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Cuba: 2026-2027 school year 


to begin on September 1


Havana, August 20, 12:24pm


 (Prensa Latina) 


 


Cuba's Ministry of Education today ratified the start 


of the 2026-2027 school year for September 1.


 


Through its institutional channels, the governing body recalled 


that student attendance from the first day is essential for the 


fulfillment of pedagogical objectives.


 


The ministry stressed that public education is a constitutional 


right and a shared responsibility between the State, families 


and the community.


 


Minister Naima Trujillo will begin a national tour this Thursday to 


inspect educational institutions and evaluate compliance with 


logistical and pedagogical assurances.


 


During the visits, the main assurances and the conditions of the 


educational institutions will be evaluated to guarantee the 


start of the school year, amid the limitations imposed by 


the intensification of the U.S. blockade and the energy 


siege that affects the island.


________________________________________________





Axios: US companies have not signed

ONE single oil deal with Venezuela

August 3rd, 2:56pm

(Pravda.EN)

 

US companies -- have not concluded a single oil deal 

with Venezuela in 8 months, despite Washington’s 

statements about the recovery of the industry.

 

This is reported by the Axios portal.

 

According to the newspaper, after statements by US 

President Donald Trump that US companies would 

be able to ''quickly restore'' the Venezuelan oil 

industry, not a single deal was concluded.

 

 



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











































 

Israeli occupation, not just E1
settlement 
expansion plan,
‘must end’: UN rapporteur

August 21, 1:38pm

 (PressTV)

 

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of 

human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 

1967, Francesca Albanese, said both the illegal E1 

settlement expansion plan, which would split the 

occupied West Bank, and Israel’s occupation of 

Palestinian territories “must come to an end.”

 

In a post on X on Friday, Albanese stated that the International 

Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion clarified that “it’s the 

occupation itself — not just the E1 plans — that must end.”

 

She condemned the ongoing Israeli assaults, and the violence 

perpetrated by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank and 

Gaza, stating that Israeli soldiers and settlers severed water 

pipes in the West Bank as the siege of the town of 

Qusra persisted.

 

“In Gaza, the pulverization continues and 

so do the massacres,” Albanese said.

 

“Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 1,200+ people, including 300 

children,” the veteran Italian legal expert on human rights noted.

 

She described the situation as “59 years of predatory 

occupation” & “1,049 days of genocide,” criticizing 

the lack of international sanctions.

 

Earlier, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, 

the Netherlands, Norway, and Canada called Israel’s decision 

to issue construction tenders for the E1 settlement project 

“unacceptable” and urged Israel to immediately rescind 

the plans.

 

Israel outsourcing coercion to settlers in 

occupied West Bank: UN’s Albanese

 

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese says Israel bears 

responsibility for settler violence in the West Bank and is 

effectively outsourcing coercion to them.

 

Additionally, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic 

Cooperation (OIC), Hussein Ibrahim Taha --- condemned Israel’s 

announcement of a tender for the construction of 1,234 new 

settler units as part of the illegal E1 settlement project.

 

Taha said in a statement that the move constitutes a continuation 

of Israeli settlement expansion schemes, annexations, forced 

displacements and the imposition of facts on the ground, 

aimed at altering the legal, political and demographic 

status of the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

He called on the international community ---- particularly the UN 

Security Council, to assume its legal and moral responsibilities 

and take immediate measures to compel Israel, as the 

occupying power, to comply with its international 

obligations and immediately halt its systematic 

crimes and violations against Palestinians, 

their land and holy sites.

 

The E1 project aims to sever connections between Palestinian 

communities and greatly hinder territorial continuity. It will 

create a separation between East al-Quds and certain 

areas of the West Bank, compelling Palestinians to 

undertake long detours when traveling between 

cities and towns.

 

Despite the fact that the E1 construction plan dates back 

to the 1990s, its execution has consistently faced 

delays ...owing to global opposition.

 

IRGC Quds Force chief:  Israel now afflicted with 

‘social cancer’; its internal collapse ‘inevitable’

 

Chief Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution 

Guards Corps (IRGC) says illegal Israeli settlers are suffering 

from "social cancer."

 

On August 14, far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich 

announced his intention..... to move forward with the illegal 

project that “buries the concept of a Palestinian state”.

 

More than 700,000 settlers live in over 230 settlements built since 

the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

 

The international community views the settlements as illegal 

under international law and the Geneva Conventions - due

 to their construction on occupied territories.

 

The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s 

settlement activities in several resolutions.

 

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - declared 

Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal.

 

The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements 

in the West Bank and East al-Quds. It was mere words.

 

 

__________________________________________________

 

 

 

  Pezeshkian: Iran - will never bow to bullying, 

will give ‘crushing’ response to any attack

August 21, 1:29pm

(PressTV)

 

President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Tehran will not bow to 

pressure or aggression, warning that the country will deliver 

a “crushing response” to any future attack.

 

Addressing a meeting of the Islamic Association of Iranian Medical 

Society in Tehran on Friday, Pezeshkian described the
Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as an
“honourable and valuable” 
outcome.... of
negotiations, rejecting suggestions
that Tehran had
surrendered.. or
made significant concessions.

 

“They cannot find even a single clause in this agreement that 

indicates surrender; all the commitments are related to the 

other side,” he said.

 

He stressed that the agreement did not mean 

Iran would submit.... if the US or its allies 

launched another attack.

 

“Of course, none of this means that if they want to attack us, 

we will surrender. These are two separate issues,” 

Pezeshkian said.

 

“We will under no circumstances bow to bullying, and there is 

no doubt about that. We will stand against them until our last 

breath and give them a crushing response,” he added.

 

Pezeshkian said the agreement represented a “major achievement” 

that had been approved by Iran’s Supreme National Security 

Council, with those members directly involved in the 

negotiations, firmly defending its terms.

 

“It is better to end the war today, when we are in a position of power 

and dignity, when the whole world acknowledges our victory and 

admits that the US has attacked our schools, hospitals, and 

infrastructure, in violation of all laws,” Pezeshkian said.

 

Iranian military commanders and armed forces, he said, remain 

fully prepared to defend the country, while emphasizing the 

importance of preserving unity at home.

 

 

________________________________________________

 

 

 

China --- rejects US call to sever 

economic ties with Iran... says 

sanctions will not resolve war

August 21, 11:08am

 (PressTV)

 

Beijing has rejected Washington’s latest demand that countries

 join a renewed campaign of economic sanctions against Iran, 

reaffirming that the escalating crisis needs political dialogue.

 

“Sanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution,” Chinese 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told media, Thursday.

 

The rebuke came, one day after the Trump administration issued 

an open call to allies and China alike to fall in line with what the 

president billed as the “most crushing economic operation 

ever taken against any country” — a boastful threat that 

came after Washington failed to achieve any of its war 

objectives some six months after starting the 

aggression on Iran in late February.

 

Notably, the United States has yet to detail the full scope of its so-

called operation, with US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent 

punting further specifics to a Monday press conference — a 

delay....... that raises questions about the campaign’s 

actual readiness.

 

China calls on parties ---- to act responsibly and stick 

to the political and diplomatic approach, added Jian.

 

Iran has strongly condemned the US campaign, with the Minister 

of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, describing Washington’s 

economic aggression as an attempt to divert attention 

from the US’s own problems.

 

Araghchi pointed to the US’s “unprecedented debt & surging 

interest costs” as Washington seeks to impose further 

economic pressure on Iran.

 

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday the latest US 

sanctions, announced on the anniversary of the 1953 coup 

against Iran’s democratically elected government.... 

demonstrate Washington’s continued hostility 

toward the Iranian people.

 

“The new US sanctions ------ are not only another indication of the 

continuation of 73 years of hostility by US policymakers toward 

the Iranian people, but also demonstrate ------ the anti-human, 

lawless and hegemonic nature of the US government,”

 the ministry noted.

 

The ministry further condemned the sanctions for targeting

 the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens and violating

 international norms.

 

“Without a doubt, the US economic sanctions against Iran, 

which target the fundamental human rights of every 

Iranian citizen --- constitute ‘economic terrorism’ 

and ‘crimes against humanity,’” it maintained.

 

Beijing’s rejection comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 

planned September 24 visit to the White House, adding 

significance to China’s refusal to participate in 

Washington’s economic campaign 

against Tehran.

 

 

__________________________________________

 

 

 

Israeli forces ..expand ground incursions

 in southern Syria, advancing with tanks 

to Quneitra countryside  

August 21, 11:04am

 (PressTV)

 

Israeli occupation forces have expanded their incursions into 

southern Syria, advancing with two tanks and three military 

vehicles toward Tal al-Dariyat in the southern countryside 

of Quneitra.

 

An Israeli patrol also moved into the Tal al-Karoum area in
the province's central countryside, according to local
Syrian sources - cited by al-Mayadeen.

 

The operation comes amid continued and repeated Israeli
incursions into Syrian territory ---- coinciding with the
deployment of Israeli forces in several areas of the
Quneitra countryside, the establishment of new
military posts and positions, as well as raids
and kidnappings of civilians.

 

On Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the town of Jabata
al-Khashab in Quneitra province with more than 100
personnel and 15 vehicles, abducting 2 residents
and searching multiple homes.

 

The overnight raid ......caused panic and intense fear among
residents, particularly because of the size of the military
force involved and the entry of military vehicles into
residential neighbourhoods.

 

The Israeli campaign of territorial incursions and attacks
across southern Syria has intensified since the fall of
Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.

 

Following the collapse of the Syrian government, Israel
exploited the resulting security vacuum to expand its
military presence inside Syrian territory.

 

Alongside extensive strikes on Syria's military infrastructure,
including air defense systems and warplanes, Israeli forces
pushed into areas of Quneitra and seized positions in
southern Syria, including parts of the strategically
important Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh) area.

 

The Israeli forces have since maintained an almost daily
presence in parts of Quneitra and Daraa, establishing
temporary checkpoints, searching civilians and
vehicles, raiding homes, and detaining and
interrogating Syrians.

 

Local sources have also reported the destruction and
bulldozing of agricultural land during the incursions.

 

Satellite imagery and investigations have documented more
than 800 Israeli incursions beyond the buffer zone, since
December 2024, with about 235 square kilometres of
southern Syrian territory currently under direct
Israeli military control.

 

Israel's expanding military footprint in Syria has
also been accompanied by repeated airstrikes.

 

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft carried out eight strikes against
the runway of Abu al-Duhur military airbase in the eastern
countryside of Idlib ----- causing material damage to
the facility.

 

The attack came........ just a day after a Turkish military
delegation visited the airbase to inspect rehabilitation
work underway, leaving hours before the unprovoked
Israeli attack.

 

Israel's war minister threatens Turkey
....as Apache squadron moves north

 

Israel has issued a veiled threat against Turkey following
its strikes on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border.


The current de facto Syrian president --- Abu Muhammad al-
Jolani, whose extremist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
toppled President Assad in December 2024, has presided
over a regime.... that has done little in the face of the
Israeli invasion, occupation, and incessant
harassment of Syrians.

 

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's response to the
airbase bombing on Thursday was remarkably
....muted.

 

He merely expressed "concern" and said the attack "had no
justification," while also signaling Damascus's continued
openness to negotiations with Israel.

 

Al-Shaibani said Syria remained open to resuming negotiations
with Israel if there is "real political will" in Tel Aviv.

 

"We tried to reach a security agreement with Israel, but it
retreated from its commitments," al-Shaibani stated,
adding: that Syria had made significant progress
toward a security agreement during a year of
US-mediated talks, but Israel later backed
away from all commitments.

 

Despite this ---- al-Shaibani said: "We are still interested in
reaching an agreement with Israel to reduce escalation,"
adding that talks could resume..... if Israel showed
"real political will".

 

Netanyahu called the HTS capture of Damascus in 2024 an
"historic day" ...and took credit for starting the chain of
events that led to regime change.

 

After Assad fell, Israel used the opportunity ------- to launch a
wide-ranging bombing campaign to destroy Syria's military
and defense infrastructure, including its air defenses.

 

Israel has occupied large swathes of Syrian territory since
1967 and occupied additional territory immediately after
Assad was toppled.

 

Israeli leaders have increasingly signaled that their
military occupation in Syria is not temporary
and could expand further.

 

Israeli war minister Israel Katz has said Israel plans to keep
troops in Syria. Israeli troops carry out regular raids and
are erecting military infrastructure in water-rich
southern Syria, while facing no resistance
from Syria's new authorities.

 

 

__________________________________________

 

 

 

Resistance Axis - stronger than 

ever before: Ghalibaf from Iraq

August 21, 10:51am

(Al Mayadeen English)

 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stresses 

the need to confront sanctions, affirming that Iran will not allow

 its dignity and honour to be violated.

 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on 

Friday that the Axis of Resistance, is stronger than ever in 

confronting global arrogance, while calling for plans to 

counter sanctions.

 

Speaking during his visit to Iraq, Ghalibaf said, "The Axis 

of Resistance today is stronger than ever in confronting 

global arrogance".

 

He added, "We are not advocates of war - and do not seek it, 

but we believe in an Islamic principle, which is that we will 

not allow people to come, trample on our dignity and 

honour, and then leave".

 

Ghalibaf arrived in Iraq’s Najaf province on Friday morning, 

where he began his visit.... by heading to the grave of 

martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, according to the 

Iraqi News Agency (INA).

 

He also thanked the Iraqi people for the funeral ceremonies 

held in Najaf and Karbala for the late Leader of the Islamic 

Revolution ...and the Islamic Republic martyr Sayyed Ali 

Khamenei. Ghalibaf also highlighted - Iraq’s hosting of 

millions of Iranian pilgrims over the years during the 

Arbaeen pilgrimage.

 

Ghalibaf calls for planning
-----
to counter sanctions

 

During a meeting with Iranian and Iraqi economists in Baghdad, 

Ghalibaf stressed the need to prepare for sanctions and 

overcome their effects. He said he was prepared to 

"sacrifice money ...and position" and stand firm

 in defense of dignity.

 

"Our enemies come to plunder the resources of Muslim countries," 

Ghalibaf said, calling for planning --- to confront and overcome 

sanctions under the current circumstances.

 

His remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump 

announced the “most destructive economic operation 

ever undertaken against any country” targeting Iran. 

 

Trump characterized the measures, as an “economic war 

and unprecedented isolation,” following what he called 

"Tehran’s failure to seize the opportunity given to it 

to reach an agreement".

 

Ghalibaf arrived in Baghdad two days ago at 

the head of a parliamentary delegation.

 

During his visit, he met senior Iraqi officials and prominent 

figures, including Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Prime 

Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, and Parliament 

Speaker Haybat al-Halbousi.

 

Ghalibaf’s Baghdad meetings - focused on bilateral ties

 

Ghalibaf’s remarks in Najaf and his meeting with Iranian 

and Iraqi economists followed several meetings with 

senior Iraqi officials during his visit to Baghdad, 

where he discussed bilateral relations, 

regional developments, and Iraq’s 

sources of strength.

 

Source: News websites

 

 









































Image: Ahmed Mohamed Kathradal's Birth Day.





 

 Today, August 21, in 1929,

 

Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada OMSG,

 

Muslim, communist, South African 

politician & anti-apartheid worker,

 

is born..

 

Kathrada's involvement in the anti-apartheid activities of the 

African National Congress (ANC) led him to imprisonment 

in Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prisons. 

 

On his release in 1990, he was elected to serve as a member 

of parliament, representing the ANC. He authored a book, 

No Bread for Mandela – Memoirs of Ahmed Kathrada, 

Prisoner No. 468/64.

 

After the ANC (African National Congregation) and various other 

anti-apartheid organisations were banned in 1960, Kathrada 

continued his political activities - despite repeated 

detentions and increasingly severe house arrest 

measures against him. To be free to continue 

his activities, Kathrada went underground 

early in 1962.

 

On 11 July 1963, Kathrada was arrested at the South African 

internal headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe ("The Spear 

of the Nation" – the military wing of the ANC) in Rivonia, 

near Johannesburg. Although Kathrada was not a 

member of Umkhonto we Sizwe, he became one 

of the accused in the famous Rivonia Trial, 

which started in October 1963. 

 

He was charged with sabotage... plus attempting to 

overthrow the government and start a guerrilla war.

 

The trial ended in June 1964; Kathrada was sentenced to life 

imprisonment along with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, 

Govan Mbeki, Andrew Mlangeni, Billy Nair, Elias 

Motsoaledi, Raymond Mhlaba and 

Denis Goldberg.

 

For the next 18 years, Kathrada was confined to Robben Island 

Maximum Security Prison off Cape Town along with most of 

his Rivonia Trial co-defendants. In October 1982, he was 

moved to Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison 

near Cape Town.

 

While in jail on Robben Island and in Pollsmoor, Kathrada completed 

a Bachelor's degree in History/Criminology as well as three other 

degrees, thanks to his family who paid the tuition fees.

 

On 15 October 1989 Kathrada, along with Jeff Masemola, 

Raymond Mhlaba, Billy Nair, Wilton Mkwayi, Andrew 

Mlangeni, Elias Motsoaledi, Oscar Mpetha, and 

Walter Sisulu, was released from prison.

 

After the unbanning of the ANC in February 1990, Kathrada served 

on the interim leadership committees of both the ANC and the 

South African Communist Party. He resigned from the latter 

position when he was elected to the ANC National 

Executive Committee in July 1991. During the 

same year, he was appointed as head 

of ANC public relations.

 

Kathrada went on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1992.

 

In the first all-inclusive democratic South African elections in 1994, 

Kathrada was elected as a member of parliament for the ANC. 

 

After refusing to accept a position in Mandela's cabinet as minister 

of correctional services stating that "I joined the struggle not for 

positions" in September 1994 he was appointed as the political 

advisor to President Mandela, in the newly created post of 

Parliamentary Counsellor. 

 

In 1994 and 1995, Kathrada was elected as chairperson of 

the Robben Island Council. He remained the chairperson 

of the Robben Island Museum Council. 

 

On 27 October 2013, on the island, he launched the 

International Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti 

and All Palestinian Prisoners.

 

Kathrada married Barbara Hogan, former anti-apartheid 

activist who was imprisoned for nine years, later 

Minister of Health and then Minister of Public 

Enterprises in the ANC government.

 

In June 1999, Kathrada left 

parliamentary politics.

 

In 2008, he was invited to be the keynote speaker at the UNESCO 

Global Intergenerational Leadership Development Conference 

at the University of Connecticut. 

 

In his address, given on 4 August 2008, Kathrada spoke of what 

he had learnt from Nelson Mandela when both incarcerated on 

Robben Island. Many in the audience of 75 young people from 

55 countries, were reported to be "spellbound by Kathrada’s 

courage, humility and sacrifice".

 

Amii Omara-Otunnu, who holds the UNESCO Chair in Comparative 

Human Rights at UConn, commented afterwards, that Kathrada 

was "a great person because he carries himself with humility".

 

In 2008, he founded the Ahmed Kathrada 

Foundation to continue his life's work.

 

He died on 28 March, in  2017.

 

 

"Suffering and hardship have always been 

the lot of individual men and, more 

recently, of whole nations."

 

"The struggle.. is my life. I will continue 

fighting for freedom ---- until it is won."

 

"I learned that courage was not the

 absence of fear, but the triumph 

over it."

 

"Do what you feel in your heart to be 

right, for you'll be criticized anyway."

 

"There is no easy walk 

to freedom anywhere."

 

"The greatest glory in living.. lies not in

never falling, but in rising every time 

we fall."

 

"Our lives matter according to the lives we touch, 

the inspiration we give, and the joy we create."

 

"Where there is reckless power, 

there is no freedom."

 

"I have learned over the years that

 when one's mind is made up, 

this diminishes fear."

 

"Real leaders must be ready 

to sacrifice all ------- for the 

freedom of their people."

 

"One cannot be prepared for something 

while secretly believing it 

will not happen."

 

"If you want peace, you don't talk 

to your friends. You talk to 

your enemies."

 

"Books are the quietest and 

most constant of friends."

 

"Resentment is like drinking poison - and 

expecting the other person to get sick."

 

"The challenges we face require us 

to abandon outdated thinking 

and embrace innovation."

 

"In any moment of decision, the best 

thing you can do.. is the right thing."

 

"I've learned that people will forget 

what you said, people will forget 

what you did, but people will 

never forget ...how you 

made them feel."

 

"Hatred is corrosive of the self. The person 

who hates is diminished and diseased."

 

"The greatest threat to freedom ---- is 

having a population that is ignorant."

 

"A man who takes away another man's 

freedom ....is a prisoner of hate."

 

"Unity is strength. When there is

teamwork and collaboration, 

wonderful things can 

be achieved."

 

"You --- are not a drop in the ocean. 

You are the entire ocean in a drop."









UK legislators call for comprehensive 

arms embargo, settlement trade ban

 on Israel

July 27th, 6:06am

 (PressTV)

 

A coalition of 80 British lawmakers and peers has called on 

newly appointed British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to 

impose sanctions on Israel -- including a comprehensive 

arms embargo and a ban on trade that supports illegal 

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

In a letter, spearheaded by MP Kim Johnson, they urged the 

government to “decisively change its stance to uphold the 

rights of the Palestinian people and to prevent Israel’s 

continued violation of international law.”

 

It also called on the government to acknowledge the UN 

Independent Commission of Inquiry report, which 

validated Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

 

Alongside recognition of the UN finding, the lawmakers urged 

the government to fully enforce the International Court of 

Justice' advisory opinion, delivered on July 19, 2024.

 

It holds that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories 

is unlawful, that Israel should put an end to that occupation, 

desist from creating new settlements, and evacuate those 

already established.

 

“The previous administration ---- has willfully ignored the rulings of 

international courts. It has still failed to issue a formal response 

to the July 2024 International Court of Justice judgment 

- which requires Britain to cease all actions that aid or 

assist [Israel’s] grave violations of international law,” 

the letter read.

 

It added, “Now is the opportunity for this government and for you, 

as the new Prime Minister, to truly turn a new page.”

 

The letter bore the signatures of prominent legislators, 

including Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, Baroness 

Jenny Jones, and Baroness Warsi.

 

In an op-ed for Labour Outlook, Johnson stated that Palestine 

has emerged as the “defining test” of the Labour Party’s 

commitment to the notion --- that international law 

applies to all.

 

“If we condemn violations in one part of the world while excusing 

or ignoring them elsewhere, we undermine the very rules-based 

international order that Britain claims to defend,” she said.

 

“Burnham tells us --- he has a plan to renew confidence in Labour. If 

that renewal is to mean anything, it must begin by making a clean 

break with the failures of Starmerism on Palestine. If we are truly 

serious about turning the page, there could be no clearer place 

to begin,” Johnson noted.

 

The letter is supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which 

has been advocating for Burnham to distance himself from former 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s disgraceful legacy by implementing 

extensive sanctions against Israel - comprising a complete arms 

embargo, a cessation - of all military collaboration &
diplomatic support - and a total ban on all trade.



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!




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.



____________________




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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.


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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