Page 2 - Christmas

No beef in Goa on Christmas? Vendors protest clashes with cow vigilantes

Violent clashes between beef traders and members of a cow protection group last week have severely impacted business during the high-demand festive season leading up to Christmas

Dehradun admin orders to maintain law and order due to tourist influx

The order will be effective from the date of issuance till 20 January 2025, as per an official release

Stock market holiday: Are BSE, NSE closed on Dec 25 for Christmas 2024?

Stock market holidays: Along with the Indian stock markets, the UK, US, Europe and most other global markets will be shut

Christmas 2024: Best Christmas movies to watch this holiday season

Christmas is a holiday filled with cheer and joyful decorations. So, here are the list of best movies to watch with your friends and family and spend some quality time together

Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza

The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the war in Gaza, there are almost no tourists, leaving the Nativity Store and other businesses unsure of how much longer they can hold on. For the second straight year, Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza. There will be no giant Christmas tree in Manger Square, no raucous scout marching bands, no public lights twinkling and very few public decorations or displays. Last year before Christmas, we had more hope, but now again we are close to Christmas and we don't have anything, said Rony Tabash, the third-generation owner of Nativity Store. Israel's war against Hamas has been raging for nearly 15 months, and there still is no end in sight. Repeated ceasefire efforts have stalled. Since the wa

Germany says Saudi warned about Magdeburg Christmas market attack suspect

German authorities said they received tipoffs last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg as more details emerged on Sunday about the five people killed. Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency. Police haven't publicly named the suspect, in line with privacy rules, but some German news outlets have identified him as Taleb A. and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Authorities say he does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. He described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. He is being held in custody as authorities investigate him. The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Mnch, said in an interview on the German broadcaster ZDF on Saturday that his off

Stampedes at Christmas charity events in Nigeria leave at least 32 dead

The death toll from stampedes during two Christmas charity events in Nigeria has increased from 13 to 32, police said Sunday. The victims, including at least four children, collapsed during crowd surges as people grew desperate for food items while the country grapples with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The dead included 22 people in southeastern Anambra state's Okija town, where a philanthropist on Saturday organised a food distribution, local police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said. Ten others died in the capital, Abuja, during a church-organised similar charity event. Police said they were investigating the two incidents, only days after another stampede in which several children were killed. Africa's most populous country is seeing a growing trend by local organisations, churches and individuals to organise charity events ahead of Christmas to ease economic hardship caused by a cost-of-living crisis. Witnesses of the Abuja stampede told The Associated Press the

Fresh Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 22 as Vatican envoy visits region

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 20 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said. Israeli authorities meanwhile allowed Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, to enter Gaza and celebrate a pre-Christmas Mass with members of the territory's small Christian community. A strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City killed at least eight people, including three children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run government, had earlier said four children were among those killed. The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike on Hamas militants sheltering there. A strike on a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah late Saturday killed at least eight people, including three women and two children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. A man and his wife were .

Who is the Saudi-born suspect behind Germany Christmas market attack?

A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, who has been living in Germany since 2006, is the prime suspect in the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, which killed five people

Death toll in Germany Christmas market attack rises to 5, over 200 injured

Germans on Saturday mourned both the victims and their shaken sense of security after a Saudi doctor intentionally drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people, including a small child, and injuring at least 200 others. Authorities arrested a 50-year-old man at the site of the attack in Magdeburg on Friday evening and took him into custody for questioning. He has lived in Germany for nearly two decades, practising medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg. officials said. The governor of the surrounding state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, told reporters that the death toll rose from two to five and that more than 200 people in total were injured. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that nearly 40 of them "are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them. Several German media outlets identified the suspect as Taleb A., withholding his last name in line with privacy laws, and reported that he was

Pope Francis reprimands staff for gossiping in annual Christmas message

Pope Francis told Vatican bureaucrats on Saturday to stop speaking ill of one another, as he once again used his annual Christmas greetings to admonish the backstabbing and gossiping among his closest collaborators. A wheezing and congested sounding Francis, who just turned 88, urged the prelates instead to speak well of one another and undertake a humble examination of their own consciences in the Christmas holiday season. A church community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk in the life of humility, renouncing evil thinking and speaking ill of others, Francis said. Gossip is an evil that destroys social life, sickens people's hearts and leads to nothing. The people say it very well: Gossip is zero. Beware of this, he added. By now Francis' annual address to the priests, bishops and cardinals who work in the Vatican Curia has become a lesson in humility - and humiliation -- as Francis offers a public dressing down of some of the sins in the .

World leaders condemn Magdeburg Christmas market car attack in Germany

At least two people were killed and dozens injured in the attack at a Christmas market

Suspected attack at Germany's Magdeburg market kills 2, injures 68

The attack occurred when a car deliberately rammed into a crowd of people at the market, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries

US Congress approves funding bill hours before govt shutdown deadline

Hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan late Friday from Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. Johnson insisted Congress would "meet our obligations" and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal -- if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures "start now". The bill was approved 366-34, and now goes to the Senate, for expected quick passage. "We are excited about this outcome," Johnson said afterward, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect "was certainly happy about this outcome, as well". It was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the .

Christmas special: 7 Best Secret Santa gifts to give to your colleagues

Playing Secret Santa is a fantastic way to bring happiness to the office. The important thing is to keep the gifts lively and fun regardless of whether you go for a useful or something unusual gift

Christmas 2024: Why the festival started to be celebrated on December 25

Christmas, one of the most widely celebrated festivals, falls on Dec 25 to honour Jesus Christ's birth. So, let's know the origin of Christmas date that are surrounded by intriguing theories and custo

7 places to visit in India with your family this Christmas season 2024

Christmas is all about coloured lights, cakes and celebrating the festival together with your family. So, get ready to visit these breathtaking Indian cities to enjoy this festival season

VW, unions resume last-ditch round of talks for the year on cost cuts

Talks ended after around 13 hours of negotiation in the early hours on Tuesday without a deal but would resume mid-morning, a spokesperson for IG Metall union said

'Tis the season: How to get luxuriously creative with your Christmas decor

The essence of Christmas decor lies in creating a warm, joyful, and inviting atmosphere that reflects the spirit of the season. Know how to deck up your home and hearth this festive season

Top 5 perfect destinations to celebrate Christmas 2024 in India; check list

From Goa's beaches to Shimla's snowy streets, there are several places in India offering their unique aura of celebrating Christmas 2024. Here are the top 5 destinations to celebrate the festival