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Rhondda Records is with you every day
bringing the news ------- that gives a
view of world events different to 
the mainstream media or
social media!

Except Sundays - our day of rest.

Image: we're back!









  Solidarity and energy for Cuba 

from Bilbao, Basque Country

Madrid, August 24, 7:43am

 (Prensa Latina) 

 

Bilbao's Big Week (Aste Nagusia) 2026 is taking place with important 

displays of solidarity and a campaign that seeks to raise funds to 

send solar panels to Cuba.

 

This was highlighted today, by Cubainformación -- from the Spanish 

Basque Country -- where numerous posters adorn the days "Argia 

eta Indarra Kubarentzat. Against the Blockade, Energy for Cuba"
....visible in the streets of the Biscayan capital and in the 27 

txosnas that make up the Bilboko Konpartsak Federation.

 

The 27 txosnas (booths) display Cuban flags and posters related to 

the conflict, and make visible the numbers of accounts to which 

to contribute income during the Big Week, which will run until 

August 30.

 

"Blokeo Genozida Gelditu" (Stop the Genocidal Blockade) --- is the 

slogan of these actions, led by the comparsas de Bilbao, groups 

with popular roots dedicated to making and enlivening the 

festive activities, in the Basque city.

 

The initiative is promoted by Euskadi-Cuba, Euskal Herria-Kuba 

Ekimena, the internationalist platform Hegoak and the Cuban 

emigration associations Sierra Maestra-Euskadi and 

Desembarco del Granma.

 

In tune with solidarity with Cuba, the town crier Onintza Enbeita was

 also present at the beginning of the Aste Nagusia ---- who referred 

during her speech to the defense of the freedom of peoples and 

expressly mentioned Cuba, Palestine and Western Sahara.

 

Enbeita called for an open and free country and called for the 

rejection ---- of aggressions against individuals and peoples.

 

In this context, he pointed out that it must not go "against the 

freedom of people or peoples, neither here, nor in Palestine, 

nor in Cuba, nor in Western Sahara".

 

The Cuban duo D'Capricho, made up of the sisters Danieuris and 

Daniellis Moya Ávila, performed a concert at the Euskalgune,

as a part of their traditional summer tour of the 

Basque Country.

 

Fundraising for solar energy installations for hospitals in Cuba 

is the focus of the new campaign promoted by Bilbao and 

the entire Basque Country in Spain.











________________________________________________





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 court extends detention of 

Palestinian physician despite 

heart catheterization

August 24th, 5:41pm

 (PressTV)

 

An Israeli military court has decided to prolong the detention of 

Palestinian doctor Dima Amin for an extra five days over her 

social media posts, despite her having experienced a 

serious heart attack and undergoing cardiac 

catheterization while in custody.

 

Israeli forces abducted Amin, a 55-year-old specialist in obstetrics 

and gynecology, from her residence in the occupied central West 

Bank city of Ramallah... early last Tuesday. Her family and legal 

representative were not notified of her whereabouts, and 

communication with her was severed for a period of 

36 hours.

 

Based on her testimony, Amin experienced mistreatment 

while in detention, as her hands were bound tightly.

 

The Israeli authorities declined to loosen the restraints, even in

 light of her medical condition, which resulted in a decline in 

her health and ultimately caused a severe heart attack.

 

She was transported to Hadassah Hospital in occupied 

al-Quds, where she received cardiac catheterization.

 

Following her discharge from the hospital, the Israeli authorities 

---- promptly returned her to the Binyamin interrogation centre,
disregarding her requirement for medical follow-up and care.

 

International medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without 

Borders (MSF) has voiced significant concern regarding reports 

of Amin’s arrest from her residence in the West Bank, 

identifying her as the most recent victim of a 

systematic Israeli campaign -- aimed at 

targeting and detaining Palestinian 

medical professionals.

 

As per Palestinian statistics, around 9,400 Palestinians, including 94 

women, more than 350 children, 3,244 administrative detainees and 

1,320 individuals classified as “unlawful combatants,” are now...
incarcerated in Israeli prisons.

 

Human rights organizations have reported multiple fatalities among 

Palestinians in Israeli detention, attributing these deaths to torture, 

starvation, and inadequate medical care.

 

Israel intensifies torture, slow killing of Palestinian 

inmates by banning family visits: Rights group

 

A Palestinian prisoners’ rights group says the Israeli authorities have 

entrenched torture and the slow killing of Palestinian prisoners, by 

the decision to renew the ban on family visits to the inmates and

detainees in Israeli detention centres.

 

 

___________________________________________

 

 

 

Yemeni armed forces target Saudi oil tanker

 in the Red Sea ------ with a ballistic missile

August 24, 3:18pm

  (PressTV)

 

The Yemeni armed forces have targeted a Saudi oil tanker off the 

coast of the key Red Sea oil port of Yanbu as part of a maritime 

campaign in retaliation for the Riyadh regime’s aggression 

and all-out blockade against their homeland.

 

Delivering a televised speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital 

Sana’a on Monday afternoon, military spokesperson Brigadier 

General Yahya Saree said the Azman oil tanker had been 

targeted with a ballistic missile as it was sailing in 

the northern tip of the Red Sea.

 

He added that the strike was “precise and direct,” causing a fire on 

the main deck and forcing several other vessels in the vicinity to 

leave the area.

 

Saree stressed that the naval operation falls within the framework of 

implementing the Sana'a government's “siege-for-siege” equation 

that seeks to retaliate against Riyadh's blockade on the Arab 

Peninsula nation.

 

Yemeni forces also launched several ballistic missiles and 

explosive-laden drones at a Saudi military convoy as it 

was travelling in the al-Wadiah border area, in the 

eastern Hadhramaut province. Wadiah...... hosts 

Yemen’s main land crossing with Saudi Arabia.

 

Saree noted that the strike resulted in the destruction of more 

than ten trucks loaded with various types of weapons and 

military equipment.

 

Yemen’s Armed Forces down a Saudi reconnaissance drone 

over the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah, 

according to a military source.

 

Separately, Yemeni troops targeted Saudi forces in the 

al-Kanais area north of Ma’rib city --- with several 

ballistic missiles and drones.

 

A number of military commanders and officers were killed 

and wounded in the process, and several arms depots 

were destroyed in the Yemeni strikes.

 

“The Yemeni armed forces will continue to enact a maritime 

blockade on the Saudi enemy within the declared 

operational zone, and will implement the 

siege-for-siege equation. They will 

respond - in kind - to any form of 

escalation,” Saree pointed out.

 

On July 20, the Sana’a government declared a maritime blockade 

against Saudi Arabia, saying that the Riyadh authorities have 

maintained “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for 

nearly 12 years, “exploiting our resources and imposing 

a complete blockade.”

 

The Yemeni armed forces have subsequently announced 

many successful missions --- targeting Saudi-linked 

vessels in the Red Sea.

 

Back in March 2015, Saudi Arabia, along with its allies, enforced a 

blockade on Yemen, launching an all-out onslaught supported 

militarily, politically, and logistically by the United States 

and certain Western nations.

 

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed, but Saudi Arabia 

has not succeeded in obtaining its main objective of reinstating 

a puppet regime that aligns with its interests.

 

 

____________________________________________

 

 

 

IRGC: Economic war - main battlefield 

in confrontation with enemies

August 24, 2:41pm

  (PressTV)

 

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says economic warfare is the 

“main battlefield” in the current confrontation with adversaries 

amid the United States’ latest economic pressure campaign 

against Tehran.

 

The IRGC made the announcement in a statement on Monday 

marking the Government Week, which commemorates the 

1981 martyrdom anniversary of then-President 

Mohammad-Ali Rajaei and Prime Minister 

Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, who were 

assassinated in an attack carried 

out by the Mujahedin Khalq 

Organization (MKO).

 

“By waging economic warfare and imposing multilayered sanctions, 

the enemy seeks to sow despair, put pressure on people’s 

livelihoods, and undermine social trust,” the IRGC said.

 

It expressed its comprehensive readiness for strategic cooperation 

with the government in confronting the enemy’s economic war.

 

The statement noted that the government’s “round-the-clock and 

prudent” efforts in all key sectors, including the economy, trade, 

oil, industry, agriculture, banking and diplomacy, play a 

decisive role in neutralizing sanctions and mitigating 

their impact.

 

The IRGC hailed the government’s dedication to serve the 

Iranian people and the country, under difficult conditions.

 

It emphasized that closer cooperation with the government 

is essential for overcoming multilayered sanctions and 

boosting national resilience.

 

The elite force also declared the IRGC’s full readiness - to boost 

cooperation and synergy with the government in a wide range 

of areas, including economic security, logistical support, 

infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, the 

fight against smuggling and corruption, and 

helping to address people's livelihoods

 and social challenges.

 

On August 19, US President Donald Trump announced what he called

 the “most crushing economic operation” against Iran, claiming 

that Tehran would face “economic warfare and isolation on 

an unprecedented scale.” He also threatened sanctions 

against any country that does business with Iran.

 

The threat comes as his war on Iran, launched alongside the Israeli 

regime on February 28, has failed to reach any of its objectives.

 

IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said on Sunday 

that the US’ latest economic pressure campaign against
Iran - amounts to an implicit admission of failure on
the 
military front.












































Image: John Taylor, The Water Poet's Birth Day





 

 Today, August 24, in 1578,

 

John Taylor, The Water Poet, 

 

is born.

 

Taylor was an English poet... who was

heartily disliked by the upper classes.

 

After fighting for his country he 

became a waterman - a kind

of taxi-service when there

was only one bridge to

cross the Thames.

 

His income was reduced by over a half

....in a series of moves by Londoners 

- to not pay to cross the Thames -

including by moving all theatres

to the north bank..... in 1612, 

depriving the ferrymen of 

most of their income.

 

 

All sorts of men, work all the means they can,

To make a Thief of every waterman :

And as it were in one consent they join,

To trot by land i' th' dirt, and save their coin.

Carroaches, coaches, jades, and Flanders mares,

Do rob us of our shares, our wares, our fares :

Against the ground, we stand and knock our heels,

Whilst all our profit runs away on wheels.












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,
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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