HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, October 12, 2026.
Houthi Attack on Riyadh Airport Kills One Person, a Day After Another Strike Killed 12 People
Oct 12, 2026
In Saudi Arabia, one person was killed and 11 others wounded Sunday when a missile fired by Houthi fighters in Yemen hit a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The attack came just one day after another Houthi strike on the same terminal killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300 others, many of them critically. Saudi officials responded by canceling flights and suspending airport operations. Meanwhile, schools across Riyadh have canceled in-person classes and switched to distance learning for the second time in less than a month due to the threat of Houthi attacks. Meanwhile, Houthi-aligned media reports Saudi warplanes bombed Sana’a International Airport and other sites around Yemen’s capital.
Pentagon Quietly Raises Count of U.S. Troops Killed in Iran War
Oct 12, 2026
The Pentagon has once again raised its count of U.S. troops killed and wounded in operations tied to the U.S. war on Iran. The Pentagon quietly updated the figures without a public announcement on Friday. The Defense Casualty Analysis System website now lists 21 service members killed, up from 18, and 865 wounded, 98 more than in August.
This comes as 74 Democrats in Congress are pushing the Pentagon for answers about U.S. airstrikes in Iran that killed civilians. They’re focusing on a September strike on a wedding in Iran that killed five people, three adults and two children, and injured about 70 others. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Democrats wrote, “We are deeply alarmed by the continued pattern of civilian casualties resulting from U.S. operations in the war in Iran, and the apparent lack of action and accountability from the Department. Acknowledging such incidents, accepting responsibility, and learning from them makes our forces stronger, more effective, and an example to the world. When we fail to do so, it has the exact opposite effect.”
Two Palestinians Killed in Gaza Today
Oct 12, 2026
In Gaza, two Palestinians were killed today as an Israeli drone struck vehicles in the southern city of Rafah. This follows an Israeli airstrike on Sunday that killed three Palestinians in a tent in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, which Israel previously designated as a so-called safe zone. On Saturday, separate Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks came on the first anniversary of the U.S.-brokered so-called ceasefire agreement. Palestinian officials say Israel violated the deal more than 5,100 times in attacks that killed at least 1,471 Palestinians and injured nearly 5,200 others. This is Nael al-Buhaisi, whose home was damaged in an Israeli strike.
Nael Al-Buhaisi: “Where would they go? They will stay in the streets. Where? There’s no shelter or anything. All empty areas are filled. All is filled with tents in the north, the south and in the middle, where we are living. We started living this tragedy, as well. There is no choice left for humans. There is no desire to live with this situation that we are in.”
Russia Bombs Ukrainian Power Plant After Trump Declares Energy Ceasefire
Oct 12, 2026
Image Credit: Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office
Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least six civilians on Sunday, including a strike on a grocery store in Kharkiv that left three people dead and 20 injured. That followed Russian missile strikes on southeastern Ukraine on Saturday that killed 20 people, including three children. Elsewhere, Russia bombed a power plant in the city of Kharkiv on Sunday, setting it on fire. The attack came after President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement caught him off guard, calling it “news to me.” On Saturday, President Trump told reporters at the White House he thinks “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” Trump’s remark came after the White House said it had reached a deal with the Kremlin to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April, in order to lower fuel prices before the midterm elections. Speaking to ABC News, President Zelensky said he would organize elections and stop attacking Russian energy sites if President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.
President Volodymyr Zelensky: “Tell Putin: Give us two months, 60 days, of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections. Of course, we will be ready for any choice of our people. Exactly. … We are ready for ceasefire. We are ready to begin from any kind of steps of deescalation. We are ready for energy ceasefire, not to attack energy, both sides.”
Protests Against Right-Wing Government of Indian Prime Minister Modi Rock Delhi
Oct 12, 2026
In India, protests against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi rocked Delhi over the weekend. Police detained thousands of people on Saturday, including the three leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Authorities had intercepted their flight from Mumbai to New Delhi to prevent a large demonstration. A magistrate judge ordered them released Sunday on the condition that they not “breach peace” for one year. After their release, the leaders vowed to continue protesting, even as they accused Modi’s government of waging war on its own citizens and creating an atmosphere of fear. Today, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress Party, is leading a march toward the Supreme Court.
This is Neha Bora, the national president of the All India Students’ Association.
Neha Bora: “So, I think there is hope, and that’s the only reason why people have the courage to come down onto the streets now, because there is hope that not only can you fight against these people who rule, who claim to rule with an iron fist — and they did rule with an iron fist — not only can you fight them, you can also defeat them in some way or form. And this hope is infectious, and that is why it keeps spreading in this entire country. Fear is infectious, of course, but hope is also infectious.”
DOJ Probing Whether Major TV Networks Broke Federal Antitrust Law
Oct 12, 2026
Image Credit: Joyce N. Boghosian
The Justice Department is looking into whether the five major TV networks that make up the White House TV press pool broke federal antitrust law last month. In September, news departments at ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News briefly halted their shared rotation of White House coverage after CNN was pulled from a scheduled assignment. The networks reportedly found out about the probe on Friday, when the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division sent letters demanding records of internal communications. Last month, CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued over their ban from the White House. A Trump-appointed federal judge issued a temporary order requiring the White House to restore their access, with a ruling on a potential longer-lasting injunction expected on Tuesday.
Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Stop Running Taxpayer Funded Ads Promoting the President
Oct 12, 2026
Image Credit: U.S. Government
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop running government-funded TV ads that promote the president, finding they are likely unlawful. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon of New York blocked the Trump administration from spending public money to distribute the ads. She also said it must cancel “any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements.” The ruling took effect immediately, covering any ads that were set to air later on Sunday night. But the Justice Department in a weekend filing said the ad buy was slated to end on Sunday. The ads began running on national TV in September using millions of dollars from the Department of Homeland Security.
Federal Judge Issues Temporary Order Blocking Deportation of Man Shot by ICE Agents in NYC
Oct 12, 2026
A federal judge issued a temporary order on Friday blocking the deportation of Oscar Belgal, the 28-year-old man shot by an ICE agent on Thursday in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City. The order also prohibits federal agents from moving him to any facility outside the Southern or Eastern Districts of New York or the District of New Jersey — unless the court approves it first. Belgal was behind the wheel of his car when he was shot, with his 5-year-old son in the back seat, as plainclothes ICE agents approached the vehicle with weapons drawn.
On Saturday, hundreds of people, including families and children, rallied in Herald Square to protest ICE and to demand accountability. Demonstrators marched to call for an end to ICE operations in New York City and justice for immigrant families. This is a protester, Tanya Nuñez.
Tanya Nuñez: “We demand accountability. We demand justice for Oscar and all victims of ICE terror. Two, identify and arrest the ICE agents involved in the shooting! That should have happened on Thursday. We demand these ICE agents are arrested. But that is not enough.”
ICE Agent in Houston Runs Over Man with Vehicle, Breaking Both His Legs
Oct 12, 2026
Image Credit: X / @aquino1_neil
In Houston, ICE agents struck and injured a man with their vehicle on Saturday after he ran from them on foot. An ICE spokesperson said agents were trying to stop a vehicle carrying José Mendoza Cervantes, the person the operation was targeting, and Miguel Parra Hernández. In the footage, the ICE vehicle can be seen running over Parra Hernández. According to his lawyer, he has two broken legs and was scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday.
“I Can Call Him Whatever the Hell I Want”: Trump Misnames Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed
Oct 12, 2026
During a rally in Tennessee on Saturday, President Trump repeatedly misnamed Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed as “Mohammed,” calling him a “jihadist.”
President Donald Trump: “Like Mohammed El-Sayed — I call him Mohammed. Somebody said, ‘His name isn’t Mohammed; it’s Abdul.’ I said, ‘To me, it’s Mohammed.’ I’m the president. I can call him whatever the hell I want. To me, he’s Mohammed, and he’s a radical jihadist.”
Abdul El-Sayed responded to the attacks by saying, “He knows my name is Abdul. He says it every day. But he’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us.”
Christa Pike Discharged from Hospital and Sent Back to Prison After Surviving Botched Execution
Oct 12, 2026
In Tennessee, Christa Pike was discharged from a hospital on Saturday and sent back to death row at the Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville. Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital meant to kill her at a botched execution attempt on September 30. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has postponed executions through the end of the year, pending an investigation; he has not responded to calls from Christa Pike’s lawyers to commute her sentence from death to life in prison. If he takes no action before leaving office on January 16, the decision will fall to the victor of Tennessee’s gubernatorial race in November. Democrat Jerri Green has called for a moratorium on executions, while Republican candidate and current U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn wrote, “The answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly.”
U.S. Imposes Further Sanctions on ICC After Navi Pillay Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Oct 12, 2026
The Trump administration placed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, just hours after a former ICC judge, Navi Pillay, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The court condemned the sanctions and urged its 125 member states to come to its defense. The U.S. has already sanctioned 17 ICC judges and officials. Click here to see our interview about Navi Pillay, the new Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Conservative TV Personality Katie Zacharia Appointed White House Press Secretary
Oct 12, 2026
Image Credit: Instagram / @katiezacharia
President Trump appointed conservative commentator Katie Zacharia to serve as White House press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt. Zacharia has spread anti-abortion disinformation, including a conspiracy theory linking the abortion pill mifepristone to Nazi Germany. In a November 2025 post on X, Zacharia falsely claimed mifepristone is “connected to the manufacturer of the deadly gas Zyklon B.” Zacharia is a former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson and current adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group.