World

'No!' Lindsey Graham refuses to condemn Trump's anti-Ukraine rhetoric

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declined to condemn former President Donald Trump after he said that any aid to Ukraine should come with conditions.

In a Sunday interview on Meet the Press, Graham confirmed he was supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Speaker of the House. Graham hoped Jordan would support an aid package for Ukraine.

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Gaza braces for Israeli ground assault, fears of conflict spreading grow

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli troops prepared on Sunday for a ground assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as the country hit back for an unprecedented assault on its territory, and Iran warned of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel's bombardment was not stopped. Israel has vowed to annihilate the militant group Hamas in retaliation for a rampage by its fighters in Israeli towns eight days ago in which its militants shot men, women and children and seized hostages in the worst attack on civilians in the country's history. Some 1,300 people were ki...

'Reconciliation is dead': Indigenous Australians vow silence after referendum fails

By Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian Indigenous leaders called on Sunday for a week of silence and reflection after a referendum to recognise First Peoples in the constitution was decisively rejected. More than 60% of Australians voted "No" in the landmark referendum on Saturday that asked whether to alter the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people with an Indigenous advisory body, the "Voice to Parliament", that would have advised parliament on matters concerning the community. Australia's first referendum in almost a quarter of a century needed a nation...

Ecuadoreans weigh economic, security pledges in presidential ballot

By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadoreans will choose their next president on Sunday, weighing pledges to improve the economy and control a spiraling security situation from a businessman who is heir to a banana fortune and a leftist who would be the country's first woman leader. Voters' top concerns largely center on the economy - which has struggled since the coronavirus pandemic and motivated many thousands of Ecuadoreans to migrate - and rising crime, including increases in murders, robberies and prison riots. The violence, which the outgoing government blames on drug gangs, reac...

'They preach hate': Ex-White House reporter compares GOP leadership to Hamas

Republican leaders in the House are a lot like Hamas, a former White House reporter argued on Saturday.

Journalist Brian Karem argued last month that members of the press have been "moral cowards" by not properly covering ex-president Donald Trump, who Karem says is "a fraud, a cheat and a rapist, facing 91 felony counts." Now, Karem is taking the fight directly to the GOP.

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US sends second aircraft carrier 'to deter hostile actions against Israel'

Washington (AFP) - The United States is sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean "to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas's attack," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday. The USS Eisenhower and its affiliated warships will join another carrier group already deployed to the region in the wake of the attack on Israel a week ago and Israel's ongoing response. The deployment signals Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking...

Fresh gang violence traps over 100 school children in Haiti for a second day

More than 100 Haiti students, some as young as 6 years old, are trapped inside their Catholic school in downtown Port-au-Prince as a fresh round of violence continued to erupt between armed groups. Late Saturday, the students were looking at spending a second night at school. The students are among 400 children and teachers at two schools in the Grand Rue area who became trapped after armed gangs began fighting around 1 p.m. Friday. Unable to leave and with their parents unable to get to them, the students were forced to spend the night at the schools. Early Saturday morning, about 200 male st...

'A bigger deal than the usual screw up': Trump put on notice over his Israel blunder

Donald Trump has recently been in damage-control mode over his comments in opposition to Israeli's leader following the devastating terrorist attacks on our Middle-East ally, and now a Republican consultant has used the former president's blunder as evidence that he is not America First - but Trump first.

Trump lashed out at a rally last week against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, essentially accusing him of chickening out at the last minute on the mission to take out Iranian general Qassim Suleimani. Netanyahu was a close political ally of Trump while he was in office, but Trump reportedly felt spurned when Netanyahu acknowledged Joe Biden's victory in 2020.

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'Walking national security risk' Trump bashed for creating Middle East intel havoc

According to a Democrat who sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Donald Trump's comments about the war between Israel and Hamas has the potential to disrupt the sharing of information with Middle East allies which, in turn, is making the world a more dangerous place.

In a column for MSNBC, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) stated the former president's off-the-cuff remarks earlier in the week where he criticized Israel's leadership after the devastating attack by Hamas has officials in the country worried he could be re-elected in 2024 and is making them leery about sharing information going forward.

As the Illinois Democrat wrote, Trump's "incoherent" remarks -- reportedly based upon perceived grievances with Benjamin Netanyahu -- demonstrate that he "is a fickle friend, a terrible ally and a walking national security risk."

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As he noted, "The consequences of Trump’s remarks can be far-reaching in this fraught moment. As the United States rallies leaders to defend Israel, Trump is a warning to those same leaders that in just one year, the United States may turn on a dime and abandon its allies."

"Trump’s mercurial nature and his focus on personal grievance will leave leaders hedging their bets before going all in on any deals or agreements with the United States," he warned before adding, "Few Americans recognize the ugly version of this country that Trump presents to the world. Trump’s America is callous in the face of shared hardship and willing to praise our enemies while hanging our allies out to dry."

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Louvre museum evacuated for 'security reasons' France on high alert after knife attack

Visitors were evacuated from the Louvre museum in Paris on Saturday, which closed "for security reasons" while France is on high alert following an attack in the northeastern town of Arras.

The country triggered its top alert level after a man stabbed a teacher to death and severely wounded three others at a school on Friday.

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Western Hemisphere readies for a 'Ring of Fire' eclipse

Sky-gazers across the Americas are in for a celestial treat on Saturday: an annular solar eclipse.

These occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth at its furthest point from our planet. Since it is so distant, it doesn't cover the Sun completely, creating a "ring of fire" effect.

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Michael Caine announces retirement from acting

Veteran British actor Michael Caine, a Hollywood icon with a decades-spanning career littered with awards and acclaim, revealed on Saturday that he has retired from acting at the age of 90.

The Oscar-winner bows out following another widely-praised performance in his final film, "The Great Escaper", which was released on October 6.

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We'll do 'everything in our power' to free captive Americans: Biden

US President Joe Biden vowed in an interview broadcast Friday to do "everything in our power" to free Americans taken hostage by Hamas.

Biden also spoke with families of 14 Americans still missing after the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel six days ago, taking dozens of hostages and triggering a bloody conflict.

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