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
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Another stitch-up for women in Leeds
Far from being a success, the decriminalised red-light zone in Holbeck is a misogynistic sticking plaster over a cancerous lesion of male violence, organised crime, exploitation and female suffering, writes ANNA FISHER
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
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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
“I’VE never felt so unsafe in my life,” Jackie said. “I was staying in a hotel and the first evening I was restless so I thought I’d go for a stroll before bed. I didn’t know the area, so I just started walking fairly randomly.
“When I was some way from the hotel, the cars passing me kept slowing down when they came close, the drivers were peering at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I realised I was being sized up.
“At first, I couldn’t figure out why. I wasn’t wearing any jewellery and had nothing worth stealing.
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Half a century after transformative laws reshaped Britain, women’s rights are again contested. This International Women’s Day is a call to remember how change was won, and to organise to defend it, says KATE RAMSDEN
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