(Text-only) Rhondda Records Home Page

Rhondda Records is usually 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.

Cuban Culture Day
celebrated in
Nicaragua

Managua, October 16th, 3am

(Prensa Latina)

The Day of Cuban Culture was celebrated in Nicaragua with a concert

in the Main Hall of the Rubén Darío National Theatre, where the

158th anniversary of the singing of the National Anthem

on the island ...was remembered.

The director of the National Theatre, Ramón Rodríguez -- at the start

of the evening recalled that the Camerata Bach has been doing this

for more than 3 decades for the culture of Cuba, which he said,

demonstrates the gratitude of Nicaraguans to the people
and government of the island.

Rodríguez said that this day is celebrated in all parts of the world, and

Nicaragua joined the party with trova and other musical genres, such

as Cuban son, guaracha, rumba, and boleros, among others.

In a message on social networks, accompanied by photographs of the

cultural activity, Cuba's ambassador here, Iliana Fonseca - described

the concert as "excellent," and thanked those who made it possible.

"Our gratitude for such a nice gift to the teacher Ramón Rodríguez, the

Rubén Darío National Theatre, the Institute of Culture of Peoples and

Youth and the Nicaraguan Government," the diplomat wrote on her

official profile in facebook.

Cuban Culture Day, which is celebrated every October 20,

commemorates the first time the National Anthem was

sung in 1868, during the struggles for independence.

Since then, the combative notes of the Bayamo Anthem

became a symbol of identity and dignity, a concrete

expression of the patriotic character of the

Cuban people.

Israeli ad company used targeted ads

to deliver spyware and track users,

investigation finds

October 16th, 2:25pm

(PressTV)

An Israeli digital advertising company exploited targeted online ads

to facilitate spyware attacks, track internet users and potentially

compromise devices ------- without any user interaction, an

investigation has found.

The research by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, found that

malicious advertisements purchased by Discover-Tech, an Israeli

company presenting itself as a legitimate advertising company

were used to deliver Candiru spyware, now rebranded as

Integrity Labs, to devices belonging to staff at

international news networks, including

Qatar-based Al Jazeera.

Researchers identified 45 compromised Windows devices between

2024 and 2025, providing the first public technical confirmation of

mercenary spyware being delivered through targeted advertising

without users having to click on an advertisement.

The report, which calls the technique AdFection, details how Discover-

Tech’s advertising infrastructure - enabled surveillance partners to

identify, fingerprint and track devices, and potentially infect them

when advertisements were displayed. The findings raise serious

concerns about the misuse of commercial advertising networks

for covert espionage and mass surveillance.

An analysis of approximately four billion advertising-bidding records

found that Discover-Tech advertisements appeared on nearly

200,000 unique websites and within Android and iOS

applications across dozens of countries.... over

a four-month period.

A separate investigation, by advertising security firm Confiant,

reported by Reuters on October 15, 2026, found that Discover

-Tech’s advertising network reached more than 120,000

websites and 75,000 applications.

Confiant estimated that the company distributed at least 10 million

advertisements daily, although advertisements linked to Candiru

spyware accounted for only a small fraction of Discover-Tech’s

overall advertising volume, according to the firm.

Researchers said the advertisements could be used to identify

and track internet users, while some were linked to efforts to

deliver spyware. Discover-Tech’s infrastructure was also

linked to other surveillance-related entities, including

Intelos and Bindecy.

Separately -- Citizen Lab identified a threat actor it calls DARK

CARTOGRAPHER, which it said was exploiting mobile-carrier

vulnerabilities -- to link advertising identifiers to 'phone

numbers and de-anonymize users on a large scale.

The investigation also raised concerns about the reach of

Discover-Tech’s advertising infrastructure. Citizen Lab

reported evidence that advertisements appeared

within networks associated with the United

Nations, NATO, the EU Commission --- and

more than a dozen national governments.

Confiant separately reported malicious advertisements

appearing in sensitive networks --- including those

associated with the Pentagon, the International

Atomic Energy Agency and the International

Criminal Court (ICC).

Researchers also raised concerns about the concentration

of Discover-Tech advertisements in Palestinian online

spaces, potentially giving the company and its

surveillance partners extensive visibility

into users’ digital activities.

Citizen Lab and Confiant’s findings have prompted several

advertising industry organizations and technology

companies to take action against Discover-Tech.

Google said it had removed the company from its advertising

platforms for systematically violating its policies.

IAB Europe suspended Discover-Tech from its list of approved

vendors following an audit, while Comcast’s advertising

technology subsidiary, Beeswax, also removed it from

its platform. Citizen Lab said Vungle, operated by

Liftoff, and Eskimi had likewise taken steps to

disconnect Discover-Tech from the

advertising ecosystem.

Citizen Lab has called on regulators to investigate whether

Discover-Tech and Candiru, now rebranded as Integrity

Labs (sic), violated applicable laws.

The findings also expose broader weaknesses in advertising

systems that allowed a company presenting itself as

a legitimate advertising business -- to operate

infrastructure used for surveillance

and spyware delivery.

The report comes amid earlier reports that Microsoft and other

major global technology companies have played a significant

role in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza ----- by providing the

occupying entity with advanced artificial intelligence

(AI) tools, financial support ....and personnel.

Mourners carry the body of Hussam Hawso, an 8-year-old

Palestinian boy who was killed in an Israeli strike on
residential buildings in Sabra neighbourhood - the
previous night, during his funeral at the al-Shifa

hospital in Gaza City on October 9, 2026.
(Photo by AFP)

Zionist think tank: Constant war 'essential' for

Israel, peace deals ‘temporary and deceptive'

October 16th, 7:23am

(PressTV)

A leading Israeli think tank outlines ten controversial principles

guiding the regime’s security doctrine, saying: the occupation

must have more wars, and never promote peace in West Asia.

A leading Israeli think tank has outlined ten controversial

principles guiding the Zionist regime’s security doctrine,

saying the occupation must have more wars, and

never promote peace in West Asia.

In a paper, Tamir Hayman, the executive director of the Institute for

National Security Studies (INSS), stated that the pursuit of peace

"is an expression of weakness" while the "constant presence”

of war is an “asset” to the usurping entity’s security.

“War is essential to national security and cannot be replaced by a

state of peace, which, as noted, is merely a means rather than an

end. War is necessary, and preventive war is preferable because

it secures a significant achievement at the outset,” he said.

“Pre-emptive, surprise strikes are viewed as the only way to

achieve victory, giving offense precedence over defense.”

He also noted that Israel has followed the ten principles in its

occupation doctrine since October 7, 2023, when it launched

a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel waged the brutal Gaza onslaught after the Hamas resistance

group carried out its historic operation in retaliation for Israel’s

intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The criminal regime, however, failed to achieve its declared objectives

and was forced to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas... two years later.

Since then, Israel has violated the truce with near-daily attacks on Gaza.

Israeli attacks have killed a total of 74,396 Palestinians, mostly women

and children, and injured 175,449 others in the besieged territory over

the past three years.

In the same period, Israel has also launched acts of aggression

on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

Additionally, in his paper, Hayman, the former head of Israeli military

intelligence, described the United States as a “declining power”

given its ongoing social and political shifts and said that

Washington will soon abandon the Tel Aviv regime....

in any event.

Thus, he continued, Israel should move to greater self-reliance

---------- in order to avoid “excessive dependence” on the US.

“Severing ties with the US is therefore not only inevitable,

but essential to Israel’s independence,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Hayman said that it is beneficial for Israel to

undermine the stability of Arab countries and divide

them along ethnic or tribal lines, because by doing

so, the regime can manage them more effectively

than if they are strong nation-states.

Israel’s security doctrine views meaningful peace

agreements as “unattainable” in West Asia, he

pointed out.

“Any arrangement with Arab actors is temporary and deceptive,”

he said, adding that peace deals are “merely technical and

temporary arrangements” used to achieve other

policy objectives.

Moreover, Hayman said security is achieved - by expanding Israeli

settlements “both within and beyond” --- the so-called Green Line,

which separates the West Bank from Israeli-occupied territories.

He added that the settlement of Israeli occupiers in Palestinian

territories and effectively using them as a front-line “shield”,

is also central to Israel’s security doctrine.

Today, October 116th, in 1831,

Lucy Stanton,

slavery abolitionist,

is born.

Lucy Stanton Day Sessions was a US abolitionist

notable for being the first African-US woman

to complete a four-year course of study

at a college or university in 1850.

Day's passionate commitment to abolition especially connected her

to her radical female predecessors, such as Angelina E. Grimké,

who, as early as 1836, linked the abolition of slavery to the

Christian duty of women.

Stanton, the daughter of John Brown, a Cleveland barber active in the

Underground Railroad, enrolled in nearby Oberlin Collegiate Institute

(now Oberlin College) in northern Ohio. The institution would soon

be noted for its abolitionist politics and admission of both male

and female African American students.

As president of the Oberlin Ladies Literary Society, Stanton was

invited to offer a graduation address at the commencement

exercises on August 27, 1850. Delivered just two weeks

before the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act,

Stanton's speech offers a stirring portrayal
of slavery as bloody warfare.

She appeals to her fellow women students - to embrace the cause

of the slave and to work in the service of emancipation and uplift.

She offers vivid, present-tense vignettes of women's life in slavery,

appealing to the women in the audience to see themselves in

the place of the enslaved and act on their behalf:

''Mother, sister, by your own deep sorrow of heart;

by the sympathy of your woman's nature,

plead for the downtrodden of your

own, of every land.''

‘War criminal promotion tactics’: Adidas

faces boycott calls ---- over campaign

featuring an Israeli trooper

September 4th, 9:45pm

(PressTV)

Calls for a boycott of Adidas are growing after the sportswear

company featured an Israeli trooper in a global campaign.

The campaign has prompted criticism from pro-Palestine

organizations and activists --- because of the trooper

Shaliv Biton’s participation in the Israeli regime’s

bloodletting in Gaza.

The campaign has been rolled out in Adidas stores,

including its outlets in the occupied territories.

Biton took part in an Israeli assault in Gaza in 2021 that

claimed the lives of more than 200 Palestinians and

destroyed numerous buildings.

Critics have reminded Biton’s military background and his

social media activity. He has shared photographs and

videos of himself and other Israeli forces in Gaza,

including footage of troops singing and dancing,

while his profile also contains images of him

carrying weapons.

Sports journalist Leyla Hamed criticized Adidas’ choice of

campaign representative, arguing that the company

chose to bank on Biton’s having lost a leg, while

it should have considered the wider context

of limb loss in Gaza.

“Gaza has the highest per capita rate of child amputees in the world.

More than 5,000 traumatic limb amputations have been estimated

since October 2023, as a result of Israeli attacks carried out by

soldiers like the one Adidas chose to model for them,”

she wrote on X.

US-based political commentator and activist Guy Christensen also

condemned the campaign, writing, “Actually disgusting when you

know kids in Gaza who might not ever get to walk again.” He

subsequently called for a boycott of Adidas.

Another activist denounced the company for

associating itself with the Israeli military.

“The German sportswear brand Adidas is using Zionist war

criminals from the "Israel" army, who lost a foot while

invading Gaza..... to promote their new single-foot

sneakers. More than 4,000 Palestinian children

have been amputated by "Israel's" bombs,

but Adidas and other millionaire

multinationals ignore them,”

the activist wrote on X.

Other critics similarly condemned Adidas

for associating itself with genocide

and apartheid.

Earlier this year, the NGO Humanity & Inclusion reported that

between 70 and 80 percent of patients admitted to the 12

hospitals that were still partially functioning in Gaza...

had lost limbs or suffered spinal cord injuries.

UNICEF estimated in January 2024 that about 1,000 children

in Gaza had lost one or both legs, equivalent at the time to

approximately 10 children losing a limb each day during

Israeli bombardments. The figure is believed to have

risen since then.

The shortage of medical supplies and the continuing blockade of

Gaza have also complicated the treatment and rehabilitation of

amputees. Healthcare workers have resorted to producing

homemade prosthetics as temporary aids for people

who have lost limbs.... while waiting for access

to appropriate prosthetic devices.

______________________________________

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.

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.

____________________

www.wegottickets.com/thefactory

www.ticketweb.co.uk

browse venues in Wales

www.ticketlineuk.com

02920 230130

Cash tickets from:

The Factory, Porth
Instrumental Music, Penygraig
Spillers Records, Cardiff

For more details visit

www.factoryporth.com
www.facebook.com/TheFactoryVenue
Twitter @TheFactoryPorth
01443 687080

***********************************************

Daytime Delights...

Starts at 1pm

The Parc & Dare, Treorchy

Lunchtime Concerts in the Lounge Bar.

Indulge in a delicious cake and a cup of tea
while enjoying music and sing-along songs
from fantastic Welsh musicians.

Ticket information:

The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:

08000 147 111
or book online at

www.rct-arts.co.ukÃ‚Â

*************************************************

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
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.

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.

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?