Islam Channel owner buys ‘Tribune’
E Media Group, the company which owns the Islam Channel, has acquired “Tribune”, Britain’s oldest democratic socialist publication which has been running for 88 years. Islam Channel reports that its chairman, Mohamed Ali Harrath, will “take stewardship of Tribune through the newly formed Tribune Media Group”. He is quoted saying that under the new ownership it will increase its print frequency and invest in new platforms, including video content, podcasts, and newsletters, to reach broader audiences in the UK and beyond, adding: “The editorial independence and the tradition of Tribune are assured, and I’m confident that it can become an even more powerful voice for the entire progressive left, whether inside or outside the Labour Party, as well as for the huge numbers who feel they have no voice in politics and public life.” The report says there will be an editorial advisory board chaired by Labour MP Jon Trickett and including Bhaskar Sunkara, the founder of American socialist publication Jacobin, which previously owned Tribune. It adds that Tribune editor Alex Niven and the existing editorial staff will continue to help guide the publication.
Irish bishops express ‘grave concern’ at humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza
The bells of Carlow Cathedral in Ireland were rung yesterday in support of the children in Gaza, marking the UN Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Denis Nulty, said this was in response to a peace initiative sharing “the horror of the scenes unfolding in Gaza”. Irish bishops have called on Catholics to dedicate tomorrow, Friday 6 June, as a day of prayer and fasting “amid the deepening humanitarian crises in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and other conflict zones”. In a statement, they described Gaza’s situation as “a humanitarian catastrophe” and voiced “grave concern over the reports of starvation, blocked aid, and continued bombardments”. Yesterday in the Commons, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the government was “appalled by repeated reports of mass casualty incidents in which Palestinians have been killed when trying to access aid sites in Gaza”. Last night, the United States vetoed a United Nations security council resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, while the other 14 countries on the council voted in favour. The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, told the BBC that what is happening in Gaza “surpasses any acceptable legal, moral and humane standard” and it has become worse than hell on Earth.
Israeli public increasingly sceptical about lasting peace
A Pew Research Centre survey has found that Israeli public opinion shows a deepening pessimism about the prospects for peace with Palestinians. The survey of 998 Israeli adults conducted between 5 February and 11 March 2025, found just 21 per cent believe Israel and a Palestinian state can coexist peacefully, the lowest level since Pew began asking in 2013. This figure marks a 14 point decline from before the war began in October 2023. Among Jewish Israelis, belief in peaceful coexistence has dropped to 16 per cent, while 40 per cent of Arab Israelis remain more hopeful. 75 per cent of Israelis identify mutual distrust as the major obstacle to peace.
Bishop calls on government to ‘address’ two child benefit cap
The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, has called on the government to “address” the two-child benefits limit, after a study for the End Child Poverty Coalition said more than 30 per cent of children in the UK are in poverty and there is a strong correlation between constituencies with a high child poverty rate and the two-child limit. The Bishop, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop on poverty, said: “These statistics remind us of the sheer scale of child poverty and the particularly high levels in certain parts of the country. Churches are doing all they can to love their neighbour and offer hope and opportunity to people in the communities they live among and serve. But we know from the struggles of many people in our congregations, and the demand we see for our projects every day, that there is much work to do to turn the tide on poverty. I pray that the Government’s child poverty strategy will rise to the challenge we face, addressing the two-child limit and other policies which drive poverty and harm the health, wellbeing and life chances of our children.”
Pope Leo XIV urges peace in Ukraine, in phone call with Putin
Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone yesterday, focusing on the war in Ukraine. The Holy See press office said they discussed the humanitarian situation and the need to facilitate aid. Pope Leo appealed to Russia to make a gesture that would favour peace and renewed his call for dialogue and diplomatic engagement. They also discussed efforts to facilitate prisoner exchanges. A Vatican spokesperson said “Pope Leo made reference to Patriarch Kirill, thanking him for the congratulations received at the beginning of his pontificate, and underlined how shared Christian values can be a light that helps to seek peace, defend life, and pursue genuine religious freedom”.
Call for independent safeguarding inquiry into Bangor Cathedral
Two priests from Bangor cathedral have called for an independent inquiry after two critical reports highlighted safeguarding concerns, a “culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred” and excessive consumption of alcohol. The Rev Dr John Prysor-Jones and the Very Rev Professor Gordon McPhate said the reports were “unsatisfactory” and limited by narrow terms of reference, reaching conclusions based on impressions not findings of fact. A Church in Wales spokesperson said: “The matters raised in this correspondence will be carefully considered”.
AI reveals dead sea scrolls may be older than thought
Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls could be centuries older than previously believed, according to researchers who used artificial intelligence as well as radiocarbon dating to analyse 30 samples. An AI machine learning model named Enoch, was used to analyse handwriting patterns, and found that two styles known as Hasmonean and Herodian scripts, coexisted for a much longer period than previously thought. The scrolls, discovered between 1946 and 1956 in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea, include Hebrew Bible texts once dated between the 3rd century BCE and second century CE. But the researchers believe one sample with verses from the book of Daniel, was older than the original date of the 2nd century BCE. The research is in the journal Plos One and the story is in The Guardian
