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Biden's Israel stance angers Arab, Muslim Americans; could jeopardize 2024 votes

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Arab and Muslim Americans and their allies are criticizing President Joe Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war, asking him to do more to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk losing their support in the 2024 election. Many Arab Americans are upset Biden has not pushed for any humanitarian ceasefire even as Palestinians are killed fleeing Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, more than a dozen academics, activists, community members and administration officials said. Their growing frustration could impact Democrat Biden's reelection bid, which...

Israel says it foiled Hamas plan to infiltrate border village by sea

The Israeli military said on Tuesday evening that Hamas fighters in Gaza tried to infiltrate Israeli territory by sea. Naval forces discovered divers sent by the Islamist group that rules Gaza and foiled the attack, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said. Hamas divers had planned to cross north along the coast and into the Zikim kibbutz, according to the IDF, which said forces were currently searching the area. Israeli media said shots were heard and several militants were killed. The IDF also said it attacked the "military compound" in the Gaza Strip from which the militants had set out.

Iceland's prime minister joins women's strike for equal rights

Women across Iceland stopped work and staged an all-day strike on Tuesday, the first protest of its kind on the island in nearly a half-century. Tens of thousands of Icelandic women gathered in the capital Reykjavik for a large rally. The strike, which was held under the slogan "Do you call this equality?," caused widespread disruptions to public life, with kindergartens, schools, banks and other institutions forced to shut their doors. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, 47, had also said she would take part. The fight for equality is progressing too slowly, the prime minister said in an inte...

'The Rock' waxwork in Paris retouched after skin tone complaints

A famed Paris museum said it would on Wednesday reinstall a waxwork of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with a more true-to-life look after it was taken off public show for additional work when the US actor complained about its pale skin tone.

Johnson, who is of Samoan and black origin, took to Instagram this weekend to joke about the Grevin Museum's wax figure, which appeared to depict him with white skin, and bears only a vague likeness to his features.

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson asks museum to fix his waxwork's skin color

US actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has joined the chorus of mockery after a Paris museum unveiled a botched waxwork of him, suggesting its skin color -- among other things -- needs "updating."

Johnson, who is of Samoan and Black origin, took to Instagram to joke about the Grevin museum's widely derided wax figure, which depicts him with pale white skin, and bears little likeness to his features.

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Freed Israeli 'went through hell' in attack, treated well in Gaza

An Israeli 85-year-old freed by Palestinian militant group Hamas said Tuesday she "went through hell" during her abduction, but was treated well during more than two weeks held captive in Gaza.

Yocheved Lifshitz was a resident of Nir Oz kibbutz, one of the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip which Hamas militants attacked on October 7.

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China's top diplomat to pay rare US visit ahead of potential Xi trip

China's top diplomat will pay a rare visit to Washington this week, the United States announced Monday, paving the way for a potential visit by President Xi Jinping aimed at keeping tensions in check.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the highest-ranking Chinese official in the US capital in nearly five years, will visit from Thursday through Saturday against a backdrop of friction over trade, Ukraine, the Middle East, Taiwan and China's assertive actions at sea near the Philippines.

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Hostage families face appalling dilemma as Gaza invasion looms

By Emily Rose and Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - As Israel prepares to invade the Gaza Strip, many families of hostages seized by Hamas are pleading with the government to rein in the war effort and instead negotiate the release of their loved ones. Highlighting the appalling dilemma facing the whole country, other relatives warn mediation could take years and say their best hope lies with the military, hoping ground forces could find the missing men, women and children before it is too late. Hamas fighters grabbed an estimated 222 people aged from 9 months to 85 years during their Oct....

Turkey submits bill on Sweden's NATO accession to parliament

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has submitted a bill to parliament to approve Sweden's application to join NATO, meaning that a conclusion to the long-running diplomatic saga is now one step closer. Erdoğan signed the accession protocol and forwarded it to the Grand National Assembly for ratification, Turkey's presidential office said on Monday. Approval is considered likely as Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its partners hold a majority in parliament. Lawmakers are to meet in Ankara on Tuesday, but it was initially unclear whether the application would be discussed th...

Trump’s reported plan for NATO makes him ‘biggest internal threat to national security’

A Rolling Stone report detailing Donald Trump's alleged plan for NATO if he wins the White House next year is making political experts greatly concerned.

" Trump and his team are actively planning to pull the United States out of NATO — or, barring that, kneecap the collective defense provisions at the heart of the alliance," writes Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman.

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'Get this guy out of here!' Lindsey Graham blows up at Newsmax reporter in Israel

Sen. Lindsey Graham tore into Newsmax reporter Daniel Cohen because he was asked to condemn Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) during a trip to Israel.

During a press conference in Israel on Monday, Cohen noted that he was both an American and Israeli citizen. And he thanked Graham for supporting Israel. Graham is in Israel as part of a bipartisan US Senate delegation.

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Trump plots 'tremendously stupid' NATO plan for his second term: report

Former President Donald Trump is pushing for a major American foreign policy change in his second administration that would likely upend decades of global national security infrastructure.

Sources tell Rolling Stone that Trump is planning to pull the United States entirely out of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance unless it caves to his demands that include one that would seem to undermine the entire purpose of the alliance.

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U.S. amps up military posture in Mideast, warns against 'escalation'

The United States warned Iran or its allies against any "escalation" in the wake of Israel's war with Hamas, two top US officials said Sunday, hours after the Pentagon moved to step up military readiness in the region.

With tensions mounting, Washington also announced Sunday it had ordered non-emergency staff to leave its embassy in Iraq.

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