Rhondda Records is with you every day bringing the news ------- that gives a view of world events different to the mainstream media or social media!
Except Sundays - our day of rest.
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Cuba-Venezuela Parliamentary
Friendship Group ---- ratifies
brotherhood
Caracas, May 22nd, 11:37am
(Prensa Latina)
The Cuba-Venezuela Parliamentary Friendship Group and social
organizations and movements ratified the brotherhood today
with the Cuban Revolution and Army General Raúl Castro.
The legislators expressed through a statement ----- their most
forceful repudiation of “the infamous and grotesque political
action” of the US government against the Cuban leader,
illegally accused by the Department of Justice
of the northern country.
The text described this attitude as shameful and a clear
demonstration of the “decadence and immorality” of
a model that, characterized by its arrogance,
mixophobia and racial supremacism,
violates all current international
regulations and the principles
of sovereignty and self-
determination
of peoples.
The note recalled the historic brotherhood between Cuba and
Venezuela through an indissoluble bond founded since that
epic visit that the apostle José Martí made to Caracas, to
bow in front of the image of the liberator., Simón Bolívar,
in January 1881 to pay honours to the Father Liberator
and his anti-imperialist and integrationist thought.
The deputies pointed out that this gesture by Martí was
rewarded by Commander Hugo Chávez... when, on
December 13, 1994, he merged in a fraternal
embrace with Commander in Chief Fidel
Castro, at the Havana international
airport, to forever seal ties of
brotherhood ---- between
both peoples.
“The lessons of solidarity, resistance, dignity and courage
that the Cuban Revolution has taught to the oppressed
of the world, becomes intolerable for decadent North
American imperialism”, they stated.
They also stressed that, in this instructive task, Army
General Raúl Castro has been a fundamental factor
...along with his brother Fidel.
The Parliamentary Friendship Group highlighted that despite
the severe sanctions to which “we have been subjected by
the opprobrious imperial forces”, millions of Venezuelans
and Latin Americans managed to see the beauty of life
thanks to the Miracle Mission.
There were also hundreds of thousands of lives saved thanks
to the Barrio Adentro Mission, the millions of Venezuelans
who emerged from illiteracy.... and saw the lights of
knowledge in the Robinson missions ---- Rivas and
Sucre, among many other examples of solidarity.
In that direction, they urged all regional legislative entities,
municipal chambers and social movements to speak out
against this criminal aggression - and to mobilize to
collect signatures - to demand the lifting of the
blockade and aggression against Cuba.
As well as the definitive cessation of unilateral coercive
measures against Venezuela and all the peoples of the
world. “Love with Love pays! Until Victory Always!”,
they concluded.
_______________________________________________
REDH SerbiacondemnsUS' accusation
against Raúl Castro: repeats solidarity
Havana, May 22nd, 10:21am
(Prensa Latina)
The Serbian Chapter of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists and
Social Movements in Defense of Humanity (REDH), today
condemned the accusation of the US government
against leader of the Revolution, Raúl Castro,
and reiterated their solidarity with Cuba.
In a statement issued in Belgrade this Friday, REDH Serbia
“raises its strong voice to condemn this new imperialist
provocation --- and reiterate our unwavering solidarity
with the noble Cuban people and their Revolution”.
The text signed by Ratko Krsmanovic, president of the Serbian
Chapter, reacts to the recent and brutal accusations of the
US Department of Justice against the leader of the Cuban
Revolution, army General Raúl Castro. “Cuba... is not
alone! We will win!”, the statement underlines.
Image: People hold up a banner as they protest against Israel at the entrance of the International Criminal Court.
Iran warns UN: US naval blockade is
a war crime - threatening civilians
May 22nd, 9:35pm
Al Mayadeen English
Iran has warned the UN - that the US naval blockade on Iranian
ports is threatening the basic rights of the Iranian people and
constitutes a war crime, demanding immediate intervention
from the human rights chief.
Iran's envoy to the United Nations in Geneva has warned that
the illegal US naval blockade on Iranian ports, is threatening
the fundamental rights of the Iranian people, and has called
for immediate intervention by the UN human rights chief,
stating that the blockade constitutes a war crime ----
under international law.
In a letter addressed to UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker
Türk, Iran's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Ali
Bahreini, demanded urgent attention to the humanitarian and
human rights repercussions of the US‑imposed blockade on
Iranian ports. Bahreini explained that the unilateral naval
blockade, imposed in the context of continued pressure
against Iran, has already resulted ---- in wide‑ranging
human rights consequences across the country.
The Iranian envoy warned that if the blockade continues, it will
place the basic rights of the Iranian people under genuine
threat, including the right to development and access to
essential goods and services. He emphasised that the
blockade contradicts the principles of international
law and constitutes a war crime ------- due to the severe harm it inflicts on civilians.
US continues to violate ceasefire with naval blockade
The US has been violating the ceasefire agreement brokered
on April 8, following the US‑Israeli aggression against Iran
that began on February 28th. Instead of adhering to the
truce -- Washington imposed a naval blockade on the
Strait of Hormuz, preventing ships from reaching
or leaving Iranian ports.
Iran has repeatedly stated that the blockade is an illegal act
of war under international law. Tehran has also made clear
that its own restrictions on shipping through the strait are
lawful defensive measures taken in response --- to the
unprovoked US‑Israeli aggression.
Iranian officials have consistently demanded the complete
lifting of all the US restrictions on Iranian shipping --- as a
precondition for any lasting resolution to the conflict.
The UN has not yet publicly responded to
Iran's formal request for intervention.
Context: Iran's warning that
any naval blockade is an
act of war
Iran has repeatedly warned that the US naval blockade
constitutes an act of war ..and that Tehran reserves
the right --- to confront and break it. Major General
Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran's Expediency
Discernment Council, stated:
"The naval blockade is an act of war, and
confronting it is our right, but.... our
patience has limits."
Rezaei added, "We will break the American naval blockade,
and our armed forces are preparing themselves." In an
interview with Iranian state television, he advised
the US military to end the blockade "before the
Sea of Oman...... becomes their graveyard."
Rezaei also clarified Iran's position on the Strait of Hormuz,
stating that "the Strait of Hormuz is open to trade, but it
will be closed to military buildups and any attempts to destabilize security."
He also revealed: that the Iranian army and the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps had confronted US forces
during what he described .....as an attempt by
Washington to reopen the strait, adding
that one US destroyer was severely
damaged after being struck by
Iranian missiles.
The warnings from Iranian military and political officials
have been consistent: the blockade is illegal under
international law, it constitutes a war crime due
to its severe impact on civilians, and Iran will
not hesitate to use military force to break it
- if necessary. Tehran has also made clear
that the strait - will remain under Iranian
control ......as long as the US and Israeli
warships threaten its territorial waters.
Source: News Websites
___________________________________
IRGC Navy ------ coordinates safe passage of
another 35 ships through Strait of Hormuz
May 22nd, 11:20am
(PressTV)
Iran has administered transit through the Strait of Hormuz since
the early days of the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression on the
country that began on February 28.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced
that it coordinated the transit of another 35 ships through
the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
“Over the past 24 hours ----- 35 ships, including oil tankers,
container ships, and other commercial vessels.... passed
through the Strait of Hormuz, after obtaining permission,
with the coordination and security protection of the
IRGC Navy,” the Public Relations Office of the
IRGC’s Navy said in a statement on Friday.
The passage came on top of 31 vessels—including oil tankers,
container ships, and other commercial ships — that passed
through the strait in the previous 24 hours, the IRGC
Navy announced on Thursday.
The Iranian authority controlling the Strait of Hormuz... in the
Persian Gulf, has defined the supervisory management zone
of the waterway announcing on Wednesday that movement
through the strategic corridor requires coordination... and
a permit.
The zone..... is "the line connecting Mount Mubarak in Iran and
southern Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, on the eastern
side of the strait, extending to the line connecting the end of
Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the United
Arab Emirates, on the western side of the strait."
Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz to its enemies and
their allies following the latest US-Israeli aggression
against the country.
According to a new Reuters report, the IRGC plays a central
role in a new multi-layered transit system that gives
preference to ships linked to allies such as China
and Russia, while other vessels may require
government-to-government arrangements
or payments... to pass.
The IRGC reviews an affiliation document supplied by a ship
owner or operator and during the process they may want
to physically inspect the ship, the news agency said.
"The affiliation check is to identify if the vessel has any
connection to the US or Israel," a European shipping
source told Reuters.
The IRGC requires ship owners to disclose details including the
value of the ship's cargo, the flag, its origin and destination,
the registered owner and manager, and nationalities of
the crew, according to documents sent to shipping
industry sources --------- by Iran's Persian Gulf
Strait Authority.
The vetting is carried out by Iranian state institutions including
the Ports and Maritime Organization, the Ministry of Industry,
Mine and Trade, the national shipping organization, and the
security overseer of the Supreme National Security
Council, according to the report.
Ship owners' willingness to deal directly with Iran shows the
degree to which the strait is under the Islamic Republic's
control, Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence
officer who specializes in Iran research and analysis,
told Reuters.
"The straits will be blocked or opened up only by the approval
of the Iranian government," said Citrinowicz. "Some will get
through because of political alliances, others will have to
pay, others will be turned back. This is the new norm."
Bilateral arrangements for passage include an additional step:
Countries contact Iran's foreign minister to request
permission. The minister.... forwards these to
the Supreme National Security Council.
A decision is then made and communicated to the relevant
bodies, including the IRGC which then provides the
coordinates and instructions needed
for safe passage.
Other countries have worked out different arrangements.
Among them is India, which imports about 90% of its oil
needs and about 50% of its gas, much of which passes
through Hormuz.
New Delhi uses its embassy in Tehran... to liaise with Iranian
authorities, including the IRGC and the Iranian navy, which
vets ships India wants to sail out of the Persian Gulf,
according to an Indian shipping ministry official
cited by Reuters.
"The Indian navy also told us that if the Iranians
ask you to stop, then you should stop. If they
ask you to move, you --- should move," the
report said, "And we've been following
those instructions."
Image: Novak Djokovic's Birth Day
Today, May 22nd, in 1987,
Novak Djokovic,
--- professional tennis player,
philanthropist and UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador...
is born.
Djokovic has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by
the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for a record 428 weeks, finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times,
and has been ranked No. 1 at least once in a year for a record 13 different years.
He has won 101 ATP Tour–level singles titles -- including a record
24 majors (including a record 10 Australian Open titles), a record
40 Masters, a record seven year-end championships, and an
Olympic gold medal.
Djokovic is the only man in tennis history to be the reigning
champion of all four majors at once across three different
surfaces. In singles, he's the only man to achieve a triple
Career Grand Slam, and the first player to complete a
Career Golden Masters, and the only player to
accomplish it twice. Djokovic is the only
player in singles to have won all of
the Big Titles over the course
of his career.
Djokovic began his professional career in 2003. In 2008, at age
20, he disrupted Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's streak of
11 consecutive majors by winning his first major title at the
Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic had begun to separate
himself from the rest of the field and, as a result, the trio
of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic was referred to as the
"Big Three" among fans and commentators.
In 2011, Djokovic ascended to No. 1 for the first time -- winning
three majors and a then-record five Masters titles while going
10–1 against Nadal and Federer. He remained the most successful player in men's tennis for the rest of
the decade.
Djokovic had his most successful season in 2015, reaching a
record 15 consecutive finals and winning 10 Big Titles while
earning 31 victories over top-10 players. His dominant run
extended through to the 2016 French Open, where he
completed the Career Grand Slam --- and a non-
calendar year Grand Slam -- becoming the
first man since Rod Laver... in 1969, to
hold all four majors simultaneously
and setting a rankings points
record of 16,950.
In 2017, Djokovic suffered from an elbow injury that weakened
his results until the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, where
he won the title while ranked No. 21 in the world. Djokovic
then returned to dominant status, winning 11 more major
titles and completing his second and third career
Grand Slams.
Due to his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate,
he skipped many tournaments in 2022 ---- notably the
Australian Open and the US Open, being deported
from the country... in the former case. One year
after the Australian visa controversy he made
a successful comeback to reclaim the 2023
Australian Open trophy, and shortly after
claimed the all-time record for most
men's singles majors titles.
In 2024, he became the only player
to complete a career sweep of the Big Titles.
Representing Serbia, Djokovic led the national tennis team, to
the Davis Cup crown in 2010 and the ATP Cup crown in 2020.
In singles, he won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris
Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2008
Beijing Olympics.
He is a recipient of the Order of Karadorde Star, the Order
of St. Sava, and the Order of the Republika Srpska.
He has been named the BTA Best Balkan
Athlete of the Year a record eight times.
Beyond competition, Djokovic was elected as the president of
the ATP Player Council in 2016. He stepped down in 2020, to
front a new player-only tennis association, the Professional
Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which he co-founded
with Vasek Pospisil.. citing the need for players to have
more influence on the tour and advocating better prize
money structure for lower-ranked players. In January
2026, Djokovic announced that he was stepping
away from the PTPA, citing differences over
transparency, governance, and his role
within the organization.
Djokovic is an active philanthropist. He is the founder of
the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is committed to
supporting children from disadvantaged communities.
He has both raised via his foundation and given personally hundreds and thousands to victims of natural disasters in his home country, plus -- building over 50 schools.
Djokovic was appointed a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador, in 2015.
Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of 4. During the West's illegal wars on Yugoslavia --- in the late 1990s, Serbia was forced to endure prolonged embargoes and NATO bombings. At one point Djokovic had to train inside a disused swimming pool
converted into a tennis court.
His father - took him to train at academies in the US, Italy --- and Germany. Because of the high cost of
travel & training his father took out high-interest
loans to help pay for his son's tennis education - all repaid.
Novak met his future wife, Jelena Ristic, in high school, and began
dating her in 2005. The two became engaged in September
2013, and on 10 July 2014 the couple were married on
Montenegro's Sveti Stefan island, in the Serbian
Orthodox Church of Saint Stephen. He and
Ristic.. had their first child, a boy, in
October 2014. Their daughter
was born in 2017.
Djokovic is a self-described fan of languages, speaking
Serbian, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Djokovic is a member of the "Champions for Peace" club,
a group of elite athletes committed to serving peace
in the world through sport.
"Especially ------ as a son of a man born in Kosovo,
I feel the need to give my support to our people
and to the entirety of Serbia. Kosovo, is our
cradle, our stronghold - the centre of the
most important things for our country.''
"The obstacles in your path ---- are
not obstacles. They are the path."
"When the last point is done - we are
humans. Give your opponent a hug,
and say ‘great fight’ and that’s all."
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
*************************************************
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.
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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
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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.