HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday, February 27, 2026.
U.S. and Iran Conclude Indirect Talks With No Deal on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Feb 27, 2026
U.S. and Iranian officials have concluded another round of indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear program without a breakthrough, though a mediator cited “significant progress” in the Geneva negotiations. Iran’s foreign minister said afterward that further technical talks are scheduled for next week in Vienna — the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency — and that progress toward a deal had been “good.” The talks came after President Trump assembled the largest fleet of warplanes and aircraft in the Middle East in decades ahead of possible U.S. strikes on Iran, even though Congress has not authorized an attack.
Pakistan Launches Cross-Border Strikes on Afghanistan, Declaring “Open War” on Taliban
Feb 27, 2026
Pakistan’s defense ministry declared an “open war” against Afghanistan’s Taliban government as it launched cross-border attacks and airstrikes on the Afghan capital, Kabul. Pakistani officials claimed their attacks killed 133 Taliban fighters, while the Afghan government claimed its counterattacks killed 55 Pakistani soldiers. Thirteen civilians were reportedly killed in a refugee camp near the Torkham border crossing, including women and children, with several others wounded.
Sher Zaman: “Something fell, and I thought it had landed on top of our tent. My wife’s hand was injured badly, and my nephew was injured too. Both are now lying in the hospital in critical condition.”
The escalation follows weeks of violence along Pakistan’s 1,600-mile-long border with Afghanistan. The fighting has largely shut land border crossings, worsening Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
Russia Strikes Cities Across Ukraine Ahead of Talks Between U.S. and Ukrainian Envoys
Feb 27, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says another round of negotiations with Russia will likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March. His remarks came after U.S. and Ukrainian officials wrapped up talks in Geneva on Thursday, where they discussed postwar reconstruction and an economic package for Ukraine. Ahead of the talks, Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack against multiple cities in Ukraine, wounding 23 people, including a child. This is a resident whose apartment building in Zaporizhzhia was attacked by Russia.
Troshko Mykola: “It’s been four years, and they still haven’t ended the war. That’s what we want. We want them to reach a deal, but there are no agreements. And now we don’t know where to go or what to do. Our apartment is completely ruined.”
Hillary Clinton Tells Congressional Committee She “Never Met Jeffrey Epstein”
Feb 27, 2026
A congressional committee is deposing former President Bill Clinton today over his connection to serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This comes after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied ever meeting Epstein or knowing of his crimes during separate closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee Thursday, which the former presidential candidate denounced as “partisan political theater.” Clinton spoke to reporters in Chappaqua, New York, after her closed-door deposition.
Hillary Clinton: “I never met Jeffrey Epstein, never had any connection or communication with him. I knew Ghislaine Maxwell casually as an acquaintance. But whatever they asked me, I did my very best to respond.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have called on President Trump to also be deposed, following mounting reports that key documents related to a woman who accused Trump of assaulting her while she was a minor are missing from the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files. This is Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia.
Rep. Robert Garcia: “This committee has now set a new precedent about talking to presidents and former presidents. And we’re demanding immediately that we ask President Trump to testify in front of our committee and be deposed in front of oversight Republicans and Democrats.”
We’ll have more on the Epstein files after headlines with investigative journalist Barry Levine, author of “The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 6 Palestinians in Latest Breach of U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire
Feb 27, 2026
In Gaza, Israeli drone attacks on two police stations killed at least six Palestinians overnight. One attack struck police posts in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza; the other hit a police checkpoint in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Palestinian officials say Israel has violated the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began last October more than 1,600 times, killing over 600 Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Israel is continuing attacks on southern Lebanon in violation of a November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. Lebanese officials reported 13 Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, including an attack on the Bekaa Valley that killed a 16-year-old Syrian boy.
ICE Agents’ Car Chase Through Newark Ends in Multi-Car Crash That Injured Children
Feb 27, 2026
Image Credit: Chairman Afrika
In New Jersey, a dangerous car chase involving ICE agents who attempted to make an arrest Thursday ended in a multi-vehicle crash in Newark that left three children injured. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka condemned ICE’s operation as reckless, saying New Jersey state law prohibits law enforcement from engaging in car chases unless there’s an immediate threat. In a statement on social media, Mayor Baraka said, “Based on the damage they are inflicting on our communities, ICE has no business engaging in chases at any time, anywhere — but especially in densely populated areas, and on roads still being cleared from a significant snowstorm.” Baraka was arrested last year while protesting outside the troubled New Jersey Delaney Hall ICE jail. The charges were later dismissed.
ICE Agents Use False Pretense to Detain Columbia University Student Without a Warrant
Feb 27, 2026
Image Credit: Instagram/@ellharve
Here in New York, a Columbia undergraduate student detained by ICE agents who sneaked into her off‑campus residential building was released hours later after Mayor Zohran Mamdani intervened with President Trump. Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva, who is from Azerbaijan, was arrested Thursday morning when ICE agents entered the building without a warrant under false pretenses. Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said that security cameras had captured the agents in the hallway showing pictures of an alleged missing child. Aghayeva posted about her arrest early that morning on Instagram, saying, “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please help.” We will have more on this story later in the broadcast.
NYC Mayor Mamdani Asks Trump to Dismiss Immigration Cases Against Pro-Palestinian Activists
Feb 27, 2026
Image Credit: @nycmayor
Aghayeva’s release from ICE custody came shortly after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appealed directly to President Trump, as he made his second visit to the White House since his historic election victory in November. Mamdani also gave White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles a list of four current and former students targeted by federal immigration authorities and asked the administration for help in dismissing their cases. They are Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Leqaa Kordia — all detained after they joined pro-Palestine protests. Leqaa Kordia is the only one who remains detained — nearly one year after her arrest — at an ICE jail in Texas. We’ll speak with Columbia University graduate student Mohsen Mahdawi later in the broadcast.
Mamdani Pitches Trump on Federal Funds for Affordable Housing in New York
Feb 27, 2026
At the White House, Mayor Mamdani also pitched an ambitious new housing project for New York City. Mamdani hailed the meeting as “productive” and shared a photo on social media with Trump in the Oval Office holding a mock version of the New York Daily News with the headline, “Trump to City: Let’s Build.” The mayor’s office said in a news release the city is seeking some $21 billion in federal grants for the housing project, which Mamdani touted as “the largest housing and infrastructure investment in New York City in more than 50 years.” Access to affordable housing was at the center of Mamdani’s campaign.
Netflix Drops Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Clearing Path for Merger With Paramount Skydance
Feb 27, 2026
In media news, Paramount Skydance is poised to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix declined to match Paramount’s $111 billion offer. Netflix ended its bidding war shortly after CEO Ted Sarandos visited the White House on Thursday afternoon, where he met with top officials including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Paramount’s offer still requires regulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe. If completed, it would create the largest media conglomerate 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. The deal would include CNN, consolidating Ellison’s news empire, which already includes CBS News.
FBI Fires More Agents Who Investigated Trump’s Mishandling of Classified Documents
Feb 27, 2026
And the FBI has fired about a dozen more agents tied to the investigation into Trump’s mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left office in 2021. The purge by FBI Director Kash Patel comes as he faces mounting criticism over his use of a government jet to travel to the Milan Olympics, where he was filmed chugging beer in the locker room of the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold-medal win over Canada.
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