Latest news with #NationalYouthDay
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Biblical sign appears in skies over church after mass: 'Absolutely remarkable'
A crowd of churchgoers witnessed what many believe was a biblical sign as a cloud appeared to take the form of Jesus Christ in broad daylight. The remarkable sight was captured near the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in the Philippines on June 14. A crowd had gathered to worship ahead of National Youth Day in the country's Naga City when several parishioners spotted a cloud in the shape of a person standing upright. National Youth Day is a Filipino holiday celebrated on June 19 that emphasizes serving the community and country. As one of the attendees zoomed in, their video allowed those on social media to spot details like a head, long, wispy hair, legs, and an outstretched arm. 'Is it a sign?' one person asked on X. For many in the Philippines, the well-timed sighting was absolutely a sign of a divine presence. However, this may also be a case of pareidolia, a phenomenon that describes the tendency to perceive meaningful images in random or ambiguous visual patterns. Examples of this include people who see a face in a piece of toast or an animal in a cloud. Our minds are wired to recognize things we know, even if they're not really there. However, after the Jesus-shaped cloud went viral online, over 8,000 worshippers reportedly visited the site to honor the holy sign. 'Heaven touches earth in the most unexpected ways. A reminder that Christ is truly with us… even in the skies above,' another believer posted on X. While many on social media have posted messages and Bible verses, sharing their belief that the cloud was a heavenly sign, others voiced skepticism that it was really an image of Jesus. 'I believe in Jesus, but that's a cloud,' one person wrote on X. 'It's just a cloud. And it looks more like Beyoncé than Jesus,' another user claimed. Meanwhile, some held onto their faith but kept an open mind about what the sign was trying to show the gathering of Filipino youths. 'I think it's an apparition, but not sure it's Jesus. Perhaps the Holy Mother Mary or an angel. I do believe cloud formations are often created and intentional,' one believer posted Thursday. On a scientific level, cloud formations are natural phenomena that appear when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into visible droplets or ice crystals, creating clouds that can take on various shapes. These clouds can look like fluffy cotton balls, thin wisps, or heavy, dark sheets, depending on weather conditions like temperature and humidity. Sometimes, people see clouds that resemble objects, animals, or even human figures, like the Jesus-shaped cloud reported over Naga City. This isn't the first time religious individuals have reported seeing an image of Jesus in the sky. In 2020, Caroline Hawthorne spotted a bizarre cloud formation from her kitchen window in the UK, which she firmly believed was an image of Jesus or an angel. In Italy, onlookers in 2019 captured remarkable images of what looked like the figure of Jesus appearing above the town of Agropoli as sunlight broke through the clouds. An even more astonishing sight was caught on video in 2017, when locals in the Colombian city of Manizales said they recorded the figure of Jesus appearing near the site of a devastating landslide. A crowd gathered to film the sunlight slanting through clouds where 17 people were killed by landslides after a month's worth of rain fell in just one night. The rare cloud phenomenon was recorded on a mountain called Sancancio and the glowing figure provided comfort to the residents who lost homes, loved ones, and jobs in the natural disaster.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jesus-shaped cloud floating above Philippines basilica stuns churchgoers
These churchgoers caught quite a sight. Earlier this month, one eagle-eyed individual spotted a cloud formation in the shape of Jesus Christ above the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City, one of the foremost religious centers in the Philippines. The conspicuously shaped cloud in question was seen while attending a worship service ahead of National Youth Day — a Filipino holiday celebrated on June 19 that emphasizes serving community and country — and was captured in a now-viral video. The video zooms in on the cloud formation and sees details like wispy 'hair' and a faintly formed raised hand. Fellow Catholic worshippers in the crowd seemed to notice the sight as well, all looking up in amazement, as shown in a circulating video on social media. While some couch surfing critics cast doubt on the viral sight, many Philippines-based devotees took the video as a sign from above. Some commenters said it looked like the sacred-shaped cloud looked like it was addressing the crowd of people gathered below it. Viral Press In fact, after the cloud likeness was initially spotted, over 8,000 worshippers visited the site to pray in honor of the miraculous sight. This Jesus-shaped cloud comes after a series of recent discoveries were made in relation to centuries-old mysteries. As The Post reported back in April, a study by NASA could confirm some biblical events, including Jesus' crucifixion. 'Christian texts mention that the moon turned to blood after Jesus's crucifixion — potentially referring to a lunar eclipse, during which the moon takes on a reddish hue,' NASA said, adding that modern technology has discovered that there was in fact an eclipse in Jerusalem. According to the agency, the astronomical event happened on Friday, April 3, 33 AD, which happens to be the same day many theologians suggest is the day of Jesus' death. Further back in 2024, breakthroughs in AI technology allowed researchers to recreate Jesus' face from the famous Turin Shroud. The AI depictions of Jesus were quite similar to traditional representations of the figure as a man with shoulder-length brown hair and a bearded face, but some minor facial details varied between versions. PRASAD K BALAN – Though Jesus' likeness has been portrayed in art for nearly two thousand years, this AI model created a rendering of the religious figure through what many believe to be a facial impression in the piece of cloth that was suggested to have been present at the time of his resurrection. The shroud has not been officially recognized as a verified relic by the Catholic Church, but several popes— including Pope Francis — have prayed before it.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Heavenly moment: Devotees stunned by 'Jesus apparition' in the clouds
A breathtaking moment stopped Catholic worshippers in their tracks during National Youth Day celebrations in Naga City, Philippines, on June 14. Footage captured what devotees believed to be an apparition of Jesus in the clouds above a mass gathering near the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.
Daily Maverick
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Police fire rubber bullets at crowd outside Youth Day event, injuring 67
The SAPS have been accused of repeating the actions of the apartheid government after Potchefstroom police fired rubber bullets at a crowd outside North West University's Rag Farm Stadium, where the Youth Day commemorative event was held. 'It is only fitting that, since it's June 16 that they would treat us like this. They were so brutal, they shot at us,' said Daniel 'Mokwena' Letsie, a community leader in the Informal Settlements Committee, a grassroots organisation in Potchefstroom in North West. Letsie's statement comes only hours after police fired rubber bullets at residents who were marching to North West University's Rag Farm Stadium, where Deputy President Paul Mashatile and several high-ranking government officials gathered for the National Youth Day commemorative event. The Informal Settlements Committee and Solidarity Action Committee Collective released a joint statement on Monday, claiming that more than 67 people were injured. 'Today's Youth Day commemoration in Potchefstroom laid bare the deepening crisis of class apartheid in South Africa. What was meant to be a celebration of youth empowerment turned into a violent spectacle of state repression, as police fired rubber bullets at unemployed and impoverished black youth who sought to voice their struggles at the gates of the NWU Rag Farm Stadium,' the statement read. Earlier, several news reports circulated that police using rubber bullets had dispersed a group of protesters, but Mokwena said that the march was not a protest. 'We were not protesting, that's [nonsense]. We were the participants [in] the rally to commemorate June 16. We walked to the rally because we were not included in the transport, because we are marginalised people and informal settlements are not included in such things,' Mokwena said. 'The reason we went there was because we wanted to make the deputy president aware of the crisis we are living in here in Potchefstroom. We were amazed … we were walking peacefully,' he added. He said that when they were about 1km from the stadium, the police opened fire on them. Mokwena told Daily Maverick that the police's use of rubber bullets echoed the actions of the apartheid government 49 years ago, when 575 young black learners were killed for resisting the apartheid regime's oppressive education policies. Struggle for medical care The community leader alleged that those injured were denied medical care and that the police threatened to arrest the injured if they sought medical attention at any of the local clinics. 'They tried to impose this level of fear on us so we would not go there. But by talking to the MEC of health, I was able to get some of the people medical care, and two of them were referred to the hospital,' Mokwena said. In the statement, the group demanded: An immediate investigation into the police brutality at Potchefstroom, with those responsible held accountable; The resignation of the minister of police for authorising the violent suppression of peaceful protesters; A national jobs and basic income grant to address youth unemployment; and An end to elite capture of liberation commemorations – future Youth Day events should be held in working-class communities, not white enclaves. In response to Daily Maverick's questions to the Presidency, Mashatile's spokesperson Keith Khoza said they were not aware of the incident. 'We are not aware of any protest in Potchefstroom. When the deputy president arrived, we were told of people who wanted to raise concerns with leadership attending the commemoration of June 16,' Khoza said. DM
IOL News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mashatile's keynote on youth empowerment: A look at South Africa's progress since 1994
Deputy President Paul Mashatile delivered the keynote address during the Youth Day commemoration. Image: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS Deputy President Paul Mashatile has delivered his keynote address at the government's National Youth Day commemoration event in Potchefstroom, North West. In his keynote address, Mashatile took the opportunity to reflect on what he termed the major victories of the democratic dispensation. 'While challenges remain, allow me to briefly reflect on some of the major victories that our democratic dispensation has registered in advancing youth empowerment since 1994,' said Mashatile. 'Firstly, at the Basic Education level, we have transformed the matric pass rate from 58% in 1994 to a historic 87.3% in 2024. This is the result of three decades of making education an apex priority of government. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'Our basic education system has gradually transformed whilst redressing the generational legacies of Verwoerd's Bantu education system. While we are not yet where we wish to be, we are also far from the inequality and disregard inherited in 1994,' he said. Secondly, Mashatile said in higher education, South Africa's National Student Financial Aid Scheme has been a catalyst for widening access to higher education for the marginalised. The scheme has grown from a modest budget of R33 million in 1991, serving only 7,240 students, to over R52 billion today, funding more than 1.1 million students at universities and TVET colleges. 'As a result of this sustained investment, the demographic composition of our higher education system has been fundamentally transformed. In 1994, there were 266,190 black students, representing 50.4% of the total student population. By 2020, that number had grown to 862,313 black students, constituting 80% of enrolments,' said Mashatile. He said South Africa has also met and surpassed gender parity in higher education participation rates, with over 60% of graduates from colleges and universities now being young women. Mashatile said at the beginning of this month, 205,000 young people were placed in jobs through Phase 5 of the Basic Education Employment Initiative as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus. 'In 2023, as our democratic dispensation turned 30, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities made a commitment to move beyond advocacy and begin to conceive nationwide transformative projects, with a particular focus on poor and marginalised communities,' he said. Earlier, Mashatile said on Youth Day South Africa honours and pays tribute to the valiant and fearless young people who stood at the forefront of the liberation struggle on June 16, 1976. 'Regardless of their youthful stature, the youth of 1976 stood strong in the face of the oppressive system of the apartheid regime. They faced death with unwavering determination, fuelled by a vision of equal rights and a more just society,' said Mashatile. 'It has been 49 years since that significant day, yet we will always remember the student leaders like Tsietsi Mashinini and Hastings Ndlovu who orchestrated the mass demonstration that transformed our nation. 'We must never forget those who joined the long list of martyrs and paid the ultimate price for our freedom. These are the young brave souls who fought for a dream that they never saw come to life, a dream that continues to inspire and guide us,' he said. By taking action in 1976 against an enforced Afrikaans language as the exclusive medium of instruction in African schools, Mashatile said those young learners were carrying out the path of struggle defined by their forefathers through the Freedom Charter.
