Pilgrims flocked to a sun-kissed Bethlehem Friday to celebrate Christmas in the birthplace of Jesus Christ as other revellers battled snowstorms to make it home to their families. Amid a last-minute dash by shoppers to purchase presents and turkeys in malls, troops serving in Afghanistan prepared for their chemically-heated Christmas meals under tinsel-decked trees in the heartland of the Taliban.

A manhunt was under way in Mumbai on Friday for four alleged members of the same Islamist group that attacked the city in 2008, amid warnings of a strike on foreign targets over Christmas and New Year. Roads were closed in and around the luxury Taj Mahal Palace hotel -- the focus of the deadly siege two years ago that killed 166 -- while armed police were out in force at high-profile sites, including overseas consulates.