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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
One of Trump's newly welcomed Afrikaner ‘refugees' tweeted that Jews are ‘dangerous and untrustworthy'
A South African man, who was recently granted residency in the U.S., posted a series of antisemitic tweets, including that Jews were 'dangerous and untrustworthy', according to multiple media reports. Charl Kleinhaus, 46, from Limpopo, South Africa, landed in Washington on a chartered jet on Monday with his daughter, son, and grandson. They plan to resettle in Buffalo, New York. He arrived with a group of 59 white South Africans, who were granted asylum in the U.S., after Trump deemed them victims of racial discrimination in their home nation. 'We just packed our bags and left,' Mr. Kleinhaus said after landing, adding that it was necessary for 'safety reasons,' reported The New York Times. On Monday, Trump was asked by reporters why the Afrikaners were given priority refugee status over other victims fleeing war or famine in Africa. The President simply said Afrikaners were being killed, without providing any evidence. 'It's a genocide that's taking place," he said at the White House, adding that there was no favourability based on the colour of their skin, '[it] makes no difference to me,' he added. Elon Musk, part of Trump's inner circle, has peddled similar claims after he retweeted an aerial video showing roadside graves, which claimed each cross represented a murdered white farmer in South Africa. 'So many crosses,' Musk wrote above the video on X Tuesday. Kleinhaus, too, is an avid poster on X and often tweets or retweets far-right and pro-Trump content. In a now-deleted tweet, posted in April 2023, and screenshotted by The Bulwark, the 46-year-old wrote: 'Jews are untrustworthy and a dangerous group they are not Gods chosen like to believe they are. Where is the Temple that must be their concern leave is alone we all believe in the God of Abraham, Moses and Jacob! I almost said something ugly...' The comment was in response to a video of Christians tussling with Israeli police on the way to the Church of the Nativity, reported conservative news outlet The Bulwark. In tweets that are still available on his account, Kleinhaus posted a link to a clip showing a scuffle between the Israeli military and Christians while writing: 'Jews attacking Christians !' on X, just five days after the October 7 attacks. On the day of the deadly attack, Kleinhaus initially responded to the news by posting a link to an Al Jazeera video, taken a few days earlier, of what appeared to be Orthodox Israelis spitting on Christians, writing 'Jews spitting on Christians!' He also posted that 'Israel is a terrorist state' on Facebook, along with a link to another video showing clashes that same day, reported The Bulwark. Several X users were quick to challenge Kleinhaus on X, accusing him of retweeting several antisemitic posts on the social media platform. On Wednesday, the 46-year-old attempted to defend himself by claiming that he 'copy and pasted someone's post rather than retweeting it' as he had got into a spat with someone, adding: 'I am myself from jewish descendants keep searching you will find the original.' Kleinhaus confirmed that the X account belonged to him to The Bulwark. According to the U.S. embassy in South Africa, to be eligible for the resettlement scheme in the U.S., someone must be of South African nationality, an Afrikaner or from a racial minority, and able to cite an incident of past persecution or fear of persecution in the future. South Africa maintains there is no evidence of persecution or a "white genocide", despite claims from Musk, on X. The Independent contacted Kleinhaus and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Jordan Times
05-05-2025
- Health
- Jordan Times
Francis's popemobile converted into clinic for Gazan children
Pope Francis waves to the crowd, from his popemobile, as he arrives at the Manger Square before presiding over an open-air mass on May 25, 2014 outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem (AFP photo) VATICAN CITY — Before his death, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a children's clinic in war-torn Gaza, Catholic charity Caritas said on Monday. The iconic open-sided vehicle, designed to allow the pontiff to greet crowds of well-wishers, has been transferred to Caritas Jerusalem and will head to Gaza if and when Israel opens a humanitarian corridor. The car, a converted Mitsubishi, was used by the pope during a 2014 visit to Bethlehem and had since been on display, gathering dust and rust. It has now been repaired and refurbished as a mobile clinic. "With the vehicle, we will be able to reach children who today have no access to healthcare — children who are injured and malnourished," said Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden. Brune told AFP that Sweden's Cardinal Anders Arborelius had asked the late pope, who died on April 21 aged 88, that the spare vehicle be put to use providing essential frontline healthcare to Palestinian children. It will be fitted with medical equipment and a fridge for medicines and be assigned a driver and a team of doctors. "This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis," said Anton Asfar, secretary general of Caritas Jerusalem. It was not clear, however, if or when the aid agency's hoped-for humanitarian corridor would open. Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid political deadlock over how to build on a two-month ceasefire in its war against Hamas, which was sparked by the militants' October 2023 attack. On Monday, Israel's security cabinet approved an expansion of military operations that would lead to what an official described as the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory. The health ministry in Gaza said Sunday that at least 2,436 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on March 18, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,535.
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pope Francis' popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
Church prepares for conclave as official mourning period for Pope Francis comes to an end Pope Francis' popemobile is being converted into a clinic to help children in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican announced Sunday, calling it the late pontiff's "final gift" to the war-torn territory. It is being outfitted with lifesaving supplies — including equipment for treatments, diagnoses and vaccines — and will be staffed by nurses and doctors who intend to help treat kids in "the most isolated corners" of Gaza, the Vatican said. It is unclear, however, when the unit will be able to enter the Gaza Strip, which the U.N. says is the deadliest place on the planet to be a child. Israel has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, medicine and water. The Vatican said the mobile clinic will reach kids "once humanitarian access to the strip is restored." Pope Francis waves to the crowd from his popemobile as he arrives at Manger Square before presiding over an open-air Mass on May 25, 2014, outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank biblical town of Bethlehem. Abbas Momani/AFP via Getty Images Francis had used the popemobile to wave to crowds of millions around the world, according to the Vatican. "This vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis," said Anton Asfar, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic nonprofit organization that the Vatican said is leading the effort. In Francis' final public appearance, which was on Easter Sunday this year and was one day before his death, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as the release of Israeli hostages. The war was sparked by Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 civilians, including 40 children, and resulted in the capture of 251 people. Israel's war to defeat Hamas and free the hostages has killed 50,000, including 15,000 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. For two months, Israel has blocked aid from going into the Gaza Strip. It says food, fuel, water or medicine won't be allowed to enter until it establishes a system that lets it control distribution. The U.N.'s largest aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA, says that amid the blockade and ongoing bombing by Israel, families barely have what they need to survive and that those who are injured and sick lack lifesaving help. "Families — whole families, seven or eight people — are resorting to sharing one can of beans or peas," UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said late last month in Geneva. "Imagine not having anything to feed your children. Children in Gaza are going to bed starving." On Monday, Israel's government approved plans for military forces to seize all of Gaza and stay in the territory for an unspecified period, The Associated Press reported, citing two Israeli officials.
Express Tribune
05-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pope Francis's popemobile transformed into mobile clinic for Gaza children
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. PHOTO:REUTERS Listen to article One of Pope Francis's former popemobiles is being converted into a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza, fulfilling one of his final humanitarian wishes before his death last month, the Vatican's official news outlet reported on Sunday. The vehicle, used during the Pope's 2014 visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, is being repurposed with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to provide urgent care in Gaza, where health infrastructure has been largely destroyed by ongoing conflict. The initiative, entrusted by Pope Francis to the Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem in the final months of his life, is now being carried out with support from Caritas Sweden. 'This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed,' said Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden. The mobile clinic will be outfitted with infection testing tools, vaccines, diagnostic equipment, and suture kits. Medical personnel will staff the unit, which will be deployed to areas lacking access to healthcare, once humanitarian conditions allow safe entry into the region. 'This is not just a vehicle,' Brune said. 'It's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza.' Gaza's small Christian community had a close connection with the late pontiff. The Vatican revealed that Pope Francis frequently called the Holy Family Church in Gaza throughout the war that erupted in October 2023, following Hamas's attack on southern Israel. The popemobile remained in the region after the Pope's 2014 visit. The Vatican has confirmed that preparations are underway for a papal conclave, which will begin on May 7, to elect Pope Francis's successor.
Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Pope Francis's popemobile set to become health clinic for Gaza children
FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool/File Photo VATICAN CITY - One of Pope Francis's popemobiles is being transformed into a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip, fulfilling one of his final wishes, the Vatican's official media outlet said on Sunday. The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is being outfitted with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to help young patients in the Palestinian enclave, where health services have been devastated by the Israeli invasion. Pope Francis, who died last month, entrusted the initiative to the Catholic aid organisation Caritas Jerusalem in the months before his death, Vatican News said. "This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed," Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the project, told Vatican News. The mobile unit will be equipped with rapid infection tests, vaccines, diagnostic tools, and suture kits, and staffed by medical personnel. Caritas plans to deploy the clinic to communities without access to functioning healthcare facilities once humanitarian access to Gaza is feasible. "It's not just a vehicle," Brune added. "It's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza." Gaza has a tiny Christian community and the Vatican has said Francis used to call the Holy Family Church in Gaza on an almost daily basis for much of the war, which started in October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel. Francis had a number of popemobiles, with the one used in the 2014 visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories staying in the region following his return to the Vatican. A conclave to elect a new pope starts on May 7. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
