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
Sunak is the empire’s loyal servant
Our new PM is no hero to Asians or migrants of any stripe, but a continuation of all that is iniquitous in capitalist politics, writes JOGINDER BAINS
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London
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
“HURRAY,” rejoiced many Asians on seeing Rishi Sunak — our desi boy, a Hindu, an Indian, a Kenyan, a Pakistani, a British Asian, become the Prime Minister. October 24 was seen by many Indians and British Asians a day to celebrate a “double Diwali.”
BBC South Asia Correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan tweeted that Sunak becoming PM was being seen as “landmark moment” in India, while Indian broadcaster NDTV boomed: “Indian son rises over the empire. History comes full circle in Britain.”
Countering all this was presenter Ravish Kumar, also of NDTV, who correctly portrayed Sunak as a representative of the tax-dodging rich and multinational corporations.
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