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Doctors from Cuba thanked

the humble - and noble -
people of Guatemala

April 27th, 10:19am

(Prensa Latina) 

 

The young doctor, Yadira Capote, on behalf of 46 Cuban health 

workers who are returning to their homeland today, expressed 

gratitude to the humble and noble people of Guatemala.

 

In an emotional farewell ceremony in this capital, the first-degree 

specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine, repaid the 

gesture of opening doors and hearts, as well as 

teaching - that gratitude can be greater than 

any difficulty.

 

Before the island's ambassador to this country, Nazario 

Fernández, members of the diplomatic corps, the 

Antillean health brigade and guests, the 

professional ....also recognized his 

colleagues, "for being strength, 

support and family."

 

In addition, he said, to them, for demonstrating every day, 

that true internationalism is built with sacrifice, but also 

with love. We leave - with the satisfaction of having 

fulfilled our duty, but also with the certainty that 

this work will not be forgotten -- because the 

footprint is sown, the commitment is still 

alive, Capote stressed.

 

It is not just any goodbye, it is the closing of a stage that 

marked us deeply as professionals and human beings, 

he admitted. A story that has been beating for more 

than 27 years in the heart of Guatemala --- in its 

mountains, in its most remote communities, 

he added.

 

Being part of the Cuban medical brigade in this land - has been 

more than an honour - an immense responsibility, he remarked 

in his words, while describing that "here we understood that 

medicine is not measured in resources, but in dedication,

not in comfort, but in commitment, not in distance, but 

in human closeness."

 

During this time.. we walked difficult trails, crossed long 

distances, faced challenges, but we were never alone, 

the doctor emphasized. We were accompanied by the 

smile of a child, the sincere gratitude -- of a mother, 

the confident look of an old man, he exemplified.

 

When we say goodbye, he said, we do not do it with sadness, 

but with deep love, because in each life touched we leave a 

part of ourselves, a part of Cuba, and in each one of us a 

piece of this Central American territory will remain....

 forever.

 

Capote ratified the commitment to the island, to the Revolution, 

"to our people, to defend the homeland, from our assistance 

services and as combatants, if necessary, together with

 our heroic people."

 

At the event, also a tribute to Commander in Chief Fidel Castro in 

the year of the centennial of his birth, the head of the Antillean 

health professionals, Mariheta Cutiño, conveyed that the 

group --- returns victorious.

 

In these complex times, marked by external pressures, by 

persecution of the good and smear campaigns and by a 

ruthless and genocidal blockade that affects every 

Cuban family, their work acquires even greater 

value, he said.

 

 

__________________________________________________



______________________________________________________


 


Petro announced --- that Colombia 

will export energy to Venezuela

April 25th, 4:51pm

(Prensa Latina) 

 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said today --- that his country 

will export clean electricity to Venezuela while the neighbouring 

nation's grid problems are overcome ....or 

------- there are climate imbalances.

 

The president said on his account on the social network X that 

it can be done in Puerto Bahia, in the northern New Granada 

department of La Guajira ----- a port for the export of 

Venezuelan gas ----- and ...make Colombian 

gas cheaper.

 

The head of state's statement occurred a few hours after 

he spoke with the president in charge of Venezuela, 

Delcy Rodríguez, in Caracas.

 

At the close of the meeting, both dignitaries announced --- that 

they will develop a joint agenda to strengthen border security, 

reactivate trade integration and advance cooperation issues.

 

In the joint statement issued later, as released in this capital, 

Petro and Rodríguez highlighted progress in the reactivation 

of the bi-national relationship, which includes the recovery 

of trade, collaboration in security and the implementation 

of institutional mechanisms to face common challenges 

on the border.

 

One of the main agreements focuses on the coordinated

 fight against illegal economies and criminal 

organizations operating in the border 

area, said the New Granada 

Presidency.

 

In this sense, Petro referred to the need to "configure a common, 

coordinated effort ----- to free the peoples of the border from the 

mafias," in reference to phenomena such as drug trafficking, 

illegal mining and human trafficking.

 

The president emphasized --- that the border must be at 

the service of communities and not criminal structures.

 

It was also learned that, during the meeting.. the
two governments made progress on strategic 

integration projects, such as electricity 

and gas interconnection, as well as 

the strengthening of tourism, and 

air connectivity, with the aim of 

boosting the economies of 

both countries.

 

 

_____________________________________




Government of Venezuela will be able to 

pay legal expenses of Nicolás Maduro

April 25th, 1:09pm

(Prensa Latina) 

 

A legal dispute has ended after the United States agreed

 to let the Venezuelan government pay for the defense 

of the constitutional president of that country, 

Nicolás Maduro --- held for more than three 

months in a federal prison in New York.

 

Federal prosecutors informed the judge overseeing the case 

that the Treasury Department agreed to modify a license to 

allow payments to Maduro's lawyers and his wife, 

Congresswoman Cilia Flores, who have 

pleaded not guilty to the charges 

against them.

 

Both were kidnapped and transferred to the Brooklyn penitentiary 

after the military operation ordered by President Donald Trump 

on January 3 that caused more than a hundred deaths, 

including 32 Cuban fighters.

 

"The modified licenses... authorize defense lawyers to receive 

payments from the Government of Venezuela - under certain 

conditions," the prosecutors told the judge last night and 

the payments must be made with funds available to 

them "as of March 5, 2026."

 

Late last month, Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack --- claimed that 

the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control 

(OFAC) granted him - and subsequently revoked - a license 

that allowed Caracas to pay his legal fees.

 

The legal representation --- had previously asked Judge Alvin 

Hellerstein to dismiss the accusation, alleging that the U.S. 

government was hindering his ability to defend himself 

against criminal charges related to a plot that, for 

analysts and solidarity groups, is only a 

political fabrication.

 

Pollack said he will challenge the legality of Maduro's detention 

and claims he enjoys immunity from prosecution because of 

his position.

 

Having not resigned from his position, Nicolás Maduro continues, 

by the constitution, as president of the South American nation. 

His detention - like that of his wife - will remain in the 

Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn.

 

As Trump said at the time, the operation, which he described as 

"brilliant," he observed in real time from his luxury residence 

at Mar-a-Lago, as if it were a television program. And so to 

the astonishment, shock and indignation of much of the 

world, the head of state of a sovereign nation - was 

kidnapped .....in the middle of the night.

 

In a visionary way, the late Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chávez, 

warned in 2005 about the US' plans to criminalize him and 

''justify'' ....an intervention in Venezuela. He then drew 

attention to the fact - that there was an operation 

underway and that they would even try to make 

accusations against him - for drug trafficking, 

a crime for which, they intend to prosecute 

President Maduro ....before US' justice.







Image: People hold up a banner as they protest against Israel at the entrance of the International Criminal Court.

    




 

Iran to charge ships passing Strait 

of Hormuz in rial: Lawmaker

April 27th, 2:08pm

 (PressTV)

 

A motion being prepared in the Iranian parliament - to regulate 

future transit through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf 

- stipulates that ships allowed to pass through the key 

waterway must pay tolls in Iranian rial currency.

 

The chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and 

Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, said on Monday that 

charging tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz 

is part of an 11-article motion being prepared in parliament.

 

Azizi told state TV that the motion has been discussed and 

finalized in his committee and will become law once 

ratified in a vote in the main chamber of the 

Iranian parliament.

 

He said the motion contains some smart and well-considered 

measures that are based on a decree by the Leader of the 

Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, 

who said last month that Iran must introduce a new 

system of governance in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Azizi said the measures include -- a total ban on transit for ships 

owned by or linked to the Israeli regime, as well as restrictions 

on passage for vessels connected to hostile countries and

 their affiliates.

 

He said that the motion also seeks to require all the countries 

that have inflicted financial damage on Iran in the past years, 

including by imposing sanctions or blocking its funds in 

foreign banks, to compensate Iran, through tolls paid 

by their ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

 

“It has been stipulated in the motion that the financial proceeds 

obtained from the Strait should be (paid) in Iranian rial,” he said.

 

The motion comes... amid Iran's continued control over transit 

through the Strait of Hormuz, which it has enforced since the 

early days of the US-Israeli aggression against the country 

in late February.

 

Iran has maintained its control over the strait, although the 

aggression ceased in early April following a Pakistani-

mediated ceasefire.

 

 

____________________________________________

 

 

 

How Hezbollah struck back after a year 

of strategic patience, tilting battlefield

 in its favour

April 27th, 1:57pm

 by Hiba Morad

(PressTV)

 

Hezbollah's battlefield performance since early March – after more

 than a year of strategic patience – has exposed not only Israeli 

vulnerabilities but also a profound ignorance regarding the 

nature of the resistance and its ability to recover.

 

Speaking to the Press TV website -- a security source close to the

 Lebanese resistance movement said the movement continues to

 successfully target Israeli troops and settlements.. with “steady 

barrages of rockets and drones, which evade interception and 

strike their targets.”

 

He noted ------- that the performance of the resistance on the 

battlefield, its ability to strike deep into Israeli settlements 

in the occupied territories, its new tactics on the ground, 

especially using hard-to-detect fibre-optic FPV drones - 

as well as the steadfastness of its people, will enable 

it to reshape the deterrence equation --- once again.

 

“The drones, in particular, are changing the equation on the 

ground quite efficiently,” the source said, referring to the 

barrage of drones launched by the resistance fighters 

.....for weeks before the ceasefire was announced 

last week.

 

These drones – equipped with fibre-optic spools that physically 

connect them to their operators ---- are effectively immune to 

electronic jamming, allowing uninterrupted real-time video 

transmission and command control.

 

This capability enables operators to guide the drones 

precisely toward targets, even in heavily contested 

electronic warfare environments.

 

The source said the Israeli regime must fear that “the walls, even 

the skies, have ears” – whether inside the battlefield or inside 

the occupied territories – noting that the regime and its 

military apparatus “is exposed - wherever it exists.”

 

“We are keeping track of their movements, their plans, in many 

instances, and they must understand that yes, it is as if they 

are fighting ghosts,” the source, who has been closely 

involved in the retaliatory operations.... that came 

over a year after the last ceasefire.

 

“We master the new tech-war pretty well, but they 

keep underestimating our capabilities.”

 

Miscalculations regarding Hezbollah

 

Since the 2024 Israeli war on Lebanon, the mainstream 

narrative in the US, the Israeli-occupied territories, US

-backed governments in the region, & the Lebanese 

government, has suggested that Hezbollah is 

experiencing nothing more than a 

"cadaveric spasm."

 

According to the source, these miscalculations – that Hezbollah 

is on its last legs – constituted a success in themselves, 

proving time and again that the Israeli enemy remains 

fundamentally ignorant about the resistance 

movement and its dynamics.

 

The new Hezbollah leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has 

reassured audiences in several speeches that the 

resistance is in a "rehab" phase ------- and has 

nearly recovered.

 

In his latest speech on Monday, the Hezbollah leader noted 

that the Tel Aviv regime is currently at an impasse, and 

the Lebanese movement remains fully prepared, 

strong, and invincible.

 

"The resistance continues to be strong and cannot 

be defeated, and the enemy was surprised by 

the steadfastness of the fighters," the 

Hezbollah leader said.

 

He added that the Islamic Resistance fighters will continue 

their resistance in defense of Lebanon and its people, like 

it has always done, particularly since early March.

 

"We will not return to what existed before March 2. We will 

respond to Israeli aggression --- and confront it," Sheikh 

Qassem stressed, referring to over a year of strategic 

patience, during which the Israeli regime continued 

to breach the ceasefire almost regularly.

 

Hezbollah bounces back stronger

 

The deadly spark of the war against the Lebanese nation was a 

devastating attack targeting thousands of Hezbollah fighters 

and ordinary citizens across the country through the 

detonation of their pagers and walkie-talkies 

in September 2024.

 

That attack was followed by an all-out war on Lebanon, the 

assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed 

Hassan Nasrallah, his successor Sayyed Hashem 

Safiedine, and dozens of other resistance 

leaders and commanders.

 

It prompted many military pundits in the West 

to write Hezbollah’s premature obituary.

 

Yet, during the past 15 months of non-stop Israeli violations 

and breaches of the ceasefire, Hezbollah rebuilt itself and 

pulled itself together to emerge stronger and more 

determined to defend and liberate its land 

and people.

 

Speaking to the Press TV website, Abou Jawad – a resistance 

fighter who has been with the movement since its 

establishment – said the resistance knew that 

November 27, 2024, was not a call to end 

the war, but a temporary ceasefire.

 

“It was a phase during which we were able to recover, rethink 

and reconstruct ourselves and our strategies - in the face of 

a cunning Israeli enemy that enjoys committing immense 

war crimes,” said Abou Jawad, who lost one eye and 

three fingers in the pager blast.

 

Since the first day following the ceasefire, the resistance started

 its "rehab" journey on all levels, he told the Press TV website.

 

“The rhetoric among analysts was that Israel had destroyed the 

resistance and its capabilities ------ by 80%. Israel thought the 

resistance had collapsed. But we -- were growing stronger 

and more resilient, despite the injuries, pain and loss,” 

he stated.

 

On September 27th, Sheikh Naim Qassem said that --- “Hezbollah 

sustains broad social support - and has recovered operationally, 

and is advancing, rebuilding and prepared to defend Lebanon.”

 

A pre-emptive move

 

Striking its enemy in response to the assassination of the Leader

 of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, a 

revered spiritual authority.... for many Shias in Lebanon, 

Hezbollah launched six missiles toward the Israeli-

occupied territories on March 2.

 

Meanwhile, the media exposed the forever-cunning nature 

of the illegitimate regime, proving - once again - that the 

resistance movement was righteous in taking action.

 

Based on media reports from early March 2026, Israeli regime 

officials revealed their own foolhardiness, stating that Israel 

had planned a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, but the 

resistance group “beat Israel to it” -------- by launching its

rockets first.

 

As Abou Jawad puts it, “the cunning and expansionist identity of 

the Israeli regime was also put in the limelight during the first 

days of the war as Israeli goals in the war against Lebanon 

shifted from immediately disarming Hezbollah to re-

establishing a 'South Lebanon Security Zone', and 

---- from 'targeting what they dub as Hezbollah 

infrastructure' into killing innocent civilians 

even while sleeping at night.

 

The cumulative toll from Israeli aggression against the country – 

since its resumption on March 2 until April 25 – has reached 

2,496 martyrs and 7,725 wounded, according to the 

Lebanese Ministry of Health.

 

Even after the ceasefire was reached last week - due to pressure 

imposed -- by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Israeli occupation 

launched a wave of attacks against southern Lebanon, 

targeting several villages and particularly civilians, 

in a blatant violation of the ceasefire.

 

Strategic patience, high performance

 

Abou Jawad told the Press TV website that what the Israelis do 

not understand is that Hezbollah “knows well how to practice 

strategic patience.”

 

“We do not fight with missiles and drones only. We initially depend

 on our strategic patience, will, beliefs and insight. Of course, we

 have also developed skills on the different levels, including AI, 

but that has no value if it is not combined with patience and 

faith,” he said.

 

“Let Israel wait for our coming surprises in the future. I think as 

time goes by and events unfold, the Israeli soldiers will prefer 

to commit suicide .....before entering Lebanon’s territory.”

 

Earlier this month, Haaretz reported nearly a dozen suicides in 

one month as Israeli media warned that the occupation army 

is bogged down in Lebanon, noting that Hezbollah holds 

the buffer zone ------------ and no exit strategy exists for 

the occupying forces.

 

Abou Jawad asserted that the Israeli regime has achieved no real 

goals in the so-called "Lion's Roar" aggression, noting that its 

inability to secure any real victory prompts it to kill more 

civilians and create "fake targets" to compensate for 

its catastrophic failure on the battlefield ...and its 

inability to hold ground.

 

Israeli media seconds that. In a report published on Friday, the 

Maariv Israeli newspaper stated that Israel's war on southern 

Lebanon is "falling apart on itself," and that the situation 

there has deteriorated to the point where the original 

framing of the war ....has lost all meaning.

 

“There are more surprises in the offing - for the Israeli regime. We 

held back for more than a year to honour the ceasefire - despite 

repeated provocations. Now ---- the game has changed,” the 

source close to the resistance movement told the Press 

TV website.

 

 

___________________________________________

 

 

 

The People of Iran are fighting bravely 

and heroically for their sovereignty: 

Putin tells Araghchi

April 27th, 2:04pm

 (PressTV)

 

The people of Iran are fighting bravely and heroically for their 

sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting 

on Monday.

 

Putin met the visiting Iranian foreign minister in St. Petersburg.

 

He hailed the Iranian people for "bravely and heroically" fighting 

to preserve their national sovereignty and expressed hope that 

they would overcome these difficult times - and peace would 

return to their country.

 

Putin added that Russia will take every necessary step to ensure 

the interests of Iran and other regional countries and to help 

restore peace in the region as soon as possible.

 

The Russian president noted that he received a written message 

from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed 

Mojtaba Khamenei, last week.

 

The Iranian foreign minister, who is in Moscow.. on the last leg of 

his regional tour, commended Russia’s constant support for Iran, 

particularly during the unprovoked war of aggression launched 

by the United States and the Israeli regime.

 

“Relations between Russia and Iran, which represent 

a strategic partnership, will be strengthened,” 

Araghchi said.

 

“With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded 

in resisting the US aggression and will be able 

to endure it,” he added.

 

The top Iranian diplomat also conveyed 

Ayatollah Khamenei’s warm greetings 

to the Russian president.

 

Araghchi arrived in the Russian capital on Sunday night 

on the last leg of his three-nation regional tour that 

also took him to Pakistan and Oman.

 

Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said on Sunday 

that the two countries share a common approach to 

regional and international issues.

 

He added that Araghchi’s visit to Moscow 

will take place as part of “close 

consultations” between 

the two countries.

 

 

 

_______________________________________

 

 

 

Iran’s defiance: exposes limits of US 

power, and ---- its misreading of the 

Axis of Resistance: Hezbollah MP

April 27th, 11:14am

 (PressTV)

 

The head of Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc in 

the Lebanese Parliament says Iran's continued defiance 

in the face of the US-Israeli war has exposed the limits 

of US power in the world.

 

In an article published in Al-Akhbar, Mohammad Raad said US 

President Donald Trump reacted with "astonishment, shock, 

and anger" when Iran refused to surrender during the 

recent US-Israeli aggression. 

 

He emphasized that Tehran instead responded with 

"unwavering confidence and unprecedented 

popular participation."

 

The lawmaker noted that this resilience stems from a US 

misreading of Iran's internal structure, which is built on 

tightly woven ideological, organizational, and societal 

ties between the leadership and the public.

 

He stressed that the Iranian people are not merely a 

population manipulated by politicians, but rather: 

"an active and serious producer of power."

 

He cited Trump's threats — including that Iranian civilization 

would "die"— as evidence that Washington had stripped 

away any pretense of superiority and revealed itself 

as a force for threatening and destruction.

 

He said that cohesive ideological environments 

are far more capable of sustaining prolonged 

confrontation than "artificial systems."

 

He added that the severe pressures experienced in Gaza, 

as well as what Hezbollah and Iran endured, would have 

caused any artificial or fragile state..... to 

completely collapse. 

 

"Yet events have taken a different course - one that 

defies conventional expectations," he noted. 

 

He further added that the core failure of US policy lies in "the 

fundamental imbalance between power and values," which 

continues to undermine US influence ------- despite its 

military capabilities.

 

The United States and Israel launched a joint military aggression 

against Iran on February 28 by assassinating the Leader of the 

Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along 

with senior military commanders.

 

During the 40-day war, the enemies launched a wave of attacks 

against Iran, which also targeted critical energy infrastructure, 

including oil depots, gas refineries, and power plants.

 

Iranian armed forces responded by launching almost daily 

missile and drone operations targeting locations in the 

Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military 

bases and assets ---- across the region.

 

Furthermore, Iran retaliated against the strikes by closing the 

Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in a significant increase 

in oil prices and its by-products.

 

Despite one round of intensive discussions since a temporary 

ceasefire, the negotiations between Iran and the US ended 

without an agreement, with Iran citing “excessive 

demands” from Washington.

 

 

 

_______________________________________

 

 

 

China slams US ‘abusive sanctions’

 on refineries over alleged links 

to Iran

April 27th, 10:43am

 (PressTV)

 

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced the US 

for imposing sanctions on Chinese refineries over 

alleged links to Iran.

 

During a press conference on Monday, China’s Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lin Jian said: “China 

always opposes unilateral sanctions, that have 

no basis in international law.”

 

Lin’s remarks came after the US Treasury on Friday announced 

new Iran-related unilateral sanctions and issued a general 

license allowing the wind-down of transactions involving 

Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co.

 

The US Treasury also imposed unilateral sanctions on a major 

independent Chinese refinery, often referred to as “teapot” 

refineries, which operate largely in the eastern province 

of Shandong, and nearly 40 additional entities.

 

Department of State spokesperson Thomas Pigott claimed 

the measures are part of broader efforts to curb what 

Washington falsely called Iran’s illicit oil trade.

 

“China --- urges the US to abandon the wrong practice of 

abusive sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction,” Lin stated.

 

He added that China “will firmly safeguard the lawful 

rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

 

China also called on the US to demonstrate “sincerity” 

in resolving its prolonged standoff with Iran over its 

nuclear program, while censuring the joint US-

Israeli military aggression against it.

 

In its latest Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) report, Beijing 

said that Washington is responsible for the current 

diplomatic impasse with Tehran. 

 

The national report - on the implementation of the Treaty on 

the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was made public 

online ---- by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last Monday.

 

According to the report -- the US and Israel’s military aggression 

against Iran, both in June 2025 and on February 28 -- “seriously 

violated international law and the purposes of the UN Charter.”

 

In the report, Beijing described Washington’s unilateral 

withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of 

Action (JCPOA) as the “root cause” of the 

current diplomatic standoff between 

the US and Iran.

 

 

 

______________________________________

 

 

 

Israeli soldier killed - as helicopter 

targeted in Hezbollah drone strike

April 27th, 10:28am

(PressTV) 

 

An Israeli soldier has been killed as a military helicopter 

sent to airlift wounded troops was targeted --- after 

fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance 

movement launched a drone strike against the 

occupation forces.

 

According to the Israeli army...... an Israeli military unit 

carrying out an offensive in the occupied Lebanese 

border town of Taybeh, was attacked, on Sunday.

 

The strike killed 19-year-old Sergeant Idan Fooks, and 

left six others wounded, including four seriously.

 

Video footage circulating on social media platforms 

shows two additional drones being launched when 

an Israeli helicopter is dispatched to airlift 

wounded soldiers in the region.

 

The Israeli military claimed that one of the unmanned 

aerial vehicles was intercepted, while another 

exploded near the forces. The explosion 

did not cause further casualties.

 

On Sunday, Israel said it launched "artillery and aerial 

strikes" targeting Hezbollah fighters, and sites it 

claimed were used "to advance attacks" 

against the regime's soldiers.

 

This comes as the Tel Aviv regime orders the forced 

evacuation of 7 more towns in southern Lebanon.

 

The Israeli military has continued its attacks on southern 

Lebanon, even after the ten-day ceasefire between the 

Tel Aviv regime and the Beirut government was 

extended for a further three weeks.

 

Israeli forces also continue to occupy southern Lebanon, 

after establishing a so-called "Yellow Line" in the region, 

similar to an Israeli military measure in the besieged 

Gaza Strip.

 

Israel is occupying a belt of the south that 

extends 5 to 10 kilometres into Lebanon. 

 

Nearly 2,500 people have been killed ⁠in Lebanon 

- since the Israeli regime waged war on Lebanon 

on March 2, according to Lebanon's authorities.

 

 

_______________________________________

 

 

 

US-Israeli war on Iran -- disrupts global 

circuit board supply, raises tech costs: 

Report

April 27th, 10:13am

 (PressTV)

 

The US-Israeli war on Iran has caused a disruption in supplies of 

crucial raw materials and triggered a sharp spike in prices of 

the printed circuit boards (PCB) used in nearly all electronic 

devices, ranging from smartphones and computers to AI 

servers, according to a report.

 

Reuters reported on Monday that the disruption delivers a fresh 

blow to electronics manufacturers ------ already struggling with 

increased memory chip costs and exposes the broad impact 

of the US-Israel war against Iran that has wreaked havoc 

on supply chains, plastics, and oil supplies.

 

Iran’s retaliatory attack on the Jubail petrochemical complex in 

Saudi Arabia in early April --- forced a halt in production of high-

purity polyphenylene ether (PPE) resin, a critical base material 

used to manufacture PCB laminates.

 

SABIC, a company that operates in the Jubail complex, accounts 

for approximately 70% of the world's high-purity PPE supply. 

According to one source, SABIC has failed to resume its

output, which has severely tightened the global 

availability of the material.

 

The prices of PCB have been increasing since late last year, 

driven by a growing demand for AI servers. However, three 

industry sources told Reuters ---- that demand has been 

accelerating sharply since March - as manufacturers 

rush to secure raw material supplies and reduce 

the impact of skyrocketing costs.

 

In the month of April alone, PCB prices surged as much as 40%
compared to March, analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a 

recent note. The analysts added... that cloud service 

providers are keen to accept further price rises 

because they expect demand will outstrip 

supplies in the coming years.

 

According to a recent report from Prismark, the global PCB 

industry is projected to grow by 12.5%, reaching $95.8 

billion in 2026.

 

A senior executive at Daeduck Electronics, a South Korean PCB 

maker whose customers include Samsung Electronics, 

SK Hynix and AMD, said discussions had begun 

with its customers over price increases.

 

That executive, who declined to be named because of the 

sensitivity of the issue, said his priority - has now shifted.

 

"My priority has now changed - from meeting 

customers to suppliers," the executive said.

 

He explained that the waiting times for chemical materials 

such as epoxy resin have stretched to 15 weeks, 

compared to just 3 weeks, previously.

 

One source told Reuters that the sharp rise in PCB prices 

is also being driven by a shortage of other key materials, 

including glass fibre and copper foil. The source added 

that copper foil prices have soared as much as 30% 

so far this year, with the rally gaining momentum 

in March.

 

Victory Giant Technology, a major Chinese PCB supplier for 

Nvidia, said Copper accounts for approximately 60% of 

total raw material costs in PCB manufacturing. Earlier 

this month, the firm warned that the conflict in the 

region could push up prices for key materials, 

including resin and copper.

 

Victory Giant also said that that multi-layer PCBs can cost 

around 1,394 yuan (equivalent to $204) per square metre, 

while higher-end models designed for AI servers cost 

around 13,475 yuan.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

 

 

 

Israel --- destroys power, water infrastructure 

of Christian-majority town in south Lebanon

April 27th, 1:19pm

 (PressTV)

 

Israeli forces have destroyed the power and water systems

---- of a Christian town in southern Lebanon, as the regime 

continues to violate a ceasefire between the two sides.

 

The regime’s forces, on Sunday, bulldozed solar panels in the 

predominantly Christian town of Debel in southern Lebanon, 

cutting electricity that powers homes and the town’s water 

supply, and leaving civilians without essential services.

 

The destruction also extended to homes, roads, and 

olive groves, further crippling daily life in the area.

 

With its solar network ------ wiped out, the town is now 

struggling without power or reliable access to water.

 

The town of Debel has been the scene of the Israeli

 regime’s brutality and crimes ....several times.

 

It - recently - saw an Israeli soldier film himself smashing 

a statue of Jesus ...an act that drew widespread anger 

and underscored -- the broader pattern of destruction 

affecting both civilian infrastructure & religious sites.

 

Weeks after the US and Israel launched their military aggression 

against Iran on February 28, Washington agreed to a ceasefire, 

with the Trump administration formally accepting Tehran’s 10-

point proposal, which demanded ceasefires on all fronts, 

including Lebanon.

 

While the US briefly backtracked under intense Israeli lobbying, 

resulting in a tragic massacre of over 300 people across 

Lebanon, Iran maintained a steadfast position.

 

Although the ceasefire was finally implemented on April 16, 

it has since ------- been systematically violated by Israel.

 

Israel has planned to systematically flatten civilian buildings 

in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli media.

 

According to reports, engineering tools, including excavators, 

have been brought into the area and are being operated by 

paid Israeli contractors.

 

Israeli armed forces are assessing the scale of the destruction 

through digital tools, including statistical systems that track

 the number of buildings demolished in each sector.

 

Last month, Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Israel Katz said, 

"All houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be

demolished ---- in accordance with the Rafah and Beit 

Hanoun models ...in Gaza."

 

‎He added that after Israel's aggression in Lebanon ends, 

the military would maintain control "over the entire 

area up to the Litani” River.

 

In retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations, the Lebanese 

resistance movement Hezbollah has carried out daily 

operations against the regime’s armed forces.

 

Since March 2, the occupying regime has killed around 2,300 

people, wounded more than 7,500, and displaced ---- over 

1.2 million others, according to Lebanon's authorities.

 

 

 

_________________________________________

 

 

 

Trump's standoff with Iran fuels

 mounting economic, political 

strain across Europe: Report

April 27th, 8:51am

 (PressTV)

 

European leaders are increasingly concerned.... that tensions 

arising from the US's unprovoked aggression under President 

Donald Trump against Iran, which has resulted in the Islamic 

Republic's retaliation, could escalate from an economic 

shock into a broader political crisis for the EU,
a report says.

 

Reporting on Monday, US website Politico wrote --- that, with energy 

prices rising and economic growth slowing --- governments across 

the bloc are bracing for a fallout which they have a limited ability 

to contain. The report said the situation could further
weaken Europe’s already fragile political centre.

 

The economic impact is already being 

felt across key sectors, it added.

 

"Energy costs are cascading into food, transport, and housing, 

hitting lower- and middle-income households hardest," said 

Seamus Boland, president of the European Economic and 

Social Committee. "Politically - that creates space for 

distrust — not just of national governments, but of 

European institutions’ ability to shield citizens 

from external shocks. It risks accelerating 

support for more protectionist or inward

-looking approaches."

 

Amid growing public dissatisfaction, incumbents in several 

European countries are facing a populist backlash, with 

concerns that the upcoming elections ---- could shift 

political balances.

 

Electoral risks across the bloc

 

France ------ is seen as a central battleground, where 

political shifts could have wider global implications.

 

Elsewhere, recent developments have heightened 

concerns among pro-EU leaders.

 

In Bulgaria, the April 20th victory of Rumen Radev has 

unsettled incumbents. In Romania - a coalition crisis 

threatens the position of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. 

Meanwhile in Germany, the far-right Alternative for 

Germany is targeting gains in upcoming regional 

elections after expanding ...... way beyond its 

traditional base.

 

Economic strain linked to energy disruption

 

At the centre of the crisis is the lingering standoff between 

Washington and Tehran after talks that took place in the 

Pakistani capital Islamabad earlier this month failed to 

go into the second round amid the United States' 

maximalist demands and its preservation of 

an illegal blockade of Iranian ports 

and vessels.

 

Iran's retaliation, which has seen it close the strategic Strait 

of Hormuz, has pushed oil prices way above $100 per barrel.

 

European officials warn: that the economic 

consequences -------- are spreading.

 

"As the blockage of Strait of Hormuz persists, it’s clear that its 

impacts are becoming more pronounced and also, some say, 

spreading through the broader economy," warned the EU
Commissioner for the Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis. 

 

"Our advice --- is to stay with temporary and targeted measures 

also to limit their fiscal impact, because fiscal space is now 

more limited already since Covid-19 and since the first 

energy crisis [triggered by the conflict between the

West, Russia and Ukraine] in 2022."

 

Policymakers weigh limited options

 

EU finance officials are set to discuss ways to cushion 

the economic blow without deepening debt burdens, 

as governments begin preparing national budgets 

for the coming year.

 

However, policymakers acknowledge that their room for 

maneuver is constrained. Many countries remain 

burdened by high debt and deficits stemming 

from pandemic-era spending and earlier 

energy crises.

 

Dombrovskis indicated.... that sweeping intervention is 

unlikely, with the EU Commission urging governments 

to rely on "targeted, temporary" support measures.

 

Stagflation fears grow

 

The current economic trajectory - is raising concerns about 

stagflation, a combination of rising prices and weak growth.

 

"We are facing stagflation — economic slowdown and 

increased inflation at the same time," Dombrovskis 

said. "It is almost certain that we will have to 

revise our [full-year] economic forecast 

down in our spring forecast in the 

second half of May."

 

Germany and Italy, which together account for more than 

a third of the EU’s GDP, have already downgraded their 

economic forecasts in recent days.

 

Long-term concerns, internal divisions

 

The situation is unfolding..... against a backdrop of longer-term

structural challenges. In 2024, former European Central Bank
chief Mario Draghi warned that Europe risked "a slow agony" 

without major reforms - to compete with the faster-growing 

global economies.

 

At a recent summit, French President Emmanuel Macron 

also underscored geopolitical pressures facing Europe. 

 

"We should not underestimate that this is a unique moment," 

when major global figures, including Trump, "are dead 

against the Europeans," he said. "So, this is the 

right moment for us ---- to wake up."

 

Leaders are also grappling with internal disagreements over 

fiscal policy. Talks on the EU’s long-term budget have 

exposed divisions between the northern countries 

seeking spending restraint... and the southern 

states calling for greater financial support.

 

"We got indebted during Covid. Today, some tell us 

that we need to reimburse fast," Macron said.

 "It is.... idiotic."

 

 

_______________________________________



Netanyahu cancels mass Meron event 

amid renewed retaliatory strikes 

from Lebanon

April 27th, 7:18am

 (PressTV)

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to 

call off this year's mass Lag O'mer ceremony, at Mount 

Meron in the Upper Galilee region ....following a new 

wave of retaliatory strikes from southern Lebanon.

 

The decision came after fresh restrictions were implemented

 in the north of the occupied territories by the so-called 

Home Front Command.

 

It restricted gatherings to 1,500 people in communities along 

the confrontation line, as well as in Meron, Bar Yochai, Or 

HaGanuz, and Safsufa.

 

The limitations came into effect Sunday at 10:30 p.m. 

local time (1930 GMT), and were set to remain in 

place until Monday at 8 p.m.

 

The so-called Israeli security cabinet discussed

 the Meron event on Sunday night. 

 

After the meeting, Netanyahu made the decision that 

the annual event, scheduled to take place on May 5, 

would not be held in its usual mass format.

 

“After several security assessments were held by the prime 

minister, and in light of the Home Front Command’s 

updated policy, beginning on April 26, 2026, the 

prime minister instructed ---- that the events 

marking the celebration... of Rabbi Shimon
Bar Yochai, at Meron - will not take place
this year in a mass-participation format,

......but only - in a symbolic format,” 

Netanyahu's office said... 

in a statement.

 

The statement said the decision was made --- because of 

concern over a mass casualty event, citing the fragile 

ceasefire with Lebanon, Meron’s proximity to the 

border, rocket fire toward the area - and the 

difficulty of evacuating large numbers 

of participants ....quickly.

 

On Friday, Israeli military officials instructed the regime's 

ministries involved in preparations for the event to stop 

work, saying the security situation would not allow 

tens of thousands of people to congregate at the 

tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

 

The Israeli regime has continued its attacks on southern 

Lebanon, even after the ten-day ceasefire between Tel 

Aviv and Beirut ..was extended for a further 3 weeks.

 

Israeli forces are still occupying southern Lebanon, after 

establishing a so-called “Yellow Line” in the region, 

similar to an Israeli military measure in the 

besieged Gaza Strip.

 

The casualty toll since the current round of Israeli attacks 

began on March 2 ----- has risen to 2,491 people killed and 

7,719 wounded, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said.






Image: Freedom Day in South Africa

 

Today, April the 27th, is:


Freedom Day in South Africa


 


 


Freedom Day is a public holiday in South Africa celebrated on 27 


April. This commemorates the first post-apartheid elections 


held on that day in 1994 -- and the day on which the new 


constitution was introduced. 


 


The elections were the first national elections where 


everyone of voting age of over 18 from any group, 


regardless of colour, was allowed to vote.


 


On the first commemoration of the holiday -- President 


Nelson Mandela addressed South Africa's Parliament:


 


''As a new dawn.. ushered in this day, the 27th of April 1994, few of 


us could suppress the welling of emotion.. as we were reminded 


of the terrible past from which we come, as a nation; the great 


possibilities that we now have; and the bright future ------ that 


beckons us. And so.... we assemble here today, and in other 


parts of the country --- to mark an historic day in the life of 


our nation. Wherever South Africans are across the globe, 


our hearts beat as one, as we renew our common loyalty 


to our country --------- and our commitment to its future.''












FIFA World Cup boycott ‘self-evident’

 under Trump’s ‘racist, vile’ regime: 

Activist

April 14th, 9:03am

by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

 

The United States is no longer a safe or credible host for a global 

sporting event ----- with sweeping travel bans, rising internal
repression, and an increasingly aggressive foreign policy, 

making a boycott of the 2026 World Cup -- not radical: 

but inevitable, according to an activist and artist.

 

In an interview with the Press TV website, Willie Dowling, an 

activist .....who also happens to be a multi-instrumentalist, 

singer and composer, said there were "enough reasons" 

for the world to boycott the FIFA World Cup to be 

co-hosted by the US before the announcement 

of recent restrictions placed on travel.

 

Dowling’s case begins with borders - and who is allowed to cross 

them. Even before new restrictions were announced in January 

2026, he noted that 19 countries were already subject to full 

entry bans to the US, with another nineteen ----- facing 

partial restrictions.

 

“Without exception, all of the nations banned 

or partially banned ....have mostly non-white 

populations,” he told the Press TV website.

 

“The extraordinarily rapid decline of the United States ---- into an 

even more racist, authoritarian nation --- than it has historically 

been should be reason enough not to go there for the football.”

 

The bans, he believes, are not bureaucratic hurdles but warnings. 

“This should serve as a warning to everyone that it is not safe 

to go to the US, particularly if you are non-white.”

 

These concerns are no longer theoretical. Campaigns urging fans, 

players, and national associations to stay away from the US-

hosted tournament have gained momentum across Europe, 

Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.

 

The possibility of a direct boycott by a competing nation 

has also become a reality in the wake of the Trump 

regime’s acts of aggression abroad.

 

Iran could essentially boycott the World Cup in response to the 

unprovoked US-Israeli war of aggression ---- which began on 

February 28 and targeted the country's nuclear facilities,

schools, hospitals, and bridges, as well as its

sports infrastructure. 

 

Pointing to the "malicious actions carried out against Iran," 

Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali stated recently,  

"Our players do not have security, and fundamentally 

the conditions for participation do not exist."

 

The US government - has also restricted Iran's participation. While 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed -- that the Iranian team is 

"welcome to compete," the US president warned that the Iranian 

team’s "life and safety" would be at risk ------- if it participated in 

the event. 

 

Trump administration has also barred travelers from Iran and 

three other World Cup-participating countries, and multiple 

Iranian delegates already had their visas denied before 

December’s group-stage draw.

 

Activist groups cite visa denials, expanded anti-immigration 

policies, internal security crackdowns, and US military 

aggression abroad. Some governments.. have quietly 

raised concerns about whether fans and journalists 

can enter — and remain — safely.

 

Dowling sees a boycott as leverage. “Nor is it wise to give 

Trump and his regime --------- anything they can use as a 

successful publicity event,” he noted.

 

Individual choices matter, he argued, because - they scale. 

“As individuals, we can’t do much to help bring down this 

vile regime, but little actions by millions of people — like 

not buying US goods --- or not travelling to the US — will 

start to hit the US economy and thereby affect Trump’s 

standing with his own MAGA zealots,” he stated.

 

The argument extends well beyond immigration. Dowling 

pointed to foreign policy and to broken promises. “Let’s 

remember Trump campaigned to win the Presidency 

on a policy of ‘No more foreign wars’ and ‘No more 

regime changes’.”

 

The reality, he added, looks very different. “And yet in 

under a year he has bombed several countries, and 

militarily threatened five others, including long-

standing allies.”

 

In Dowling’s view, these actions are not just aggressive but 

also unlawful. “All of his military interventions fly in the 

face of International Law and Human Rights."

 

Against that backdrop --- the idea of hosting the world’s biggest 

sporting event in the US, feels absurd to him. “In light of this, 

it seems almost extraordinary to me - that there is even a 

question about boycotting the World Cup in the US.”

 

He drew a direct comparison. “The existential threat coming 

from the US far exceeds that of any other nation on the 

planet, and since Russia has experienced a boycott, 

it seems perfectly logical - if not blindingly obvious

that the USA should be boycotted, internationally 

isolated and sanctioned.”

 

For Dowling, the issue is credibility. “What good is ‘rules-based 

order’ if the most powerful nation in the world consistently 

flaunts any rule they choose to?”

 

The danger, he hastened to add, is not only external, but 

domestic. “Incidentally, it’s interesting that Trump said: 

‘No more foreign wars’ - because it looks increasingly 

likely that he’s going to spark a civil war in the US.”

 

Dowling believes internal unrest - may be politically useful. 

“I suspect he’s continually provoking dissent and protest 

in the US in order to declare a national emergency and 

invoke the Insurrection Act, thereby cancelling the 

midterm elections --- which he would otherwise 

lose and then face immediate impeachment 

and probably jail.”

 

And.. he sees a longer game. “And should he succeed in 

cancelling the midterms, he’ll undoubtedly seek a way 

to cancel the 2028 election.”

 

The implications, he noted -- are chilling. “This increasingly 

authoritarian grip and the casual willingness of the Trump 

regime to either censor, jail, extradite, or even murder 

those of a different colour, or those in opposition to 

them are reasons enough to boycott the football.”

 

Some calls to stay away have come from inside football itself. 

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several European 

officials recently suggested fans would be safer 

watching from home .....rather than going all

 the way to the stadiums in the US.

 

Dowling’s criticism sharpened - when it 

turned to FIFA’s conduct under Trump.

 

He cited “the ludicrous ‘Peace Award’ the football governing 

body presented to Trump, only days before he bombed 

Venezuela to steal their oil.”

 

The timing, he added, came “long after the US 

military assaults on other nations in the 

previous months of 2025.”

 

“The idea of Trump qualifying for any award in the name 

of peace is laughable,” Dowling said. “And FIFA 

inexplicably made themselves part of that 

ridiculous hypocrisy.”

 

At the heart of the boycott argument is exclusion. “The ban on 

travel and the visa policies imposed by the US extend almost 

exclusively to nations that have predominantly non-white 

populations,” Dowling stated.

 

“This is typical of the Trump regime … of course, they 

consistently deny their racism, but one only needs 

to observe their actions: to see that they don’t

 match the rhetoric.”

 

He described a governing style built on misinformation, referring

 to the Trump administration. “This is a regime that has adopted 

lying --- as its key strategy.” He invokes a phrase popularized by

 Trump’s former adviser. “As Steve Bannon said — with strong 

echoes of Joseph Goebbels — ‘Flood the zone with shit’.” 

The goal, Dowling argues, is distraction.

 

“I suspect they might have been even further down the line with 

their objectives had they not started to attack their own white 

population in democratic states, particularly recently --- in 

Minnesota,” he added, pointing to the recent violence.

 

The standard, he said, is racial. “The US and indeed the Western

world -------- tends to be more tolerant towards murder -------- if it’s 

non-whites that are being killed.”

 

Which brings him back to football. And to first principles. “How 

can a sporting event be described as ‘global’ ....if 39% of the 

world’s nations ---- are exempt from the racist whims of

 the Trump regime?”

 

For Dowling, the conclusion needs no embellishment. 

“Taking all of the above into account.... I’d suggest 

that the moral case for a boycott is self-evident.”



Image: No thanks to Israeli goods App

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.


____________________




AT THE FACTORY


Tickets from


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.uk 


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



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.


Image: Russian scientists and Scottish ones



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.


Image: BRICS

Image: March 26 London anti cuts demo




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 !!!



Image: China's rapeseed blossoms this Spring.

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!


Image: retirement China style




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 !!!



Image: unemployment in Wales


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?



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