(Text-only) Rhondda Records Home Page

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.

Cuba's political victory over the US

at the UN ---- stands out in Italy

Rome, July 8th, 4:53am

(Prensa Latina)

The National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship (Anaic),
highlighted the triumph achieved by the Government and
the people of Cuba at the United Nations, in the face of
the dirty maneuvers of U.S. imperialism, a statement
said today.

The ANAIC expressed --- "its most sincere and fraternal

congratulations to the Cuban government and people

for the extraordinary political and moral victory

obtained in the General Assembly" of that

international organization - "despite the

shameful threats, blackmail, and very

serious external pressures exerted

by the United States delegation."

These actions, according to them, "have come to light in all

their pettiness thanks to the discovery of the files sent by

Marco Rubio to numerous governments to boycott and

prevent the debate requested by Cuba," but the

dignity of the world - has not allowed itself

to be bent.

The solidarity association highlights in the text that on July 7 the

debate was accepted with the favourable vote of 136 countries,

against only nine against and 30 abstentions and regrets that

among the latter was Italy "which, with its abstention lost

for the umpteenth time, the possibility of demonstrating

independence, remaining in a very bad place at the

international level".

The two U.S. representatives showed the arrogant but weak face

of an empire in decline, they said, referring to Jeffrey Bartos, the

nation's representative for United Nations Management and

Reform, as well as the ambassador to the United Nations,

Michael Waltz.

The document emphasizes that they were "literally ridiculed in

the face of the masterful and firm reply of the Cuban Minister

of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla."

The Cuban foreign minister denounced that the U.S. blockade of

his country ..kills and suffocates silently, which constitutes a

ruthless crime, also the responsibility of the United Nations,

and explained that this policy of almost 70 years has

intensified in the last seven months, to cause a

deterioration of the quality of life and harm

to the population.

The United States is carrying out an unconventional war, which has

become bloodier and more ruthless, he stressed, and pointed out

that now the energy siege - equivalent to a naval blockade - is

added, an act of war, which prevents access to fuel supplies

to Cuba, both commercial and humanitarian.

Added to this is harassment, with "repeated threats of military

action from the highest levels of government," the Cuban

Foreign Minister remarked.

He considered -- that all these matters of high importance and

urgency deserve not only the attention, but also, the clearest

pronouncement of the United Nations and its most universal

and representative organ, the General Assembly, by virtue

of its mandate to preserve international peace and

security ------- and to ensure the enjoyment of

human rights.

As a worthy son of the Cuban Revolution, the foreign minister

of that country "knew how to remind the whole world, of the

immutable value, honour --- and unwavering resistance --- of

its people," the ANAIC said in the final part of its statement.

Iran to close Strait of Hormuz, strike twice

as many targets - in response to

any US attack: Source

July 8th, 2:35pm

(PressTV)

Iran has issued a firm warning that it will not back down from its

management of the Strait of Hormuz and is prepared to fight to

maintain control over the strategic waterway, an informed

security source told Press TV on Wednesday.

The source revealed that developments over the past 48 hours

have solidified Tehran's resolve, with a new military and

strategic doctrine now in place.

According to the source, Iran's updated strategy dictates that in

the event of any fresh attack on Iranian soil or interests, the

Islamic Republic will respond with overwhelming force.

The source elaborated on Iran's new retaliatory framework, stating

that following any strike against Iran, two immediate actions will

be taken: first, the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to

all maritime traffic; and second, Iran will strike enemy targets

at a ratio of at least two to one, meaning that for every

Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets...
will be struck in return.

"The memorandum of understanding signed on this matter - clearly

states that Iran will reopen the Strait in accordance with its own

arrangements. Therefore, Iran will not permit the establishment

of any new route ......outside the framework of its own

arrangements," the source said.

The source also addressed recent threats made by US
President Donald Trump, delivering a blunt message
to Washington.

"Any threat will receive a powerful response. Iran does not
distinguish between the United States and its partners
in the region,” the source told Press TV.

“Trump will gain nothing from these recent threats, but he will

certainly lose both the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiations

over a final agreement. The choice is now his."

________________________________________________

US has no choice ---- but to recognize Iran’s

'new order' in Strait of Hormuz: Senior MP

July 8th, 1:38pm

(PressTV)

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the United States has no choice

but to recognize the Islamic Republic’s new regime governing

the Strait of Hormuz - after US military strikes that violated

the ceasefire agreement with Tehran.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of Parliament's National Security and Foreign

Policy Committee, wrote in a post on X, "There is no alternative:

Recognize the new Iranian order in the Strait of Hormuz."

Azizi's post came after US forces carried out airstrikes ----- against

coastal bases and civilian facilities in Iran's southern Hormozgan

Province and Mahshahr city, in the early hours of Wednesday.

In response, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had

targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles

and drones, describing the operation as an "initial response"

to the US aggression against Iranian territory.

The US Central Command said earlier that the US strikes

were carried out in response to what it described as

Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels

transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the IRGC has declared any alternative transit routes

"unacceptable and extremely dangerous," saying coordination

with its Navy is mandatory for vessels passing through the

strategic waterway.

Iran's central military command also warned that it would not

allow Washington to interfere in the management of the

strategic waterway.

Tehran has said that parts of the Strait of Hormuz lie within

Iranian territorial waters and that international law

recognizes the sovereignty and jurisdiction of

coastal states over their territorial seas.

Wednesday's strikes marked the latest escalation despite a

ceasefire that took effect in April -- and a memorandum of

understanding signed by Tehran and Washington last

month, which called for a permanent end to

hostilities and further negotiations

toward a final agreement

within 60 days.

The US President Donald Trump said

on Wednesday, that the ceasefire

is over.

Citing ceasefire violations involving the Strait of Hormuz,

the reinstatement of oil sanctions, attacks on southern

Iran, and the continued Israeli military aggression in

Lebanon, Iranian Parliament Speaker, and chief

negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said

Washington's actions ....would fail to

weaken Iran's resolve.

Qalibaf said that the "era of bullying and

extortion is over. It leads nowhere.

We don't fold."

_______________________________________

Any source of support for US military

‘legitimate target’: Iran’s Khatam

al-Anbiya Headquarters

July 8th, 1:20pm

(PressTV)

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters says

any source of support for the “aggressor US army”

will be considered a legitimate target for Iranian

armed forces.

The Wednesday statement came following a fresh wave

of US strikes Tehran says has “openly violated” the

ceasefire and “trampled on” the Islamabad

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The United States attacked sites in southern Iran,

prompting Tehran to respond by attacking US

bases in the Persian Gulf region, among

other positions.

“The source -- of any support for the aggressor US army

to violate the sovereignty and territory of Islamic Iran

- will be a legitimate target for the armed forces,”

the headquarters said.

The headquarters also reiterated that the only safe

route for commercial ships and oil tankers in the

Strait of Hormuz is the path designated by Iran,

and Tehran -- will not allow any interference

in the management of the Strait.

The latest attacks came as Iran marked the funeral

ceremonies of the martyred Leader of the Islamic

Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,

in Iraq.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the

retaliatory strikes were “an attempt to overshadow

massive funeral processions in Iran and Iraq for

the martyred Leader, which represented a

major political defeat for Washington.”

In an “initial response” to the US aggression, the IRGC’s

naval and aerospace forces conducted a joint missile

and drone operation, striking 85 locations hosting

important US military facilities.

The Foreign Ministry has denounced US military attacks

on southern Iran as a “flagrant violation” of the truce

agreement.

The strikes - hit facilities at Port Salman and the US Fifth

Fleet’s area in Bahrain, as well as Ali Al Salem Air Base

in Kuwait.

The IRGC also announced the downing of an MQ-9 drone

over Bushehr province that attempted to interfere with

the operation.

The latest escalation follows strikes on several ships

transiting the Strait of Hormuz that were not

following Iran’s authorized route.

Oil prices jumped five percent immediately after remarks

by US President Donald Trump, having already reached

their highest level in two weeks.

The White House also revoked sanction waivers on

Iranian oil sales, cancelling a license announced

in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell

and deliver crude oil until August 21.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad

Baqer Qalibaf, said the United States had committed

“major” breaches of the MoU, including by

reinstating the oil sanctions.

______________________________________________

Belgium routs US, but FIFA's political

capitulation to the White House

overshadows the game

by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

July 8th, 12:57 pm

(PressTV)

Belgium's commanding display in the knockout-stage clash

brought the US' 2026 World Cup campaign to an end, but

not before a controversial intervention from the White

House - once again - laid bare the deep-seated

dysfunction in global football governance.

On the pitch, the verdict ---- was clear. Belgium’s clinical 4-1
dismantling of the US in the Round of 16 comprehensively
extinguished the host nation’s ambition to make further

inroads, reducing the highly anticipated match to a

masterclass in European tactical superiority.

Yet, as the final whistle blew, the overwhelming sentiment

across the international sporting community was

not one of closure.

The definitive end of the US World Cup campaign.... has done

nothing to quell the geopolitical conflagration surrounding

FIFA’s decision-making machinery ------ leaving the

tournament’s governing body..... facing an

unprecedented crisis of legitimacy.

The defining legacy of this match will not be Belgium’s

clinical finishing, but rather the administrative

architecture that allowed US striker

Folarin Balogun to step onto

the field.

Following a straight red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia

& Herzegovina, Balogun’s mandatory suspension was abruptly

deferred by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee in a midnight ruling

that invoked the rarely utilized Article 27 of the FIFA

Disciplinary Code.

By converting a mandatory sporting ban into a suspended

one-year probationary period, FIFA preserved the host

nation’s star asset for prime-time television, but in

doing so, it put its own institutional integrity on

trial ––––––– for the umpteenth time during

this tournament.

Iran’s football team took a swipe at US Homeland Security

Secretary Kristi Noem after the US’ defeat to Belgium,

posting a brief, pointed message on its official page:

“Dance with me!”

The executive order... on football!

The crisis escalated from a standard sporting appeal into

an unprecedented geopolitical standoff following direct

intervention from the highest office in the host nation.

President Donald Trump acknowledged his role in applying

pressure on football’s global governing body, much to the

chagrin of fans and observers worldwide.

"I saw the play, and I'm a person that loves sports – that

wasn't a foul," Trump stated. "I asked for a review.

I think they made a really brilliant decision."

For decades, FIFA has ruthlessly suspended national

associations – from Nigeria to Kuwait – for minor

infractions involving state interference in local

football federations. Yet, when confronted

with this direct intervention from the

executive branch.. of the world's

''largest economy'' - and World

Cup co-host, the governing

body's rigid commitment

to political neutrality...

collapsed.

An intervention that changed nothing

The immense irony of the affair lay in its ultimate irrelevance

to the sporting outcome. For all the backroom diplomacy

and administrative gymnastics required.... to secure

Balogun’s eligibility, the striker cut a peripheral,

frustrated figure on the pitch.

Swallowed... by a disciplined Belgian backline, he made no

discernible impact on the game before being substituted

near the end of the match --- that the US lost decisively.

FIFA accepted catastrophic reputational damage

to facilitate a sporting intervention that yielded

absolutely nothing.

In this instance, football governance was contorted to serve

a perceived commercial and political emergency, only for

the cold realities of ninety minutes on the pitch - to

render the entire bureaucratic maneuver futile.

A red line crossed

The backlash from the European football establishment was

swift and unsparing. Following FIFA's midnight U-turn, the

Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) launched

an immediate legal challenge against

Balogun's reinstatement.

FIFA rejected the challenge on narrow procedural grounds,

treating the Belgian inquiry as an unauthorized appeal of

a Disciplinary Committee decision.

The RBFA expressed absolute astonishment at the ruling,

vigorously objecting to the lack of transparency and

equal treatment.

The administrative maneuvering - drew a scathing rebuke

from European football's governing body -- with a senior

UEFA official warning that FIFA had officially "crossed

a red line" ------- by allowing external political

considerations --- to dictate field-level

disciplinary actions.

Prominent football figures across Europe echoed these

concerns, viewing the decision as an assault on

the core tenets of fair play.

Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp slammed the

precedent. "It's a red card, even if it's a shame

because Balogun can't play, but it's there

in the rules," Klopp said.

"This is our game, not theirs... If Trump and Infantino

really worked this all out between themselves ---

that's crazy. It calls everything into question.

"These two individuals, neither of whom has a clue

about football, shouldn't have anything to do
with it," the 59-year-old added.

Host advantage --- or host privilege?

The core philosophical question left in the wake of the

Balogun affair is whether the boundaries of legitimate

home advantage have been permanently blurred into

political privilege.

Host nations traditionally enjoy.. favourable scheduling,

enthusiastic home crowds, and familiar environments.

They are not, however, supposed to operate under

an entirely different tier of the rulebook.

The perception of preferential treatment is exacerbated

--- by the sharply contrasting experiences of other

participating nations during this tournament.

Throughout the group stage, the Iranian national team and its

delegation - faced intensive restrictions by the host nations

as several staff were denied visas, the team had to leave

US soil right after the matches, and it was allowed to

come into the US just 24 hours before the games

in an apparent discrimination compared to

other participating teams.

Add to this the ban on entry of fans from Iran and several

other participating countries in the 2026 World Cup.

Netizens and international commentators - have pointed out

the glaring asymmetry that while the host nation’s political

apparatus successfully lobbied to overturn an explicit red

card, fans and families from parts of the West Asian and

African nations affected by rigid immigration policies,

faced immense barriers simply trying to enter the

country to watch their teams play.*

This - is another proof that the 2026 World Cup has failed to

offer a fair playing field, operating instead on a multi-tiered

hierarchy of accessibility and administrative leniency.

Long after the stadium lights in the US are turned off and the

final is played, the legal and institutional precedent

established by Article 27 ....will haunt the

sport’s regulators.

By capitulating to the host nation's highest political office,

FIFA handed a powerful blueprint to future host nations -

to hijack the biggest football tournament in the world.

During future tournaments, whenever a key player is dismissed,

or a critical suspension is handed down, powerful states will

now point directly to the Balogun precedent of July 2026.

The institutional leverage required to maintain independent

refereeing and autonomous disciplinary procedures

has been profoundly eroded.

Belgium’s 4-1 victory proved that political interference cannot

buy performance on the pitch. However, by permitting that

interference to alter the basic regulations of the

competition, FIFA has inflicted a deep, self-

inflicted wound on its own credibility –

one that will far outlast... the US'

exit from the tournament.

[RR adds: *only non-white countries' fans!]

Today, July the 8th, in 1948,

social justice activist,

spiritual loving heart

Ruby Nell Sales was described as a "legendary civil rights

activist" by the PBS program Religion and Ethics Weekly,

and is one of 50 civil rights leaders highlighted by the

Smithsonian National Museum of African American

History and Culture in Washington, DC.

She has degrees from Tuskegee Institute, Manhattanville College,

and Princeton University. She received a Masters of Divinity

from the Episcopal Divinity School in 1998.

Sales is the founder and director of the Spirit House Project,

and regularly speaks throughout the country about race,

class, and reconciliation.

Sales attended local segregated schools including Carver
High School, and was also educated in the community
during the 1960s era of the Civil Rights Movement.

After graduating from high school, Sales attended Tuskegee

Institute where she became involved in the Student

Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

At 17, she marched ---- in the Selma to

Montgomery marches of 1965.

In the summer of 1965, Sales left Tuskegee to work full-time as

a voter registration organizer -- as part of the U.S. Civil Rights

Movement. SNCC assigned her to Calhoun County, Alabama.

Students in Fort Deposit, a small town in Lowndes County,

asked SNCC for its support in a demonstration aimed at

protesting the local store-owner's treatment of their

sharecropper parents and the organization sent

members from various counties...... to join

their cause. Sales acknowledged - that

she and the others were scared, and

that the violence and intimidation

in "Bloody Lowndes" had been

well-documented. She.. was

one of 30 people who took

part in a demonstration

Many members of the group were arrested and taken to the county

seat of Hayneville. After being jailed for six days -- the group was

suddenly released. No advance notice was given, so there was

no one available to pick the demonstrators up. She and a few

others went to a nearby store to get something to drink.

There - she and the group were threatened by a shotgun-wielding

state highway department employee, Tom Coleman, who was

also a volunteer county deputy.

One of Sales' fellow marchers, Jonathan Daniels, a White Episcopal

seminarian, pushed her out of the way and took the shot meant for

her, dying instantly. Daniels - was a 1961 graduate of the Virginia

Military Institute (VMI) and valedictorian of his class, studying

at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass.

Sales was so traumatized by Daniels' murder that she nearly lost

the ability to speak - for the next seven months. Despite death

threats made to her and her family, Sales resolved to testify

at Tom Coleman's trial. He was acquitted by a jury of 12

white men ---- and said in a CBS television interview a

year after the killings ------- that he had no regrets,

saying, "I would shoot them both tomorrow."

Sales went on to attend Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, successor institution to the seminary Daniels

had attended. She has worked as a human rights advocate

in Washington, D.C., and across the south.

Sales founded the Spirit House Project, a non-profit

organization and inner-city mission ----- dedicated

Starting in 2007, the Spirit House Project documented over

2,000 state-sanctioned deaths ---- against Black people.

98% of those counted in that number were unarmed.

"It is not by accident that Black Lives Matter is a theme today,"

said Sales. She believes "Black Lives Matter" has always

been a theme of the fight for justice, even in slavery.

At a 2014 conference she organized in Washington, DC,

Sales contended that saying "All Lives Matter" as a

response - to the slogan "Black Lives Matter" is
an act that perpetuates White nationalism.

The Conference was titled "What's Behind the Wave of Police

and Vigilante Killings of Black People?" (April 22, 2014,

Washington, DC). The conference was coordinated

by Ruby Sales and Cheryl Blankenship.

''Two things ..are happening simultaneously. One thing - is the evil

that’s constantly evolving in this society. One of the things that

I discovered is that when we think about love, we think about

how we can love other people. But the first question is how

we can love ourselves so that we extend to other people

the love that we feel for ourselves. It is hard - to love

yourself ---- when you follow people who want you

to kill yourself. It is hard to love yourself -- when

you follow people who degrade your humanity

and teach you to hate other people. It’s hard

to love yourself when you’re being used by

powerful people to carry out an agenda

that buttresses their power ---- but....

''I think that the critical question that white people

must deal with --- and all of us must deal with in

the 21st century, is how can we love ourselves

so that we might extend that love to others?

Because I think that we have been taught

to hate and despise ourselves.''

1,150 health professionals, organizations

launch petition ---- to boycott Israeli

medical association over

Gaza genocide

June 26th, 4:20pm

(PressTV)

More than 1,150 health professionals and medical organizations

have signed a petition --------- demanding a boycott of the Israeli

Medical Association (IMA), saying it is directly complicit in the

ongoing genocide against Palestinians ------ in the besieged

Gaza Strip.

The signatories, are urging the World Medical Association (WMA)

to expel the IMA over its complete silence on Israel’s systematic

destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure, as well as the killing,

abduction, and torture of Palestinian doctors, nurses, and

first responders.

Led by the People’s Health Movement (PHM), Doctors for Gaza,

and the Health Advisory Council of Jewish Voice for Peace,

the petition also calls for the WMA to suspend the Israeli

body for its blatant failure.. to uphold core medical

ethical standards.

Among the hundreds of signatories are Spain’s Health Workers

for Palestine, the US-based Doctors Against Genocide, and

the Health Alliance for Democracy in the Philippines.

The petition, recently published in The Lancet, the world’s

leading medical journal, states that the IMA has violated

medical ethics and international humanitarian law... in

the besieged strip.

The Lancet noted that it could not find any public statements

from the IMA ---- condemning Israeli attacks on Gaza’s health

system, criticizing the regime’s conduct in the war, calling

for a ceasefire, or responding to UN reports documenting

genocide against the Palestinian people.

Instead, the IMA has repeatedly echoed Israeli regime talking

points, including the unsubstantiated claim that the Hamas

resistance movement uses hospitals as command centres.

In recent months, there has been a growing international

campaign to suspend Israel from the WMA and boycott

Israeli doctors and medical institutions.

A report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor,

in April 2026 highlighted the IMA’s failure to condemn the

Israeli military’s repeated attacks on Gaza’s hospitals.

The report stated: “This incitement .....was supported by

institutional cover from the IMA, which not only failed to

condemn the targeting of the health system but also

lobbied to block international ceasefire calls,

prioritizing military alignment ---- over its

humanitarian duty to protect life.”

In mid-June --- the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR),

the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the US, welcomed

international medical groups’ calls for Israel’s suspension from

the WMA.

In late 2023, a group of Israeli doctors, including dozens of

practicing physicians, published an open letter explicitly

calling for the bombardment of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital,

describing the territory’s health infrastructure as a

“legitimate target.”

The IMA.... took no disciplinary action against them.

Al-Shifa Hospital was among dozens of medical facilities

in Gaza that were repeatedly bombed and raided by

Israeli forces. Scores of hospitals and health

centres ---- were destroyed ---- or

rendered inoperable.

In December 2024, Israeli troops stormed

Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

According to Euro-Med Monitor, medical staff and

displaced civilians sheltering there --------- were

executed during the raid.

The hospital director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, was

abducted and remains in Israeli custody, where

he is subjected to severe mistreatment ----

and torture.

The Israeli genocide in Gaza has effectively annihilated

the Strip’s entire medical system. Airstrikes combined

with a criminal blockade have pushed the remaining

hospitals to the brink of total collapse, leaving

critically injured patients...... without

adequate care.

With severe shortages of medicine, equipment, and fuel,

doctors in Gaza warn that many more lives will be lost

as the Zionist regime’s siege continues to strangle

the healthcare system.

The systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure, medical

facilities, and densely populated areas by the Israeli

occupation has been widely documented ---- as

constituting genocide.

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!

Keir Hardie - Britain's first Labour MP - opposed World War One.

His namesake is stammering his way in the opposite direction.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

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:

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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

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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_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 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.

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.

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

MAKING THE CONNECTION IN WALES

Households across three more English areas
will be able to access superfast broadband
in the latest phase of a Government scheme
to connect rural homes and businesses.

The £50 million funding package for Devon and
Somerset (£30 million), Norfolk (£15 million)
and Wiltshire (£4 million) will aid the roll- out
of superfast broadband services unable to
be reached by the market alone.

Areas will also receive financial support from
their local authorities and private investors,
the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport says.

So it's Broadband Heaven for England...

and crapola for Wales' broadband - the

slowest, worst Broadband in the UK !!!

Lib Dems in Scotland might have received a
pummeling for Clegg and his betrayals, yet,
in Scotland, their campaign centred on it
becoming the "most connected country in
Europe," to massively boost their economy.

In Wales, which political party is now
willing to put into practice scientists'
recommendations: that Wales' hilly
topography requires establishing

free 'wireless' broadband?

It could connect the people of Rhondda and the
world, boosting Wales' economic regeneration,
like no other move. Wireless technology is now
supplying free broadband to an entire island
off New Zealand's coast.

Come on; if New Zealand can do it - so can we !!!

Western China has embraced "green-mode
development" - with painful changes
from which, Wales could well learn.

Eastern China has seen fast growth and
urban mess. The West, a mining and
agricultural area, has not.

Xi'an Chan-ba Ecological District, is a model
for reclaiming old mining areas.

It took six hard years, but now Xi'an is showing
the world how best to change, by turning a
badly polluted rubbish landfill site, into an all
new environment-friendly development.

As China's economic focus moves from east to
west, it's using the lessons learned during 30
or more years of rapid industrial development.

The green way for China's west, is to combine
green industrialization & green urbanization.

The western region's strategy is to adopt
effective energy-saving and environmental
protection technologies... AND to extend
its industry through science and products
unique to China's West, together with strong
vertical growth in agriculture and all its
ancilliary economic & professional spin-offs.

In undertaking this industrial revolution, the
western region will keep a sharp eye out - to
avoid all polluting non-sustainable industries.

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

A BIG DROP OF HONEY !!!

Spring is beekeeping and honey-processing
season in Yunnan province, in China.

Waves of bees flit across vast fields of flowers.

Local beekeepers and many from other places,
such as Sichuan and Fujian provinces - set up
their base in tents among the rapeseed farms.

The 430,000 hectares of rapeseed blooms in
Luoping attract myriads of bees, which
produce 15 - 20 million tons of honey a year.

Local people now look to brand their county
as a honey production base & increase sales
to outside markets.

Luoping Tianyuanmiyu Bee Industry Co Chair,
Zhu Hongkun, founded his enterprise in 2009.

It mainly produces honey, propolis and
propolis powder.

His company works with 270 plus beekeepers,
who each earn 80,000 yuan a year on average.

Some earn 200,000 yuan annually, Zhu says.

Who says beauty endowed by nature isn't worth a fortune?

The whole of the uplands of south Wales could
be as beautiful & productive, if used wisely!

CHINA's PREMIER POINTS WAY FORWARD

As the Tories threaten a "bonfire of the Quangos",
perhaps Wales should take note. Now extracting
all our mineral wealth has been stopped (apart
from sand and rock) we find ourselves "in" the
1st World of the UK, but with a 3rd World
economy, only just kept going by quangos
which promise much... but deliver little...
and rely on weak public support.

We could WAKE UP & understand that we either
do something, or stay as begging bowl cases.

China's premier points the way forward for Wales:

"Industrial restructuring is the key... only by
developing energy-efficient, indigenous innovative
and high value added products can our companies
and economy, achieve sustainable development."

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

WHILE FRANCE, GREECE, IRELAND, ETC, STRUGGLE TO
STOP THE PENSION AGE RISING HIGHER AND HIGHER...

An online survey on qq.com, a popular Chinese
news portal, finds that 91% of its over 800,000
respondents, are against raising the current
official Chinese retirement age.

745,123 of those surveyed say they oppose
raising retirement ages -- 72,456 support it.

China's scholars & the public have been debating
whether to raise the retirement age, for the past
few years, but the issue rose to prominence after
remarks by an official.

Wang Xiaochu, the official vice minister of the
Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security,
said at a press conference that the government
was "studying the matter"...

The retirement age in China is generally set
at 60 for men and 50-55 for women.

Wow! Bet you didn't know that !!!

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?