Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
Latest editorial
Iran: the drive to war intensifies
As US rhetoric pressing for a new Middle East war with Iran intensifies, JANE GREEN assesses the issues
Irans theological ruler, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The US has slapped sanctions on him as it ramps up threats to attack the country
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump continues to ramp up rhetoric against Iran as the threat of a further Middle East war becomes greater. Trump claims that he called off air strikes against Iran recently at the last minute, after being told of the potential death toll of up to 150 innocent Iranians.
The threatened strikes were in response to Iran shooting down an unmanned US spy drone, which had “strayed” into Iranian air space.
The reality is that Trump is responding to a crisis largely of his own making. In pulling the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year, the Iran nuclear deal signed between Tehran and Barack Obama, Trump triggered increased tensions with Iran.
Similar stories
RAMZY BAROUD and ROMANA RUBEO analyse how the US has consistently negotiated in bad faith to secure the element of surprise in military attack
Tehran retaliates with attacks on Israel, the Gulf Arab states and crude oil flows
The US’s bid for regime change in the Islamic Republic has become more urgent as it seeks to encircle and contain a resurgent China, writes CARLOS MARTINEZ
While Trump praises the ‘successful’ attack on Iranian nuclear sites, the question arises as to the real motives behind this escalation. MARC VANDEPITTE explores the issues