International News Briefs for Friday, June 13, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday, June 13, 2025.
Israel Launches Major Unprovoked Attack on Iran, Stoking Fears of All-Out War
Jun 13, 2025
Israel’s military launched a barrage of strikes on Iran overnight, including on the capital Tehran. Reuters is reporting at least 20 senior Iranian commanders were killed, including Hossein Salami, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Six nuclear scientists were also reportedly killed.
Earlier today, more Israeli attacks were reported in Shiraz, Tabriz and the Natanz nuclear site. Israel’s military said it’s working to intercept over 100 drones launched by Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned further retaliation is coming; an Iranian news anchor read Khamenei’s statement.
IRIB news anchor: “The Zionist regime opened its dirty and bloody hand to a crime in our beloved country this morning and revealed its evil nature by striking residential centers more than ever before. The regime must expect severe punishment.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the attack on Iran “for as many days as it takes.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the U.S. was “not involved” in the strikes, while Trump posted on social media, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal.” The Israeli attacks came as the U.S. and Iran have been engaged in talks over a possible new nuclear agreement. We’ll have more on this story after headlines.
UNGA Adopts Gaza Ceasefire Resolution; Internet Blackout Adds to Misery in Gaza
Jun 13, 2025
The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted another resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. The U.S. and Israel were among the minority of 12 countries voting against.
This comes as the U.N. warned of a full internet blackout in Gaza, paralyzing beleaguered humanitarian aid operations across the Strip as Palestinians face worsening hunger amid Israel’s ongoing blockade. Landlines were also disrupted after key telecommunications infrastructure was damaged in Israeli strikes.
A displaced Palestinian mother in Gaza City described the daily struggle to feed her children.
Neamat Abu Khossa: “We lack everything. We lack food. We lack drinks. We lack cleaning supplies. We lack milk. We lack nappies for the children. What should I tell you? We don’t have anything — no food, no drink, no life. We are alive only because death has not come yet. Those who have died are relieved, and we die a hundred times in the day.”
“The World Must Rise”: Freedom Flotilla Activist Implores Int’l Community to Help Stop Gaza Genocide
Jun 13, 2025
Three activists with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla may face more time in Israeli prison as airports have shut down due to Israel’s attacks on Iran. All three activists had been scheduled to be deported today. Two are from France: Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi. Marco van Rennes is from the Netherlands. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is demanding both governments find alternative routes to bring the activists home. This comes after six more of the Madleen’s activists were deported Thursday. Israeli forces raided the humanitarian vessel Monday in international waters, abducting their passengers. At least two were subjected to solitary confinement in Israeli custody. German activist Yasemin Acar spoke out after she landed back home on Thursday.
Yasemin Acar: “The world must rise. We all have to rise together. I’m pleading to you. I’m begging you: Get up! What is happening in Gaza is not normal, for 20 months.”
Appeals Court Keeps Nat’l Guard Under Trump’s Control in L.A. Amid Ongoing ICE Raids and Protests
Jun 13, 2025
An appeals court ruled late Thursday that Trump can remain in charge of the 4,000 National Guard members deployed around Los Angeles, reversing a court order just hours earlier which had returned authority over National Guard personnel in California to Governor Gavin Newsom. A three-judge panel will hear the case again on Tuesday.
Neighborhood protests have been continuing throughout the L.A. region as federal agents raid more homes and businesses. Protests have also targeted hotels, including in Pasadena and near LAX, the Los Angeles airport, where ICE agents have been staying.
Meanwhile, Trump indicated he might ease up on immigration raids at farms and hotels after those sectors expressed concerns over staff shortages.
“We Will Kill You”: Florida Sheriff Threatens Protesters Ahead of Nationwide Anti-Trump Demos
Jun 13, 2025
Image Credit: WESH
Protests defending immigrant communities against ICE raids have been taking place in cities across the U.S., including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas, Madison and Washington. This is a protest organizer in San Antonio.
J.C. Casteneta: “They’re bringing up the troops. They’re bringing up ICE. People are scared. But they’re the ones that should be scared, because us, as a community, we can make a difference.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he has deployed more than 5,000 National Guard troops in his state.
Meanwhile, the sheriff in Florida’s Brevard County warned protesters his officers would “kill” them, ahead of expected nationwide protests this weekend.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey: “If you throw a brick, a firebomb or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at, because we will kill you graveyard dead.”
More than 1,800 rallies are planned across the U.S. Saturday under the banner of “No Kings Day,” coinciding with a $45 million taxpayer-funded military parade and 79th birthday bash for Trump.
Federal Agents Handcuff, Forcibly Remove CA Sen. Alex Padilla from Kristi Noem Press Conference
Jun 13, 2025
Image Credit: Office of the Senator Alex Padilla
On Thursday, federal agents forcibly removed California Senator Alex Padilla from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, before shoving him onto a hallway floor and handcuffing him. Before he was attacked by the agents, Padilla introduced himself as a senator as he attempted to ask Noem a question on the ICE raids and crackdown on protesters in L.A. Senator Padilla later addressed the stunning attack at a news conference.
Sen. Alex Padilla: “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country. We will hold this administration accountable.”
DHS Orders 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to “Self-Deport” or Face Arrest
Jun 13, 2025
The Trump administration has ordered over half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to “self-deport,” or face arrest, after stripping them of their humanitarian parole status, which authorized them to temporarily live and work in the United States. This comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s efforts to end the relief, granted under Biden’s presidency. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said in a statement, ”DHS is tearing those lives apart, forcing families into chaos. … This is not policy — it is punishment.”
Harvard Scientist Kseniia Petrova Released on Bail After 4 Months Locked Up
Jun 13, 2025
Image Credit: Courtesy of Petrova’s Attorney
Harvard Medical School scientist Kseniia Petrova was released on bail Thursday after spending four months in ICE detention. The Trump administration has sought to deport Petrova, a Russian national, accusing her of criminal smuggling for failing to declare nonhazardous frog samples when she reentered the U.S. from a trip to France. Petrova is due back in court next week.
SCOTUS Rules Atlanta Family Can Sue Gov’t in Wrongful Raid Case
Jun 13, 2025
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled in favor of a family whose Atlanta home was wrongfully raided in the middle of the night by FBI agents eight years ago, allowing their damages lawsuit against the federal government to move forward. In 2017, Curtrina Martin, her partner and her then-7-year-old son were abruptly awoken when a six-agent SWAT team smashed their front door with a battering ram, detonated a flashbang grenade and raided the home as they searched for a suspect. Martin described being dragged from a closet, where she was hiding, and being held at gunpoint, before the agents realized they had raided the wrong home. Two years later, in 2019, the family sued the FBI and individual agents for the wrong-house raid; the federal government is typically immune from such lawsuits.
One Man Survived the Air India Boeing Crash That Killed 290+ Others
Jun 13, 2025
A British man was identified Thursday as the sole survivor of Air India Flight 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff. The latest death toll has topped 290 people, including the other 241 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. It’s not yet clear what caused the plane to crash. Just weeks ago, the U.S. Justice Department reached a deal with Boeing allowing the airline to avoid criminal responsibility for two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Nairobi Protests Condemn Police Brutality, Impunity After In-Custody Death of Blogger
Jun 13, 2025
In Kenya, protests erupted in the capital Nairobi amid mounting anger over police brutality following the death of political blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody last week. Police initially claimed his death was a suicide. Prior to Ojwang’s arrest, he’d repeatedly called out Kenya’s Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, accusing him of involvement in a bribery scandal and being part of the “mafia police.” Protesters took to the streets as the government presented a much-anticipated annual budget Thursday.
Felix Wanjiku: “Our first demand is for Lagat to be put in jail now. He should be arrested. Let us forget about the finance bill. And I’m telling the youth of this nation, we are stronger than before.”
RFK Jr. Appoints Vaccine Skeptics to CDC Advisory Panel After Abrupt Firing Last Week
Jun 13, 2025
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced eight new members for the Centers for Disease Control’s vaccination advisory panel, after firing its 17 sitting members last week. Several of the new advisers have gained prominence for their vaccine skepticism, including against mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines. The American Medical Association also raised concerns the new panel was selected “without transparency and proper vetting.”
Senate Confirms Scandal-Ridden Billy Long to Head the IRS, an Agency He Once Tried to Dismantle
Jun 13, 2025
The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Billy Long to lead the Internal Revenue Service amid revelations Long was involved in a bribery conspiracy involving a healthcare company and that he’s received suspicious donations to a defunct campaign fund after he was nominated by Trump to head the IRS. While he was a Missouri congressmember, Long co-sponsored legislation to eliminate the IRS. The group Americans for Tax Fairness warned Long’s new authority “signals open season for wealthy tax cheats.”
House Approves Trump Request to Rescind $9.4B for Foreign Aid and Public Media
Jun 13, 2025
Image Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. House on Thursday approved in a 214-212 vote President Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for international aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, which will freeze $8.3 billion in appropriated foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public media, pending another vote in the Senate.
Judge Declares Mistrial in Third Rape Charge of Harvey Weinstein’s NYC Retrial
Jun 13, 2025
Here in New York, a judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the remaining rape charge against Harvey Weinstein after the jury deadlocked in his rape retrial. One day earlier, the disgraced Hollywood mogul was convicted of a separate sex crime and acquitted on another. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg vowed to retry Harvey Weinstein again on the unresolved charge.