DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City (AP) — For Gaza’s women, the hardships of life in the territory’s sprawling tent camps are compounded by the daily humiliation of never having privacy. Women struggle to dress modestly while crowded into tents with extended family members, including men, and with strangers only steps away in neighboring tents. Access to menstrual products is limited, so they cut up sheets or old clothes to use as pads. Makeshift toilets usually consist of only a hole in the sand surrounded by sheets dangling from a line, and these must be shared with dozens of other people. Alaa Hamami has dealt with the modesty issue by constantly wearing her prayer shawl, a black cloth that covers her head and upper body. “Our whole lives have become prayer clothes, even to the market we wear it,” said the young mother of three. “Dignity is gone.” Normally, she would wear the shawl only when performing her daily Muslim prayers. But with so many men around, she keeps it on all the time, even when sleeping — just in case an Israeli strike hits nearby in the night and she has to flee quickly, she said. Israel’s 14-month-old campaign in Gaza has driven more than 90% of its 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of them are now living in squalid camps of tents packed close together over large areas. Sewage runs into the streets , and food and water are hard to obtain. Winter is setting in. Families often wear the same clothes for weeks because they left clothing and many other belongings behind as they fled. Everyone in the camps searches daily for food, clean water and firewood. Women feel constantly exposed. Gaza has always been a conservative society. Most women wear the hijab, or head scarf, in the presence of men who are not immediate family. Matters of women’s health — pregnancy, menstruation and contraception — tend not to be discussed publicly. “Before we had a roof. Here it does not exist,” said Hamami, whose prayer shawl is torn and smudged with ash from cooking fires. “Here our entire lives have become exposed to the public. There is no privacy for women.” Wafaa Nasrallah, a displaced mother of two, says life in the camps makes even the simplest needs difficult, like getting period pads, which she cannot afford. She tried using pieces of cloth and even diapers, which have also increased in price. For a bathroom, she has a hole in the ground, surrounded by blankets propped up by sticks. The U.N. says more than 690,000 women and girls in Gaza require menstrual hygiene products, as well as clean water and toilets. Aid workers have been unable to meet demand, with supplies piling up at crossings from Israel. Stocks of hygiene kits have run out, and prices are exorbitant. Many women have to choose between buying pads and buying food and water. Doaa Hellis, a mother of three living in a camp, said she has torn up her old clothes to use for menstrual pads. “Wherever we find fabric, we tear it up and use it.” A packet of pads costs 45 shekels ($12), “and there is not even five shekels in the whole tent,” she said. Anera, a rights group active in Gaza, says some women use birth control pills to halt their periods. Others have experienced disruptions in their cycles because of the stress and trauma of repeated displacement. The terrible conditions pose real risks to women’s health, said Amal Seyam, the director of the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza, which provides supplies for women and surveys them about their experiences. She said some women have not changed clothes for 40 days. That and improvised cloth pads “will certainly create” skin diseases, diseases related to reproductive health and psychological conditions, she said. “Imagine what a woman in Gaza feels like, if she’s unable to control conditions related to hygiene and menstrual cycles,” Seyam said. Hellis remembered a time not so long ago, when being a woman felt more like a joy and less like a burden. “Women are now deprived of everything, no clothes, no bathroom. Their psychology is completely destroyed,” she said. Seyam said the center has tracked cases where girls have been married younger, before the age of 18, to escape the suffocating environment of their family’s tents. The war will “continue to cause a humanitarian disaster in every sense of the word. And women always pay the biggest price,” she said. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, over half of them women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Israel launched its assault in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on southern Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others. With large swaths of Gaza’s cities and towns leveled, women wrestle with reduced lives in their tents. Hamami can walk the length of her small tent in a few strides. She shares it with 13 other people from her extended family. During the war, she gave birth to a son, Ahmed, who is now 8 months old. Between caring for him and her two other children, washing her family’s laundry, cooking and waiting in line for water, she says there’s no time to care for herself. She has a few objects that remind her of what her life once was, including a powder compact she brought with her when she fled her home in the Shati camp of Gaza City. The makeup is now caked and crumbling. She managed to keep hold of a small mirror through four different displacements over the past year. It’s broken into two shards that she holds together every so often to catch a glimpse of her reflection. “Previously, I had a wardrobe that contained everything I could wish for,” she said. “We used to go out for a walk every day, go to wedding parties, go to parks, to malls, to buy everything we wanted." Women “lost their being and everything in this war," she said. "Women used to take care of themselves before the war. Now everything is destroyed.” Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.
A look at today’s free daily horoscope readings for Monday, Dec. 30, 2024 Today’s Birthday (12/30/24). Your work, energy and health flower this year. Connect and communicate for community support. Professional changes motivate educational adventures this spring. Tackle domestic repairs this summer. Connect, network and share next autumn. Adapt winter investigations for new conditions. Do what you love to grow. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — This New Moon illuminates career opportunities. Develop interesting projects over the next two weeks. Pursue exciting possibilities. Your professional status and influence rise. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Educational opportunities arise after tonight’s New Moon. The next two-week phase favors study, investigation and exploration. Consider new perspectives. Make connections, contributions and discoveries. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Find creative ways to grow your family nest egg. A lucrative two-week phase dawns with tonight’s New Moon. Launch valuable initiatives with your partner. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Collaboration comes naturally, especially over two weeks following tonight’s Capricorn New Moon. You’re on the same wavelength. Take your partnership to the next level. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Energize your physical moves. This New Moon initiates two weeks of strengthening work and health. Put your heart into your actions. Practice makes perfect. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Enjoy yourself. Stir up some romance. The New Moon begins a two-week family, fun and passion phase. Get creative. It’s all for love. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Realize domestic visions with upgrades over a two-week New Moon phase. Get creative. Improve the beauty and functionality of your home. Nurture your family. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 9 — Profit through communications. Possibilities spark in conversation over this two-week New Moon phase. Creative projects flower. Express, share and connect. Write your story. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Begin a lucrative New Moon phase. Discover fresh markets and rising prosperity. Strengthen financial foundations for growth. Rake in and conserve a healthy harvest. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Pursue personal dreams. Expand talents, capacities and skills over two weeks, with the New Moon in your sign. Grow and develop. Shine your light. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 6 — Dreams seem within reach. Insights, breakthroughs and revelations sparkle under tonight’s New Moon. Enjoy a two-week creative, imaginative and organizational phase. Imagine the possibilities. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 9 — Connect shared support for big results. This New Moon phase benefits team efforts. Grow through friendships, social networks and community participation. Have fun together. (Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack . For more astrological interpretations like today’s Gemini horoscope , visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes , or go to www.nancyblack.com .) ©2024 Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.NZ joins new group that 'might be answer' to US exhausting weapons in a war
The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — Matus Hronsky’s 13 points off of the bench helped Duquesne to a 67-54 victory over Old Dominion on Tuesday. Hronsky shot 5 for 9, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Dukes (1-6). Maximus Edwards scored 11 points while going 5 of 9 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and added seven rebounds. Halil Barre had 10 points and finished 5 of 7 from the floor. The Dukes stopped a six-game slide with the win. Devin Ceaser led the way for the Monarchs (2-6) with 23 points and three steals. Duquesne took a 26-19 lead at halftime, with Edwards racking up seven points. Duquesne extended its lead to 36-23 during the second half, fueled by an 8-0 scoring run. Hronsky scored a team-high 10 points in the second half. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The Gophers football team resembled its fan base in one respect this week. Current players sat down to watch as their predecessors put together highlight after highlight in Minnesota’s 31-26 upset of Penn State in 2019. The positive plays were plentiful. Tanner Morgan’s three touchdown passes, including a 66-yard catch and run from Rashod Bateman to open the game; Mariano Sori-Marin’s pressure to force a lofted pass on Antoine Winfield’s second interception of the game; Tyler Johnson’s fighting off pass interference to make a one-handed catch on a 38-yard score; Chris Autman-Bell taking a screen pass and making multiple Nittany Lions miss on a 21-yard TD; Esezi Otomewo’s big sack; and Jordan Howden’s game-sealing pick. With fourth-ranked Penn State coming into Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, the Gophers will look to pull off another upset. Their use of highlights fulfills one of their mottos: Embracing the past to create our future. Minnesota (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to collect a similar amount of big plays and turnovers to pull off an upset as an 11-point underdog to the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1). “It’s going to take our best players making plays like that,” head coach P.J. Fleck said about the 2019 victory. “Penn State’s going to say the same thing. We’re going to get their best shot. We know that. I don’t expect anything less from a James Franklin team, but we’ve got to coach them up so they get our best shot, too.” Back in 2019, the Gophers were 8-0 and ranked 13th in the nation. Penn State was also 8-0 and ranked fourth. Minnesota had not beat a ranked team up to that point and doubt remained that Minnesota could play with traditional powerhouses. After the win and fans stormed the field, the Gophers climbed the College Football Playoff rankings the next week. Five years on, it remains of the best wins of Fleck’s tenure since 2017. “That was a great moment spring-boarding us into what we have done consistently,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press. “Then just giving us that ability that we can and that mindset that we can and we will. It’s just a matter of time. A lot of things have to line up for it to happen, but that is what is so fun about it.” For the yesteryear Penn State game, Gophers defensive end Danny Striggow was a visiting recruit from Orono. He and other recruits were told not to storm the field because they were headed into the locker room postgame. “That was a cool game,” Striggow said. “... I was there as a recruit, so it’s kind of funny to look back on it, just being able to experience that as a fan and as a recruit.” Now Stiggow will play in his 50th game in maroon and gold. “(We can) look back at what they did to win that game, learn from that game and go forward and apply it,” Striggow said. Quarterback Max Brosmer said the 2019 Penn State game was the first one he watched to prepare for this year’s match-up. “I was wondering how Minnesota beat them in ’19 and what kind of things worked well for them,” Brosmer said. “... How did they execute the small details well to finish and win that game? We took away some good stuff from that game and we will use that to the best of our advantage.”Stunning! Giant Santa Claus made of 5,000 drones lights up the sky in marvelous Christmas display
Another home game, another frustrating night for the Jets. Login or signup to continue reading The Jets slumped to a fourth straight loss, going down 1-0 to a 10-man Adelaide United on Saturday night. The home side made a poor start and then failed to cash-in after Adelaide had Ben Folami sent off in the 65 th minute. Earlier Lachie Rose hit the crossbar on the stroke of half-time. Despite the extra man for the final 25 minutes, the Jets lacked the imagination and desperation to nab an equaliser. Here is what we learned from round seven. Archie Goodwin didn't mark his return to Newcastle with a goal, but Adelaide coach Carl Veart has no doubts the striker will score 10-to-15 a season for his new club. Promoted to the starting side, Goodwin was all action. He missed an early chance, had a shot partially blocked which led to the Reds' goal and caused problems for the defence. "With a little bit more luck, he could have had a couple of goals," Veart said. "He has his body in a really good position now. He can repeat his efforts. We saw tonight that he worked extremely hard. I have said it before, he is a 10-15 goal a season striker. I see that quality in him." Lachy Rose went within an inch of being an instant hero for the Jets. Pitched into the starting side, despite not having played a minute this season due to a hip injury, Rose produced a typically wholehearted effort. He made run after run and was nearly rewarded on the stroke of half-time. Clayton Taylor drove down the left and then delivered a cross into the goal mouth. Rose timed his run almost to perfection. He made good contact with a lunging strike but the ball cannoned into the crossbar. Exhausted, Rose was replaced after 55 minutes. Then at full-time, Rose rewarded a young fan who had lent the striker a black texta to sign autographs with his playing boots. Rob Stanton has backed his young squad to the hilt. Concentration lapses - many which have cost the team competition points - have been written off as part of the learning curve. After 18 months and number or 'what ifs', Stanton has seemingly drawn a line in the sand. He let the squad know exactly what he felt of their first half display against Adelaide. The spray had the desired result, with the Jets playing with much more energy after the break. However, the most important response will be on the training ground this week. Rarely has a trip across the nullarbor been as important. The Jets are away to Perth on Saturday. The West has been a traditional graveyard for Newcastle. The Jets have only returned with three points three times in 27 trips. Their last triumph was a 2-1 result in 2017. The Glory have struggled under new coach David Zdrillic. Entering Sunday night's clash with Melbourne Victory, they had the worst defence in the league, shipping 18 goals. The Jets have the bye after the clash against the Glory before an equally tough journey to Wellington (December 28). Anything less than three points in Perth could see the Jets drop to last. No-one wants that for Christmas. Carl Veart was disappointed to say the least at the red card handed to Adelaide attacker Ben Folami. Folami and Jets defender Phil Cancar got in a tangle that resulted in both falling to the ground. Folami took offence to the challenge and pushed out with his arm, making contact with the head of Cancar. Cancar shoved Folami in response and received a yellow card. VAR Adam Kersey then intervened and, after viewing a replay, referee Ben Abraham deemed Folami's reaction as violent conduct and sent him off. "I don't see how that was violent conduct," Veart fumed. "It is not a swinging arm or an elbow, it was an open hand. I don't understand how that can be seen as violent conduct. I can't see how the VAR can step in to say that." By the letter of the law it may have been a red card. By the pub test, it was soft. Really soft. No doubts Veart would have been redlining had Adelaide not hung on for a 1-0 win. James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald. James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. 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NoneThe Boxing Day Test match between India and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has set a new attendance record, surpassing a milestone that stood since 1936/37. From Thursday's opening day to the final session, spectators gathered in droves to experience the thrilling encounter between these cricketing powerhouses. On the Test's final day, MCG officials took to social media platform 'X' to confirm that the 1936/37 attendance record had been officially eclipsed. Back then, Australia took on England in a memorable six-day affair, setting a benchmark that stood the test of time. Cricket Australia revealed staggering numbers with 51,371 fans attending the opening session on Monday alone. By day's end, the attendance numbers had broken the record from the 1937 Test between a Don Bradman-led Australia and England team. Fans have consistently turned out in remarkable numbers, with daily figures recorded at 87,242, 85,147, 83,073, 43,867, and still rising past 51,371 on the final day. In a nod to public enthusiasm, MCG opened Yarra Park to fans, a move not commonly seen. The match itself hangs in the balance. India lost pivotal batsmen Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli during a critical phase of the opening session. However, an 88-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant helped stabilize the innings until Pant was dismissed by a spectacular catch from Mitchell Marsh. Ravindra Jadeja's brief stint at the crease brought little respite as Australia's victory hangs on claiming the remaining five Indian wickets. The final session is poised to be a thrilling conclusion to this record-breaking Test match. (ANI) (With inputs from agencies.)
TORONTO — A year ago Monday, the Toronto Raptors traded OG Anunoby, the unofficial start to the team’s rebuild. While the Pascal Siakam deal that came a few weeks later more clearly showed the path the Raptors would take, it was the first decision the Raptors made for themselves that took them further away from valuing wins above all else. Advertisement Fred VanVleet’s departure in free agency the previous summer was the first indication the Raptors would do this, but the Anunoby deal represented acceptance. The Raptors had a hybrid plan — not quite shameless tanking, certainly not putting a premium on short-term winning. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, acquired in the Anunoby deal, would surround Scottie Barnes with like-aged players, and the return for Siakam would start the Raptors’ effort to build a group of supporting players on rookie deals behind that trio and Jakob Poeltl in an attempt to not wallow in losing for years and years. The Anunoby trade happened at the end of 2023. Their 136-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday was the last home game of 2024. It was a turnover-filled offensive embarrassment two days removed from a profound defensive embarrassment . The calendar year ends with a matinee affair in Boston on New Year’s Eve. The halcyon days of November, when the Raptors were piling up moral victories, are long gone. “Right now, as a team, we hit a wall,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “We hit a wall. It’s very simple.” “We just can’t allow ourselves to get down to this point and keep letting teams, every single game, (score) 130 points ... or more,” Barnes said. “For these last three games, that’s just unacceptable.” Actually, they have surrendered 430 points, or more than 143 points per night, over the last three games. Who’s counting? Including the last few games, this year was the one in which the Raptors finally took the medicine they didn’t pick up from the pharmacy until the moment they had no other real choice. With the year coming to an end, there was some light irony to be found in Bruce Brown making his season debut against the Hawks. The Siakam trade was never about Brown himself; the Raptors hoped, and continue to hope, that they might be able to get something for the veteran in a trade. Brown’s salary was the vehicle that made the deal CBA compliant. The Raptors thought that while he was in Toronto, Brown could be a connective piece to help the Raptors advance on the court. Advertisement Due to an off-and-on knee injury that ultimately required surgery in the offseason, Brown played just 35 games for the Raptors in 2024, all but one happening last season. In his absence — and the long-term absences, at various times, of Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk and others — the Raptors have had to throw out some lineups that strain credulity as legitimate NBA lineups. It’s possible the Raptors have unearthed some gems, with Ja’Kobe Walter and Ochai Agbaji, acquired either via the Siakam deal or in a subsequent deal, looking especially promising. Even still, it is hard to know what any individual performance has meant. “You’re always looking for continuity for your team and to have your guys available and healthy,” Rajaković said. “Only when you have that (do) you have the opportunity to see that and assess. If a backup player is in a starting role, that changes his role completely. He’s going against (a different) kind of talent. He’s playing different minutes. He’s playing a different role on the team.” They have not gotten that. Instead they have absorbed many, many losses. The Hawks loss gave the Raptors their second losing streak of 10 or more games of the year. With the defeat, the Raptors are 20-61 in 2024. Five teams, including the Raptors themselves, are on pace to finish with a worse record than that this season, while only two finished below that win total last season. By design or not, they have been one of the worst teams in the league, full stop. There are many hopes for 2025, but all of that losing leading to a high draft pick in June is near the top of the list. Forgetting any trades, the most important thing that happened to the Raptors in 2024 was some lottery balls not bouncing their way . Had they stayed at sixth or moved up in the lottery last spring, they would have kept their pick in June’s draft. They still would have owed one, potentially this year’s, to the San Antonio Spurs to complete the ill-conceived Poeltl trade . Instead, they lost their pick, with the eighth selection bound for Texas. Advertisement That medicine came with a vile aftertaste, too, but was necessary. Imagine a 2024-25 season that unfolded more or less like this one but without a guaranteed draft pick coming in June. Yes, the Raptors would have a player such as Portland’s Donovan Clingan or Minnesota’s Rob Dillingham, Memphis’s Zach Edey or Utah’s Cody Williams, and any of their rookie years would be interesting to monitor in Toronto right now. If healthy, they obviously would have had access to many, many NBA minutes. But that draft seemed short on superstar upside at the time, and nothing that has happened in the first 11 weeks of the season has made that look wrong. The 2025 draft has that sort of potential, which is exactly what the Raptors need — a player who can hit a high level quickly and help the team’s young core take a step forward with a financially sustainable payroll. That is the hope that will sustain the Raptors and their fans through the first half of 2025 and, perhaps, beyond. For now, all the Raptors can do is hope that this medicine will eventually cures what ails them. Notes • Brown checked in midway through the first quarter, and played in a bench-heavy lineup led by Barnes. He looked like a player feeling his way through his first game in a long time, but got to test out that knee and get his teammates excited at the same time. He got better as his outing went on, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. THAT'S OUR COWBOY 🤠 pic.twitter.com/fm5k77X7gg — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 29, 2024 “I felt like myself. That was just the best part,” Brown said. “(I was) playing on one leg last year. I can move. Y’all seen me out there hustling, trying to give my all. It wasn’t like that last year.” Brown said he was expecting to be back a few weeks ago, but the post-surgery swelling did not dissipate fully. Putting another credible creator in bench groups should allow Barnes to act as a screener more often, while not putting the ball in the hands of the Raptors’ non-shooters at guard, Shead or Davion Mitchell, too often. • The Raptors turned the ball over on each of their first five possessions, and six of their first seven. A few of them were home run passes that would have led to easy layups, but still. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that sort of turnover spree to start a game. Advertisement The Raptors finished with 31 turnovers, one shy of a franchise record, with Barnes having a career-worst eight on his own. A few of them were ugly and/ or careless . “We’ve got to take it much more seriously than this,” Rajaković said. “This has been an ongoing thing with our turnovers this year. We’ve got to do a much better job of addressing it. I’ve gotta do a better job of keeping guys accountable to the standard. • Barnes’ jumper looks iffy from many spots on the floor, but his turnaround jumper from the outer paint has been silky of late. • This was probably the first Canadian-to-Canadian buzzer-beater in Raptors history. BONNNJOOOUUUUUURRRRR 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0p0tlprCft — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 30, 2024 • Walter has some good basketball sense for a rookie who played just one year in college. The Hawks aren’t the mid-2000’s Detroit Pistons, but he recognized a zone quickly and found Olynyk for a gimme . (Photo: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press via AP)Welling scores 21 as Utah Valley takes down West Georgia 77-74