(Text-only) Rhondda Records Home Page

Cuba and China explore

new opportunities for

trade cooperation

Beijing, November 12th, 12am

(Prensa Latina)

Cuba and China today explored new opportunities to

expand their economic-commercial ties during a

trade and investment forum held in this capital,

with the participation of authorities from both

countries and representatives of the

business sector.

The meeting was attended by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno

Rodríguez, special envoy of the Communist Party and the

island's government, and the Deputy Prime Minister and

Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment,

Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga.

Cuban diplomatic authorities in China, such as

Ambassador Alberto Blanco, and business

men from both nations also attended.

Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of

International Trade Ren Hongbin - highlighted the

potential of bilateral economic cooperation and

the willingness of Chinese enterprises to

expand their ties with Cuba.

The executive pointed out that China became the island's

main trading partner and, in particular, highlighted the

advances in Chinese exports of electromechanical

products to Cuba, as well as the presence in the

Chinese market of Cuban goods, including

rum, honey and fishery products.

The Chinese Council chairman said the country's economy

grew by 4.6 percent in the first three quarters of the year,

a result that he said offers favourable conditions for

expanding cooperation with its trading partners.

He also invited Cuba to participate in the fifth China

International Supply Chain Promotion Exhibition,

scheduled for next June in Beijing ---- with the

purpose of boosting industrial collaboration

and technological exchanges.

For his part, Pérez-Oliva Fraga explained the economic

transformations that Cuba is developing and the 176

measures approved to advance in that process.

The deputy prime minister pointed out that these changes are

taking place in the midst of an accelerated energy transition

and denounced the effects of the U.S. blockade, financial

persecution and the energy siege against the island.

In this context, he affirmed... that the Cuban Government is

determined to make the procedures for the establishment

of foreign investments ....more flexible and simplified.

Among the prioritized sectors he mentioned are energy,

agribusiness, food production, biotechnology, banking,

digital platforms, tourism, real estate development

and infrastructure.

The Cuban minister also highlighted biotechnology as one

of the successful areas of bilateral cooperation, with

more than two decades of joint work.

During the forum, the participants extended an invitation to

entrepreneurs to attend the 5th China International Supply

Chain Expo, scheduled for June 2027 in Beijing.

Cuba has participated in three consecutive editions of that

event, known by its acronym CISCE, which promotes

industrial cooperation, the articulation of supply

chains.. and exchanges between companies.

Beijing and Havana have multisectoral cooperation, that

stands out for mutual support on issues of fundamental

interest to each other, high bilateral political trust and

the decision to build a China-Cuba Community of a

Shared Future.

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

Iran slams Western media

for ignoring Israel’s

‘silent genocide’

in Gaza

November 12th, 10:09am GMT

(PressTV)

Iran's FM says the disastrous situation in Gaza is

--- no longer making headlines in Western media.

Israeli genocide in Gaza

Iran has censured Western media outlets - for not covering

Israel’s "silent genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza

Strip, where heavy rain floods ....have displaced families’

makeshift shelters.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the criticism in

an X post on Thursday, a few days after thousands of

Palestinians lost their tents and belongings as rain

and strong winds began lashing Gaza, causing

damaged buildings to collapse across the

besieged territory - which has been

leveled to the ground by the

occupying regime.

“The disastrous situation in Gaza - is no longer

making headlines in Western media,” he said.

“A Silent Genocide is going on with almost zero attention.

It is... shameful. And an indication that Israel has

succeeded in one aspect --------- of its effort to

start wars to divert attention from failures.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

“A silent genocide” is unfolding in Gaza.

Araghchi accused Western media of largely ignoring

the humanitarian catastrophe, saying Israel has

succeeded in diverting global attention from

its failures --------- by fueling war.

pic.twitter.com/daIXtKIZlF

— Press TV (@PressTV) November 12, 2026

From the evening of November 6 through the weekend,

torrential rain hit the Gaza Strip, submerging 70,000

tents and affecting approximately 350,000 people.

On Sunday, three children and two women were killed

after the collapse of a rain-soaked sand bank

overlooking a displacement camp south

of the city of Deir al-Balah.

The impact of the weather is compounded by wartime

destruction in Gaza -- where most people remain

displaced -- and an estimated 65 percent live

in tents or makeshift shelters – that is.....

1.4 million people.

Meanwhile... Israel is blocking humanitarian aid

into the besieged territory - in defiance of calls

to allow the entry of essential winter supplies.

Bashar Murad, director of health programs at the

Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the Gaza

Strip - warned of a worsening health and

humanitarian situation - amid freezing

temperatures, a lack of medicines,

winter clothing ---- and heating
equipment.

He said that - the mixing of rainwater with sewage in

displacement camps threatens to spread diseases,

infections and epidemics.

Report: 564k Gaza children living in ‘critical

or catastrophic’ shelter conditions.....

The Israeli regime waged the Gaza genocide on October 7,

2023, after the resistance group Hamas carried out an

historic operation against the usurping entity - in

response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities

against Palestinians.

Two years later, however, Israel - was forced to agree to a

ceasefire after it failed to achieve its declared objectives.

Since then, Israel has violated the truce with near-daily

attacks on Gaza. It has so far killed a total of 74,609

Palestinians - mostly women and children - and

injured 175,872 others - over the past more

than three years.

Today, November 12th, in 1945,

Neil Young,

song writer, musician, singer,

pro-peace, anti-GMO and

pro-farm food activist..

and environmentalist,

is born.

Neil Percival Young is widely regarded as one of the most

influential musicians of his generation. Young began

performing as a solo artist in Canada.... in 1960,

before moving to California in 1966 --- where

he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield

along with Stephen Stills and later joined

Crosby, Stills & Nash as a 4th member

... in 1969.

Young worked in folk clubs in Winnipeg, where he first met

Joni Mitchell. Mitchell recalls Young as having been highly

influenced by Bob Dylan at the time. Young said Phil Ochs

was "a big influence on me", telling a radio station in '69

--- Ochs was "on the same level with Dylan in my eyes."

Here.... he wrote some of his earliest and most enduring folk

songs such as "Sugar Mountain", about lost youth. Mitchell

wrote "The Circle Game" in response. The Winnipeg band

the Guess Who (with Randy Bachman as lead guitarist)

had a Canadian Top 40 hit with Young's "Flying on the

Ground is Wrong", which was Young's first major

success as a songwriter.

Young wrote "Ohio" after the Kent State massacre on May 4,

1970. CSNY quickly recorded the song and released it as a

single, even as CSNY's "Teach Your Children" was still

climbing the singles charts.

Young has been a lifelong committed environmentalist

and outspoken advocate for the welfare of small

farmers, having co-founded in 1985, the

benefit concert Farm Aid.

Farm Aid

Young remains on the board of directors of Farm Aid, an
organization he co-founded with Willie Nelson and John
Mellencamp in 1985.

Farm Aid annual benefit concerts ... raise funds and provide

grants to family farms and prevent foreclosures, provide a

crisis hotline, and create and promote homegrown farm

food in the United States.

Bridge School

In 1986, Young helped found the Bridge School, an

educational organization for children with severe

verbal and physical disabilities, and its annual

supporting Bridge School Benefit concerts,

together with his then-wife Pegi Young.

Songwriting activism

Young had never been a stranger to eco-friendly lyrics, but

themes of environmentalist spirituality and activism

became increasingly prominent in his work

throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Young's renewed activism manifested itself in the 2006 album

Living with War, which like the much earlier song "Ohio", was

recorded and released in less than a month as a direct result

of current events.

Most of the album's songs - rebuked the Bush administration's

policy of war by examining its human costs to soldiers, their

loved ones, and civilians, but Young also included a few

songs on other themes and an outright protest song,

"Let's Impeach the President", in which he stated

that Bush had lied - to lead the country into war.

In 2006, when Paste magazine compiled a "Greatest

Living Songwriters" list, Young was ranked second

behind Bob Dylan.

Neil Young's "Big Crime", premiered with the Chrome Hearts

on August 27, 2025, at Chicago's Huntington Bank Pavilion,

directly targeting Donald Trump's deployment of National

Guard troops and federal agents in Washington, D.C.

With lyrics proclaiming: "There's big crime in D.C. at the White

House", "Don't want soldiers on our streets" - and "Got to get

the fascists out, got to clean the White House out", the song

combines Young's signature protest rock style with explicit

criticism of government overreach & the political climate,
continuing his long legacy of helping music be a place

for real social and political commentary.

''The '60s was one of the first times

the power of music was used by a

generation to bind them together.''

''Back then... people closed their eyes

and listened to music. Today there's

a lot of ''images'' that go with the

music. A lot of music... is crap

and it's all commercial and

the images are all trying

to sell the record.''

''I am not into organized religion. I am into

believing in a higher source of creation,

realizing we're all just part of nature.''

''I don't like war. I particularly don't like

the celebration of war, which I think

the administration is a little bit

guilty of.''

''I fixate on the news all of the time. I wake up

thinking about it --- and I go to sleep thinking

about it, because it's a dangerous situation

for our planet and for our people and, you

know, for our children in the future. We

are squandering things.''

''It's cool to go places where

working people are happy.''

Happy 81st, Neil!

France --- bans Israeli settler leader

Yossi Dagan from entering country

November 11th, 9:25pm

(Al Mayadeen English)

Dagan recently campaigned in Europe and the US

against sanctions and boycotts targeting goods

produced in West Bank settlements.

France barred Yossi Dagan, head of the so-called

"Samaria Regional Council," a settler body in

the occupied West Bank, from its territory

over his role in advancing settlement

construction, France 24 reported.

Dagan said that French immigration officers pulled

him aside for questioning when he landed in Paris

last week, after which he was not admitted.

"During passport control, he was pulled aside and

questioned" before being informed that he was

banned from entering French territory,

according to the statement.

It did not specify the date or the air-

port - where the events took place.

Paris cites international law violations

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not confirm

the deportation, according to France 24, but stressed

that "Dagan is subject to an administrative ban from

the territory ------- because of his active role in

implementing the settlement policy

in the West Bank."

"Settlement building is contrary to international law

and undermines the two-state solution," it added.

It remains unclear whether Dagan is among the 28 settlers

France sanctioned in February 2024 over abuses against

Palestinians, as the French Foreign Ministry has not

released that list.

Dagan is a prominent figure in the settlement movement.

He has recently campaigned - in Europe and the US -

against sanctions and boycotts targeting goods

produced in West Bank settlements.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry branded the move as “completely

unacceptable” and said “Israel” will demand explanations

from the French government, before considering its next

steps, according to Amit Segal..... chief political analyst

at Hebrew Channel 12, who ralayed the statement on X.

France has banned Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria

Regional Council, from entering its territory. Israel’s

Foreign Ministry responded: “This is a completely

unacceptable move. Israel will demand

explanations from the French

government & accordingly,

consider its next steps.”

Part of a wider pattern

The ban follows a similar French move in May against Itamar

Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Police Minister who was barred after

posting a video in which he taunted bound activists

detained by Israeli soldiers from a Gaza-bound

aid flotilla. The footage drew international

condemnation.

Relations between Paris and “Israel” have been strained

since "Israel's" genocidal war on Gaza and France’s

recognition of a Palestinian state in 2025.

In September, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël

Barrot announced a ban on products from West

Bank settlements, that same day, 11 other

countries, including Britain and Canada,

unveiled comparable trade restrictions.

This Monday, the French National Assembly’s

Committeeon Economic Affairs advanced a

Socialist Party bill that would prohibit

settlement imports.

The UN documented more than 800 settler attacks

on Palestinians in the first five months of 2026,

including ----- assaults, arson, and strikes on

homes, olive groves, and other property.

Source: News websites

________________________________________

Iran warns US, 'Israel':

Past strikes were

just the start

November 11th, 9:25am

(Al Mayadeen English)

Iran’s armed forces chief Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi

warns the US and "Israel" that any new

miscalculation will be met with

deadlier strikes.

Iran’s armed forces --- have the military capability to target

sources of threat to the Islamic Republic, Major General

Ali Abdollahi, Chief of the General Staff & Commander

of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters -- has

affirmed in a note to Brigadier General Sayyed

Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC

Aerospace Force, marking the 15th

anniversary of the martyrdom

of Major General Hassan

Tehrani Moghaddam.

Abdollahi - warned the United States and

“Israel” against any new miscalculation.

“The previous strikes ......were nothing but a beginning --- and

any new miscalculation will be met with deadlier strikes,”

he added, stressing that: “this threat is serious and is

based on the actual capabilities and resources of

Iran’s armed forces.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, he asserted that every point

that poses a threat to the existence of the Islamic

Republic of Iran -- would become a direct target

of asymmetric operations by the armed forces.

Abdollahi also praised the IRGC's Aerospace Force

as a source of pride for Iranians ---- and for the

Axis of Resistance.

Unrestricted response awaits adversaries

amid any aggression: IRGC

Abdollahi’s remarks come amid a series of similar warnings

from senior Iranian military officials in recent weeks.

IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi
reiterated what he said earlier this month, that Iran's

missile capabilities --- would defend the country

without geographical restrictions, stressing

that the US' imitation of Iranian drones

constitutes conclusive evidence: of

the superiority of Iran's domestic

defense industry.

Mohebbi said Iranian missiles had demonstrated the

ineffectiveness of the US-made Patriot and THAAD

air defense systems, adding that the IRGC's Aero-

space Force had established an effective and

sustainable deterrence mechanism against

attacks targeting Iran's infrastructure.

The spokesperson stressed that Iran remains highly

prepared to confront any aggression, warning that

any perceived threat to the Iranian people would

prompt a forceful response.

"If we feel at any time that the enemies of the Iranian

people want to pose a threat, we will deal with it

forcefully through asymmetric operations,"

he said.

Mohebbi also highlighted the Islamic Republic's

technological and military capabilities ----

stating that further developments in

the aerospace sector could be

unveiled... if a third wave
of war erupts.

"Stunning achievements in the field of aviation
and space.. will be unveiled in the event of a

3rd wave of war," he said.

He warned Iran's adversaries -- against any miscalculation,
saying, "If the enemy makes any mistake, our next blows
will be stronger --- and will knock them down for years."

Source: Agencies

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
or create, or achieve ------- a fairer society.

Thatcher said her proudest achievement was
Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in
careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop
local Labour members having a say, and
who made genuine socialist MPs leave
the Labour party in disgust and many
members and voters to despair...
and the young to stop voting.

Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because
he was trying to reverse all that New Labour
corruption --- that's why membership was
flooding in all over the UK.

______________________________________

Get Involved!

– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’,
take this online survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/857YMDK

or this one:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0du5YuhPZ8ahI
oxC_b6pvBprmGA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1

– Request all your own data that
the Labour Party holds on you:

http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy

_______________________________________

IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:

“Any member who is suspended & intends
to appeal the decision should throw in a
‘Subject Access Request in accordance
with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL
data that the Labour Party hold on them.

The Labour Party are Data Controllers and
therefore have to, by law, provide you with
all material/information they hold on you.”

If anyone is in contact with anyone who
was barred from voting --- please can
you pass this info on:

The Labour leadership election was under the
jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.

If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you
can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge
your complaint, and inform them of your
Data Protection request.

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

The notification letters barring new members,
did not give a clear reason, or information on
how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that
anyone in this situation... could also contact
Liz Davies at: 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...
- their anti-Corbyn slant is still 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 & 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 the Queen's
Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies
- and 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), & 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
& 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 said:
"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 & 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
taxpayers, when a previous expenses system
let them claim back the mortgage payments.
But when those claims were banned, after
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 porter, with rent
at about £3,000 a month. Meantime, Bryant moved
into a new flat claiming his own rent on expenses.

Russian/Scottish scientists hail long-range
secure quantum communication system.

A group of scientists from ITMO University
in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has developed
a new approach to constructing quantum
communication systems for secure data
exchange.

The experimental device based on the results of the
research is capable of transmitting single-photon
quantum signals across distances of 250 klmtrs
or more, which is on par with its cutting edge
analogues, the ITMO press-service says.

"Now researchers are on a mission -- to create
a fully-fledged quantum cryptographic system,
that will generate & distribute quantum keys
and transmit useful data simultaneously",
ITMO says.

Information security is becoming more and more
of a critical issue not only for large companies,
banks and defense enterprises but even for
small businesses and individual users.

But the data encryption algorithms we currently
use for protecting our data are imperfect - in the
long-term, their logic can be cracked. Regardless
of how complex and intricate the algorithm is,
getting around it, is just a matter of time.

Unlike algorithm-based encryption, systems
that protect information, by making use of
fundamental laws of quantum physics, can
make data transmission totally immune to
hacker attacks, in the future.

Information in a quantum channel is carried
by single photons that change irreversibly
if an eavesdropper tries to intercept them.
The legitimate users will instantly know
about any kind of intervention.

Researchers at the Quantum Information Centre
of the International Institute of Photonics and
Optical Information Technology at ITMO Uni.,
Russia, along with their colleagues from the
Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, have
devised a new way to generate and
distribute, quantum bits.

This makes it possible to share quantum signals
--- via optical fibres --- 250 kilometres in distance.

"To transmit quantum signals, we use the so-
called side frequencies," says Artur Gleim,
head of the Quantum Information Centre,
at ITMO University,

"This unique approach gives us a number
of advantages -- such as a considerable
simplification of the device architecture
and the large pass-through capacity of
the quantum channel. In terms of bit rate
and operating distances, our system is
comparable to absolute champions in
the field of quantum communications."

According to Robert Collins, research associate
at the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences
at Heriot-Watt University, and one of the authors
of the study, this may become a pivotal point for
the whole field of quantum communication and
cryptography:

"Down the track, this new approach can enable
smooth coexistence of numerous data streams
with different wavelengths in one single optical
cable. On top of it, these quantum streams can
be fed into the already existing fibre optic lines
--- along with conventional communications."

The research paper is published
in the Optics Express journal.

Scottish universities are to be
congratulated for their strong
& growing links with Chinese
and Russian universities....

What a shame, that Wales is
lying low --- with academics
too scared to break from
US military research.