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Chilean Communists Call to Prevent 

U.S. Military Aggression - on Cuba

May 5th, 10:58am

(Prensa Latina) 

 

The Communist Party of Chile (CCP) today condemned the threats

 of U.S. President Donald Trump against Cuba and called for the 

mobilization of the peoples to defend our region as a zone

 of peace.

 

Faced --- with the failure to achieve his objectives through the 

blockade, sedition and terrorism sustained for six decades, 

Trump is now announcing to resort to military action 

paradoxically under the excuse that Cuba 

constitutes a threat to the security of 

the United States, the CCP warns.

 

The political organization describes as serious and unacceptable 

Trump's statements that his government "will take Cuba almost 

immediately after its military forces "finish the job" in its war 

against Iran.

 

This confirms its decision to move to a new stage in the campaign 

of unilateral sanctions, with the purpose of imposing a change of 

government on the island from abroad and bending the will and 

right to self-determination of the Cuban people ---- to build a 

socialist society, according to a CPC statement.

 

Even though.. the withdrawal of the United States from the war 

against Iran, also arbitrarily unleashed, has an uncertain time, 

its notification of an upcoming military aggression against 

Cuba corroborates the attempt to impose domination by 

force against the island and the countries of the area, 

which it tries to maintain as its "backyard."

 

The Communist Party calls for the active mobilization of the 

peoples for the defense of our region as a zone of peace, 

for their right to self-determination and sovereignty.

 

A military aggression against Cuba would also be against 

the peoples of all Latin America and the Caribbean, the 

declaration warns.

 

The CCP calls on President José Antonio Kast and the 

government of Chile - to join the defense of the 

sovereignty and territorial integrity of all 

the countries of Latin America -- and

 the Caribbean.


_________________________________________________




Rodríguez announced: full


 food supply in Venezuela


May 5th, 9:43am


(Prensa Latina) 


 


The president in charge Delcy Rodriguez reported in a meeting 


with the Agri-Food Motor team that Venezuela today has a full 


supply - and greater availability - of food on the shelves.


 


On the Telegram platform, the president pointed out that at the 


meeting the day before they evaluated the articulation of the 


entire food chain, from primary producers, agribusiness and 


commerce, to guarantee supply.


 


"And the most important thing: that prices are respected, that 


there is no speculation and thus we protect the purchasing 


power of all Venezuelans," she said.


 


In the audiovisual that accompanies the message, the president 


commented that this year a growth of 6.5% is being projected 


for the country, the highest in the region, which will allow it 


to continue leading this indicator in Latin America and 


the Caribbean.


 


Rodríguez stressed that there was an increase in the volume of 


food availability on the shelves, with a growth of nine percent, 


as well as an increase in consumption in the first four months


--- of 31.1 percent.


 


She also predicted very soon "extraordinary news" in the plan 


for the communal economy presented in January, with the 


planting of corn, rice, coffee, legumes, on which, she 


predicted better results for the Venezuelan people.


 


The head of state in charge reported that they are reviewing 


aspect by aspect the relationship between agribusiness 


and primary producers - to guarantee the entire chain.


 


Shee considered as the most important thing --- "that prices are 


respected, there is no speculation, nor does it impact inflation" 


in order to protect the purchasing power of the people and 


workers - with affordable prices.


 


The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) reported yesterday that 


at the end of April the month-on-month variation of the 


National Consumer Price Index was 10.6 percent 


at the national level.


 


While in January inflation amounted to 32.6 percent, the 


variation at the end of March had a lower result 


reaching 13.1, according to the BCV.


 


The groups that experienced the greatest price variation in 


April 2026 were Transportation (11.5 percent); Food and 


non-alcoholic beverages (11.5%); Miscellaneous goods 


and services (10.8); Clothing and footwear..... (9.7%); 


Restaurants & hotels (9.6) & Communications (9.6).


 


While the groups with the lowest price variation, according


 to the bank, were Housing Services (6.1); Housing rental 


(8.1); Health (8.5), Recreation and Culture (8.7) and 


Education Services (8.9).







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

     





 May 5: Iran activates new Strait of Hormuz

 transit system - as US blockade ends 

in failure

May 5th, 10:06pm

(Press TV Website Staff)

 

Iran ....tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, 

rolling out a formal mechanism for regulating all maritime traffic 

through the world’s most sensitive oil chokepoint, just hours 

after the US killed at least five civilians by attacking two 

unarmed cargo boats traveling from Oman to the 

Iranian coast.

 

Under the new system, which was first reported by Press TV, 

every vessel seeking passage will receive official transit 

instructions from Tehran, as the Islamic Revolution 

Guards Corps (IRGC) warned ---- that only Iran-

designated routes will be deemed safe.

 

The escalation also prompted a blunt message to the United 

Arab Emirates (UAE), with Tehran warning that any military 

action launched from Emirati territory will be met with a

 “crushing and regretful” response.

 

As condemnation of the US attack spread, including from 

former UN representative Mohamad Safa, who called 

Washington’s war secretary a “war criminal”, Iran 

reiterated that the growing crisis once again 

proves there is no military solution in 

West Asia.

 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, heading to Beijing for high-level 

talks, said Tehran’s diplomacy will continue “from a position of 

strength,” while other officials warned that any further US or 

Israeli action will exact a price “far beyond their threshold 

of tolerance.”

 

Key developments on day 67 of the war, 

the twenty-eighth day of the ceasefire:

 

Iran has formally activated a new system to regulate all maritime 

traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to an 

exclusive report by Press TV. Under the newly implemented 

system, all vessels intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz 

will receive an email from the official address  info@PGSA.ir 

 outlining the rules and regulations for passage.

 

Iran's top military command warned the United Arab Emirates 

that any military action launched from its soil against Iranian 

territory will be met with a “crushing and regretful” response.

 

The IRGC warned ships seeking to pass the Strait of Hormuz 

to exclusively use the corridor designated by Iran as safe.

 

The United States attacked two civilian cargo boats heading 

from the Omani coast to the Iranian shoreline, claiming the 

lives of at least five people on board, Tasnim News 

Agency reported.

 

Mohamad Safa, a UN representative who recently resigned, 

said US War Secretary Pete Hegseth is either a “war 

criminal” or “murderer”, saying the US military 

deliberately targeted two civilian boats 

traveling from Oman to Iran, killing 

five unarmed civilians.

 

Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic 

Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei, warned 

US Marines that they are being sacrificed by US 

President Donald Trump and his ambitions 

to remain in office even after the end 

of his current term in 2028.

 

Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned 

that the ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz is becoming

 “unbearable” for the United States, while Tehran has “not 

even started yet.”

 

Major General Yadollah Javani, deputy commander of the IRGC 

for political affairs, warned that the repercussions of any 

urther escalation against Iran will be considerably 

severe for the US, stressing that Washington will 

utilise all its military power but will be defeated

 at the hands of Iranian forces.

 

In a letter addressed to the United Nations Security Council, 

Iran’s Permanent Representative, Amir Saeid Iravani, 

categorically rejected a recent resolution, adopted 

by the Arab League, saying “no attempt to shield 

the perpetrators of aggression” will absolve 

those responsible --------- of their 

international obligations.

 

The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is travelling to 

Beijing for high-level talks with his Chinese counterpart 

on bilateral ties and regional developments.

 

Foreign Minister Araghchi stated that recent developments in 

the Strait of Hormuz have once again made it crystal clear 

that there is no military solution to the political crisis 

in the West Asian region, reaffirming the Islamic 

Republic’s policy ---- of pursuing diplomacy 

from a position of strength.

 

Ali Akbar Ahmadian -- the representative of the Leader of 

the Islamic Revolution to the Supreme National Defence 

Council, warned -- that any hostile move by the US and 

Israeli enemy against the Islamic Republic will exact 

a price far beyond their threshold of tolerance.

 

Authorities in the UAE are reportedly conducting a 

sweeping deportation campaign targeting tens of 

thousands of Pakistani workers - freezing their 

bank accounts and stripping them of their life 

savings - amid growing regional fallout from

the US-Israeli aggression on Iran.

 

A heated exchange took place between the British Chancellor 

of the Exchequer and the US Treasury Secretary Scott 

Bessent over the US-Israeli aggression against Iran 

during last month’s IMF Spring Meetings... in 

Washington, the Financial Times reported.

 

The Israeli regime’s forces are using internationally banned 

white phosphorus shells against civilian areas in southern 

Lebanon, state news agency National News Agency 

(NNA) reported.

 

The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll - revealed deep

scepticism among the US public regarding Trump’s ability 

to lead, with a majority declaring him mentally and 

physically unfit for the presidency, as the fallout 

from Washington’s reckless war on Iran ------ 

continues to hammer the US economy.

 

Oil prices soared with the Brent crude contract for July 

delivery jumping more than 5 percent as tensions 

escalated in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

 

_____________________________________




Hezbollah hits Israeli helicopter, 


and several Merkavas in 


southern Lebanon


May 5th, 2:19pm


(Al Mayadeen English)


 


Hezbollah announces a new wave of operations against 


Israeli assets in southern Lebanon, targeting vehicles, 


soldier gatherings, and a military helicopter ----


successfully.


 


The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Hezbollah, announced a fresh 


set of defensive operations against Israeli assets in southern


Lebanon, in response to the nonstop aggression the Israeli 


entity has carried out against the country since the 


declaration of the so-called ceasefire


 in early April. 


 


Hezbollah announced targeting an Israeli Merkava tank on May 4,


 at 11:45 pm, in the town of al-Bayyada with a precision-guided 


missile. The statement confirmed a direct hit after the enemy 


tank was seen ablaze. 


 


Operations on May 5, 2026


 


Israeli gatherings... struck


 


Kickstarting the operational day, Hezbollah's fighters responded to 


the Israeli aggression and violations against Lebanese towns and 


villages, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of several 


civilians, with an operation against a gathering of Israeli 


occupation soldiers and vehicles in al-Bayyada with 


rocket weapons at 12:15 am. 


 


At 12:30 pm, in a simultaneous operation in al-Bayyada, Hezbollah


 targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles with an FPV 


drone and achieved a direct hit. 


 


At 12:45 pm, Hezbollah's fighters targeted an Israeli soldier and 


vehicle gathering in Khallat Raj in Deir Seryan with a rocket 


barrage, achieving a direct hit. 


 


At 1:15 pm, a gathering of Israeli soldiers was 


struck with artillery shells in al-Bayyada.


 


At 3:10 pm, a gathering of Israeli enemy vehicles and soldiers


 in Adshit al-Qusayr ---- was struck with artillery shells.


 


20 minutes later, Hezbollah targeted an Israeli soldier and 


vehicle gathering in al-Bayyada .....with a rocket barrage.


 


Operations against Israeli vehicles


 


At 7:00 am, another Israeli Merkava tank was targeted in 


al-Qawzah using an FPV drone - and was directly struck. 


 


At 9:00 am, Hezbollah's fighters targeted a D9 military 


bulldozer in Rshaf using an FPV drone and achieved 


a direct hit. 


 


Only 15 minutes later, another D9 military bulldozer was 


directly struck in Khallat Raj in Deir Seryan with an 


FPV drone. A direct hit was confirmed. 


 


10 minutes later, at 9:25 am, Hezbollah targeted a NAMER 


vehicle attempting to tow the targeted D9 in Deir Seryan, 


achieving a direct hit using an FPV drone. 


 


At 12:30 pm, a third Merkava was targeted in al-Bayyada with 


a precision-guided missile, and a direct hit was confirmed. 


 


At 1:00 pm, Hezbollah announced the targeting of 


an Israeli military vehicle in the vicinity of 


al-Qantara square with an FPV drone. 


 


Enemy helicopter --- directly struck


 


In a top-tier operation, Hezbollah deployed a surface-to-air 


missile and targeted an Israeli military helicopter over 


al-Bayyada at 1:35 pm. The helicopter was 


reportedly directly struck. 


 


Israeli sites targeted


 


At 3:35 pm, the newly established Israeli artillery position in 


Rab Thalathin was targeted with a swarm of attack drones.


 


Hezbollah releases footage


 


Hezbollah's Military Media also published footage 


documenting several military operations carried 


out recently ------- against the Israeli occupation 


forces in South Lebanon. 


 


 


Source: Al Mayadeen English


 


 


_______________________________



The Failed Strait of Hormuz blockade 


forces US pivot as Iran’s strategic 


patience and leverage grow


May 5th, 1:53pm


(Press TV Strategic 


Analysis Desk)


 


For months, the United States pursued a high-stakes strategy 


in the Strait of Hormuz. The objective was clear: impose a 


naval blockade, strangle Iran's economy, and wait for 


Tehran to capitulate – to surrender both the 


waterway and its negotiating leverage.


 


But two nights ago, Washington abruptly changed course. 


President Donald Trump ....announced the so-called 


"Project Freedom," a new military adventure to 


forcibly reopen the strategic waterway, 


framed as a “humanitarian” effort to 


free stranded merchant ships.


 


The announcement, as the ground reality amply demonstrates,


 was not a signal of strength. It was an admission that the 


blockade had failed.


 


The failure reveals.... a fundamental miscalculation: 


the US overestimated its own strategic endurance 


and underestimated Iran's.


 


Washington has now been forced to recognize that 


prolonging the blockade inflicts greater damage 


on the US – politically, economically, and 


temporally – than on Iran.


 


Time, once presumed to be a US


 weapon, has become a liability.


 


The blockade that backfired


 


The US's original plan had a brutal but miscalculated 


logic: cut off Iran's oil revenues, choke its economy, 


and let domestic pressure do the rest.


 


The assumption was that Iranian resilience was finite – 


that weeks or months of economic pain would force 


Tehran to reopen the strait itself, then meekly 


concede to maximalist US demands on the


nuclear and regional issues.


 


That assumption collapsed and the sound was loud. 


 


Iran demonstrated a level of strategic patience and 


economic adaptation that Washington never 


anticipated. With alternative trade routes, 


barter arrangements with China and 


Russia, and a wartime economy 


hardened by decades of illegal 


and unjust sanctions, Iran 


proved --- it can outlast a 


blockade, which -- in its


essence was maritime 


banditry and piracy.


 


More critically, Tehran calculated correctly that 


the US operates under severe time constraints 


that Iran does not share.


 


Now, the US finds itself under intense pressure – 


not just economic, but political and global too. 


Every day the blockade continues, US allies 


grow restless. Global energy markets 


remain volatile. European partners, 


already strained by the Ukraine 


war, chafe at disruptions to 


Persian Gulf shipping.


 


Inside the US, the clock ticks... toward the November 


midterm elections. The Trump administration needs 


a win to show something – even a cosmetic one. 


Iran, by contrast, has mastered the long game, 


wielding strategic patience, as a weapon.


 


Consolidation, not collapse


 


Here is the detail Washington finds most alarming: 


every day Iran maintains control over the strait, 


its grip grows stronger. This ------ is 


dynamic consolidation.


 


Iran's offensive - and defensive - capabilities inside the 


strategic waterway, are becoming more sophisticated. 


New naval tactics, improved coastal defense systems


and asymmetric tools - which include drones and fast


-attack craft – are being integrated into a layered, 


adaptive doctrine of the country’s defense.


 


Simultaneously, national cohesion among Iranians around 


the waterway's defense is increasing. Whether driven by 


patriotic pride, loyalty, or sheer defiance of foreign 


pressure, the blockade has backfired - by uniting 


Iranians.. around a common cause. Attempts to 


divide Tehran through economic warfare, have 


instead triggered a rally-around-the-flag effect.


 


Beyond Iran's borders, major powers are recalibrating. 


China and Russia... have no interest in seeing the US 


dictate passage through a waterway critical to their 


own energy security and strategic influence.


 


Both Beijing and Moscow are quietly building new
equations 
with Tehran --- equations that tilt the
strategic balance 
decisively in Iran's favour.


 


Why the US needs a "victory"
– any victory


 


Concurrent with the blockade, Washington and Tehran have 


been exchanging proposals to end the war of attrition. The 


problem for the US - is that the balance of power on the 


ground has not changed. No dramatic breakthrough. 


No Iranian collapse. No defections.


 


This explains the sudden pivot to the so-called "Project Freedom." 


The US does not need to win big. It needs to win something – 


any minimal gain – before entering serious negotiations 


with the Iranian side.


 


By forcibly reopening the strait, even temporarily, Washington hopes


 to shatter the perception of Iranian physical and strategic control. 


That symbolic victory would then allow the US to enter talks with 


a much stronger hand ---- leveraging the strait's reopening to 


extract concessions, not only on the nuclear file, but also


 on Iran's missile program and other issues.


 


But there is a fatal flaw in this logic. Iran has already signaled, 


clearly and publicly, that it will respond harshly - to any such 


adventurism. A US attempt to blast open the strait will not 


be met with passive acceptance. It will be met ------- with 


mines, missiles, swarming drones, and a very real risk 


of a renewed US-Iranian military confrontation.


 


Political clock is ticking against Trump


 


Beyond the military calculus, the US


president faces an unforgiving 


political timeline.


 


Pressure on Trump – from Congress, the media, and global 


allies – is rising daily. A prolonged naval blockade with no 


clear end in sight is a political loser. Voters - do not rally 


around indefinite standoffs. They rally around decisive 


victories ...or convincing retreats.


 


The wider world refuses to pause while the US plays out 


its naval strategy. Events are accelerating elsewhere: 


European tensions with Washington over trade and 


security, fresh maneuvers in the Ukraine-Russia 


war, rising heat over China and Taiwan, and 


shifting diplomatic alignments between 


Iran and the Arab Gulf states.


 


Inside the United States, the midterm election 


campaign season ....has already begun.


 


Time, in short, is flowing against Trump. Every week the 


Strait of Hormuz remains shut, without a clean US 


victory.. it chips away at his political standing. 


This is why the administration has dropped 


its "no hurry" posture. They are, in a 


hurry now.


 


The false flag ''gambit''


 


There is one final, dangerous piece to this puzzle. Trump's 


advisors have - reportedly - discussed the possibility of 


restarting the open war of aggression against Iran.


 


But even a US president cannot unilaterally sell a new 


Persian Gulf war to the US public, or the world at 


large, without a plausible justification.


 


Enter the "humanitarian" framing for "Project Freedom." 


By presenting the Strait-breaking operation... as a 


“humanitarian” mission to protect shipping and 


global energy supplies Washington hopes to 


construct a false flag narrative: if Iran 


responds militarily, Iran will appear 


as the aggressor. Tehran would 


be saddled with the blame 


for restarting the war.


 


Iran, however, knows the game well. It knows that a 


harsh response is coming, regardless of how the 


US packages its new military adventure. The 


question is not whether Iran will react, but 


how precisely it calibrates that response


 to expose the false flag - for what it is.


 


Misreading Tehran's internal debates


 


One final miscalculation colours US thinking. Reports 


reaching Trump - suggest disagreements among 


Iranian officials about negotiations, the war 


strategy, and the wisdom of continuing 


the current confrontation with 


the aggressor.


 


Washington appears to believe these internal debates 


signal weakness – that Iran is divided, exhausted, 


and ready to offer major concessions to end


 the war.


 


This -- is a dangerous misreading. Every government debates 


strategy. The question is what emerges from those debates. 


Far from indicating a crumbling system, Iran's internal 


discussions have consistently produced a unified 


external stance: no surrender on the strait, 


no easy concessions, and no fear of a 


prolonged standoff.


 


If anything, the US belief in imminent Iranian "concessions" 


may push Washington toward a more aggressive posture –


 and thus --- towards a war it is not prepared to win.


 


The Strait as a mirror


 


The Strait of Hormuz --- has become 


a mirror reflecting the true balance 


of strategic endurance.


 


The United States, for all its military might, has discovered 


that raw power cannot easily dislodge a determined, 


adaptive, and patient adversary ---- especially one 


that holds geographic and temporal advantages.


 


The US' shift from blockade to its "Project Freedom" 


venture ----- is not a pivot to strength, but a veiled 


acknowledgment.. that the maritime banditry 


has failed.


 


 


_______________________________


 


 


 


Jebel Ali collapse transforms


 Iran's logistical position


May 5th, 1:55pm


 (PressTV)


 


The halt of activity at Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates, 


due to heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf - has forced Iran 


to accelerate a long-planned diversification of its trade routes.


 


The US and Israeli terrorist war on Iran and its effect on the 


country's foreign trade chain have led to the creation and 


development of new routes, with Pakistani, Indian and 


Omani ports rapidly replacing the Emirati hub as 


entry points for Iranian trade.


 


In fact, what was intended to weaken and restrict the Islamic 


Republic has instead turned into a transformation in the 


country's logistical position.


 


Jebel Ali, West Asia’s largest container terminal, has seen 


operations effectively paralyzed since late February, 


when Iran imposed selective passage through the 


Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the


 terrorist war.


 


Major shipping operators including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, 


CMA-CGM and MSC have all halted Hormuz transit, 


according to industry tracking data.


 


Iran has moved - from dependence on a single offshore 


hub to activating multiple land and maritime corridors 


simultaneously - as trust in Jebel Ali as a neutral 


platform ...is gone.


 


Simultaneously with the intensification of wartime 


conditions and the halt of activities at Jebel Ali, 


the ports of Pakistan, India and Oman have 


quickly replaced it in Iran's commodity 


and logistics exchanges.


 


Eight alternative corridors and routes have been identified, 


and executive planning for their development has been 


carried out, according to Mohammad Sadegh 


Ghannadzadeh, deputy of Iran's Trade 


Development Organization.


 


Negotiations and agreements for the full activation 


of routes and adjustment of transport tariffs are 


reportedly underway.


 


A significant portion of these alternative routes - are overland


and rail, neutralizing US President Donald Trump’s delusional 


naval siege of Iranian ports and piracy against the country’s 


commercial vessels.


 


On Friday, he did not mince his words --- when he told a rally in 


Florida that the US navy acted “like pirates”.. as he described 


an operation stealing an Iranian oil tanker in the Sea of Oman.


 


The Iranian government, in cooperation with the private sector, 


has designed and implemented - a set of alternative solutions 


to sustain the trade flow, focusing particularly on developing 


northern and western routes ......away from the traditional 


southern maritime axis.


 


Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, pushed the diplomatic 


architecture with an April 23 tour that included two trips to 


Pakistan, stops in Oman, and a 90-minute meeting with 


President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg.


 


Despite intensified tensions and piracy by the Zionist and US


 enemy, unloading and loading operations, vessel traffic and 


berthing at Iran's southern ports continue normally, with 


no interruption in the flow of goods.


 


The most significant breakthrough has come from Islamabad. 


Pakistan has designated six transit routes, forming a wide 


network for overland trade into Iran in a bid to bypass 


the maritime trade routes in the Persian Gulf.


 


The corridor not only helps increase the speed of cargo 


movement and reduce costs, but also, by connecting 


to the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 


and the Belt and Road Initiative, forms a strategic 


bridge between South Asia and Eurasia.


 


US blockade crumbles...... as 


Iran turns to overland routes.


 


Iran is bypassing the US naval blockade by using 


overland routes, allowing Tehran to maintain 


trade and oil shipments to key partners 


like China and Russia.


 


The crisis has also... breathed new life into the 


International North-South Transport Corridor 


(INSTC) and given the plan new urgency.


 


Chabahar port, Iran’s only oceanic port which experts 


believe will be the site of a future great power war, 


has not been properly utilized.


 


For years, its development and that of its hinterland 


rail link to Sarakhs ..have remained incomplete for 


trade development with Central Asia. These new 


developments have created fresh momentum 


towards its serious completion.


 


Foremost, however, the developments serve as 


practical confirmation that Iran's geography is


 a trump card against any economic siege.


 


The transport industry is considered the backbone of 


the economy and trade, and is directly and indirectly 


connected to other commercial sectors including 


banking, insurance and trade finance. 


 


Dependence on Jebel Ali port --- 


carries risks for Iran's economy.


 


For example, any disruption at the port could negatively 


affect Iran's foreign trade --- with Iranian containers 


pushed down the queue during busy commercial 


seasons and forced to wait extended periods 


for transfer to Iranian ports.


 


On the political front, tension between Iran and the UAE, 


fueled by Abu Dhabi's accelerating embrace of Israel, 


risks shrinking Iranian trade and exports: a dynamic 


that played out plainly in Monday's events.


 


Authorities in Fujairah said on Monday that a fire broke 


out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone ---- accusing the 


Islamic Republic of Iran of launching a drone strike.


 


Citing a senior military source, IRIB said the Iranian 


armed forces had no premeditated plan to attack 


the aforementioned oil facilities.


 


The blaze, it said, at oil facilities in Fujairah Port on 


Monday ---- was a direct consequence of the US' 


adventurism in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.


 


What traditionally gave Jebel Ali preference, through 


its corridor & artery connections with surrounding 


countries ---- has inevitably changed, due to the 


fundamental geopolitical shifts in the region 


and the path that the UAE has taken... 


with Israel.


 


 


___________________________________



UK chancellor, US treasury chief clashed 
'fiercely' over aggression against Iran 


at IMF meeting: Report


May 5th, 10:58am


 (PressTV)


 


A heated exchange took place between British Chancellor of the 


Exchequer and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the 


US-Israeli aggression against Iran during last month’s IMF 


Spring Meetings in Washington, according to a report.


 


The Financial Times carried the report on Tuesday, saying the 


officials had a "fierce row" on the sidelines of the gathering, 


clashing over the consequences of the aggression.


 


'We're not safer'


 


The disagreement followed remarks by Reeves, in which she said 


she was "not convinced" that "we are safer today than we were 


a few weeks ago."


 


According to The Financial Times, Bessent responded by "berate


[ing]" Reeves, arguing that the world had become "safer" as a 


result of the joint attacks. The report added that he even 


invoked, what he called, the "possibility" of Tehran's 


launching a "nuclear attack on London."


 


Reeves reacted strongly to the remarks, responding "angrily 


by telling Bessent she did not work for him and disliked 


how he had spoken to her," the report noted.


 


She reiterated her concerns about the aggression, saying 


that it lacked clear objectives and had not necessarily 


improved global security.


 


Earlier criticism


 


Ahead of the IMF meetings... Reeves had already expressed 


criticism of the aggression in comments to the Daily Mirror.


 


"This is a war that we did not start. It was a war that we did 


not want. I feel very frustrated and angry that the US went 


into this war without a clear exit plan, without a clear 


idea of what they were trying to achieve. And as a 


result, the Strait of Hormuz is now blocked."


 


Tensions have been rife in the Persian Gulf and around the 


strategic chokehold since February 28, when the US and 


Israeli regime ---- began the latest bout of unprovoked 


aggression against Iran.


 


Iran shut down the waterway to enemies and their 


allies following the launch of the aggression.


 


It began exercising far stricter controls last month after Donald 


Trump announced an illegal blockade of Iranian vessels and 


ports in continuation of the aggression and in violation of 


the terms of a ceasefire the US president, himself, had 


declared earlier.


 


Reeves is not the only European official


 to critique the aggression.


 


Last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had likewise 


denounced the campaign for lacking a clear "exit strategy," 


and noted that Tehran was "humiliating" Washington with


 its negotiating tactics.


 


Reacting to the remarks, Trump said Merz 


"doesn’t know what he’s talking about!" 


________________________________________________





 Five people were killed ---- in the US


 shelling of two civilian cargo ships


May 5th, 1:31am


(Izvestia.ru)


 


The US fired on two civilian cargo ships, confusing them 


with boats of the Iranian Navy of the Iranian 


Revolutionary Guard Corps. This was 


reported on May 5 by the Tasnim 


news agency, citing a 


military source.


 


"After the false statement by the U.S. military that they had 


attacked six Iranian speedboats, as none of the IRGC 


warships were hit, an investigation was conducted 


to verify the accuracy of this information from 


local sources, and it was determined that 


the U.S. aggressor forces had attacked 


and fired on two small boats carrying 


people," Telegram channel reported.


 


According to the agency,


five civilians were killed.


 


 






Image: Karl Marx's Birth Day

 Today, May 5th, in 1818,

 

Karl Marx,

 

philosopher, political theorist, sociologist,

 economist, journalist, and revolutionary,

 

is born.

 

He developed the theory of historical materialism, analyzing class 

struggle under capitalism and predicting the system's overthrow 

by the proletariat in favor of communism. 

 

Marx co-authored The Communist Manifesto (1848) with his 

lifelong friend Friedrich Engels, and undertook a critique of 

classical political economy in Das Kapital (1867–1894). 

 

Marx's ideas and their subsequent development, collectively 

known as Marxism, have had enormous influence and have 

influenced revolutions and uprisings in many countries.

 

 

"Men make their own history -- but they do not 

make it as they please; they do not make it 

under self-selected circumstances... but 

under circumstances existing already, 

given and transmitted from the past." 

 

 

"Keep people from their history, 

and they are easily controlled."

 

 

"The philosophers have only interpreted 

the world, in various ways. The point, 

however, is to change it."










FIFA World Cup boycott ‘self-evident’

 under Trump’s ‘racist, vile’ regime: 

Activist

April 14th, 9:03am

by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

 

The United States is no longer a safe or credible host for a global 

sporting event ----- with sweeping travel bans, rising internal
repression, and an increasingly aggressive foreign policy, 

making a boycott of the 2026 World Cup -- not radical: 

but inevitable, according to an activist and artist.

 

In an interview with the Press TV website, Willie Dowling, an 

activist .....who also happens to be a multi-instrumentalist, 

singer and composer, said there were "enough reasons" 

for the world to boycott the FIFA World Cup to be 

co-hosted by the US before the announcement 

of recent restrictions placed on travel.

 

Dowling’s case begins with borders - and who is allowed to cross 

them. Even before new restrictions were announced in January 

2026, he noted that 19 countries were already subject to full 

entry bans to the US, with another nineteen ----- facing 

partial restrictions.

 

“Without exception, all of the nations banned 

or partially banned ....have mostly non-white 

populations,” he told the Press TV website.

 

“The extraordinarily rapid decline of the United States ---- into an 

even more racist, authoritarian nation --- than it has historically 

been should be reason enough not to go there for the football.”

 

The bans, he believes, are not bureaucratic hurdles but warnings. 

“This should serve as a warning to everyone that it is not safe 

to go to the US, particularly if you are non-white.”

 

These concerns are no longer theoretical. Campaigns urging fans, 

players, and national associations to stay away from the US-

hosted tournament have gained momentum across Europe, 

Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.

 

The possibility of a direct boycott by a competing nation 

has also become a reality in the wake of the Trump 

regime’s acts of aggression abroad.

 

Iran could essentially boycott the World Cup in response to the 

unprovoked US-Israeli war of aggression ---- which began on 

February 28 and targeted the country's nuclear facilities,

schools, hospitals, and bridges, as well as its

sports infrastructure. 

 

Pointing to the "malicious actions carried out against Iran," 

Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali stated recently,  

"Our players do not have security, and fundamentally 

the conditions for participation do not exist."

 

The US government - has also restricted Iran's participation. While 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed -- that the Iranian team is 

"welcome to compete," the US president warned that the Iranian 

team’s "life and safety" would be at risk ------- if it participated in 

the event. 

 

Trump administration has also barred travelers from Iran and 

three other World Cup-participating countries, and multiple 

Iranian delegates already had their visas denied before 

December’s group-stage draw.

 

Activist groups cite visa denials, expanded anti-immigration 

policies, internal security crackdowns, and US military 

aggression abroad. Some governments.. have quietly 

raised concerns about whether fans and journalists 

can enter — and remain — safely.

 

Dowling sees a boycott as leverage. “Nor is it wise to give 

Trump and his regime --------- anything they can use as a 

successful publicity event,” he noted.

 

Individual choices matter, he argued, because - they scale. 

“As individuals, we can’t do much to help bring down this 

vile regime, but little actions by millions of people — like 

not buying US goods --- or not travelling to the US — will 

start to hit the US economy and thereby affect Trump’s 

standing with his own MAGA zealots,” he stated.

 

The argument extends well beyond immigration. Dowling 

pointed to foreign policy and to broken promises. “Let’s 

remember Trump campaigned to win the Presidency 

on a policy of ‘No more foreign wars’ and ‘No more 

regime changes’.”

 

The reality, he added, looks very different. “And yet in 

under a year he has bombed several countries, and 

militarily threatened five others, including long-

standing allies.”

 

In Dowling’s view, these actions are not just aggressive but 

also unlawful. “All of his military interventions fly in the 

face of International Law and Human Rights."

 

Against that backdrop --- the idea of hosting the world’s biggest 

sporting event in the US, feels absurd to him. “In light of this, 

it seems almost extraordinary to me - that there is even a 

question about boycotting the World Cup in the US.”

 

He drew a direct comparison. “The existential threat coming 

from the US far exceeds that of any other nation on the 

planet, and since Russia has experienced a boycott, 

it seems perfectly logical - if not blindingly obvious

that the USA should be boycotted, internationally 

isolated and sanctioned.”

 

For Dowling, the issue is credibility. “What good is ‘rules-based 

order’ if the most powerful nation in the world consistently 

flaunts any rule they choose to?”

 

The danger, he hastened to add, is not only external, but 

domestic. “Incidentally, it’s interesting that Trump said: 

‘No more foreign wars’ - because it looks increasingly 

likely that he’s going to spark a civil war in the US.”

 

Dowling believes internal unrest - may be politically useful. 

“I suspect he’s continually provoking dissent and protest 

in the US in order to declare a national emergency and 

invoke the Insurrection Act, thereby cancelling the 

midterm elections --- which he would otherwise 

lose and then face immediate impeachment 

and probably jail.”

 

And.. he sees a longer game. “And should he succeed in 

cancelling the midterms, he’ll undoubtedly seek a way 

to cancel the 2028 election.”

 

The implications, he noted -- are chilling. “This increasingly 

authoritarian grip and the casual willingness of the Trump 

regime to either censor, jail, extradite, or even murder 

those of a different colour, or those in opposition to 

them are reasons enough to boycott the football.”

 

Some calls to stay away have come from inside football itself. 

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several European 

officials recently suggested fans would be safer 

watching from home .....rather than going all

 the way to the stadiums in the US.

 

Dowling’s criticism sharpened - when it 

turned to FIFA’s conduct under Trump.

 

He cited “the ludicrous ‘Peace Award’ the football governing 

body presented to Trump, only days before he bombed 

Venezuela to steal their oil.”

 

The timing, he added, came “long after the US 

military assaults on other nations in the 

previous months of 2025.”

 

“The idea of Trump qualifying for any award in the name 

of peace is laughable,” Dowling said. “And FIFA 

inexplicably made themselves part of that 

ridiculous hypocrisy.”

 

At the heart of the boycott argument is exclusion. “The ban on 

travel and the visa policies imposed by the US extend almost 

exclusively to nations that have predominantly non-white 

populations,” Dowling stated.

 

“This is typical of the Trump regime … of course, they 

consistently deny their racism, but one only needs 

to observe their actions: to see that they don’t

 match the rhetoric.”

 

He described a governing style built on misinformation, referring

 to the Trump administration. “This is a regime that has adopted 

lying --- as its key strategy.” He invokes a phrase popularized by

 Trump’s former adviser. “As Steve Bannon said — with strong 

echoes of Joseph Goebbels — ‘Flood the zone with shit’.” 

The goal, Dowling argues, is distraction.

 

“I suspect they might have been even further down the line with 

their objectives had they not started to attack their own white 

population in democratic states, particularly recently --- in 

Minnesota,” he added, pointing to the recent violence.

 

The standard, he said, is racial. “The US and indeed the Western

world -------- tends to be more tolerant towards murder -------- if it’s 

non-whites that are being killed.”

 

Which brings him back to football. And to first principles. “How 

can a sporting event be described as ‘global’ ....if 39% of the 

world’s nations ---- are exempt from the racist whims of

 the Trump regime?”

 

For Dowling, the conclusion needs no embellishment. 

“Taking all of the above into account.... I’d suggest 

that the moral case for a boycott is self-evident.”



Image: No thanks to Israeli goods App

The world and her daughter are calling for a boycott
of the genocidal colonial apartheid state of Israel.

Place yourself on the right side of joy and sorrow
by joining the world's boycott - say ''no'' to evil!


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.



____________________




AT THE FACTORY


Tickets from


www.wegottickets.com/thefactory

www.ticketweb.co.uk

browse venues in Wales

www.ticketlineuk.com

02920 230130

Cash tickets from:

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


For more details visit


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


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



Daytime Delights...

Starts at 1pm

The Parc & Dare, Treorchy


Lunchtime Concerts in the Lounge Bar.


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


Ticket information:

The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:

08000 147 111
or book online at

www.rct-arts.co.uk 


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



Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...


7pm - 9pm


Tonyrefail Comprehensive School
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club

has been running for over 30 years.

We meet on a regular basis

& enjoy making models for display.

We encourage both Gentlemen

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

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



Ticket information

£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free


Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658



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



 Comedy In The Laughter Lounge


The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.


COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE


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

rising comedians on the circuit.

Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!



Hilarious - TimeOut.



www.rct-arts.co.uk







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

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

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

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


______________________________________


Get Involved!

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

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


or this one:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0du5YuhPZ8ahI
oxC_b6pvBprm
GA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1



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

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


_______________________________________




IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:


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

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

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

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

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

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

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

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




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


PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?

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

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

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

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


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

- and their anti-Corbyn slant is hobbling Labour.


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

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


CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS'

LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!

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


Chris Bryant's voting record:
from TheyWorkForYou.com

On Tuition Fees:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


On Human Rights:

Consistently voted for introducing ID cards

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

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


On the Environment:

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


On Special Interests:

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

Generally voted against a
statutory register of lobbyists


On War or Peace:

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

Consistently voted for the Iraq war

Consistently voted against an
 investigation into the Iraq war

Generally voted for replacing Trident
 with a new nuclear weapons system

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

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


On Independence:

Generally voted for more EU integration

____________________________
   

Chris Bryant Labour MP
From Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


His pay, allowances and some expenses:

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


His MP's expenses story:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Image: Russian scientists and Scottish ones



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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

The research paper is published
in the Optics Express journal.


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

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


Image: BRICS

Image: March 26 London anti cuts demo




KILLING THE ELDERLY BY CLOSING CARE HOMES


Did you know that each time a local authority

closes a care home for the elderly, within 8

months, around half the residents are dead?

Campaigners liken the cuts and their effect
to euthanasia of the UK's elderly.
What to do?


We can start by urging our MPs to sign EDM 2251:

EDM 2251: The contents


This House notes with deep concern the worsening
crisis for elderly care as growing numbers of local
authority and private care homes face closure

Acknowledges concerns that the loss of elderly
people's care homes causes fear, anxiety and,
in many cases, a higher mortality rate, when
vulnerable, elderly people are forced to
leave their homes

Further notes that the Southern Cross crisis
will increase needs for local authority care

And therefore calls on the government to
hold a public inquiry into the deaths after
closures, of local authority care homes,
and impose a moratorium on the closure
of local authority care homes, until that
inquiry publishes its results, to ensure
that vulnerable, elderly people's lives
are not put at further risk.


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


MAKING THE CONNECTION IN WALES


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

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

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


So it's Broadband Heaven for England...

and crapola for Wales' broadband - the

slowest, worst Broadband in the UK !!!


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


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

free 'wireless' broadband?

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




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



Image: China's rapeseed blossoms this Spring.

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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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


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


A BIG DROP OF HONEY !!!


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


Waves of bees flit across vast fields of flowers.

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


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

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


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

It mainly
produces honey, propolis and
propolis powder.


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

Some earn 200,000 yuan annually, Zhu says.

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

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



Image: retirement China style




CHINA's PREMIER POINTS WAY FORWARD

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


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

China's premier points the way forward for Wales:

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


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


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

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


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


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


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

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

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



Image: unemployment in Wales


FARMING AND SCIENCE

COULD REGENERATE WALES



A new UN General Assembly report warns
"vast areas" of cultivated land are lost each
year, and that this could lead to unrest.

 The report says up to 30 million hectares,
 an area the size of Italy, is lost each year
to environmental degradation, industry &
 urbanization - the growth of cities - and all
because of speculative building and greed.

 The UN special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter,
 gives the example of eastern Africa, where
the
amount of cultivated land has declined
by half ---
in just one generation! "


As rural populations grow and competition
with
large industrial units increases, plots
cultivated
by smallholders are shrinking
year after year,"
says De Schutter.


 "Farmers are often relegated to soils that
are arid,
hilly or without irrigation."


 The UN officer also mentions India as another
example,
where the average landholding fell
from 2.6 hectares
in 1960 to 1.4 hectares in
2000. A cut of nearly half
in 40 years!


He says 500 million small farmers suffer
from hunger, partly because their right to
land
is being violated.


The expert warns of the devastating
consequences,
as foreign investors
compete for larger and larger areas of
the
world's land for "their" agriculture.


 Rhondda Records says Wales could rebuild
its new
economy by basing it on a fresh
approach to high-value
added products,
using science and agriculture... such as

 the Altzeim project in Gwent.

 What have we got to lose?




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