Pope appeals for Mid-East peace

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Pope Benedict celebrated Midnight Mass

Pope Benedict XVI has used his traditional Christmas Midnight Mass to call for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East.

Addressing a huge congregation at the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica, he appealed for a new understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

Thousands of pilgrims celebrated the start of Christmas in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, amid tight security.

The Pope will deliver his Christmas Day message from St Peter's later.

Hours after the Pope spoke, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni met to to discuss growing violence between Israel and militants in Gaza.

Top of the agenda was the end of the six-month ceasefire in Gaza, which the Egyptians have brokered.

'Think of the children'

Appealing for new efforts to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East, Pope Benedict urged people to pray that "hearts will be opened, so borders will be opened".

The 81-year-old pontiff plans to visit Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories next May, although final details of his trip have yet to be worked out.

Also in his homily, Pope Benedict appealed for an end to child abuse.

"Let us think of those street children who do not have the blessing of a family home, of those children who are brutally exploited as soldiers and made instruments of violence, instead of messengers of reconciliation and peace," he said.

"Let us think of those children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse, and thus are traumatised to the depths of their soul.

The Pope blessed a number of children in his congregation

As Midnight Mass began, Pope Benedict, dressed in white and gold-coloured vestments, walked up the main aisle of the flood-lit St Peter's Basilica, smiling and stopping several times to shake outstretched hands and bless children.

For those unable to enter, giant screens were set up in St Peter's Square.

Most of the world's 2.1 billion Christians mark Christmas this week.

Others, chiefly from among the 200 million Orthodox Christians who use the Julian Calendar for their feast days, celebrate the Nativity on 7 January.

Across the world, believers have been attending Christmas church services and, in some countries, families gathered for a traditional festive dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve.

'Explosion of love'

There was a heavy security presence in the West Bank town of Bethlehem as thousands of Christian pilgrims celebrated the start of Christmas.

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Among those who attended the service in Bethlehem, which Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus, were about 200 worshippers from the Gaza Strip whom Israel granted special permission to make the journey.

Extra Palestinian security personnel were deployed to Bethlehem from the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Jericho to safeguard visitors.

Correspondents in the town met elated pilgrims, gathering around nightfall outside the Church of the Nativity, considered the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

A dozen believers from India, Canada, Britain, the US and other countries sung impromptu renditions of Christmas carols, the Associated Press reported.

US citizen David Bogenrief, 57, played the trumpet, telling a gaggle of local children who were listening: "Jesus was the prince of peace, and he can bring that peace to you. We pray for you."

Midnight Mass in Bethlehem

In Manger Square, vendors sold roasted peanuts and Santa Claus hats to the crowds, among whom were some local Muslims out enjoying the annual international fuss over their town.

Correspondents say a relative lull in violence in the Middle East seems to have encouraged pilgrims to return to the "Holy Land".

"Bethlehem is like the soul of the universe, and it's like an explosion of love here," said Italian fashion photographer Stefano Croce, 46.

In his traditional Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" speech - Latin for "to the city and to the world" - from the balcony of St Peter's, Pope Benedict is expected to touch on current events and issues of concern to the Vatican.

He will then issue Christmas greetings to the faithful in more than 60 languages.

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Russia may cut off Ukraine's gas

Much of the EU's gas from Russia arrives via Ukraine

Russian gas giant Gazprom has renewed its threat to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on 1 January, saying a contract dispute has reached a "critical" stage.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Ukraine faced Russian "sanctions and demands" if it did not pay off its gas debt "to the last rouble".

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov stressed that the dispute would not disrupt gas deliveries to Europe.

Ukraine owes $1.67bn (£1.1bn) for gas and $450m in fines, Gazprom says.

Gazprom denied that any agreement had been reached with Kiev on postponing the repayment, contradicting an announcement by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko

On Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that the era of cheap gas was coming to an end.

Earlier, Gazprom said it had warned European customers about possible disruption linked to the Ukraine dispute.

The EU gets 42% of its gas imports from Russia, mostly via pipelines across Ukraine. A similar row in 2006 led to gas shortages in several EU countries.

'Pay up'

"If a contract for 2009 is not signed [with Ukraine] then we are not going to deliver gas without a contract," Mr Kupriyanov told reporters in Kiev.

"When there is no contract we cannot realise deliveries. The situation is not simple. It is even critical."

But Gazprom, he added, would "deliver the full volume of gas destined for transit and... fulfil all [its] obligations towards European consumers".

Speaking to Russian TV channels in Moscow, President Medvedev said the non-payment situation could not be allowed to continue.

"They should pay the money to the last rouble if they don't want their economy eventually running up against sanctions and demands from the Russian Federation," he said.

"It is impossible to go on like this. Let them pay the money."

Economic woes

Ukraine's President Yushchenko said earlier on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with Gazprom to reschedule repayment.

"A portion of the debt will be restructured" over several months, he said, adding that Kiev might return some gas held in storage to Gazprom as reimbursement.

"The question has not been solved as was announced in Kiev," Gazprom's Sergei Kupriyanov said in response, in televised comments.

Analysts say Kiev will struggle to find the money to pay for the gas.

Shaken by the global financial crisis, Ukraine is relying on a $16.4bn emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund to see it through a halving of exports and a sharp devaluation of the national currency.

On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin told a meeting of major gas-exporting countries in Moscow that because of extraction costs, "the era... of cheap gas... [was] coming to an end".

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) meeting in Moscow agreed a charter and plans for a permanent base.

Some observers say the GECF may develop into an Opec-style producers' cartel.

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What Christmas truce? Carol service for our troops on the Afghan frontline ends with a blast of reality from the Taliban

By David Williams

It was dusk in Helmand. And as the sun set over the baked earth, commandos wearing Santa hats gathered round the war memorial and began a simple chorus of carols.

Then the Taliban attacked.

There was no time for the troops to think or even to take off their festive hats.

Any hopes of a Christmas truce, when hostilities cease and foes become friends for a few precious hours, were dashed in an instant.

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British troops in Helmand Province get into the Christmas spirit with some carols last year - but the peace was quickly shattered by a Taliban attack

It is a tradition that stretches back to the trenches of the First World War, when British and German soldiers shared drinks, sang carols, exchanged gifts and even enjoyed an impromptu game of football in no-man's-land.

But things are different in Afghanistan. At the first sound of enemy fire the Royal Marines of 40 Commando threw down their hymn sheets and sprinted to the mortar lines 200 yards away. Within a minute, they were returning fire.

For three-quarters of an hour, they battled with the insurgents, ear defenders over their festive headgear - the only reminder of the peace the evening had promised.

The soldiers had no time to change their festive headgear - be it Santa or Christmas tree hat - and began firing at enemy positions

Then, as the skirmish ended and darkness fell, the servicemen and women returned to the memorial at Forward Operating Base Inkerman, and resumed the carol service, thankful there had been no British casualties.

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• Afghan parents being forced to sell their sons to care for family

The attack, on Christmas Day last year, illustrates the relentless call of duty faced by our troops on the front line. In Afghanistan, 8,000 will celebrate the season this way. A further 4,100 will spend the military's final Christmas Day in Iraq.

Recalling the skirmish, Captain Euan Goodman, of The Rifles regiment, who took the photographs, said: 'We were with the Royal Marines at their camp, which is surrounded by mountains and desert. We were experiencing Afghanistan's coldest winter for 20 years but the lads were in really high spirits.

A commando celebrates last year's Christmas at the Inkerman base

'They were in the middle of a traditional carol service, complete with Santa hats and song sheets, when they came under attack from the Taliban, who had targeted one of the checkpoints.

'There was the sound of machine gun fire and an explosion. They dropped their hymn sheets and literally ran 200 metres to the mortar lines.

'A few Santa hats were thrown on the ground, but for others there was no time to remove them. They were still wearing their hats when they fired their mortar rounds.

'It went on for about 45 minutes and by then it was pretty much dark. But they went back to the war memorial and continued their service. I think that later they had their Christmas meal.

'It's supposed to be a special time of year no matter where you are. But at the end of the day it's the nature of the job that we have to keep working. The show must go on.'

Earlier in the day, Captain Goodman, 28, had helped deliver a goat for Gurkhas to curry for their own Christmas meal.

Regardless of the difficult conditions, soldiers try to retain a touch of festive spirit, he explained.

Traditionally, officers wake their men with 'gunfire', a mug of tea containing a shot of rum or whisky - and then serve them their meal.

Captain Goodman, who joined the Army in 2001, added: 'We try to ensure everyone either gets a slap-up breakfast or a traditional Christmas lunch.

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The Royal Marines put the festivities on hold at their base in Inkerman as they dash to return fire - still wearing their Christmas hats

'All the food is prepared at the main base at Camp Bastion and then flown out by helicopters to each camp to heat up in the oven. We also get inundated with presents from the general public, which are a huge morale boost.

'Thousands of parcels are donated every year and split evenly among the units who then share them out. You get everything from toothpaste to woolly scarfs.

'It's much like the traditional present opening you get on Christmas morning - except servicemen tend to have the wrapping off as soon as they get the parcel, whether it's two weeks before Christmas or sometimes long after it's finished.'

This year there will also be additional free telephone time made available to call loved ones.

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The skirmish lasted 45 minutes before troops could resume the carol service - with no British casualties

On Christmas Day, soldiers at Bastion will tuck into the 700lb of replacement turkey, flown in by the RAF after insurgents attacked a convoy carrying the original consignment - topped off with 200 jars of cranberry sauce - along with 300lb of roast pork, 1,000lb of gammon and 150lb of beef. The team of chefs will also prepare 350lb of sprouts, 700lb of roast potatoes and 270lb of carrots.

To complete the feast there will be 222 Christmas puddings, 37 Christmas cakes and a ration of one mince pie and one After Eight mint for each serviceman and woman.

In addition, there will be 3,000 crackers - complete with bad jokes - 2,880 party poppers, 3,600 assorted balloons, 2,880 party hats, and 3,000 streamers.

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