A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and another detonated his explosives inside a cafe north of the capital, the deadliest of several attacks across Iraq today which killed at least 48 people.

Iraqi officials have said attacks across the country killed five people, including two journalists working in a northern city.

The Christmas Eve Mass for Baghdad’s small and beleaguered Christian community started before dusk today instead of at the traditional midnight, a reflection of continued security concerns in the Iraqi capital.