‘He gave us strength’: Gaza Christians remember calls with Pope Francis
Gaza City, Palestine – For 72-year-old Kamal Anton, Pope Francis was a source of comfort and support. Kamal has had to shelter since the start of the war in the same Catholic church compound in Gaza City – the Holy Family Church – that his wife and daughter were shot and killed by an Israeli sniper in. That was in December 2023, two months after the start of Israel’s war. Anton and the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza have often felt abandoned in the 18 months of conflict, in which more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, with hope of an end to the war still feeling remote. But the late pope, who died aged 88 in the Vatican City on Monday after a battle with illness, was in constant contact with Gaza’s small Christian community. Before his illness, he held calls every evening with those sheltering at the church, and continued to reach out, on a less regular basis, even after he fell ill. Kamal remembered his most recent call on Saturday, just two days before his death. Pope Francis was greeting the members of the church for Easter. Advertisement “During his call, he prayed for peace and resilience for us in Gaza,” Kamal said. “He never forgot the word ‘peace’ in any of his calls with us throughout the war. His support included all of us – Christians and Muslims alike. He prayed daily for our safety.” Kamal Anton’s wife and daughter were shot and killed by an Israeli sniper in December 2023 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] Palestinian defender A deep sense of grief and sorrow permeates the Holy Family Church, where approximately 550 displaced Palestinian Christians continue to seek shelter. Israel has attacked the church and its neighbouring school several times during the war, including a July 2024 attack in which four people were killed. Another church, St Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church, has also been bombed. But the Holy Family Church is still a refuge. People gather inside the church every day, piano music accompanies hymns during prayer, and people greet Father Gabriel Romanelli. He’s the parish priest, an Argentinian who came to Gaza to lead the church 15 years ago. After the death of the pope, those in the church have largely dressed in black, the colour of mourning. The loss of the leader of their church was a solemn enough event, but Palestinian Christians know they have also lost one of their greatest defenders – a world leader who has long backed the Palestinian cause, and has earned the anger of Israel on a number of occasions for his defence of Palestinians. In his final public speech delivered on his behalf on Easter, Francis called for peace in Gaza and urged the warring sides to “agree to a ceasefire, release the hostages, and provide aid to a starving people longing for a peaceful future”. Advertisement Father Romanelli told Al Jazeera that the loss of Pope Francis was a tragedy for Christians around the world, and particularly in Gaza. He recalled that Saturday phone call with the pope. “He said he was praying for us, supporting us, and thanked us for our prayers,” Romanelli said. “People at the church waited for his call daily. He would speak to the children and reassure them. He was deeply human and incredibly supportive, especially during the war.” Catastrophe Kamal noted that support from Pope Francis was also material, in the form of aid arriving in Gaza until Israel blocked all entry of goods into Gaza in March, just before it unilaterally broke a ceasefire. “Everyone in Gaza knows how much the Vatican supported us,” Kamal said. “We always shared that aid with our Muslim neighbours too.” Kamal’s fellow Palestinian Christian, 74-year-old Maher Terzi, is also in mourning. Maher, who has been displaced since the first week of the war, had just sat in the mourning hall when he spoke to Al Jazeera. “He gave us strength,” Maher said. “He told us not to be afraid, that he was with us and would never abandon us, no matter what.” “He encouraged us to hold on to our land, and promised to help us rebuild our destroyed homes,” Maher added. “His death is a catastrophe and a shock for us during such a difficult time.” Palestinian Christian Maher Terzi said the death of Pope Francis was a catastrophe for Gaza [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] Adblock test (Why?)
US judge blocks Trump’s effort to shutter international news service
District judge orders administration to restore the capacity of broadcaster shuttered over claims of ‘leftist bias’. A federal judge has stated that US President Donald Trump illegally halted the operation of the Voice of America (VOA), a federally funded international news service created by Congress. In a ruling on Tuesday, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore the 83-year-old broadcaster’s capacity to the levels before Trump slashed funding and laid off scores of personnel. In a March court filing stating that all 1,300 employees had been placed on administrative leave, lawyers for VOA said that the broadcaster seeks to report the news “truthfully, impartially, and objectively”, pushing back against claims from the Trump administration that it promotes a “leftist bias” and is insufficiently “pro-American”. Judge Lamberth also ordered the administration to restore the capacity of two other broadcasters also funded by the federal Agency for Global Media, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, while those lawsuits progress. The judge also denied a similar request for two additional networks, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Open Technology Fund. Advertisement Trump and his allies have wielded federal funds to dismantle programmes and agencies within the government that they dislike and compel greater ideological compliance from media organisations and universities under the premise of combatting what the administration portrays as “left-wing” views. Kari Lake, a close Trump ally, was also placed in charge of the Agency for Global Media. The administration shuttered VOA in March, instituting funding cuts that Lamberth said reflected a “hasty, indiscriminate approach”. A labour union representing workers at the Agency for Global Media celebrated the ruling as a “powerful affirmation of the role that independent journalism plays in advancing democracy and countering disinformation”. VOA was first founded during World War II in an effort by the US government to counter Nazi propaganda and was later used to project pro-US views to countries around the world during the Cold War, a history that has led some to criticise the network as a means of promoting US interests around the world. “That simple mission [delivering impartial news] is a powerful one for those living across the globe without access to a free press and without the ability to otherwise discern what is truly happening,” lawyers for VOA wrote. Many other institutions created during the post-war era to project US political and cultural influence around the world, such as the humanitarian assistance agency USAID, have also come under attack by a Trump administration that sees them as ideological enemies or sources of bureaucratic bloat. Advertisement After largely gutting USAID, tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk said that the international assistance group had been a “viper’s nest of radical left Marxists who hate America”. Adblock test (Why?)
Houthis say group downed US drone in northwest Yemen as US strikes continue
Al Masirah, a Houthi-affiliated outlet, says the US launched a series of strikes on several locations in the country. Yemen’s Houthis have said they shot down a US drone that was carrying out an attack on the northwestern Hajjah governorate whilst the Al Masriah news outlet has reported that United States air strikes targeted at least three areas across the country. In a statement on Tuesday, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group’s “air defence shot down a hostile American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah Governorate”. Saree claimed that this is the seventh US drone that the group has downed so far this month, and the 22nd since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began 18 months ago. Al Masirah, a Houthi-affiliated outlet, said a series of strikes on Tuesday night targeted Kamran Island in the Red Sea, two air strikes hit the Al Salif district in western Yemen, and four air strikes were reported in the Al-Saleem district in the Saada province in the north of the country. The US has been carrying out near-daily, deadly air attacks against what it claims are Houthi targets in Yemen, killing more than 200 people – including women and children – since March. Advertisement The administration of US President Donald Trump has warned that its military campaign will continue until the Yemeni group halts all firings against vessels in the Red Sea, a major conduit for international trade. The Houthis have rejected the US assault, stressing that they are targeting ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and will stop when Israel ends its punishing war on the enclave. The latest attack comes just days after 12 people were killed in air strikes conducted by the US on Yemen’s capital Sanaa. Last week, the US launched 13 strikes on Hodeidah’s port and airport. It was three days after its deadliest attack to date targeted the Ras Isa port, also in Hodeidah, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 150 others. Since November 2023, the Houthis have reportedly launched more than 100 attacks on vessels they say are linked to Israel, in response to Israel’s war on Gaza. The group halted attacks on shipping lanes during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year. But they pledged to resume strikes after Israel renewed its assault on the besieged enclave last month. Houthi attacks have paralysed shipping through the Suez Canal, a vital waterway through which approximately 12 percent of global shipping traffic normally passes, forcing many companies to resort to costly alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Adblock test (Why?)
Halliburton reports reduced North America drilling demand, warns of tariffs
The company warns investors in its earnings report of the impact of tariffs have on the sector. Halliburton has reported a decline in first-quarter profit due to reduced drilling activity in North America, which weakened demand for its oilfield services and equipment. The Houston, Texas-based oil and gas giant warned on Tuesday of a second-quarter earnings impact from tariffs and lower oilfield activity in North America as producers reckon with weak oil prices, sending shares of the oilfield service provider down about 6 percent. The oilfield service sector worries United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and parts will disrupt supply chains and drive up equipment costs, such as drilling rigs and well casings. Halliburton said its first-quarter North American revenue was $2.2bn, down 12 percent from a year earlier. Halliburton is the first of the big three US oilfield services providers (Schlumberger and Baker Hughes are the other two) and is among the first large oil companies to report earnings as US crude prices hover under $64 a barrel. Many companies say they cannot drill profitably if oil prices fall under $65 a barrel, denting demand for equipment and services provided by companies like Halliburton. Advertisement “Many of our customers are in the midst of evaluating their activity scenarios, and plans for 2025 activity reductions could mean higher than normal white space for committed fleets and in some cases the retirement or export of fleets to international markets,” Halliburton Chief Executive Jeff Miller said about expectations in North American markets. White spaces refer to gaps in the calendar when the company does not have work lined up for its equipment. Shares down Halliburton shares were down about 6 percent at $20.62 a share after it forecast a 2-cent- to 3-cent-per-share impact in the second quarter from trade tensions. Second-quarter earnings were estimated to be 63 cents per share, according to LSEG data. Shares had fallen as much as 10 percent on Tuesday and were down 24 percent so far this year. Rival Schlumberger’s shares were down only 11 percent this year. Halliburton’s Q1 international revenue eased 2 percent primarily due to lower drilling and project management activity in Mexico. It forecast year-over-year international revenue to be flat to slightly down. Mexico is proposing new contract models for the oil sector while struggling to pay off billions of dollars of accumulated debt to oil service companies. In the meantime, state company Pemex’s oil output has continued falling this year to 1.62 million barrels per day, compared with 1.76 million barrels per day last year. Halliburton posted a profit of $204m, or 24 cents per share, in the three months that ended on March 31, lower than the $606m, or 68 cents per share, it had posted last year. Advertisement The company also took a $107m severance cost in the first quarter. That came on the heels of a $63m severance charge in the third quarter of 2024 but the company did not provide more details. Excluding a $356m pre-tax charge, which included the severance charge, the company posted earnings of 60 cents, in line with analysts’ estimates. Revenue of $5.42bn beat analysts’ average estimate of $5.28bn. Adblock test (Why?)
Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial to open with majority-female jury
Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault retrial involves accusations from three women, including one who wasn’t part of the original trial. Opening statements are set for Wednesday in New York for disgraced former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial, this time with a majority-female jury deciding the landmark #MeToo case. Prosecutors and Weinstein’s lawyers finished choosing a sixth and final alternate on Tuesday after a selection process yielded a seven-woman, five-man jury and five alternate jurors on Monday. Alternates step in if a member of the main panel can’t see the trial through. Weinstein was convicted at his first trial in 2020 by a jury of five women and seven men. The verdict marked a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct, fuelled by a series of allegations against the producer of Oscar winners including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. In a blow to #MeToo activists, New York’s highest court last year overturned the conviction and 23-year prison sentence after it found that the original trial judge allowed women whose accusations were not part of the charges Weinstein faced to give evidence in court. Advertisement Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault retrial involves accusations from three women: an aspiring actor who said he raped her in 2013 and two women who made separate allegations of forced oral sex in 2006. One of the two wasn’t part of the original trial. In the meantime, Weinstein is also facing a separate 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone. He has insisted that all sexual encounters he was involved in were consensual. The 12 members of the main jury for the New York retrial include a physics researcher, a photographer, a dietitian, a therapist, an investment bank software engineer and a fire safety director. Others have experience in real estate, TV commercials, debt collection, social work and other fields. Those chosen were questioned about their backgrounds, life experiences and various other points that could relate to their ability to be fair and impartial in the highly publicised case. Prosecutor Shannon Lucey sought assurances that prospective jurors could put aside any position or feelings they had about #MeToo. Bombshell allegations against Weinstein erupted in 2017 and led to a flood of allegations against other powerful men as women fought back against sexual violence in what became known as the #MeToo movement. The Hollywood mogul underwent emergency heart surgery after being rushed from prison to a hospital in New York in September. He was later diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and received treatment in prison for chronic myeloid leukaemia. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Tourists killed in Indian-administered Kashmir attack
[unable to retrieve full-text content] A group of gunmen have killed at least 28 tourists visiting Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Will countries be forced to pick a side in the US-China trade war?
President of Kenya, a special US ally, visits country’s biggest lender China. Kenya’s president is on a five-day state visit to China, its largest lender, while Beijing’s trade war with Washington intensifies. How is it worsening by the day? And what’s the impact on countries like Kenya, which does business with both economic superpowers? Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault Guests: Einar Tangen – Senior fellow at the Taihe Institute Robert Scott – Independent international economist David Omojomolo – Emerging market economist focusing on Africa at Capital Economics Adblock test (Why?)
GE Aerospace CEO calls for tariff-free trade in the aviation sector
Tariffs are estimated to cost GE Aerospace more than $500m this year. GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp has advocated re-establishing a tariff-free regime for the aerospace industry under the 1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft during a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, in an interview with the news agency Reuters, Culp said the company’s position was “understood” by the administration, adding that the zero-duty regime has helped the US aerospace industry to enjoy a $75bn annual trade surplus. “I have argued that it was good and would be good for the country,” Culp told Reuters. Trump’s trade war has created the biggest uncertainty for the aerospace industry since the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also led to a breakdown in the industry’s decades-old duty-free status, putting aircraft deliveries in limbo. The uncertainty has left some of GE Aerospace’s customers struggling to accurately forecast their business. Meanwhile, one of the company’s prominent suppliers, Howmet Aerospace, has warned that it may halt some shipments if they are impacted by tariffs. Advertisement Culp said the company has not seen any disruption in deliveries from Howmet. The Pittsburgh-based supplier is currently working on the new high-pressure turbine blade for the Leap 1A engine, which GE Aerospace produces in a joint venture with France’s Safran SA. “That ramp has gone very well so far here in 2025,” he said. GE Aerospace has been grappling with supply chain challenges, leading to a drop in engine deliveries over the past year. Last week, Airbus said it was facing challenges with engine deliveries as CFM was “significantly behind the curve”. Culp said the company is “well aligned” with the European planemaker’s needs for this year, but added the tariffs have created supply chain risks. Tariffs’ costs Tariffs are estimated to cost GE Aerospace more than $500m this year. The company is making greater use of foreign trade zones and available trade programmes like duty drawbacks to mitigate the impact. It is also employing cost controls and a tariff surcharge to protect its margins. Culp’s comments come amid pressure on another aerospace giant in recent days. Last week, China asked airlines based there to cancel aircraft orders for planes made by US company Boeing amid the looming trade war. Trade-induced economic uncertainty has taken a toll on travel demand as well. With travel spending softening, there is a growing risk that airlines could start deferring their engine orders. Culp said other carriers would step in if any airline decides to halt its deliveries. “There are plenty of other people who will step up in line and take their place,” he said. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Detained Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi says he’s ‘in good hands’
Mahdawi, a Columbia University student now being held at a prison in Vermont in the US, says he has faith in the ‘ability of justice’. A Palestinian man who led peaceful protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza as a student at Columbia University, and was recently detained during an interview about finalising his US citizenship, has said he’s “in good hands” at the Vermont prison where he is being held. Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested on April 14 in Colchester, Vermont. He met on Monday with US Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, a Democrat. US President Donald Trump’s administration has been cracking down on pro-Palestine activities. In the first week of his presidency, Trump pledged to deport students who joined protests against Israel’s war on Gaza that swept US university campuses last year. “I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said in Welch’s video posted on X. “This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country.” I met with Mohsen Mahdawi today. Listen to his message. pic.twitter.com/MU280oAQ9T — Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) April 21, 2025 Advertisement Welch’s office said Mahdawi was being detained at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St Albans, Vermont. His case is scheduled for a status conference on Wednesday. His lawyers have called for his release. The US Justice Department has not said why he’s being detained. The New York Times reported April 15 that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote a memo that says Mahdawi’s activities could “potentially undermine” the Middle East peace process. Rubio did not provide any evidence of this. Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify the deportation of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. It gives the US power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”. Khalil says he is a political prisoner. He also missed the birth of his son after being refused temporary release to attend the birth, his wife Noor Abdalla said on Monday. Abdalla said that she gave birth to the couple’s first child in New York without Khalil present after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the “purposeful decision” to make her family suffer. An immigration judge ruled April 11 that Khalil can be forced out of the country as a national security risk, after lawyers argued the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. His lawyers plan to appeal. A US immigration judge in the state of Louisiana ruled last week that Khalil, who was detained last month, can be deported – setting a precedent for the administration to proceed with its efforts to deport dissenting foreign students, despite them being in the country legally and not being charged with any crime. Advertisement Trump has also threatened to halt federal funding for schools, colleges, and universities if they allow what he called “illegal protests”. In other high-profile cases, immigration officers have detained and sought to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student from Turkiye, and Columbia student Yunseo Chung, who is a US permanent resident originally from South Korea. Adblock test (Why?)
Sacred sparks fly at India’s festival of flames
NewsFeed During Agni Keli, a fire-throwing ritual in Mangaluru, India, shirtless men hurl burning palm fronds at each other to honour the Hindu goddess Durga. Devotees risk burns but believe prayer protects them from serious harm. Published On 22 Apr 202522 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)