The Asian Katra cargo ship (top left) arrives in Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba, May 18, 2026
A SHIP laden with humanitarian aid from the governments of Mexico and Uruguay has arrived in Cuba to help ease the effects of the illegal US blockade.
The cargo of the ship, which sailed from a Mexican port, includes personal hygiene items and 1,700 tons of grains, powdered milk and other food, according to a statement published by Cuban media.
Food Industry Minister Alberto Lopez Diaz said the items had arrived “at a time of great economic hardship, exacerbated by the tightening of the blockade imposed on our country by the US government.”
The US has been ratcheting up pressure as it seeks an indictment against Cuba’s former president Raul Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of four planes operated by Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Palestinians, including children, who are struggling to access food due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, wait in line to receive hot meals distributed by the charity organization in Gaza City, Gaza on July 16, 2025. [Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini – Anadolu Agency]
Israel on Sunday began revoking the operating licenses of 37 international organizations delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying they failed to meet requirements under new registration rules, according to the Israeli broadcasting authority KAN.
On Tuesday, the Israeli government began sending official notices to dozens of international organizations informing them that their licenses would be canceled starting from January 2026, and requiring them to end their activities by March of the same year.
“Following the entry into force of the registration mechanism for international organizations in Gaza, the process of barring 37 international organizations from operating has begun,” said the broadcaster.
Israel claims that “these organizations collectively transferred less than 1% of total humanitarian aid throughout the war, and that the scope of aid will not be affected by this decision,” the broadcaster reported.
The broadcaster claimed that security investigations revealed the involvement of employees from Doctors Without Borders in “terrorist activities,” alleging that in two main cases, the organization withheld full information about the identities and roles of its staff.
However, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz, Israel’s decision in November to revoke the licenses of international relief organizations is rooted in purely political reasons.
Israel previously took similar steps against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). In 2024, the Knesset passed legislation banning the UN agency’s activities in Israel, citing allegations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, events, claims the agency has denied. The UN has said UNRWA adheres to strict neutrality standards.
Israeli authorities later escalated measures against the agency, passing a law to cut water and electricity supplies to UNRWA facilities.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on October 15, 2025, after Israel said it would allow the crossing to reopen for humanitarian aid to enter from Egypt into the Palestinian territory. [STR/AFP via Getty Images]
The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday called for all border crossings into Gaza to be opened to allow the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the war-torn enclave.
The two organizations stressed that the truce recently reached in Gaza, as part of US President Donald Trump’s mediation plan, requires immediate steps to ensure aid can reach civilians facing famine conditions.
“This is what humanitarian workers, including the ICRto allow the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid C, have been calling for in recent hours — to make sure all entry points can be opened, given the massive needs,” said Christian Cardon, an ICRC spokesperson, speaking to reporters in Geneva.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), echoed the call, saying: “We need them all to be opened.”
Laerke acknowledged that several crossings were “partially destroyed,” and that debris clearance was needed to enable trucks to move safely through Gaza’s streets. “We call for them to be repaired so they can be operated” he added.
The United Nations declared a famine in Gaza on 22 August, after experts warned that some 500,000 people were facing a “catastrophic” hunger crisis. Laerke said the UN currently has 190,000 tons of humanitarian aid ready to be transported into the enclave once access is granted.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAGenocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
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Violinist Michael Barenboim (L), concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, performs with other musicians during a classical concert in support of the children in Gaza, at the Gendarmenmarkt square outside the Konzerthaus concert hall in Berlin on September 20, 2025. [Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images]
A group of German and international musicians on Saturday performed a classical concert in Berlin on the occasion of World Children’s Day, aimed at drawing attention to the plight of children killed in the Gaza Strip under the Gaza genocide, Anadolu reports.
According to the organizer, the Music for Humanity initiative, the charity concert transformed Berlin into “a place of solidarity, humanity, and music.”
The concert featured professional and amateur musicians playing classical and traditional Arabic music.
Meanwhile, the Music for Humanity initiative called for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of children and civilians in Gaza, and a halt to German arms deliveries to Israel.
The event also included an exhibition of portraits of children in Gaza.
According to UNICEF, more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured since Oct. 7, 2023 as Israel has carried out a genocidal assault on Gaza, killing over 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are suffering from malnutrition in Gaza, according to local health authorities, as Israel continues to block food and other humanitarian aid from entering the bombarded enclave.
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Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that his active support and that of UK’s air force has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide.Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Pope Leo XIV celebrates his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on September 17, 2025. [Riccardo De Luca – Anadolu Agency]
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, criticizing the lack of effective measures to alleviate the suffering of civilians despite pressure on Israel from the United States, Anadolu reports.
“Even though there has been some pressure on Israel from the United States, and despite some very clear statements recently from President Trump, there has not been a clear response in terms of finding effective ways to alleviate the suffering of the people, the innocent people in Gaza, and that is obviously of great concern,” the pope said in an interview with Penguin Peru published Thursday.
The pope highlighted the urgent needs of Gazans, particularly children, emphasizing the requirement for medical assistance and humanitarian aid to address the “very grave” situation.
“It’s just so horrible to see the images that we see on television, hopefully something will turn this around,” he said.
Pope Leo also warned against growing numbness to the crisis. “That’s a sort of a human response, because you can only stand so much pain,” he added.
On whether the Gaza situation could be labeled “genocide,” the pope stated that the Holy See cannot make an official declaration at this time. “There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue, including two human rights groups in Israel have made that statement,” he explained.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded on Tuesday that Israeli forces committed “four of the five” genocidal acts defined under the 1948 genocide convention: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.
The interview also touched on US politics, with Pope Leo emphasizing that his American background allows him to better understand the country’s context, though he clarified he does not plan to engage in partisan politics.
He later acknowledged that “the United States is a power player on the world level,” and said: “We have to recognize that, and sometimes decisions are made more based on economics than on human dignity and human support, but (we have to) continue to challenge and to raise some questions to determine the best way to respond.”
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
The Asian Katra cargo ship (top left) arrives in Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba, May 18, 2026
