Latest news with #UnitedStatesDepartmentofState
IOL News
6 days ago
- IOL News
Patricia de Lille claps back: 'SA's not that scary, America!'
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has reassured America that SA is safe. Image: Department of Tourism Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has responded to the recent update issued by the United States Department of State regarding its travel advisory for South Africa. While recognising the sovereign right of nations to provide travel guidance for their citizens, the Minister emphasised South Africa's commitment to the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all visitors to its shores. In light of the recent discussions between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, and the wave of media coverage that followed, the Minister reiterated that South Africa is a premier travel destination known for its stunning landscapes, rich cultural diversity, and the acclaimed warmth of its people. 'While challenges such as crime exist—as they do across the globe—the overwhelming majority of international visitors experience safe travel in South Africa and leave with enriching memories,' de Lille said. Indeed, in 2024, the number of arrivals from the US rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, surpassing even the United Kingdom to become South Africa's largest source market for international visitors. In the first four months of 2025, 111,491 visitors arrived from the USA alone, a clear testament to the enduring appeal and confidence in South Africa as a travel destination. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ Recognising traveller concerns, de Lille encouraged visitors to maintain the level of vigilance and awareness customary when travelling abroad. Furthermore, the government is dedicated to actively addressing safety through coordinated efforts between law enforcement, the tourism sector, and local communities. Regular security enhancements, including a heightened presence of trained Tourism Monitors in key tourism nodes and ongoing safety assessments, contribute to a secure travel environment. 'Ensuring visitor safety remains a national priority. We are collaborating with various sectors including government officials and stakeholders in tourism to implement proactive safety measures and ensure rapid incident responses,' the Minister clarified. As the tourism industry continues to bounce back, the Minister called upon media outlets and global government agencies to present a balanced view of South Africa, distinguishing between isolated incidents and the overall positive experiences reported by millions of safe travellers. 'We are in close communication with the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and want to reassure all potential travellers: South Africa is open and welcoming. We are devoted to providing every visitor with a safe and pleasurable journey,' de Lille said. IOL
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Former US official ‘without a doubt' over Israel's Gaza war crimes
Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, according to a former spokesman for the United States Department of State. Matthew Miller told the Sky News Trump100 podcast on Monday that he is 'without a doubt' certain that Israel has committed war crimes in the conduct of its military offensive in the Palestinian enclave. Miller, who until this year regularly defended the pro-Israeli policies of then-President Joe Biden, however, stressed that he did not believe genocide was being carried out. But he suggested that there was tension within the administration over the US failure to put more pressure on Israel. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 54,381 Palestinians have been killed and 124,054 wounded. Almost all of the enclave's 2.3 million people have been displaced, while an Israeli blockade threatens famine. During his time with the State Department, Miller repeatedly clashed with journalists who questioned the US response to Israel's handling of Gaza, including repeated bombings of medical facilities and refugee camps sheltering Palestinian civilians, as well as the continued US military aid to Israel and possible violations of international law. In one incident last November, Miller was rebuked for laughing during a question about Israel blocking aid to stressed in the interview that, as spokesman, he was not advocating his own opinion but expressing the official stance of Biden's administration. 'You are a spokesperson for the president, the administration, and you espouse the positions of the administration,' he said. 'And when you're not in the administration, you can just give your own opinions.' Asked about his experience handling the issue, Miller said there were 'small and big' disagreements within the Biden administration over how to deal with Israel. 'There were disagreements all along the way about how to handle policy. Some of those were big disagreements, some of those were little disagreements,' he said. In particular, he hinted at tensions between Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Although the former official said he does not believe Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza, he admitted that 'there probably was' more that the US could have done to pressure Israel to stop the war and prevent the killing of 'thousands of … innocent civilians who didn't want this war'.
The Citizen
01-06-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Afrikaner ‘refugees' continue to arrive in US on commercial flights
Relations between South Africa and the US have been on shaky ground amid false claims of a white genocide from the Trump administration. Picture for illustration. A group of Afrikaners gathered outside the American Embassy in Pretoria to deliver a memorandum to US President Donald Trump. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen More Afrikaners reportedly continue to leave South Africa for the United States as part of the Afrikaner resettlement programme offered by President Donald Trump. The US embassy in Pretoria reportedly told News24 that it is reviewing inquiries from South Africans who are interested in settling in the US and is 'reaching out to eligible individuals for refugee interviews and processing'. Afrikaner 'refugees' continue to arrive in the US on commercial flights, the embassy reportedly told the publication. SA-US relations Relations between South Africa and the US have been on shaky ground amid false claims of a white genocide from the Trump administration and the signing of the Expropriation Bill. ALSO READ: Start of new 'Great Trek'? Afrikaners arrive in US Last month, a charter plane carrying 49 Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration to save them from the 'terrible things that are happening in South Africa' departed. They were welcomed by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. 'This tremendous accomplishment, at the direction of Secretary Rubio, responds to President Trump's call to prioritise US refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa,' said Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, at the time. 'Today, the United States sends a clear message, in alignment with the administration's America First foreign policy agenda, that America will take action to protect victims of racial discrimination. We stand with these refugees as they build a better future for themselves and their children in the United States. ALSO READ: Resettlement of Afrikaners in US as refugees 'entirely politically motivated' Dirco says 'No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity. In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country.' Government on Afrikaner 'refugees' At the time, the South African government could not confirm if another group would depart. 'It's not our job to be briefing on when they're moving. You must go to [AfriForum CEO] Mr Kallie Kriel, Solidarity and those groupings for those updates. Our job is to make sure that when they leave, they don't leave any debt or crime in the country,' said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni following the group's departure. 'We all know the reasons they are leaving are not true. As the Cabinet, we express the view that they do not meet the criteria for refugee status, and there is no violence against farmers. Check that list and check how many of those people are actual farmers because the argument is that there is a genocide against farmers in South Africa.' READ NEXT: Ntshavheni says AfriForum admitted farm murder stats are accurate, Kriel accuses her of lying
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The State Department Published A Substack Manifesto On ‘Western Civilizational Heritage'
Everyone has a newsletter now, even the United States Department of State. And, since taking to Substack in late April, the agency tasked with articulating and representing America's foreign policy interests on the world stage has published a manifesto of sorts touting the need for this country and Europe to 'recommit to our Western heritage.' The piece in question was titled 'The Need For Civilizational Allies In Europe.' It was published on Tuesday and authored by Samuel Samson, a senior adviser in the department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Among other things, Samson argued there is 'an aggressive campaign against Western civilization itself' that includes 'digital censorship, mass migration, [and] restrictions on religious freedom.' 'On both sides of the Atlantic, we must preserve the goods of our common culture, ensuring that Western civilization remains a source of virtue, freedom, and human flourishing for generations to come,' Samson wrote. The Substack post made headlines because it came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new wave of visa restrictions on Chinese students and foreigners deemed to be 'complicit in censoring Americans.' Yet the post was important not just because it was another salvo in President Trump and the right's fight against content moderation and alleged censorship. Samson's rhetoric arguing against 'mass migration' and in favor of 'Western heritage' sharply echoes the ideology of many extremist and even white nationalist groups. A 'backgrounder' published by the Anti Defamation League in 2020 laid out how figures involved in 'alt right' politics tend to 'avoid explicit white supremacist references' and instead 'use terms like 'culture' as substitutes for more divisive terms such as 'race,' and promote 'Western Civilization' as a code word for white culture or identity.' That rhetoric was used for the promotion of the 2017 Charlottesville rally, which included multiple neo-Nazi groups. Affiliated organizations like the explicitly pro-Trump antisemitic group National Justice Party, which has a podcast named for the Holocaust, have used the term. The Proud Boys, a militant group whose leadership has included four people charged with seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 attack before being pardoned by President Trump, also describe themselves as focused on 'Western Chauvinism.' Samson's piece also waded into European politics and similarly promoted ultranationalist perspectives. He defended a far-right party and candidate — Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen — and suggested they have faced undue censorship. German intelligence has labeled AfD as extremist for suggesting Muslim immigrants are not equal. Candidates promoted by Le Pen and her party have made racist comments and engaged in Holocaust denial. TPM reached out to the State Department on Thursday to ask about the essay and the fact it echoes some of this white nationalist rhetoric. A spokesperson asked us to 'extend' our deadline for comment until Friday, but did not reply to subsequent emails. 'Alt right' and white supremacist-adjacent ideals promoting 'western civilization,' denunciations of immigration as a threat to culture, and links with far-right figures in Europe have all been a feature of the second Trump administration. In March, Trump signed an executive order aimed at stopping federally funded historical sites, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and other parts of the Smithsonian Institution, from promoting what it described as 'divisive, race-centered ideology' rather than 'Western values.' Vice President J.D. Vance also touched on these themes in a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation in April. 'I think that what we've learned over the last few months is that the American people, and I think western peoples, are a hell of a lot more resilient than our elites give them credit for,' he said, later adding, 'I think if we speak the truth, if we refuse to live by lies, then I think we can redeliver on the promise of Western civilization.' And earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to Germany's designation of AfD as an extremist group as 'tryanny in disguise.' Rubio and his State Department have also been at the forefront of Trump's efforts to curb immigration — and have continually discussed this in terms that echo those of the American 'alt right' and European ultranationalists. On Thursday, the State Department notified Congress about plans for a sweeping reorganization that would include cutting jobs, reworking the agency's refugee bureau into a 'Remigration' office aimed at returning immigrants to their home countries, and prioritizing 'Western values' at its human rights bureau. Samson, the author of the State Department's Substack manifesto, is representative of a wave of young activists and staffers who have gravitated towards these nationalist perspectives. His career and activism prior to joining the government was boosted and guided by conservative groups that are promoting these ideas. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Samson spent over two years at 'American Moment,' a nonprofit whose major funders include the Conservative Partnership Institute, an organization that was deeply involved in Trump's attempts to reverse his 2020 election loss. 'American Moment,' which was founded in 2021, is designed to 'identify, educate, and credential young Americans who will implement public policy.' The group's priorities include restricting immigration and promoting traditional values in 'the West.' Before writing for the State Department on Substack, Samson published pieces for a variety of conservative publications, including a 2022 article for The Federalist that declared, 'the modern West is itself a culture looking down.' 'Our culture is dominated by passions, of pursuit for the sake of good feelings and satisfaction,' Samson wrote. 'Activity is reduced to binge streaming, social media scrolling, face stuffing, and chronic porn watching.' Samson has locked his page on the site formerly known as Twitter. The Internet Archive shows that he maintained a presence on the site, including penning poems that criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's efforts to solicit international aid for his country's war with Russia. Samson graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. Coverage from the school's Daily Texan newspaper indicates he spent his college years involved in the Young Conservatives of Texas, the Zionist Organization of America, and working as a legislative staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). He also participated in a 2019 event with conservative commentator Steven Crowder where, according to the paper, Samson argued in front of other students that 'there are only two genders.' In multiple articles published by the college paper, Samson suggested he faced 'harassment' on campus for his conservative views. The young man who would go on to publish arguments against migration also made an interesting early comment about his pathway to right-wing politics. In a 2018 interview in which he endorsed Cruz's re-election bid that year, Samson said his mother was an immigrant who went through the naturalization process. 'She worked her butt off wanting to come to this country, and I think that's a microcosm of why I'm a conservative,' Samson said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Abandoned Boat Found with 11 Bodies Onboard 'in Advanced State of Decomposition' on Caribbean Island: Police
A vessel containing the remains of 11 people was found on an island that is part of the Caribbean country St. Vincent and the Grenadines on May 26 The remains were said to be "in an advanced state of decomposition" and were found alongside "several" passports that appear to be from the Republic of Mali, police said The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force continues to investigate the incidentPolice are investigating after a vessel washed up onto an island in the Caribbean containing 11 bodies. On Monday, May 26, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force issued a statement revealing that the boat was found in "the vicinity of Little Bay, Cherry Hill, on the island of Canouan." "During the initial examination of the vessel, what appear to be decomposed human remains were found onboard," the police force wrote in their statement. "The identities and circumstances surrounding the discovery are yet to be determined." Additional details were shared in an updated statement released on Tuesday, May 27. In it, the police force revealed that they received a report about "a suspicious vessel found along the coastline" around 10:45 a.m. The Canouan Police Station responded to the scene and began an investigation into the discovery. Police say that the boat was 45 ft. long and roughly 12 ft. wide. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The 11 bodies on the boat were "in an advanced state of decomposition," with police noting that "some were not fully intact." They have not yet been identified but have been "transported to mainland St. Vincent." They will remain at the Kingstown mortuary as the investigation continues. Several passports that appear to be from the Republic of Mali were also found on the vessel, police said. The Republic of Mali is a West African country that received the highest level of travel advisory warning from the United States Department of State in July 2023. The government agency cited risk of "crime, terrorism, and kidnapping" for those who visit. "This incident is deeply concerning, and we understand the public's interest in the matter. We assure you that the RSVGPF is treating this investigation with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity. We are committed to pursuing every lead and ensuring that all appropriate protocols are followed," the police statement read. The police force vowed that they were collaborating with "regional and international partners" to "verify the origins of the vessel and the identities of the individuals onboard." PEOPLE has reached out to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force for additional comment. According to reporting by ABC News, a similar discovery was made on St. Kitts and Nevis — another country in the Caribbean — in January. In that incident, 19 bodies were discovered, "some with identifications from Mali." Read the original article on People
