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Cuba and the value of
defending dignity

by Antonio Rondón

Paris, August 26, 7:22am

(Prensa Latina)

One of the conquests of the Triumph of the Revolution, was

the dignity of the Cuban people and the end of humiliation

- hence the spirit of resistance.. that Fidel Castro knew
how to instill, Salim Lamani said today.

The French writer and professor pointed out that the Italian

Gianni Minà in an interview with Fidel asked him what was

the quality of the human being... that he appreciated the

most and Fidel replied that it was loyalty to principles.

When he referred to what he hated the most, Fidel responded that

it was the betrayal of principles --- recalled the specialist in the

dispute between Cuba and the United States, in statements

to Prensa Latina.

So, the resistance of the Cuban people today is the attachment to

the principles of national sovereignty, social justice, socialism,

internationalism and the elementary dignity of the human

being, he said.

Cubans are willing to dialogue, but not to be dictated by the

conditions to have good relations, said the doctor and

researcher at the Sorbonne University.

That is why the United States is wrong in its political projection,

from an operational point of view, because the Cubans have

already shown that they are not going to give in on

principles ....and will remain faithful to them,

the specialist argued.

We must value the resistance of the Cuban people. No one was

betting that when the oil blockade was introduced last

December, if it was imposed at the end of January,

but since December no tanker had arrived, Cuba

would resist for more than two months, he said.

But Cuba has been resisting a medieval measure for almost nine

months, an energy siege that has a dramatic impact on all

aspects of society, Labrani said.

"This is because Cuba knows what it would mean to give in,

because to give up would mean returning to the era of

humiliation," he said.

"It would be a return to the era in which the president of the United

States sends you a special envoy to Cuba --- without notifying the

president of the Republic --- to publicly humiliate you,"

the researcher stressed.

It is often said that after life, the most important thing is dignity,

"although sometimes more than life it is dignity because to live

without that condition is to live on your knees, something that

makes no sense -------- and Cuba has demonstrated it," said

the specialist.

That has also been one of the conquests of the Cuban Revolution.

That is why Fidel Castro got unanimous support. He managed to

express the people's deep desire for dignity, he said.

The first conquest of the 1959 Revolution is the conquest of dignity,

to put a definitive end to the era of humiliation. That - is why the

Cuban people are also resisting ----- because defending dignity

is part of the special quality of the Cuban people, Larani said.

In few countries in the world did they have to fight for independence

in such adverse conditions and there were 30 years of struggle for

that independence, the longest war in the Latin American region,

the expert said.

After a U.S. intervention, to give way to 60 years of pseudo-republic

and despite that, despite geographical fatalism and despite the

fact that the United States dominated the Cuban economy

and controlled the political situation, Cuba managed

to conquer --- and win its independence, he said.

That indicates that the nucleus of resistance existing in the Cuban

people is very strong ---- and that is why they have not managed to

create a division in revolutionary unity, an ever-present objective

of the U.S. government .....to end the Revolution, he explained.

They have not achieved that objective and there is that legacy

of what Fidel taught - not to give in, even in the most adverse

circumstances, he stressed.

________________________________________________

Axios: US companies have not signed

ONE single oil deal with Venezuela

August 3rd, 2:56pm

(Pravda.EN)

US companies -- have not concluded a single oil deal

with Venezuela in 8 months, despite Washington’s

statements about the recovery of the industry.

This is reported by the Axios portal.

According to the newspaper, after statements by US

President Donald Trump that US companies would

be able to ''quickly restore'' the Venezuelan oil

industry, not a single deal was concluded.

Iran urges UN, member states to

reject US economic terrorism;

calls US ‘a rogue state’

August 26, 8:52pm

(PressTV)

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the United Nations

Security Council and member states to reject the new US

campaign of economic terrorism against Iran, arguing

that Washington is seeking to force other countries

to abandon lawful economic relations with Tehran

through its threats of secondary sanctions.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the

Security Council’s president and UN member states on Wednesday,

the top diplomat said the measures announced by the US recently

under the so-called banner of “Operation Economic Expulsion”

amounted to an attempt -------- to impose US policy on

sovereign states.

US launches new ‘economic
terrorism’ campaign
against Iran

The United States has unveiled a new wave of illegal sanctions

against the Islamic Republic of Iran under the so-called

“Operation Economic Outcast.”

Araghchi urged the UN to condemn the measures, refrain from

recognizing or implementing them, and press Washington, to

end its threats and coercive measures ....against countries

maintaining economic relations with the Islamic Republic.

‘US trying to impose its
will ..extraterritorially’

According to the letter, the stated purpose of the US campaign is

to end lawful economic relations with Iran by threatening third

countries and entities ....with secondary sanctions and

restrictions on access to the US financial system.

Araghchi argued that such measures amount to an effort to apply

US laws and foreign-policy objectives beyond US territory and

to compel other governments to change their independent

economic policies.

Araghchi noted ----- that the measures feature sanctions against

individuals and entities “regardless of where they are located,”

describing the drive as an attempt to constrain the economic

decisions of other sovereign states through unilateral

decisions made in Washington.

The foreign minister also argued -- that the continued use of such

measures could not establish a legal right to exercise unlimited

extraterritorial jurisdiction, saying that their purpose was to

pressure third countries into adopting restrictions they

had not independently accepted.

Humanitarian consequences

A central part of the letter concerned the impact

of the US measures on Iranian civilians.

Araghchi denounced the United States for deliberately targeting

civilians and said the measures were structured in a way that

they would circumvent protections afforded to civilians....

under international law.

He said restrictions affecting access to food, medicine, medical

equipment, energy, and other basic necessities could have

consequences for rights, including the rights to life,

health, food, and an adequate standard of living.

Araghchi asked the UN chief to examine their impact on access to

food, medicine, healthcare, energy, transportation, humanitarian

assistance, and other conditions necessary for a dignified life.

He further called for relevant evidence to be preserved for

possible future accountability proceedings.

The official also invoked a 2018 judgment and order of the

International Court of Justice, arguing that the newly

announced measures represented a departure

from the court's ruling.

The letter recalled that on October 3 that year, the court

unanimously ordered the US to guarantee the freedom

of export to Iran of “(1) medicines & medical devices;

(2) foodstuffs and agricultural commodities; and (3)

spare parts, equipment, and associated services

(including warranty, maintenance, repair, and

inspection services) necessary...... for the

safety of civil aviation.”

According to the letter, the same order also required the United

States to issue necessary licenses and authorizations --- and

facilitate the transfer of related payments and other funds.

According to Araghchi, contravention of the ruling on the

part of Washington carries serious consequences for

the Iranian population.

Iran’s demands

The foreign minister presented 3 principal requests

to the Security Council and UN membership.

First, he called for the condemnation and rejection of unilateral

coercive measures and secondary sanctions intended to

pressure sovereign states into changing their lawful

economic relations.

Second, the official urged countries not to recognize, endorse or

implement measures that would link their sovereign economic

decisions...... to policies determined unilaterally by the US.

Third, he called on the US to immediately end its threats and

coercive measures aimed at compelling third countries
and their nationals ------- to change their economic
relations and interests.

Araghchi described the issue at hand, as a broader test of the

UN Charter's principles, writing that ----- a “decisive moment”

has arrived for the Security Council and UN member states.

He said the choice was between defending “the principles of

sovereign equality, non-intervention, and respect for the

sovereign rights of states” and submission to “the

unilateralism and bullying of a rogue state.”

The letter also set out Iran's intention to pursue legal

and diplomatic avenues over unlawful US measures.

Araghchi said Iran “reserves its right - to pursue all available

avenues to secure accountability, reparation, and redress,”

and argued that the US should bear responsibility for the

material and moral damage caused by the measures.

He said such responsibility could include restitution,

compensation, and satisfaction... in accordance

with international law.

The letter further stated that the US bears international

responsibility and, where the relevant legal elements

are established, individual criminal responsibility

for the consequences arising -- from unlawful

measures targeting the Islamic Republic.

Araghchi concluded by asking Guterres

to circulate the letter --- as an official

document of the Security Council.

________________________________________

New Israeli settlement expansion

aims to seize more Palestinian

land: Hamas

August 26, 3:49pm

(PressTV)

The Hamas resistance movement has strongly condemned Israel’s

approval of 18 new and amended settlement jurisdiction areas in

the occupied West Bank, saying the move is aimed at seizing

more Palestinian land and expanding Israeli control over

the territory.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Gaza-based group said the move

marks a further escalation of Israel’s fascist settlement policy

and is part of efforts to confiscate more Palestinian land

and impose an annexation and forced displacements.

“We warn against rising land confiscation activities, daily exhaustion

of new areas in the West Bank, deprivation of the necessities of life,

severance of connections, and transformation of these areas into

isolated regions,” the statement read.

Hamas stressed that Israel’s settlement projects would not give the

Tel Aviv regime any right or sovereignty over Palestinian land, nor

would they guarantee its security or stability.

“The occupying regime’s settlement plans and attempts to impose

a reality of annexation and displacement will be shattered by the

steadfastness & resilience of Palestinians, and their adherence

to their homeland and rights. Our people, who have faced

decades of occupation and aggression, will not give up

their land, and Israeli crimes and brutality will not

succeed in uprooting them, or breaking their

will,” the statement said.

Hamas also called on the international community to fulfill

its responsibilities ------- rather than limit its response to

condemnations of Israeli settlement expansion.

It urged international actors to hold the Israeli authorities

accountable, halt settlement projects and compel Israel

to abide by international law and resolutions.

“We call upon our people in the West Bank to enhance all forms of

resistance, and activate all means of confrontation, to thwart this

settlement expansion plan. Homeland protection - is our ultimate

responsibility, and holding onto it is at the forefront of defending

the rights of the Palestinian nation --------- and the future of the

Palestinian cause,” the statement concluded.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian

territories, Francesca Albanese, says the Israeli occupation, not

solely the illegal E1 settlement expansion plan, must

come to an end.

On Tuesday, the Israeli authorities approved... 18 new and revised

settlement jurisdiction areas in the occupied West Bank, paving

the way for the expansion of illegal settlements and the

establishment of new outposts.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance

Commission (CWRC), the package includes jurisdiction areas

for new settlements approved by the Israeli cabinet.. plans

to turn settlement outposts into independent settlements,

and revisions and expansions to the jurisdiction areas

of existing settlements and settlement councils.

The move comes as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu,

despite mounting international pressure, continues to push for

the construction and expansion of illegal settlements across

the West Bank. He has also pledged to encourage a

significant influx of immigrants into the occupied

Palestinian territory.

Settlement outposts, which typically consist of a handful of mobile

homes or other temporary structures, are considered illegal, even

under Israeli law. Their formal recognition and approval, however,

has increased significantly in recent years.

Israel’s continued settlement expansion has drawn growing

international condemnation, particularly as violence by

settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank ---------

has intensified.

The international community views the settlements as illegal under

international law and the Geneva Conventions. The UN Security

Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in

several resolutions.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)... declared

Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal.

The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing

settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.

_____________________________________________

Millions in Israeli military funding

.....flow to US universities: DSN

August 26, 12:07pm

(Al Mayadeen English)

An investigation found more than $15 million in Israeli Ministry of

War and defense industry funding tied to US university research

that was unreported or inconsistently disclosed.

The Israeli Ministry of War --- and Israeli weapons companies have

directed millions of dollars in unreported funding to US university

research programs for weapons development, either sponsoring

research directly or serving as a pass-through entity for the

funding, according to a Drop Site investigation.

A review of state and university audits, foreign-funding disclosures,

and other institutional records ---- identified millions of dollars in

financial ties over the last two decades between the Israeli

Ministry of War, Israeli weapons manufacturers, and US

universities, much of which does not appear

consistently..... in national databases

intended to track foreign funding

into US universities.

An analysis of audit records, building on findings compiled by the

Antiwar Initiative, an academic research group - that documents

connections between universities and the global arms industry,

found more than $15 million in unreported or inconsistently

reported entries for funding tied to the Israeli Ministry of

War, or Israeli defense manufacturers.

Israeli Ministry of War funding
........reaches US universities

According to DSN, the true scale of Israeli support is difficult to

determine because entries for such funding were often not

reported in public filings mandating disclosure of foreign

gifts, but were discovered by manually cross-

referencing public and internal databases,

audit records, and acknowledgments

in academic papers.

Some projects listed in university materials as being sponsored

by the Israeli Ministry of War or weapons companies also did

not include the amounts of funding provided -- or contained

inconsistent or contradictory records in audit databases.

Drop Site reviewed and verified public records --- showing research

grants, tuition payments, and gifts ...totalling millions of dollars to

dozens of colleges and universities across the country. The data

shows examples of financial support and sponsorship for US

researchers from the Israeli Ministry of War, plus Israeli

weapons manufacturers - such as Elbit Systems.

Records dating from 2004 to 2025 - point to a large number of

schools that have had financial relationships with the Israeli

Ministry of War or Israeli weapons manufacturers, including

Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard, Northwestern,

Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, the University of

Connecticut, the University of Tennessee,

the University of Maryland, the University

of Florida, the University of California, at

Berkeley, the University of Rhode Island,

the University of New Mexico -- as well

as Washington University, in St. Louis,

and the State University of New York.

The recorded financial relationships include time-bound research

contracts --- and do not indicate whether relationships with the

ministry are still ongoing. Previous reporting has documented

ministry funding of programs at MIT, and student protests

there... over the relationship.

In addition to financial support from the ministry and Elbit, records

also showed sponsorship of individual research projects related

to military technologies by the Israeli defense manufacturers

Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Taken together, the records reveal.... an opaque defense-

research pipeline spread across some of the country's

most prominent universities.

Defense research ties ----
span major US campuses

In one example that illustrates the typical nature of these ties, a War

Ministry-sponsored project at the University of Connecticut was

listed in public audit records under the title, “Impact

Prediction Research for Short & Medium Range

Thrusting Projectiles.”

Connecticut's annual federal-award schedules --- record $668,456 in

funding under that title across nine fiscal years between 2013 and

2023, with the funder listed as "Israel's" Ministry of War. Another

Israeli Ministry of War-linked research project at the school ----

titled "High Sensitivity SQUIDs for Magnetic Field Detection"

received $251,336 in funding across the same period.

Federal law requires colleges and universities receiving federal

assistance to disclose gifts and contracts totalling at least

$250,000 in a calendar year from a foreign source, though

transactions below that threshold may remain outside

the public reporting system. But these multi-year

contributions do not consistently appear in

federal databases - intended to help the

public track foreign money flowing

into US universities.

The Education Department's latest public disclosure of foreign gifts

and funding contains no "Israel"-attributed entry for the University

of Connecticut, even as entries for ministry funding appear in

other databases and audit documentation.

The Israeli occupation government --- and its allies in Congress --- are

now seeking to transform relationships like these.. from a scattered

research pipeline ---- into formal US defense policy. The fiscal 2026

National Defense Authorization Act already directed the Pentagon

to establish a US-Israeli Defense Industrial Base Working Group,

to consider integrating "Israel" into what it calls “the American

National Technology and Industrial Base.”

A proposal --- advanced by the House Armed Services Committee

for the fiscal 2027 NDAA would go further, creating a US-"Israel"

Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative charged with

expanding bilateral research, development, testing,

weapons production, and industrial cooperation.

If these measures become law, the scattered funding connections

documented in US university audit trails.... and research papers....

will become part of the US military-industrial base's architecture.

Israeli weapons companies
---- fund military research

Israeli forces have used drones, automated intelligence tools,

persistent aerial surveillance, precision-guided projectiles,

and large-scale data analysis throughout the genocide in

the Gaza Strip, as well as wars on Lebanon, Iran, Syria,

and Yemen.

Those operations draw upon technologies originating in the same

research fields that the Israeli government and weapons

manufacturers have paid US academics to advance,

including video surveillance, human-activity

recognition, autonomous flight, network

analysis, target identification,

magnetic sensing, and

projectile impact

''modeling''.

At the University of Central Florida, researchers... have received

funding from Elbit Systems to develop algorithms to recognize

human activity and detect objects in video.

Records from the University of Tennessee show that a US subsidiary

of Elbit also provided $514,500 in payments to the school between

2023, 2024, and 2025. The available public documentation does

not identify what programs or researchers the contributions

were intended to support, with the description listing the

purpose of the funding simply as “tuition payments for

various students.”

“For relatively small sums, like the price of funding a single PhD—

Israel has gained major new capabilities that have bolstered its

capacity to commit genocide in Gaza, carry out a brutal

occupation of Lebanon, and spark a war with Iran that

has escalated to a region wide conflict,” said William

Hartung, a political scientist, and expert on the US

arms industry and Pentagon budgetary practices.

Many awards from the Israeli Ministry of War are classified as

US Department of War expenditures, with the Israeli ministry

identified as the pass-through entity that administers the

grants. MIT, for example, has stated that the money for

its projects funded by the Israeli ministry.. originated

with the US Department of War.

The US provides an estimated $3.8 billion in annual military

aid to "Israel" on top of other forms of assistance.

Some audit records identify the Pentagon's Defense Security

Cooperation Agency, which administers US security

assistance and weapons-transfer programs, as

the primary agency providing the funding

that was ultimately directed by the

Israeli Ministry of War.

The public documents do not establish whether every dollar for

particular research support at a school came from "Israel's"

treasury, from US military assistance placed under Israeli

procurement authority, or from some combination of

the two.

Audit trail reveals actual numbers

In the summer of 2025, MIT professor Markus Buehler withdrew from

an Israeli Ministry of War grant - after a student-led campaign

publicized the project. The decision followed more than a

year of protests over MIT's defense relationships with

"Israel", which the university says amounted to $4

million for individual ministry-linked projects

between fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2024,

plus $290,000 in fiscal 2025.

A trail of open-source records traces similar financial and research

relationships between the Israeli defense establishment and

schools in Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Florida,

New Jersey, Texas, California, and Virginia.

At Columbia University, annual audits name two ministry-linked

projects and record $799,190 in grants. One Ministry of War-

funded project for “Direct 3D Printing of Integrated Electro

Mechanical Systems” accounted for $469,999 from 2016

through 2021, while another.... for “Optimizing Micro

Resonators Based Sensor” accounted for another

$329,191 from 2021 --- through to 2024.

Columbia's fiscal 2024 audit lists the latter project under the US

Department of War, with the “Israeli Ministry of Defense” as

the “pass-through name,” and records $25,327 in funding.

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York

shows audit entries for five Israeli Ministry of War-linked

projects totaling $949,915 from 2010 through 2021.

Florida's statewide audits record $1,195,795 in expenditures

passed through the Ministry of War from 2012 through 2021,

while not identifying the schools that received all of

this funding.

Campus records ......connect at least some of the awards to the

University of Central Florida and the University of Florida. One

University of Florida engineering publication names an Israeli

Ministry of War-sponsored project, “Coupled Size and Rate

Effects in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete,” beginning

in 2012. While listing the project under “Sponsored

Research,” the newsletter did not identify the

amount the school received from the

ministry for the study.

In response to a request for comment about another $150,000

contract beginning in March 2015 that named the Israeli

Ministry of War at UC Berkeley, a spokesperson said

that, “UC Berkeley complies with all of the statues

and regulations that apply to contracts and gifts

from foreign sources,” noting that the school

is only involved in fundamental research

and adding that, “every government,

every researcher, every person in

the world can read the results of

our research in freely available

scientific publications.”

UC Berkeley did not respond to additional questions about the

purpose of the ministry funding. Other schools contacted by

Drop Site did not respond to requests for comment, or

stated that they could not provide information

about the cited funding.

In addition to records from audits, public information from

individual researchers, provides more hints of the scope

of Israeli military research funding.

In February, The Nation reported that computer-vision researchers

Mubarak Shah and Abhijit Mahalanobis received a $200,000 Elbit

Systems of America grant in 2020 to develop... “human activity

recognition” technology, while Mahalanobis received another

$60,000 .....for algorithms involving object detection and

human-activity recognition.

At the University of Maryland.... aerospace engineering professor

Inderjit Chopra's research page lists two Israeli ministry grants:

$150,000 for “Autonomous Operation of Micro-Helicopters,”

from 2011 to 2012, and $300,000 for “Aeromechanics of

Rotorcraft in High Speed Flight,” from 2014 to 2016.

A curriculum vitae filed by another researcher in a separate US

Patent and Trademark Office proceeding lists Israeli Ministry

of War funding of $150,000 - for “Functional Targeting of

Terror Networks: A Big Data Approach,” from February

2017 through December 2018, and $153,520 for “Fast

Algorithms for Group Between-ness Centrality in

Massive Social Networks.”

Princeton University records identify physicist Michael Romalis on a

$600,000 contract called “Pulsed Scalar Atomic Magnetometer.”

The university's fiscal 2018 sponsored-awards report names

the Government of "Israel's" Ministry of War --- and the

Defense Security Cooperation Agency as sponsors

and gives a contract period from July 2015

through to June 2019.

Texas Tech University's engineering newsletters list another award

for $400,000 from the Israeli Ministry of War to research a “Sealed

Vircator HPM System,” naming James Dickens, John Mankowski,

and Andreas Neuber, as researchers.

The vircator technology has a clear military application: Texas

Tech's Centre for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics

describes vircators as compact, high-power micro-

wave sources and says its work includes

coordinating vehicle-mounted emitters

with GPS timing to place a microwave

“hot spot” at a desired location, an

application potentially useful for

combating drone swarms.

The purpose of a separate Israeli Ministry of War-linked funding

stream at the University of Texas at Austin is less clear from

the public records. UT Austin's fiscal 2013 financial report..

identifies $58,992 in expenditures under an Israeli Ministry

of War purchase order. Statewide audit schedules record

expenditures under the same purchase order,

reappearing in public audit records from

2010 through to 2014, for $299,952.

The audit archive contains still more Israeli military-named

expenditures, including recorded contributions to North-

western University and Washington University in St.

Louis, and repeated entries for the Ministry of War

in audits for the state of Virginia.

But the opaque nature of some support that turned up in

public records means that financial and in-kind support

to universities, may not even be recorded in any audit

trail at all.

At the University of Texas at Dallas, Haoran Wei and Nasser

Kehtarnavaz produced a video-surveillance system in a

study that the published paper indicated was “funded

by Elbit Systems of America through a contract with

the University of Texas at Dallas” --------- without

mentioning the amount of financial support.

The report also noted..... that the company had provided “far-field

video clips” to help conduct their research on target recognition.

Federal disclosures leave
gaps in funding records

Section 117 of the Higher Education Act generally requires a

federally assisted university to report covered gifts and

contracts from a foreign source when they meet or

exceed $250,000, including multi-year contracts

meeting that threshold.... over their duration.

Under the Education Department's example, a five-year research

contract worth $50,000 a year is reportable at signing because

its lifetime value is $250,000.

The Education Department's inspector general warned in February

2025 that oversight of the system was weak, with insufficient

controls to ensure reporting requirements were being met.

The current disclosure thresholds also make it easier for foreign

countries to contribute amounts below that number to avoid

triggering reporting requirements while still providing

significant sums for individual research projects.

That lack of oversight contributes to a situation in which millions

of dollars from a foreign military under increasing scrutiny in the

US for human rights abuses and facing genocide charges from

international courts have been used to fund military research

at US universities.

These relationships are now coming under greater scrutiny at a time

when public opinion on "Israel" has soured in the US ------ due to the

genocide in Gaza and the Israeli aggression in other regional wars.

“No self-respecting university should accept funding from Israel,

given its destabilizing, destructive, and inhumane use of U.S.

weapons,” said Hartung.

Source: Drop Site News

Today, August the 26th, is

Heroes' Day in Namibia.

Heroes' Day is a national public holiday in Namibia,

recognized by the United Nations as Namibia Day.

Celebrated annually on 26 August, the day

commemorates the Namibian War of

Independence which began on

August 26th, in 1966.... at

Omugulugwombashe.

In 1966, the United Nations General Assembly revoked South

Africa's mandate to govern South West African territory and

placed it under direct UN administration. South Africa

refused to recognize this resolution.

The South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) at that time

prepared for armed resistance -- and founded its armed wing, the

People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962. Many of its

former commanders were in exile, but PLAN began to infiltrate

the north of Namibia to establish training camps.

Omugulugwombashe was the training camp

established in June 1966 by PLAN

commander John Ya

Otto Nankudhu.

The group under Nankudhu had just started to build defensive

structures and planned to train about 90 soldiers there.

On 26 August 1966, eight helicopters of the South African Defence

Force attacked the guerrilla fighters at Omugulugwombashe.

At the time of the attack, there were only 17 soldiers in

the camp. It was the first armed battle of the War.

Namibia has two state cemeteries, the Heroes' Acre outside the

capital Windhoek, and the site at Omugulugwombashe in the

Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of

northern Namibia.

In commemoration of the day, 26 August is a public holiday in

Namibia. While recognized by the UN as Namibia Day, the

day is celebrated as Heroes' Day in Namibia. It

is normally celebrated in different regions,

and in 2026 will be celebrated at the

Heroes' Acre outside Windhoek.

National celebrations take place annually at different places,

usually in the north of Namibia, near important battle zones.

Hundreds of people gather annually to watch leaders officially

commemorate veterans of the People's Liberation Army of

Namibia (PLAN). Likewise, honours - such as military

medals - are presented on this day.

UK legislators call for comprehensive

arms embargo, settlement trade ban

on Israel

July 27th, 6:06am

(PressTV)

A coalition of 80 British lawmakers and peers has called on

newly appointed British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to

impose sanctions on Israel -- including a comprehensive

arms embargo and a ban on trade that supports illegal

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a letter, spearheaded by MP Kim Johnson, they urged the

government to “decisively change its stance to uphold the

rights of the Palestinian people and to prevent Israel’s

continued violation of international law.”

It also called on the government to acknowledge the UN

Independent Commission of Inquiry report, which

validated Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Alongside recognition of the UN finding, the lawmakers urged

the government to fully enforce the International Court of

Justice' advisory opinion, delivered on July 19, 2024.

It holds that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories

is unlawful, that Israel should put an end to that occupation,

desist from creating new settlements, and evacuate those

already established.

“The previous administration ---- has willfully ignored the rulings of

international courts. It has still failed to issue a formal response

to the July 2024 International Court of Justice judgment

- which requires Britain to cease all actions that aid or

assist [Israel’s] grave violations of international law,”

the letter read.

It added, “Now is the opportunity for this government and for you,

as the new Prime Minister, to truly turn a new page.”

The letter bore the signatures of prominent legislators,

including Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, Baroness

Jenny Jones, and Baroness Warsi.

In an op-ed for Labour Outlook, Johnson stated that Palestine

has emerged as the “defining test” of the Labour Party’s

commitment to the notion --- that international law

applies to all.

“If we condemn violations in one part of the world while excusing

or ignoring them elsewhere, we undermine the very rules-based

international order that Britain claims to defend,” she said.

“Burnham tells us --- he has a plan to renew confidence in Labour. If

that renewal is to mean anything, it must begin by making a clean

break with the failures of Starmerism on Palestine. If we are truly

serious about turning the page, there could be no clearer place

to begin,” Johnson noted.

The letter is supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which

has been advocating for Burnham to distance himself from former

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s disgraceful legacy by implementing

extensive sanctions against Israel - comprising a complete arms

embargo, a cessation - of all military collaboration &
diplomatic support - and a total ban on all trade.

The world and her daughter are calling for a boycott
of the genocidal colonial apartheid state of Israel.

Place yourself on the right side of joy and sorrow
by joining the world's boycott - say ''no'' to evil!

ROGER WATERS
TO MUSICIANS:-
"BOYCOTT ISRAEL"

Roger Waters formerly of Pink Floyd, in an open letter,
calls on his fellow musicians --- to boycott the Zionist
Israeli regime and follow the example of the cultural
boycott against the ex S. African Apartheid regime.

“Given the inability or unwillingness of our governments
[to act] …. I write to you now, my brothers and sisters …
to ask you to join with me, & thousands of other artists
around the world, to declare a cultural boycott
on Israel,” Roger Waters says in his letter.

Waters says the Zionist regime has been found guilty of
major breaches of human rights and international law
by international organizations, UN officials and the
International Court of Justice.

He touches on two such cases, saying the regime has been
identified as perpetrating the “crime of Apartheid”, including
in a statement on March 9th, 2012 by the UN Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the “crime of
ethnic cleansing” including in East Jerusalem (al-Quds).

Waters adds that he has been a member of the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the
Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands and
Tel Aviv’s violations of Palestinian human rights for 7
years, and now wants other musicians to also join
the anti-Israeli front.

“Please join me and all our brothers and sisters in global
civil society in proclaiming our rejection of Apartheid in
Israel & occupied Palestine, by pledging not to perform
or exhibit in Israel or accept any award or funding from
any institution linked to the government of Israel, until
such time as Israel complies with international law
and universal principles of human rights.”

The former Pink Floyd Musician also says he has recently
faced a boycott by the US media after his November 29th,
2012 address at the UN on behalf of the Russell Tribunal.

In the address, he sought accountability for the Zionist
regime’s violations of the international law and the lack
of United Nations resolve that prevents the Palestinian
people from achieving their inalienable rights,
especially the right of self-determination.

____________________

www.wegottickets.com/thefactory

www.ticketweb.co.uk

browse venues in Wales

www.ticketlineuk.com

02920 230130

Cash tickets from:

The Factory, Porth
Instrumental Music, Penygraig
Spillers Records, Cardiff

For more details visit

www.factoryporth.com
www.facebook.com/TheFactoryVenue
Twitter @TheFactoryPorth
01443 687080

***********************************************

Daytime Delights...

Starts at 1pm

The Parc & Dare, Treorchy

Lunchtime Concerts in the Lounge Bar.

Indulge in a delicious cake and a cup of tea
while enjoying music and sing-along songs
from fantastic Welsh musicians.

Ticket information:

The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:

08000 147 111
or book online at

www.rct-arts.co.ukÃ‚Â

*************************************************

Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...

7pm - 9pm

Tonyrefail Comprehensive School
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club

has been running for over 30 years.

We meet on a regular basis

& enjoy making models for display.

We encourage both Gentlemen

and Ladies to attend,
and also young people aged 12+.

However, Young people under 16,
must be accompanied by an adult.

Ticket information

£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free

Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658

************************************************

Comedy In The Laughter Lounge

The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.

COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE

Join us once a month in the intimate setting
of the Laughter Lounge for some
top notch comedy with some of the
biggest and brightest
rising comedians on the circuit.

Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!

Hilarious - TimeOut.

www.rct-arts.co.uk

Rhondda Records exists to express the Rhondda's
vision --- when it was confident, powerful, caring,
and socialist.

A Rhondda very aware of the media's poisonous
tricks -- how they con working class people into
attacking each other, or racial groups, or, often,
even their best allies and friends... instead of
seeing their real enemies:--- an elite who hate
the very idea that working people can think,
create, or achieve a fairer society.

Thatcher said her proudest achievement was
Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in
careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop
local Labour members having a say, and
who made genuine socialist MPs leave
the Labour party in disgust and many
members and voters to despair...
and the young to stop voting.

Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because
he was trying to reverse all that New Labour
corruption --- that's why membership was
flooding in all over the UK.

______________________________________

Get Involved!

– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’,
take this online survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/857YMDK

or this one:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0du5YuhPZ8ahI
oxC_b6pvBprmGA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1

– Request all your own data that
the Labour Party holds on you:

http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy

_______________________________________

IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:

“Any member who is suspended & intends
to appeal the decision should throw in a
‘Subject Access Request in accordance
with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL
data that the Labour Party hold on them.

The Labour Party are Data Controllers and
therefore have to, by law, provide you with
all material/information they hold on you.”

If anyone is in contact with anyone who
was barred from voting --- please can
you pass this info on:

The Labour leadership election was under the
jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.

If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you
can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge
your complaint, and inform them of your
Data Protection request.

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

The notification letters barring new members
did not give a clear reason, or information on
how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that
anyone in this situation, could also contact
Liz Davies here: http://www.whycantivote.com

She is a barrister --- who can
advise members on what to do.

**************************************

PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?

A huge drop in working-class Labour MPs,
caused a massive drop in support among
voters with similar backgrounds, reveals
research seeking to explain why support
has dwindled in the party’s heartlands.

The study says past leaders like Kinnock
and Blair made a concerted effort to pick
“more and more middle-class candidates
to run for office, during the 80s and 90s,
as part of an effort to rebrand” -- which
had initial successes at the ballot box.

But this “conscious electoral strategy”
stored up problems, as working-class
voters who initially, just didn’t vote in
response, now seek an alternative.

The solution? Trust each constituency to put
forward its own candidates, and don't impose
‘party-approved’ choices who can't do the job.

Now, unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for
decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic
organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are
now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards
cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda...
- and their anti-Corbyn slant is hobbling Labour.

‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guide
to Reselection and Democratic Accountability
by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:

http://novaramedia.com/2016/07/13/how-can-i-
deselect-my-labour-mp-a-short-guide-to-
reselection-and-democratic-accountability/

CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS'
LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda's dodgy MP,
was on TV -- as soon as the PLP coup
started -- telling us that Jeremy MUST
go, because it was the ONLY way to
act in the Labour Party's interest...

Chris Bryant's voting record:
from TheyWorkForYou.com

On Tuition Fees:

On 27 Jan 2004:
Chris Bryant voted in favour of university tuition
fees increasing from £1,125 per year, to up to
£3,000 per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted for the introduction of variable
university tuition fees (top-up fees) of up to £3,000
per year in place of the previous fixed fee of £1,250
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year to up to £3,000
per year, and to make other changes to higher
education funding and regulation arrangements.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted against: the immediate abolition
of all tuition fees, the re-introduction of maintenance
grants of up to £2,000 for students from low-income
homes, and changes to the country's higher
education system.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to reject the Liberal
Democrat policy of abolition of tuition fees.

On 25 May 2016:
Chris Bryant was absent for a vote on Queen's
Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies
- Further Rises in University Tuition Fees

On Human Rights:

Consistently voted for introducing ID cards

Almost always voted for requiring the mass
retention of information about communications

Generally voted for mass surveillance of
people’s communications and activities

On the Environment:

Generally voted against greater regulation
of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract
shale gas

On Special Interests:

Almost always voted against limits
on success fees paid to lawyers in
no-win no fee cases

Generally voted against a
statutory register of lobbyists

On War or Peace:

Generally voted for use of UK military
forces in combat operations overseas

Consistently voted for the Iraq war

Consistently voted against an
investigation into the Iraq war

Generally voted for replacing Trident
with a new nuclear weapons system

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On Independence:

Generally voted for more EU integration

____________________________

Chris Bryant Labour MP
From Wikipedia

(aka 1962-1986: Mr Christopher John Bryant
1986-1991: The Reverend Christopher John
Bryant, 1991-2001: Mr Christopher John
Bryant, 2001-: Mr Christopher John
Bryant MP.)

Born in Cardiff, to a Scottish mother & a Welsh
father, Bryant grew up in Cardiff, Wales (where
his father worked for 5 years), and Cheltenham.

He was educated at Cheltenham College, an
independent school for boys in the spa town
of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where he
was captain of the school swimming team,
and Mansfield College at the University of
Oxford, where he graduated in 1983, with
a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English.
This was later promoted to a Master of
Arts degree (MA (Oxon)), as per tradition.

After completing his first degree, Bryant began
training to be a priest in the Church of England
at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire.
There, he obtained a degree in theology.

Although a member of the Conservative
Party, and an elected office-holder in the
Oxford University Conservative Association,
he joined the Labour Party in 1986, after
leaving Oxford.

He was ordained deacon in 1986 and priest in
1987. He served as a Curate at the Church of
All Saints, High Wycombe, from 1986 to 1989;
then as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough,
as well as travelling in Latin America.

In 1991 Bryant left the ordained ministry, after
deciding that being gay and being a priest,
were incompatible. Statements made by
Richard Harries, then Bishop of Oxford,
also influenced his decision.

After leaving the priesthood in 1991, Bryant
worked as the election agent to the Holborn
and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party,
where he helped Frank Dobson hold his seat
in the 1992 general election.

From 1993, he was Local Government officer
for the Labour Party; he lived in Hackney and
was elected to Hackney Borough Council in
1993, serving until 1998. He became Chair of
the Christian Socialist Movement.

He is both a member of the Labour Friends
of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine &
the Middle East. From 1994 to 1996 he was
London manager of the leader-grooming
"charity", Common Purpose.

He was Labour candidate for Wycombe, in the
1997 general election (he lost by 2,370 votes),
and Head of European Affairs for the BBC,
from 1998.

His selection for the very safe Labour seat of
Rhondda, South Wales in 2000, shocked many
people given Bryant's background – gay, an ex-
Anglican vicar, and someone who was a Tory,
while studying at Oxford, and a member now,
of the Henry Jackson Society 'think tank' ---
described by The Guardian newspaper as
'neoconservative'. It is pro-US, pro-NATO
and pro-military intervention, as well as
being fundamentally anti-socialist.

Fifty-two people applied for the candidature
and a local councillor was hot favourite to
win, before Bryant was parachuted in.

In 2004, a photograph of Mr Bryant in his
underpants, which he had posted to a gay
dating website, was published in 'papers.

When an interviewer suggested he was
a 'disgrace to the Rhondda', he replied:
"They can't get rid of me."

His pay, allowances and some expenses:

The basic annual salary for an MP, from
April 1st, 2016 is £74,962. MPs also get
expenses: to cover the costs of running
an office, employing staff, having some-
where to live in London, plus, in their
constituency and travelling between
Parliament and their constituency.

His MP's expenses story:

Chris Bryant changed second home
twice to claim £20,000: the deputy
leader of the House of Commons,
"flipped" his second home twice,
in 2 years, allowing him to claim
almost £20,000 for renovations
and fees.

Chris Bryant, MP for the Rhondda, split over
£92,000 of expenses between 3 properties
in Wales and London --- within five years.

In 2004, he attempted to claim £58,000 to
overhaul his second home in Wales, after
allegedly complaining that properties in
his constituency were "terrace or mine
owners' houses".

Mr Bryant, a former Church of England clergyman,
wanted the money for a new bathroom & kitchen,
and to demolish his conservatory. He'd bought the
detached house for £97,500, under a year earlier.

He submitted a claim to the Commons fees office for
£58,493.26 --- almost 3 times the annual maximum.
He noted that the claim exceeded his allowance.

His alleged justification was disclosed... in
correspondence between Commons officials.
By email, an official wrote: "He had problems
finding a suitable property because in the
Rhondda there is a choice mainly of terraced
property or mine owners' houses." When
approached by the Daily Telegraph,
Mr Bryant said: "I have never said
or thought anything of the sort".

In all, he successfully claimed over £13,000
for renovations, repairs & appliances, in 2004.
Along with other bills, his annual claim was
£20,902.

In April 2005, he flipped his expenses to his flat in
west London, which he bought for £400,000 in April
2002. He also claimed £630 a month for mortgage
interest, along with other bills. After claiming over
£3,600 over 3 months, he sold the flat in July 2005
for £477,000.

Mr Bryant used his profits to buy a more expensive
flat in west London, which was valued at £670,000.
He immediately flipped his second home expenses
there, claiming almost £6,400 in stamp duty, legal
fees and mortgage fees, incurred in the purchase.

He then began claiming interest of £1,000 a month
on the mortgage. He also claimed a further £6,000
a year for the flat's service charge and ground rent.

In all, he claimed £92, 415 in second
home expenses, from 2004 to 2009.

Mr Bryant said at the time: "I moved flat in
London, so as to be closer to Parliament."

Research by Channel 4 News in 2015 found that
at least 46 MPs had this kind of system in place
– a move one Labour backbencher described as
“a new fiddle”. Channel 4 reported then:

“Our investigation found that many of the MPs
bought their London properties with the help of
the taxpayer, when a previous expenses system
allowed them to claim back mortgage payments.
But when those claims were banned, following
the expenses scandal, they switched to letting
out their properties, in some cases for up to
£3,000 a month. They then started claiming
expenses for rent and hotels in the capital.”

Among those identified was Chris Bryant, shadow
leader of the House of Commons. He had already
bought a penthouse in London back in 2005 and
claimed around £1,000 a month in mortgage
claims under the old system.

But after the expenses scandal, he started renting
the property out. It’s since been advertised by estate
agents as having a private lift and a porter, with rent
at about £3,000 a month. Meanwhile, Bryant moved
into a new flat;- claiming his own rent on expenses.

Russian/Scottish scientists hail long-range
secure quantum communication system.

A group of scientists from ITMO University
in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has developed
a new approach to constructing quantum
communication systems for secure data
exchange.

The experimental device based on the results of the
research is capable of transmitting single-photon
quantum signals across distances of 250 klmtrs
or more, which is on par with its cutting edge
analogues, the ITMO press-service says.

"Now researchers are on a mission -- to create
a fully-fledged quantum cryptographic system,
that will generate & distribute quantum keys
and transmit useful data simultaneously",
ITMO says.

Information security is becoming more and more
of a critical issue not only for large companies,
banks and defense enterprises but even for
small businesses and individual users.

But the data encryption algorithms we currently
use for protecting our data are imperfect - in the
long-term, their logic can be cracked. Regardless
of how complex and intricate the algorithm is,
getting around it, is just a matter of time.

Unlike algorithm-based encryption, systems
that protect information, by making use of
fundamental laws of quantum physics, can
make data transmission totally immune to
hacker attacks, in the future.

Information in a quantum channel is carried
by single photons that change irreversibly
if an eavesdropper tries to intercept them.
The legitimate users will instantly know
about any kind of intervention.

Researchers at the Quantum Information Centre
of the International Institute of Photonics and
Optical Information Technology at ITMO Uni.,
Russia, along with their colleagues from the
Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, have
devised a new way to generate and
distribute, quantum bits.

This makes it possible to share quantum signals
--- via optical fibres --- 250 kilometres in distance.

"To transmit quantum signals, we use the so-
called side frequencies," says Artur Gleim,
head of the Quantum Information Centre,
at ITMO University,

"This unique approach gives us a number
of advantages -- such as a considerable
simplification of the device architecture
and the large pass-through capacity of
the quantum channel. In terms of bit rate
and operating distances, our system is
comparable to absolute champions in
the field of quantum communications."

According to Robert Collins, research associate
at the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences
at Heriot-Watt University, and one of the authors
of the study, this may become a pivotal point for
the whole field of quantum communication and
cryptography:

"Down the track, this new approach can enable
smooth coexistence of numerous data streams
with different wavelengths in one single optical
cable. On top of it, these quantum streams can
be fed into the already existing fibre optic lines
--- along with conventional communications."

The research paper is published
in the Optics Express journal.

Scottish universities are to be
congratulated for their strong
& growing links with Chinese
and Russian universities....

What a shame, that Wales is
lying low --- with academics
too scared to break from
US military research.

KILLING THE ELDERLY BY CLOSING CARE HOMES

Did you know that each time a local authority

closes a care home for the elderly, within 8

months, around half the residents are dead?

Campaigners liken the cuts and their effect
to euthanasia of the UK's elderly.
What to do?

We can start by urging our MPs to sign EDM 2251:

EDM 2251: The contents

This House notes with deep concern the worsening
crisis for elderly care as growing numbers of local
authority and private care homes face closure

Acknowledges concerns that the loss of elderly
people's care homes causes fear, anxiety and,
in many cases, a higher mortality rate, when
vulnerable, elderly people are forced to
leave their homes

Further notes that the Southern Cross crisis
will increase needs for local authority care

And therefore calls on the government to
hold a public inquiry into the deaths after
closures, of local authority care homes,
and impose a moratorium on the closure
of local authority care homes, until that
inquiry publishes its results, to ensure
that vulnerable, elderly people's lives
are not put at further risk.

FARMING AND SCIENCE
COULD REGENERATE WALES

A new UN General Assembly report warns
"vast areas" of cultivated land are lost each
year, and that this could lead to unrest.

The report says up to 30 million hectares,
an area the size of Italy, is lost each year
to environmental degradation, industry &
urbanization - the growth of cities - and all
because of speculative building and greed.

The UN special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter,
gives the example of eastern Africa, where
the amount of cultivated land has declined
by half --- in just one generation! "

As rural populations grow and competition
with large industrial units increases, plots
cultivated by smallholders are shrinking
year after year," says De Schutter.

"Farmers are often relegated to soils that
are arid, hilly or without irrigation."

The UN officer also mentions India as another
example, where the average landholding fell
from 2.6 hectares in 1960 to 1.4 hectares in
2000. A cut of nearly half in 40 years!

He says 500 million small farmers suffer
from hunger, partly because their right to
land is being violated.

The expert warns of the devastating
consequences, as foreign investors
compete for larger and larger areas of
the world's land for "their" agriculture.

Rhondda Records says Wales could rebuild
its new economy by basing it on a fresh
approach to high-value added products,
using science and agriculture... such as
the Altzeim project in Gwent.

What have we got to lose?