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
From Cymru to Cuba: Wales should openly extend solidarity to the Cuban people
The achievements made by this relatively small island nation that has survived and thrived under siege from the US should be celebrated — not just in medicine but now in renewable and sustainable energy too, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS
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
LIKE many on November 3, I looked on appalled but unsurprised as the US once again opposed the UN General Assembly’s resolution condemning the blockade on Cuba. While it is encouraging that 185 countries voted in favour of the resolution, this now marks the 30th time that the UN has rebuked this decades-long policy to no avail.
Of course, the US and Israel voted against it, while Brazil and Ukraine abstained. It should be stated outright that this is shameful and there is no justification for the US’s brazen abuse.
The US first imposed the blockade in 1960 following the revolution and the rebel army’s seizure of power from the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Ever since, Cuba has flouted supposed economic and social rules and defied expectations.
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Where normally only the US and its ally Israel vote to strangle Cuba economically, there have been special efforts to slander and isolate the besieged socialist island nation year — so we must redouble our solidarity, writes TARIQ ANDERSON
While ordinary Americans were suffering in the wake of 2005’s deadly hurricane, the Bush administration was more concerned with maintaining its anti-Cuba stance than with saving lives, writes MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS
Cuba Solidarity Campaign secretary BERNARD REGAN says the inhuman blockade of Cuba not only continues, but the Donald Trump administration is ratcheting up aggression against both Havana and Latin America more widely
After Joe Biden’s cynical last-minute clemency for Cuba, the new administration has quickly returned to maximum subversive tactics. This socialist island needs our support now more than ever, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS