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
Latest editorial
Fighting Tory individualism starts with the NHS
The Conservatives cannot see that failure to tackle health inequalities in society will hold back the success of the country as a whole. Resisting this ideology of selfishness must begin with forcing them to pay our health workers properly, argues JON TRICKETT MP
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
ONE of the biggest lessons from this pandemic is the devastating exposure of widespread health inequalities that exist in our communities.
Worryingly, life expectancy in this country is falling and at the same time we are seeing a widening in the gap between the most affluent in society and those living in deprived areas.
Most concerning is the fact that men living in the least deprived areas in England can expect to live almost a decade longer than men living in the most-deprived areas. And this bleak picture is similar for women, who face a slightly lesser gap of almost eight years.
Similar stories
World Health Organisation warns that 'current rates of improvement are insufficient'
Unions and campaigners warn Chancellor not to betray public sector
More than seven in 10 health workers says patients struggling with their bills — a public health crisis ‘that is entirely preventable’
