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
Why everything about our privatised railways is a total rip-off
What are rolling stock companies? What is Porterbrook? And why is our cash being sucked out of what should be a public service? SOLOMON HUGHES explains all
Trains sit on the tracks at Norwich railway station as memebrs of the TSSA union go on strike
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
IF YOU want an illustration of how the British economy transports cash out of public services and into the hands of investors while short-changing the public, have a look at Porterbrook.
It is one of the most important firms in the privatised rail industry, but is barely mentioned on the news.
Rail staff are going on strike to stop their pay being cut, but the latest accounts show Porterbrook’s boss got a 36 per cent pay rise, taking their salary to £915,000 a year. Porterbrook shareholders got £80 million in dividends.
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Our groundbreaking report reveals how private rail companies are bleeding millions from public coffers through exploitative leasing practices — but we have the solutions, writes Aslef Scottish organiser KEVIN LINDSAY
