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
Kernels of truth
MAT COWARD explains how to grow the tricky crop of sweetcorn
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
SWEETCORN is, famously, one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow in the garden. Because some of its sugars turn to starches so quickly after picking, its full flavour can only ever be experienced by cooking it within minutes of taking the cob from the plant.
It is also, just as famously, difficult to grow well in the British climate, except in parts of south-east England and the Isle of Wight.
Modern “super-sweet” cultivars are much more reliable than the old varieties and stay tastier for longer, but even so, it’s always going to be a crop that requires a good amount of luck to succeed.
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