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
A tax on trade unions
After the government failed to include an employment Bill in the Queen’s Speech, they snuck out proposals that are nothing short of a major attack aimed at shackling trade unions, warns TONY BURKE
Delegates to TUC Congress in 2018 vote on a motion
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
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady has slammed ministers for “trying to tie unions up in red tape” after the government’s proposals included three key major changes that will negatively affect the labour movement.
The Certification Officer — the trade union regulator — will have the ability to impose fines on unions; there will be levy on trade unions to fund the CO’s costs; there will be further new powers, including investigating third party complaints about unions by members of the public and third party organisations.
This will not even be debated in Parliament as this requires a commencement order to come into law. Importantly, the TUC was not consulted about these proposals.
The government is dusting off measures that were contained in notorious Trade Union Act 2016 but need secondary legislation to pass into law.
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