'Pix Trump showed to Ramaphosa of dead white farmers came from Congo, not SA'
JOHANNESBURG: US President Donald Trump showed a screenshot of Reuters video taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of what he falsely presented on Wednesday as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans.
"These are all white farmers that are being buried," said Trump, holding up a print-out of an article accompanied by the picture during a contentious Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The video, published on Feb 3 and subsequently verified by Reuters' fact check team, showed workers lifting body bags in Congo's Goma. The image was pulled from Reuters footage shot following deadly battles with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The blog post showed by Trump was published by American Thinker, a conservative online magazine, about conflict in South Africa and Congo. The post did not caption the image but identified it as a "YouTube screen grab" with a link to a video news report about Congo on YouTube, which credited Reuters.
Andrea Widburg, managing editor at American Thinker and author of the post, said Trump had "misidentified the image".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Protests spread across US despite Trump threats
Protests spread across US despite Trump threats (Image: AP) Protests over hardline immigration tactics ignited across the United States Wednesday after days of demonstrations in Los Angeles, as California prepared for a legal showdown over President Donald Trump's deployment of the military. Over 1,000 people massed in America's second biggest city for a sixth day of protests, with the crowd peaceful as they marched through the streets. A second night of curfew was in place as city leaders try to get a handle on the after-dark vandalism and looting that scarred a few city blocks in the 500-square-mile (1,300 square kilometres metropolis. "I would say for the most part everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero," protester Lynn Sturgis, 66, a retired school teacher, told AFP. "Our city is not at all on fire, it's not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you." The mostly peaceful protests ignited over a sudden escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally. Pockets of violence -- including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling stones at police -- were nothing the 8,500 officers of the Los Angeles Police Department had not dealt with before. Trump won the election last year partly on promises to combat what he claims is an "invasion" by undocumented migrants. He is now seizing the opportunity to make political capital, ordering the California National Guard to deploy despite Governor Gavin Newsom's objections, the first time a US president has taken such action in decades. "We're going to have a safe country," he told reporters on his way into a performance of "Les Miserables" in Washington. "We're not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn't there... Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground." Around 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Trump deployed were actively guarding facilities and working alongside ICE agents, said Scott Sherman, Deputy Commanding General Army North, who is leading operations. The rest -- including 700 active duty Marines -- were mustering or undergoing training to deal with civil disturbances, he said. The Pentagon has said the deployment will cost taxpayers $134 million. Governor Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as eying a 2028 presidential run, has charged that Trump is seeking to escalate the confrontation for political gain. He warned Tuesday that the unprecedented militarization would creep beyond his state's borders, claiming "democracy is under assault right before our eyes." Lawyers for California were expected in court on Thursday to seek an order blocking troops from accompanying immigration officers as they arrest migrants. Trump administration lawyers called the application a "crass political stunt." Nationwide protests growing Despite Trump's threats to deploy the National Guard to other Democratic-run states, protesters appeared undeterred. Demonstrations were reported in St Louis, Raleigh, Manhattan, Indianapolis, Spokane and Denver. In San Antonio, hundreds marched and chanted near city hall, reports said, where Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed the state's National Guard. A nationwide "No Kings" movement was expected on Saturday, when Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital. The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be the day of Trump's 79th birthday. 'Inflamed' situation The Trump administration is painting the protests as a violent threat to the nation, requiring military force to support regular immigration agents and police. But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the crisis had been manufactured in Washington. "A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles," she told reporters. "Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place... that is the cause of the problems. "This was provoked by the White House." Arrests by masked and armed men continued Wednesday. A pastor in the LA suburb of Downey said five armed men driving out-of-state cars grabbed a Spanish-speaking man in the church's parking lot. When she challenged the men and asked for their badge numbers and names, they refused. "They did point their rifle at me and said, 'You need to get back,'" Lopez told broadcaster KTLA.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Elon Musk's net worth rises after Trump truce
Synopsis Elon Musk's net worth rose by $191 million after he expressed regret over harsh posts about President Trump. The apology, shared on X, followed a private call to Trump. The two had clashed over a Trump-backed bill, with Musk calling it 'The Big Ugly Bill' after stepping down from a government role.
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
US On High Alert Amid Fear Of Israeli Strike On Iran's Nuclear Sites: Report
Washington: The United States is reportedly on high alert amid rising fears of a potential Israeli strike on Iran. The Trump administration fears that the Jewish state may choose to strike Iran's nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States, if ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran over the latter's nuclear program break down, according to a report by the Washington Post. It's amid these concerns that US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will be moving US personnel out of the Middle East, especially Iran, because "it could be a dangerous place." The US State Department has also allowed some staff to leave Iraq, while the Pentagon is authorising military families to voluntarily depart US bases across the region, the Post reported. US-Iran Nuclear Talks The increased security comes amid Trump's dimming hopes of finalising a deal with Tehran that would restrict Iran's nuclear program, forestalling another potentially destructive military conflict in the Middle East after the Israel-Hamas war. Trump on Wednesday said the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. "They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon," he said. Israel's Threat Last month, Axios reported that Israel is getting ready to quickly strike Iran if ongoing talks between the US and the Islamic Republic break down. "Bibi is waiting for the nuclear talks to collapse and for the moment Trump will be disappointed about the negotiations and open to giving him the go-ahead," the publication reported, quoting sources who used Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nickname. Trump has also repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail, and in an interview with the New York Post earlier on Wednesday, said he was growing "less confident" that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. But, in recent months, US intelligence officials have been reportedly concerned that Tel Aviv may strike Iran's nuclear facilities without taking consent from the United States. A move like that could derail the Trump administration's delicate nuclear negotiations and prompt a retaliation from Iran on US assets in the region, the Post reported. Tehran's Warning Tehran has repeatedly warned that, as Israel's biggest military and political supporter, the United States would suffer consequences in the event of an Israeli strike on Iran. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that if Iran were subjected to strikes, it would retaliate by hitting US bases in the region. US Cautious Washington recently ordered all US embassies within striking distance of Iranian assets - including missions in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa - to set up emergency action committees and send cables back home about measures to mitigate risks. The State Department has reportedly also authorised voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. That procedure led to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision on Wednesday to update the worldwide travel advisory to reflect the latest US posture. "On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions," the advisory said. The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
