HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Vance Blames Republican Election Losses on the U.S. War on Iran
Nov 05, 2026
Democrats are continuing to build on historic gains in U.S. midterm elections, as late returns show Tuesday’s blue wave could rival Democrats’ sweep of the 1974 elections that followed the Watergate scandal. When the 120th Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control both chambers of Congress for the first time in four years. And this time, they’ll have significantly larger majorities. In the House, Democrats have won at least 240 seats compared to 147 for Republicans, with four dozen races yet to be called. Democrats are projected to surpass 250 seats in the House. In the Senate, the Democratic caucus will grow to at least 54 senators, with two races — Alaska and Mississippi — too close to call.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan by just 637 votes, with nearly a quarter of ballots yet to be counted. Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system means it could take days or weeks to determine the winner.
Mississippi’s Senate race remains dramatically close, with the latest numbers showing Democrat Scott Colom ahead of incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 1,100 votes. Colom is now favored to win, as only a few thousand provisional ballots and late-arriving mail ballots remain to be counted.
In a lengthy social media post, Vice President JD Vance blamed historic Republican election losses squarely on the war on Iran. Vance wrote, “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”
On Wednesday, reporters asked President Trump about Vance’s comments.
bq. Reporter: “Mr. President, Vice President Vance says the reason Republicans lost the war — lost last night was the war in Iran.”
President Donald Trump: “Well, I think it’s largely true, because it drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term. And probably that’s — probably it’s true. But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again, because, long term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
President Trump held his post-election news conference outside the White House ballroom he’s building, signing one of the beams.
Iran’s leadership responded to the U.S. election with a warning that any renewed attacks would draw a far wider response. A written statement attributed to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei argued Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz had shattered the “myth of America’s invincibility.”
Florida’s GOP Gov. DeSantis Calls Election “Extinction-Level Event for Republicans”
Nov 05, 2026
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he will not run to lead Republicans in the next Congress, after his party lost its House majority in Tuesday’s midterms. Soon after, Congressmember Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Congressmember Jim Jordan of Ohio both announced that they would run for minority leader. On Wednesday, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis had this summary of the election.
Gov. Ron DeSantis: “But let’s just be clear about what happened last night: This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we have seen probably in the last hundred years.”
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is set to run for House speaker when the new Congress convenes on January 3. If elected, he would be the first African American lawmaker to hold the position. But he faces some opposition from the progressive left of the Democratic Party.
Yemeni Government Claims to Have Thwarted Large-Scale Attack by Ansar Allah in Taiz
Nov 05, 2026
In Yemen, forces loyal to the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government say they’ve fended off a large-scale attack by Ansar Allah fighters in Taiz governate. The violence added to a growing humanitarian crisis in the city of Taiz, where residents are short on water, food, fuel and medical supplies. On Wednesday, the Red Cross said it had delivered four truckloads of essential goods to Taiz. That’s a tiny fraction of what’s needed. The United Nations is urging Yemen’s warring parties to fully reopen roads into Taiz. This is a U.N. spokesperson.
Stéphane Dujarric: “Taiz, which is home to around 1 million human beings, roads are closed, and supplies are running out. Water production has been cut in half. Food prices have soared by at least 50% on the market in Taiz city. And hospitals are running out of fuel, and they are running out of medicine. The situation is critical, to say the least.”
Israeli Attacks Kill at Least Four Palestinians in Gaza
Nov 05, 2026
In the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera is reporting that Israeli military gunfire has killed a Palestinian child in the Bureij refugee camp. Israeli attacks have killed at least four Palestinians so far today. According to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 1,134 children in Gaza have lost limbs in Israeli attacks since 2023. Israeli travel restrictions are also keeping hundreds of them from getting specialized care abroad. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says that Israel is blocking the equipment and specialist teams needed to make and fit artificial limbs inside Gaza, where only eight certified prosthetics professionals remain. The organization warned, “Continued denial of treatment, rehabilitation, and appropriate education risks turning the harm these children face now into lifelong deprivation. Gaps in medical follow-up and failure to adjust prosthetic limbs as the children grow may cause further complications, chronic pain, and increased difficulty moving.”
Israeli Court Extends Detention of Palestinian Journalist Abed Abu Shehadeh
Nov 05, 2026
Image Credit: LinkedIn/Abed Abou Shhadeh
An Israeli court has extended the detention of Abed Abu Shehadeh, a journalist, community leader and Palestinian citizen of Israel who was abducted from his home in Jaffa late Tuesday by police officers and members of Israel’s Shin Bet. More than a dozen officers raided his home around midnight while his two children were present. They confiscated his laptop and phone. Abu Shehadeh is an editor at the news site Arab48 and a contributor to +972 Magazine and other outlets. Rights groups have described his arrest as part of a “campaign to silence” Palestinian journalists and activists. This is Abed Abu Shehadeh speaking at an event hosted by Jewish Currents in New York just three weeks ago.
Abed Abu Shehadeh: “I understand that people like me die every day where I come from, that in the past decades, from Iraq to Libya to Gaza to Syria, people who look like me, who dress like me, who pray like me, we die all the time. And I understand that I am from the peasants of the world, and this is something I have to live with.”
United Nations Ends Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara
Nov 05, 2026
The United Nations has ended its decadeslong peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, a non-self-governing territory that Morocco has occupied since 1975. It’s widely described as “Africa’s last colony.” On Sunday, the 35-year-old mission known as MINURSO came to an end after the United Nations Security Council failed to renew its mandate. It had been repeatedly extended since MINURSO was established in 1991. The mandate failed after Russia vetoed a draft U.S. resolution supporting Morocco’s sovereignty claims over Western Sahara, while ending U.N. peacekeeping operations next year. The council then failed to agree to a rival Russian resolution. In 2020, the Trump administration made the U.S. the first country in the world to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over occupied Western Sahara, as part of a deal to normalize relations between Morocco and Israel.
South Africans Begin Voting in Municipal Elections
Nov 05, 2026
South Africans began voting in municipal elections across all 257 of the country’s municipalities on Wednesday. Nelson Mandela’s party, the African National Congress, or ANC, slipped below 50% in local elections for the first time in 2021, and polls suggest its support could now fall under 40%. With 28% of ballots counted so far, the ANC had about 32% of the vote. Full results are expected Sunday. Ahead of the election, South Africans said their top worries were spotty water and power service, joblessness, crime and a shortage of affordable homes. This is a first-time voter in Cape Town.
bq. Lilitha Hene: “I’m very excited. I grew up with my mom always telling me the importance of voting, so I feel, in a way, I’m part of some sort of change, I’m part of some sort of community. So I’m very excited to cast my vote for the first time as a first-time voter. It was scary, because I felt undecided. But I think, in a way, I feel decided, but I’m happy. I think this is going to be the first of many.”
World Health Organization Approves Trials of Two New Ebola Vaccines
Nov 05, 2026
The World Health Organization has approved trials of two new vaccines built specifically for the latest deadly strain of Ebola. The virus has killed more than 5,300 people since May, most of them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the largest outbreak in the country’s history. The latest strain of Ebola kills about half of those infected. This Meg Doherty, a director at the World Health Organization.
bq. Dr. Meg Doherty: “We’re looking for early results, we hope, in early 2027, so that we can then start to be thinking realistically about that post-trial access and using these vaccines in the countermeasures and really helping to save lives, stop onward infections and help bring the overall epidemic to an end.”
Paraguay Central Bank Takes Over Lender with Close Ties to President Peña
Nov 05, 2026
Image Credit: Reuters/Cesar Olmedo
In Paraguay, the central bank took over Ueno Bank, a digital lender with close ties to President Santiago Peña, after its capital fell below half the legal minimum, freezing the accounts of about 3 million customers and hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, including state pension money. Prosecutors have ordered the arrests of eight people, among them the bank’s president and chief executive. Opposition senators are now seeking Peña’s impeachment.
Colombia Toughens Terms for Armed Groups Who Surrender, Ending “Total Peace” Approach
Nov 05, 2026
In Colombia, Congress passed a bill Wednesday from right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella that toughens the terms for members of illegal armed groups who surrender, replacing former President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” approach. To earn reduced sentences, fighters must now disarm, identify fellow members, hand over recruited and kidnapped minors, give up their assets and reveal ties to politicians and corruption networks. They will also be barred from public office and peace talks, and leaders face at least 10 years in prison.
Striking Bangladeshi Garment Workers Win Concessions Amid Protests over Poverty Wages
Nov 05, 2026
In Bangladesh, a newly formed wage board has agreed to a revised pay scale for garment workers, beginning in December. The deal came as wage protests entered a fifth day, with workers clashing with police, who responded with volleys of tear gas. Several factories were forced to halt production. Workers are demanding the monthly minimum wage rise to about $242 a month. The garment industry employs about 4 million people in Bangladesh. This is a garment worker.
Mosammat Momota Akter: “The workers’ movement has been going on for the past two to three weeks. Our main demand is a structured wage increase. The wage structure was supposed to be revised two to three months ago, but it still has not been implemented.”
Court Blocks Trump Administration from Deporting Afghans to Pakistan or Afghanistan
Nov 05, 2026
A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Afghan immigrants detained in the U.S. to Afghanistan or Pakistan. Deportation flights had been scheduled to begin as early as this week. Advocates warn deportees would face persecution, torture and even death under Taliban rule for working with U.S. troops during the occupation of Afghanistan.
Google Plans to Cut Off Search Access to Schools That Reject AI
Nov 05, 2026
Google has announced that it will switch off its AI tools for student accounts, requiring school administrators to turn them on. But schools that reject AI entirely will also lose student access to Google Search. Google’s vice president for education said students at those schools will simply see a message that search is unavailable. The move comes after New York City and Los Angeles restricted AI tools on school devices this year. Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, said on X, “Google is using its search monopoly to coerce schools into adopting AI. This highlights the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service. Multiple courts have found Google liable for violating antitrust laws, and this latest move shows it remains unchastened. As the public increasingly pushes back against the use of AI in schools, Google is making clear it will punish those who don’t fall in line.”
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