International News Briefs for Monday, January 12, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, January 12, 2026.
Over 500 Protesters Killed in Demonstrations in Iran
Jan 12, 2026
In Iran, over 500 protesters and 48 security officials have died in demonstrations that have roiled the country for two weeks, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency. Iranian authorities have also arrested over 10,000 people. Videos circulating online show the graphic deaths of protesters and corpses lined up in body bags outside hospitals. Iranian officials have shut off the internet and limited phone calls inside the country. Over the weekend, President Trump repeatedly threatened to attack Iran. U.S. security officials are reportedly weighing cyberattacks and direct strikes. Here’s President Trump speaking to reporters on Friday.
President Donald Trump: “I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
In response, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the U.S. and Israel for the protests and insisted that the situation inside the country was under control.
Abbas Araghchi: “Both the United States and Israel have officially stated that they have interference and a role in these riots. … And they are trying to turn these demonstrations and protests, which are peaceful, into violence and riots.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Trump claimed that Iranian leaders called him to negotiate but that the U.S. may have to take action before a possible meeting. We’ll have more on this story after headlines.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Expresses Support for Iranian Protesters as Israel Continues to Strike Gaza
Jan 12, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his support for the Iranian protesters in a speech to the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Israel is closely monitoring developments in Iran. The demonstrations for freedom have spread across the country. The people of Israel and the entire world are in awe over the immense courage of Iranian citizens. Israel supports their struggle for freedom and strongly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians.”
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians Sunday. One person was killed in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, while two others were killed in southern Gaza near Khan Younis. Since the U.S.-brokered truce, over 440 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Here’s Mohammed Abu Aasi, whose nephew was killed in Israeli strikes.
Mohammed Abu Aasi: “Every day houses are destroyed. Every day there’s shooting, and it’s random. ‘Til now, the war is ongoing. Don’t listen to those saying that the war is over. The war has stopped for the Israelis only. But for us, it’s ongoing.”
Al Jazeera is reporting that a Palestinian baby, Mohammed Abu Harbid, froze to death as torrential rains and freezing winds worsened the dire humanitarian situation faced by displaced families across the Gaza Strip. Since last November, four Palestinian children have frozen to death. This comes as the Israeli military is reportedly planning to restart intensive military operations in Gaza in March, targeting Gaza City. According to The Times of Israel, the operation would push the yellow line ceasefire demarcation west toward the coast of the Gaza Strip.
Anti-ICE Protests Spread Nationwide Following the Fatal Shooting of Renee Good
Jan 12, 2026
Here in the U.S., tens of thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend as protests against ICE spread nationwide following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week. Thousands of protests led by the ”ICE Out for Good” campaign took place in towns and major U.S. cities, including New York, Portland and the Los Angeles area, where activists also held a vigil for Keith Porter Jr., an African American 43-year-old father of two, who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve. His family is demanding transparency in the investigation into his killing. Here are voices from the anti-ICE protest this weekend in Boston.
Maia: “It infuriates me. It breaks my heart to see another woman killed and to see so many families torn apart. And I can’t be quiet about that, so…”
Lydia: “Neither can I. We” —
Maia: “Yeah, of course.”
Lydia: “The line was” —
Maia: “Given the opportunity” —
Lydia: “Right. The line was George Floyd. And Renee Good’s murder is just
showing how far we have crossed that line. And I think that these men need to be held accountable.”
This comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to deploy hundreds more federal agents to Minneapolis in response to the protests.
ICE Agent’s Cellphone Video Shows the Minutes Before Renee Good Was Killed
Jan 12, 2026
Image Credit: Alpha News
More video footage has emerged depicting the minutes before Renee Good was fatally shot. In what appears to be cellphone footage recorded by an ICE agent, Good is seen sitting in her car as the agent circles around her vehicle in the middle of the road. Good tells the agent, “That’s fine, I’m not mad at you,” right before she was killed. Good’s wife is also seen recording the encounter on her cellphone. One agent is heard saying, “Fucking bitch.”
Renee Good’s wife, Becca Good, released her first statement following the fatal shooting. She described her partner as kind, saying, “Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.” About their encounter with ICE agents, she said, “We had whistles. They had guns.”
At the Golden Globes, several attendees wore pins with the messages “Be Good” and ”ICE Out.” We’ll have more on this story later in the broadcast.
NYT: Venezuela’s Interim President Requests U.S. Help to Seize Rogue Oil Tanker
Jan 12, 2026
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez has requested help from the U.S. military to retrieve an oil tanker that departed Venezuela without permission. That’s according to The New York Times, which reported what is the first known military collaboration between Venezuela and the U.S. since the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro.
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to ensure revenue from Venezuelan oil held by the U.S. Treasury is protected from being seized in lawsuits or creditor claims. The move would prevent the use of Venezuelan oil revenue from being used in judicial proceedings ahead of Maduro’s anticipated trial on narcoterrorism charges. This comes as President Trump posted on Truth Social a fake image of a Wikipedia page labeling him as the “Acting President of Venezuela.”
On Friday, President Trump met with oil executives at the White House, including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, urging them to invest $100 billion in Venezuela’s oil production. Trump is reportedly inclined to block Exxon from Venezuela’s oil reserve after its top executive was skeptical about oil investments in the country. Here’s President Trump speaking to Chevron’s vice chair, Mark Nelson.
President Donald Trump: “I remember six months ago, I told you to stay. Just stay. Things are going to happen. You’ll be very happy. I didn’t know they were going to happen this fast or this conclusively. One thing I think everyone has to know is that if we didn’t do this, China or Russia would have done it.”
Nobel Institute Rejects Offer by Venezuelan Opposition Figure Machado to Share Peace Prize with Trump
Jan 12, 2026
The Nobel Institute has rejected an offer by right-wing Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado to share her Nobel Peace Prize with President Trump. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others,” the institute said. In response, the White House said in a statement that Trump “deserves the Nobel Peace Prize many times over.” Trump said in an interview with Fox News last week that it “would be a great honor” to receive the prize from Machado, who said in a separate Fox interview that presenting the prize to Trump would be an act of gratitude from the Venezuelan people for the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The Washington Post reported that President Trump was not willing to support Machado because she accepted the Peace Prize. The source said, “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today.” Machado is scheduled to meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., this week.
Trump Threatens Cuba to “Make a Deal Before It’s Too Late”
Jan 12, 2026
Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has rejected threats by President Trump, who on Sunday said the island would no longer receive oil or aid from Venezuela and that it should strike a deal with Washington. Trump wrote on Truth Social, ”THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA–ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” Díaz-Canel responded saying, “Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do. Cuba does not attack; it has been attacked by the U.S. for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Says Country Faces a “Fateful Moment” as Trump Threatens to Take Over Greenland
Jan 12, 2026
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that her country is at a “fateful moment” over President Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland, the autonomous territory controlled by Denmark. Speaking at a political rally, Frederiksen said, “What is at stake is bigger than what the eye can see, because if what we experience from the Americans is that they are actually turning their backs on the Western alliance, that they are turning their backs on our NATO cooperation by threatening an ally, which we have not experienced before, then everything will stop.” Her comments come in response to President Trump’s latest remarks threatening military force against Greenland.
President Donald Trump: “Right now we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor. OK? I would — I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
DOJ Launches Criminal Probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Jan 12, 2026
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Powell said the DOJ had issued subpoenas related to his congressional testimony about the central bank’s $2.5 billion renovation of its Washington, D.C., headquarters last year. Powell, who was appointed by President Trump back in 2017, accused the administration of threatening criminal prosecution to pressure him to lower interest rates. Here’s Chairman Powell.
Jerome Powell: “The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president.”
Smithsonian’s Portrait Gallery Removes Text on Trump’s Two Impeachments
Jan 12, 2026
Image Credit: X / @WhiteHouse
The Smithsonian’s Portrait Gallery has removed text referring to President Trump’s two impeachments when replacing his photo portrait as part of the museum’s “American Presidents” exhibition. The text that was taken down read that President Trump was “impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials.” Last year, President Trump ordered Smithsonian officials to review all exhibits before the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. Before the review, President Trump had fired the head archivist of the National Archives and tried to fire the National Portrait Gallery’s director, Kim Sajet, but the board resisted. She later resigned.