Australians are rejoicing, reflecting and remembering on Christmas Day as the holiday kickstarts summer celebrations for some and bookends a difficult year for others. or signup to continue reading Almost the entire country is set to bask in a sunny day, with warm northerly winds lifting temperatures above 30C in several capitals. Few blemishes are expected elsewhere with showers in Western Australia's southwest and storms in the Top End. Millions of Australians will mark the day with present giving and lunches with family and friends. But it won't be all festive cheer, particularly for those remembering those missing around the table. That includes the 70 Palestinian Christian families marking Christmas in Australia, including a 28-year-old refugee whose wife and two daughters were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a church in 2023. He's among those granted refugee status in Australia after Israel invaded Gaza as retaliation to the October 7 Hamas attack. "There's so much trauma, the families are suffering the trauma from the war because it is ongoing and a lot of their families are still in Gaza," Palestinian Christians Association President Suzan Wahhab told AAP. "I would say it's bittersweet." Still, Ms Wahhab said the group is working hard to ensure the day can still bring joy, by throwing gift drives and church services across the country. "But the shadow of the war, the shadow of losing loved ones and thinking about them during this time is overpowering," she said. The war and the ripple effect of hatred have also cast a shadow over the Jewish Festival of Lights, which begins on Christmas Day for only the fourth time since 1900. But the leader of Sydney's Great Synagogue said the message for Hannukah was one of community strength and unity after a spate of anti-Semitic attacks across the country. "It's always better when any community - Jews or otherwise - think about their own traditions and celebrations and what they enjoy about their culture," Rabbi Benjamin Elton told AAP. "That is more sustaining than thinking about attitudes of hostile outsiders." He noted a resurgence of Jewish community spirit and interest in Jewish practices in the past year. "When there is such a sense of external aggression and hostility by a very unpleasant minority, then people come to re-examine why they value their traditions and their community," he said. Christmas Day will also be a time of reflection for Australia's northern capital as it marks 50 years since Cyclone Tracey tore Darwin to shreds, killing at least 66 people. "This will be a difficult period where people will remember lost loved ones and remember as well the traumatic experience that they had," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Darwin. He also thanked doctors, nurses, hospitality staff and all those working over Christmas to make the season of celebration and reflection possible. "I do want to wish everyone the very best and a peaceful and joyful Christmas," he said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton celebrated Australian stoicism in the face of financial pressures in his Christmas message. "I salute our charity workers, our food banks and those feeding the poor and homeless who, although overstretched, are always outstanding in what they do," he said. Up to 1000 people experiencing homelessness and social isolation are expected to attend the Wayside Christmas street party in Sydney. Four times that amount are expected to be treated to a free lunch across town with Reverend Bill Crews at his charity's headquarters. Bushfire risk meanwhile will keep communities in Victoria's west and South Australia nervous. 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Morrisons selling Easter eggs already as Christmas stock ditched

Sirikanya Tansakul, deputy leader of the People's Party (PP), criticised the government on social media for failing to clarify its position regarding reports of a proposed value-added tax ( VAT ) hike. On Saturday she was responding to Suksit Srijomkwan, the prime minister's deputy secretary-general for political affairs, who defended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra amid growing speculation about the VAT increase. Mr Suksit claimed the prime minister was working to dispel misunderstandings about the issue and accused Ms Sirikanya, whose party advocates for a welfare state, of obstructing tax reform. Ms Sirikanya countered in a post on X, saying she had appeared in multiple forums over the past week to discuss the VAT issue. Despite this, she was accused of hindering reforms. She acknowledged that VAT, a significant source of government revenue set at 7% since 1999 despite a legal ceiling of 10%, might require an increase. However, she argued any hike should be gradual, capped below 15%, and accompanied by measures to mitigate economic impacts. Prime Minister Paetongtarn, she said, failed to adequately address the issue when questioned by the media on Thursday. Instead, the prime minister posted on X the following day, asserting there were no plans to raise VAT to 15%. Earlier, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira faced backlash after proposing at a forum to increase VAT to 15% while simultaneously reducing corporate and personal income taxes to enhance state revenues, improve competitiveness, and reduce economic disparities. Ms Paetongtarn later dismissed the proposal, saying no such VAT adjustment was under consideration. Ms Sirikanya criticised the government's poor communication, warning that it undermines efforts to reform the tax structure. Separately, Charnnarong Buristrakul, chairman of the Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce, said the government might consider raising VAT to address urgent issues such as flood rehabilitation. However, he cautioned that any increase should be limited to 10% due to the economy's vulnerability. Sirikanya Tansakul

Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Wemby at The Garden. LeBron vs. Steph. The NBA's Christmas Day lineup, as always, has star power LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later. That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase. It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix. Pro Picks: Chiefs will beat the Steelers and Ravens will edge the Texans on Christmas Day Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There’s going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day featuring four of the AFC’s top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs visit Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday’s schedule light at nine games. Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins It was the most surprising first-round pick in a long time when the Atlanta Falcons chose Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall selection in the NFL draft last April. That came just six weeks after the Falcons had signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million in guarantees. But that move is no longer a head-scratcher after Penix's solid starting debut in place of a benched and turnover-prone Cousins. Several teams have fared well with new quarterbacks this season including the Steelers, Broncos, Vikings and Commanders. Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could start a trend in skiing. And pro sports in general ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could be the start of a trend in ski racing. The 40-year-old American standout had replacement surgery in April and returned to the World Cup circuit after nearly six years last weekend. She says her knee feels “amazing" and that "it’s something to seriously consider for athletes that have a lot of knee problems.” Her surgery was the first of its kind in World Cup skiing. Vonn had a robot-assisted surgery in April with part of the bone in her right knee cut off and replaced by two titanium pieces. She was planning her comeback a month later. Boise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl. This time it's in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year’s Eve. Boise State's first appearance on the national stage was in a memorable victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007. But former coach Chris Petersen said the victory in that bowl three years later over TCU was even more meaningful for the program. Embiid ejected after drawing 2 technicals in game against Wembanyama and Spurs PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ejected in the first half of Monday night’s game against San Antonio after drawing two technical fouls. Referee Jenna Schroeder ejected Embiid with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second quarter. The seven-time All-Star received the first technical for arguing with Schroeder, and received another technical — and ejection — from Schroeder before any more game time elapsed. Embiid was close to Schroeder, but it wasn’t clear from replays whether he made contact with the official. An enraged Embiid charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained by teammate Kyle Lowry, head coach Nick Nurse and several assistants. Nikki Glaser uses Prime Video's NFL postgame show appearances to help prepare for Golden Globes INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Nikki Glaser has become a familiar face to football fans this season. Her breakthrough performance at the Tom Brady Roast on May 5 paved the way for five appearances on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” postgame show. Glaser said before last Thursday’s game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers that doing her “Late Hits” segment was a no-brainer following her success at the Brady roast. Leaving Thunder, Bucks off the NBA's Christmas game list has those teams feeling snubbed Oklahoma City leads the Western Conference and has a MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Milwaukee has the NBA’s leading scorer in Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were the teams that made their way to the NBA Cup final. By any measure, they’re both very good teams. And neither will play on Christmas Day this year. Bah, humbug. The NBA faces the same challenge every summer, figuring out which 10 teams will get the honor of playing on Christmas Day. But the Bucks and Thunder are right to feel snubbed. Heat lose guard Dru Smith for remainder of season with torn Achilles Miami Heat guard Dru Smith has suffered another season-ending injury, this one a torn Achilles in his left leg. It is the third time that Smith has had a season cut short since February 2022. Smith got hurt Monday night in Miami’s 110-95 win over Brooklyn. The Achilles tear was the preliminary diagnosis once he left the court for evaluation, and an MRI exam on Tuesday confirmed the severity of the injury. This injury comes 13 months after he was lost for most of the 2023-24 season with a right knee injury. Smith also saw his 2021-22 season in the G League cut short by a knee injury.Adani Enterprises Ltd’s share has potential upside of 57.8 pc in 24 months: Ventura Securities