International News Briefs for Tuesday, September 30, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Netanyahu Agrees to 20-Point “Peace Plan” for Gaza; Trump Warns Hamas to Agree or Face Destruction
Sep 30, 2025
President Trump says he’s nearing a deal to end Israel’s assault on Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. On Monday, Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, where he announced a 20-point “peace plan” for the Gaza Strip. Trump said he fully supports Israel’s goal of “destroying Hamas” unless it accepts the proposal. The plan calls for a postwar Gaza authority secured by an international security force that would gradually replace Israeli troops occupying Gaza. It would split the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. It would sideline key Palestinian political figures and would instead be run by an international body called the “Board of Peace” led by Donald Trump.
The board would also include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. That prompted former U.K. Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to write, “Tony Blair’s catastrophic decision to invade Iraq cost thousands upon thousands of lives. He shouldn’t be anywhere near the Middle East, let alone Gaza. It is not up to Blair, Trump or Netanyahu to decide the future of Gaza. That is up to the people of Palestine.”
Netanyahu Apologizes to Qatar over Airstrike That Targeted Hamas Delegation in Doha
Sep 30, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Qatar’s prime minister for violating Qatar’s sovereignty in its airstrike on Doha earlier this month. The attack targeted Hamas leaders discussing a potential ceasefire, but failed to strike its primary targets, instead killing five Palestinians and a Qatari security officer.
Another Palestinian Baby Starves to Death as Israeli Attacks Kill More Civilians in Gaza
Sep 30, 2025
Image Credit: via Social Media
Israel’s military continues to assault the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials say Israeli attacks killed 50 people across Gaza on Monday and at least 37 since dawn today. Among the latest dead are 20 civilians killed while seeking food at aid distribution sites. On Monday, more Palestinians moved southward along Gaza’s coastal road, fleeing Israeli ground forces who are flattening whole neighborhoods of Gaza City as they advance. This is Samar Abdel Jawad, a displaced Palestinian mother.
Samar Abdel Jawad: “We used to sleep on concrete. We used to sleep on mattresses. We used to sleep on beds. My children used to live a normal life. Now my house has been destroyed. It is gone. I ended up in the street. My husband used to work. My children used to eat the best food and drink. Now we’re left with a sheet and sand to sleep on. We can’t even take a shower. Just two wood poles and a sheet.”
Meanwhile, the number of Palestinians who’ve starved to death has risen to 453. Eid Mahmoud Abu Jamma died of malnutrition and chest infections in Khan Younis after Israel blocked access to food, infant formula and other basic supplies. At her death, the 2-and-a-half-month-old infant weighed less than she had when she was born; her thumb was wider than her ankle.
Journalist Charged with Hate Crime After Photographing Protest of New York Times’s Gaza Coverage
Sep 30, 2025
Image Credit: X/@wawog_now
Here in New York, prosecutors have charged three people over a direct action targeting The New York Times last summer. On July 30, protesters doused the Times’s headquarters in Manhattan in red paint with the words ”NYT lies, Gaza dies” spray-painted on the building’s windows. On Monday, prosecutors brought charges of felony criminal mischief against two protesters; meanwhile, a photojournalist who took pictures of the direct action was charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime. The group Writers Against the War on Gaza has condemned the prosecution as an attack on the movement to end Israel’s assault on Gaza, and an attempt to criminalize both journalistic and political speech. This is organizer Tracy Rosenthal.
Tracy Rosenthal: “This action echoed the tactics of Palestine Action in targeting weapons manufacturers here at the headquarters of The New York Times. And I think it must be understood as an antiwar action against the paper, which has supported every — like nearly every U.S. war in my lifetime. I think we can turn to the words of Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, who was assassinated by Israel this March, and who wrote in June 2024, ‘Language makes genocide justifiable. A reason why we are still being bombed after 243 days is because of The New York Times.’”
Vance Warns “We’re Headed to a Shutdown” as Trump and Democratic Leaders Fail to Reach Spending Deal
Sep 30, 2025
President Trump and Democratic leaders failed to reach an agreement Monday on a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown starting at midnight tonight. Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters after the negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance: “I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind.”
Democrats are looking to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs that were implemented by the tax and spending bill passed earlier this year. Here’s House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “They’re telling the American people what they’re all about: largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripping food from the mouths of hungry children, hungry seniors and hungry veterans. And they did all of that to reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. That’s what Republicans have been all about in terms of governing this year. And we’re not down with any of that.”
If Congress fails to prevent a government shutdown, the federal government will stop publishing key economic data, including a Bureau of Labor Statistics report on jobs numbers in September and the Consumer Price Index data on inflation and wages. Meanwhile, Trump officials have stated that they would conduct mass firings at federal agencies if the government shuts down. We’ll have more on the looming shutdown later in the broadcast.
U.N. Reinstates Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Program
Sep 30, 2025
The United Nations has reinstated sweeping economic and military sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, a decade after the landmark Iran nuclear deal. The U.K., France and Germany — known as the “E3” — have accused Iran of “continued nuclear escalation” after Iran stopped inspections of its nuclear facilities after Israel and the U.S. bombed them. Here’s Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Abbas Araghchi: “The E3 and the United States bear full responsibility for the serious consequences of today’s decision. By ignoring facts, spreading false claims, misrepresenting Iran’s peaceful program and blocking diplomacy, they have actively and intently paved the way for dangerous escalation.”
This comes as Iran executed a man the judiciary said was “one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran.” Iran has executed at least 10 people this year convicted of spying for Israel.
Trump Admin Strikes Deal with Iran to Deport Iranian Nationals
Sep 30, 2025
The Trump administration has struck a deal with Iran to deport a plane full of Iranian nationals, including people whose asylum claims of religious and political persecution have not yet been heard by an immigration judge. The New York Times reports a charter flight took off from Louisiana on Monday evening with around 100 Iranian deportees on board, part of what an Iranian official called a deal to repatriate about 400 people.
YouTube Agrees to Pay $24.5M to Settle Trump Lawsuit
Sep 30, 2025
YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump and his political allies. Under the terms of the settlement, YouTube must pay $22 million to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, which would help fund the construction of the White House State Ballroom. The rest of the money is slated for Trump’s supporters, including the author Naomi Wolf. Back in 2021, Trump sued Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube and Google, along with Meta and Twitter, which is now known as X, after they suspended Trump’s accounts following the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Meta and X had settled with Trump earlier this year.
HUD Fires Two Whistleblowers Over Trump Admin’s Efforts to Dismantle Civil Rights Enforcement
Sep 30, 2025
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has fired two lawyers who sounded the alarm over the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle civil rights enforcement in housing. Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan were fired from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing after filing a whistleblower complaint with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Trump Again Threatens to Cut Off Federal Aid to NYC If Mamdani Is Elected Mayor
Sep 30, 2025
President Trump on Monday threatened to cut off all federal aid to New York City if Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wins in November. On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?” Click here to see our interviews with Zohran Mamdani, including our most recent from yesterday.
Trump Admin Allocates Public Land to Coal Mining and Provides $625M for Coal-Fired Power Plants
Sep 30, 2025
The Trump administration announced plans Monday to allocate 13.1 million acres of public land to coal mining, and to provide $625 million for coal-fired power plants, this despite the fact that coal fueled only about 15% of U.S. electricity in 2024, with wind and solar providing more electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. Amanda Levin, director of policy analysis at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “The Trump administration is hell-bent on supporting the oldest, dirtiest energy source. It’s handing our hard-earned tax dollars over to the owners of coal plants that cost more to run than new, clean energy.”
This comes as the Energy Department reportedly added “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” to its “list of words to avoid” at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
OpenAI Plans to Build 5 New Data Centers With Help of SoftBank and Oracle
Sep 30, 2025
Image Credit: OpenAI
OpenAI is planning to build five new data centers in the U.S. with the help of SoftBank and Oracle, which is headed by billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison. The data centers are a part of OpenAI’s Stargate initiative, which would bring the project’s current planned capacity to nearly seven gigawatts — the equivalent of seven large-scale nuclear reactors. One of the sites in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, would require about 10 million gallons of water.
Sen. Sanders: Nearly 700 Prescription Drugs Have Increased in Price Despite Trump’s Pledges
Sep 30, 2025
Senator Bernie Sanders has released a report showing that the prices of nearly 700 prescription drugs have increased despite a pledge by President Trump to lower them. Back in July, Trump signed an executive order to lower prescription drug prices and sent letters to 17 pharmaceutical companies giving them 60 days to act. But Senator Sanders found that drug prices have increased under Trump. For example, the drug Galzin has increased more than 15-fold in price, from $5,400 per year to $88,800 per year. According to Senator Sanders’s report, “87 drugs increased in price after Trump sent letters to drug manufacturers.”