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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Using the pandemic to rob the poor
The Tories have capitalised on Covid-19 to line the pockets of their privateer pals and rapidly advance the austerity agenda, writes 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
COVID-19 vaccinations are underway. Over two million people have been inoculated. Extended support has belatedly been forthcoming for the economy, albeit still with numerous blind spots. And now the government wants us to believe that thanks to their masterful stewardship we can now see light at the end of the tunnel.
But this is far from the reality.
The fact is that here in Britain we have suffered much more than nearly every country on the planet. Tragically 92,865 people have died from Covid-19 at the time of writing. Alarmingly this number is rising day by day.
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We cannot refuse to abolish the unjustifiable two-child benefit cap that pushes children into poverty while finding billions of pounds for defence spending — the membership and the public expect better from Labour, writes JON TRICKETT MP
World Health Organisation warns that 'current rates of improvement are insufficient'
The economic value of disability benefits far outweighs their cost, argues Dr DYLAN MURPHY
