Ben Cowles | Morning Star

The crowd at Manchester Punk Festival 2024

Culture / 11 April 2025

11 April 2025

Ben Cowles speaks with IAN ‘TREE’ ROBINSON and ANDY DAVIES, two of the string pullers behind the Manchester Punk Festival, ahead of its 10th year show later this month

A Palestinian girl struggles as she and others try to get do

World / 17 March 2025

Unicef: A million children in Gaza ‘are living without the very basics they need to survive’

17 March 2025

SETTING AN EXAMPLE: Watford’s and Norwich City players tak

Features / 13 March 2025

Make anti-racism cool again

13 March 2025

Ben Cowles previews his interview with Stand Up to Racism’s SABBY DHALU for the Morning Star’s new Youtube channel

World / 29 January 2025

Two lives could have been saved had Malta launched rescue sooner, activists say

29 January 2025

World / 22 January 2025

Refugees who stopped 108 people from being pushed back to Libya lose latest appeal against criminal charges

22 January 2025

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade

World / 20 November 2024

Anti-landmine organisation slams US government's decision to allow use by Ukraine

20 November 2024

Israeli soldiers stand near trucks carrying humanitarian aid

World / 21 October 2024

Israel continues to block aid into Gaza and is killing people fleeing in the north, UN officials warn

21 October 2024

Men's Football / 17 October 2024

Spurs and West Ham fans to unite against clubs' ‘attack on concessions’

17 October 2024

Labour MP Nadia Whittome (second-left) addresses the Labour

Labour Conference 2024 / 23 September 2024

Trying to ‘out Tory the Tories’ on immigration will only embolden the far-right, Whittome tells fringe meeting

23 September 2024

Police officers fire tear gas canisters during a protest ove

World / 27 June 2024

Kenyan cops must stop misusing crowd-control weapons on protesters, human rights campaigners demand

27 June 2024

World / 27 June 2024

Civil court in Italy rules the detention of a refugee rescue ship in March was unlawful

27 June 2024

A screen grab of a viral video showing uncontacted Hongana M

World / 26 June 2024

German chemical giant pulls out of major nickel project in Indonesia following pressure from human rights campaigners

26 June 2024

Palestinian children sit at the edge of a crater after an Is

World / 21 June 2024

Governments, arms companies and banks urged to end weapon sales to Israel

21 June 2024

‘By sending weapons, parts, components and ammunition to Israeli forces,’ the above risk being ‘complicit in serious violations of international human rights laws,’ UN experts warn

General View of a Levi's store in London

World / 21 June 2024

Workers at a Levi's supplier factory in Turkey subjected to ‘violence, mass sackings and blacklisting’

21 June 2024

Sudanese Children suffering from malnutrition are treated at

World / 24 May 2024

World urged to protect civilians in Sudan's Darfur region as RSF surrounds city

24 May 2024

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, Sudanese refugees lack basic necessities, and have been subjected to attacks by armed militia, according to the Alliance of Forces for Radical Change

World / 22 May 2024

EU-funded migrant camps in Serbia are sites of severe human rights violations, study finds

22 May 2024

Four of nine Egyptians, who were on trial for migrant smuggl

World / 21 May 2024

Greek judge acquits nine survivors accused of causing the Pylos shipwreck

21 May 2024

France's President Emmanuel Macron (2nd right) chairs a secu

World / 21 May 2024

Vanuatu calls on France to engage peacefully with New Caledonia independence leaders

21 May 2024

Cyprus' interior minister Konstantinos Ioannou (second right

World / 17 May 2024

Refugee rescuers save over 20 children in the central Mediterranean

17 May 2024

EU states call for Syria to be reclassified as a safe country

Two Baka men from a community who were evicted to make way f

World / 18 April 2024

Unesco accused of complicity in the illegal eviction and abuse of Indigenous people around the world

18 April 2024

A man walks by the fence at the Pournara migrant reception c

World / 17 April 2024

Refugees trapped between hostile Cypriot coastguard and the sea ‘fear they will die of hunger’

17 April 2024

World / 13 March 2024

Three refugee rescue organisations to take legal action against Italy for ‘unlawfully’ detaining their rescue ships

13 March 2024

The Iuventa rescue ship rots in a shipyard in Trapani, Italy

World / 4 March 2024

Judge to announce decision on refugee rescuers' preliminary trial in April

4 March 2024

Two of the four Iuventa defendants Dariush Beigui (back row,

World / 28 February 2024

Italian prosecutors ask judge to drop the charges against the Iuventa refugee rescuers

28 February 2024

The Geo Barents crew rescues 81 people in the central Medite

World / 12 November 2023

Activists save close to 300 people from unseaworthy boats in the central Mediterranean

12 November 2023

Opinion / 23 October 2023

What Mbonambi allegedly said was not racist

23 October 2023

BEN COWLES, who is covering the sports desk this week while Bella Katz is on holiday, explains why he won't refer to ‘white c**t’ as a ‘racist’ slur

Palestinians wounded in Israeli airstrikes are brought to a

World / 15 October 2023

World Health Organisation condemns Israel's evacuation orders to hospitals in northern Gaza

15 October 2023

Charles Windsor during his visit to the Global Underwater Hu

Britain / 10 October 2023

‘The monarchy is a fundamentally racist institution,’ TWT hears

10 October 2023

From left to right: Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East

Britain / 9 October 2023

Activists and trade unionists must resist the cops inside our heads, TWT hears

9 October 2023

In this image taken from video, refugees from the first grou

World / 24 September 2023

Fears for safety of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenians grows as first refugees reach Armenia

24 September 2023

Rescuers from the Humanity 1 approach an overcrowded inflata

World / 11 August 2023

Activists save hundreds of lives during deadly week for refugees in the Mediterranean

11 August 2023

World / 25 July 2023

ECJ to assess legitimacy of Italian and EU laws that have been used to criminalise asylum seekers and activists

25 July 2023

Two refugee boats appear as small dots on the horizon as the

World / 20 July 2023

Italian coastguards kept over 400 people waiting for hours for help, rescue group says

20 July 2023

Tigs Louis-Puttick, founder of the migrant rights organisati

Britain / 19 July 2023

Activist arrested outside Home Office while protesting peacefully against Illegal Migration Bill

19 July 2023

‘This incident demonstrates not only how far refugee rights have been eroded in the UK but also how the right to protest is under attack,’ Reclaim The Sea founder Tigs Louis-Puttick says

Shipibo people protest in the Amazonian town of Contamana a

World / 14 June 2023

Indigenous peoples from Brazil and Peru join forces in fight against Peruvian Bill to strip ‘uncontacted’ people of their land

14 June 2023

World / 3 May 2023

Croatian police officers regularly pushing refugees and asylum seekers across Bosnia border, HRW warns

3 May 2023

World / 2 May 2023

NGO ship saves 336 people in the Mediterranean

2 May 2023

In this screen grab taken from video, Sudanese and foreigner

World / 2 May 2023

The healthcare system in a western Sudanese city has totally collapsed, doctors warn

2 May 2023

Meanwhile, thousands try to flee the country as fighting and looting rages on

A flag flies as Public Service Alliance of Canada members wa

World / 2 May 2023

Canadian union wins pay rise and better conditions for 120,000 public servants

2 May 2023

World / 17 April 2023

International Day of Peasants’ and Farmers’ Struggle marked with call for end to the persecution

17 April 2023

Refugees on a boat crossing the Mediterranean sea, heading f

World / 15 February 2023

At least 73 reported missing, presumed dead following shipwreck off Libya

15 February 2023

Geo Barents in Stavanger Harbour, Norway

World / 29 January 2023

Rescue ship disembarks over 230 people in Italy following Mediterranean rescues

29 January 2023

Supporters of the 24 aid workers and volunteers of 24 aid wo

World / 10 January 2023

Greek court to rule on ‘farcical’ charges against refugee rescuers this week

10 January 2023

World / 16 December 2022

Dozens of refugees forced back across Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus, MSF warns

16 December 2022

The international humanitarian organisation calls on the authorities to put an end to the hostile policy

The crew of the Humanity 1 perform a rescue in the central M

World / 6 December 2022

Refugee rescuers harassed by Libyan vessels while saving lives in the Mediterranean

6 December 2022

Sport / 14 November 2022

Beckham given ultimatum: drop deal with Qatar or watch as £10,000 is shredded

14 November 2022

Comedian Joe Lycett says he will donate £10k to LGBT+ football charities if Beckham quits Qatar, but will drop it all in a blender if he doesn't

One of the survivors aboard the Humanity 1 looks out to sea

World / 8 November 2022

Italy's far-right government causing further harm to traumatised people trapped on rescue ships

8 November 2022

Human Rights Watch joins calls by Amnesty International, the UNHCR and many more, for the 250 people aboard the Humanity 1 and Geo Barents to be brought ashore

Egypt's leading pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah spe

World / 2 November 2022

Nobel Prize laureates call on Cop27 attendees ‘not to forget the thousands of political prisoners’ in Egypt's jails

2 November 2022

In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, a small re

World / 2 October 2022

Nord Stream's climate-wrecking underwater leaks finally stopped

2 October 2022

World / 18 September 2022

Rescue ship running out of food, water and medical supplies for 398 refugees

18 September 2022

European authorities ignore crew's 16 calls for a port to disembark the rescued

World / 18 September 2022

Over 32,000 take part in Austrian Trade Union Federation march demanding government act on rising cost-of-living

18 September 2022

Alan Kurdi, a toddler, smiling in a playground

World / 2 September 2022

European borders as deadly as ever, activists warn on 7th anniversary of Alan Kurdi's death

2 September 2022

World / 31 August 2022

Malta told to coordinate rescue of 60 to 80 people stranded within its search-and-rescue area

31 August 2022

Men's Football / 25 August 2022

FA ‘lagging behind’ calls for better migrant workers' rights

25 August 2022

Amnesty levels accusation at England's governing body and praises Welsh FA for highlighting issue

Construction workers at Lusail Stadium, Qatar, in 2019

Men's Football / 22 August 2022

Qatar arrests and deports unpaid migrant workers who protested against their mistreatment

22 August 2022

World's largest trade union federation calls for an end to this latest abuse of workers as World Cup draws close

An image shared with Alarm Phone showing three of the roughl

World / 14 August 2022

Greece and Turkey urged to rescue Syrian refugees trapped on river island for over a week

14 August 2022

Women hold a sign demanding 'bread, work, and freedom' at th

World / 14 August 2022

Women demand ‘bread, freedom and education’ at protest against Taliban in Kabul

14 August 2022

World / 24 May 2022

‘Europe will always remain an asylum destination,’ EU Commission vice president claims at Davos

24 May 2022

Men's Football / 15 May 2022

Liverpool fans upset monarchists by booing William Windsor and song praising his grandmother

15 May 2022

World / 13 May 2022

Over 500 refugees rescued in the central Mediterranean this week still without dry land

13 May 2022

Israeli police attack mourners as they carry the casket of s

World / 13 May 2022

Israeli riot police attack Palestinian mourners as they carry Shireen Abu Akleh's casket to her funeral

13 May 2022

World / 11 May 2022

Israeli forces blamed for shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

11 May 2022

‘Yet again journalists, wearing press vests, clearly identified were targeted by Israeli snipers,’ International Federation of Journalists says

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a meeting of the

World / 27 April 2022

Europe urged to free itself from climate-wrecking fossil fuel industry after Russia cuts off Poland and Bulgaria's gas

27 April 2022

Rescuers from the Ocean Viking approach a deflating rubber b

World / 24 April 2022

Activist-rescuers save the lives of 171 refugees

24 April 2022

Extinction Rebellion NYC activists blockade the entrance to

World / 22 April 2022

Extinction Rebellion NYC mark Earth Day by blockading New York Times, WSJ and USA Today printing plant

22 April 2022

A body floats in the central Mediterranean following a shipw

World / 22 April 2022

NGOs mark year since 130 refugees died in Mediterranean shipwreck

22 April 2022

Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, cries while holding the coffin of

World / 22 April 2022

Fighting in eastern Ukraine may lead to ‘senseless repeat’ of Mariupol bloodshed, refugee charity warns

22 April 2022

Norwegian Refugee Council calls for humanitarian access to all communities across Ukraine as UN human rights chief warns international humanitarian laws have been ‘tossed aside’

World / 21 April 2022

‘No end in sight’ to the illegal practice of refugee pushbacks in Greece, report warns

21 April 2022

The 34 people (with their faces blacked out) stranded on an

World / 1 April 2022

Activists warn Greece has still not acted on ECHR order to rescue 34 refugees trapped on Evros River island for three days

1 April 2022

People hold posters of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashog

World / 1 April 2022

Turkey recommends trail into Khashoggi's killers moves to Saudi Arabia

1 April 2022

‘Handing the case over to Saudi Arabia would be a serious blow to any remaining chance of criminal justice for Jamal Khashoggi’s killers,’ Reporters Without Borders says

A police officer talks to refugees fleeing the conflict from

World / 28 February 2022

Arab and Middle Eastern journalists call on Western media outlets to be mindful of racial bias

28 February 2022

Refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring Ukraine arrive to

World / 27 February 2022

Refugees in Libya highlight injustice of EU opening up borders to white people but not them

27 February 2022

A CommemorAction demonstration in Malta to remember dead and

World / 6 February 2022

‘Commemoractions’ held across the world to remember those who die crossing borders

6 February 2022

Vassilis Palaiokostas and, in the background, Athens' Koryda

Book Review / 28 January 2022

The curious adventures of ‘Robin Hoodkostas’

28 January 2022

World / 13 January 2022

Greek police capture 25 Afghan refugees and set them adrift in the Aegean Sea

13 January 2022

World / 13 January 2022

Catalonian politicians call for probe into allegations Spanish spooks were behind 2017 terrorist attacks

13 January 2022

Former police commissioner says CNI orchestrated the attacks in order to scare region away from voting for independence

World / 4 January 2022

EU maritime authorities and Shell accused of complicity in Mediterranean refugee ‘pullback’

4 January 2022

Sea-Eye 4 crew members rescue people from a wooden boat in t

Features / 23 December 2021

Voices from the front line of the refugee crisis

23 December 2021

BEN COWLES talks to some of those who are battling to save lives on the borders of ‘Fortress Europe’

South Sudanese refugee turned activist Yambio David Oliver

World / 16 December 2021

Britain and EU accountable for human rights abuses committed against people at their borders, refugees trapped in Libya say

16 December 2021

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City

World / 9 December 2021

Israeli strikes on Gaza killed up to 10 times as many civilians as eight-year IDF bombing campaign in Syria, new research finds

9 December 2021

Richard Bensinger (left) who is advising unionisation effort

World / 8 December 2021

Union claims victory after Starbucks prevented from halting collective bargaining vote

8 December 2021

World / 25 November 2021

European authorities refuse to rescue over 400 refugees in Malta's Mediterranean rescue zone

25 November 2021

Sport / 6 October 2021

Gary Neville tears into Tories’ ‘brutal’ and ‘divisive’ ideology

6 October 2021

People intercepted by the Libyan Coastguard while trying to

World / 4 October 2021

Refugees ‘systematically subjected to a litany of abuses’ from the moment they enter Libya, UN warns

4 October 2021

Internally displaced Afghans from northern provinces, who fl

World / 9 August 2021

Don't stop sending migrants back to Afghanistan, six European countries tell EU Commission

9 August 2021

A man stands by the fence at the newly built refugee camp in

World / 5 August 2021

International human rights laws ignored at Europe's edges

5 August 2021

Migrants used as political pawns in battle between the EU, Lithuania and Belarus, while 800 refugees in the Mediterranean are still not allowed to come ashore