Christmas is canceled in the land of Jesus' birth
Queen Rania Al Abdullah in The Washington Post
Bethlehem usually comes alive at Christmas, writes Queen Rania of Jordan in The Washington Post, but not this year. In the Holy Land, "celebrations have been canceled". In the occupied West Bank, one Bethlehem church's nativity scene has the infant Jesus among "the rubble of a bombed-out building". International organisations are calling Gaza "a graveyard for children. How perverse that the Holy Land should be described as something so profoundly unholy."
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Spate of Iranian executions cannot go unchallenged
Jawad Iqbal in The Times
Iran's mullahs are "waging an increasingly deadly war against their own people", says Jawad Iqbal in The Times. More than 127 Iranians have reportedly been executed since October, including women and children, despite international bans on the death sentence for minors. There is also "more than a whiff of suspicion that the regime is taking advantage of the world's focus on Gaza" to quietly crack down on opponents and dissidents.
Britain's declining birth rate is becoming a problem too big to ignore
Fraser Nelson in The Daily Telegraph
"Fears of a demographic decline are growing across Europe," writes Fraser Nelson in The Telegraph. But what should be a "dry, statistical topic" is being treated as a "dangerous conspiracy theory of the far right". Some believe that discussions of the "birth gap" should "not be allowed to take place", despite plummeting birth rates. But the "natalism debate" matters; it's about the future of society. Politicians who won't address these issues "may well end up forced to make way for those who will".
'It's behind you': Panto helped me beat depression
Beverley Callard on the i news site
"The fun and laughter of pantomime is the perfect antidote for the dark and cold weather outside," says actress Beverly Callard on the i news site. In 2010, "I struggled badly with severe clinical depression" and "the magic of pantomime is almost healing for me". Panto offers "a sense of escapism" and "a healthy dose of slapstick", as well as "an opportunity to shout and cheer. People always feel happier after a show."
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Political cartoons for January 24Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include 3D chess, political distractions, and more
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Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
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Claudette Colvin: teenage activist who paved the way for Rosa ParksIn The Spotlight Inspired by the example of 19th century abolitionists, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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Why recognizing Somaliland is so risky for IsraelTHE EXPLAINER By wading into one of North Africa’s most fraught political schisms, the Netanyahu government risks further international isolation
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Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
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How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
