International News Briefs for Monday, December 15, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, December 15, 2025.
At Least 15 People Killed in Mass Shooting at Hanukkah Event in Australia
Dec 15, 2025
In Sydney, Australia, a father and son killed at least 15 people in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach Sunday. Forty-two people were injured; at least 27 remain in the hospital. Victims included a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor who died while shielding his wife from bullets.
Police say the massacre was carried out by a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. The son, Naveed Akram, was arrested after being tackled by a fruit vendor named Ahmed al-Ahmed. Footage circulating widely showed Ahmed grabbing Akram as he fired on a crowd, before taking the gun from him and pointing it at him. The mass shooting was the deadliest attack in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. This is Levi Wolff, the rabbi from the Central Synagogue at Bondi.
Rabbi Levi Wolff: “As a Jewish people, we will not be silenced. As a Jewish people, our light will not be dimmed, and the holiday of Hanukkah will remind us and the world that a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness, and what we need to do is add in our light.”
We’ll go to Sydney, Australia, for more on this story later in the broadcast.
Gunman Still at Large After Deadly Shooting at Brown University
Dec 15, 2025
In Rhode Island, the search for a gunman who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University on Saturday has entered its third day, after authorities released a “person of interest” detained early Sunday. Seven of the students remain hospitalized in critical condition. A shelter-in-place order around the Brown campus was lifted early Sunday morning; meanwhile, the university has canceled all classes for the rest of the semester. According to the Gun Violence Archive, Saturday’s attack was the 389th mass shooting in the U.S. this year. There have since been three other mass shootings. We’ll hear from one of the survivors, Mia Tretta, later in the broadcast.
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and His Wife Found Dead in Los Angeles Home
Dec 15, 2025
Image Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds Sunday afternoon in their home in Los Angeles. Their deaths are being investigated as a homicide, according to law enforcement. Reiner was a longtime actor and director and was known for his films “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men.” He rose to fame as one of the stars of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family.” Reiner was also a prominent donor and supporter of Democratic candidates. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, [Rob] always used his gifts in service of others. He and Michele fought for early childhood development and marriage equality, working to overturn Proposition 8. They were true champions for LGBTQ+ rights.”
Trump Vows to Retaliate After 3 Americans Were Killed in ISIS Attack in Syria
Dec 15, 2025
President Trump on Saturday vowed to retaliate against ISIS, after three Americans — two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter — were killed in an attack in Palmyra in central Syria. They are the first U.S. casualties in Syria since Syrian rebels toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad a year ago. According to the Pentagon, the attack comes as the U.S. was reducing its troops in the country from 2,000 at the beginning of the year to around 1,000 today.
Hamas Confirms Death of Senior Commander
Dec 15, 2025
Hamas has confirmed the death of senior commander Raed Saad, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City Saturday that also killed another three Palestinians while injuring 25 others. In response, Hamas’s chief negotiator warned the assassination threatens the viability of the Gaza ceasefire, and called on President Trump to ensure Israel complies with terms of the October 10 truce. Gaza’s Government Media Office reports Israel has broken terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire at least 738 times since it took effect on October 10, killing at least 386 Palestinians, while severely restricting shipments of food, shelter, medicine, fuel and other basic goods into Gaza.
Israel’s Security Cabinet Approves Plans to Formally Recognize 19 Settlement Outposts in West Bank
Dec 15, 2025
Israel’s security cabinet has approved plans to formally recognize 19 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank that are illegal — even under Israeli law. Israeli media reports the plan was promoted by far-right Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich and coordinated in advance with the Trump administration. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission condemned the move as “a dangerous escalation that exposes the true intentions of the occupation government to entrench a system of annexation, apartheid, and full Judaization of Palestinian land.”
At Least 37 People Killed in Flash Floods in Morocco
Dec 15, 2025
In Morocco, at least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rains in the coastal province of Safi. According to authorities, at least 70 homes and businesses in the historic old city were flooded after just one hour of heavy rain. Morocco is currently experiencing heavy rain and snowfall on the Atlas Mountains, after seven years of drought emptied some of its main reservoirs.
U.S. Seized Oil Tanker Near Venezuela as Warrant Was Set to Expire
Dec 15, 2025
Image Credit: Vantor
A newly unsealed warrant shows the U.S. Coast Guard seized the oil tanker Skipper near Venezuela, just before the warrant was set to expire last Wednesday. The warrant was signed by a U.S. magistrate judge in November and was obtained under federal law that authorizes the U.S. government to seize all assets that are “engaged in planning or perpetrating any federal crime of terrorism.” This comes as The New York Times reports that the oil tanker seized by the U.S. was part of the Venezuelan government’s effort to support Cuba. The Skipper was reportedly carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and was headed to the Cuban port of Matanzas. This is Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel: “Cuba denounces and condemns this return to gunboat diplomacy, this threatening diplomacy, the scandalous theft one more in the already long list of looting of Venezuelan state assets. It is unacceptable interference in the international affairs of a nation that set the course for the independence of America.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. military commander who oversaw the Pentagon’s attacks on boats in the Pacific and the Caribbean, Admiral Alvin Holsey, retired Friday. The U.S. has provided no evidence backing claims the boats were used for drug trafficking.
Chile Elects Far-Right Candidate José Antonio Kast as President
Dec 15, 2025
In Chile, far-right candidate José Antonio Kast was elected president on Sunday. Kast has vowed to crack down on crime and immigration and has called for a mass deportation campaign. Kast has also praised the U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, saying, “If he were alive, he would vote for me.”
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi Arrested in Iran
Dec 15, 2025
Iranian security forces have rearrested the human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi after a violent crackdown on a memorial service for a human rights lawyer who died under suspicious circumstances. Mohammadi was reportedly hospitalized — twice — after she and other activists were beaten by Iranian forces that used tear gas to disperse a crowd that gathered Friday in the eastern city of Mashhad to remember Khosrow Alikordi, the human rights lawyer found dead in his office earlier this month. Mohammadi and other protesters viewed his death as suspicious and potentially a state-linked killing. In 2023, Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while incarcerated in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, before her temporary release on medical grounds a year ago. She’s already spent over a decade behind bars for her human rights work, including opposition to capital punishment and Iran’s obligatory hijab laws. We’ll have more on this story later in the broadcast.
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Campaigner Jimmy Lai Found Guilty in National Security Trial
Dec 15, 2025
A court in Hong Kong has convicted media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai on charges he colluded with foreign governments in violation of a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. He faces life imprisonment at a sentencing scheduled early next year. Ahead of his conviction, Lai’s family expressed alarm over his deteriorating health, including dramatic weight loss, while he was jailed in solitary confinement.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s last major opposition party has officially disbanded under pressure from Chinese authorities. Leaders of the Hong Kong Democratic Party said they were told to liquidate the organization or face severe consequences, including possible arrest. This is the party’s former chairwoman, Emily Lau.
Emily Lau: “The current political environment is getting worse and worse. Many journalists have been arrested, and many citizens are very afraid. Many people have already left Hong Kong, while many others still fear being arrested. This is the situation now. Under such circumstances, the Democratic Party is on the verge of disappearing.”
Belarus Releases 123 Political Prisoners as U.S. Lifts Sanctions
Dec 15, 2025
Belarus released 123 political prisoners Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, as the Trump administration announced it would lift sanctions on Belarusian potash. President Trump’s envoy John Coale told Reuters that about 1,000 political prisoners left in Belarus could be released in the coming months. Here’s Viktar Babaryka, a former Belarusian presidential candidate who was freed over the weekend.
Viktar Babaryka: “Those who come out or those who speak publicly should not talk about how they were or what they felt, because, in reality, there are still many people inside the system who, depending on what we say, will usually face negative consequences.”
Rep. Omar Says Federal Agents Pulled Over Her Son, Asking Him to Provide Proof of Citizenship
Dec 15, 2025
Image Credit: WCCO – CBS Minnesota
Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says federal immigration agents pulled over her son on Saturday and asked him to provide proof of his U.S. citizenship. Omar told TV station WCCO the incident came just one day after she warned her son to be careful in parts of Minneapolis that are home to large populations of Somali Americans, whom President Trump recently described in a racist tirade as “garbage.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “I had to remind him just how worried I am, because all of these areas that they are talking about are areas where he could possibly find himself in, and they are racially profiling. They are looking for young men who look Somali, that they think are undocumented.”
Meanwhile, a man and woman in a Minneapolis suburb are facing charges of assaulting a federal officer, after they drove away with a Homeland Security Investigations agent in the passenger seat of their car following an immigration stop. The agent reportedly pointed a gun at the car’s driver, while her companion dialed 911 from the back seat to report they were taking the agent to a police station. The driver was arrested outside the station, while federal agents chased the man into a grocery store and electrocuted him with a Taser.
House Democrats Release Photos Showing Epstein’s Ties to Clinton, Trump and Other Powerful Men
Dec 15, 2025
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released dozens of photographs showing the late serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with high-profile celebrities and politicians, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. The photos were selected from a cache of more than 95,000 turned over to the committee by Epstein’s estate. Three of the photos show Trump. In one, he appears next to Epstein at a 1997 Victoria’s Secret event. Another image shows a cartoon likeness of Trump on packages with the caption, “I’m HUUUUGE,” next to a sign reading, “Trump condom $4.50.” The pictures also show Epstein with Woody Allen, former Prince Andrew, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon, among others.
National Trust for Historic Preservation Sues to Stop Construction of White House Ballroom
Dec 15, 2025
Image Credit: Katie Harbath
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing to block President Trump from constructing a 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the White House. The lawsuit states, “no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.” Trump’s $300 million ballroom is being funded by wealthy individuals and corporations that include Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Palantir Technologies.
JetBlue Plane Narrowly Avoids “Midair Collision” with U.S. Military Aircraft Near Venezuela
Dec 15, 2025
A JetBlue Airways pilot says he narrowly avoided a “midair collision” with a U.S. military aircraft that entered his flight path while taking off from Curaçao on Friday. The pilot said the U.S. military aircraft was headed toward Venezuelan airspace.