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 Cuba commemorates Africa Day 
with tribute to historical ties

Havana, May 25th, 12:04am 

(Prensa Latina) 

 

Cuba pays tribute today to Africa Day, an event that evokes 

the 1963 meeting in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, 

where 32 continental leaders instituted the 

Organization of African Unity, now the 

African Union.

 

The commemoration takes on a special significance on 

the island because of the deep historical and cultural

 ties that unite the two regions.

 

As part of the activities, a wreath... will be laid at the African 

Heroes Park in Havana, a space that symbolizes gratitude 

to those who fought for the liberation of the continent.

 

The brotherhood between Cuba and Africa, was forged in 

the anti-colonial struggle. For almost three decades, 

some 380,000 Cubans fought - in defense of the 

sovereignty and integrity of several African 

countries.... where more than 2,000 

lost their lives.

 

Thousands of employees on the island have served 

in public health, education, sports and other areas

 of social development.

 

Reciprocally, more than 31,000 Africans have 

graduated from Cuban universities, 

strengthening the exchange 

of knowledge and skills.

 

Africa Day, also known as African Freedom Day, is 

celebrated annually on May 25 with the aim of 

making visible the needs that the nations of 

the continent still face.

 

The date also allows us to vindicate the socio-

economic advances achieved, including the 

processes of liberation from colonialism 

and the construction of autonomous

 development projects.

 

 

_______________________________________

 

 

 

U.S. Congressional Black Caucus: 

Enough of barbaric policy 

with Cuba

Washington, May 25th, 12:02am

(Prensa Latina) 

 

More voices are calling today in the US - for an end to the 

oil blockade on Cuba, a policy that, for the president of 

the Congressional Black Caucus, Yvette D. Clarke, is

 "barbaric" and deepens the humanitarian crisis on 

the island.

 

"Enough ----- is enough! The Congressional Black Caucus will not 

stand idly by, allowing this administration to continue with this 

barbaric policy that generates unimaginable human suffering 

in Cuba," said Clarke, a member of the House of

 Representatives from New York.

 

The Democratic congresswoman issued a letter -- in which she 

addresses President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, 

Marco Rubio, whom she urges ------- to relieve the economic 

pressure on the Caribbean country.

 

Clarke denounced the impact of this policy of suffocation 

of the current administration against the people of the 

Antillean nation, which has caused "an increase in 

infant mortality rates, the threat of famine and a 

deterioration in the standard of living ---- of 

innocent Cuban civilians."

 

"Under the oil blockade and the tightening of sanctions 

imposed by this administration, Cubans are dying," 

the lawmaker wrote.

 

A press release posted on its official website underscored: that 

the Congressional Black Caucus -- which has long encouraged 

the United States to lead the world stage in supporting peace 

and justice - rejected the administration's draconian policies, 

which have led to the dire situation facing the Cuban people.

 

"We demand ---- that they end the oil blockade, lift sanctions 

against Cuba ---- and allow the Cuban people to access the 

most basic resources they need to survive on the island," 

Clarke stressed.

 

Last week, Arizona Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego 

warned of the attempts of aggression that would be 

brewing in Washington against Cuba.

 

"We are seeing --- how Republicans fabricate before our very eyes 

a reason for another war of regime change, this time - in Cuba," 

the legislator wrote on his social network account X. Gallego, 

along with his colleagues Tim Kaine (Virginia) and Adam 

Schiff (California) presented a Resolution on War 

Powers - to block the use of the United States 

Armed Forces - in hostilities against Cuba.

 

President Trump's use of the U.S. military to blockade Cuba

 has created a humanitarian crisis on the island and risks 

leading to a massive migration crisis, a press release 

on its website said.

 

It also continues to threaten direct military action -- and recent 

reports indicate that Southern Command has been ordered to 

draw up plans for possible military action, the text, released 

last Thursday, argued.

 

"The president's approval ratings ------ are plummeting, so he's 

inventing a pretext to invade and looking for a quick victory 

to project an image of toughness. We must raise our 

voices now -------- before we end up embroiled in 

another endless war," he stressed.

 

The senators stressed ------ that they will continue to push 

resolutions on war powers and seek bipartisan support: 

"to make clear - our opposition to the use of military 

force against Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, or any other 

nation that does not pose an imminent threat 

to the United States."

 

Trump reiterated in his 2024 election campaign... that, if 

he won..... he would keep the United States away from 

war. Even last year - he fought to win the Nobel Prize.

 

But since he returned to the White House, threats of 

expansion and interventionism have been setting

 the tone for his foreign agenda.

 

Now, despite having an open battlefront in the Middle 

East, with Iran, the Trump administration's next 

target ---- seems to be Cuba.

 

In the Caribbean area, the aircraft carrier Nimitz, was 

deployed, but, according to Trump, it is not to try to 

intimidate the island.








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

















 
May 25: Iran vows --- not to yield 

to US pressure in negotiations 

to end imposed war

May 25th, 10:04pm

(Press TV Website Staff)

 

Iran on Monday, reaffirmed its unwavering position in the

ongoing negotiations to end the third imposed war, with 

senior officials vowing the Islamic Republic ---- will not 

yield to US pressure or maximalist demands.

 

Top Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker 

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, held talks with Qatari 

officials in Doha on Tuesday....... as diplomatic 

efforts moved forward.

 

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) 

reported steady and secure ship traffic.. through the 

Strait of Hormuz, with over 30 ships transiting in 

24 hours. 

 

The day also saw continued regional fallout, including new 

Israeli strikes in Lebanon and fresh disclosures about the 

human & economic costs - of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

 

Key developments on day 87 of the war, 

the forty-seventh day of the ceasefire:

 

The US carried out a deliberate and barbaric missile strike on 

a civilian sports hall in the city of Lamerd in Fars Province 

during the 40-day war against Iran, martyring 24 innocent 

Iranians and injuring over 130 others...... Iran’s Foreign 

Ministry Spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, revealed ---
in 
harrowing details.

 

President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran will not 

surrender to US pressures and maximalist demands, 

saying the country’s negotiators - will ensure the 

full restoration of the nation’s rights through 

the diplomatic process.

 

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran's Supreme

 National Security Council, in his first message since 

assuming office, stated that the Islamic Republic 

“will not retreat” ---- in any agreement.

 

The Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,
and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with top
Qatari 
officials in Doha, amid diplomatic efforts to end
the 
unprovoked US-Israeli war against Iran. 

 

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said indirect talks with
the 
US are centred on ending aggression on all fronts 

and that the nuclear issue or the management of
the Strait
 of Hormuz .....are not part of
the negotiations.

 

Iran’s IRGC Navy said 32 more ships passed through the Strait 

of Hormuz in the past 24 hours after obtaining permission 

from the Iranian forces following improved security in 

the strategic waterway. 

 

Mohammad Mokhber --- senior advisor to the Leader of the 

Islamic Revolution, said the country is repeating history 

by gaining strength through steadfastness.

 

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, senior advisor to

the IRGC commander-in-chief, said that the US and Israel - 

unleashed over 2,100 projectiles and nearly 300 surface

-to-surface missiles against Iran's strategic Abu Musa 

island .....during the recent war of aggression.

 

Iran’s National Olympic Committee announced that it has 

named the contingent of Iranian athletes scheduled to 

participate... in the 2026 Asian Indoor and Martial
Arts 
Games - after the "Martyred Leader." 

 

An Iranian civil aviation official said 20 airports across 

the country have successfully resumed operations

 following the recent US-Israeli aggression.

 

Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination 

Unit, said the Lebanese resistance movement will never 

engage in a confrontation with the Lebanese army, and

 that the resistance group remains the most effective 

force against the Israeli occupation forces.

 

At least six people were killed in the latest round of Israeli 

airstrikes against multiple locations in southern Lebanon, 

as the Israeli army issued fresh evacuation orders amid 

its ongoing military aggression.

 

Gold prices rose 1.4 percent to $4,570.88 per ounce on 

Monday, while oil prices fell as benchmark London 

Brent crude fell 4 percent below $100 a barrel. 


The price increased amid a weaker dollar - as

capital investors weigh the US-Iran peace 

deal prospects.

 

The US-Israeli aggression against Iran could cost US taxpayers 

billions of dollars, as investor fears over rising inflation - add to 

the US government’s debt burden, the Financial Times reports.

 

US President Donald Trump ---- ''told'' several Arab and Muslim 

leaders that he expects them to establish formal relations 

with Israel in exchange for a ceasefire deal with Iran 

to end the war, according to US officials.

 

 

__________________________________________

 

 

 

IOF acknowledge Hezbollah capability

---------- to penetrate northern airspace

May 25th, 8:51pm

(/Al Mayadeen English)

 

Israeli media reports - growing concern within the military 

establishment over Hezbollah’s ability to target sensitive 

military locations using explosive drones capable of 

bypassing defensive measures.

 

Israeli military officials acknowledge that Hezbollah possesses 

the capability to launch drone attacks targeting virtually any 

location across northern "Israel", according to Channel 13 

News, reporting on Monday.

 

Military officials reportedly admitted that “there is no difficulty 

for Hezbollah in launching an explosive-laden drone and 

sending it through the window of the mayor of Haifa,” 

highlighting growing concerns over the group’s 

aerial capabilities, according to Channel 

13 News.

 

The channel further stated that Hezbollah could also “send 

a drone through the window of the commander of the 

submarine fleet at the naval base in Haifa,” 

emphasizing fears.. within the Israeli 

security establishment - regarding 

the vulnerability of sensitive 

military sites.

 

Hezbollah's FPVs have turned into

 a strategic threat: Israeli media

 

Hezbollah's explosive drones have effectively become 

a form of precision missile system ---- the Maariv 

correspondent, Avi Ashkenazi, stated earlier 

today.... after the Israeli daily reported 

hours of nonstop drone attacks 

- against the occupied north.

 

According to Israeli media, several FPV drones detonated 

in the settlement of Misgav Am, while a building in 

Shomera was directly struck, marking the 

second such incident, as well as 

another in Metulla. 

 

Israeli media also accused the Israeli military spokes-

person of distortion and false reports, pointing to 

casualties, fires, and damage to homes, in 

addition to difficulties in evacuation 

operations, after he alleged that 

Hezbollah ----- ''prevented'' the 

evacuation of the wounded.

 

For its part, "Israel’s" Channel 12 said that “alongside 

thermal surveillance capabilities, Hezbollah ---- has 

significantly increased its use of suicide drones.”

 

The channel added that dozens of drone attacks - were 

reported overnight -- many of them targeting border 

settlements. Hezbollah has intensified, both the 

number of attacks deep inside the occupied 

territories ...and the distance covered by 

these operations from the border line.

 

Yedioth Ahronoth: Hezbollah drones 

have become ---- a strategic threat

 

In a separate report, the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth 

Ahronoth said the drone threat is no longer merely 

tactical, but has evolved into a strategic threat, 

as Hezbollah... seeks to “hunt” Israeli forces 

operating on the ground - while the Israeli 

military attempts to adapt its methods 

to confront the growing challenge.

 

The report added that -- after gathering intelligence 

and conducting surveillance, Hezbollah focuses its 

efforts: on a single area where Israeli occupation 

forces are concentrated, then launches multiple 

drones toward the target ---------- sometimes 

simultaneously ........and at other times

in successive waves.

 

Yedioth Ahronoth noted that Hezbollah is steadily 

improving the efficiency and precision of its 

explosive drones ---- waging a “battle of 

attrition” against Israeli forces - via

a “deeply disruptive" threat. 

 

According to the newspaper, “what was once 

considered by combat forces to be a tactical 

threat has, through the sequence of events 

--- and its impact on military operations --- 

effectively become a strategic threat.”

 

It also noted that engineering vehicles have been 

withdrawn, due to the drone threat, while 

contractors who were instructed to 

demolish civilian homes in the 

Lebanese South have been 

restricted --- to a specific 

schedule that operates 

---- at night only. "As a 

result ---- the pace of 

demolitions slows," 

the 'paper said.

 

The Israeli political leadership, it added, “did not expect 

the battle in Lebanon... to evolve in this manner.” The 

paper also noted that the current ceasefire reality 

on the ground, which has restricted the Israeli 

military’s freedom of action, “was not 

anticipated either.”

 

The newspaper further reported: that there are currently 

“serious question marks within the Northern Command 

regarding the future.”

 

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon -- continues its military 

operations targeting Israeli occupation forces in southern 

Lebanon and the occupied territories ---- in response to 

Israeli violations of the ceasefire since April 18.

 

 

Source: Israeli media

 

 

____________________________________________


 

Official: Hezbollah will not 

engage in confrontation 

with Lebanese army

May 25th, 5:30pm

(PressTV) 

 

A high-ranking Hezbollah official says the Lebanese resistance 

movement will never engage in a confrontation with the army,
and that his group remains the most effective force
against 
the Israeli occupation forces.

 

"The Lebanese Army Command.. enjoys the necessary political 

and social prudence to serve national interests. Hezbollah will

 never engage in a confrontation with the Lebanese military," 

Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination 

Unit, said on Monday.

 

Hezbollah dealt painful blows to Israeli forces stationed 

in southern Lebanon - carried out multiple retaliatory 

operations & took scores of Israeli troops hostage 

in 2000, forcing the occupation troops to fully 

withdraw........ from the region, he said.

 

Safa said the resistance movement takes pride in its martyrs, 

their families, veteran fighters, and members being held in 

Israeli prisons, as well as its bright history.

 

"Just as southern Lebanon was liberated ---- through crippling 

strikes in 2000, the same strategy works for the time being. 

Retaliatory operations ---- will continue unabated," the 

senior Hezbollah official said.

 

He went on to level criticism at the Beirut government, 

stating that diplomacy has failed to cease Israeli
acts
 of aggression against Lebanon.

 

Safa said the ongoing Israeli atrocities clearly show 

that the Tel Aviv regime understands nothing but 

the language of force, and that Hezbollah 

fighters need to be redeployed 

in southern Lebanon.

 

He also censured direct negotiations between 

representatives from Israel and Lebanon, 

saying such talks are in favour of 

Washington and Tel Aviv.

 

The senior Hezbollah official said Lebanon's 

authorities.. failed to tap the resistance 

movement's capabilities ----- due to 

pressure from the US & Israel.

 

"Despite substantial concessions... the 

Beirut government could not achieve 

a ceasefire."

 

The Hezbollah official also hailed Iran's 

steadfastness and resilience in the 

face of US aggression, saying the 

Islamic Republic could finally 

impose its conditions -------

among them a ceasefire 

in Lebanon.

 

"There will be no agreement (between Tehran and 

Washington) unless Lebanon is included in its 

terms and conditions. Hezbollah, Pakistani 

mediators and the US side have all been 

notified of this key issue."

 

He said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

has failed to attain his objectives in Lebanon, 

and is faced with a serious crisis in the 

occupied territories.

 

 

___________________________________________




Pezeshkian: Iran will not surrender to 


‘excessive’ US demands ---- seeks
full 
restoration of its rights


May 25th, 10:46am


 (PressTV)


 


President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Iran will


 not surrender to US pressures and excessive demands, 


saying the country’s negotiators will ensure the full 


restoration of the nation’s rights through the 


diplomatic process.


 


Speaking at a meeting with members of the Chamber of 


Commerce on Monday, Pezeshkian noted that after 


failing on the military front, the enemy has now 


concentrated its efforts on economic warfare.


 


“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not surrender to excessive 


pressures and demands under any circumstances,” he said.


 


On February 28, the US and Israel initiated an unprovoked war 


against Iran - with the assassination of Leader of the Islamic 


Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei - and several 


high-ranking military commanders.


 


In response, the Iranian Armed Forces carried out 100 waves 


of counterattacks over 40 days, targeting US and Israeli 


military assets, which resulted in significant damage.


 


A Pakistani-mediated 2-week ceasefire, was brokered on 


April 8, enabling the ongoing negotiations in Islamabad.


 


The president added that --- despite the enemy’s shift to 


economic warfare following its military failures, “the 


government and the private sector ------- through 


solidarity, cohesion, and joint cooperation, 


will successfully navigate this phase, 


as well.”


 


Pezeshkian --- praised the role of the private sector and 


economic actors in managing the country’s sensitive 


situation, describing them ------ as pioneers of the 


economic front in the enemy’s comprehensive 


hybrid war.


 


He said that maintaining market stability, preventing 


economic volatility --- and meeting the country’s 


needs under wartime conditions, have been 


made possible .........through the efforts, 


dedication and effective presence of 


economic actors and producers.


 


“During the recent crisis --- no noticeable shortage of 


goods or serious market disruption was observed,” 


the president added.


 


 


________________________________________


 



 


Malaysia ready to take Israel to ICJ 


over abduction, torture of Gaza 


flotilla activists: Official


May 25th, 10:22am


 (PressTV)


 


The Malaysian government - is prepared to take Israel to the 


International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the abduction and 


torture of activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud 


humanitarian aid flotilla.


 


Amirudin bin Shari, chief minister of the Malaysian state of 


Selangor, said on Monday -- that Kuala Lumpur will initiate 


proceedings as soon as lawyers complete the collection 


of information and supporting evidence.


 


Over 400 international activists aboard the flotilla, which 


aimed to break Israel's naval blockade on Gaza.... to 


deliver aid --------- were attacked and abducted by 


Israeli forces last week in international waters.


 


“We will not remain silent; we will not stop. While the legal team


 gathers all documentation on violations of international law, 


they (flotilla participants) were kidnapped more than once, 


they were tortured,” Amirudin said while speaking at the 


Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 homecoming ceremony.. at 


Kuala Lumpur International Airport.


 


“We will bring this - to the international court, we will continue 


diplomatic pressure, and we will also travel across Malaysia,” 


he said.


 


Despite Ben-Gvir taunting activists, 


Italy....... refuses to sanction Israel.


 


Israel simply benefits from the fact that no heads of state 


in Europe ........is opposing what it is doing. They are all 


subordinated to a system of power --------- that is badly 


affecting the economies of all the countries involved.


 


Bin Shari said the legal action follows acts of brutality, 


including abduction, torture, and sexual violence 


perpetrated by Israeli forces on the flotilla 


activists, and particularly --- on the


Malaysian participants.


 


He added that the move will be followed by continued 


diplomatic pressure by the government ------- to now


demand the "full liberation" of Gaza.


 


Although the GSF 2.0 mission has concluded, Malaysia 


and Selangor’s commitment to the Palestinian cause 


will continue, Bin Shari emphasized.


 


There are plans to bring international conferences 


related to Palestine to Malaysia, in the future....


to strengthen advocacy efforts, he explained.


 


He stated that the Global Sumud 3.0 will continue 


the struggle against the Israeli regime: until the 


blockade on Gaza is lifted.


 


Last Monday, the Israeli forces attacked the flotilla 


in international waters off the Cypriot coast.


 


The Global Sumud Flotilla has confirmed that the


activists abducted from Gaza-bound vessels 


were subjected to sexual violence, 


physical assaults..... and to


degrading treatment.


 


In a statement, the flotilla said the Israeli forces attacked 


the first of its boats "in broad daylight" in international 


waters while military vessels intercepted the fleet.


 


The flotilla demanded "safe passage" for its 


humanitarian mission to the blockaded 


Palestinian territory, denouncing the 


Israeli regime ---- for carrying out 


"illegal acts of piracy."


 


This is not the first time the flotilla's mission to transfer 


direly-needed aid to the Gaza Strip has been hampered 


by the regime, as the coastal sliver continues to suffer 


from the catastrophic aftermath of a war of genocide 


by Tel Aviv that began in October 2023.


 


The genocide has also been characterized by the 


weaponization - of foodstuffs and other vital 


commodities as a result of the regime's 


further tightening of its 2007 - to the


present - siege of Gaza.


 














Image: Happy Africa Day!


 
Today, May  25th, is

 

Africa Day!




AKA African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day,

Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the 

foundation of the Organization of African 

Unity on 25 May in 1963.

 

It is celebrated in all countries 

in Africa and around the world.

 

The First Congress of Independent African States 

held in Accra, Ghana on 15 April 1958, called for 

the founding of an African Freedom Day, a day 

to "...mark each year the onward progress of 

the liberation movement, and to symbolize 

the determination of the people of Africa 

------- to free themselves from foreign 

domination and exploitation.''

 

The conference was notable in that it laid the basis for 

the subsequent meetings of African heads of state 

and government during the Casablanca Group 

and the Monrovia Group era, until the 

formation of the Organisation of 

African Unity (OAU) in 1963 

and the present day's AU.

 

AU ON Africa Day

 

The African Union (AU), will commemorate its 63rd 

anniversary on May 25th, 2026, with a theme that 

emphasizes unity, integration, and development. 

 

The event will take place at the African Union headquarters 

in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will include sports activities, 

cultural bazaars, family activities, & an official ceremony. 

 

Media representatives are invited to cover the event, which 

will also feature statements by key figures from the AU
and 
other organizations. 

 

This commemoration aims to celebrate the continent's 

journey towards unity and progress, reflecting on the 

AU's role in supporting independence movements 

and fostering dialogue on Africa's future 

development and integration. 

 

 "Our Africa, Our Future!"









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 - 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_b6pvBprm
GA4XFdG-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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