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
Is it a Fair Cop?
The cynical lack of clarity over Cop29’s financial arrangements suggests that the bill will be footed by poor countries, writes TOM HARDY
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking on day two of the Cop29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan
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
RISING sea levels, storms and droughts are not only destroying lives and ecosystems but are also pushing lower-income countries deeper into debt.
Cop29 was expected to address this injustice by urging wealthy nations, the main drivers of the climate crisis, to fund the damages they’ve caused.
The talks aimed to secure at least $1 trillion annually in grants for lower-income countries to manage climate disasters.
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