HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now Friday, April 24, 2026.
Israel Continues Strikes on Southern Lebanon as Trump Announces 3-Week Ceasefire Extension
Apr 24, 2026
President Trump says a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks, even as Israel continues to carry out attacks as its forces occupy southern Lebanon. On Thursday, Trump hosted Israel’s and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the Oval Office for a second round of U.S.-facilitated talks. Once again, Hezbollah was not a part of the negotiations. As the talks took place, Hezbollah fighters fired rockets, drones and artillery at Israeli positions, as Israeli warplanes and artillery struck multiple towns in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, thousands gathered for a funeral Thursday for Amal Khalil, a correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar who was killed in a series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon Wednesday that appeared to target her and her colleague photographer, Zeinab Faraj. Khalil was the ninth journalist killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon this year. We’ll have more on her story after headlines.
Trump Says He’s Under No Pressure to End War with Iran
Apr 24, 2026
In Iran, CNN reports the U.S. military is developing new strike options around the Strait of Hormuz in the event that the current ceasefire breaks down. That includes plans to bomb civilian energy and infrastructure sites to pressure Tehran to return to negotiations. On Thursday, Trump said he’s under no pressure to end the war he began with Iran, writing on social media, “I have all the time in the world, but Iran doesn’t — the clock is ticking.” He was also asked if he would consider using a nuclear weapon.
President Donald Trump: “Why would a stupid question like that be asked? Why would I — why would I use a nuclear weapon when we’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it? No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”
Israel Kills Palestinian Civilians, Including Children, in Latest Gaza Ceasefire Violations
Apr 24, 2026
Israel is continuing deadly attacks across the Gaza Strip despite the U.S.-brokered so-called ceasefire that was supposed to have taken effect in October. On Wednesday evening, an Israeli airstrike targeted civilians in northern Gaza, killing at least five Palestinians, including three children. And on Thursday, an Israeli strike on a civilian car in al-Maghazi refugee camp killed three people, including two Civil Defense workers. Witnesses said the victims were torn to pieces.
Ibrahim: “There were no heads, no legs and no arms. We collected their remains from the streets: flesh, bones and brains off the streets. And no one should fool us by saying there’s a ceasefire. There is no information about any ceasefire.”
Hamas said in response that Israeli strikes in Gaza constitute a “criminal escalation” that undermines commitments to the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a child during an army raid on the city of Nablus. The boy, Yousef Sameh Ashtayyeh, was just 15 years old.
Senate GOP Advances $70 Billion Funding Plan for ICE, Border Patrol
Apr 24, 2026
Senate Republicans have voted to advance a budget blueprint that would increase funding to ICE and Border Patrol by an additional $70 billion for the rest of Trump’s term. The vote came early Thursday after an all-night marathon session known as a “vote-a-rama,” bypassing a Democratic filibuster by using the Senate’s reconciliation process. The budget measure now heads to the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders are seeking to pass it without changes. Democrats have refused to fund ICE and Border Patrol, leading to a partial government shutdown since mid-February. They’re demanding limits on immigration enforcement including barring raids at schools and hospitals; a ban on federal agents’ use of facial coverings; body cameras; and requiring judicial warrants to enter private property.
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Justice Department Seeks to Denaturalize Hundreds of U.S. Citizens
Apr 24, 2026
The Justice Department is moving forward with Trump’s request to revoke the U.S. citizenship of hundreds of people who were born in foreign countries. DOJ officials are targeting nearly 400 U.S. citizens, calling it “the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history.” These cases are extremely unusual, and denaturalization has so far only been pursued when a person is accused of obtaining U.S. citizenship through fraud or convicted of certain crimes. The naturalization process is extremely rigorous, and applicants are subjected to arduous vetting before even being approved.
Trump Administration May Deport Afghan Refugees Who Aided U.S. Forces to Congo
Apr 24, 2026
The New York Times reports the Trump administration is considering a plan to deport hundreds of Afghan refugees — who assisted U.S. forces during the invasion of Afghanistan — to the Democratic Republic of Congo or a third country they have no ties to. More than 1,000 Afghan refugees, many of whom served as U.S. interpreters, have been stranded in Qatar for over a year since Trump officials halted their resettlement to the U.S. after they were evacuated from Afghanistan. The group includes over 400 children and family of U.S. service members. The U.S.-based aid group AfghanEvac said refugees now have to choose between possibly being deported to a third country or being returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, where they could be killed.
U.S. Seeks to Deport Iranian Doctoral Student Who Provided Media Commentary on Iran War
Apr 24, 2026
Image Credit: @yousofazizi
Advocates are demanding the release of an Iranian Ph.D. student who was detained earlier this month and has been transferred to multiple ICE jails. Yousof Azizi was taken outside of his home after he returned from dropping off his 11-year-old daughter at school and 3-year-old son at daycare. Both of his children are U.S. citizens. He and his wife have lived in the U.S. for over a decade. Azizi has reportedly been detained across ICE jails in Louisiana, Texas and now Arizona. Advocates say they believe he is being targeted over media appearances in which he provided commentary on U.S.-Iran relations.
Iranian Asylum Seekers Jailed by ICE Are Not Related to Military Commander, as Trump Admin Claimed
Apr 24, 2026
Image Credit: via Drop Site News
Drop Site News has confirmed two Iranian women detained by ICE are not related to the late Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani like Trump officials claimed. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, Sarina Hosseiny, were arrested earlier this month at their home in Los Angeles. At the time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the two women were relatives of Soleimani, but a review of Iranian birth records and other personal documents by Drop Site found no connection to Soleimani or his extended family. The Trump administration is refusing to release them.
Prisoners Launch Hunger Strike over Inhumane Conditions at Michigan For-Profit ICE Jail
Apr 24, 2026
In Michigan, hundreds of immigrants detained at the ICE North Lake facility in Baldwin launched a hunger and labor strike earlier this week denouncing medical neglect, prolonged confinement and other dangerous and inhumane conditions. The action was reported by the advocacy group No Detention Centers in Michigan, which said an estimated 200 immigrants had joined by Tuesday. Since Trump returned to office, there’s been at least one reported death at the for-profit facility, which is operated by the private prison company GEO Group, as well as multiple suicide attempts.
Philadelphia City Council Passes ”ICE Out” Bills Limiting Cooperation with Federal Agents
Apr 24, 2026
The Philadelphia City Council has approved a series of measures that would limit ICE operations. The ”ICE Out” legislation ends local collaboration with ICE in raids and arrests; shields private personal data from being shared with federal immigration agents; bans ICE agents from entering hospitals, libraries and other city facilities; among other prohibitions. The ”ICE Out” bill was introduced by Philadelphia Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau. Councilmember Brooks spoke as the room erupted in cheers.
Kendra Brooks: “This legislation shows that Philadelphians are not afraid to stand up to the Trump administration. We are not afraid to stand up to our neighbors, and we do not take kindly to bullies who try to intimidate people in our communities.”
Click here see our interview with Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks.
Kuwaiti Court Acquits Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Who Shared News of Downed U.S. Fighter
Apr 24, 2026
Image Credit: Facebook/Ahmed Shihab-Eldin
A court in Kuwait has acquitted U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on charges of spreading false information and harming national security, after he posted about the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on social media. Shihab-Eldin is expected to walk free from a Kuwaiti prison today, capping 52 days behind bars. He was arrested on March 2 after he shared photos and videos of a U.S. fighter jet that crashed in Kuwait on his Substack page, content that was not exclusive to him and had appeared on other platforms. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Shihab-Eldin’s arrest as part of a much wider crackdown on online journalism and free expression in Gulf nations.
DOJ Arrests U.S. Army Soldier Who Made Over $400,000 Betting on Capture of Nicolás Maduro
Apr 24, 2026
Image Credit: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto
A U.S. Army special operations soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been arrested and charged with illegally betting on his ouster on the Polymarket prediction market. The Justice Department says Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke earned more than $400,000 on the trades. He faces charges including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, the theft of nonpublic government information, and commodities and wire fraud. At the White House on Thursday, a reporter asked President Trump about the indictment. Trump responded, “I’ll look into it.”
President Donald Trump: “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. And you look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and everyplace they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is.”
President Trump is a longtime casino magnate whose businesses filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection four times between 1991 and 2009. His son, Donald Trump Jr., is an adviser to the two leading prediction markets, Polymarket and Kalshi.
Eric Trump Touts $24 Million Pentagon Contract Awarded to His Robotics Company
Apr 24, 2026
President Trump’s son Eric Trump is touting a $24 million Pentagon contract awarded to the robotics firm Foundation Future Industries, where he serves as chief strategy adviser. The contract will fund testing of its “Phantom” humanoid robots for future military applications. Here’s Eric Trump speaking on Fox Business about the deal.
Eric Trump: “You know, I got involved with crypto in a very big way because we had to win that digital revolution. We have to win robotics in the United States of America.”
Palantir Calls on U.S. to Reinstate Draft in 22-Point “Supervillain” Manifesto Slammed by Critics
Apr 24, 2026
Image Credit: Palantir
The data-mining firm Palantir is calling on the United States to reinstate the military draft, saying that “free and democratic societies” need “hard power” to prevail. Palantir’s call came as part of a 22-point “manifesto” celebrating the virtues of U.S. power and warning that Silicon Valley has lost its sense of direction. It also argues some cultures are inferior to others, and blames Europe for demilitarizing after World War II, arguing, “The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone.” The manifesto was based on the writings of Palantir’s chief executive Alex Karp. It prompted more than 200,000 people in the United Kingdom to petition the government to break contracts with Palantir, with some members of Parliament comparing it to the “ramblings of a supervillain.” Palantir is a major U.S. government contractor and holds a contract with the U.S. Army worth up to $10 billion over the next decade.
In more tech news, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, says it will lay off 10% of its workforce. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he expects many of Meta’s white-collar jobs to be replaced by AI-powered systems.
Warner Bros. Shareholders Approve Mega-Merger With Paramount Skydance
Apr 24, 2026
Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have approved a $111 billion merger with Paramount Skydance. If the deal is approved by regulators, it will create a media conglomerate unrivaled in U.S. history, spanning news, sports, movies, video games, theme parks and more — all controlled by Paramount Chairman David Ellison, a vocal supporter of President Trump. On Thursday, members of Congress joined protesters on the National Mall, close to where David Ellison hosted a lavish, invitation-only dinner to honor President Trump at the U.S. Institute of Peace ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend. This is Craig Aaron, president of Free Press and Free Press Action.
Craig Aaron: “And this incredible concentration of media power, the idea that one company could own two of the five biggest movie studios, that it could own CNN and CBS and HBO, and a big piece of TikTok, all under one corporate umbrella, is just too much media power in too few hands.”
ICC Rules Philippines’ Ex-President Rodrigo Duterte Must Stand Trial for Crimes Against Humanity
Apr 24, 2026
White House Formally Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Substance
Apr 24, 2026
The White House on Thursday formally reclassified state-licensed cannabis as a “Schedule III substance,” paving the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses. For over a half-century, the drug was listed under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I substance, a list that includes heroin, ecstasy and peyote. The reclassification, however, does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law.
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