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
Rishi Sunak and his ‘frenemy’ Liam Fox sum up the Tory melee
There are no significant ideological divides at the top of the Conservative Party — but it can seem like there are when competition for power and influence is so intense. That's why some Tories back two horses, explains SOLOMON HUGHES
Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak and Conservative MP Liam Fox
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
AN MP who is one of Rishi Sunak’s key backers also works for a PR firm implicated in distributing an anti-Sunak “mucky memo.”
Liam Fox is an important supporter, speaking out in support of Sunak from the start of the campaign. Fox is a long-standing figure on the right of the party, so his support for Sunak, who is perceived as leaning slightly to the Tory “left,” is important.
Fox’s support indicated Sunak could call on all wings of the Tories: it was useful because Sunak faced challengers perceived as being on the more “headbanging” right, like Priti Patel and his final challenger, Liz Truss. Fox denied he had been promised a Cabinet job by Sunak, although he would clearly welcome a return to a top position.
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