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Rhondda Records is with you every day
bringing the news ------- that gives a
view of world events different to
the mainstream media or
social media!

Except Sundays - our day of rest.

Journalist: To end war ------

prosecute UK, US officials

who wage(d) it illegally

October 22nd, 10:12pm (PressTV)

The world must finally put an end to the impunity of war

criminals, by holding US and UK officials responsible

for launching the illegal war on Iraq, done without

the approval of the UN Security Council, and

prosecuting them --- under the Nuremberg

principles, US journalist Don DeBar said.

DeBar made the remarks in an interview with Press TV while

commenting on a report which has revealed that the British

military inquiries into abuse against Iraqi nationals... have

been closed without a single prosecution being brought,

even though the credibility of many "shocking and

shameful incidents" during the war in the Middle

Eastern country, have been confirmed.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement

this week that the Service Police Legacy Investigations,

which was looking at claims of abuse in Iraq, had now

"officially closed its doors."

In March 2003, the US and Britain invaded Iraq in blatant

violation of international law and under the pretext of

finding WMDs; but no such weapons were ever

More than one million Iraqis were killed - as the result of

the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq

--- according to the California-based investigative

organization, Project Censored.

The US war in Iraq cost US taxpayers $1.7 trillion with

an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war
veterans, expenses that could grow to more than
$6 trillion over the next four decades counting
interest, according to a study called Costs of
War Project --- by the Watson Institute for

International Studies at Brown University.

DeBar told Press TV that the Iraq war

was illegal from the very beginning.

"It is illegal for a nation to make war on another nation if it

does not have the approval of the UN Security Council, if

any of those nations are signatories to the original UN

Charter. And it’s been adopted - that happened with

the US, as a charter member of the UN -- and it was

approved by the US Senate in the 1940s.

Consequently, the US involvement in Iraq from
the beginning, and the UK involvement in Iraq
from the beginning, was illegal,” he said.

“And under the Nuremberg standards, which would then

apply, each and every death consequent – intentional

or not - to either US or UK military action there, or

condoning of the US action there, by the media

or public officials, or any act facilitating that,

is an individual war crime. And, by the way,

there’s a death penalty for that,” the

“No one will prosecute these people. That’s why I started

with the word impunity. And we might bookend with that

because that’s the problem. And until the world puts an

end to that impunity, until the world sees the major

contradiction in all international relations, is US,

UK, and EU imperialism, then it’s going to

continue until this eats our species,”

A damning White House memo had revealed details of the

so-called “deal in blood” forged by former British Prime

Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush

The document, titled “Secret... Memorandum for the

President”, was sent by then-US Secretary of State

Colin Powell to President Bush --- on March 28th,
2002, a week before Bush’s summit with Blair
at his Crawford ranch in Texas.

The sensational memo, revealed that Blair had agreed to

support the war a year before the invasion even started

while publicly, the British prime minister was working
to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The document also disclosed that Blair agreed to act as a

spin doctor for Bush and convince a skeptical public that

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass

Destruction, which actually did not exist.

In response, Bush would flatter Blair and give the

impression that London was not Washington’s

poodle but an equal partner in the

“special relationship.”

Powell told Bush that Blair “will be with us” on the

Iraq war, and assured the president that “"the UK

will follow our lead in the Middle East."

Blair has always denied the claim that he and Bush

signed a deal “in blood”, at Crawford, to launch a

war against Iraq that began on March 20th, 2003,

that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

The Powell memo, however, showed how Blair and

Bush secretly prepared the Iraq war plot behind

closed doors at Crawford.

Powell told Bush: “He will present to you the strategic,

tactical and public affairs lines, that he believes will

strengthen global support for our common cause.”

They are betting on new regulations

to produce clean energy in Cuba

March 18th, 11:46am

(Prensa Latina)

The Holguín Electric Company today applies instructions to

produce and sell electricity through renewable sources,

which regulates interconnection to the national

system and tariff benefits for clients.

In accordance with Resolution 41/2026 -- users who install

photovoltaic systems will receive tax incentives such as

tax exemption for the importation of technologies and

exemption from payment on profits and income.

These facilities will remain in force during the investment

recovery period for a period of up to 8 years, according

to the regulatory document.

To access these benefits, it is an essential requirement

to obtain certification from the National Office for the

Rational Use of Energy (Onure).

Once approved, the client may contract with the Holguín

Electric Company to deliver their surplus generation

at no additional cost, through the use of

bi-directional meters.

Purchase rates are regulated by Resolution 238/2023,

with differentiated prices for the residential, non-

residential and sugar sectors.

Currently, the province has 441 solar systems installed,

of which 426 belong to the residential sector, with a

total power of 894.67 kilowatts.

Institutions such as the Moa Guillermo Luis Hospital and

the mipyme Tacal Calzado are already part of the users

that notified their energy production.

The entity emphasized that the assembly and maintenance

of this equipment must be carried out by certified

personnel --- to guarantee the safety of the

electrical system.

People hold up a banner as they protest

against Israel at the entrance of the

International Criminal Court

CBS News reported on: an investigation

into the former head of the US

Counter-Terrorism Centre

March 19th, 3:29am

(Izvestia.ru)

The FBI has launched an investigation into the former head
of the counter-terrorism centre ----- in the office of the
Director of National Intelligence USA, Joe Kent.

This was reported on March 18 by the TV channel
CBS News, with reference to sources familiar
with the situation.

"The FBI is investigating Kent on suspicion of leaking

classified information. The investigation, began

before Kent resigned this week," CBS News

sources asserted. The FBI... declined to

comment on the details of the case.

It is noted that Kent resigned on March 16. In his resignation

letter, he stated that Iran "did not pose an immediate threat

to the United States" and claimed --- that the war ---
was initiated under pressure from Israel.

_______________________________________

Qatar Energy announced ---- another

missile attack on its infrastructure

March 19th, 2:46am

(RT.ru)

Qatar Energy has announced another attack on its
infrastructure, which took place on March 19.

"Qatar Energy confirms: that some liquefied natural gas

facilities were targeted by a missile strike, in the early

hours of March 19," Qatar Energy said in a statement.

Earlier, the head of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, estimated

as a disaster the damage from the strike on the LNG

plant in Qatar.

Qatar Energy suspended LNG production

after an Iranian drone attack.

Qatar Energy, following the shutdown of liquefied gas

production --- suspended the production of certain

chemical, petrochemical, and refining products.

__________________________________________________

Trump...... threatened to destroy

South Pars if Iran attacks Qatar

March 19th, 2:35am

(RT.ru)

US President Donald Trump - has threatened

to destroy South Pars if Iran attacks Qatar.

"In that case, the United States, with or without Israel's

help and consent, will massively blow up the entire

South Pars gas field," he warned on TruthSocial.

Earlier...... the Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian oil

and gas facilities South Pars and Assaluyeh, were attacked.

Trump ''admitted'' that the White House did not know

about Israel's plans to attack the South Pars field.

He promised that Israel would
no longer strike South Pars.

__________________________________________

Hezbollah - ambushes Israeli forces

targets 6 Merkava tanks in Taybeh

March 19th, 12:35am

(Al Mayadeen English)

Hezbollah Resistance fighters -- targeted six Israeli Merkava

tanks in al-Taybeh overnight using guided missiles, rockets,

and artillery.

In a series of coordinated attacks, fighters of the Islamic

Resistance in Lebanon, Hezbollah, targeted Israeli

Merkava tanks in the Beidar al-Fuq’ani area of

Taybeh, southern Lebanon --- in defense of

Lebanon --- and its people, according to

statements issued by the Resistance.

The resistance successfully engaged Merkava tanks

and continued rocket and artillery barrages --- to

disrupt enemy operations.

The operations achieved confirmed direct hits on Israeli

armoured vehicles, demonstrating the ability to strike

critical targets and assert control ..over contested

frontline areas.

Precision strikes on Israeli tanks

At 12:05 a.m. in a precise operation, resistance fighters

targeted a Merkava tank in al-Taybeh with a guided

missile, achieving a direct hit.

At 1:15 a.m, three additional Merkava tanks in the same

area were struck with guided missiles, increasing the

total number of destroyed tanks - to four.

Fifteen minutes later, at 1:30 a.m., two more Merkava tanks

were successfully targeted ---- bringing the total to six.

Fighters continued engaging the area with successive

rocket and artillery fire, maintaining the pressure on

enemy positions.

In a detailed statement, the Resistance revealed that for the

third time this week, Israeli occupation forces attempted to

advance in the town of al-Taybeh toward the al-Baydar al-

Fuq’ani area north of the town. Upon detecting the

advancing enemy force, Resistance fighters set

up a precise ambush, striking them ------- with

guided missiles --- destroying the first tank.

The enemy, then attempted to advance toward the Abu Makni

area in Deir Sreian - before Resistance fighters targeted them

with guided missiles, achieving direct hits that destroyed 5

Merkava tanks, forcing the Israeli soldiers ----- to flee

the combat zone.

In response, the Israeli army dispatched multiple helicopters

to evacuate the wounded under heavy fire and smoke cover,

only for the Resistance to strike the evacuation zone with

successive rocket and artillery barrages.

The operations came in defense of Lebanon and its people as

part of Operation Devoured Straw ----- and in response to the

Israeli aggression, which had targeted dozens of Lebanese

villages and cities, including the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Israeli troop gatherings under fire

Hezbollah fighters executed a coordinated series of strikes

against multiple Israeli troop concentrations ...along the

Lebanese border. Launching precise rocket salvos, the

Resistance engaged forces at key border positions,

including Aitaroun, Odaisseh, Talat al-Khazzan,

and the al-Taybeh Project.

The operations achieved confirmed casualties among Israeli
forces and forced emergency helicopter evacuations, thus

demonstrating their ability to disrupt enemy troop

deployments and deny operational stability

along the frontline.

Source: Al Mayadeen net

_________________________________________

IRGC launches wave 63:

Fire reaches US-linked

oil facilities in region

March 18th, 9:02pm

Al Mayadeen English

The IRGC announced retaliatory strikes ----- on US-linked oil

facilities following attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure,

warning that further aggression will trigger even stronger

responses against US and allied targets.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced the launch

of Wave 63 of Operation True Promise 4, predominantly

targeting oil facilities linked to the US in the region.

The latest launch was dedicated to "the brave soul of

Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and the martyrs

of Iran's intelligence establishment."

In an official statement on Wednesday, the IRGC described

the latest wave as a “turning point” in the course of the

war, coming in response..... to attacks on Iran’s

energy infrastructure.

The IRGC declared in a complementary statement, that

"Iran had no intention of expanding the confrontation

to oil installations" ..or harming the economies of

neighbouring and friendly countries. However,

the attacks on its energy infrastructure

compelled Tehran - to escalate to a

“new phase,” targeting facilities

affiliated with the US and

its shareholders.

The statement emphasized that Iranian forces acted swiftly

- in response to the aggression, setting ablaze several oil

installations that serve US interests - in a proportional

response aimed at inflicting significant damage on

enemy assets.

The IRGC also issued a warning to US and Israeli forces,

stating that any further attacks on Iran’s energy

infrastructure - would trigger an even more

severe retaliation -- extending to allied

targets until “complete destruction”

is achieved.

Iran responds: Evacuate oil facilities

Earlier today, Iran's oil industry facilities at the South Pars field

and in the Asaluyeh region were attacked by the US and
"Israel". Iranian state TV reported that phases 3, 4,

5, and 6 of the South Pars gas field were struck,

marking a significant hit ------ to Iran's key

energy infrastructure.

Israeli officials similarly said that they bombed Iran’s largest

natural gas processing facility in Bushehr Province this

morning, while Iranian reports say - strikes hit South

Pars and Asaluyeh, forcing several phases offline.

In response, Iran issued urgent evacuation warnings for

civilians residing near major energy and petrochemical

facilities across the Gulf region, including the SAMREF

refinery in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Hosn gas field in the

UAE, the Jubail petrochemical complex in Saudi

Arabia (Chevron), the Mesaieed petrochemical

complex in Qatar and the Ras Laffan refinery

in Qatar.

Iran's state TV, soon after, announced the targeting of

Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial site with a missile salvo.

QatarEnergy confirmed that: "emergency response teams

were deployed immediately to contain the resulting fires,

as extensive damage has been caused."

Warnings from Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters

The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters - reiterated that

any US-Israeli attack on Iran’s fuel, gas, or economic

infrastructure would trigger a direct and forceful

response at the source of the aggression.

The headquarters emphasized that targeting infrastructure in

the aggressor’s territory, is a “legitimate right,” adding that

any response - would be swift and decisive.

'Heavy and reciprocal' response

The IRGC stressed that Iran had not initially sought to expand

the confrontation into the energy sector --- or harm the

economies of regional countries. However, it said

that strikes on its vital infrastructure imposed a

direct response, resulting in operations it

described as “heavy and reciprocal.”

According to the statement, the attacks led to fires at oil

facilities tied to US interests, signaling a shift in the

scope of the confrontation.

The IRGC warned ------- that any further targeting of Iranian

infrastructure would be met with a more severe response,

potentially -- reaching the level of “complete destruction

of the energy facilities of adversaries and their allies.”

Source: Al Mayadeen English

________________________________________________

True Promise 4: Iran and resistance

axis ops. against US-Israeli assets

on Mar. 18

March 18th, 8:42pm

(Press TV Website Staff)

Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region

continue to carry out retaliatory military operations against

the United States and the Israeli regime.

On Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, the Islamic Revolution

Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army conducted

multiple operations as part of the Operation True

Promise 4 -- which was launched immediately

after the US-Israeli coalition carried out an

unprovoked act of aggression against the

Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28.

Iranian armed forces have so far carried out 63 waves of

missile and drone strikes with advanced weaponry

targeting Israeli military facilities in the occupied

territories, as well as US occupation bases and

assets scattered across the West Asia region.

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement and the

Islamic Resistance in Iraq have also joined the front

against the external aggressors, inflicting heavy

blows on the enemy.

Hezbollah’s operations have been primarily focused on Israeli

military sites in the occupied territories. Its operations, are

both in response to the assassination of the Leader of the

Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and

the relentless ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime

over the past year.

Iraqi resistance groups have also been carrying out daily

operations, primarily against US military assets in Iraq

and other Arab countries.

Below is a list of operations carried out by the Iranian

armed forces, as well as resistance movements in

Lebanon and Iraq, against the US and the Zionist

regime on Wednesday, March 18:

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC):

Wave 60 of Operation True Promise 4 was executed in revenge

for the blood of Major General Gholamreza Soleimani --- the

brave commander of the Basij Organization, by attacking

the centres of aggression against Iran in US bases and

occupied territories in the form of a combined and

impact-oriented operation, with the code

"Ya Qamar Bani Hashim".

In this missile and drone operation, the bases of the US

military in Al-Azraq, Al-Udeid, Al-Dhafra, Ali Al-Salem,

and Al-Kharj were targeted with long-range and

medium-range systems, solid and liquid fuel

"Emad", "Qiam", "Zulfiqar", "Dezful", and

cruise missiles and explosive drones,

by the grace of God.

The air support and refueling centre of "Ashdod" and the

military and armament industry support centre "Rafael"

were also targeted with "Emad" and "Qadr" systems.

Tel Aviv, the centre of the murderous Zionist entity, was

subjected in the 61st wave of Operation True Promise

4 to a barrage of missiles, including the multi-

warhead "Khorramshahr 4," the multi-

warhead "Ghadr," "Emad," and

"Kheibar Shekan," under the

slogan: "Ya Aba Abdallah

Al-Hussein, in retaliation

for the assassination of

Dr. Ali Larijani ....and

his companions.

The "Khorramshahr 4" and "Ghadr" missiles, due to the

collapse of the multi-layered and highly advanced air

defense system, successfully struck more than 100

military targets - in the occupied territories' heart.

Wave 62 of Operation True Promise 4, with the blessed code

name "Ya Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha" (peace be upon him),

targeted all US bases in the region -- and the

assembly points of the military personnel

and combat support centres of Zionists

with Ghadr multi-warhead, Kheibar-

Shekan, Emad, and Hajj

Qassem missiles.

In this wave, centres in Akka, Haifa, Tel Aviv, and occupied

Bir Al-Sabi' were destroyed with powerful missiles, after

the collapse of the ultra-advanced defense systems of

the Zionist regime and the US -- without the warning

sirens being activated.

All US bases in the region were razed for the third consecutive

time in Ali Al-Salem, Victoria, Al-Kharj, Al-Udeid, Al-Udayri, Al-

Dhafra, Al-Azraq, the Fifth Fleet, and Arifjan with powerful

multi-warhead missiles and precise destructive drones.

Iranian Army:

Forced the US aircraft carrier “Abraham Lincoln” to leave the

region by executing a missile operation and firing powerful

coastal-to-sea missiles at it.

Two Hermes drones belonging to the US-Zionist

enemy - were destroyed in the skies of Tehran.

Hezbollah:

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their

vehicles on the Al-Khazzan hill in the border village of

Al-Odaisseh with rocket barrages.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the

"Misgav Am" settlement with an attack drone.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at Al-Marj

site, opposite the border town of Markaba, with a

rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Al-

Khanouq area in the border village of Aitaroun

with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the area of

the old spring (Al-Nab'a Al-Qadima) in the border village of

Al-Odaisseh ...with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers on Al-

Khazzan Hill in the border town of Odaisseh with

a rocket barrage.

Defending Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at Al-

Owaida hill in the border town of Odeissah with

a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the

Taybeh project --- with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the

"Shomera" settlement with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people - the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the "Kiryat

Shmona" settlement with a swarm of attack drones.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers on Al-Owayda

hill in the border town of Odeissah with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a group of Israeli soldiers attempting to

advance towards the town of Taybeh

with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters shot down a drone belonging to the Israeli

occupation.... over the town of Al-Marwaniyah in

southern Lebanon, with appropriate weapons.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted the "Ein Zeitim" base north of the occupied

city of Safad ........with a swarm of attack drones.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the "Kiryat

Shmona" settlement ........with a swarm of attack drones.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted the Yoav barracks in the occupied Syrian

Golan ......with a swarm of attack drones.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted the Al-Marj site opposite the border town

of Markaba ---- with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted the "Misgav Am" site opposite the border

town of Odeissah ---- with a rocket barrage.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted the Al-Rahib site opposite the border town

of Ayta Al-Shaab .........with a swarm of attack drones.

In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance

fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their

vehicles north of the Al-Taybeh project with.....

a rocket barrage.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq:

Targeted the interests of the US military

in northern Iraq ---- using drone aircraft.

____________________________________

Attack on Iran’s oil infrastructure

marks new phase of war:

Parliament speaker

March 18th, 8:12pm

(PressTV)

The speaker of the Majlis (the Iranian Parliament),

Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf ...says the massive

anti-US rallies across the country overnight

completely thwarted the enemy's designs,

while warning that attacks on the Iranian

oil infrastructure amount to "suicide" for

the aggressors as they usher in a new

level of confrontation.

"Last night, the people of Iran foiled all of the enemy's

designs," Qalibaf stated on social media. "They are

angry and despairing - in the face of the Iranian

people, and by attacking infrastructure, they

want to hide their failures in the field. Of

course, this means suicide for them."

The speaker emphasized that the principle of an "eye

for an eye" remained firmly in effect, adding that
"a new level of confrontation has begun."

Qalibaf's remarks come, after US-Israeli airstrikes, targeted

facilities in the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone

in the coastal city of Asaluyeh ---- home to the massive

South Pars gasfield --- the world's largest known gas

reserve, which supplies approximately 70 percent

of Iran's domestic natural gas.

The strikes caused a fire and temporarily

suspended operations at the

refining complex.

These comments also followed massive shows of force

across the streets nationwide, when millions came

out .....in support of the country's Islamic

establishment ....and displayed their

sustained defiance ---- of all

enemy threats.

In Tehran, despite warnings of imminent airstrikes --- large

crowds gathered in the capital's Enqelab Street, chanting

anti-US and anti-Israel slogans... while waving Iranian

flags and holding up portraits of both the martyred

Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and his

successor and son, Ayatollah Seyyed

Mojtaba Khamenei.

In response to the South Pars attack, Iran's most important

operational command unit, Khatam Al-Anbiya, issued a

statement ---- declaring it would "severely strike the

source of the aggression and consider targeting

the fuel, energy, and gas infrastructure" of

countries from which the attacks

were launched.

The Iranian Armed Forces have published a list of US-linked

energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab

Emirates, saying they "will be targeted in the coming hours".

According to observers...... the escalation targeting energy

infrastructure marks a significant widening of the conflict,

with potential global economic ramifications.

International oil prices surged following the South Pars

attack, with Brent crude rising above $109 per barrel.

_____________________________________

IRGC says regional energy sites

linked to US ...will be reduced

to ashes

March 18th, 5:21pm

(PressTV)

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says regional

energy production facilities linked to the US, will be

reduced to ashes as the elite force prepares to

respond to attacks on Iran’s natural gas

production sites.

The Spokesman of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central

HQ... Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari - said on

Wednesday that Iran’s attacks will target those

countries whose territories were used to

launch the airstrikes on Iran’s gas

facilities earlier in the day.

“Fuel, energy and natural gas infrastructure of the source

of the invasion, will be set ablaze and reduced to ashes

at the earliest opportunity,” the spokesman said, in

a televised statement.

Earlier on Wednesday ---- the IRGC issued a warning note to

people living near five major energy production facilities in

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, to

immediately evacuate ----- to protect their lives from Iran’s

reprisal attacks.

The warning came --- right after Iran’s Oil Ministry said four

refining facilities in Asaluyeh, a Persian Gulf coastal town

home to Iran’s gas processing installations, had suffered

damage --- as a result of US-Israeli airstrikes.

Meanwhile, commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral

Alireza Tangsiri said in a post on his X account --- that

the force had updated its bank of targets to include

“oil installations related to the US.”

Tangsiri said the IRGC will open fire on those

installations forcefully and with full strength.

“We warn citizens and workers to keep away

from these installations,” said his post.

Iran has been carrying out reprisal attacks against US

military bases and other assets in regional countries

since the start of the US-Israeli aggression on

February 28.

However, oil and gas infrastructure was spared

to prevent major disruptions to regional and

international energy supplies.

Iranian authorities had warned that those facilities

would also come under attack - if corresponding

sites in Iran were hit.

The Wednesday attacks and Iran’s planned response --- are

expected to cause a major surge in international energy

prices ---- with analysts warning that they could well

exceed $150 a barrel ---- up nearly three times...

compared to before the aggression on Iran.

______________________________________________

Fars reported on one of

Israel's darkest nights

since the war with

Iran began

March 18th, 4:25pm

(Izvestia.ru)

Israel has experienced one of the most difficult nights

since the beginning of the conflict with Iran. This

was reported on March 18 by the Telegram

channel of the Fars news agency,

citing sources.

"Israeli sources described last night ---- as one of the most

difficult. It was accompanied by a wave of Iranian-origin

missile strikes on the central and northern areas,"

the report said.

It is noted that large fires broke out in various settlements as

a result of the explosions and the falling debris. In addition..

there were power outages and significant material damage.

According to the agency, representatives of local authorities in

the border regions in the north of the country have reported

an extremely difficult situation among the residents. They

estimate that, in the absence of urgent assistance from

the government, there may be a need for the complete

evacuation of the population from these areas.

On the same day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

(IRGC) press service reported that Iran had carried out

strikes on four Israeli cities and all US military bases

in the Middle East. It was clarified that during the

attacks on Israeli cities, the air defense and

public warning systems.... did not work

properly --- or did not work at all.

The IRGC also announced a missile strike on Israel

- in response to the assassination of Ali Larijani,

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security

Council, and his associates.

As a result -- more than 100 targets in Israel, including

important facilities, were hit by missiles. The attack

caused power outages in several areas of Tel Aviv.

_________________________________________

Iran’s president offers condolences on

martyrdom of Intelligence Minister

Esmaeel Khatib

March 18th, 3:55pm

(PressTV)

Iran's Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeel Khatib,

was assassinated in a US-Israeli terrorist

attack on Tuesday.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has offered his

condolences to the nation on the martyrdom of

Minister of Intelligence Esmaeel Khatib, who

was assassinated in a US-Israeli targeted

attack on Tuesday.

“The cowardly assassination.... of my dear colleagues Esmaeel

Khatib, Ali Larijani, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, along with some of

their family members and team members, has left us in

mourning,” Pezeshkian wrote in a message on X

on Wednesday.

He offered his condolences to “the great people of Iran on

the martyrdom of two cabinet members, the Secretary
of the Supreme Council, and military and Basij

commanders,” who were assassinated

in coordinated targeted strikes by

US-Israeli forces on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian said in a separate message on Tuesday that the

martyrdom of Larijani “is bitter and unexpected, but the

steadfastness of the Iranian nation ---- and their

achievement of ultimate victory” will make

the Zionist criminals regret imposing

a war on Iran.

“I am certain, their path will continue

stronger than ever,” Pezeshkian said.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians paid their respects

to Dr. Larijani, and General Soleimani during a mass

funeral procession in Tehran, on Wednesday.

The procession witnessed one of the largest public gatherings

in recent weeks, with crowds filling the streets of Tehran from

early morning.

Iranian authorities have denounced all the assassinations as

cowardly acts -- vowing to avenge them in the most decisive

manner. In retaliation, the IRGC launched massive overnight

airstrikes ------- targeting over 100 locations in Tel Aviv.

The US and Israel launched a large-scale, unprovoked war

against Iran - on February 28, assassinating Leader of

Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

and a number of senior commanders.

Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, was among those

martyred on the first day of US-Israeli joint military

aggression on the country.

__________________________________

Patrushev: The US is .....withdrawing from

the security issue in the Strait of Hormuz

March 18th, 3:27pm

(RT.ru)

The United States is distancing itself from the shipping

security issue in the Strait of Hormuz, shifting it to

other NATO countries ------ according to Nikolai

Patrushev, an aide to the Russian president

and chairman of the Maritime Collegium.

"Please note that the United States is distancing itself from

the issue of shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz,"

emphasized Patrushev - in an interview with

the Kommersant newspaper.

He noted that Washington has called on NATO members

and other countries to "send their fleets to the area

to take on the burden of responsibility."

Earlier, US leader Donald Trump criticized NATO countries

for refusing to support Washington's military operation

against Iran.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said

that NATO is "waiting for a very bad future" if the

US allies do not help to unblock the Strait

of Hormuz.

__________________________________________

All US bases in region, Israeli gathering points

‘shoveled’...... in wave 62 of retaliation: IRGC

March 18th, 2:32pm

(PressTV)

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced

the successful completion of the 62nd wave of Operation

True Promise 4 - targeting all US bases across the region

and Israeli military gathering points and combat support

centres ---- with a barrage of advanced missiles and

precision drones.

The IRGC Public Relations department said in a statement

that the wave 62 successfully destroyed targets in Acre,

Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Beersheba.

The strikes were carried out, without the activation

of warning sirens, demonstrating the penetration

capabilities of the Iranian missiles.

The IRGC employed a variety of powerful weaponry in the

latest strikes, including multi-warhead Qadr missiles,

Kheibar Shekan missiles, Emad missiles, and

Haj Qassem missiles.

US bases 'shoveled' for 3rd time

For the third time, all US bases throughout the region

were targeted and "shoveled" by Iranian forces,

the statement said.

It specifically named multiple installations that were struck:

Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Victory Base in Iraq, Al

Kharj Air Base in Saudi Arabia... Al Udeid Air Base in

Qatar, Al Udeirah Base in the United Arab Emirates

(UAE), Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, Al Azraq Air

Base in Jordan, the Fifth Fleet Naval Base in

Bahrain, and the Arifjan Base in Kuwait.

These installations were hit with powerful multi-warhead

missiles and precision explosive drones, according to

the IRGC.

The IRGC statement highlighted the extraordinary and

astonishing presence of the Iranian nation in social

and public arenas, particularly on the eve of the

last Wednesday of the Iranian year, as a

source of rage, desperation, and

madness .......for the enemy.

"The enemy..... is trapped and imprisoned in a triangle of

Iranians' national cohesion.. the immense missile and

drone power and the support of world public opinion

for Iranians," the statement declared.

Addressing the recent "blind terror" attacks.. that resulted in

the martyrdom of a number of Basij members, the IRGC said

such crimes have no impact on the vast sea of Basij forces.

"The blind terrorising of a number of Basij members in no way

disrupts the immense and million-strong sea of Basijis, and

instead - strengthens the determination to continue the

path of war until victory --- and the surrender of the

enemy," the statement said.

Wave 62 represents the latest phase of Iran's sustained

response to the US-Israeli war of aggression that

began on February 28.

The US and Israel --- assassinated the Leader of the Islamic

Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and thousands

of civilians, including the Minab school students, and the

recent martyrdom of three-day-old Mojtaba and his

family, near Arak.

The IRGC has reported firing about 700 missiles and 3,600

drones at US and Israeli targets since the conflict began,

utilizing a full arsenal of advanced weaponry, including

hypersonic Fattah missiles, Khorramshahr missiles

with one-ton warheads, and various precision-

guided systems.

Iran has consistently maintained that its retaliatory operations

are legitimate self-defense under international law, targeting

only US and Israeli military assets while avoiding harm to

civilian infrastructure.

The repeated strikes on US bases throughout the region

demonstrate Iran's capability to project power across

West Asia ---- despite enemy efforts to degrade its

military capacity.

_______________________________________

IRGC Aerospace Force ---- to turn enemy skies

into 'an even greater spectacle': Commander

March 18th, 1:34am

(PressTV)

The commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic

Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced the

force's intention to target Iran's adversaries with

its most daring retaliatory strikes so far.

"Tonight, enemy skies are to turn into an even greater

spectacle for you," Brigadier General Majid Mousavi

wrote in a message addressed to the nation

on Wednesday.

According to the commander, the planned escalation in

the reprisal, would serve as a response to the nation's

demand for the Corps to deliver an even harder blow

to the enemies --- in retaliation for their atrocities

towards the nation.

Mousavi concluded the message by asserting that

the adversaries are incapable of imposing defeat

on the country.

The remarks came amid millions-strong nationwide rallies

in support of the country's Islamic establishment, amid

the ongoing unprovoked Israeli-US aggression.

The aggression has led to the martyrdom of Leader of the

Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and

a number of Iran's senior military commanders and

officials, as well as ordinary civilians.

The Islamic Republic's armed forces have retaliated by

staging at least 60 waves of decisive and successful

counterstrikes against highly sensitive and

strategic US and Israeli targets ----

throughout the region.

Prominent targets have included the city of Tel Aviv,

the occupied holy city of al-Quds, the occupied

port of Haifa, and Be'er Sheva, the Israeli

regime's hub of advanced technology.

US outposts across West Asia, including those lying

in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi

Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, have also come

under intense counterstrikes.

The reprisal, codenamed Operation True Promise 4,

has been deploying hundreds of ballistic,

hypersonic, and cruise missiles,

as well as attack drones.

Today, March 18th, in 1590,

Manuel de Faria e Sousa,

Born into a Portuguese noble family... Faria e Sousa studied in

Braga before serving the Bishop of Porto. Aside from his time

with the Portuguese embassy in Rome from 1631 to 1634,

he spent most of his later life in Madrid, where he died

in June 1649. He was married to Catarina Machado,

the "Albania" of his poems.

His early work, Epitome de las historias Portuguesas

(Madrid, 1628), was published in Madrid.

His commentary on Os Lusíadas and the poetry of Luís de

Camões led to his temporary imprisonment and the loss

of his salary by the Inquisition. He continued writing,

reportedly producing up to 12 folio pages daily.

He died on 3 June 1649, leaving his history of

the Portuguese across the world.. unfinished.

The history of Portugal from the first ages of the world, to the

late great revolution, under King John IV, in the year MDCXL

written in Spanish, by Emanuel de Faria y Sousa, Knight of

the Order of Christ ; translated, and continued down to

this present year, 1698, by Capt. John Stevens,

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A40886.

0001.001/1:4.1.1?rgn=div3;view=fulltext

''For the Dread of what a known Tyrant may do, is

a greater Calamity than what he does really act.''

China labels Israeli-occupied lands

as ‘high risk area,’ bans all new

investments: Report

February 5th, 7:41pm

PressTV)

A Chinese investment fund has revealed that the Beijing

government has imposed a ban on all new investment

in Israeli-occupied lands due to the regime’s brutal

aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip.

The news emerged in Israeli media outlets, amid a lawsuit filed

by members of Kibbutz Hanita against Ballet Vision, a Chinese

-controlled fund that holds an 80% stake in Hanita Lenses, an

intraocular lens manufacturing plant located in the northern

part of the occupied lands near the Lebanese border.

Israeli settlers from the kibbutz have filed a lawsuit against the

fund, which controls 80 percent of an intraocular lens plant

located in the northern settlement.

A lawsuit filed in the Tel Aviv district court shows the kibbutz is

seeking approximately $11 million, accusing the fund of failing

to exercise an option to purchase their remaining shares, as

stipulated in a prior agreement.

According to a response letter from Ballet attached to the

lawsuit... the Chinese government has classified Israeli-

occupied lands as a "high-risk area" or "red category"

due to the ongoing situation in the West Asia region,

specifically since Oct. 7, 2023.

“Since the outbreak of the fighting, the Chinese government

has classified Israel as a high-risk zone (red category) and

prohibited any new Chinese investment in the Israeli-

occupied lands,” it said in the letter.

The letter further says that until the restriction

is lifted, the transaction.... is not feasible.

“As long as this restriction remains in place, there is no

practical operational ability to exercise the option,”

it added

Aside from the Chinese government's ban on investing in

Israeli-occupied territories, Ballet says Hanita Lenses

incurred significant operational losses.

Liu Yuxiao, a director of Ballet Vision and CEO of the lens

manufacturing plant, earlier said that Hanita Lenses

sustained losses of around $15 million over a

period of three years --- as well as a

$4 million debt. This resulted in

severe financial issues.

Yuxiao said he became the CEO in March last year to try

to prevent total collapse, and added that the company

may now break even in 2026.

The developments also come as ties between the two sides

were deteriorating over the self-ruling island of Taiwan,

which has been looking to the Zionist entity for

increased military cooperation.

China has already warned Israel against providing military

expertise and technology to Taiwan under the guise of

civilian programs.

Tel Aviv is reportedly assisting Taipei with integrating

elements of its Green Pine and Arrow systems in

order to develop the Tian Gong-4 missile

system, which will be part of the

T-Dome network.

The military cooperation comes despite ongoing Chinese

warnings that it would not tolerate Israeli ties with the

island, which it considers a renegade province.

Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel and its

administration has refrained from condemning

the Tel Aviv regime's crimes in the besieged

Gaza Strip ---- and the other occupied

Palestinian territories.

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!

Keir Hardie - Britain's first Labour MP - opposed World War One.

His namesake is stammering his way in the opposite direction.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

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.

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

MAKING THE CONNECTION IN WALES

Households across three more English areas
will be able to access superfast broadband
in the latest phase of a Government scheme
to connect rural homes and businesses.

The £50 million funding package for Devon and
Somerset (£30 million), Norfolk (£15 million)
and Wiltshire (£4 million) will aid the roll- out
of superfast broadband services unable to
be reached by the market alone.

Areas will also receive financial support from
their local authorities and private investors,
the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport says.

So it's Broadband Heaven for England...

and crapola for Wales' broadband - the

slowest, worst Broadband in the UK !!!

Lib Dems in Scotland might have received a
pummeling for Clegg and his betrayals, yet,
in Scotland, their campaign centred on it
becoming the "most connected country in
Europe," to massively boost their economy.

In Wales, which political party is now
willing to put into practice scientists'
recommendations: that Wales' hilly
topography requires establishing

free 'wireless' broadband?

It could connect the people of Rhondda and the
world, boosting Wales' economic regeneration,
like no other move. Wireless technology is now
supplying free broadband to an entire island
off New Zealand's coast.

Come on; if New Zealand can do it - so can we !!!

Western China has embraced "green-mode
development" - with painful changes
from which, Wales could well learn.

Eastern China has seen fast growth and
urban mess. The West, a mining and
agricultural area, has not.

Xi'an Chan-ba Ecological District, is a model
for reclaiming old mining areas.

It took six hard years, but now Xi'an is showing
the world how best to change, by turning a
badly polluted rubbish landfill site, into an all
new environment-friendly development.

As China's economic focus moves from east to
west, it's using the lessons learned during 30
or more years of rapid industrial development.

The green way for China's west, is to combine
green industrialization & green urbanization.

The western region's strategy is to adopt
effective energy-saving and environmental
protection technologies... AND to extend
its industry through science and products
unique to China's West, together with strong
vertical growth in agriculture and all its
ancilliary economic & professional spin-offs.

In undertaking this industrial revolution, the
western region will keep a sharp eye out - to
avoid all polluting non-sustainable industries.

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

A BIG DROP OF HONEY !!!

Spring is beekeeping and honey-processing
season in Yunnan province, in China.

Waves of bees flit across vast fields of flowers.

Local beekeepers and many from other places,
such as Sichuan and Fujian provinces - set up
their base in tents among the rapeseed farms.

The 430,000 hectares of rapeseed blooms in
Luoping attract myriads of bees, which
produce 15 - 20 million tons of honey a year.

Local people now look to brand their county
as a honey production base & increase sales
to outside markets.

Luoping Tianyuanmiyu Bee Industry Co Chair,
Zhu Hongkun, founded his enterprise in 2009.

It mainly produces honey, propolis and
propolis powder.

His company works with 270 plus beekeepers,
who each earn 80,000 yuan a year on average.

Some earn 200,000 yuan annually, Zhu says.

Who says beauty endowed by nature isn't worth a fortune?

The whole of the uplands of south Wales could
be as beautiful & productive, if used wisely!

CHINA's PREMIER POINTS WAY FORWARD

As the Tories threaten a "bonfire of the Quangos",
perhaps Wales should take note. Now extracting
all our mineral wealth has been stopped (apart
from sand and rock) we find ourselves "in" the
1st World of the UK, but with a 3rd World
economy, only just kept going by quangos
which promise much... but deliver little...
and rely on weak public support.

We could WAKE UP & understand that we either
do something, or stay as begging bowl cases.

China's premier points the way forward for Wales:

"Industrial restructuring is the key... only by
developing energy-efficient, indigenous innovative
and high value added products can our companies
and economy, achieve sustainable development."

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

WHILE FRANCE, GREECE, IRELAND, ETC, STRUGGLE TO
STOP THE PENSION AGE RISING HIGHER AND HIGHER...

An online survey on qq.com, a popular Chinese
news portal, finds that 91% of its over 800,000
respondents, are against raising the current
official Chinese retirement age.

745,123 of those surveyed say they oppose
raising retirement ages -- 72,456 support it.

China's scholars & the public have been debating
whether to raise the retirement age, for the past
few years, but the issue rose to prominence after
remarks by an official.

Wang Xiaochu, the official vice minister of the
Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security,
said at a press conference that the government
was "studying the matter"...

The retirement age in China is generally set
at 60 for men and 50-55 for women.

Wow! Bet you didn't know that !!!

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?