US officials. The move requires the support of 2/3 of ICC member...

USA beskrives på ny måde i trusselsvurdering: 'Noget af det mest følsomme og opsigtsvækkende' USA er for første gang i årlig FE-rapport blevet nævnt som en negativ del af trusselsbilledet mod Danmark.

The United States is for the first time mentioned as part of the threat picture in the latest Danish Defense intelligence assessment: The US now uses "its economic and technological strength as a means of power, including towards allies and partners." www.dr.dk/nyheder/udla...

The DHS Data Grab Is Putting US Citizens at Risk As the US government rapidly merges data from across agencies in service of draconian immigration policies, citizens increasingly risk being caught up as well.

New from me for the @wired.com Politics Newsletter. I broke down how the push to combine data across the government in the name of immigration enforcement has lots of possible unintended consequences, not just for undocumented immigrants, but for everyone.

www.wired.com/story/dhs-da...

Canada Should Stay Out of the Space Arms Race - Macleans.ca We rely on our satellites for everything. More weapons won’t protect them.

We rely on space every day, often without realizing it. But orbit is becoming more dangerous and Canada is being pushed to respond.

In this Maclean’s article, I unpack what the shifting security landscape means for us and why an arms-race approach would backfire.
macleans.ca/politics/can...

Trump said he will personally be involved in reviewing the proposals to buy Warner brothers. But that is a clear conflict of interest given Jared kushner and his daughter are involved in funding the Ellison’s efforts to buy Warner brothers.

Wow -- Russia reportedly plotted last year to plant bombs on US-bound flights (gift link) giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

A beige quote graphic reading: “It’s nonsensical to call this anything other than what it is. Warfare against Europe.” — Keir Giles, Russia expert at Chatham House.

Bombs on train tracks. Arson attacks on malls. Poisoned water supplies. These are just some of the recently foiled plots in Russia’s growing campaign of aggression across Europe. What was once a mere nuisance has escalated into a serious threat.

An #FTEdit 🧵 on the new era of Russian sabotage 👇

EVs beat petrol cars on lifetime emissions — even on “dirty” grids.
Battery production is carbon-intensive, but EVs quickly repay that debt and end up 21–71% cleaner over 250,000 km.

We can’t wait for perfect grids: electrify transport and clean the grid now.

Amazon's Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial-recognition feature to video doorbells | TechCrunch The feature lets you identify the people who regularly come to your door by creating a catalog of up to 50 faces. The company says the Ring feature is opt in and the biometric data isn't used to train...

“Given Amazon’s willingness to work with law enforcement & digital surveillance providers, combined with its poor security record, we’d suggest Ring owners, be careful about identifying anyone using their proper name; …Not everything needs an AI upgrade. “ techcrunch.com/2025/12/09/a...

Nvidia AI Chips to Undergo Unusual U.S. Security Review Before Export to China Shipping chips from Taiwan to U.S. to China would allow government to get 25% cut of sales

The AI chips that Nvidia is allowed to ship to China will undergo a special security review in the U.S. before they are exported.

U15 Canada applauds launch of new international talent attraction initiative - U15 Canada December 9, 2025 (MONTREAL, QC) – U15 Canada has welcomed the launch of a major new international talent attraction initiative, Canada Impact+ Research

Today's launch of a new international talent attraction program sets out a clear and ambitious direction for the future of the country. Canada is signalling its intention to compete at the highest level by attracting and retaining exceptional talent from around the world.
u15.ca/publications...

'Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of US forces and allies stationed at new US base in country’s south... The scale of intelligence gathering prompted US commander to summon Israeli counterpart for meeting to tell him “recording has to stop.”' Via @theguardian.com

OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy Four sources close to the situation claim OpenAI has become hesitant to publish research on the negative impact of AI. The company says it has only expanded the economic research team’s scope.

NEW: Four sources tell @mzeff.bsky.social that OpenAI has become reluctant to publish research on the negative economic impacts of AI, including job displacement.

At least two members of OpenAI's economic research team have recently quit over that perceived pullback.

China's trade surplus appears on track to top US$1trn this year
• China’s exports to the US have were down by 29% year on year in November amid tariffs and tensions
• However, Chinese shipments to other regions - notably south-east Asia - keep growing rapidly
www.ft.com/content/b9bf...

Lithuania has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of smuggler balloons from neighbouring Belarus forced the repeated closure of its airports in recent weeks and threatened national security. on.ft.com/4pPKmXa

I checked in with my students yesterday. They reported that Palestine is no longer showing up on their Tiktok feeds.

Which I think is suggestive of the severe limits of social media campaigning, because the killing hasn't ended, has it?

A map of Europe showing drone sightings near critical infrastructure in 2025. Drones were spotted near military bases, airports, and energy sites, particularly in Germany, Denmark, France, and Poland. Callouts highlight incidents over Danish airports and a French nuclear base.

A key Russian tactic is “razvedka boyem” – reconnaissance through battle – in which an enemy’s weaknesses are discoverd by constant probing. In September, Russian drones over Poland shut airports, inadvertantly revealing an easy way of wreaking chaos. Dozens of sightings have been reported since.

A stacked bar chart showing an increase in hybrid-warfare incidents across Europe from 2018 to 2025, affecting infrastructure like communications, military, government, energy, transport, health, and water. The number of events spikes dramatically in 2024 and is projected to rise further in 2025.

Russian attacks in Europe are, by nature, scattergun and hard to track. But the scale is now such that analysts believe the escalation is strategic rather than opportunistic, designed to trigger public fear and policy paralysis. The attacks are a test of Europe’s mettle – and Russia is taking notes.

How Much Could China Gain From Access to Powerful Nvidia Chips? President Trump said Nvidia can export some chips. But years of U.S. restrictions have propelled China to make everything it needs for advanced A.I.

News Analysis: President Trump said Monday that Nvidia can export some chips to China. But years of U.S. restrictions have propelled China to make everything it needs for advanced A.I.

Two graphs, one showing China’s rising trade surplus, the other plunging exports to US

A big sign that Trump’s bullying tactics don’t work. China’s trade surplus topped $1 trillion for the first time ever, driven by a strong rebound in exports despite weak domestic demand.

US shipments plunged 29% under Trump’s tariffs while exports to Southeast Asia and Europe surged. (FT)

"We can't allow fact checkers into the country" is late-stage USSR shit, real end-of-empire stuff

Google Says First AI Glasses With Gemini Will Arrive in 2026 Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it’s working to create two different categories of artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses to compete next year with existing models from Meta Platforms Inc.: one wit...

Today in luxury surveillance.

A Doritos Bag, a Police Response, and an AI Accountability Crisis | TechPolicy.Press The Justice Education Project's Nicholas E. Stewart says AI used in policing, schools, and courts cannot rely on trust in technology companies.

"Districts and departments often buy systems on marketing promises rather than evidence. Few ask who validated the model or how it performs across racial groups," writes Nicholas E. Stewart in @techpolicypress.bsky.social.

Lack of power supply is key issue for many African economies
• Public and development finance funding for African energy has fallen by ~30% fell in the last 10 years
• China, once a key financier, is now pulling back from projects and US has slashed electrification initiatives

Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades Cuts to development aid from several countries is a key factor, researchers said.

For the first time this century, the number of children worldwide who die before their fifth birthday is projected to rise, according to a new study published by the Gates Foundation.

Opinion | Don’t Fear the Bubble Bursting

"Large language models can only predict the next thing a human would say. Train one on texts from the late 1800s and it won’t invent airplanes or rockets. It will channel ideas from that period, when leading scientists thought human flight was impossible." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...

WSJ headline

France's Macron threatens China with tariffs over trade surplus - Les Echos French President Emmanuel Macron said he had threatened Beijing with tariffs during his state visit to China if there was no action taken to reduce the country's ever-widening trade deficit with the E...

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Emmanuel Macron: "Today, we are caught between the US and China and it is a matter of life or death for the European industry. We have become the adjustment market and this is the worst-case scenario."

He is absolutely right.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Why, in the war between Ukraine and Russia, is America the first to surrender?

-- a future Ukrainian proverb

UN hits out at global "apathy" over widespread suffering as it launches its 2026 appeal for humanitarian aid

u.afp.com/S7qs