HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Wednesday, October 15, 2026.
WFP Warns Growing Conflict in Yemen Has Cut Off Aid Deliveries to 800,000 People
Oct 15, 2026
The United Nations warns some 800,000 people have been cut off from lifesaving assistance due to heavy fighting between Houthi militias and Saudi-backed forces. The World Food Programme says shifting frontlines, blocked roads and growing insecurity have severely hampered access to the city of Taiz, which is encircled by Houthi militias. Medical officials at Taiz’s main hospital warn stocks of lifesaving supplies will run out in less than two weeks.
Ilan Abdul-Khaliq: “We have more than 650 patients with kidney failure who risk losing their lives, as well as infants in incubators and patients in intensive care. … These disasters we’re facing and this situation necessitate international and humanitarian intervention to find safe passages for medicines, fuel, goods and food to enter the besieged city. Taiz is one of the most densely populated cities in Yemen, especially its city center.”
Earlier today, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen claimed its forces intercepted a cruise missile in the Medina area. The Houthis have denied carrying out any attacks on Saudi Arabia today. The conflicting claims came after Saudi officials said one person was wounded by falling debris Wednesday by an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. A Houthi spokesperson said the group had successfully struck King Khalid International Airport, following deadly attacks there over the weekend.
Two Cargo Ships Sunk Near Strait of Hormuz as Iran Steps Up Attacks
Oct 15, 2026
Two cargo ships sank near the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday after they were struck by unknown projectiles. The Cape Dao had been badly damaged in a September attack that killed a sailor. The GFS Pride sank a day after it suffered an explosion off the coast of Oman. Crew members were safely evacuated as the massive vessel sank, littering the ocean with some of its 2,500 cargo containers. This comes amid a recent surge of attacks on civilian ships by Iran’s military in response to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and economic sanctions.
Meanwhile, the United Nations is urging the U.S. and Iran to agree to a plan to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz to prevent a global food crisis. About one-third of the world’s fertilizer shipments normally pass through the waterway. On Wednesday, a top U.N. official warned that unless a deal is put in place ahead of the planting season, commodity prices of food staples will soar, triggering a massive food security crisis affecting parts of Asia and Africa.
Ukraine Resumes Strikes on Russian Energy Sites as Zelensky Says He Feels “Betrayed” by Trump
Oct 15, 2026
In Ukraine, at least nine civilians were killed overnight and hundreds of thousands left without power after swarms of Russian drones attacked the capital Kyiv and Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it targeted plants supplying power and heating, as well as a data center in Kyiv. The attacks came days after President Trump unilaterally announced Russia and Ukraine had declared an “energy ceasefire” — an announcement both sides denied. This is a Kyiv resident who survived a Russian attack on her apartment complex Wednesday.
Olesya Gachechyladze: “I want to say to America and the whole world: Please help us. You said you would help us, but you’ve left us alone to face a great tragedy.”
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said SpaceX’s satellite internet provider Starlink had cut bandwidth to objects traveling faster than 100 miles per hour, severely limiting drones, airplanes and helicopters used by Ukraine. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in response that any limits to Starlink service in Ukraine are decided by the U.S. military and, ultimately, President Trump. That prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to say in an interview that he felt “betrayed” by Trump, who he said was on the wrong side of history. Zelensky also said Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian energy sites. Ukrainian drones later struck an oil refinery south of Moscow, while another attack targeted a data center in Balakovo belonging to Russia’s largest state-controlled bank.
Seven Sailors Are Missing Off Romania’s Coast After Suspected Drone Attack in Black Sea
Oct 15, 2026
Romanian officials say seven sailors are missing after a fire broke out on a chemical tanker in Romanian territorial waters. This follows drone attacks on at least five other cargo ships in the Black Sea that some Romanian and Bulgarian officials have linked to Russia.
Trial of Ukrainian Ex-Officer Accused of Blowing Up Nord Stream Pipelines Gets Underway in Germany
Oct 15, 2026
In Germany, a trial got underway Wednesday for a Ukrainian military officer accused of leading a secret state-sponsored operation to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines, which were designed to deliver natural gas from Russia to Europe. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K., was a captain in a Ukrainian special forces unit at the time of the bombing in September 2022.
U.S. Deploys Hundreds of Soldiers to Assist “War on Drugs” in Colombia and Honduras
Oct 15, 2026
The U.S. is sending hundreds of soldiers to Latin America to train local forces to supposedly tackle drug trafficking. Soldiers from a 600-member battalion reportedly began deploying to a new jungle training facility in Panama. The troops are set to train with local forces in Colombia and Honduras. The Pentagon recently moved several MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia — and to Ecuador, where the U.S. military personnel and special forces are already operating.
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Francis Donovan, has said the U.S. plans to expand operations from strikes on boats to strikes on land. The U.S. has killed at least 239 people in boat strikes that legal experts have denounced as extrajudicial killings.
Costa Rica Opens High-Security Prison Modeled on El Salvador’s Notorious CECOT
Oct 15, 2026
Costa Rica has opened a new high-security prison designed to hold more than 5,000 prisoners. It’s modeled after the notorious CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador, where prisoners are denied due process and face torture, violence, medical neglect and other serious human rights abuses. On Wednesday, Costa Rica’s right-wing populist President Laura Fernández inaugurated the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime, or CACCO, near the capital San José.
President Laura Fernández: “An investment of more than $35 million, precisely to contain the most dangerous convicts and cut off, once and for all, the power they have held within the prisons for decades. … We are going to use a firm hand, yes, because those who commit crimes must pay the price.”
President Fernández campaigned as a tough-on-crime candidate favoring harsher criminal sentencing and mandatory prison labor for convicts. She’s a close ally of El Salvador’s far-right President Nayib Bukele and President Donald Trump.
Publisher Pulls Sally Rooney’s Books from U.K. Shelves over Her Support of Palestine Action
Oct 15, 2026
The Irish author Sally Rooney says she has been forced to stop selling her books in the U.K. because of her support for Palestine Action, which the British government designates as a terrorist organization. In a statement to The Guardian, Rooney says that ever since she declared her support for the direct action group, she could no longer receive royalties from U.K. sales. She wrote, “The fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the U.K. could now constitute a serious criminal offense. After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the U.K.” More than 3,700 people have been arrested in the U.K. for allegedly supporting Palestine Action since the group was banned last year.
Judge Pauses U.S. Sanctions on Pro-Palestinian Groups That Support International Criminal Court
Oct 15, 2026
Here in the United States, a federal judge in New York has granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing sanctions against two U.S.-based groups that support the International Criminal Court’s work: the Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide and DAWN, Democracy for the Arab World Now. The Trump administration sought to sanction the groups after the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to former ICC Judge Navi Pillay, who chairs the U.N.’s Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
NYC to Stop Investing Pension Funds in Israeli Bonds
Oct 15, 2026
The New York City comptroller, Democrat Mark Levine, says the city will not be investing its pension funds in Israeli bonds, since the quality of the bonds have deteriorated amid the wars in Gaza and Iran. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani welcomed the decision.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: “I welcome the comptroller’s decision. It is something that I’ve said in the past, that I don’t believe that our city should purchase Israel bonds. We don’t purchase the bonds of any other sovereign nation. I don’t think that we should make an exception when it comes to Israel.”
U.S. Inflation Rate Hits 3.7%, Driven by Energy Prices
Oct 15, 2026
U.S. inflation ticked up to 3.7% in September, up from August’s gain of 3.4%. Prices rose faster than wages, which have increased 3% from a year ago. Economists attribute the rise in inflation to higher energy prices, as critics say the U.S. war on Iran and President Trump’s tariffs are contributing to increased costs.
Trump Continues Tour of Deep Red GOP Strongholds Ahead of Midterm Elections
Oct 15, 2026
President Trump is continuing his tour of traditional Republican strongholds ahead of November’s midterm elections, with plans to rally MAGA supporters in northern Kentucky on Saturday. On Wednesday, Trump traveled to Montana to support Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint, who’s polling even with Democrat Sam Forstag. Earlier Wednesday, Trump traveled to a campaign event in Arizona aboard the new Air Force One, a luxury 747 jet given to him by the Qatari royal family.
President Donald Trump: “When they give you a 747, you say two words: ‘thank you.’”
Trump plans to take that jet with him when he leaves the White House.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, has condemned political violence at a campaign rally headlined by President Trump on Monday. Footage shows Trump mocking a protester wearing a shirt reading “Release the Epstein Files” as she is repeatedly punched by at least two members of the audience, to cheers and chants of “U.S.A.!” Uniformed officers then removed the protester from the venue. No charges have been filed.
WSJ: Trump Administration’s Probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar Aimed at Stripping Her Citizenship
Oct 15, 2026
The Trump administration’s investigation of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is aimed at building a case to strip away her U.S. citizenship and ultimately deport her, according to officials who spoke with The Wall Street Journal. The effort is focused at least in part on how Omar obtained her citizenship after she was brought to the U.S. as a child in 1995 following the outbreak of civil war in Somalia. Congressmember Omar’s office said in response, “President Trump would love to eliminate one of the most effective progressive voices in Congress. There is no basis for this.” Among items seized by Homeland Security agents from Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on Monday were a cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and her passport.
Houston DA Considering Criminal Charges for ICE Agent Who Ran Over Fleeing Man
Oct 15, 2026
In Houston, Texas, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said his office will investigate an immigration agent running his vehicle over 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernández during an enforcement operation over the weekend. An ICE spokesperson said agents were trying to stop a vehicle carrying José Mendoza Cervantes, the person the operation was targeting, as well as Parra Hernández. But a lawyer for Parra Hernández said her client doesn’t know Mendoza Cervantes and that he was not with him on Saturday. In the footage, the ICE vehicle can be seen running over Parra Hernández. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare spoke with FOX 26 Houston.
Sean Teare: “He struck and ran over with a vehicle someone who didn’t even have an alien number yet, who had no history with ICE, who ICE wasn’t even looking for, much like Lorenzo Salgado, who was driving to work, who had never gotten as much as a speeding ticket in over 20 years here, and they shot and killed him. This is continuous behavior that is only designed to put fear in a large percentage of our population.”
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Failed California Bar Exam
Oct 15, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reports the new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia never passed the bar exam — despite President Trump referring to her as an attorney. Zacharia reportedly sat for the California Bar Exam in 2011 but failed it. The Campaign for Accountability has formally asked the California Bar to investigate whether Zacharia broke state law by falsely identifying herself as a lawyer.
Meanwhile, during a campaign rally in Arizona, President Trump suggested that those who leak information to the media should be shot.
President Donald Trump: “In my opinion, leakers should be shot. They should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know, when they leak what time you’re going to attack a country.”