casino poker game

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza . The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and giant tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists that usually fill the square. Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets, a departure from their usual raucous brass marching band. Some carried a sign that read, “We want life, not death.” Security forces, meanwhile, arranged barriers near the Church of the Nativity, built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. "Always the message of Bethlehem is a message of peace and hope," said Mayor Anton Salman. “And these days, we are also sending our message to the world: peace and hope, but insisting that the world must work to end our suffering as Palestinian people.” The cancellation of Christmas festivities is a severe blow to the town's economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all of it from the Christmas season. Salman said unemployment is hovering around 50% — higher than the 30% unemployment across the rest of the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Finance Ministry. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, noted the shuttered shops and empty streets and expressed hope that next year would be better. Pizzaballa held a special pre-Christmas Mass in Holy Family Church in Gaza City on Sunday. “This has to be the last Christmas that is so sad,” he told hundreds of people gathered in Manger Square, where normally tens of thousands would congregate. “I bring you the greetings, the prayers, of our brothers and sisters in Gaza.” The number of visitors to the town plunged from a pre-COVID high of around 2 million per year in 2019 to fewer than 100,000 in 2024, said Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Tourism Ministry. Bethlehem is an important center in the history of Christianity, but Christians make up only a small percentage of the roughly 14 million people spread across the Holy Land. There are about 182,000 in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department. After nightfall, the golden walls of the Church of the Nativity were illuminated as a few dozen people quietly milled about. A young boy stood holding a pile of balloons for sale, but gave up because there were no customers to buy them. The war in Gaza has deterred tourists and has prompted a surge of violence in the West Bank , with more than 800 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire and dozens of Israelis killed in militant attacks. Palestinian officials do not provide a breakdown of how many of the deceased are civilians and how many are fighters. Since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war , access to and from Bethlehem and other towns in the West Bank has been difficult, with long lines of motorists waiting to pass through Israeli military checkpoints. The restrictions have prevented some 150,000 Palestinians from leaving the territory to work in Israel, causing the economy there to contract by 25%. In the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 250 Israeli hostages. Israeli officials believe that around 100 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip. Elsewhere, Christmas celebrations were also subdued. Scores of Syrian Christians protested Tuesday in Damascus, demanding protection after the burning of a Christmas tree in Hama the day before. Videos and images shared on social media showed the large, decorated tree burning at a roundabout in Suqalabiyah, a town in the Hama countryside. It remains unclear who was responsible for setting the tree on fire. In a video that circulated on social media, a representative of Syria’s new leadership, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, could be seen visiting the site and addressing the community. He said: “This act was committed by people who are not Syrian, and they will be punished beyond your expectations.” German celebrations were darkened by a car attack on a Christmas market on Friday that left five people dead and 200 people injured. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rewrote his annual recorded Christmas Day speech to address the attack. He plans to acknowledge that “there is grief, pain, horror and incomprehension over what took place in Magdeburg,” while urging Germans to “stand together,” according to an early copy of the speech. A snowstorm in the Balkans stranded drivers and downed power lines, but some saw the beauty in it. “I’m actually glad its falling, especially because of Christmas,” said Mirsad Jasarevic in Zenica, Bosnia. “We did not have snow for Christmas for 17 years here, and now is the time for wonderful white Christmas.” American Airlines briefly grounded flights across the U.S. on Tuesday due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive. Winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 1,447 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed Tuesday, with 28 flights canceled. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.casino poker game 。

You can get paid $2,500 to shop at Costco for a week

How Patriots tackles explain disastrous performance vs. Dolphins

The 29-year-old shuttler from Hyderabad married Datta, an executive director at Posidex Technologies, on Sunday in a traditional ceremony attended by close family and friends. Both Sindhu and Datta opted for Manish Malhotra ensemble for their wedding day. Sindhu wore signature handcrafted tissue saree from the designer’s EVARA collection, replete with intricate badla and zardozi detailing, an old-world headveil. She wore stunning multi-tiered heirloom necklace, featuring Zambian emeralds and uncut diamonds from Manish Malhotra jewelery. Venkata Datta Sai donned brocade sherwani and dhoti, complemented by a stole and shaffa. Datta’s look was completed by Imperial Heirloom emerald and diamond necklace and signature jewelled buttons from Manish Malhotra jewellery. The wedding photos were also shared by the wedding photographer Stories by Joseph Radhik. The caption read, "Never have I ever shot a wedding, and felt like I wasn't working at all throughout the days. 🤣 Here's to you, Datta and Sindhu, and here's a fist bump for making this come to life after months of phone calls, and last minute decisions. At least now you won't miss my unnecessary bad jokes. 😂" The celebrations commenced with a lively Sangeet ceremony on December 20, featuring music and dance as the two families came together. This was followed by traditional rituals such as Haldi, Pellikuthuru, Mehendi, and other customs on December 21. For Haldi, Sindhu opted for a white ensemble by Asal by Abu Sandeep.- Featuring ivory and beige details accentuated with a feast of mirrors, the outfit epitomises the effortless elegance of the modern bride. For her sangeet ceremony, Sindhu wore a self embroidered green gown with a complementing cape. The green is adorned with an abundance of bugle beads and crystals. Sindhu's wedding news came close on the heels of her victory at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow earlier this month, ending a long title drought. (All images: Instagram/@pvsindhu1, @josephradhik, @manishmalhotraworld)

MARKET REPORT: Budget battering goes on for Britain's builders amid fears of higher interest rates By HUGO DUNCAN Updated: 17:00 EST, 2 December 2024 e-mail 2 View comments House prices may be rising, but investors continue to dump shares in the biggest builders. Upbeat figures from Nationwide show prices last month were 3.7 per cent higher than a year earlier – the largest increase since November 2022. A typical home now costs just over £268,000, according to the mortgage lender, which noted that activity in the market has been ‘relatively resilient in recent months despite the higher interest rate environment’. But it has done little for share prices with investors worried about what those higher interest rates mean for demand for new homes. While the Labour Government has pledged to boost development across the country, few believe it will achieve the 1.5m new home target for this parliament. And shares in the sector have tanked since the Budget, which has pushed up borrowing costs as markets digested Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s tax and borrowing-fuelled spending spree. Property market: Upbeat figures from Nationwide show house prices last month were 3.7% higher than a year earlier – the largest increase since November 2022 Analysts at RBC believe the shares have been ‘oversold’ and say the underlying picture is not as bleak as all that. But while they upgraded Barratt Redrow and Crest Nicholson, they cut their ratings on Persimmon, Vistry and MJ Gleeson. Persimmon shares fell 1.3 per cent, or 16.5p, to 1241.5p, taking losses since the Budget to 22 per cent. Vistry – whose own problems have been highlighted by two recent profit warnings – dropped another 3.9 per cent, or 25.5p, to 630.5p. It is down more than 50 per cent since mid-September. Taylor Wimpey (down 1.4 per cent, or 1.85p, to 129.15p) was caught up on the sell-off and has fallen 18 per cent since the Budget. Gleeson lost 1 per cent, or 5p, to 501p while Barratt inched up 0.3 per cent, or 1.3p, to 429p and Crest advanced 3.8 per cent, or 6.3p, to 171.6p. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Gold miner Metals Exploration closes in on £90m deal to buy... Cinemas boom as ticket sales soar: Brits shrug off the... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account With political uncertainty in France in the headlines, it was a jittery start to the week, with the FTSE 100 adding just 0.3 per cent, or 25.59 points, to 8312.89 and the FTSE 250 edging down 0.01 per cent, or 2.52 points, to 20769.05. Direct Line remains in focus after it last week turned down a £3.3billion bid from insurance giant Aviva. Over the weekend, Direct Line founder Sir Peter Wood told The Mail on Sunday that Aviva boss Amanda Blanc would have to rise the bid by ‘several hundred million pounds’ to succeed. He bemoaned what has happened to the company since he left saying ‘it’s sad it’s been run so badly’, and added that chief executive Adam Winslow needs more time. ‘He is trying to do a good job but it’s a three- or four-year job,’ said Wood. Winslow was also making representations, telling The Sunday Times the group ‘is making excellent progress in the early stages of a significant turnaround’. Having jumped 48 per cent in two days after the bid became public last week, Direct Line shares fell 1.2 per cent, or 2.8p, to 232p yesterday and Aviva slid 0.1 per cent, or 0.5p, to 483.2p. Shares in British telecoms firm Spirent Communications rose 3.8 per cent, or 6.5p, to 177.8p as its proposed takeover by US firm Keysight moved a step closer with regulatory approval in the UK, France and Germany. Stock Watch - Mothercare Baby products brand Mothercare slipped to a half-year loss after another significant slump in sales. The retailer said it was knocked by tough trading in the Middle East and efforts by franchise partners to work through old inventory. Turnover dropped by 27.5 per cent to £21million in the 26 weeks to September 28. It reported a £1.8million pre-tax loss for the half-year, swinging from a £1.7million pre-tax profit a year earlier. Shares slid 4.1 per cent, or 0.17p, to 3.98p. DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS AJ Bell AJ Bell Easy investing and ready-made portfolios Learn More Learn More Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown Free fund dealing and investment ideas Learn More Learn More interactive investor interactive investor Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month Learn More Learn More Saxo Saxo Get £200 back in trading fees Learn More Learn More Trading 212 Trading 212 Free dealing and no account fee Learn More Learn More Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Compare the best investing account for you Share or comment on this article: MARKET REPORT: Budget battering goes on for Britain's builders amid fears of higher interest rates e-mail Add comment Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. More top storiesSan Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and top backup Jordan Mason are being placed on injured reserve. McCaffrey left the snowy field in Buffalo on Sunday night after a 5-yard gain that was preceded by him heading to the sideline in apparent pain at the end of an 18-yard run. McCaffrey was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and did not play in the second half. The 49ers also lost Jordan Mason, who emerged in a starting role with McCaffrey out the first two months of the season, to an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Mason has a high-ankle sprain, which typically requires a recovery window of 4-6 weeks. Those moves push rookie Isaac Guerendo into the RB1 spot. He scored the team's only touchdown at Buffalo. The IR slots in San Francisco are manned by multiple starters, including wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Mason had a team-leading 789 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Being placed on IR means he's not eligible to play until the regular-season finale at Arizona. McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries on Sunday night and caught two passes for 14 yards before exiting. He was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. McCaffrey hasn't scored a touchdown in his four appearances this season. He has rushed for 202 yards on 50 carries and caught 15 passes for 146 yards. "It was frustrating," Shanahan said after the game. "He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. ... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him." The 49ers (5-7) played without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) in the 35-10 loss. San Francisco has lost three in a row heading into next Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco resides two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (7-5) with five games remaining on the schedule. Seattle and San Francisco split their season series. --Field Level Media

Jewels of India born on December 25