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
Mexico and Bolivia reinforce their push for regional sovereignty
After Amlo’s historic visit the two governments will work together in the diplomatic sphere against neoliberal subversion as Latin American unity surges forward, reports DAVID RABY
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
A MONTH ago Amlo’s guest of honour was Argentine President Alberto Fernandez. Last week it was Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora, elected in the triumphant restoration of democracy in that country last October as the people drove out the short-lived dictatorship of Jeanine Anez.
Luis Arce was Economy Minister under Bolivian President Evo Morales who was driven out by the October 2019 coup. Arce had followed Evo to asylum in Mexico and stayed there for two months before they moved to Argentina to be closer to home.
On this official visit as president, he thanked the Mexican people for their warmth and solidarity and reaffirmed the importance of Amlo’s action in saving Evo’s life from the brutality of the coup-mongers.
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