International News Briefs for Friday, April 11, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on, Friday, April 11, 2025
China Hikes Up Tariffs Against U.S. to 125% Amid Escalating Trade War
Apr 11, 2025
China has announced it’s raising tariffs on U.S. products from 84% to 125%, as the trade war between the two countries escalates. Beijing’s retaliation came after Trump imposed a 125% tariff on China, which he says comes on top of an earlier 20% tariff for a total levy of 145%. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke earlier today as he met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing.
CCTV anchor narration: “China and Europe should fulfill their international responsibilities, jointly uphold the trend of economic globalization and the international trade environment, and work together to oppose unilateral bullying.”
Stocks plunged again Thursday following Wednesday’s market rally, amid mounting concerns over Trump’s escalations with Beijing.
Democrats to Investigate Trump Allies for Insider Trading over Tariffs
Apr 11, 2025
In Washington, D.C., Senators Adam Schiff and Rubén Gallego have called for a federal investigation into possible insider trading in Trump’s White House related to his tariffs orders. This is Senator Schiff.
Sen. Adam Schiff: “You may have seen early in the day Trump tweet this: Now this is a good time to buy. So, the question is, between that tweet and Donald Trump’s announcement that he was reducing the tariffs on most of the nations, apart from China — the question is: Who knew what the president was going to do? And did people around the president trade stock, knowing the incredible gyration the market was about to go through?”
Among those facing scrutiny is far-right congressmember and close Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who invested some $750,000 in U.S. Treasury bonds in the weeks leading up to Trump’s so-called Liberation Day when he announced his global tariffs.
SCOTUS Orders Trump Admin to Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to U.S. from El Salvador’s CECOT Prison
Apr 11, 2025
The Supreme Court has unanimously ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, after the Maryland resident was denied due process rights and deported to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador, infamous for human rights abuses including slave labor and torture. Abrego Garcia is a husband and father of three. His family fled El Salvador in 2011, when he was 16, after gang members extorted his family and threatened to kill him. The Trump administration has admitted Abrego Garcia was removed because of an “administrative error,” but argued it could not bring him back because he’s now in Salvadoran custody.
On Thursday, none of the court’s nine justices dissented from an unsigned opinion rejecting that argument and affirming U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’s order that the Trump administration must “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return. But the court remained vague on how exactly this would happen. He’s one of at least 278 men accused of being gang members and deported by the Trump administration to CECOT without due process, many of them solely on the basis that they had tattoos.
Avelo Airlines Faces Protests, Boycotts After Agreeing to Use Planes for Deportations
Apr 11, 2025
Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for a boycott of Avelo Airlines after the low-cost carrier signed an agreement to fly deportation flights for the Trump administration. This week, protesters rallied at Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut as the state’s Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to Avelo questioning its contract with ICE. Tong said, “Avelo has freely chosen to profit from and facilitate these atrocities. The State of Connecticut has an obligation now to review this business decision.”
U.S. Admits It’s Seeking to Deport Mahmoud Khalil for His Beliefs Ahead of Key Ruling
Apr 11, 2025
A federal judge in Louisiana is set to rule today on whether the Trump administration has grounds to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate who helped organize campus protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza. Ahead of today’s ruling, Secretary of State Marco Rubio filed a brief, two-page memo conceding that Khalil has no criminal history and that the U.S. is seeking to deport him based purely on his beliefs.
Israel Kills More Palestinians in Gaza, Including Children, as It Presses Ahead with Rafah Seizure
Apr 11, 2025
In Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least 10 people, including seven children, today in an attack near the southern city of Khan Younis. Separately, at least two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground forces were seen blowing up and demolishing Palestinian homes and businesses as Israel expands its so-called buffer zone.
Israel’s siege of Gaza is now in its 40th day, after it shattered the ceasefire on March 2. Doctors Without Borders has called it a “slow death” for Palestinians, who face severe shortages of food, water and medicine.
Ahmad Manasra, Jailed by Israel When He Was 13, Freed After Decade Behind Bars
Apr 11, 2025
Israel has released a Palestinian prisoner who was held for nearly a decade after his arrest at age 13. In 2015, Ahmad Manasra was arrested and jailed after an altercation with two Israelis near an illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. The settlers survived the attack; Manasra’s cousin was shot dead, and Manasra was severely beaten and run over by an Israeli driver. He was convicted of attempted murder even though he was a child at the time and carried no weapon. Family members hope Manasra can now receive treatment for severe mental health problems he developed during his nine-and-a-half years in prison.
Activists Protest Travis Air Base; Greenpeace UK Activists Dye U.S. Embassy Pond Blood Red
Apr 11, 2025
There have been more protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza. In California, 12 people were arrested Wednesday while blocking traffic near the Travis Air Force Base. Flights carrying U.S. weapons have departed from Travis, as have deportation flights.
Meanwhile, British police arrested the head of Greenpeace UK after activists from the group dyed a pond at the U.S. Embassy in London red to protest the U.S.’s role in fueling “an indiscriminate war that’s seen bombs dropped on schools and hospitals, entire neighborhoods blasted to rubble, and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives obliterated.”
Sudan Tells World Court the UAE Is Abetting Genocide as Civil War Nears 2nd Anniversary
Apr 11, 2025
Sudan presented its genocide case against the United Arab Emirates before the International Court of Justice Thursday.
Muawia Osman: “The direct logistic and other support that the UAE has provided and continues to provide to the RSF and their affiliated militia has been, continue to be the primary driving force behind genocide now taking place, including through killing, rape, forced displacement, looting and the destruction of public and private properties.”
The UAE rejected the charges and called on the ICJ to throw out the case. The World Court can take years to deliver a final ruling on such cases but can issue emergency measures that are meant to prevent further escalation.
The devastating war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces is nearing its two-year mark on April 15. All parties to the conflict have been accused of gross human rights violations and war crimes. A new report by Amnesty International details sexual violence used as a weapon of war by RSF fighters against women and girls as young as 15.
Ukraine’s Allies Gather to Rally Military Support for Kyiv Amid Stalled Ceasefire
Apr 11, 2025
The U.K.’s defense minister has called on other Ukrainian allies to move ahead with a joint armed presence in Ukraine to ensure any forthcoming peace agreement with Russia is implemented. The meeting of the self-described “coalition of the willing” comes as Ukraine has accused Russia of stalling on a ceasefire deal and of preparing for a “major military push.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is joining his counterparts virtually at the Brussels meeting amid uncertainty over U.S. support for the coalition’s plans. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is in Russia today for talks with the Kremlin. Meanwhile, talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials on a minerals-for-security deal are also expected to start today.
House GOP Passes Voter ID Bill That Critics Say Would Disenfranchise Millions
Apr 11, 2025
The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Under the SAVE Act, voters would have to produce a passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers — a requirement critics say will “disenfranchise millions.” The move would effectively end voter registration by mail and online. Anyone who has changed their last name after marriage or for other reasons could be barred from voting if their citizenship documents don’t match current ID. Rural and low-income voters are also less likely to have access to these documents. The bill is not expected to garner the necessary 60 votes to pass in the Senate.
“Guilty of Treason”: Trump Orders DOJ Probe into Two Former Officials Who Criticized Him
Apr 11, 2025
President Trump has ordered the Justice Department to investigate two officials from his first term who publicly pushed back against Trump’s lies about fraud in the 2020 election. Trump accused one of the officials, former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor, of treason. The other target is former head of U.S. cybersecurity, Chris Krebs. Trump also revoked security clearances for Taylor and Krebs. Miles Taylor wrote on social media in response, “Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous. America is headed down a dark path.”
Democrats Attempt to Push Elon Musk Out of Trump Administration by May 30
Apr 11, 2025
A group of House Democrats are ramping up pressure to force Elon Musk out of the White House by May 30, which will mark the end of the legally permitted 130-day term for what’s called “special government employees.” This is Texas Congressmember Greg Casar.
Rep. Greg Casar: “Trump and Musk have exploited Musk’s designation as a so-called special government employee to allow Musk to receive over $8 million a day in federal government contracts and subsidies, while ignoring our conflict of interest rules and while funneling more and more money to himself and to his companies.”
Democrats say Musk should not be allowed to return as a special government employee for at least a year and must first divest from his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
House GOP Passes Budget Bill to Slash Federal Spending and Taxes on the Wealthy
Apr 11, 2025
House Republicans passed a Senate- and Trump-approved budget framework Thursday, fast-tracking a plan to cut $4 trillion in taxes for the wealthy and another $1.5 trillion in spending, largely targeting essential services like Medicaid and nutrition assistance.
Death Toll in Dominican Republic Nightclub Disaster Rises to 221
Apr 11, 2025
In the Dominican Republic, the death toll from a Santo Domingo nightclub roof collapse on Tuesday has topped 220 people. Among the victims of the disaster were beloved merengue singer Rubby Pérez and two former Major League Baseball players: Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.
New Zealand Lawmakers Reject Bill to Roll Back Māori Rights
Apr 11, 2025
In New Zealand, a hotly contested bill which would have rolled back Indigenous Māori rights has been defeated. The measure, which sought to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, was met with widespread protests, both on the streets and inside Parliament, led by Indigenous lawmakers.