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India's solidarity - conveys
loveand support for Cuba
May 16th, 10:37am
(Prensa Latina)
A message of love and support for Cuba was conveyed today by
India's Solidarity to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in an act
against the siege and threats of the United States against the
Caribbean nation.
At the crowded meeting, organized by the All India Peace and
Solidarity Organization (AIPSO), the Cuban Foreign Minister
detailed the difficult situation facing Cuba.... with the
intensification of the economic, commercial and
financial blockade of the United States.
Before the representatives of leftist political parties in the South
Asian nation and the diplomatic corps of Colombia, Venezuela,
Nicaragua and other nations, Rodríguez referred to the
devastating impact of the energy blockade imposed
this year, by President Donald Trump, on Cuba's
electricity generation ---- causing prolonged
power cuts.... and difficulties in pumping
water, the supply of liquefied gas and
the distribution of food.
He denounced that this situation affects transportation, medical
services and said that infant mortality has doubled in the last
period, and delays in surgical interventions for about one
hundred thousand patients, including children.
Rodriguez also called for mobilization to prevent a military
adventure against Cuba that would cause a humanitarian
catastrophe, bloodshed & a destabilization of the region.
In addition, he called on those present in their communities,
families and his organization to talk about Cuba, the U.S.
siege and its intentions to destroy a country known for
its humanitarian work and its internationalist principle.
He added that the U.S. government publicly formalized for the
first time an offer of humanitarian aid to Cuba valued at $100
million, without clarifying whether it will be in cash or
materials, or its destination.
Rodriguez said that Cubans do not have the practice of
rejecting foreign aid that is offered in good faith and
for genuine purposes of cooperation.
However, he emphasized that the best help that the United
States government could provide would be to de-escalate
the energy, economic, commercial and financial
blockade measures.
Finally, he thanked India and Cuba for their support,
which he considered two brother peoples.
Previously, Arun Kumar, secretary general of Aipso, announced
a new campaign aimed at collecting aid for the Caribbean
nation ...and in tribute to the historical leader of the
Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, in the year of
his centenary.
The member also of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
added that from August 13 to November 25 activities such
as the exhibition of 100 photographs of Fidel will take
place, as well as cultural and sporting events.
The campaign will continue for the rest of the year -- with
remembrances of Ernesto Che Gurevara - in October and
January in celebration of the Triumph of the Revolution
of the largest of the Antilles.
Image: People hold up a banner as they protest against Israel at the entrance of the International Criminal Court.
NATO intelligence has revealed: that Iran
has retained most of its missile arsenal
by Sergey Popov
May 16th, 8:53pm
(Vesti.ru)
NATO intelligence services believe that Iran
has managed to retain more than half of its
missile potential.
Intelligence agencies from the alliance countries
have warned that "Iran still has access to most
of its missiles and underground facilities."
According to their data -- Tehran has
retained at least 60% of its missile
capabilities, as reported by the
Independent, citing sources.
So, according to US intelligence, 90% of the launch
facilities and military warehouses of the Islamic
Republic are currently ------- "partially or
fully functional".
The article concludes: that Iran is
capable of prolonging the Middle
East conflict ------ for months.
Earlier, The New York Times newspaper wrote that Iran
has retained about 70% of its missile arsenal and has
regained access to most of its launch sites in the
Strait of Hormuz... despite the words of US
President Donald Trump, about much
greater damage.
At the end of April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
claimed that the Islamic Republic still had more than
half of its missile arsenal.
In turn, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi said
that Tehran now --- has many more missiles than
before the US and Israeli military operation
against the country.
___________________________________________
Israeli forces raid villages
in Syria's Quneitra----
ransack houses
May 16th, 4:45pm
(PressTV)
Israeli occupation forces have carried out new ground
incursions ---- into the countryside of Syria's south-
western province of Quneitra, amid heightened
military activity near the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces.. on board four
military vehicles, stormed the village of Saida al-Hanout
on Saturday, broke into a number of houses, and
violently ransacked them.
There were no immediate reports of
injuries and abductions in the area.
Separately, three Israeli battle tanks were deployed
on the outskirts of the Tel al-Dari'yat region near
al-Ma'alaqah village. They retreated from the
district after a couple of hours.
The developments came a few days after Israeli
artillery units shelled the Yarmouk Basin area
in the western Syrian province of Dara'a.
The shelling was accompanied by Israeli
military overflights in the region.
The Israeli army also targeted the suburbs of the towns
of Saisoun, Jamla and Aabdyn with barrages of
artillery rounds. No reports of casualties
were quickly available.
Israeli forces continue to violate the 1975
Disengagement Agreement ------- through
repeated incursions into southern Syria.
The incursions have taken place without any response,
amid a suspicious silence from the Syrian regime
regarding these violations.
The Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty come despite
remarks by the leader of Syria’s ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-
Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, that they are
serious about reaching a security agreement with
the Tel Aviv regime.
______________________________________
Trump's inability to see Iran's power
costs him everything -----in China
May 16th, 3:31pm
(PressTV)
The Economist's "Operation Blind Fury" cover - depicts Donald
Trump with a military helmet pulled over his eyes, a scathing
commentary on a president stumbling blindly through a war
he does not understand.
Donald Trump's two-day visit to China starting on Thursday
produced zero strategic gains for the United States in its
confrontation with Iran.
When Trump finally travelled to Beijing after a month of
anticipation, the Western and Persian Gulf allies alike
expected a grand bargain, where the US would offer
trade concessions, and in return, China would use
its economic leverage ....to force Iran to the
negotiating table.
The trip did not convince China to stop buying Iranian oil, nor
did it produce a joint plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or
bring China.... into alignment with the American naval
blockade against Iran.
On every single sector that mattered to Washington, the visit
ended in failure. To understand the scale of this failure, one
must look at the specific sectors where the United States
hoped to secure China's cooperation.
The most important sector in the entire confrontation with the
US is the flow of Iranian crude oil. Iran exports roughly 90%
of its oil to China. With those purchases continuing, any
US blockade ..becomes an exercise in futility.
According to reporting on Trump's own public statements, after
the meetings, China’s leadership informed directly, that Beijing
will continue purchasing Iranian oil ----- without any reduction.
Trump himself confirmed that he had discussed lifting US sanctions on China's oil companies and said he
would make a decision on the matter soon. This,
is a fact of enormous economic significance.
The United States entered the negotiations hoping to choke off
Iran's oil revenue by squeezing China and instead - left Beijing
discussing whether to remove sanctions on its energy sector.
Aboard Air Force One while returning Trump told reporters that
"I'm not asking for any favours because, when you ask for
favours, you have to do favours in return."
He continued, "We don't need favours. We've wiped out their
armed forces, essentially," purportedly referring to Iran. In
diplomatic terms, this piece of phrasing usually means
that the favours he asked for - were not granted.
The second sector where failure was total concerns the Strait
of Hormuz. Washington had hoped, that Beijing would use its
diplomatic weight with Iran to reopen the strait under terms
acceptable to the US and its Persian Gulf allies. Instead,
the visit produced no concrete plan whatsoever.
The fundamental point is that China does not see the strait's
insecurity as Iran's fault. On the contrary, China’s official
position as articulated by its foreign ministry during the
visit called it a war that should never have happened
and that has ---- no reason to continue.
China continued to emphasize - that the region should not
bemilitarized, a position that directly contradicts the US
military buildup in the Persian Gulf.
Still, what stood out during the visit were reports that several
cargo and tanker vessels linked to China transited the Strait
of Hormuz via Iran's safe and permit based corridor at the
very same time .....that Trump was meeting with
China's leadership.
That, was a deliberate signal, according to observers. China
ran its vessels through Iranian controlled waters with US
officials still at the table, because no country serious
about joining a naval blockade would ever flaunt
such operations during a summit focused on
that blockade.
The third sector where the visit failed concerns the nature of
the naval blockade itself. According to multiple international
think tanks, China considers the question of a naval
blockade as something aimed directly at itself
rather than merely at Iran.
This perception is not new. Since 2019, when the US announced
a naval fleet for the Indian Ocean, China has been reviewing
various scenarios about the meaning of a blockade - not
just in the Iran file - but across the entire region.. from
the Sea of Oman to the Taiwan Strait.
China’s stated opposition to militarizing the region is therefore
based in realism. US military bases in the southern Persian
Gulf, equipped with long-range radars and international
dimensions ------ are viewed by China as tools for
destabilization, rather than stabilization.
In fact, neither Iran, nor China, nor Russia, nor any other country supports keeping the region in a permanent state of militarization and the US finds itself isolated on this question.
Persian Gulf Arab states may host US bases, but the 2 largest
powers in the eastern hemisphere, China and Russia, have
openly aligned with Iran, in opposing the US military
footprint --- in the strait.
The fourth sector where the visit failed is the economic
pressure campaign. Washington had hoped, that the
threat of trade restrictions or secondary sanctions
would compel China to reduce its economic
relationship with Iran.
Instead, analysts from the Economist Intelligence Unit and
Eurasia Group noted that China holds the upper hand
because of its dominance in critical resources,
including rare earths, and its diplomatic
leverage in the Iran war itself.
This - they say - allowed China to extract concessions
from Washington, without offering any ground on Iran.
The most concrete evidence of this imbalance is the Boeing
aircraft deal. Prior to the visit, discussions had included a
potential agreement for China to purchase 500
Boeing jets.
By the time Trump left Beijing, that number had been reduced
to just 200 jets, causing Boeing's stock price to fall by 4% on
the day of the announcement.
The final sector where failure is clear, concerns the question
of binding commitments. Across all the discussion of trade,
tariffs, naval activity, and Iranian oil.... China made no
binding commitment to the United States on any
major issue related to Iran.
Australia's ABC News quoted a foreign policy fellow from the
Brookings Institution who stated bluntly that the meeting
ended ......with no China commitment to do anything
specific about the war.
The absence of a joint statement after the visit is itself a telling
fact. When two major powers conclude a summit with no joint
statement, it usually means they could not agree on the
language that would paper over their differences.
That said, the economic implications of this failed visit
are severe and lasting .....for the United States.
A blockade - that cannot stop 90% of Iran's oil, a pressure
campaign where Trump discusses lifting Iran sanctions
on China, and a negotiation where China cuts US jet
Israel has repeatedly claimed.. that Hezbollah is operating
within civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities
and ambulances. The group and all involved medical
personnel ----- have consistently rejected these
baseless claims.
These developments add to growing international concern
over the safety of healthcare workers in conflict zones,
particularly in light of recent escalations along the
Lebanese border and the ceasefire violations
in Gaza.
According to the Lebanese authorities, at least 2,896 people
have been killed and 8,824 others wounded in Lebanon
since the Israeli regime launched its current military
offensive on March 2.
Israel is occupying a belt of southern Lebanon extending
five to ten kilometres inland. The Israeli military has
warned the residents of southern Lebanon
not to cross into the area.
_________________________________
Restraint..will not last forever, Iran warns Persian Gulf Arab countries
May 16th, 1:48pm
(PressTV)
A senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned that
the country’s patience could run out if Persian Gulf
Arab states continue to serve US interests.
In a Saturday post, on his X account, Mohammad Mokhber said
that Iran had for years viewed Persian Gulf Arab neighbours
as friends and brothers, but they chose to become allies
with the enemies of Iran and Palestine, in a clear
reference to the US and Israeli regimes.
“…by selling off their own independence in advance, they even
placed their land and homes at the disposal of the enemies of
Palestine and Iran,” said Mokhber in the Farsi-language post.
Iran carried out attacks on US military bases in the Persian Gulf
countries in response to US-Israeli aggression that began in
late February and was halted as part of a ceasefire in
early April.
Those Persian Gulf states, especially the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), which received the majority of the Iranian attacks
during the US-Israeli aggression -- have accused Iran
of violating their sovereignty - while trying to pile
pressure on Tehran via diplomatic channels.
Mokhber said in his post that Iran exercised restraint during
the recent US-Israeli aggression ---- and spared many of the
targets in countries like the UAE.. from retaliatory attacks.
However, he warned that Tehran’s patience may come to an
end if those countries continue to serve as bases for the
US Central Command (CENTCOM).
“The Islamic Republic's response to CENTCOM's rented
strongholds in the recent full-scale war ---- was not
definitive, but this restraint.... is certainly not
permanent,” he said.
Image: David Edward Hughes' Birth Day
Today, May16th, in 1831
David Edward Hughes,
Inventor, and musician,
is born.
A man of diverse gifts and enormous technical vision,
David Edward Hughes created two major inventions
and significantly advanced electrical science.
The son of a musically talented family - hailing originally from
Bala, his parents and older siblings spent much of their time touring the concert halls of Britain. Thus history records
Hughes’ place of his birth as London, although one
Welsh researcher claims there is evidence to
suggest he was in fact born at Corwen
in Denbighshire.
His father, originally from Wales, and a boot maker by trade,
was a gifted musician who moved to London, married, and
had four children. David Hughes and his two brothers and
sister appeared to have inherited their father’s gift and
also turned out to be natural musicians.
At only six years old, David is known to have played the harp
and English concertina to a very high standard! This talent
wasn’t wasted, as an infant musical troupe was formed
to tour the music halls of London and the provinces.
They were billed as the “Child Prodigies” and went on to perform
for the Royal Family & other notables. Buoyed by their success,
the child prodigies musical show was taken on tour to America,
which opened its arms to the child performers.
Their popularity and novelty, led to the honour of performing at the White House. After several years of show business --
having acquired significant wealth, the family retired from
the entertainment business and kept touring for pleasure.
Their travels... were extensive, covering North America
.....from Nova Scotia to New Orleans.
By the age of nineteen -- his prodigious musical ability
had earned him a college professorship in Kentucky.
Alongside his teaching, Hughes was a keen scientist and
mechanic - who devised a machine for taking down
musical notes - as they were played. The notes
were registered on a mechanical keyboard --
that sent them to a printing device. He had
accidentally invented a telegraph printer.
The Hughes Printer was patented in 1855. It became standard
equipment for many new telegraph companies then
springing up around the world and remained in
use until the 1930’s. It was the forerunner
of the teleprinter, and the telex.
Adoption of his system.. spread to Italy, Russia (with a solution
for the Cyrillic alphabet!), Germany, Turkey (with a solution for the fact - that writing was read from right to left!), Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Serbia, until it was in operation throughout Europe.
In 1868, during the conference in Vienna of the International Telegraphic Union, the Hughes telegraph was generally accepted and Belgium introduced it in 1869. In 1877,
a telegraph station in the railway station Brussels
North had 21 of them in use, & these remained
in service..... until 1947!
A Hughes telegraph achieved a speed of 40 to 45 words per minute, compared to 25 for the Morse telegraph.
The basic design of the model in 1947 was largely identical
to that of 1856, and lasted for nearly 100 years! Belgium
later awarded Hughes the title of Officer of the Royal
Order of Leopold.
Whilst England initially had given Hughes the “not invented
here” treatment, when he tried to introduce his telegraph
before... they eventually had to adopt his instruments to
be compatible with the rest of Europe. His instruments
were put in to use by the United Kingdom Electric
Telegraph Company, of which Hughes also
became a director. Around 1870 ---- his
instruments were in routine service
on many of the cross-Channel
undersea cables.
By the 1870s - Hughes’s telegraph system was
in widespread use throughout Europe as well
as in South America.
Meanwhile early telephone systems were being hampered by
the poor quality of their voice reproduction. Hughes solved
the problem... after noticing that a loose connection in a
battery-driven circuit connected to the mouthpiece
would tend to reproduce the sounds made into it.
Hughes’ carbon microphone was the prototype of all
the microphones in use today. It was - a formidable
achievement, but one for which he received not
a single penny. Already being more than
comfortably off, he declined to take
out a patent.
In 1879 he successfully transmitted signals from over
a distance of several hundred metres, predating
Marconi’s first experiments by sixteen years.
Hughes demonstrated his fledgling spark-gap transmitter to
representatives of the Royal Society in February 1880, but
they incorrectly dismissed it as induction transmission,
not radio transmission so his prototype gathered dust.
He declined to patent the microphone, declaring that he was
giving the technology away free to be used by anyone.
So.... his experiments were published by the technical societies
and in many of the technical journals. The floodgates soon
opened, and within a few months, others were repeating
his experiments and working on their own versions.
Variations of the carbon pencil microphone were extensively
used in conjunction with an electromagnetic receiver in
Europe, for many years, by several companies.
A later variation, based on Hughes’s demonstration of the use
of particles in loose surface contact, resulted in the carbon
granule microphone of Henry Hunnings. In America -- this
technology was further developed by A. White into what
became known as the solid-back transmitter, and in the
UK as the Post Office insert number 13 microphone.
The carbon granule transmitter was not superseded by
any other technologies for use in telephones until the
1980s (and in some parts of the world they are still
in use!).
He continued to be recognized for his scientific contributions
by at least 14 countries, winning their highest honours and
even in prim England ----- which resented him for not being
English, when in 1885, he was awarded the Royal Medal
..from the Royal Society. He was also active with the
Royal Institution, becoming their Vice President,
in 1891.
Hughes realized as time went on.... that his breakthrough invention period... was probably over. He still continued to receive money from the success of his telegraph systems and had judiciously invested it, which provided him with a sound financial base.
He and his wife, while enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, were not
extravagant, and they elected to live in an apartment on Great Portland Street and later round the corner in Langham Street.
They enjoyed an extended tour of Europe each summer.
He started to use his energies in other directions - such as helping younger prospective engineers and scientists on
their way. He was keen on seeing them get ahead with
an education ----- especially if they showed initiative in helping themselves.
To be in a better position to promote and influence them, he
became associated with the London Polytechnic School of
Engineering and became their President. He took the job
seriously and often stayed up late at night... writing
letters of encouragement and advice to students,
giving out hints or opinions on their inventions
or experiments.
He continued to be recognized for his work and was awarded
the Albert Medal in 1897, a medal that Faraday, William
Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Louis Pasteur and Sir Joseph
Lister had previously received.
As the century came to a close his health started to
deteriorate and he barely saw the New Year in, as
he died on January 22nd, 1900 and was laid to
rest in Highgate cemetery.
Always generous in life he was also generous after his death.
After providing for his wife and relatives he left a substantial
amount of his wealth to the London hospitals in the form of
“The David Edward Hughes Hospital Fund”.
To the professional organizations - he left sums of money to
establish medals to be awarded annually, in recognition of
original scientific research. The Hughes medal continues
to be awarded annually at the Royal Society, and has
been presented to... Stephen Hawking in 1976 and
Alexander Graham Bell in 1913, as well as: Max
Born, Robert Watson Watt (Radar), H. Geiger,
Neils Bohr, Edward Appleton, Ambrose
Fleming and Augusto Righi.
Twenty-two years after his death, the pieces of equipment
he used for his Royal Society demonstration – only to be
turned down: a carbon microphone, a battery, and the
interruptor – were discovered in a London flat.
Hughes gained great acclaim within scientific circles for his
work, even if he remained obscure to the public. But was
he in part to blame for his lack of wider recognition by
not publishing his own findings sooner?
Professor Iwan Morus points out that “he was more an inventor
than a man of science – though that could be a fairly artificial
distinction for the Victorians. He was simply more interested
in practicalities and patenting his inventions than in making
a name for himself as a man of science – like Marconi.”
What is not in doubt, the professor adds, is that David Edward
Hughes ---- was a man of great importance in his field.
“Wales.... tends not to make as much as we should, of our
scientific heroes. It’s important that we remember the
contributions Wales has made ---- to science and
technology ---- and that we understand just
how important a role science played in
Welsh culture during the Victorian
period,” he says.
“It’s great that we now have a biography of Hughes. I hope it
brings his story to a wider audience and helps to put the
history of science back into the history of Wales. We
need more books like this .....which try to do that.”
The book - by Ivor Hughes and David E. Evans - has recently
been published. There’s also a museum now established in
Denbigh.. seeking to chart Wales’ role in the development
of radio, and how radio has, in turn, helped to boost the
Welsh language and culture.
EU approves new sanctions against Israeli
settlers ------over violence in West Bank
May 11th, 5:43pm
(PressTV)
The EU agreed to impose new sanctions against Israeli
settlers ------ over the increasing violence against
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
EU foreign ministers, who gathered in Brussels for a meeting
of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, also approved a
new round of sanctions against Israeli organizations
supporting illegal settlement activity in the
occupied West Bank.
“It's done! The EU is sanctioning today the main Israeli
organizations guilty of supporting the extremist and
violent colonization of the West Bank, as well as
their leaders. These most serious - and
intolerable - acts must cease without
delay," French Foreign Minister
Jean-Noel Barrot, said, on
social media platform X.
Barrot said, “The hope that France revived last year in New
York, that of two recognized and respected States living
side by side in peace and security, we will let no one
undermine it."
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also confirmed the decision,
saying EU foreign ministers "gave the go-ahead to sanction
Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians."
"It was high time we moved from deadlock to delivery. Extwemisms and violence carry consequences,"
Kallas saids - on X.
The decision sparked outrage from Israeli foreign minister
Gideon Sa'ar, who called it “arbitrary --- and political”.
“The European Union has chosen, in an arbitrary and political
manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities
because of their political views ...and without any basis,”
Sa’ar sneered... in a post on social media platform X.
He defied the decision, saying Israel will continue
to support the (illegal) settlements in the
occupied West Bank.
Violence by Israeli forces and settlers has escalated across
the occupied West Bank since October 2023, when Israel
launched the genocidal war against Gaza, including
killings, abductions, home demolitions, and
settlement expansion.
Since then, at least 1,155 Palestinians have been killed,
and about 11,750 others injured, and nearly 22,000
arrested in the occupied West Bank.
_____________________________________
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 - opposedWorld 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
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.ukÂÂ
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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
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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:
– 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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.