At least six Coptic Christians and a security official have been killed in a drive-by shooting outside a church in southern Egypt, the BBC reports.
The shooting came as worshippers left the church in Naj Hammadi after a midnight mass on Coptic Christmas Eve.
A car pulled up and gunfire was sprayed into the crowd.
Officials say they suspect the attack is in revenge for the rape of a 12-year-old Muslim girl by a Christian man in the …

Legend says that on 25th December, 2009 years ago, a bearded and long-haired carpenter was born in a barn in Bethlehem, Israel. Some say that later in life, he walked on water, and that he turned water into wine. All we know is…

Despite what we know or don’t, I want to wish a merry Christmas to everyone who’s celebrating it. May this holiday be nice, peaceful and joyous and may all your wishes come true.

Merry Christmas, ladies and gentlemen!

Millions of people are set to make a last-minute dash to the shops for the traditional spectacle of Christmas Eve panic-buying, ITN reports.
Researchers say that 13.3 million people will descend on the high street as the countdown to Christmas draws to a close.
The findings indicate that almost a-fifth of adults intend to do some of their Christmas shopping today, spending around £1.37 billion. This is equivalent to £57 million an hour or almost £1 million …

The Queen used her Christmas broadcast to praise the bravery and commitment of the British Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph reports.
In a year in which the death toll has risen by 106 the Queen’s heartfelt comments will have particular resonance.
In the broadcast, which was recorded in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace…

Thousands of Christmas shopping deliveries were delayed or cancelled last night as supermarkets struggled to fulfil online orders, The Times reports.
As heavy snow hampered transport, delivery drivers worked overtime and supermarkets tried to hire extra vans, but many shoppers in the worst-affected regions face going without Christmas provisions, or having to venture on to hazardous roads.
Many supermarkets brought forward their delivery slots to allow a greater margin of error and minimise workers driving in the …

Britain is braced for more snow and freezing conditions today but a white Christmas now looks unlikely as milder weather is on the way, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The cold snap will continue for the next few days with an inch of snow forecast today across southern and eastern areas as temperatures struggle to get above freezing. The mercury will plunge to -6°C overnight in the north east and around -1°C in London and remain very …

British Airways today started legal proceedings against the Unite union over a 12-day Christmas strike by cabin crew, as the airline prepares to block a crippling walkout in the courts, the Guardian reports.
BA are seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead between 22nd December and 2nd January due to alleged irregularities in the ballot. “We are absolutely determined to do whatever we can to protect our customers from this appalling, unjustified decision from …

This year’s Christmas cards from the Conservative Party do not bear the word “Christmas” on them, instead they have the message “Season’s Greetings”.
The Christmas cards, which are available on the party’s website, avoid all religious imagery – preferring generic winter scenes and pictures of robins to pictures of Jesus and the Three Kings, and the word “Christmas” does not appear on them at all, the Daily Mail reports.
Yesterday, Tory back-benchers were furious with …

Catholic bishops warn that an “Equality Bill” proposed by Labour deputy leader and “equalities” minister Harriet Harman could result in bans on Christmas celebration, the Daily Mail reports.
The Bill is thought to be so complex that the bishops fear some organisations, including town halls, could halt festivities entirely. Campaign groups could also take legal action in attempts to have the Bill enforced to fit their own agendas, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales …

Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave the ultimate hostage to fortune this morning by stating categorically that the British economy would be growing again by the turn of the year, The Times reports.
With economists and Downing Street staggered by Friday’s figures showing that the country is still in in the grip of a recession, Brown tried to go back on the offensive by telling people they would not have long to wait for a recovery. He was …

The US Forest Service has banned the name of Jesus from decorations being assembled by children in Arizona for a blue spruce from the state that will become the Capitol Christmas Tree this year, and a legal firm is challenging the censorship, WorldNetDaily reports.
“Banning Christmas from the Capitol Christmas tree is just absurd. Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their religious beliefs,” said Jonathan Scruggs, litigation staff counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.
“The …