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
Pandemic and economic crises: strategy first and always
In the class war strategy must come before tactics — and that means we must focus on how we are going to fight austerity after Covid-19. HANK ROBERTS prescribes uniting all those who can be united
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
SO the kids are returning to schools. Not in the single “big bang” Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted but with some staggering at least.
Those on the ground, especially in secondary schools which also have tests to administer, know this makes sense.
Mercifully, Johnson had the sense not to try to enforce all returning at once on March 8 so there was at least some mitigation — though hardly enough.
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Here are the voices of DANIEL KEBEDE, FRAN HEATHCOTE, HOLLY TURNER and LEANNE MOHAMAD explaining why they will be taking part in the People’s Assembly No More Austerity demo next weekend
We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
Educators must fight for an inclusive, creative system that values all children
Morning Star editor BEN CHACKO says the status quo cannot last – but those currently poised to replace it would usher in a nightmarish new era