• Ceasefire deal follows days of talks between Thailand, Cambodia.
• Nearly one million displaced by Thailand-Cambodia border clashes.
• Both sides agree to cooperate on demining efforts, combating cybercrime.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement issued by the Cambodian side, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes.

The neighbours’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce and killing at least 47 people, according to official counts. Around a million people have also been displaced.

“Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire after the time of signature of this Joint Statement with effect from 12:00 hours noon (local time) on 27 December 2025, involving all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas,” said the statement signed by the two countries´ defence ministers.

Both sides agree to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home as soon as possible, the statement said.

They also agree to cooperate on demining efforts and combating cybercrime.

The ceasefire will go into effect at 12:00pm (0500 GMT) to end the battling over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along the two countries´ shared frontier.

It comes after three days of border talks announced following a crisis meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both Cambodia and Thailand are members.

The United States, China and Malaysia also pushed for the warring neighbours to resume their ceasefire.

The three countries brokered a truce to end five days of deadly clashes in July, but the ceasefire was short-lived.

• Several dozen homes in town of Wrightwood left mud-damaged.
• Atmospheric river subsides after three days of torrential rain.
• Flood watch remains in effect for much of Los Angeles area.

Three days of heavy downpours that spawned flash flooding and mudslides across Southern California subsided on Friday, as residents of homes in the hard-hit mountain resort of Wrightwood began digging out mud and assessing damage.

The holiday storm drenched the greater Los Angeles basin with up to 6 inches of rain by Friday, with 12 inches or more measured in lower-elevation mountains east of the city, according to the National Weather Service.

The deluge, which began around Christmas Eve, was spawned by the region’s latest atmospheric river storm, a vast airborne stream of dense moisture siphoned from the Pacific and carried inland.

The torrential rains were accompanied by strong, gusty winds that toppled trees and power lines across the region, causing power outages. Heavy snow fell in the upper mountain areas.

Even before the storm hit, authorities were issuing evacuation warnings to neighbourhoods considered vulnerable to flash floods and debris flows, especially near hillsides previously ravaged by wildfires. Motorists were urged to avoid travel whenever possible.

Although rainfall was tapering off on Friday, a flood watch remained in effect for much of Southern California.

Homes swallowed in mud

In Wrightwood, a town of about 5,000 residents that bore the brunt of the storm in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles, county safety inspectors began initial assessments of property losses.

Several dozen homes were heavily damaged by rivers of mud that poured through the town on Wednesday, and officials were on standby for additional debris flows that might occur, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Ryan Beckers said.

“Evacuation warnings for Wrightwood are still in effect, and all the roads in the area are closed, except to residents,” he said.

Misty Cheng, 49, an accountant who owns a vacation home in Wrightwood, said she learned the property was being swallowed by a mudslide from a neighbour who sent her video footage.

“My house is buried in over 5 feet of mud,” said Cheng, speaking to Reuters by cellphone from her primary residence in nearby Upland, where she was staying when the slide occurred.

A stream of mud had forced its way into the house through a crushed wall of the attached garage, filling the living room. By the time she ventured back to the property herself to see the damage first-hand and salvage some belongings, the mud had hardened into a mound solid enough for her to stand on.

“I was able to get a truckload of personal items” out of the house, mostly from the second floor, which was left untouched, she said. Without flood insurance, Cheng said she started a GoFundMe page to raise money for repairs.

Aerial video footage posted online by the fire department showed clusters of homes and vehicles in the town caked in walls of mud as crews in front-loaders began clearing clogged roadways.

Beckers said emergency teams rescued a couple of dozen people who were trapped by high water and debris flows in their vehicles or homes over the holidays, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported in Wrightwood.

The Weather Service said Southern California was expected to dry out over the weekend, while across the country, a major winter storm threatened to begin dumping record levels of snow over parts of New York state starting on Friday night.

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has introduced a new federal law aimed at protecting children from online predators, data misuse and harmful digital practices, signalling a tougher global approach to child safety in the digital age.

The legislation seeks to prevent strangers from anywhere in the world from accessing, tracking or interacting with children online, particularly through the collection and use of personal data such as a child’s interests, online behaviour and abilities.

Under the decree-law, digital platforms are prohibited from collecting, processing or sharing the personal data of children under the age of 13, except in limited cases such as educational or health-related services. Children are also barred from creating accounts or accessing online games and digital activities that involve gambling or betting with money.

The law applies to digital platforms and internet service providers operating in the UAE or targeting users in the country, including social media, messaging apps, online gaming platforms, streaming services, search engines and e-commerce websites.

It requires platforms to introduce default privacy settings, age-verification systems, content filtering and age-rating tools, while internet service providers must activate content controls and ensure parental consent for children’s internet use.

A Child Digital Safety Council, chaired by the Minister of Family, has been established to coordinate policy, legislation and awareness campaigns on emerging digital risks.

The decree forms part of the UAE’s broader social policy agenda, following the country’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Family, reflecting a wider push to strengthen family and child protection frameworks in an increasingly digital world.