Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
Climate crisis hits the West: 36 wildfires now blaze across the US
As the Washington wildfire continues to spread, endangering animals, crops and renewable energy farms, the bitter harvest of oil addiction is becoming clear to US politicians, reports CRISTEN HEMINGWAY JAYNES
Flames consume brush along Gilman Springs Road during the Rabbit Fire late Friday, July 14, 2023, in Moreno Valley, Calif.
After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
A WILDFIRE that started in Klickitat County, Washington, on July 21 destroyed more than 30,000 acres in less than a day and continues to grow as it feeds on brush, grass and forest vegetation.
Fire crews are working to extinguish the Newell Road Wildfire near Bickleton, which has resulted in the evacuation of residents in the rural area, and is threatening farms, livestock, homes, and wind and solar farms, reported KOMO News.
“It’s very difficult terrain to fight a fire,” said Allen Lebovitz, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Natural Resources, as Reuters reported.
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Addressing new climate challenges will require co-ordinated efforts by governments and local authorities for both drought and flood risks — and it’s people power that will be key to getting policy implemented, writes DOUG SPECHT