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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.

Journalist: To end war ------

prosecute UK, US officials

who wage(d) it illegally

October 22nd, 10:12pm (PressTV)

The world must finally put an end to the impunity of war

criminals, by holding US and UK officials responsible

for launching the illegal war on Iraq, done without

the approval of the UN Security Council, and

prosecuting them --- under the Nuremberg

principles, US journalist Don DeBar said.

DeBar made the remarks in an interview with Press TV while

commenting on a report which has revealed that the British

military inquiries into abuse against Iraqi nationals... have

been closed without a single prosecution being brought,

even though the credibility of many "shocking and

shameful incidents" during the war in the Middle

Eastern country, have been confirmed.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement

this week that the Service Police Legacy Investigations,

which was looking at claims of abuse in Iraq, had now

"officially closed its doors."

In March 2003, the US and Britain invaded Iraq in blatant

violation of international law and under the pretext of

finding WMDs; but no such weapons were ever

More than one million Iraqis were killed - as the result of

the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq

--- according to the California-based investigative

organization, Project Censored.

The US war in Iraq cost US taxpayers $1.7 trillion with

an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war
veterans, expenses that could grow to more than
$6 trillion over the next four decades counting
interest, according to a study called Costs of
War Project --- by the Watson Institute for

International Studies at Brown University.

DeBar told Press TV that the Iraq war

was illegal from the very beginning.

"It is illegal for a nation to make war on another nation if it

does not have the approval of the UN Security Council, if

any of those nations are signatories to the original UN

Charter. And it’s been adopted - that happened with

the US, as a charter member of the UN -- and it was

approved by the US Senate in the 1940s.

Consequently, the US involvement in Iraq from
the beginning, and the UK involvement in Iraq
from the beginning, was illegal,” he said.

“And under the Nuremberg standards, which would then

apply, each and every death consequent – intentional

or not - to either US or UK military action there, or

condoning of the US action there, by the media

or public officials, or any act facilitating that,

is an individual war crime. And, by the way,

there’s a death penalty for that,” the

“No one will prosecute these people. That’s why I started

with the word impunity. And we might bookend with that

because that’s the problem. And until the world puts an

end to that impunity, until the world sees the major

contradiction in all international relations, is US,

UK, and EU imperialism, then it’s going to

continue until this eats our species,”

A damning White House memo had revealed details of the

so-called “deal in blood” forged by former British Prime

Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush

The document, titled “Secret... Memorandum for the

President”, was sent by then-US Secretary of State

Colin Powell to President Bush on March 28th,
2002, a week before Bush’s summit with Blair
at his Crawford ranch in Texas.

The sensational memo, revealed that Blair had agreed to

support the war a year before the invasion even started

while publicly, the British prime minister was working
to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The document also disclosed that Blair agreed to act as a

spin doctor for Bush and convince a skeptical public that

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass

Destruction, which actually did not exist.

In response, Bush would flatter Blair and give the

impression that London was not Washington’s

poodle but an equal partner in the

“special relationship.”

Powell told Bush that Blair “will be with us” on the

Iraq war, and assured the president that “"the UK

will follow our lead in the Middle East."

Blair has always denied the claim that he and Bush

signed a deal “in blood”, at Crawford, to launch a

war against Iraq that began on March 20th, 2003,

that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

The Powell memo, however, showed how Blair and

Bush secretly prepared the Iraq war plot behind

closed doors at Crawford.

Powell told Bush: “He will present to you the strategic,

tactical and public affairs lines, that he believes will

strengthen global support for our common cause.”

grab a cuppa and a bite - lean back...
and enjoy the wonderful video above!

Russian Ambassador to Venezuela reported

communication failures at air defense

stations during the US attack

January 10th, 10:12pm

(Izvestia.ru)

During the US attack on Venezuela, there were communication

failures at the air defense (AD) stations. This was stated by

the Russian Ambassador to Venezuela, Sergey

Melik-Bagdasarov --- on the TV channel

Solovyov Live, on January 10.

"The long-range detection stations were essentially cut off

from the decision-making centres," Melik-Bagdasarov said.

The ambassador added that at the time, a significant portion

of the Venezuelan military was on leave, which reduced

their combat readiness.

He also suggested that the orders to repel

the attacks may have been given too late.

Maduro was taken to a New York federal court on January 5 to face

charges. In court, he pleaded not guilty and said he was still the

president of his country. The U.S. court agreed to schedule a

visit by Venezuelan consular officials. The judge ordered

Maduro to appear in court on March 17 for a hearing.

___________________________________________

Tico intellectual highlights global

condemnation against attack

on Venezuela

January 10th, 10:48am

(Prensa Latina)

The civilized nations of the world today increase their

condemnations ---- "against the brutal militarist

aggression of January 3 against Venezuela

by US imperialism" ---- published by
the Costa Rican journalist and

intellectual Rafael Ugalde.

The communicator ratified «the open call of these sectors

in favour of peace and the rescue of International Law»,

- through an article in the digital newspaper Surcos -

titled “Not even the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro

stresses the Venezuelan people”.

Ugalde reviews a statement from the local Círculo Bolivariano

Yamileth López, that calls on the People of Costa Rica and

the rest of the world -- “to despise the decisions of the

tyrant tenant of the White House adopted against

the peaceful Bolivarian people, when they

were resting”.

The text – Ugalde review - describes Donald Trump as “genocidal”

and his cunning and criminal attack on Venezuelan territory as

“flagrant cynicism”, and he warns that the bombings were

followed by “a storm of noise and falsehoods emitted by

the Western disinformation machinery, fallacious and

murderous of the truth”.

“We call for the immediate mobilization of all popular living forces,

defenders of the egalitarian sovereignty and self-determination

of nations, for movements for Peace, and against imperialist

war, looting and neocolonialism”, expresses the Yamileth

López Bolivarian Circle.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves – adds the statement - was

from our country «one of the first sepoys in the region to speak

out in favour of military intervention, after Trump's statement

regarding the kidnapping of the head of state, Nicolas

Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores».

“In the statements on social networks ......attributed to the president,

he, along with his colleagues, such as the Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa,

Rodrigo Paz, from Bolivia, José Raúl Mulino, from Panama, and José

Jerí, from Peru, among others, allege Maduro's lack of legitimacy”.

They all forget – Ugalde comments - that days before the aggression

against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Trump ''justified'' the

theft of oil tankers and the military deployment in the Caribbean,

by alleging that Venezuelans stole oil and natural resources

from the United States.

According to Ugalde and the aforementioned critics of these

positions, «Chaves' attitude.. should not surprise us, nor that

of the paid politicians, who take advantage, in the midst of

the current electoral campaign, to deceive and throw

smoke screens ...over what is behind support for

Trump ------ and his plundering actions in

the Caribbean”.

«Contrary to these interventionist lines - he assured - Mexico,

Nicaragua, Colombia, Uruguay, Cuba, Honduras, China,

Russia, Iran ---- and a row of African governments ----

condemned the interference and interventionism

against the Venezuelan people ---- calling for

the re-establishment of International Law

as a guarantor of Peace”.

“If there were ever doubts... about the sustained development

of Nazifascism in our region – and also in the country, since

the entire oligarchy needs it - it is time to remove the veil”,

the Costa Rican intellectual emphasizes in his article.

_____________________________________________

Mexico ends week - marked by rejection

of US aggression against Venezuela

January 10th, 10:45am

(Prensa Latina)

Today, Mexico ends a week marked by the condemnation of US

aggression against Venezuela, as well as the defense of the

principle of non-intervention and national sovereignty.

In one of her usual meetings with the media, President Claudia

Sheinbaum categorically rejected Washington's actions,

which led to the kidnapping of the Venezuelan

president, Nicolás Maduro, and the loss

of human life.

“The history of Latin America is clear and forceful: intervention

has never brought democracy -- it has never generated well-

being or lasting stability”, she warned --- adding that only

the people, can exercise sovereignty over their natural

resources and freely define their form of government.

She stressed that this is not only a national principle, since

the Charter of the United Nations, and international law

- unequivocally establish respect for the sovereignty

of states, to its territorial integrity and the right

of peoples to self-determination.

“Mexico maintains with conviction that America does not belong

to a doctrine or a power. The American continent belongs to

the people of each of the countries that make it up”, she

stated in reference to the Monroe Doctrine, conceived

by Washington... to impose its interests in the area.

In her opinion, unilateral action and invasion cannot be the basis

of 21st century international relations, and global economic

competition --- is not established with the use of force to

subjugate others, but with development, cooperation,

productive investment, innovation, and well-being.

When reading a statement, Sheinbaum also reaffirmed that Mexico

is free, independent and sovereign and in it, the people rule and

reiterated her country's willingness to maintain cooperation

with the US, but without subordination or intervention.

A week ago the US directed attacks on different parts of Venezuela

in an operation during which it kidnapped Maduro and took him to

US territory to try him in its courts ......on alleged charges
of narco-terrorism.

A few hours later, Sheinbaum shared on social networks the

statement issued by the Mexican Foreign Ministry, in which

her administration ---- strongly condemned the military

actions carried out by Washington - a position also

expressed before international organizations.

During the last seven days.... Mexico joined Brazil, Chile, Colombia,

Uruguay and Spain to express its rejection of military aggression,

through a joint statement, and Sheinbaum spoke with leaders....

such as that of the South American giant, Brazil ----

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Activists, political parties, legislators, universities and social and

cultural organizations, have expressed through statements, and
protests in front of the US Embassy, or marches in this capital

and other cities in the country ---- rejecting North American

military aggression.

______________________________________________

Abel Prieto: Aggression against Venezuela,

---------- a fascist and imperial barbarism

January 10th, 6:10am GMT

(Prensa Latina)

The president of Casa de las Américas, Abel Prieto, today

described US aggression in Venezuela as an imperialist

and fascist offensive.

The events of January 3, which resulted in the kidnapping of
President Nicolás Maduro, and his partner Cilia Flores, have

generated rejection from the international community, and

this has been joined with a clear voice, by the writer, who

spoke exclusively with Prensa Latina about the complex

scenario in the region.

With the brutal attack against Venezuela and the kidnapping

of a legitimate president, the United States government has

committed unspeakable crimes, he said.

This, furthermore, has “set a very serious precedent in terms

of imposing the law of the strongest and total contempt for

the norms of civilized coexistence between nations”.

For the prominent intellectual --- who makes his condemnation

evident from any trench, it is essential to continue mobilizing

international public opinion --- so that the rejection of these

barbaric acts.... grows.

It is very important to reach the North American population with

our messages. In fact, there have been many demonstrations

in favour of Venezuela and the release of President Maduro

---- in different American cities, he said.

Regarding recent events, he added that they have been in contact

from Casa de las Américas with friends from The People's Forum,

the Latino community.. and the university environment.

In his opinion, there are many young people and anti-fascist people

in the northern nation, who have demonstrated in solidarity with

the Palestinian people, with Venezuela, with Cuba and with

immigrants persecuted by the Immigration and Customs

Enforcement Service (ICE).

“A woman has just been savagely shot to death in Minneapolis,

similar to the murder of George Floyd, and a growing response

is being generated ------- against all these fascist policies”.

– According to President Donald Trump's statements about Cuba,

how do you perceive the outlook in the immediate future?

''Trump's recent statements about Cuba demonstrate the vision

that this decadent and grotesque emperor has ---- around us

and all of Our America.

''In fact, he recognizes that the intensified blockade and the terrible

pressures to suffocate the Cuban economy have not defeated our

people, and the only way out --- is simply to destroy us''
--- he noted.

“Hail, Caesar, those who are going to die greet you”, this is how

Fidel ...began his epistle to Bush. And he told him that, while

Bush would protect himself far from all danger, he (Fidel)

was going to be on the front line of combat, along

with his people, he recalled.

“We Cubans were trained in Fidel's school,

and our enemies know that”.

– History has generated works of literature and art, about stages of

liberation wars or usurpation. From culture, do you think that these

events can generate memorable works for the good of humanity?

''It is too dangerous a time to think now about what it could

generate in artistic and literary terms. It will be necessary

to see if humanity survives the blows... of this Empire in

decline, sick with greed and arrogance, and lacking

any ethical principles.

“For now we must work very hard to strengthen the Network

in Defense of Humanity and turn to all the worthy people of

this world --- to stop this imperialist and fascist offensive”.

#cuba #Venezuela

__________________________________________

Colombia: Organizations reaffirm - their

rejection of attacks against Venezuela

January 10th, 6:01am GMT

(Prensa Latina)

Several political and union organizations in Colombia express

their rejection of the armed aggression of the United States

against Venezuela, and the kidnapping of its president,

Nicolás Maduro, when today - marks one week since

the attack.

The Socialist Network of Colombia, for example, considered that

with the escalation of war, the US ruler Donald Trump revealed

that his true intention ------ is to force the Bolivarian country

to give up its natural wealth.

The purpose, according to the organization, “was to forcibly

overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela to

impose a colonial regime, supported by the extreme

right sector - that has cried out for the invasion, in

exchange for appropriating the oil, the gold, the

rare earths - and other mineral riches that the

subsoil houses”.

He described the event as the continuation of the oil wars carried

out against Iraq, Libya, Yemen or Syria that, disguised as

humanitarian interventions and preceded by campaigns

of the moral annihilation of their leaders, and of colour

revolutions, they unleashed an horrific interference -

with the consequences ...of millions of victims.

“The kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife is the start

of the invasion of Venezuela, with the warning: of what will

happen to them ---- if the people, its Armed Forces and

militias resist its determination to violently resume

control of the largest oil reserve (350 billion

barrels) in the world”, he stressed.

The network also asked the working class and in general the

people of Colombia and Latin America, as well as left-wing

democratic social and political forces, progressives and

defenders of human rights, to express the broadest

solidarity with the brother people.... and respect

their right to freely dispose of their wealth.

The board of directors of the Union of National and District

Employees and Workers, consider that what happened a

week ago in Venezuela constitutes a flagrant violation

of the fundamental principles of international law,

especially respect for the self-determination of

peoples, foreign non-intervention and the

peaceful resolution of disputes.

“As a union organization committed to defending the life, dignity

and rights of the working class, we warn that unilateral military

actions represent a dangerous precedent for the peace of the

continent”, he stressed in his statement.

This type of escalation of war, he maintained, increases the risk

of regional confrontations, exposes the civilian population to

irreparable consequences and deepens the instability that

directly affects the Latin American people.

“We reaffirm that any solution to the Venezuelan situation must

arise exclusively through peaceful and sovereign means,

through a process led by its own people --- without

external pressures or military impositions”,

he emphasized.

____________________________________________

US oil embargo: threatens

millions of Venezuelans

January 10th, 4:15am

(Prensa Latina)

The US oil embargo against Venezuela puts the life, health and

well-being of millions of citizens of that South American

country at risk, the Russian ambassador in Caracas,

Sergei Melik-Bagdasarov, said today.

«The actions of the United States that violate international law

are absolutely condemnable. It's not just about oil. Oil is the

blood of the Venezuelan economy, and bleeding it means

putting the lives and health of millions of Venezuelans

at risk», the diplomat told the Sputnik news agency

this Saturday.

Melik-Bagdasarov specified that Venezuela has constantly

expressed its willingness --- to sell its oil under fair

conditions at market prices - to all its foreign

trading partners, including the US.

«However, the neocolonialist style of command - chosen by

Washington in its rhetoric clearly does not contribute to

the normalization of supplies of Venezuelan black gold

to the world market, including the northern country

itself”, he added.

On January 6, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller,

declared that Washington maintains a total embargo on

Venezuelan oil exports and controls Caracas' ability

to carry out commercial activities.

The US carried out a major military attack against Venezuela in the

early hours of January 3, kidnapping President Nicolás Maduro and

his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transferred to New York to be tried

for alleged various ''crimes'' linked to drug trafficking.

The aggression against Venezuela came after months of growing

tension, unleashed in August with a US military operation in the

Caribbean, which included dozens of attacks against alleged

«drug boats», in which over 100 people --- were murdered.

On December 16, US President Donald Trump ordered the «total

and complete blockade» of oil tankers entering and leaving

Venezuela. The president also announced that the US

designated the Government of Nicolás Maduro, as

a ''foreign terrorist'' organization.

In early December, Trump announced the seizure

of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi later stated that
the ship was suspected....... of transporting
oil from Venezuela and Iran.

___________________________________________________________

They call in Italy: for a march against

US aggression --- against Venezuela

January 8th, 12:47am GMT

(Prensa Latina)

Political and social forces from Italy announced a new national

demonstration against the United States military attack on

Venezuela, and for the release of the president, Nicolás

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, indicates a

statement today.

In a joint call it is noted that the march will take place this Saturday,

January 10, and will tour the streets of the centre of Rome, from

Plaza del Esquilino to the headquarters of the North American

embassy in this capital.

Among the organizations that launched this initiative are the parties

Poder al Pueblo, Patria Socialista and Red de los Comunistas; the

youth organizations Cambiare Rotta, Student Opposition of

Alternative (OSA), the Historical Pact of Italy and the

Latin American Progressive Platform.

“Hands off the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela! Stop US imperialism

and Zionism!, and Freedom for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores!”

these are the slogans of this call, which was also joined by

the social organizations ARCI and CRED, the Palestinian

Student Movement and the La Villetta per Cuba

Association, among others.

“We take to the streets to express our internationalist solidarity

with Venezuela”, to denounce the governments that support

the aggression against that nation, against US imperialism

and the colonialist resurgence of the Monroe Doctrine in

Latin America, the document states.

“We express our solidarity and closeness with the Chavista people

and the Bolivarian revolutionary process” and “we condemn US

state terrorism --- that hit that country and kidnapped the

legitimate president Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores”,

the text adds.

On January 5, during a massive demonstration held in this capital,

protesters pointed out the importance ........of extending protests

against the North American imperialist attack on the Bolivarian

nation ---- as a violation of international law.

People hold up a banner as they protest

against Israel at the entrance of the

International Criminal Court

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

FM ------- on US, Israel role in riots:
Arson ultimately burns arsonists

January 10th, 9:17pm

(PressTV)

Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has strongly warned the US

and the Israeli regime about the consequences of their

support for the rioters, who have been seeking to

turn economic protests across Iran into unrest.

The top diplomat made the remarks in a post on X on Saturday, in

which he cited former CIA director Mike Pompeo as verifying the

Israeli spy agency Mossad’s contribution to the riots.

According to Araghchi, the admission that was made by Pompeo in

a post on X earlier this month, debunks the US administration’s

allegations against the Islamic Republic of being “delusional”

in citing Tel Aviv and Washington’s involvement.

“President Trump's own former CIA Director - has openly and

unashamedly highlighted what Mossad and its US enablers

are really up to,” the foreign minister wrote.

Amid the situation, it is rather the US and the Israeli regime,

which are “delusional,” he pointed out, saying the delusion

featured the allies’ believing...... that “arson does not

ultimately [burn] arsonists.”

Also on Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US was

mistaken in believing that its tactics against other adversaries

could be applied to the Islamic Republic -- asserting that the

Iranian people remain alert to any attempts to destabilize

the country.

“Believing that the Islamic Republic of Iran is like other countries,

the US is pursuing the same measures by encouraging certain

individuals to create chaos and riots,” he said.

The chief executive added, however, that the nation

“ ----- will support the country and the [Islamic]

establishment more strongly than before.”

Iran: US interventionism aimed
at inciting violence, terrorism

The comments echoed numerous remarks made by the Islamic

Republic’s various authorities, who have repeatedly stressed

that the country would exert due effort to address the

economic protests, but stands firmly in the face of

attempts at derailing protests towards disorder.

_______________________________________________

Sauce ...........for the GOOSE

Israeli Enemy Fears Iranian

AI-Driven Operations:
Report

January 10th, 4:30pm

(al Manar)

The Israeli occupation entity’s Knesset is set to discuss today

the findings of a report by the so-called “State Comptroller”

--- examining the use of information systems and cyber-

security safeguards, during 3 consecutive election

cycles in 2019–2020. The report exposes serious

vulnerabilities - and systemic failures - in

addressing the threats arising

from them.

According to the Zionist newspaper Israel Hayom, the Central

Elections Committee was tasked with formulating an action

plan based on the report’s recommendations. Yet short-

comings in preparedness surfaced there as well

during a recent closed session attended by

the committee’s chair, Supreme Court

Deputy President Noam Solberg.

Advanced Iranian AI Capabilities

In parallel, Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher in the Iran Program

at the Israeli occupation Institute for National Security Studies and

former head of the Iran desk in military intelligence research,

acknowledged that the Israeli enemy is ill-prepared for

such threats. “This is a massive challenge.. we will

have to confront over the coming year, and our

tools are extremely limited,” he said.

Citrinowicz noted that certain political actors prefer to avoid
confronting foreign influence altogether, while security-

establishment involvement in such a sensitive arena

remains highly contentious. Technically, he added,

identifying automated accounts, has become far

more complex, as Iranians are now employing

-------- advanced artificial intelligence–

based technologies.

Iran and the Israeli Elections

Likud Knesset member Moshe Saada likewise warned that, in light of

recent developments, “Israel” must brace for emerging challenges

originating from Iran. These include attempts to directly influence

Israeli elections -- alongside cyber threats. He cautioned against

expected attacks targeting Knesset members and interference

within the Central Elections Committee, urging early action to

counter both Iranian influence operations and these new,

unprecedented cyberattacks.

The newspaper also recalled the recent breach by the hacker

group “Hanzala,” which compromised the phones

of several Zionist politicians.

AI and the 2026 Vote

Against this backdrop, the Deputy Chair of the Central Elections

Committee and Blue and White lawmaker Eitan Ginzburg

described the recent hacks and data leaks ----- as “a

deafening wake-up call.” He warned ------- that the

2026 elections - could face a compound threat:

cyberattacks and device breaches combined

with the widespread use of A. I. ---- to

manufacture virtual realities and

engineer public perception on

a large scale.

Ginzburg stressed that “Israel” must urgently develop an effective

response to protect the digital sphere using new and advanced

tools. “We cannot expose this arena to foreign actors seeking

to sow chaos and undermine public trust in the electoral

process,” he said.

Source: Al-Ahed News (Edited
and translated by Al-Manar
News Website)

_______________________________________

Lebanese MP --- No concessions to Israel

as Tel Aviv won’t uphold any agreement

January 10th, 3:19pm

(PressTV)

A Lebanese lawmaker has urged the Beirut government to avoid

making any concessions to Israel, arguing that -- the occupying

regime in Tel Aviv cannot be trusted to honour any agreement.

Hassan Hajj Hassan, a member of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc

— the political wing of Hezbollah in the Lebanese parliament —

said on Saturday that the Israeli regime does not adhere to

any agreement, and that all walks of Lebanese society

need to stand united to prevent Israel from obtaining

any further concessions.

He said that the Israeli regime does not commit itself to any US-

brokered deal, continues to perpetrate acts of aggression

against Lebanon on a near-daily basis, and that its

forces are currently occupying seven different

locations in southern Lebanon - as opposed

to five points announced earlier.

Hajj Hassan added that Israel does not allow experts from the

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to meet

Lebanese nationals being held in detention centres

across the occupied territories, and does not

let them monitor their health conditions.

The Lebanese legislator stated that Israel obstructs reconstruction

efforts in southern Lebanon and extensively bombards houses and

various institutions on a daily basis -- to force the local population

to surrender.

“Israel presses ahead with its offensives in Syria as there does not

exist any army or resistance faction. It does not agree to any

withdrawal from the border regions in southern Syria,

Mount Hermon (also known as Jebel al-Sheikh),

and the Golan Heights.

“It has - rather - created a buffer zone and carries out its acts

of aggression without any restraint. It is seeking the same

status quo here in Lebanon,” Hajj Hassan stated.

He underscored that the United States openly supports Israel,

and France’s inability to restrain Israel from committing more

brutalities in southern Lebanon is fairly evident.

“The Lebanese nation must now stand firmly united and

stop Israel --- from extracting any more concessions.”

On December 18, French, Saudi Arabian, and US representatives

convened in Paris with the leader of the Lebanese Armed

Forces (LAF) to discuss and finalize a roadmap --- aimed

at establishing a mechanism for disarming Hezbollah.

The meeting came as part of continued diplomatic efforts aimed

at pressuring Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah -- even though the

group remains the sole armed force capable of countering

Israeli advances in southern Lebanon.

Since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have

claimed the lives ....of over 340 Lebanese citizens.

_______________________________________

Palestinian officials confirm Israel imprisoned

over 600 minors in 2025, says rights group

January 10th, 12:40pm

(PressTV)

This file photo shows Palestinian boys being arrested by
Israeli troops and taken away in a four-wheel drive in
the occupied West Bank. (Photo by EPA)

A Palestinian prisoners’ advocacy group says the Israeli military has

illegally abducted and detained more than 600 Palestinian minors

during raids throughout the occupied West Bank in 2025 -------

emphasizing that one of the abductees died in detention.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office, in a statement released on

Friday, said - that the Tel Aviv regime targets children with arrests,

harsh interrogations, and long sentences to destroy “their future,

distort their consciousness, and spread fear across society.”

The statement noted -- that 350 minors are held behind bars in Israeli

prisons, including 155 who have been purportedly convicted and 90

who are being held without charge --- as administrative detainees.

Administrative detention originally lasts six months; but can be

renewed multiple times based on so-called secret evidence.

Some administrative detainees are held for many years.

Palestinian minors, abducted by the Isareli military, are kept at

the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, and the Megiddo

Prison north of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The rights group stated that Israeli troops abducted 1,700

Palestinian children since the start of the genocidal war

on Gaza on October 7, 2023, “with an unprecedented

escalation in torture.”

Israel committed “grave violations during arrests, including the

arrest of children under 10 years old ---- shooting and causing

injuries without medical treatment -- by interrogations inside

hospitals, and by transferring the wounded to interrogation

centres ---- before they had recovered,” the statement

pointed out.

The media office confirmed that the abducted Palestinian minors

are exposed to inhumane conditions, including torture, denial of

education and family visits, medical neglect, overcrowding,

lack of food and hygiene, and the spread of scabies,

especially in winter, due to the lack of heating

and adequate clothing.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) also reported that Israeli

prison authorities are currently holding 52 female Palestinians

in Israeli detention centres --- including five abducted since

the beginning of January.

Israeli forces, also abducted 16 women, who are being

held without charge --- under administrative detention.

PPS highlighted that Israeli forces have abducted 650 women

since the onset of the bloody Gaza onslaught, and in most

cases --- female Palestinians have been arrested for

expressing their opinions.. in posts on social

media platforms.

Some of the women were kidnapped to be held as hostages

to pressure members of their families, who are members

of resistance factions, to turn themselves in.

Most female Palestinians are held at Damon Prison in

the northern edge of the Israeli-occupied lands.

They are subjected to ---- “repressive practices, including

psychological terror - such as threats of rape, repeated

raids, physical assault and humiliation, forcing female

prisoners to kneel while handcuffed ---- as well as

verbal abuse - that violates human dignity,”

PPS stated.

The society affirmed that “what female prisoners are subjected to

constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,”

calling on international human rights institutions: to “urgently

intervene to hold the occupation accountable --- and put an

end to the crimes committed against Palestinian women.”

The conditions in which Palestinian inmates are held by Israel

are deeply concerning, marked by unsatisfactory hygiene

practices. Additionally, these detainees continue to

face ------- ongoing torture, mistreatment, and

systemic oppression.

Palestinian prisoners have repeatedly engaged in

prolonged hunger strikes as a form of protest

against their perceived unjust detention.

Human rights organizations report that Israel persists

in breaching the rights and freedoms guaranteed to

detainees - under the Fourth Geneva Convention

and international law.

___________________________________________

Iran's security forces --- detain riot
leaders across multiple provinces

January 10th, 11:36am

(PressTV)

Iranian security officials say more than 100 people have been

arrested in several provinces in connection with recent riots,

while senior officials cited foreign involvement, including

the US and Israel, for turning economic protests into

violent disturbances.

Police in Lorestan province said security forces, working alongside

other military and intelligence bodies, had identified and detained

more than 100 people for involvement in riots and acts of

insecurity in several cities over recent days, according

to reports by the Tasnim news agency.

Lorestan police also said two “terrorist teams,” consisting of four

and seven members, had been identified and dismantled in the

cities of Borujerd and Khorramabad.

The groups were said to be equipped with firearms and bladed

weapons, planning unrest and fatalities in the province.

Police authorities thanked residents for their cooperation and urged

citizens to report security-related information through emergency

police lines and intelligence hotlines operated by the Ministry of

Intelligence and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

Separately, a security source in North Khorasan province told Tasnim

that key leaders of recent riots in the provincial capital, Bojnourd,

had been arrested. The source said the individuals had been

identified following investigations into disturbances

that occurred in the city.

According to the source, investigations confirmed direct links

between those arrested and foreign institutions and

organizations involved in directing and

organizing riots.

The source said the suspects had maintained contact with

intermediaries linked to foreign intelligence services

and had coordinated acts of vandalism

and disruption.

The source added that confessions by those detained indicated

plans to fabricate fatalities and accuse the Islamic Republic of

killing young people, saying their goals went beyond peaceful

protest and were aimed at creating instability to advance

political objectives.

The source said these arrests will continue until the unrest

ends ....and conditions return to normal in North Khorasan.

Meanwhile, Constitutional Council spokesman, Hadi Tahan Nazif,

said foreign interference has turned peaceful economic protests

into violent riots. Speaking at a press conference, Nazif offered

condolences for those killed during the recent disturbances,

including members of the security forces.

Nazif said one Constitutional Council election supervisor had been

killed in Qazvin, citing “hidden hands” as being behind the crimes,
adding that these forces were responsible for the deaths of more

than 1,000 Iranians during the 12-day war in June.

He said that interference by foreign actors transformed legitimate

livelihood-related demands into riots, adding that public opinion

demands firm action against those responsible.

The authorities also reported extensive damage to the

emergency services. Tehran Fire Department chief

Ghodratollah Mohammadi, said that, during two

days of riots, 43 fire engines were damaged

and eight ....completely destroyed.

Mohammadi said firefighters were prevented from responding to

emergency calls after rioters blocked vehicles, forced crews

out, and vandalized fire engines. He said one fire station

in Tehran had been attacked, damaged and looted.

He added that 15 fire engines were damaged in Isfahan and five

in Ahvaz. Mohammadi said the loss of equipment, much of it

imported with foreign currency, would be costly and time

-consuming to replace.

He said around half of Tehran’s firefighting missions could not

be carried out during the riots, with emergency calls to the

fire service doubling from an average of 3,000 per day

to about 6,000.

In Gilan province, Chief Justice Majid Elahian said a courthouse in

Rasht had been set on fire during unrest, temporarily disrupting

judicial services. He said mosques and copies of the Qur’an

had been burned, along with dozens of shops, banks and

a clinic, resulting in the deaths of three nurses.

Elahian said arrests were ongoing and that those leading the

unrest will face severe punishment. He blamed the violence

on direction from the US and Israel.

Tasnim also reported - that Farajollah Shooshtari, the son of

martyred IRGC commander Noor Ali Shooshtari, was killed

in a terrorist attack in Mashhad during unrest on Friday

night. Shooshtari was described - as a cultural and

social activist.

Today, January the 10th, in 1974,

Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement,

prize winning actor, comedian,

musician, and filmmaker,

He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie, as the

musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created

the comedy television series of the same name for both

the BBC and HBO, for which...... he received six

Primetime Emmy nominations.

He has had featured parts in films including Eagle vs Shark (2007),

Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Men in Black 3 (2012), People Places

Things (2015), Humor Me (2017), The Festival (2018), Avatar:

The Way of Water (2022) and A Minecraft Movie (2025).

He has also done voice work for Despicable Me (2010), Rio (2011)

and Rio 2 (2014), Moana (2016), The Lego Batman Movie (2017),

Thelma the Unicorn (2024) and Wildwood (2026).

In 2014 ---- he made his directorial debut with What We Do in the

Shadows, which he also co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred

in with Taika Waititi, and later adapted into a show for the

FX television series, What We Do in the Shadows.

Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement was born in Masterton in Wairarapa,

and was raised there in a working-class family, by his mother and

grandmother Maikara, with his two brothers.

Clement is of Maori (Ngati Kahungunu) descent through his mother,

and a direct descendant of the rangatira (chief) Iraia Te Ama-o-te-

rangi Te Whaiti, who is his great-great-great grandfather.... who

started his own printing press and school, when “there were

restrictions on Maori people being business people at all”.

His father, Robert, was employed at the freezing works and
struggled with alcoholism -- leaving home when Clement

was a child. Robert would later become a stained glass

artist in Midhirst, Taranaki; Clement.... would later

reconnect with his father as an adult and now

enjoys a "strong and loving" relationship

Clement's mother and grandmother --- were strong influences on him

as a child, inspiring his sense of humour. Despite having a strong

connection to his Maori ethnicity through visiting relatives

regularly on trips to various marae, bans on the Maori

language being spoken in schools, meant Clement

grew up in an almost entirely English-speaking

environment. He has talked of his regrets

about this ..and has emotionally spoken

of the physical abuse his grandmother

suffered at school for speaking

He attended Makoura College in Masterton. After finishing school

he moved to Wellington --- where he studied drama and film at

Victoria University of Wellington. There he met Taika Waititi,

with whom he went on to form... So You're a Man, and

In 2004, the Humourbeasts toured New Zealand in a stage show

titled The Untold Tales of Maui, a reworking of the traditional

Maori legends of Maui.

The duo received New Zealand's highest comedy honour,

the Billy T Award. During his time in university, he also

met Bret McKenzie, with whom, he performed in

Edinburgh, forming Flight of the Conchords.

Clement's family did not have a car when he was a boy, and

as a result never learned to drive, so he cycles. In August

2008 ------- he married his longtime girlfriend, theatre

actress and playwright, Miranda Manasiadis.

Their son, Sophocles Iraia, was born in October 2008

in New York City .....and is named after Manasiadis's

Greek great-grandfather Sophocles, and Clement's

ancestor, Iraia Te Ama-o-te-rangi Te Whaiti.

They live in Wellington.

''I dropped out of Victoria University ---- because of the

over-analysis in some things --- but not in our own life

or culture and got work on a TV sketch show 'Skitz'.

I was only 21 when they started it.. and remember

- because I was part-Maori - having to play things

like the street kids and glue sniffers. And going,

that’s not my experience - at all. I have never

sniffed glue. I find the whole idea of drugs,

horrible. I would always insist on having

a hood, because I was so ashamed to

be taking down my race like that.''

''My grandma didn’t speak Maori. She was of the generation

that would be punished at school if she spoke Maori.

That was her first language, but, you know,

they got hit ----- if they spoke Maori.

I’m upset, thinking about my

''I do love talking about race [now] I have a son. As a

pale-skinned Maori person, I felt like a spy as a kid.''

Spain acts against Israel's illegal settlements,

orders platforms to remove listings

December 30th, 3:10pm

(PressTV)

Spain has ordered seven major online platforms to remove

more than 100 holiday-rental listings located in Israeli-

occupied Palestinian territories, marking Madrid’s

latest move to condemn Israel's settlement

activity, deemed illegal under

international law.

Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs said on Tuesday that it

had identified 138 listings on platforms operating in Spain

and notified the companies to “immediately remove or

block” the content.

Authorities warned that failure to comply could result in further

government action, though the penalties were not specified.

The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, condemned the

listings, saying they help “normalize and perpetuate a colonial

regime considered illegal under international law.”

The move is a part of measures introduced by Prime Minister

Pedro Sanchez’s government to support Palestine and hold

Israel accountable for its genocidal aggression in Gaza.

Sanchez has repeatedly denounced the international community

for oscillating --- between “indifference” and “complicity” with

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This latest move builds on a series of measures Spain has adopted

in recent months ---- to confront Israel over its illegal settlement

enterprise and military aggression.

In September 2025, the Spanish government banned imports

of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the

occupied Palestinian territories.

Sanchez said the goal is “to stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue

its perpetrators -------- and support the Palestinian population.”

The Spanish government has prohibited ships and aircraft

carrying weapons directed towards Israel from entering

its ports or airspace.

The country has said that it will ----- deny entry to

anyone directly involved in the atrocities in Gaza.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank -- are considered

illegal under international law, a position upheld by the United

Nations and the majority of the global community.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a

landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of

Palestinian territories illegal -- and calling for the removal

of all settlements from the West Bank and East al-Quds.

Since recognizing the Palestinian state - in 2024, Spain

has been one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s

genocide in Gaza.

Israel has so far killed more than 71,000 Palestinians since

launching the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023,

before a ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States,

was reached in the strip last October.

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:

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

For more details visit

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

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

Daytime Delights...

Starts at 1pm

The Parc & Dare, Treorchy

Lunchtime Concerts in the Lounge Bar.

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

Ticket information:

The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:

08000 147 111
or book online at

www.rct-arts.co.ukÃ‚Â

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

Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...

7pm - 9pm

Tonyrefail Comprehensive School
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club

has been running for over 30 years.

We meet on a regular basis

& enjoy making models for display.

We encourage both Gentlemen

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

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

Ticket information

£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free

Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658

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

Comedy In The Laughter Lounge

The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.

COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE

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

Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!

Hilarious - TimeOut.

www.rct-arts.co.uk

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

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