International News Briefs for Monday, April 21, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on, Monday, April 21, 2025.
Pope Francis Dies at 88, Hours After Calling for Gaza Ceasefire
Apr 21, 2025
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Argentinian-born Jesuit had led the Catholic Church since 2013 when he made history by becoming the first pope from Latin America. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday when he repeated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying the situation was “dramatic and deplorable.” In November 2023, Pope Francis accused Israel of committing terrorism after Israel attacked a church in Gaza.
Pope Francis: “A mother and her daughter, Ms. Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others wounded, by the snipers as they went to the bathroom. The house of Mother Teresa’s nuns was damaged, their generator hit. Some say it’s terrorism. It’s war. Yes, it’s war. It’s terrorism. That is why Scripture says that God stops war, breaks bows and breaks spears. Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
Pope Francis was also a vocal champion for the poor and marginalized and often spoke out about the climate crisis and against the death penalty.
On Thursday, the pope traveled to a prison in Rome to meet with dozens of prisoners as part of a Holy Thursday ritual. The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, said today, “Rome, Italy and the world are mourning an extraordinary man, a humble and courageous pastor who knew how to speak to everyone’s heart.”
On Sunday, Pope Francis briefly met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. In February, before he was hospitalized, the pope openly criticized the Trump administration’s attacks on migrants. The pope wrote, “The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.” We will have more on Pope Francis later in the program.
Palestine Red Crescent Rejects Israeli Probe into March Massacre of 15 Gaza Humanitarian Workers
Apr 21, 2025
In Gaza, Israeli forces have killed at least 39 Palestinians in the past day as its relentless and indiscriminate assault continues. The displacement camp of al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, a supposed “safe zone,” has seen heavy casualties in recent days.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has condemned an internal probe by the Israeli military into the killing last month of 15 first responders in Gaza by Israeli fighters. Israel blamed a so-called operational misunderstanding for the mass shooting and burying of the aid workers. The Palestine Red Crescent Society is calling for a U.N.-led independent investigation into the apparent war crime.
SCOTUS Blocks Trump from Expelling Another Group of Venezuelan Immigrants Out of Texas
Apr 21, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expelling another group of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In an unusual move, the court issued an emergency order on Saturday morning at 1 a.m. after the ACLU filed a petition warning that the Trump administration was preparing to expel more Venezuelans without due process under the rarely used wartime act. Two justices dissented from the order: Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
U.S. Judge Orders Trump Admin to Return Jailed Tufts Student Rümeysa Öztürk to Vermont
Apr 21, 2025
A federal judge has ordered the abducted Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk be transferred from a Louisiana immigration jail back to Vermont by May 1. Öztürk, who is originally from Turkey, was arrested near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 25 and was transferred to three different locations, including Vermont, before being sent to Louisiana. She was targeted for co-authoring an op-ed critical of Tufts’s response to pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Minnesota Father Has Student Visa Secretly Revoked in Trump’s Mounting Crackdown
Apr 21, 2025
A Minnesota hospital worker who recently became a father to a baby with special needs has been detained after having his student visa revoked without notice. Aditya Wahyu Harsono, an Indonesian national, is married to a U.S. citizen. His student visa was valid through June of 2026, and he has a pending green card application. Harsono frequently posts messages of support for Gaza on social media and runs a small nonprofit selling art and merchandise to raise money for aid to Gaza.
Protesters Warn Fascism Is Here as More Anti-Trump Demonstrations Take Over Streets Nationwide
Apr 21, 2025
More nationwide demonstrations took place over the weekend to protest President Trump. Some of the largest rallies took place here in New York, as well as in Washington, D.C.
John: “And if you folks think here today that you’re safe, they’re just coming for the weak, the powerless, the students, the immigrants, they’re not. They’re coming for anybody who stands up against them. Law firms, universities, anybody who resists, they come for. So, do not be misled. Do not be mistaken. This is happening here in our country today — fascism.”
U.S. Airstrikes Kill at Least 12 in Sana’a, Days After U.S. Port Attack in Yemen Kills 80+
Apr 21, 2025
U.S. airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sana’a over the past day have killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 others, according to reports by Houthi media. A separate series of U.S. attacks Saturday on Yemen targeted Hodeidah’s port and airport. This comes as the death toll rose to at least 80 from a major U.S. military assault on the Ras Isa port on Thursday. The deaths included at least five humanitarian workers.
The U.S. has been continuously bombing Yemen since mid-March, after Houthi fighters vowed to resume targeting Red Sea ships tied to Israel’s war on Gaza. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the growing risk of regional escalation and called for “utmost restraint.”
NYT: Hegseth Spills Yemen Attack Plans in Another Signal Chat, This Time Including His Family Members
Apr 21, 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting criticism on a number of fronts. The New York Times reports the former Fox News host shared sensitive information about U.S. plans to strike Yemen on a second group chat on the Signal app. Participants in this chat reportedly included Hegseth’s wife and brother. Meanwhile, three top aides to Hegseth were fired last week under questionable circumstances. And a fourth former Pentagon official, John Ullyot, who just resigned as the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, has written an opinion piece in Politico saying it has been a “month of total chaos at the Pentagon.”
U.S. and Iran Report Progress in Nuclear Talks, Will Meet Again Next Week
Apr 21, 2025
The United States and Iran held a second round of nuclear talks in Rome and have agreed to meet again next week in Oman. Both sides report progress has been made. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke after the meeting.
Abbas Araghchi: “There is no reason for too much optimism. We cannot say that we are really optimistic. We must be very cautious, but there is no reason for much pessimism, either. We must walk a middle path, reasonable and calm.”
In related news, Reuters reports Israel has not ruled out attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months. The New York Times recently reported President Trump pushed back against an Israeli plan to attack Iran in May.
Pakistan Expels 80,000 Afghans in Contested New Policy
Apr 21, 2025
Pakistan has expelled some 80,000 Afghans ahead of an end-of-April deadline set by Pakistani authorities. Two million more Afghans who have taken refuge in Pakistan are expected to cross back into Afghanistan in the coming months in a policy that’s been sharply criticized by aid groups as Afghanistan faces a dire humanitarian and human rights situation.
Russia Launches Barrage of Drones on Ukraine After Easter “Ceasefire”
Apr 21, 2025
Russia launched nearly 100 drones overnight in Ukraine after a 30-hour Easter ceasefire ended. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, but Ukrainian officials accused Russia of repeatedly violating it.
DRC Suspends Party of Ex-President Joseph Kabila
Apr 21, 2025
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suspended the party of former President Joseph Kabila and moved to seize Kabila’s assets, accusing him of high treason for his alleged ties to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The M23 has seized two major cities in eastern Congo — Goma and Bukavu — killing over 7,000 people and displacing another 1.2 million since the start of the year.
Long-Serving Progressive Congressmember Barbara Lee Elected as Oakland Mayor
Apr 21, 2025
In news from California, former Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee has been elected mayor of Oakland. Lee had served in Congress from 1998 until this year. In 2001, she was the sole congressmember to vote against giving President George W. Bush expansive powers to use military force in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks.