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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
You can crack crunchy carrots if you’re careful
MAT COWARD has some top tips for growing big, juicy carrots in your garden
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
BECAUSE there’s so much that can go wrong with maincrop carrots and because they are not usually expensive in the shops, I know a lot of gardeners don’t bother growing them.
They’re definitely worth a try, though — the superior taste and crunch of a home-grown carrot is really something special. So, if you’ve been having trouble growing big, juicy carrots, here are some of the things you might have been doing wrong.
First of all, don’t sow them yet. The seed packets suggest that they can be sown in spring, which they no doubt can under ideal conditions, but I’ve learned over the years not to start mine until May or June. Carrots germinate very poorly in cold, damp soil.
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