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
Latest editorial
No more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis
The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan simply to demonstrate their capability, not for a quick victory – it can never be trusted with nuclear weapons, writes KATE HUDSON
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
SEVENTY FOUR YEARS ago today, the US dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later it dropped another on Nagasaki. Tens of thousands died instantly and many more over the subsequent weeks and months from toxic radiation.
By the end of 1950, over 340,000 were dead as a result of the two bombs.
Nuclear weapons are still with us, with all their appalling and much-increased killing potential. Not only are all nuclear weapons states modernising their arsenals, but the advent of Donald Trump in the White House has meant a shift in nuclear policy towards “usable” nuclear weapons – and an increase in the number of scenarios in which they may be used.
Similar stories
As we mark the anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, JOHN WIGHT reflects on the enormity of the US decision to drop the atom bombs
JEREMY CORBYN reports from Hiroshima where he represented CND at the 80th anniversary of the bombing of the city by the US
Ageing survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings are increasingly frustrated by growing nuclear threats by global leaders