(Text-only) Rhondda Records Home Page

Cuba criticizes U.S. unilateralism

and repeats its denunciation
of the blockade

Madrid, November 4, 1:56pm

(Prensa Latina)

Cuba today criticized the reinforcement of U.S.
unilateralism - repeating its denunciation of

the economic blockade sharpened against

the Caribbean island... with measures

contrary to International Law.

Speaking at the ministerial segment of the 30th Ibero-

American Summit in Madrid, Cuban Foreign Minister

Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla warned of 'interference

in the internal affairs of states, with a marked

extraterritorial character, and intimidation,

even to hinder cooperation and prevent

legitimate trade relations between

sovereign states.'

During his speech, he stressed that this year Washington

redoubled its siege against Cuba, "including imposing an

energy blockade ---- equivalent to a naval blockade, and

secondary sanctions -------- that shatter economic and

commercial relations."

"All these measures --- cause suffering to our people,

constitute an act of collective punishment, are in

violation of international law and are harmful to

the heritage of our Community," the Cuban

foreign minister said.

He also took the opportunity to thank the Ibero-American

countries 'that voted in favour of the approval' ....of the

resolution calling for an end to the blockade on Cuba,

presented the previous week at the United Nations

General Assembly.

It is a very Spanish phrase, although...... not Cervantes,

which says: "They bark, Sancho, a sign that we ride",

when qualifying the support for the largest of the

Antilles in the UN ---- by a huge majority.

The diplomat praised the role of the Ibero-American

Conference in its ability to bring together "our 22

countries with their common culture and rich

diversity, to cooperate on the basis of

mutual respect and benefit and to

advance to the achievement

of shared objectives."

He referred to the global context, which, inevitably, has

an impact on the Ibero-American space, marked by the

reinforcement of unilateralism.. by the fattest military

power on the planet; and the imposition of peace, by

force, among other issues.

"Ibero-American countries have shown that it is possible to

achieve tangible results on priority issues - such as food

security, digital transformation, disaster risk reduction,

education and tackling climate change," Rodríguez

Parrilla noted.

On the other hand, he expressed his recognition to Spain

for the remarkable results achieved - and its leadership

at the head of the community, as well as to the Ibero-

American General Secretariat, and highlighted

Cuba's commitment to building a fairer and

more sustainable international order.

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

Iraqi Resistance groups

reject amendments to

PMF bill

November 5th, 12:47pm

(Al Mayadeen English)

Proposed amendments to Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces

(PMF) bill have drawn strong opposition from al-Nujaba and

Kataib Hezbollah, with the 2 Resistance groups accusing

the government of undermining the force ------- through

changes to the legislation.

Their statements combined demands for the protection of

PMF personnel's rights with calls for transparency over

the bill, while raising broader allegations concerning

oil contracts, foreign drone activity, and Iraq's

position toward the blockade on Iran.

Kataib Hezbollah's security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf,

called on media outlets --- to publish the original bill

submitted to parliament, alongside the amended

text, allowing Iraqis to examine changes.. he

accused the prime minister and his office

of making.

Addressing the government and the Coordination

Framework, al-Assaf questioned what had

happened to the copy of an agreement

signed between the Resistance. and

the Framework Committee. He also

criticized the government ------- for

failing to deliver on its promises.

His accusations extended to alleged financial corruption

involving contracts to sell oil to ADNOC.. at substantial

discounts. According to al-Assaf, influential figures

were ''sharing the large profits'' generated by

those arrangements.

Al-Nujaba calls for guarantees of PMF rights

Al-Nujaba said it would oppose any legislation that

diminished the PMF's role or failed to guarantee

equal treatment for its personnel alongside

other security forces.

The movement declared that it "will accept only

a fair law -- that safeguards the rights of PMF

personnel, places them on an equal footing

with their brothers in the security forces

and guarantees -- all their current and

future rights.''

It urged national forces and those committed to their

positions to take "a proud honourable stand against

these amendments, which weaken, fragment, and

diminish the Popular Mobilization Forces."

Such a stand, it added, is "the least we owe to

the blood of martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis

and the righteous martyrs."

The movement also linked the delay in passing the

legislation to US pressure, saying: "After the long

wait for the passage of the PMF law, which

remained suspended to appease the

criminal, child-killing fool Trump,

we were surprised.. by unjust

amendments that we could

only interpret as having

suspicious Wahhabi

and Zionist hands

behind them."

Movement invokes PMF's fight against ISIS

Al-Nujaba placed its rejection ...within a sustained

campaign against the PMF since its confrontation

with ISIS.

"From the first day of confronting this takfiri project until

today, conspiracies have never ceased to target it. Paid

discordant voices have continued seeking to weaken it,

indeed to eliminate and dissolve it, because they know

it is ------- the sword cutting through the necks of Iraq's

enemies, and the thorn embedded in their hearts, not

merely... in their eyes."

Recalling the violence inflicted on Iraq during that period,

the movement accused external actors of seeking to

destroy the country through ISIS.

Sovereignty and Iran blockade among wider concerns

Kataib Hezbollah separately questioned whether the

Coordination Framework was aware of Emirati-

Syrian drone activity - in Iraqi airspace. Its

statement said two drones had crashed,

one in Karbala, and the other in

al-Samawah, and were now...

held by PMF intelligence.

The group reiterated that its military operations within

Iraq are currently suspended and that it announces

any operation immediately after it occurs. It also

denied holding or seeking government positions

and reaffirmed its commitment ---- to the unity

of resistance arenas.

Turning to relations with Tehran, Kataib Hezbollah

warned against participation in the blockade

imposed on the "brotherly Iranian people."

It alleged that the director of the prime minister's office

had told Tehran - that Iraq's decision to participate in

the blockade had received the approval of both the

State Administration Coalition and the

Coordination Framework.

Source: Al Mayadeen

_______________________________

US Democrat senators, congressmen call for

swift end to war on Iran, after historic

defeat of GOP in midterms

November 5th, 8:24am

(PressTV)

The Democrats’ historic midterm victory

has intensified calls in Congress for an

immediate end to the “illegal” war

on Iran.

US Democrat senators and congressmen --- have called for

an immediate end to the “illegal” war on Iran, as a blue

tsunami swept the Democrat Party to an historic

victory in the midterms, breaking the

Republican Party’s grip on both

houses of the US Congress.

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress –

the House of Representatives and Senate in Tuesday’s
midterm elections, ending the GOP’s control of the

legislature for the final two years of Donald

Trump’s presidency.

US Vice President JD Vance has already admitted that the

war of aggression against Iran – launched by a US-Israeli

military coalition on February 28 - was a key factor

behind the Republican Party’s crushing defeat

in the midterm elections.

After the landslide victory, US senators and congressmen

voiced their calls more loudly than ever for an immediate

end to the pointless war against the Islamic Republic.

“Democrats must put a singular focus ---- on bringing down

costs, ending the tariffs and the war in Iran, and shutting

down Trump's self-enrichment schemes, which have

driven up prices,” stressed Democrat Senator

Adam Schiff in a post on X on Wednesday.

He also emphasized: that the US people

“delivered a decisive rebuke of Donald

Trump, his destructive policies, and

his corruption.”

Democrat US Senator Chris Van Hollen also called

for a swift end to the unprovoked war against Iran.

“Democrats should not advance spending, to continue to

fund this war” ..beyond the December 11 funding cut-off

approved by Congress in September, he told The Lever

podcast on Wednesday, stressing, “This is an illegal

war, and we need to make sure taxpayer monies

are not used to continue an illegal war.”

In another post on X on October 30, Van Hollen also

slammed the war on Iran as “illegal & senseless.”

He added at the time that since the commencement of the

war, Trump and “his buddies in Big Oil have made $130

BILLION in profit while American households have

paid over $1,100 in extra fuel costs.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, for his part, told

CNN on Wednesday that voters sent a “clear and direct

repudiation of MAGA extremism”, stressing that

Democrats will work to end the Iran war

as one of their main priorities.

“One of the first things that needs to happen now, not even

waiting until we get to January 3rd of the new Congress in

the new year, is that the president and the administration

should end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran

that has skyrocketed gas prices, skyrocketed fertilizer

prices, skyrocketed the price of diesel, and as a result,

increased costs on everyday Americans, including as

it relates to groceries and goods and of course, as

we've discussed, gas. That should happen now.

There was never a reason to get into this war,

and we need to get out of it immediately,”

he told Wolf Blitzer.

The strategic Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for roughly

one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments — has

remained effectively closed by Iran since early

March, days after the unprovoked US-Israeli

war of aggression began in late February.

The closure sent shockwaves through global energy

markets, driving up oil and fuel prices, particularly

in the US, and forcing Washington and the

International Energy Agency (IEA) to

desperately release US strategic

reserves on several occasions

in an effort to ease the

supply crunch.

US Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

also said on Wednesday that Democrats would put

an end to the war on Iran, pointing to his party’s

new majority and Congress's power over

federal spending.

“We are going to end the war,” he stressed

at a news conference in Washington, D.C.

“We have some Republicans already who have joined us in

ending the war, and the Founding Fathers -- had the power

of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president

who does war without the consent of the American

people,” Schumer added.

"American people don't know what

the heck we're fighting for in Iran".

US Senator Chuck Schumer criticizes Trump’s erratic

handling of the Iran war and calls for an end to it.

Follow: https://t.co/Ez42KDda7X

pic.twitter.com/C6HPVnuJ3m

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) November 5, 2026

A new estimate by US Central Command (CENTCOM) said

the US-Israeli war of aggression on Iran has cost the US

military at least $47.1 billion, with the largest share of

the expenditure, approximately $29 billion, attributed

to replacing munitions used during the war.

The US military has also allocated around $6.1 billion

to replace lost equipment and another $11.9 billion

to cover additional expenses, including support

for US forces.

Sanctions fears divide Israelis

over illegal settlements: Poll

November 2nd 10:40am

Al Mayadeen English

Half of Israelis surveyed favour changing settlement policy in

the occupied West Bank - to avoid escalating sanctions and

international isolation, a poll reported by The Guardian on

Monday has revealed.

The findings highlight the potential impact of external

pressure on "Israel's" settlement enterprise,

particularly when respondents anticipate

consequences for their own finances.

Conducted in October by Israeli social research group aChord,

the survey followed Britain's September decision to ban trade

in goods from illegal settlements .....and to introduce wider

sanctions targeting them.

Financial risks and political divisions

Only 36% of respondents supported continuing settlement

policy if sanctions against banks financing settlement

construction would bring higher interest rates or

difficulties transferring money and using

credit cards abroad.

The result indicates limited willingness to maintain the

policy under those financial conditions. It does not,

however, establish support for dismantling the

settlements or ending the occupation.

Attitudes differed sharply across political camps. Among

supporters of the opposition Change bloc led by Gadi

Eisenkot, 71% backed adjusting settlement policy

to prevent further sanctions. Just 14% of

Netanyahu-bloc voters agreed, with

most supporting its continuation

"whatever the price."

Support for changing the policy was

strongest among voters backing

Arab parties.

Sanctions on violent settlers draw greater support

The survey also found that concern over sanctions

did not translate into widespread approval of

Britain's restrictions on settlement goods.

Overall, 63% opposed the trade ban. Another 26%

either supported it outright or would support it if

assurances were provided that the restrictions

would not extend to goods originating outside

the illegal settlements.

Measures targeting individual violent settlers

attracted greater backing. Fifty-two percent

supported such sanctions, provided that

they applied only to those responsible

for violence.

Among Netanyahu-bloc supporters, however, 70%

rejected foreign sanctions - in all circumstances.

No detectable electoral boost for Netanyahu

The findings ...also challenge arguments that British

measures would strengthen Netanyahu electorally

by driving voters toward his bloc.

Three-quarters of his bloc's supporters said the UK's

sanctions & trade policies have not affected their

vote. Among the respondents who reported an

influence, shifts occurred in both directions,

leaving no detectable net electoral effect.

Awareness of the UK announcement, was relatively high:

76% had heard of it, although some knew only the broad

headline. Four-fifths of those aware understood that the

measures applied...... to the West Bank ------- rather than

occupied Palestine as a whole.

Hannah Weisfeld, director of the British-Jewish organisation

Yachad, said the findings supported international action

targeting the occupation.

The research "illustrates that the Israeli public, certainly

recognises that if there is not a policy shift in relation to

the settlement enterprise, the international community

is likely to try to create an incentive to shift things

from the outside. If anything, that highlights the

importance of the UK and other allies taking

action that targets the occupation."

Source: The Gruniard

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

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

Thatcher said her proudest achievement was
Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in
careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop
local Labour members having a say, and
who made genuine socialist MPs leave
the Labour party in disgust and many
members and voters to despair...
and the young to stop voting.

Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because
he was trying to reverse all that New Labour
corruption --- that's why membership was
flooding in all over the UK.

______________________________________

Get Involved!

– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’,
take this online survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/857YMDK

or this one:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0du5YuhPZ8ahI
oxC_b6pvBprmGA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1

– Request all your own data that
the Labour Party holds on you:

http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy

_______________________________________

IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:

“Any member who is suspended & intends
to appeal the decision should throw in a
‘Subject Access Request in accordance
with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL
data that the Labour Party hold on them.

The Labour Party are Data Controllers and
therefore have to, by law, provide you with
all material/information they hold on you.”

If anyone is in contact with anyone who
was barred from voting --- please can
you pass this info on:

The Labour leadership election was under the
jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.

If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you
can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge
your complaint, and inform them of your
Data Protection request.

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

The notification letters barring new members,
did not give a clear reason, or information on
how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that
anyone in this situation... could also contact
Liz Davies at: http://www.whycantivote.com

She is a barrister -------- who can
advise members on what to do.

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

PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?

A huge drop in working-class Labour MPs,
caused a massive drop in support among
voters with similar backgrounds, reveals
research seeking to explain why support
has dwindled in the party’s heartlands.

The study says past leaders - like Kinnock
and Blair made a concerted effort to pick
“more and more middle-class candidates
to run for office, during the 80s and 90s,
as part of an effort to rebrand” -- which
had initial successes at the ballot box.

But this “conscious electoral strategy”
stored up problems, as working-class
voters who initially, just didn’t vote in
response, now seek an alternative.

The solution? Trust each constituency to put
forward its own candidates, and don't impose
‘party-approved’ choices who can't do the job.

Now, unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for
decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic
organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are
now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards
cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda...
- their anti-Corbyn slant is still hobbling Labour.

‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guide
to Reselection and Democratic Accountability
by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:

http://novaramedia.com/2016/07/13/how-can-i-
deselect-my-labour-mp-a-short-guide-to-
reselection-and-democratic-accountability/

CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS'
LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda's dodgy MP,
was on TV -- as soon as the PLP coup
started: telling us that Jeremy MUST
go because it was the ONLY way to
act in the Labour Party's interest...

Chris Bryant's voting record:
from TheyWorkForYou.com

On Tuition Fees:

On 27 Jan 2004:
Chris Bryant voted in favour of university tuition
fees increasing from £1,125 per year, to up to
£3,000 per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted for the introduction of variable
university tuition fees (top-up fees) of up to £3,000
per year in place of the previous fixed fee of £1,250
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year to up to £3,000
per year - and to make other changes to higher
education funding & regulation arrangements.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted against: the immediate abolition
of all tuition fees, the re-introduction of maintenance
grants of up to £2,000 for students from low-income
homes, and changes to the country's higher
education system.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to reject the Liberal
Democrat policy of abolition of tuition fees.

On 25 May 2016:
Chris Bryant was absent for a vote on the Queen's
Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies
- and Further Rises in University Tuition Fees.

On Human Rights:

Consistently voted for introducing ID cards

Almost always ------ voted for requiring the mass
retention of information about communications

Generally voted for mass surveillance of
people’s communications and activities

On the Environment:

Generally voted against greater regulation
of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to
extract shale gas

On Special Interests:

Almost always voted against limits
on success fees paid to lawyers
in no-win no fee cases.

Generally ------- voted against a
statutory register of lobbyists

On War or Peace:

Generally - voted for use of UK military
forces in combat operations overseas.

Consistently voted for the Iraq war.

Consistently voted against - an
investigation into the Iraq war.

Generally - voted for replacing Trident
with a new nuclear weapons system.

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On Independence:

Generally voted for more EU integration

____________________________

Chris Bryant Labour MP
From Wikipedia

(aka 1962-1986: Mr Christopher John Bryant
1986-1991: The Reverend Christopher John
Bryant, 1991-2001: Mr Christopher John
Bryant, 2001-: Mr Christopher John
Bryant MP.)

Born in Cardiff, to a Scottish mother & a Welsh
father, Bryant grew up in Cardiff, Wales (where
his father worked for 5 years), & Cheltenham.

He was educated at Cheltenham College, an
independent school for boys in the spa town
of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where he
was captain of the school swimming team,
and Mansfield College at the University of
Oxford, where he graduated in 1983, with
a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English.
This was later ''promoted'' to a Master
of Arts degree (MA (Oxon)), as
per tradition.

After completing his first degree -- Bryant began
training to be a priest in the Church of England
at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire.
There, he obtained a degree in theology.

Although a member of the Conservative Party,
and an elected office-holder in the Oxford
University Conservative Association....
he joined the Labour Party in 1986,
after leaving Oxford.

He was ordained deacon in 1986 and priest in
1987. He served as a Curate at the Church of
All Saints High Wycombe,from 1986 to 1989;
then as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough,
as well as travelling in Latin America.

In 1991 Bryant left the ordained ministry, after
deciding that being gay and being a priest,
were incompatible. Statements made by
Richard Harries, then Bishop of Oxford,
also influenced his decision.

After leaving the priesthood... in 1991, Bryant
worked as the election agent to the Holborn
and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party,
where he helped Frank Dobson hold his
seat in the 1992 general election.

From 1993... he was Local Government officer
for the Labour Party; he lived in Hackney and
was elected to Hackney Borough Council in
1993 serving until 1998. He became Chair
of the Christian Socialist Movement.

He is both... a member of the Labour Friends
of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine &
the Middle East. From 1994 to 1996 he was
London manager of the leader-grooming
"charity", Common Purpose.

He was Labour candidate for Wycombe, in the
1997 general election (he lost by 2,370 votes),
and Head of European Affairs for the BBC,
from 1998.

His selection -- for the very safe Labour seat of
Rhondda, South Wales in 2000, shocked many
people given Bryant's background; gay, an ex-
Anglican vicar, and someone who was a Tory,
while studying at Oxford, and a member now
of the Henry Jackson Society 'think tank' ---
described by The Guardian newspaper, as
'neoconservative'. It is pro-US, pro-NATO
& pro-military intervention, as well as
being fundamentally anti-socialist.

Fifty-two people applied for the candidature
and a local councillor was hot favourite to
win, before Bryant ....was parachuted in.

In 2004, a photograph of Mr Bryant.. in his
underpants which he had posted to a gay
dating website was published in 'papers.

When an interviewer suggested he was
a 'disgrace to the Rhondda', he said:
"They can't get rid of me."

His pay, allowances and some expenses:

The basic annual salary for an MP -- from
April 1st, 2016 is £74,962. MPs also get
expenses: to cover the costs of running
an office, employing staff, having some-
where to live in London, plus, in their
constituency and travelling between
Parliament and their constituency.

His MP's expenses story:

Chris Bryant changed second home,
twice to claim £20,000: the deputy
leader of the House of Commons,
"flipped" his second home twice,
in 2 years allowing him to claim
almost £20,000 for renovations
and fees.

Chris Bryant, MP for the Rhondda, split over
£92,000 of expenses between 3 properties
in Wales and London --- within five years.

In 2004, he attempted to claim £58,000 to
overhaul his second home in Wales, after
allegedly complaining that properties in
his constituency were "terrace or mine
owners' houses".

Mr Bryant, a former Church of England clergyman,
wanted the money for a new bathroom & kitchen,
and to demolish his conservatory. He'd bought the
detached house for £97,500, under a year earlier.

He submitted a claim to the Commons fees office for
£58,493.26 --- almost 3 times the annual maximum.
He noted that the claim exceeded his allowance.

His alleged justification was disclosed....... in
correspondence between Commons officials.
By email, an official wrote: "He had problems
finding a suitable property because in the
Rhondda there is a choice mainly -- of
terraced property.. or mine owners'
houses." When approached by the
Daily Telegraph, Mr Bryant said:
"I have never said or thought
anything of the sort".

In all ----- he successfully claimed over £13,000
for renovations, repairs & appliances, in 2004.
Along with other bills, his annual claim was
£20,902.

In April 2005 ---- he flipped his expenses to his flat in
west London, which he bought for £400,000 in April
2002. He also claimed £630 a month, for mortgage
interest along with other bills. After claiming over
£3,600 over 3 months, he sold the flat in July
2005..... for £477,000.

Mr Bryant used his profits to buy a more expensive
flat in west London, which was valued at £670,000.
He immediately flipped his second home expenses
there, claiming almost £6,400 in stamp duty, legal
fees and mortgage fees incurred in the purchase.

He then began claiming interest of £1,000 a month,
on the mortgage. He also claimed a further £6,000
a year, for the flat's service charge & ground rent.

In all, he claimed £92, 415 in second
home expenses, from 2004 to 2009.

Mr Bryant said at the time: "I moved flat in
London, so as to be closer to Parliament."

Research by Channel 4 News in 2015 - found that
at least 46 MPs had this kind of system in place
a move one Labour backbencher described as
“a new fiddle”. Channel 4 reported then:

“Our investigation ---- found that many of the MPs
bought their London properties with the help of
taxpayers, when a previous expenses system
let them claim back the mortgage payments.
But when those claims were banned, after
the expenses scandal - they switched to
letting out their properties, in some
cases for up to £3,000 a month.
They then started claiming
expenses... for rent and
hotels in the capital.”

Among those identified was Chris Bryant, shadow
leader of the House of Commons. He had already
bought a penthouse in London back in 2005 and
claimed around £1,000 a month in mortgage
claims under the old system.

But after the expenses scandal ----- he started renting
the property out. It’s since been advertised by estate
agents as having a private lift and porter, with rent
at about £3,000 a month. Meantime, Bryant moved
into a new flat claiming his own rent on expenses.

Russian/Scottish scientists hail long-range
secure quantum communication system.

A group of scientists from ITMO University
in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has developed
a new approach to constructing quantum
communication systems for secure data
exchange.

The experimental device based on the results of the
research is capable of transmitting single-photon
quantum signals across distances of 250 klmtrs
or more, which is on par with its cutting edge
analogues, the ITMO press-service says.

"Now researchers are on a mission -- to create
a fully-fledged quantum cryptographic system,
that will generate & distribute quantum keys
and transmit useful data simultaneously",
ITMO says.

Information security is becoming more and more
of a critical issue not only for large companies,
banks and defense enterprises but even for
small businesses and individual users.

But the data encryption algorithms we currently
use for protecting our data are imperfect - in the
long-term, their logic can be cracked. Regardless
of how complex and intricate the algorithm is,
getting around it, is just a matter of time.

Unlike algorithm-based encryption, systems
that protect information, by making use of
fundamental laws of quantum physics, can
make data transmission totally immune to
hacker attacks, in the future.

Information in a quantum channel is carried
by single photons that change irreversibly
if an eavesdropper tries to intercept them.
The legitimate users will instantly know
about any kind of intervention.

Researchers at the Quantum Information Centre
of the International Institute of Photonics and
Optical Information Technology at ITMO Uni.,
Russia, along with their colleagues from the
Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, have
devised a new way to generate and
distribute, quantum bits.

This makes it possible to share quantum signals
--- via optical fibres --- 250 kilometres in distance.

"To transmit quantum signals, we use the so-
called side frequencies," says Artur Gleim,
head of the Quantum Information Centre,
at ITMO University,

"This unique approach gives us a number
of advantages -- such as a considerable
simplification of the device architecture
and the large pass-through capacity of
the quantum channel. In terms of bit rate
and operating distances, our system is
comparable to absolute champions in
the field of quantum communications."

According to Robert Collins, research associate
at the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences
at Heriot-Watt University, and one of the authors
of the study, this may become a pivotal point for
the whole field of quantum communication and
cryptography:

"Down the track, this new approach can enable
smooth coexistence of numerous data streams
with different wavelengths in one single optical
cable. On top of it, these quantum streams can
be fed into the already existing fibre optic lines
--- along with conventional communications."

The research paper is published
in the Optics Express journal.

Scottish universities are to be
congratulated for their strong
& growing links with Chinese
and Russian universities....

What a shame, that Wales is
lying low --- with academics
too scared to break from
US military research.