| Bannon's war against McConnell just lost its biggest battle Posted: 13 Dec 2017 01:36 PM PST  In going all in on Roy Moore's Senate campaign, Steve Bannon gambled and lost — big. His insurgency against the Republican establishment now looks increasingly uncertain.
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| Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory About Alabama Election Gets A Brutal Reality Check Posted: 14 Dec 2017 12:30 AM PST  Hours after Doug Jones upset Roy Moore in Alabama's special election, the far right began cooking up conspiracy theories about busloads of voters being brought in from out-of-state: I am hearing rumors that black voters from MS were encouraged to cross over into AL and vote.
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| Nikki Haley Slams Iran’s Role In Yemen War, Neglects To Mention U.S. Part In Humanitarian Crisis Posted: 14 Dec 2017 12:55 PM PST  The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, stood before missile remnants that she claimed were covered in Iranian "fingerprints" on Thursday while laying out what she called "irrefutable evidence" that Tehran has violated its international obligations by militarily supporting rebels in Yemen.
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| North Korean 'ghost ship' washes up on shores of Japan as problem grows Posted: 13 Dec 2017 12:17 PM PST  A new unmanned ship from North Korea washed Japanese shores this week with at least one dead body.
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| Battlefield researchers uncover ISIS arsenal and weapons factory in Iraq Posted: 13 Dec 2017 06:55 AM PST  NBC News goes into Tal Afar Iraq with a team of weapons researchers as they discover an ISIS arms cache and munitions factory that reveals the terrorists group's sophisticated weapons program.
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| Dan Johnson: Who is the Kentucky Republican politician accused of child sexual assault found dead in apparent suicide? Posted: 14 Dec 2017 12:23 AM PST  A Republican state representative who denied allegations he sexually assaulted a teenage girl has died in an apparent suicide. Dan Johnson died of a single gunshot wound after stopping his car at the end of a bridge in a secluded area of Mount Washington, Kentucky, the Bullitt County Coroner said. Mr Johnson was elected to the state legislature in 2016, part of a wave of Republican victories that gave the GOP control of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the first time in nearly 100 years.
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| Artificial intelligence finds solar system with 8 planets like ours Posted: 14 Dec 2017 02:43 PM PST  A solar system with as many planets as our own has been discovered with the help of NASA's Kepler space telescope and artificial intelligence, the US space agency said Thursday. "Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single star," NASA said in a statement. The eight-planet system -- the largest known outside of ours -- orbits a star called Kepler 90 some 2,545 light-years away.
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| Joe Biden Says He Wishes He Had 'Been Able To Do More For Anita Hill' Posted: 14 Dec 2017 06:28 AM PST  Joe Biden is offering another apology to Anita Hill.
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| Geminid Meteor Shower 2017: What it is, when it's happening and where to watch it Posted: 13 Dec 2017 07:22 AM PST  This week, stargazers will witness the peak of one of the year's best shooting star displays in the United States.
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| DNC chair Perez: 'I heard Charles Barkley loudly and clearly' Posted: 13 Dec 2017 08:01 AM PST  Tom Perez suggested he agreed with Barkley's view that Democrats have taken low-income and African-American voters "for granted."
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| GOP seeks excuse for Trump to fire Mueller Posted: 13 Dec 2017 10:50 AM PST  Rep. Eric Swalwell talks with Rachel Maddow about Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pressing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for a reason for Donald Trump to fire Robert Mueller.
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| Jesse Watters' Mother Is 'Distraught' About Her Son's Views Posted: 14 Dec 2017 09:09 AM PST  If you've ever been distraught by something that Fox News host Jesse Watters said, you're not alone.
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| Rep. Speier on Alabama, North Korea and how Congress is not 'Animal House' Posted: 13 Dec 2017 12:38 PM PST  Rep. Jackie Speier cautioned that Doug Jones's shock defeat of Roy Moore is a "unique" result that may not apply to the 2018 midterms.
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| 2 Police Officers Shot in the Chest Were Saved by Bulletproof Vests Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:31 AM PST  The police were engaged in a standoff
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| Omarosa Calls Robin Roberts' 'Bye Felicia' Remark 'Petty' After Disputing Reports of White House Exit Posted: 14 Dec 2017 10:11 AM PST  The former "Apprentice" contestant claims she resigned, but didn't do so in the White House.
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| Sirens, doves as China marks 80 years since Nanjing massacre Posted: 12 Dec 2017 09:05 PM PST  Sirens blared and thousands of doves were released as Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a sombre ceremony in Nanjing marking 80 years since the wartime massacre in the city by Japanese troops. "China and Japan are close neighbours, neighbours who can't move away," said Yu Zhengsheng, a former member of China's top Communist leadership who now chairs a parliamentary body. China and Japan should build on their "long, rich history" of links to deepen "friendship", Yu said, avoiding reference to bitter disputes over the massacre.
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| Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Serious About Having Religious Wedding, Church Leader Says Posted: 14 Dec 2017 02:33 PM PST  St. George's Chapel is a stunning, historic place.
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| 8-year-old Imani McCray may have hung herself after seeing report of another girl's suicide Posted: 13 Dec 2017 12:47 PM PST  An 8-year-old girl from New Jersey committed suicide over the weekend, and sources close to the investigation are reportedly saying she may have been inspired by a story she saw on social media.
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| The Latest: Homeless camp fire sparked Los Angeles blaze Posted: 12 Dec 2017 08:12 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on California wildfires (all times local):
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| Trump's aides leave Russia out of intelligence briefings over fears it will upset him Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:36 AM PST  White House officials have claimed they purposefully leave information on Russian interference out of Donald Trump's daily briefings for fear it will upset him. Current and former administration officials told the Washington Post they frequently plan the President's daily brief (PDB,) around his suspected emotional reactions. "If you talk about Russia, meddling, interference – that takes the PDB off the rails," a former senior US intelligence official told the Post.
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| 84 Arrested At Capitol Hill Protest Against GOP Tax Bill Posted: 13 Dec 2017 07:50 PM PST  Fresh off an inspiring Democratic win in Alabama's Senate race, hundreds of progressive activists, many of whom had physical disabilities, converged on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to protest the Republican tax bill.
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| Time Is Running Out For Syria's Besieged Communities Posted: 14 Dec 2017 06:00 AM PST  Nearly 745,000 men, women and children in Syria are trapped inside the war-torn country's 33 besieged communities, living in desolate conditions at the mercy of President Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime and its armed opponents.
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| 11 Congolese Fighters Have Been Jailed for Life For Raping Dozens of Children Posted: 13 Dec 2017 07:54 PM PST  A spiritual adviser reportedly told the men raping infants would give them supernatural powers
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| Three-man crew returns from space station: NASA TV Posted: 14 Dec 2017 04:18 AM PST ![Three-man crew returns from space station: NASA TV]( "Three-man crew returns from space station: NASA TV") (Reuters) - A capsule carrying U.S., Russian and Italian astronauts from the International Space Station landed in Kazakhstan on Thursday after a five-month mission, a NASA TV live broadcast showed. The spacecraft brought back Randy Bresnik from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sergey Ryazanskiy from Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Italy's Paolo Nespoli with the European Space Agency. The capsule landed in the windswept and snow-covered steppe in Kazakhstan's central Karaganda region at 2.37 p.m. (0837 GMT). ...
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| Forget Stealth Fighters: This Is the Plane China Needs to Take on America Posted: 14 Dec 2017 06:35 AM PST  China is looking to increase its air tanker fleet after its fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft conducted an "island encirclement patrol" of Taiwan earlier this week. As the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) extends exercises in the Western Pacific, refueling will become a problem for its strike aircraft.
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| An airplane drew a Christmas tree on a flight tracker because why not Posted: 14 Dec 2017 04:04 AM PST  How far would you go for a Christmas gif? SEE ALSO: Budweiser is one step closer to developing beer on Mars Airbus A380 — the world's largest passenger plane — carried out a very festive test flight over Germany on Wednesday, as can be viewed on flight tracker websites. An early Christmas gif from the @Airbus A380.See how Airbus drew their tree at https://t.co/YQPtQ179tG pic.twitter.com/ah1eBzFGGY — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 13, 2017 A spokesperson for Airbus told The Telegraph that this was a regulation test flight, of which there are hundreds every year. "Thanks to the co-operation of the air traffic controllers (Eurocontrol and DFS), it was possible to fly that Christmas tree flight path," they said. "It was the idea of test pilots and engineers — an Airbus greeting to all aviation fans during this Christmas period." Of course Airbus said it was their A380 that did the flight, but we all know it's really you, Santa. You're not fooling anyone. WATCH: This device transforms your ordinary bicycle into an e-bike in seconds
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| Royals join bereaved families in London tower fire memorial Posted: 14 Dec 2017 05:23 AM PST  LONDON (AP) — Britain's royals and Prime Minister Theresa May joined survivors and families of those who died in London's Grenfell Tower fire for a memorial service Thursday for the 71 people killed in the June blaze.
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| US urges talks as North Korea brags of nuclear arsenal Posted: 13 Dec 2017 01:33 AM PST  The United States is ready to talk to North Korea "without preconditions" but remains determined to force it to abandon its nuclear arsenal, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday. While White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did not spell out the president's views, Trump in the past has chided his secretary of state for "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with Pyongyang.
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| Epic Gingerbread House Fails Are Your New Favorite Holiday Tradition Posted: 14 Dec 2017 04:17 AM PST ![Epic Gingerbread House Fails Are Your New Favorite Holiday Tradition]( "Epic Gingerbread House Fails Are Your New Favorite Holiday Tradition") People around the world are getting into the festive spirit by attempting to create their own gingerbread houses.
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| For captured ISIS fighters in Iraq, justice is swift and conviction certain Posted: 13 Dec 2017 09:49 AM PST  Yahoo News gets a rare look inside the courtroom where captured ISIS fighters are being tried in Iraq. The trials last about 20 minutes, convictions are virtually certain, and a lenient sentence is 15 years.
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| Republicans strike deal on tax plan as they rush to pass it before arrival of Alabama's new Democratic senator Posted: 13 Dec 2017 02:13 PM PST  Senate and House Republicans have struck a tentative deal on a tax plan as they race to get a final measure on President Donald Trump's desk by Christmas. At the same time, Democrats are urging Republicans to delay the process until a newly-elected Democratic senator from Alabama, Doug Jones, is seated - currently expected not to be until after the Senate wraps up its work for the year. In a stunning upset on Tuesday, Mr Jones defeated his Republican opponent Roy Moore in a special election, flipping control of the seat and reducing the Republican Senate margin to 51-49.
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| 8 Ways Divorce Attorneys Approach Relationships Differently Posted: 14 Dec 2017 11:05 AM PST  Married divorce lawyers have an interesting perspective on relationships.
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| Indian minister warns Bollywood heavyweights over sexual exploitation Posted: 14 Dec 2017 11:33 AM PST  In a rare rebuke, an Indian minister on Thursday warned the country's Bollywood film industry to comply with strict measures to combat sexual harassment, following the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Maneka Gandhi, India's federal Minister for Women and Child Development, took the unusual step of writing to 24 powerful Bollywood film producers, demanding they comply with Indian sexual harassment legislation to ensure a "safe, secure and inclusive work environment" for all employees. The letter was sent to major industry players, such as actors Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, as well as director Karan Johar. "The aim of this law is to ensure that no woman is sexually harassed at her workplace," Ms Gandhi said in her letter. "It is to be followed in letter and spirit by all organisations in the country," she added. "Bollywood filmmakers are ethically and legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees but of all outsourced and temporary staff as well." Britain's Prince William shakes hands with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan Credit: REUTERS/Rafiq Maqbool/Pool It is understood that more letters will be sent to other film producers. Bollywood remains hugely male dominated, with men making up the vast majority of directors and veteran stars. The small handful of female directors are mostly confined to regional cinema. After the Weinstein allegations broke, people in the film business in India were unconvinced they would have a #MeToo moment. "What can we do?" Mukesh Bhatt, who co-heads production house Vishesh Films said. "We cannot keep moral cops outside every film office to see that no girl is being exploited." Alankrita Shrivastava, director of critically acclaimed film Lipstick Under my Burkha said a women's protest movement was unlikely to happen in conservative Indian society. "The way men are being called out in Hollywood right now, I don't know if it can happen in India." "In terms of how our psychology is, how patriarchy functions, it is much more entrenched," she added. However, Ms Gandhi's stark warning gives women in Bollywood hope that their concerns will be heard. Last month Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar told a Mumbai tabloid she had been turned down for "several roles" as she did not give in to "unwanted advances" by producers and directors. Ms Bhaskar, 29, urged aspiring actresses to turn down roles rather than resort to the so-called "casting couch" to exchange sexual favours to advance their careers. Thousands of young Indian girls and boys gravitate to Bollywood every year with the aim of becoming actors. Swara Bhaskar complained of Bollywood's casting-couch culture Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images They are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, not only by unscrupulous agents promising them roles which they never get, but also by lesser known stars, producers and directors making similar promises. Hopefuls are fearful of reporting inappropriate behaviour in case it ruins their chances of breaking into Bollywood. "It is always very subtle," Ms Bhaskar said this week. "People try to insinuate that there are 10,000 girls for one role – so what can you do?" In the wake of the #MeToo scandal, actresses including Kalki Koechlin and Richa Chadha called on Bollywood to improve its record in standing up for victims of sexual harassment and exploitation. Sexual harassment legislation was passed in India in 2013, in response to the fatal gang rape of a 23-year old medical student on a bus in Delhi in December 2012. In November Ms Gandhi launched the online Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) to register sexual harassment complaints in the workplace and to ensure the implementation of the 2013 law. She also urged all company directors to report sexual harassment cases, but activists said many victims were hesitant to register their complaints, afraid their future careers would be curtailed. Women's rights activists maintain that only 10 per cent of rape and other sexual harassment cases ever get reported in India.
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| Patton Oswalt's First Christmastime With New Wife Is Pretty Adorable Posted: 14 Dec 2017 05:29 AM PST  Patton Oswalt appears to have this blended family thing on lock.
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| Keaton Jones Visits University of Tennessee Football Team as Reports Say His Dad Might Be a White Supremacist Posted: 13 Dec 2017 10:54 AM PST  Shawn White is currently serving a three-year prison term for assault.
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| The Latest: Safeway spokeswoman says workers will miss mayor Posted: 12 Dec 2017 06:04 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on the death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee (all times local):
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| Republicans craft tax deal, final votes seen next week Posted: 13 Dec 2017 03:57 PM PST ![Republicans craft tax deal, final votes seen next week]( "Republicans craft tax deal, final votes seen next week") By David Morgan and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans reached a deal on final tax legislation on Wednesday, clearing the way for final votes next week on a package that would slash the U.S. corporate tax rate to 21 percent and cut taxes for wealthy Americans. Under an agreement between the House of Representatives and the Senate, the corporate tax would be one percentage point higher than the 20-percent rate earlier proposed, but still far below the present headline rate of 35 percent, a deep tax reduction that corporations have sought for years. As they finalized the biggest tax overhaul in 30 years, Republicans wavered for weeks on whether to slash the top income tax rate for the wealthy.
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| Police hold 11-year-old girl at gunpoint and handcuff her Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:02 AM PST  "It made me feel scared and it made me feel like I did something wrong," Honestie Hodges told local media. COWARDLY COPS DO IT AGAIN! 11- year old Honestie Hodges was handcuffed by the Grand Rapids Police Department for walking out her back door. The incident happened in the city of Grand Rapids as the girl was preparing to leave her home to go to the shops.
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| More than 20 IS killed in southern Syria: coalition Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:55 AM PST  Syrian opposition forces backed by a US-led coalition killed more than 20 Islamic State fighters and took several others prisoner Thursday, military officials said. According to the coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq, a vetted Syrian opposition group known as the Maghawir al-Thawra detected the fighters early Thursday in an area controlled by pro-Syrian regime forces in southern Syria, in the Al-Tanf border region. Supported by coalition forces, the Maghawir al-Thawra "quickly and professionally conducted an operation," the coalition said in a statement.
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| White Evangelicals Voted En Masse For Roy Moore In Alabama, To No One's Surprise Posted: 13 Dec 2017 03:53 PM PST  Doug Jones' victory in Alabama's special Senate election Tuesday night upset the status quo in his state in many ways ― it put a Democrat from Alabama in the U.S. Senate for the first time in 25 years, and it showed off the political clout of Alabama's black voters.
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| Gift Card Scam: Crooks Can Drain the Money Off Your Cards Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:59 AM PST  Gift cards are hotter than roasted chestnuts this yule season. Six in ten consumers have gift cards on their Christmas shopping list, according to a survey of 7,349 consumers for the National Ret...
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| Bodycam Footage of Cop Slapping Handcuffs on Screaming 11-Year-Old Girl Sparks Outrage Posted: 13 Dec 2017 09:11 AM PST  The footage shows a terrified young girl as she's handcuffed during an investigation.
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| Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith named to fill Franken seat Posted: 13 Dec 2017 09:57 AM PST  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith on Wednesday to fill fellow Democrat Al Franken's Senate seat until a special election in November, setting up his long-time and trusted adviser for a potentially bruising 2018 special election.
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| Legionnaires' Disease Is Rising At An Alarming Rate In The U.S. Posted: 14 Dec 2017 02:45 AM PST  Health officials are increasingly concerned about the continuous uptick of Legionnaires' disease cases, which have risen steadily since 2000.
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| Exclusive: Ford to base Fusion production in China - sources Posted: 13 Dec 2017 01:35 PM PST ![Exclusive: Ford to base Fusion production in China - sources]( "Exclusive: Ford to base Fusion production in China - sources") Ford Motor Co plans to consolidate global production of midsize sedans in China in 2020, three sources said on Wednesday. In North America, the Fusion sedan currently is built in Hermosillo, Mexico, while in Europe, the companion Mondeo sedan is built in Valencia, Spain. Both models are expected to be redesigned in mid to late 2020, when Ford plans to shift their production to Chongqing, to a joint-venture plant operated with Ford's Chinese partner Changan Automobile Co, according to sources connected to Ford's component suppliers who are familiar with the automaker's future production plans.
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| Latest Monsanto GMO seeds raises worries of monopoly Posted: 13 Dec 2017 09:54 PM PST  The rapid growth of Monsanto's new GMO seeds resistant to the controversial herbicide dicamba has revived worries about the company's stranglehold over farming during a period of industry consolidation. Long a producer of dicamba, Monsanto last year introduced genetically-modified cotton and soybean seeds that can resist the weed killer. The products took off, amassing more than 20 percent of US soybean fields and 50 percent of US cotton fields in just two years, according to Monsanto data.
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| Israel closes Gaza borders after days of Palestinian rocket attacks Posted: 14 Dec 2017 07:10 AM PST  Israel sealed the entrances and exits to Gaza on Thursday after a week of rocket fire from Palestinian militants in the wake of Donald Trump's announcement on Jerusalem. Palestinian factions have fired rockets from Gaza on five of the seven days since the US president's Jerusalem speech, prompting Israeli forces to use the Iron Dome missile defence system and carry out air strikes in retaliation. Two Palestinian fighters have been killed so far, and the shooting exchanges have been the most serious in since the 2014 Gaza war and raised fears that the two sides may stumble into a full-blown conflict. Israel closed the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings on Thursday in response the shooting, leaving the two million people of Gaza completely cut off from the world and halting deliveries of food and fuel. As well as the two-Israeli controlled border crossings, Gaza also has a southern border crossing with Egypt at Rafah, which is almost always closed. Palestinian Hamas supporters attend a Rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas movement, in Gaza City The crossings may open on Friday or else will stay closed until at least Sunday. Israeli officials believe the rockets are being fired by Islamic Jihad, a smaller faction, with the tacit permission of Hamas, the Islamist militant group which controls Gaza. Israeli policy is to hold Hamas responsible for any rockets from Gaza and Israeli strikes have targeted Hamas outposts. Two Hamas fighters were killed last week and on Wednesday night Israel reportedly struck a naval site and a military base. "The Israeli Defence Forces hold the Hamas terror organisation responsible for the poverty, destruction and despair amongst the citizens of the Gaza Strip," a spokesman said. One misfired Palestinian rocket struck a school inside Gaza, the Israeli military said. Thousands of people gathered in central Gaza to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding. "We demand the Islamic world make every Friday a day of anger and revolution in every capital and city until we bring down Trump's decision," said Ismail Haniya, Hamas' leader. Head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, left, and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar, wave during a rally. Credit: AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra While leaders of Islamic countries have put out strongly-worded statements on Mr Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem, they have taken little action and protests around the Middle East have been muted. The Palestinians have said they will no longer accept any US role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process but the Arab world's main powers - Egypt and Saudi Arabia - remain supportive of Mr Trump's efforts to reach what he calls the "ultimate deal". Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said that Riyadh was still looking to the US to lead the efforts at brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace, despite Palestinian statements that they would refuse to accept any US role in the process. "We believe the Trump administration is serious about bringing peace between Israelis and Arabs," said Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister. The White House is expected to unveil its peace proposals early next year and it is unclear if the Palestinians will be able to resist American and Saudi pressure to return to the negotiating table. Mike Pence, the US vice president, is due to travel to the Middle East next week for meetings with the Egyptians and the Israelis. The Palestinians have said they will refuse to meet him out of protest at the Jerusalem decision. Mr Pence was supposed to arrive in Israel on Sunday but the trip has been delayed as the White House looks to secure votes for its tax cuts bill ahead of Christmas.
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