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Rhondda Records is usually with you every
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social media!

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Meeting of Cuban residents in Europe: 

everything to defend the Homeland

by Antonio Rondón

Paris, October 19th, 8:11am

 (Prensa Latina) 

 

The XVIII Meeting of Cubans Residing in Europe (ECRE), two 

decades after its creation, today demonstrates the defense 

of that community to its homeland and the actions to 

support it in its fight against a reinforced 

U.S. blockade. 

 

Among the aspects to be debated at the ECRE, from the 23rd 

to the 26th, is the support of patriotic emigration in Europe 

for the social project chosen by our people, Ana Katherine 

Martinez, vice president of the Coordinator of Cubans 

Residing in France, told Prensa Latina.

 

This includes, she said, denouncing and demanding the lifting 

of the economic and energy blockade imposed by the United 

States and the dissemination of the values of our society 

and our history in the countries where we live ....and 

their transmission to future generations.

 

No less important is the exchange of Cubans residing in 

Europe with the authorities of our Nation, not only to 

resolve administrative or consular aspects, but also 

on how to find increasingly effective ways to 

integrate together with our people into the 

economic and social development of 

Cuba, she stressed.

 

In this sense, the president of the aforementioned 

Coordination, Haydeline Diaz, told Prensa Latina 

that Cubans are always in the front row, with 

the collection of medicines and the sending 

of solidarity suitcases, the support for 

campaigns to send solar panels....

....with solidarity or with our 

associations, she said.

 

We participate in the networks against the disinformation 

campaign, in demonstrations and with the sending of 

solidarity suitcases to any place where it is needed 

to raise our voice for our Homeland, she said.

 

We have also been a driving force for many solidarity 

organizations with the contribution of ideas to help 

and create projects for the benefit of our country. 

Most of us also work together with solidarity, 

although we have our own associations, 

he stressed. 

 

Two years ago, the project was created in the Netherlands, 

together with coordinators from other countries in Europe 

to honour Fidel's 100th anniversary. "Martí illuminates 

Fidel's 100th anniversary," Díaz explained.

 

As part of this action, donations to Cuba and activities and
exhibitions were made from several European countries 

on behalf of the project. The coordinator from France 

is also involved in that project, she said. 

 

''In this event -- we will have a large number of colleagues 

Europe and we will have participants from Belgium, 

Germany, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, 

Italy, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Holland and 

England .....and France, as the country 

hosting the event. We will also have 

colleagues who will attend online .

 

Within the framework of the XVIII ECRE, the Cuba Va 

Conmigo Festival will be held, where Cuban artists 

residing in Europe will raise the values of Cuban 

Culture, Martínez said.

 

The manifestations of music, dance, literature and plastic arts 

will be present in that festival, and activities will be held, from 

the very launch of the event on October 23, he added. 

 

These meetings began in France and now celebrate 20 

years of their creation, said Díaz, who expressed his 

pride in celebrating the 20th anniversary of its 

creation..... in the same capital where it 

was founded.

 










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



















































 

 

Mishustin spoke about 

Russia's large-scale 

humanitarian aid 

to Iran

October 19th, 1:43pm

(Izvestia.ru)

 

Russia provided large-scale humanitarian assistance to Iran,
which was attacked. This was announced on October 19 - by 

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at a meeting with 

Iranian First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref.

 

"We have provided large-scale humanitarian assistance to the 

friendly Iranian people, including the supply of medicines 

and medical products," he said.

 

The head of government recalled --- that Russia 

condemned the armed aggression against Iran.

 

Mishustin stressed that despite sanctions and geopolitical 

challenges, trade between Russia and Iran is increasing 

and continues to grow. He also added, that the North-

South transport corridor is actively developing, and 

will contribute to the formation of new production 

and logistics chains in Eurasia.

 

CNN correspondent Zachary Cohen reported on October 15, 

citing informed sources, that US President Donald Trump 

ordered the development of additional plans for strikes 

on Iran. They provide for attacks on its energy 

infrastructure, as well as the possible use
of the most powerful non-nuclear bomb
in the US arsenal.

 

The Axios portal reported on October 13th, that Israeli Prime 

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump discussed 

the possibility of conducting a new large-scale operation 

against Iran before the elections in both countries. 

 

The conversation took place before Trump's statement 

about the refusal to strike Iran before the midterm 

elections to the US Congress.





__________________________________

 



Young Palestinian man succumbs to 

wounds in Israeli custody -- weeks 

after abduction

October 19th, 11:01am

(PressTV)

 

A young Palestinian man who was injured during his abduction 

by Israeli forces has succumbed to his wounds while in the 

regime’s custody.

 

The fate and whereabouts of Ahmed Hamidat had been 

unclear since he was shot and assaulted by Israeli 

forces on September 30.

 

According to local sources, Hamidat was driving on a bypass 

road when Israeli forces ordered him to stop, but he 

purportedly did not notice the command.

 

When he reached Khan al-Ahmar village near al-Quds, 

Israeli soldiers ambushed his vehicle, opened fire, 

and then physically assaulted him.

 

His family had not received any updates 

about his status or health, since then.

 

They were notified on Sunday of his death while in Israeli 

detention, and are now seeking information regarding 

the circumstances surrounding his death and 

whether his body will be returned to them.

 

Abdul-Ghani al-Attari, the head of the Ramallah and al-Bireh 

chamber of commerce and industry, along with other 

officials from the chamber, expressed their sorrow 

over Hamidat's death, offering their heartfelt 

condolences to his father and family.

 

Thousands of Palestinians are reportedly incarcerated in 

Israeli prisons. Human rights groups warn --- that Israel 

infringes upon the rights and freedoms of prisoners 

as outlined in the Geneva Convention.

 

Palestinian prisoners are kept in Israeli facilities under 

appalling conditions, lacking adequate hygiene. 

These inmates also face systematic torture, 

harassment, and oppression.

 

Approximately 60 percent of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli 

custody suffer from chronic illnesses, with some dying 

while in detention or shortly after release, due to the 

seriousness of their health issues, according to the 

Palestine Detainees Studies Centre.

 

 

________________________________________

 




 Israeli opposition mocks Netanyahu’s 

‘security doctrine’ ..as election stunt

October 19th, 10:37am

(PressTV)

 

Israeli opposition officials --- have dismissed prime minister 

Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly unveiled “security doctrine” 

out of hand, calling it a collection of empty slogans and 

blasting him for seeking to use the document to divert 

attention from his regime’s failures just nine days 

before general elections.

 

Remarking --- following the release of the material on Sunday, 

Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar Party and a former Israeli 

army chief of staff, said the document exposed the 

absence of any credible strategic foundation for 

the regime’s security, while Yesh Atid chief 

Yair Lapid described it as superficial 

and bizarre.

 

The document outlines 10 self-described ''principles'' for the 

regime’s security, advocating further aggression, regional 

“buffer zones,” and a more offence-orientated military.

 

It credits the regime’s unwarranted aggression against Iran for 

“thwarting an imminent existential nuclear threat,” rehashing 

the allegation Tel Aviv has been using consistently, but in 

the absence of any proof, to provoke the US into joining

 it in wars against the Islamic Republic.

 

Additionally, the material considers the regime’s aggression 

against Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen to have been effective

 in “weakening” regional resistance movements.

 

Eisenkot denounced Netanyahu for electoral manipulation, 

noting that the material had been issued just “nine days 

before the elections.”

 

He also reminded that the Netanyahu regime was responsible 

for “the most serious failure and disaster in Israel’s history.” 

He was referring to its unprecedented defeat in the face 

of the historic Operation al-Aqsa Flood, during which 

Gaza-based resistance fighters stormed the 

occupied territories ....and captured 

hundreds of Zionist settlers.

 

Eisenkot, meanwhile, railed against Netanyahu... for having 

opened the gates of unyielding retaliation onto the regime. 

He noted that the regime’s regional campaigns of 

aggression that followed the al-Aqsa Flood 

have triggered a far-and-wide reprisal  -

that has turned “all fronts ablaze.”

 

The document, he added, “is nothing more.. than two blank 

pages containing slogans that have no connection to any 

genuine security doctrine.” “Above all, it exposes the 

complete emptiness of the strategic foundation 

Netanyahu has left Israel with, as well as his 

disregard for the security of illegal settlers, 

Eisenkot said.

 

The premier is again trying to manipulate the settlers’ 

opinion and stir up fears to divert attention from the 

lies characterizing his election campaign, the 

opposition figure concluded.

 

‘Looks like AI work’

 

Lapid also questioned the document’s credibility, saying, 

“Even by Netanyahu’s current standards, marked by 

exhaustion and detachment from reality --- this 

document appears superficial and bizarre, 

as though it were written using a free 

version of an AI chatbot.”

 

“It is difficult to regard two pages of headlines as a ‘security 

doctrine.’ In its entirety, the document is nothing more than

an attempt to deal with the failures and disasters, for 

which, Netanyahu himself bears responsibility.”

 

 

_________________________________________________

 

 

 

Israeli settlers --- injure two Palestinians, attack 

ambulance as violence escalates in West Bank

October 19th, 5:33am

(PressTV)

 

The settlers assaulted an ambulance belonging 

to the Silwad municipality as it was on its way 

to treat the wounded.

 

Two Palestinians were wounded late Sunday when Israeli 

settlers, escorted by regime forces, attacked a Bedouin 

community near Ramallah, Palestinian media reported.

 

According to WAFA news agency, settlers - accompanied by 

soldiers stormed the Arab al-Kaabneh Bedouin community 

near the village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, and beat 

two residents, who suffered injuries and bruising.

 

The attackers also assaulted an ambulance belonging to the 

Silwad municipality as it was on its way to treat the wounded.

 

Palestine TV reported that Israeli forces and a settler raided 

several homes in the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah.

 

In Beita, south of Nablus, settlers attacked the home of Muti 

Salim al-Aqtash and cut off its electricity, WAFA said. Israeli 

forces then detained al-Aqtash. Hours earlier, settlers had 

cut power to another Palestinian home in the same town.

 

In the south --- settlers attacked homes in the Safa area of 

Beit Ummar, north of al-Khalil, according to Palestine TV. 

No injuries or damage were reported.

 

The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission 

has documented more than 14,742 settler attacks across 

the West Bank ..over the past three years.

 

Palestinian officials and rights groups say these attacks, 

often carried out under the protection of Israeli forces, 

are part of a wider effort ---- to push Palestinians off 

their land.

 

Israeli forces kidnap two young Palestinians,

fire tear gas at children - in West Bank raids.

 

Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up their violence 

against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied 

West Bank. In a recent event settlers attacked farmers 

in the West Bank & set fire to their land and properties.

 

Earlier this week, during an Israeli settler attack on the West 

Bank, civilians and journalists were injured. A Washington 

Post photographer was beaten by masked settlers and 

later rescued by her co-workers.

 

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 

2023, the West Bank has also witnessed intensified raids by 

Israeli troops and settlers, who murder, kidnap, and harass 

the Palestinian people .....across the occupied territory.

 



















































Image: The Feast Day of St Richard Gwyn, Martyr.









   Today, October 19th, in 1433,

 

Marsilio Ficino,

 

scholar and Catholic priest,

humanist philosopher,

physician, and 

astrologer,

 

is born.

 

He was one of the most influential humanist philosophers 

of the early Italian Renaissance. He was a reviver of 

Neoplatonism in touch with the major academics 

and religious orders of his day ---- and the first 

translator of Plato's complete extant works 

into Latin. 

 

His Florentine Academy, an attempt to revive Plato's
Academy, influenced the direction and tenor of the 

Italian Renaissance and the development of 

European philosophy.

 

Ficino died on October 1st in 1499 at Careggi. In 1521 his memory 

was honoured with a bust sculpted by Andrea Ferrucci, which 

is located in the south side of the nave in the Cathedral of 

Santa Maria del Fiore.

 

 

''There will be some men or other, superstitious and blind, 

who see life plain in even the lowest animals and the 

meanest plants, but do not see life in the heavens 

or the world ... Now if those little men grant life 

to the smallest particles of the world, what 

folly! what envy! neither to know that the 

Whole, in which 'we live and move and 

have our being,' is itself alive, nor to 

wish this to be so.''














‘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.



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.


____________________




AT THE FACTORY


Tickets from


www.wegottickets.com/thefactory

www.ticketweb.co.uk

browse venues in Wales

www.ticketlineuk.com

02920 230130

Cash tickets from:

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


For more details visit


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


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



Daytime Delights...

Starts at 1pm

The Parc & Dare, Treorchy


Lunchtime Concerts in the Lounge Bar.


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


Ticket information:

The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:

08000 147 111
or book online at

www.rct-arts.co.uk 


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



Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...

7pm - 9pm


Tonyrefail Comprehensive School
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club

has been running for over 30 years.

We meet on a regular basis

& enjoy making models for display.

We encourage both Gentlemen

and Ladies to attend,
and also young people aged 12+.

However, Young people under 16,
must be accompanied by an adult.


Ticket information

£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free


Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658



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



 Comedy In The Laughter Lounge


The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.


COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE


Join us once a month in the intimate setting
of the Laughter Lounge for some
top notch comedy with some of the
biggest and brightest
rising comedians on the circuit.

Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!


Hilarious - TimeOut.



www.rct-arts.co.uk






Rhondda Records exists to express the Rhondda's
vision --- when it was confident, powerful, caring,
and socialist.

A Rhondda very aware of the media's poisonous
tricks -- how they con working class people into
attacking each other, or racial groups, or often
even their best allies and friends.... instead of
seeing their real enemies:- an elite who hate
the very idea that working people can think
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.


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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