Ramaphosa in the USA: S. African press says 'White genocide dominates face-off'
02:37
22/05/2025
Eugene Jarecki talks about his documentary 'The six billion dollar man'
22/05/2025
Gaza blockade: International pressure mounts on Israeli government
22/05/2025
Washington DC shooting: What is Israeli government's reaction?
22/05/2025
Trump denounces killings of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington
Americas
22/05/2025
Trump ambushes Ramaphosa over genocide claims in testy White House meeting
22/05/2025
Aid arrives but falls short of Gazans' needs amid renewed Israeli strikes
22/05/2025
Outrage after Israeli army fires 'warning shots' at diplomats on West Bank visit
21/05/2025
No aid entering Gaza this week has reached Palestinians, UN says
Middle East
21/05/2025
'Nowhere is safe in Gaza, nowhere at all'
Middle East
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Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
The 100 ways Elon Musk allegedly benefited from Trump's White House
A new report published by a prominent American senator's office this week sheds light on how the first 130 days of US President Donald Trump's second term may have benefited Elon Musk, the world's richest man. Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren's office compiled a 14-page document using a combination of media reports, White House statements, and think tank research to identify over 100 occasions where Musk's companies and his own personal wealth benefited during his time with the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). A statement on Warren's website describes the report as a list of actions where Musk or White House officials "broke ethics norms and precedent or may have violated laws regarding federal employees' participation in matters in which they have a financial interest," while benefiting Musk's business concerns. The report alleges that these actions have increased Musk's personal wealth by "at least" $100 billion (€85.4 billion) and wiped out a potential additional $2.37 billion (€2.07 billion) in business liabilities from Musk's record. Warren's report comes in the wake of a very public fallout this week between Trump and Musk, who left his role at DOGE earlier this month. Warren's report claims that Musk had conflicts with "at least 70 per cent" of the government departments that his new role came after. The report claims that President Trump fired the USAID Inspector General, who was set to inspect Musk's satellite company Starlink for its role in providing services to Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine. In one of the most controversial moves of his early presidency, the report claims that Trump then tried to shut down USAID in light of this pending investigation. Trump then announced a pause of US foreign development assistance programmes through USAID, creating a $60 billion (€55.3 billion) funding gap. Among the USAID cancellation repercussions is some non-profit funding to Ukraine that the EU told Euronews in February that it will not be able to meet the gap. Warren's report also claims that Starlink either struck deals or is negotiating deals with at least a dozen countries, largely in Asia and Africa, 'amid threats of tariffs'. Regulators "have taken no public action on their investigations" in more than 40 federal agency matters regarding Musk's companies "for several months or more," the report continued. Many of the stalled investigations highlighted in the report were focused on Tesla, Musk's electric vehicle company. Citing NPR reports, Warren said that Trump fired the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the first round of DOGE cuts after it received over 300 consumer complaints about Tesla. Pending investigations and audits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance into Tesla were shut down by the Trump administration, the report continued. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in charge of investigating market manipulation, limited staff authority to launch investigations as the body was investigating Tesla's potentially false claims about self-driving vehicles. In a similar vein, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) laid off workers in DOGE cuts while it investigated Tesla crashes caused by the car's 'full self-driving' and remote control features. Trump's administration also administered cuts and slowed down the work of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) after these agencies launched investigations into SpaceX, Tesla and xAI Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) company behind chatbot Grok, for environmental violations. During his time at DOGE, Musk was able to put in motion or sign several government contracts worth billions of dollars for SpaceX, his space technology company based in Texas. Trump's announcement of the Golden Dome project to guarantee security for the US, along with an initial $25 billion (€22 billion) investment, had already pegged SpaceX as a frontrunner for the project. The White House is now also reportedly calling for 13 per cent more spending for the Department of Defense, with SpaceX "considered likely to be the top recipient" of this funding, while the report alleges the company has already made over $7 billion (€6.15 billion) in contracts. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to subsidise SpaceX's broadband services in a reversal of a previous decision to give the company $900 million (€790 million). Musk also helped handpick many of the administration's key personnel, including the initial selection of SpaceX investor Jared Isaacman as NASA's top administrator and putting Michael Guetlein, a former SpaceX fellow, at the head of the Golden Dome missile program. These picks also influenced a potential contract with the Pentagon where SpaceX would be paid to "transport military cargo around the globe". The report also alleges that DOGE infiltrated the Treasury Department's Federal Payment System, which could give Musk the financial information of competitor companies that have been awarded contracts.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Israel orders military to block aid flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza
Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday ordered the military to block an aid boat headed for Gaza with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. "I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israel Katz said in a statement from his office. "To Greta the antisemite and her companions, Hamas propaganda mouthpieces, I say clearly: turn back because you will not reach Gaza," Katz said. The organisers of the Madleen's voyage said Saturday they had reached Egyptian waters and were nearing Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 21st month. The Madleen, a sailing boat operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Italy on June 1 with the stated aim of delivering humanitarian aid and breaking the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. "Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade of Gaza, which is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching Hamas – a murderous terrorist group holding our hostages and committing war crimes," Katz said. "Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or support terror groups – by sea, air or land," he added. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. On Sunday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that the overall toll for the Gaza war had reached 54,880, the majority civilians. The UN considers these figures reliable.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Israel says to block Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg
"I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement from his office. Calling Thunberg an "antisemite" and the group of activists "Hamas propaganda mouthpieces", he added: "Turn back because you will not reach Gaza." The Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Italy on June 1 with the aim of delivering aid and challenging the Israeli blockade, which has been in place for years even before the Israel-Hamas war since October 2023. Organisers said Saturday the vessel had entered Egyptian waters and was nearing Gaza, where the war has entered its 21st month. "Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade of Gaza, which is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching Hamas -- a murderous terrorist group holding our hostages and committing war crimes," Katz said. "Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or support terror groups -- by sea, air or land," he added. Israeli fire near food distribution site In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 10 people on Sunday. "Five martyrs and dozens of wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after the (Israeli) occupation forces opened fire on civilians at around 6:00 am", said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency. The civilians had been heading to an aid distribution centre west of Rafah, near a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group that has come under criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian agencies. The United Nations refuses to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. The Israeli military said it fired on people who "continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers" despite warnings. It said the area around the distribution point had been declared an "active combat zone" at night. "Around 4:30 am, people started gathering in the Al-Alam area of Rafah. After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site and the army opened fire," eyewitness Abdallah Nour al-Din told AFP. Five dead in strike on tent Outside Nasser Hospital, where the emergency workers brought the casualties, AFPTV footage showed mourners crying over blood-stained body-bags. "I can't see you like this," said Lin al-Daghma by her father's body, while a man lay over his brother's corpse. They gave the same account as Din, and spoke of the struggle to access food aid after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade of Gaza, despite a recent easing. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to the civil defence. Bassal said another five people, including two young girls, were killed around in an overnight strike that hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi displaced persons camp in southern Gaza. Israel's army on Sunday accused Bassal of being linked to Hamas, an allegation he denied. The army issued copies of what it said were Hamas membership lists to the media, without clarifying where or how the undated documents were obtained. "I do not work for any military organisation," Bassal told AFP, adding that the agency's mission was guided by international law. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. On Sunday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that the death toll for the Gaza war had reached 54,880, the majority civilians. The UN considers these figures reliable.
