INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The biblical town of Bethlehem marked a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors descending upon the traditional birthplace
of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic.Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the
past two years, the pandemic kept international visitors away.This year, visitors are back, hotels are full and shopkeepers have reported a
brisk business in the runup to the holiday
Square for Christmas Eve celebrations
Marching bands pounding on drums and playing bagpipes paraded through the area, and foreign tourists meandered about and snapped selfies
though many people headed indoors to shops and restaurants to warm up
By nightfall, the crowds had thinned.Daisy Lucas, a 38-year-old Filipina who works in Israel, said it was a dream come true to mark the
Christians believe Jesus was born
Later, he was to celebrate Midnight Mass.Hundreds of millions of Christians were ushering in the holiday, wrapping up a tumultuous year
Sophia Square were missing due to restrictions and power cuts
Instead, a modest tree decorated with blue and yellow lights barely broke the gloom of the square
blinding blizzards, freezing rain and bone-chilling temperatures that caused many holiday events to be canceled and created mayhem for
travelers.But off the central coast of Florida, where temperatures dropped as low as 27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2.7 Celsius), more than a
hundred surfers dressed in Santa costumes braved the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the morning for an annual Christmas Eve Surfing
Santas festival.NORAD, the U.S
David Nahom, a NORAD official based in Anchorage, Alaska.In Mexico, tens of thousands of migrants who fled violence and poverty in their
home countries are almost certain to spend Christmas in crowded shelters or on the streets of towns along the U.S
border, where organized crime routinely targets them.Present-day reality was visible at Manger Square as banners showing photos of
Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid were prominently displayed
The veteran prisoner died of cancer last week in an Israeli prison clinic after spending some 20 years behind bars for his conviction in the
deaths of seven Israelis.Source - The Associated Press-Agencies
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
