Blog Verité

Churches in Bethlehem are observing Christmas this year without the usual celebrations, eschewing giant trees, sparkling lights and festive carols.

There’s something uniquely satisfying about prime-time network comedies. Maybe it’s their self-contained nature, with most story lines introduced and resolved within a single episode. Maybe it’s their brevity, each half-hour studded with commercial breaks long enough to visit the kitchen

We asked WSJ readers to share acts of kindness they’ve experienced. Here’s what they told us.

Fourteen Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the Israeli military said Sunday, a sign that Hamas is still putting up a fight despite weeks of brutal war. (Image credit: Mohammed Dahman/AP)

Victim ID’d, person of interest revealed after deadly shooting at mall in Ocala  WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando Ocala Paddock Mall Shooting: Man dead, woman hurt in shooting at Florida mall, police say  FOX 35 Orlando Police search for gunman in shooting

We found joy in mail-order chicks, soothing lullabies, a celebration of long-lasting love, the magic touch that can calm a grumpy child (and even a stressed out adult) and beach day in Mogadishu. (Image credit: Leif Parsons for NPR)

A Michigan town uses 1.5 million holiday lights to draw visitors—and businesses—to its Main Street. “It’s like Disneyland.”

Just prior to Christmas in 1823, a poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” appeared in the Troy Sentinel, sans attribution. The author, perhaps viewing this particular literary excursion as slumming it, was Clement Clarke Moore, who had hit upon

The popular last-minute gift has a mixed reputation, but it is expected to outperform all other apparel categories this year.

The Austrian domestic intelligence service has detained four people in an investigation into an Islamist network, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The arrests follow indications of a possible attack on a church in Vienna and the cathedral in