Rural areas experience the brunt of healthcare system deficiencies. Are there solutions?Pep Guardiola’s side at least avoided the indignity of a sixth successive defeat in all competitions but alarm bells continue to ring at the Etihad Stadium after a dramatic late capitulation. A double from Erling Haaland – the first from the penalty spot – and a deflected effort from Ilkay Gundogan, all in the space of nine minutes either side of the break, looked to have ensured a return to winning ways. Yet Guardiola was left with his head in hands as Feyenoord roared back in the last 15 minutes with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Sergio Gimenez and David Hancko, two of them after Josko Gvardiol errors. City almost snatched a late winner when Jack Grealish hit the woodwork but there was no masking another dispiriting result. It was hardly the preparation City wanted for Sunday’s crunch trip to Liverpool, and the Feyenoord fans took great delight in rubbing that fact in. They sung the club anthem they share with Liverpool, You’ll Never Walk Alone, and chanted the name of their former manager Arne Slot, the current Reds boss. Guardiola arrived at the ground with a cut on the bridge of his nose and, once again, his side have been struck a nasty blow. Despite not being at their best, they had dominated early on against what seemed limited Dutch opposition. They threatened when a Gundogan shot was deflected wide and Haaland then went close to opening the scoring when he turned a header onto the post. Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther gifted City another chance when he passed straight to Bernardo Silva but Grealish’s fierce volley struck team-mate Phil Foden. Foden forced a save from Wellenreuther but City had a moment of alarm when Igor Paixao got behind the defence only to shoot tamely at Ederson. Nathan Ake missed the target with a header but some luck finally went City’s way just before the break when Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal’s Jurrien, was harshly adjudged to have fouled Haaland. The Norwegian rammed home the resulting spot-kick and City returned re-energised for the second period. They won a corner when a Matheus Nunes shot was turned behind and Gundogan fired the hosts’ second – albeit with aid of a deflection – with a firm volley from the edge of the box. City turned up the heat and claimed their third soon after as Gundogan released Nunes with a long ball and his low cross was turned into the net by a sliding Haaland. 44' ⚽️ Man City 1-0 Feyenoord50' ⚽️ Man City 2-0 Feyenoord53' ⚽️ Man City 3-0 Feyenoord75' ⚽️ Man City 3-1 Feyenoord82' ⚽️ Man City 3-2 Feyenoord89' ⚽️ Man City 3-3 Feyenoord 🤯🤯🤯 #UCL — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 26, 2024 It seemed City were heading for a morale-lifting victory but a couple of Gvardiol errors changed the script. The Croatian, who had a torrid time in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing by Tottenham, first horribly misplaced a backpass and allowed Moussa to nip in and round Ederson. Ordinarily that 75th-minute reply would have been a mere consolation and City would close out the game, but Gvardiol had another moment to forget eight minutes from time. Again he gave the ball away and Feyenoord pounced. The ball was lofted into the box and Jordan Lotomba fired a shot that glanced the post and deflected across goal, where Gimenez chested in. Ederson then blundered as he raced out of his area and was beaten by Paixao, who crossed for Hancko to head into an empty net. Amid some moments of unrest in the crowd, when objects were thrown, City tried to rally in stoppage time. Grealish had an effort deflected onto the bar but the hosts had to settle for a draw.Analysis: If Jets don't want Rodgers, others will
Microprocessor Market Size to Worth USD 126.91 Billion by 2032, Driven by Growing Consumer Demand and Expanding Industry Applications | Research by SNS InsiderOnline debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fightingTrump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fightingNoneColts coach Shane Steichen feeling heat after playoff elimination
Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a storyIIT-K comes up with metamaterial tech to evade radar detectionWashington : Mexico and Canada have hit back at Donald Trump’s tariff plans, warning about the potential economic impact and urging the president-elect to choose cooperation over the prospect of retaliatory trade wars. In an ominous but unsurprising development on Monday, Trump announced on social media that he intended to slap heavy tariffs on America’s neighbours and top trading partners as soon as he returns to the White House in January. Donald Trump speaks on the southern border with Mexico in August. Only a fraction of his “beautiful wall” was built during his first term – and mainly to replace older dilapidated sections. Credit: AP Under the plan, Trump says a 25 per cent tariff would be imposed on Canada to the north and Mexico at the southern border unless they crack down on drugs and illegal immigrants coming into the US. In addition, he threatened that China would receive “an additional 10 per cent tariff” on top of tariffs already in place on Chinese goods unless the country implements the death penalty for drug dealers connected to the fentanyl trade. But as global markets digested the news, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum warned the tariff hike would fail to curb illegal migration or the consumption of illicit drugs in the US. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said the tariffs would hurt her country and the US. Credit: Getty Images She also described the plan as “unacceptable” and something that “would cause inflation and job losses in Mexico and the United States”. “One tariff will follow another and so on, until we put our common businesses at risk,” Sheinbaum said in a letter to Trump, which she read at her daily press conference and planned to send to the president-elect later in the day. “Dialogue is the best path to achieve understanding, peace and prosperity for our two countries ... I hope our teams can meet soon.” Mexico is currently the United States’ top trade partner, representing 15.8 per cent of total trade, followed by Canada at 13.9 per cent. Loading But Trump made it clear during his election campaign that he would readily use tariffs as leverage to tackle the tide of illegal immigrants coming into America. After Trump’s social media post, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the president-elect as he sought to tamp down concerns about the potential impact on his country’s economy. Trevor Tombe, an economist who authored a report on the consequences of US tariffs on Canada’s economy, warned a recession was likely if Trump followed through on the 25 per cent tariff. The country’s premiers have warned a trade war would cause immense damage to their respective economies, while the Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level since May 2020. Trudeau, who has called an emergency meeting with worried provincial premiers for Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), told reporters he had a “good call” with Trump. Then-president Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019. Credit: AP “We obviously talked about laying out the facts, talking about how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth,” he said. “This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on, and that’s what we’ll do.” In an echo of Trump’s politics, Trudeau initiated a U-turn on immigration, restricting flows of new migrants. He said last week Canada’s system had been exploited by “bad actors”. Trump’s vision for tariff hikes on Mexico, Canada and China were laid out in a Truth Social post on Monday night. Loading “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he said. In a follow-up post, he also announced that the US “will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America”. The reason, he said, was China’s failure to curb the number of drugs entering the US. China is a major producer of precursor chemicals that are acquired by Mexican drug cartels and others to manufacture fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that accounts for about 70 per cent of all drug overdoses in the US. “Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before,” Trump said. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article US Votes 2024 US border battle USA Donald Trump Canada Mexico Farrah Tomazin is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in World Loading
Drivers slam Toyota for ‘worst’ vehicle names – but car ‘nobody can spell correctly’ might be disappearing for goodSaudi Arabia on Tuesday approved a budget for 2025 that projected a smaller deficit than last year as officials recalibrate a reform drive meant to transition the economy away from oil. The expected deficit of $26.8 billion, amounting to 2.3 percent of GDP, is down from a 2024 deficit of $30.6 billion, or 2.8 percent of GDP, according to the budget published by the finance ministry. That reflects a drop in expenditures from 1.345 trillion Saudi riyals, or roughly $358 billion, to 1.285 trillion riyals, or roughly $342 billion, the budget said. The world’s biggest oil exporter and the Middle East’s largest economy is just over halfway through a splashy reform drive featuring projects that have been dogged by questions about their viability. They include NEOM, a planned futuristic mega-city in the desert, and resorts along the Red Sea coast meant to draw tourists to the formerly closed-off kingdom. Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan told reporters on Tuesday the government was prioritising sectors including industry, tourism and technology to facilitate structural changes to the economy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, said the new budget would produce “sustainable levels of public debt and significant government reserves, in addition to a flexible spending policy that enables it to confront challenges and fluctuations in the global economy,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported. – Thinking ‘long-term’ – In 2022, Saudi Arabia recorded its first budget surplus in nearly a decade after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a surge in oil prices. But last year’s budget signalled a return to deficits, with Jadaan saying at the time this was the product of a deliberate decision to boost spending. At an investor forum in Riyadh last month, Jadaan acknowledged some “challenges” in implementing Vision 2030 but said broadly the reform agenda was “on track”. The government has been “recalibrating our plans”, he said, trying not to overheat the economy and to give the private sector time to “catch up” with ambitious proposals. There has been mounting scepticism over signature projects like NEOM, which is meant to feature a ski resort and twin skyscrapers 170 kilometres (105 miles) long. Authorities have reportedly scaled back 2030 size and population targets for NEOM, though officials have not confirmed any revisions. Jadaan told journalists on Tuesday to “focus on the bigger picture” rather than individual projects. “NEOM is not a five-years plan. NEOM is a 50-plus years plan. If anyone is thinking that NEOM in its grand size is going to be built and operated and making money in five years, that’s foolish,” he said. “Some projects within NEOM will make returns in the short to medium term, but this is a very long term programme.” – Military – Jadaan also said there would be “a pickup in spending on military this year and next year” to help create a stable environment for reforms to succeed. “If you are as ambitious as we are in terms of our economic plan, you need stability. And for stability, you will need to have deterrent capabilities at your disposal,” he said. “And with all the geopolitical tensions around globally, you need to make sure also you have your own local capabilities.” The new budget estimates that GDP will have grown by 0.8 percent in 2024, “driven by an increase in non-oil activities, which are expected to grow by 3.7 percent”, the finance ministry said. The economy is expected to grow by 4.6 percent in 2025, it added. The budget was released roughly two weeks before the FIFA Congress is set to formally approve sole candidate Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup. Jadaan said the government would be “ready” to build the necessary infrastructure to host the tournament. “When the announcement is made, we will be ready,” he said. “We have taken that into consideration in terms of also making sure that what we have planned in terms of new stadiums and connectivity is ready for 2034.” With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
BridgingApps® and Sentara Health Plans Creating Transition Tool for Children and Youth with Special Health NeedsDexCom Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors
NEW YORK (AP) — A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire , New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting "does not appear to be a random act of violence.” Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone emerging from behind a parked car, pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, then firing multiple times from several feet away. The gunman continues firing, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. He then walks past Thompson and out of the frame. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. Thompson was shot at least once in the back and once in the calf, Tisch said. The shooter, who wore a jacket, face mask and large backpack, fled through Midtown on foot before pedaling an electric bike into Central Park a few blocks away, police said. The assailant remained at large Wednesday afternoon, sparking a search that included police drones, helicopters and dogs. “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.” Police issued a poster showing a surveillance image of the man pointing what appeared to be a gun and another image that appeared to show the same person on a bicycle. Minutes before the shooting, he stopped at a nearby Starbucks, according to additional surveillance photos released by police on Wednesday afternoon. They offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage. Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive. The killing shook a part of New York City that's normally quiet at that hour, happening about four blocks from where tens of thousands of people were set to gather for Wednesday night’s tree lighting. Police promised extra security for the event. The hotel is also a short walk from other tourist sites, including the Museum of Modern Art and Radio City Music Hall, and is often dense with office workers and visitors on weekday mornings. Many security cameras are nearby. “We’re encouraging New Yorkers to go about their daily lives and their daily business but to be alert,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled. They were also searching Thompson's hotel room, interviewing his UnitedHealthcare colleagues and reviewing his social media, Kenny said. Police initially said the shooter rode into Central Park on a bicycle from the city’s bike-share program, CitiBike. But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet. Health care giant UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual meeting with investors to update Wall Street on the company's direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson's death. “I’m afraid that we — some of you may know we’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” a company official told attendees, according to a transcript. “And as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today. ... I’m sure you’ll understand.” Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with the company since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years. UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on the social platform X that the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.” “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” the Democrat wrote. Associated Press writers Tom Murphy in Indianapolis, Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this story.Trump asks US Supreme Court to pause law threatening TikTok ban
Netanyahu says he supports proposed ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will recommend his Cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people. The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal. In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting. Trump's sharp tariff hikes could speed up China's shift to new markets and offshore factories YIWU, China (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to sharply raise tariffs on all Chinese imports and close some loopholes Chinese exporters currently use to sell their products more cheaply in the U.S. If enacted, his plans would likely raise prices in America and squeeze sales and profit margins for Chinese exporters. Smaller Chinese companies like those in Yiwu — an eastern Chinese city that is home to the world’s largest wholesale market — are bracing for the impact. Exporters are maneuvering to cope with the potential tariffs by becoming less reliant on the American market and selling more elsewhere. Some are moving production to Southeast Asia and elsewhere to avoid the duties. Mexico suggests it would impose its own tariffs to retaliate against any Trump tariffs MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican goods if the country doesn’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border. Sheinbaum says she is willing to engage in talks on the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem. She says "one tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” referring to U.S. automakers that have plants on both sides of the border. Trump won about 2.5M more votes than in 2020, some in unexpected places Republican Donald Trump’s support has grown broadly since he last sought the presidency. In his defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump won a bigger percentage of the vote in each one of the 50 states, and Washington, D.C., than he did four years ago. According to an Associated Press analysis, he won more actual votes than in 2020 in 40 states. Even with turnout lower, Trump received 2.5 million more votes than he did in 2020. Trump cut into places where Harris needed to overperform to win a close election, especially in swing-state metropolitan areas that have been Democrats' winning electoral strongholds. Now Democrats are weighing how to regain traction ahead of the midterm elections in two years. Childhood cancer patients in Lebanon must battle disease while under fire BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese families with children diagnosed with cancer are now grappling with the hardships of both illness and war. One family now has to drive three hours to reach the center where their 9-year-old gets treatment. It used to take just 90 minutes. Other families have been displaced by an intensified Israeli bombardment that began in late September. The Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon quickly identified each patient’s location to ensure treatments remained uninterrupted, sometimes facilitating them at hospitals closer to the families’ new locations. Doctors too have struggled during the war. Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs. New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV. That's according to a new rule announced Tuesday by U.S. health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule takes effect Wednesday. It's expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs. The practice is supported by a decade of research, during which 500 transplants of kidneys and livers from HIV-positive donors have been done in the U.S. Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump's promised crackdown on immigration President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency’s supervision. Ukraine says Russian attack sets a new record for the number of drones used KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian air force says Russia launched 188 drones against most regions of Ukraine in a nighttime blitz, describing it as a record number of drones deployed in a single attack. It said Tuesday that most of the drones were intercepted, but apartment buildings and critical infrastructure such as the national power grid were damaged. No casualties were immediately reported in the 17 targeted regions. Russia has been hammering civilian areas of Ukraine with increasingly heavy drone, missile and glide bomb attacks since the middle of the year. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, issued a rare official acknowledgement of its assets being hit on its own soil by U.S.-made longer-range missiles that the U.S. recently authorized Ukraine to use. UK Supreme Court hears landmark legal challenge over how a 'woman' is defined in law LONDON (AP) — The U.K. Supreme Court has begun hearing a legal challenge focusing on the definition of “woman” in a long-running dispute between a women’s right campaign group and the Scottish government. Five judges at Britain’s highest court are considering a case which seeks to clarify whether a trans person with a gender recognition certificate that recognizes them as female can be regarded as a woman under equality law. While the case centers on Scottish law, the women's campaign group bringing the challenge has said its outcome could have U.K.-wide consequences for sex-based rights as well as everyday single-sex services such as toilets and hospital wards.'Moana 2' star Auli'i Cravalho proud to represent her culture as she returns to signature roleKing and PM honour former US president Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100
The false promise of ‘responsible mining’
Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 LaLiga defeat at Athletic Bilbao as Kylian Mbappe missed from the penalty spot again. Alex Berenguer prodded the hosts ahead after 53 minutes before Mbappe – who failed to convert a Champions League penalty against Liverpool last week – sent his kick too close to Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala. Jude Bellingham appeared to have rescued a point for Real after scoring for the fourth successive league game 12 minutes from time. 📸 PORTERAZO. JULEN, JULEN! JULEN JULEN! #AthleticRealMadrid #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/w260s6xo79 — Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) December 4, 2024 But Federico Valverde’s mistake two minutes later gifted Gorka Guruzeta the winner in front of a delirious San Mames crowd. On a busy night of second-round Copa del Rey action, Villarreal suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Pontevedra while there were wins for Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. Fiorentina went out of the Coppa Italia to Empoli on penalties on an emotional night at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Viola were back in action after Edoardo Bove’s health scare forced their weekend league fixture with Inter Milan to be abandoned during the first half. Midfielder Bove collapsed on the pitch and required emergency medical treatment. He was taken to hospital but regained consciousness in intensive care. Esposito's penalty books Empoli's place in the next round 💪 #FiorentinaEmpoli pic.twitter.com/UUxghH9l6b — Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 4, 2024 Empoli led at half-time through Emmanuel Ekong’s fourth-minute opener before Moise Kean and Riccardo Sottil put Fiorentina ahead. Sebastiano Esposito struck 15 minutes from time to make it 2-2 and take the last-16 tie into extra time, Empoli eventually winning 4-3 on penalties. Benjamin Sesko opened the scoring and Luis Openda struck twice as RB Leipzig brushed aside Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the German DFB Pokal. Second-half goals from Denis Vavro, Jonas Wind and Yannick Gerhardt saw Wolfsburg beat Hoffenheim 3-0. Cologne knocked out Hertha Berlin 2-1 after extra time with Dejan Ljubicic converting a penalty in the final seconds, while Augsburg prevailed 5-4 on penalties against Karlsruhe after a 2-2 draw.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather , the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces have been seen in other hospitals, maintaining security but also controlling access to parts of the facilities. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified staff member said in an audio message posted on social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, denied the accusations. “While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital that is under control,” he said Friday night. He said a preliminary investigation found “no connection” between military activity and the fire. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movements of Palestinians in Gaza and has barred foreign journalists from entering the territory throughout the war, making it difficult to verify information. “These actions put the lives of all of these people in even more danger than what they faced before,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told journalists, and noted colleagues' reports of “significant damage” to the hospital. It should be protected as international law requires, she added. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine . The United Nations says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice, seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most now sheltering in sprawling tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. "I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days , doctors there have said, and the Health Ministry said an adult — a nurse who worked at the European Hospital — also died this week. Khaled and Keath reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Narions contributed to this report.To The New York Times, it was a standard journalistic practice done in the name of fairness — asking someone involved in a story for comment. To the mother of the nominee for secretary of defense, it constituted a threat. On Wednesday, Pete Hegseth's mother accused the Times of making ''threats'' by calling about its story on an email she had sent to her son six years earlier that criticized his treatment of women. Penelope Hegseth sought and received an interview on Fox News Channel to support her son, whose confirmation chances are threatened by a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct. At one point, she said she wanted to directly tell President-elect Trump that her son ''is not that man he was seven years ago.'' She also called the Times ''despicable'' and attacked a basic tenet of journalism: giving someone the chance to speak for a story about actions that could be seen in a negative light. The Times' story, published Saturday, quoted from a private email that Penelope Hegseth sent to her son in 2018 while he was in the midst of divorcing his second wife. She criticized his character and treatment of women, suggesting that he get some help. ''I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,'' she wrote to her offspring. ''You are that man (and have been for many years).'' His mother said the message was sent in a moment of anger She told the Times for its story that she had sent the email in a moment of anger and followed it up two hours later with an apology. She disavows its content now. When the Times called her for comment on the story, Hegseth told Fox News that, at first, she did not respond. She said she perceived the calls as a threat — ''they say unless you make a statement we will publish it as is and I think that's a despicable way to treat anyone,'' she said. ''I don't think a lot of people know that's the way they operate,'' she said, speaking about the story. She accused the newspaper of being in it "for the money. And they don't care who they hurt, families, children. I don't believe that's the right way to do things.'' Charles Stadtlander, a spokesman for the Times, said Hegseth's claim ''is flatly untrue,'' and she was in no way threatened. ''The Times did what it always does in reporting out a story, simply reaching out and asking for a comment, which we included,'' he said. Such a call is the opposite of a threat — it's an attempt to be fair, said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor and co-author of ''Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and What the Public Should Expect.'' ''She's basically saying that brake lights are a threat because they alert you that the car ahead of you is about to stop," he said. But many Americans would perceive that call as a threat, or certainly as rude and a violation of privacy, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. ''She didn't write that email to be on the front page of The New York Times,'' he said. What are the ethics of publishing a private email between mother and son? A secondary question is the newsworthiness of publishing the content of the private email, one that Hegseth said she almost immediately regretted sending and doesn't reflect how she perceives her son. Graham suggested that the newspaper wouldn't do the same for the nominee of a Democratic president-elect. ''The New York Times is out to destroy these nominees,'' he said. In its initial story, the Times wrote that it had obtained a copy of the email ''from another person with ties to the Hegseth family.'' ''This was a piece of independently reported journalism published in the name of public awareness of the nominee to lead the largest department in the federal government,'' Stadtlander said. ''We stand behind it completely.'' In many circumstances, an email from a mother to her son would be considered a private matter and out of bounds to a news organization, Rosenstiel said. But in this case, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host chosen by Trump to lead the Pentagon, has built himself into a public figure and is up for a very important job — and one that leads the military, which involves waging war and in which character is considered a fundamental trait. ''It makes this news, honestly,'' Stadtlander said. The Times wrote about Penelope Hegseth's Fox interview on Wednesday, leading with her saying her son ''was not the same man he was in 2018 when she fired off an email accusing him of routinely abusing women and lacking decency and character.'' There was some question about whether Hegseth would appear for an interview at his former network on Wednesday, after CNN's Kaitlan Collins posted on X the night before that ''multiple people'' said that was expected. A Fox News representative said that no such interview had been scheduled, and the nominee was on Capitol Hill meeting with senators. He has faced a flurry of other damaging reports, including stories about a sexual assault allegation reported to police in 2017. No charges were filed then, and Hegseth said the relationship was consensual. The New Yorker magazine wrote about reports of financial mismanagement, sexist behavior and excessive drinking when Hegseth ran a veterans' organization, and NBC News wrote about people at Fox News concerned about his alcohol use. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.Pockets of land around Lake Minnetonka served for thousands of years as the sites of sacred burial for the Dakota people. Now, some of that soil sits in giant piles outside Tonka Bay City Hall as local officials and tribal leaders try to figure out how to most respectfully handle material that was unearthed during a road construction project. “There’s two interests here: One is to build a roadway that is going to last, and (to) treat these burial remains with the respect they deserve,” said John Bradford with the consulting firm WSB, who serves as the city’s engineer. “And, we want to do both.” Striking that balance can prove difficult, in part because tribes weren’t always consulted when the roads, sewers and water systems were installed decades ago amid booming suburban growth. The infrastructure has aged since then and, as it comes due for replacement, cities are reckoning with the decisions made before modern laws protected Indigenous graves. “We’re all in difficult positions trying to be respectful and trying to do things in a good way after so much destruction and desecration,” said Samantha Odegard, a tribal historic preservation officer for the Upper Sioux Community, which is working with Tonka Bay officials. “But, obviously, it’s harder on us because it’s our sites, our relatives that were most directly affected.” Much of what is now the Twin Cities metro area served as homeland for the Dakota people for thousands of years, Odegard said. But many Indigenous people were forced out after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. When people flocked to the suburbs a century later, many cities installed new roadways, water and sewer lines to support the growing communities. Current laws requiring officials to consult with tribes and return remains and sacred objects weren’t yet in place. Some sites were disturbed. “We’re trying to protect what’s there, but doing it in that context, that is very difficult,” Odegard said. “It’s harder to pinpoint exactly what areas needed to be avoided or have certain guidelines followed.” The locations of some cemeteries are hard to trace and, when they are known, their locations are closely guarded to prevent looting and desecration. So city officials across the state increasingly find themselves working with consultants and archaeologists as they prepare for major construction projects, with mixed success. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa spent nearly five years on recovery efforts after state crews disturbed burial grounds in Duluth during bridge construction. Restoration crews worked for three years in Minnetonka after a county road project inadvertently destroyed some mounds . Chanhassen officials recently brought in consultants to do an archaeological review of Lake Ann Park Preserve before doing additional work there. Tonka Bay Mayor Adam Jennings said his city is working on a roughly $8 million project aimed at replacing nearly 20% of the city’s roads, water and sewer lines, including along County Road 19. Many of those systems, he said, were installed in the 1960s and 1970s. “We were experiencing a significant number of water breaks and we just needed a new one,” he said. “It reached the end of its useful life.” City officials began consulting with tribes a couple years ago, including on plans for what they would do if they encountered sacred soils. Odegard and Cheyanne St. John, a tribal historic preservation officer for the Lower Sioux Indian Community, said there were concerns about whether crews followed the proper guidelines. City officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the tribal members’ concerns. In an earlier interview, Bradford, the city engineer, said crews initially planned to take out about two feet of soil and bring in sand to help stabilize the roadway. “I was under the impression, correctly or not, that we would just haul the soils off-site, and everybody was OK with that,” he said. But when they brought in a new cultural resources consultant partway through the project, he said that person recommended contacting the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Bradford said they heard through that process that some tribes wanted to keep the soil in a cemetery. For now, the soil sits in towering heaps outside City Hall, surrounded by barriers meant to guard it from erosion and people trying to carry it off. The piles drew questions from curious residents in a public meeting earlier this fall. Some wanted to know why the piles were outside City Hall and how long they might be there. Others wanted to know how it might affect the budget. Officials have said it’s cheaper to store the soil there than to delay construction. They’re not sure on the timeline for moving it. “It’s like anything else when you’re in politics. You get all kinds of questions from all kinds of residents, and you do your best to answer,” Jennings said. “A vast majority of the time, people get it.” In the meantime, city officials and tribal leaders are trying to finalize a plan for moving the soil and trying to explain to people both its significance and why tampering with it would be a crime. “I know that there is a lot of, sometimes, contention around the inconvenience of how project work is done,” St. John said. “But I think, oftentimes, the public is just not aware of how sensitive these locations are to our people. And we’re not an extinct culture. Those are our relatives that called those places home.” ©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC