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
Education Maintenance Allowance is essential but must be updated
EMA is a life raft for many young learners in Wales and now also in Tower Hamlets — however, it is now far too small and its current form isn’t fit for purpose given the crises we face, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS
The Education Maintenance Allowance benefit system that supported children to stay in school was abolished by the Tory-Lib Dem government in 2010 in England, causing large protests across the country. Where it has survived in Wales, some argue that it is now far too low.
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
LAST month, Welsh poverty and inequality think tank the Bevan Foundation noted that the value of social security benefits is now at its lowest levels in decades.
This, at a time when levels of in-work poverty and inflation are at their highest, is driving many into desperate circumstances if they aren’t already there. Amid high costs and low temperatures, these are the despairingly loose threads of support to which people are clinging.
The Welsh government has been among the myriad voices contributing to the conversation around uplifts to various forms of social security. In October, along with the Scottish government, it called for a £25 weekly uplift to all means-tested benefits, including legacy benefits.
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