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
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Reject 3% – fight for 15
If there is money for this government to pour billions into the private sector, there is money for a fully funded 15 per cent pay rise for NHS staff, argues HELEN O’CONNOR
A protest in support of an NHS pay rise in summer 2020
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
NHS workers who have delivered for this country during Covid-19 have found themselves well and truly betrayed on pay.
Following the announcement that a pitiful 3 per cent pay offer will be imposed for some NHS workers, it is clear that this government is continuing to put a wrecking ball to the NHS.
Some might argue that 3 per cent is generous in this period of rising unemployment and the imposition of public-sector pay freezes. However, with NHS pensions contributions due to rise and inflation running out of control, 3 per cent represents a blatant attempt to further drive down pay in the NHS.
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