International News Briefs for Friday, October 3, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday, October 3, 2025.
Israeli Attacks Kill 22 Palestinians Since Dawn
Oct 03, 2025
Israeli forces continue to encircle Gaza City, issuing final evacuation orders to remaining residents. Across Gaza, Israeli attacks have killed 22 Palestinians, including 16 in Gaza City, since dawn. A newborn baby died in Gaza City’s Al-Helou Hospital as infants were being evacuated to escape Israel’s onslaught. Al Jazeera is reporting that at least seven people were killed in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area that Israel designated as a safe zone.
It comes as Médecins Sans Frontières denounced the killing of its 14th staff member in Gaza, occupational therapist Omar Hayek. Meanwhile, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder recounted harrowing conditions at Al-Aqsa Hospital.
James Elder: “This is just absolutely out of control. I promised myself the first story about being in Gaza would be just some of the incredible volunteers and the joy they bring to kids, even in hospitals. And I’m here. The first room I’m in, there are four children, four children who have all been hit by quadcopters. Four children. And then we’re in the — we’re in a makeshift ICU, a makeshift intensive care, because there are so many children. And all four of these children have been hit by quadcopters. Two minutes later in the ICU, sitting with this little girl, Aya, who is 5 years old, and she dies. She died in front of us.”
It comes as Hamas is reportedly demanding key revisions to President Trump’s ceasefire deal. A Hamas source tells The Guardian that the condition to disarm would be difficult for the group to accept.
Far-Right Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir Taunts Global Sumud Flotilla Activists
Oct 03, 2025
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunted the Global Sumud Flotilla activists taken into custody by Israel on Thursday, pointing at them and calling them “terrorists.” Reporters Without Borders said that there were more than 20 foreign reporters on board the flotilla.
Meanwhile, demonstrators took to the streets all over the world, from Karachi, Pakistan, to Barcelona, Spain, in response to Israel capturing more than 450 activists. Italian students occupied universities, and Italian unions called a general strike for Friday with more than 100 marches expected across the country. Protesters also took to the streets of Athens, Greece.
Georgia Bozioti: “We demand that all the participants who were there be freed now. We are here to shout again for freedom to Palestine, and we demand that our country stop any cooperation with the murderous state of Israel, which has been intensifying the genocide of the Palestinian people with the support of the United States, NATO and the European Union.”
We’ll get an update on the Global Sumud Flotilla later in the broadcast.
Over 1,000 Rabbis and Jewish Peace Activists in Brooklyn Demand Gaza Ceasefire
Oct 03, 2025
Here in New York, more than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish peace activists led a protest Thursday demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. arms transfers to Israel. They gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall for a mass public memorial service on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, known as the Day of Atonement. Nearly 60 people were arrested as they nonviolently blocked traffic to the Brooklyn Bridge. This is New York City comptroller — and ally of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — Brad Lander.
Brad Lander: “We must today take collective responsibility for what the Israeli government has been doing, is doing today, on Yom Kippur, says, makes clear it is going to keep doing to Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank also, the bombs funded by our taxpayer dollars in the name of the Jewish state, but a desecration of Judaism.”
Trump Calls Gov’t Shutdown an “Unprecedented Opportunity” to Punish Political Opponents
Oct 03, 2025
President Trump has embraced the government shutdown as an “unprecedented opportunity” to punish his political opponents while slashing the federal workforce and cutting off funding to whole government agencies. On Thursday, Trump said budget chief Russell Vought will have the power to decide if cuts should be “temporary or permanent.” And he said he would continue to target projects and agencies favored by Democrats.
President Donald Trump: “Well, there could be firings, and that’s their fault. And it could also be other things. I mean, we could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and they’d be permanently cut.”
Democrats are demanding the reversal of cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act that will result in some 15 million people losing their health insurance coverage over the next decade. This is House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “This is day two of Donald Trump’s shutdown, but it is day 256 of the chaos that the Trump presidency has unleashed on the American people. Republicans have shut the government down because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans.”
Meanwhile, the Labor Department will delay publication of its monthly jobs report that was scheduled for release today. It was expected to show a slowdown in hiring in September. Economist Erica Groshen, who formerly led the Bureau of Labor Statistics, told The Washington Post, “It’s a bad time to be missing data. We are flying blind right as the economy could be turning.”
Trump Admin Cuts Nearly $8B in Clean Energy Projects in States That Voted for Kamala Harris
Oct 03, 2025
The Trump administration is cutting nearly $8 billion in clean energy projects in all 16 states that voted for Kamala Harris and where both senators voted against the GOP funding bill. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the cuts will impact battery plants, hydrogen technology projects and upgrades to the electric grid.
Massive Fire Erupts at Chevron Oil Refinery in California
Oct 03, 2025
In California, a massive explosion tore through a Chevron oil refinery in the Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo Thursday evening, sparking a fire that burned through the night and could be seen from miles away. The explosion occurred around 9:30 p.m. and prompted shelter-in-place orders until 2 a.m. No injuries have been reported. This comes as the Trump administration has moved to shut down the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent federal agency tasked with uncovering the causes of industrial disasters.
Trump Asks Universities to Sign “Compact” Supporting His Agenda in Exchange for Funds
Oct 03, 2025
The Trump administration is asking nine public and private universities to sign a deal to help promote conservative ideas on campus in exchange for federal funding. The administration is calling it a 10-point “compact” and promised “substantial and meaningful federal grants” if universities take action against academic departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”
The Trump administration is also demanding that the universities ban the use of race or sex in hiring or admissions and cap foreign students to 15% of undergraduates. Walt Heinecke, a faculty member at the University of Virginia, one of the universities targeted by the Trump administration, warned that the memo threatens academic freedom.
Walt Heinecke: “It’s a threat. And it’s a threat that should be taken seriously and should be reacted to in a way in which I think all colleges and universities who this is — this is meant to actually be applied later to all universities and colleges, not just to the nine or 10 that have received the letter. So, that means that we should all be thinking about how to resist this particular form of intrusion.”
On Thursday California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned administrators against signing trump’s 10-point “compact.” Newsom wrote on social media, “If any California university signs this radical agreement, they’ll lose billions in state funding—including Cal Grants—instantly. California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom.”
Immigration Judge Denies Asylum Bid of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Oct 03, 2025
In Baltimore, a federal immigration judge has denied a bid for asylum by Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia — though Abrego Garcia has 30 days to appeal the ruling. The judge dismissed Abrego Garcia’s argument that he faced “imminent removal to Uganda,” even though the Trump administration has repeatedly, publicly threatened to send him to Uganda or Eswatini, countries he has no ties to. Abrego Garcia first made international headlines when he was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador, where he was held in the notorious CECOT mega-prison.
An ICE official later admitted his deportation was an “administrative error.” He’s since faced relentless attacks on his character by President Trump and top administration officials, who’ve accused him of being a human smuggler and a member of the MS-13 gang, even though he’s not been convicted of any crimes.
Appeals Court Allows ICE to Deport Award-Winning Journalist Mario Guevara
Oct 03, 2025
A federal court in Georgia has denied an emergency request by the award-winning Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara to remain in the United States, paving the way for his deportation to El Salvador today. According to the ACLU, Guevara was not allowed to say goodbye to his wife and three children. Guevara has lived in the United States for some 20 years and has built a large following for his reporting on anti-ICE protests. He was jailed by ICE for more than 100 days, even though an immigration judge granted him bond. He was arrested in June while live-streaming a “No Kings” demonstration, even though he clearly identified himself as a journalist. We’ll have more on his case after headlines.
Trump Declares U.S. Is in “Armed Conflict” with Drug Cartels
Oct 03, 2025
President Trump is declaring that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, following recent strikes on boats in the Caribbean — that’s according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. The memo also states, “The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations.” It comes after the U.S. attacked three boats in the Caribbean last month, reportedly killing 17 people. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino blasted the U.S. Thursday after detecting five F-35 fighter jets close to the Venezuelan coast.
Vladimir Padrino López: “The presence of these aircraft flying near our area of influence, nearby the Caribbean Sea and off the Venezuelan coast, is a vulgarity and a threat to national security. It is a serious threat. So I denounce before the world the military harassment and the military threat from the United States government against the people of Venezuela, who only want peace, work and happiness.”
Paramilitary Attacks on Besieged North Darfur City Killed 91 in September
Oct 03, 2025
The United Nations is calling for urgent action to prevent large-scale, ethnically driven atrocities in El Fasher, the besieged capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state. On Thursday, the U.N.’s top human rights official warned at least 91 civilians were killed in El Fasher last month, as the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, carried out artillery shelling, drone strikes and ground incursions. The U.N. also warned the RSF against starving civilians in El Fasher as a method of warfare, amid credible reports of civilians being tortured and killed by RSF fighters for bringing food and essential supplies into the city.
Two Victims of Manchester Synagogue Attack Were Struck by Police Bullets, Including One Who Died
Oct 03, 2025
British police have identified the suspect who drove a car at members of the public outside a Manchester synagogue on Thursday before attacking people with a knife. Thirty-five-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie was a British citizen of Syrian descent. He was shot dead by firearms officers just minutes after the rampage began. Manchester police report one of the two victims killed in the attack was hit by police gunfire, and one of the three people hospitalized was struck by a bullet fired by police.
Sarah Mullally Named First-Ever Female Archbishop of Canterbury
Oct 03, 2025
The Church of England has announced Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. The 63-year-old former nurse served as the bishop of London and is the fourth woman to be ordained in the church’s history. The Anglican Church has more than 85 million members across 165 countries.
FDA Approves Generic Version of Abortion Medication Mifepristone
Oct 03, 2025
The FDA has approved a new generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone. Three American companies are now allowed to manufacture the drug. Nearly two-thirds of abortions in the U.S. are conducted by medication.