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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 


discovered in Iraq.


 


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 


journalist noted.


 


“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,” 


he stated.


 


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


 over the Iraq war.


 


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.”


 


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President in charge values 

January 23 rebellion

 in Venezuela

January 23rd, 7:34am GMT 

 (Prensa Latina) 

 

The president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, today
represented the historical value of the events of the civil-

military rebellion of January 23, 1958, when the people 

rose up ---- against the Marcos Jiménez dictatorship.

 

“68 years after #23Jan, we claim the hope of the people 

who raised their voices for freedom”, the president 

wrote on her Telegram account.

 

Rodríguez highlighted that that popular rebellion “imarked 

our history and today this is reborn in the national union 

to consolidate the peace and prosperity of Venezuela”.

 

In the audiovisual that accompanies the message, Commander 

Hugo Chávez stated that on January 23, ending the decade of

the 50s of the 20th century, “the Punto Fijo pact had already

been cooked .......and they had managed to stop the 

revolutionary impetus of the masses”.

 

The Bolivarian leader indicated that Fabricio Ojeda arrived then, 

leader of that military rebellion “which woke up the men and 

women who took the rifle and went to the mountains to 

fight against the dictatorship of (Rómulo) Betancourt, 

from (Raúl) Leoni and (Rafael) Caldera”.

 

Constitutional President Nicolás Maduro also expressed that the 

spirit of January 23 was the greatest hope that a generation 

had «that now the day had come to take back the glorious

flags  of the liberators, that the day had come - to know 

what democracy and freedom are”.

 

Maduro pointed out that when that date arrives and “we see 

that sun over our city of Caracas we remember the 

luminosity of the thought, of the morality of that

 great martyr Fabricio Ojeda».

 

Regarding the date, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela 

called this Friday - for a large march of its militants and 

other revolutionary and Chavista forces, which will 

have as its central demand the release of 

President Nicolás Maduro and the

 first combatant Cilia Flores.

 

Both were kidnapped on January 3 during the attack by US

 military forces on four territories of the country, including 

Caracas, which left more than a hundred dead, among 

them 32 Cuban combatants, and damage --- to civil

 and military infrastructure.

 

_________________________________







 
China hits US with economic 

counteroffensive .... after 

Maduro’s abduction: 

Report

January 22nd, 10:08am

 (PressTV)

 

China has responded to the abduction of Venezuelan 

President Nicolas Maduro by the United States with 

coordinated economic force, delivering a direct 

blow to US power and signaling a decisive 

shift toward a multipolar world order, 

a report says.

 

China sharply condemned the January 3 abduction of 

Maduro and the violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, 

concluding: that Washington was attempting to 

''weaponize'' control over Venezuelan oil - to 

curb China’s presence in South America - 

and obstruct its long-term development

....the German-language service of 

Russian broadcaster, RT said

 in a report.

 

According to the report, Beijing treated the aggression 

against Venezuela as an attack on BRICS countries 

and on the very idea of a multipolar world, and 

within hours of the news of the kidnapping, 

President Xi Jinping - had convened an 

emergency meeting of the Politburo 

Standing Committee that lasted 

120 minutes --- with no public 

statements afterwards.

 

Instead, China activated what its strategists call an 

“integrated asymmetric response” --- designed to 

counter the aggression against its partners, in 

the Western Hemisphere including Venezuela

seen as China’s strategic gateway to Latin 

America, which Washington considers...
its 
own backyard.

 

The first phase began on January 4, when the People’s 

Bank of China discreetly suspended all US dollar 

transactions with companies linked to the US 

defense sector, with Boeing, Lockheed 

Martin, Raytheon..... and General 

Dynamics, seeing their China-

related transactions frozen 

without warning.

 

Later that day, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) 

announced technical reviews of contracts with US 

suppliers of electrical equipment --- signaling a 

deliberate decoupling from US technology.. 

as China National Petroleum Corporation 

reorganized its global supply routes, 

canceling oil delivery contracts to 

US refineries worth $47 billion 

annually ---- and redirecting 

supplies... to India, Brazil, 

South Africa.. and other 

Global South partners.

 

As a result, oil prices surged 23 percent in a single 

trading session, underscoring the message: that 

China can strangle US energy security without 

firing a shot.

 

China then targeted global logistics --- with China Ocean 

Shipping Company, which controls roughly 40 percent 

of global shipping capacity, rerouting operations 

away from US ports, causing Long Beach, Los 

Angeles, New York, and Miami to lose 35 

percent of their container traffic 

almost instantly.

 

The disruption --- rippled through US retail giants such as 

Walmart, Amazon, and Target, whose China-dependent 

supply chains partially collapsed --- within hours. The 

synchronized timing of these measures produced a 

systemic shock, overwhelming Washington’s 

ability to respond.

 

That same day --- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered 

immediate preferential trade terms to dozens of countries 

willing to refuse recognition of a Venezuelan government 

installed by US coercion. Within 24 hours, 19 countries - 

including Brazil, India, South Africa, and Mexico -

accepted, forming an instant anti-US bloc 

driven by economic incentives.

 

The final escalation came on January 5 ----- when China 

expanded its cross-border interbank payment system - 

to fully accommodate transactions seeking to bypass 

the US-controlled SWIFT network.  This ....created 

a functional alternative to the Western financial 

system that is 97 percent cheaper and faster.

 

In the first 48 hours, $89 billion in transactions were 

processed, and central banks from 34 countries 

opened operational accounts, accelerating 

de-dollarization ...and weakening a key 

pillar of US power.

 

Simultaneously, China imposed temporary export 

restrictions on rare earths, on countries that 

supported Maduro’s abduction --- alarming 

US tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, 

Google, and Intel. China, is the largest 

producer of these rare-earth metals, 

as it accounts for at least 60% 

of them globally.

 

Rare earth materials ------------ are essential for 

semiconductors and electronic components.

 

As the report asks, “What is China doing for
Venezuela?” 
The answer, it concludes, is
China is acting 
without declaring war.

 

Every step China has taken, strikes 

at the economic heart of the US 

empire, the report concluded.










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

 People hold up a banner as they protest 


against Israel at the entrance of the 


International Criminal Court

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Israel moves to restrict Palestinian re-entry


 to Gaza, to  ‘encourage outflow’: Report


January 24th, 9:49pm


 (PressTV)


 


The Israel regime is reportedly seeking to limit the number 


of Palestinians re-entering Gaza through the Rafah border 


crossing with Egypt in a bid to ensure that more people 


leave the coastal sliver ...than return.


 


Reuters carried the report on Friday, citing “three sources,” 


who also said it remained unclear “how Israel planned to 


enforce limits on the number of Palestinians entering 


Gaza from Egypt, or what ratio of exits to entries 


it aimed to achieve.”


 


According to the report, the regime - additionally - sought to 


establish a military checkpoint inside Gaza near its border, 


through which all Palestinians entering or leaving would 


be required to pass and be subjected to Israeli 


“security checks.“


 


“Israeli officials had insisted on setting up a military 


checkpoint in Gaza to screen Palestinians moving


 in and out,” the sources noted.


 


Plans for such strict checks - have been under discussion 


since last year, according to multiple reports at the time.


 


The sources further said it was not clear how “individuals 


would be dealt with if they were blocked by Israel's 


military from passing through its checkpoint, 


particularly those entering from Egypt.”


 


The report came a day after US President Donald Trump 


officially launched his Gaza “Board of Peace” during a 


signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, attended by 


dozens of officials, who signed onto Washington’s 


“peace plan” for the war-ravaged territory.


 


Trump claims ----- his plan is aimed at ending the regime’s
war 
of genocide on Gaza, which began in October 2023.


 


A ceasefire deal was signed, in early October, between the 


regime and Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement, towards 


implementation of the peace proposal.


 


The regime, though, has killed hundreds of Palestinians since 


the deal was concluded in, what observers call, a continued 


pattern of genocide, besides preventing sufficient entry of 


direly-needed humanitarian supplies into the territory.


 


The regime has also recently barred the Palestinian 


technocratic committee, which is set to administer 


Gaza under the “Board of Peace,” from entering 


the coastal sliver.


 


Tel Aviv has been - repeatedly - delaying the crossing’s 


opening and continues to prevent adequate amounts 


of aid from entering Gaza.


 


In February this year, Trump unveiled a plan to transform Gaza


 into a “Riviera of the Middle East” and vowed to expel its 


population - for the people's own “safety.” Numerous 


reports followed that Washington and Tel Aviv 


were in talks with African states, to 


relocate Palestinians.


 


Among these countries was Sudan, which denied that any 


such development was taking place. Another --- was 


Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that 


Tel Aviv has controversially recognized.


 










 
Palestine Action activist at risk of death

 after beginning thirst strike in UK jail

January 24th, 6:40pm

 (PressTV)

 

Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22, is set to refuse fluids on January 

24, 2026 if his demands, including immediate bail, are not met.

 

A British campaign group has warned that a detained Palestine 

Action activist could die after stepping up his protest to a 

thirst strike, 13 days after resuming a hunger strike. 

 

Muhammed Umer Khalid, who suffers from the rare genetic 

disorder Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, faces 

“heightened risks” due to his condition, 

according to the campaign group 

Prisoners for Palestine. 

 

Khalid has reportedly told prison staff not to

 intervene .........if he loses consciousness.

 

Dr. Rupa Marya, speaking through the group, said that with no 

fluid intake, “typically people die of acute kidney failure and 

other derangements within 3 to 4 days.” She added that 

with Khalid’s underlying condition, he is “at increased 

risk of death - even sooner.”

 

“By Monday, if the UK government continues to stall, we can 

expect this young man to be well in the process of dying

 if not dead,” Marya warned.

 

Khalid is calling for immediate bail, an end to censorship in 

prison, and a full inquiry into British involvement in Israel’s 

genocidal war in Gaza. He also demands the release of 

surveillance footage from British Royal Air Force (RAF) 

spy flights over Gaza on April 1, 2024, when British

 aid workers were killed in an Israeli attack.

 

Khalid said he only escalated to a thirst strike after 

his attempts to engage the government on these 

issues.... were ignored. 

 

In December, he paused a 12-day hunger strike - due to 

his declining health. His trial is scheduled for January 

2027, by which time he will have spent a year and a 

half in prison.

 

Prisoners for Palestine warned that several activists who 

ended a 73-day hunger strike in recent weeks are now 

experiencing symptoms of refeeding syndrome, a

 potentially life-threatening condition that can 

occur when food is reintroduced after 

prolonged malnutrition. 

 

Several hunger strikers have been hospitalized 

since the protests began on November 2.

 

Palestine Action activists are facing charges they deny, 

linked to actions carried out before the group was 

banned as a “terrorist organization” by the 

UK government.

 

Since the ban, hundreds across the UK - have been arrested 

for opposing the proscription and holding placards reading,

 “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

 

The campaigners say the charges are politically motivated 

--- intended to silence opposition to the UK government’s 

support for Israel.

 

 

____________________________________________________________




Hezbollah supporters to stage mass rally 

in Lebanon - to show solidarity with Iran, 

protest threats against Ayat. Khamenei

January 24th, 4:01pm

 (PressTV)

 

The Hezbollah resistance movement has called upon thousands

of its supporters to stage a mass rally in Lebanon in a show 

of solidarity with Iran, and to express their strong protest 

against the threats against the Leader of the Islamic 

Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

 

According to a report published by the Lebanese al-Manar 

television station, the group urged people from all strata 

of Lebanese society to gather at Sayyid al-Shuhada 

Complex in the southern suburbs of Beirut on 

Monday afternoon.

 

Hezbollah expressed its solidarity with the Islamic Republic 

of Iran, its wise leadership, and the noble nation --- in the 

face of the US-Israeli sabotage and acts of terror.

 

The group also categorically denounced

 threats against Ayatollah Khamenei.

 

Late last month, economic hardships, caused and exacerbated 

by years of Western sanctions, triggered a wave of peaceful 

protests among merchants in Tehran and other cities.

 

The authorities recognized the protesters' demands as 

legitimate, but the demonstrations were hijacked by 

rioters backed by US and Israeli leaders, who 

publicly called for vandalism and disorder.

 

Officials said that some of the mercenaries were armed, 

trained, and recruited by US and Israeli spy agencies 

to incite violence, damage public property, and kill 

civilians and members of the security forces.

 

In a post on his account on the social media platform X 

on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi 

highlighted the destruction of public property 

during the foreign-backed unrest, that also 

left thousands dead.

 

“Mayhem of the recent terrorist operation in Iran: 

 

(the destruction of) 305 ambulances and buses; 24 gas stations; 

700 convenience stores; 300 private homes; 750 banks; 414 

government buildings; 794 police stations; 120 Basij 

centres; 200 schools; 350 mosques; 15 libraries; 2 

Armenian churches; 253 bus stations; 600 ATTs; 

800 private cars; Total death toll: 3,117: 

Civilians and security forces: 2,427; 

Terrorists: 690,” Araghchi said.

 

 

____________________________________________________________

 

 


Why Western left fails to grasp the link 

between imperialism, Zionism, and 

‘regime change’ in Iran

January 24th, 3:12pm

 by David Miller

 

When the Israeli spy agency Mossad called for riots in Iran 

on its Farsi-language social media on January 1, almost 

no one in the West took notice.

 

Yet the very next day, former US Secretary of State Mike 

Pompeo made his famous intervention, openly calling 

for riots in Iranian cities and wishing a Happy New 

Year to “every Iranian in the streets – and “also

 to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”

 

After that, there was little justification for critics of Western 

foreign policy to ignore the role of foreign intelligence 

agencies and terrorist elements, in the events 

that followed.

 

Nevertheless, a widespread reluctance persists to confront 

the involvement of Mossad – and indeed the CIA and MI6 – 

in the two days of riots between January 8 and 9.

 

The Western left has largely failed to understand the “regime-

change” alliance linking Mossad, Pahlavist monarchists, the 

cult-like terrorist group Mujahedin-e Khalq and a wide array 

of CIA-backed “opposition” groups – almost all based in 

the US, with a smaller presence in the UK .....and 

across Europe.

 

Few have grasped that Britain’s MI6 has also played a role in 

this sinister “regime-change” project targeting Iran. Instead, 

many on the Western left tend to interpret these attempts 

as a “freedom struggle,” viewing them as expressions of 

popular agency, or even as a working-class or trade-

union uprising. They are not.

 

What follows.... is an examination of the multifaceted errors, 

misunderstandings, and intellectual degradation displayed 

by far too many leftists – from the liberal and secular left 

to the revolutionary left, including those who claim to

be anti-Zionist or supporters of the Palestinian

 liberation movement.

 

Before proceeding, however, it is necessary to briefly outline 

the correct framework for understanding the role of the

Islamic Republic of Iran.

 

It is the world’s leading anti-imperialist state, and the tip of the

spear in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. One need 

not take my word for this, nor even that of Sayyed Ali 

Khamenei, or General Qasem Soleimani.

 

Instead, one should listen to the words of the leaders 

of the Palestinian Resistance themselves.

 

Here is the martyr Yahya Sinwar --- in 2019: “If not for Iran’s 

support for the resistance in Palestine, we would not have 

obtained these capabilities [rockets and the technical 

means to produce homegrown rockets]. Indeed, our 

[Arab] nation has deserted us in our difficult 

moments, while Iran has supported us 

with weapons, equipment 

and expertise.”

 

And here is the former Hamas chief, Martyr Ismail 

Haniyeh, on International Quds Day --- in 2020.

 

“The essence of strategy --- is the resistance project. Complete 

resistance, including the armed military resistance at the top. 

From here, I salute all the components of the nation that 

embrace and support the choice of resistance on the 

ground in Palestine. I am particularly specifying the 

Islamic Republic of Iran, which has not faltered in 

supporting and funding the resistance financially, 

militarily, and technically. This is an example of 

the Republic’s strategy that was established 

by Imam Khomeini, may God have mercy 

on his soul."

 

Against the Islamic Republic (and the Palestinian Resistance) 

are, first and foremost, the Zionist colonists in Palestine and 

their main supporters, the US and the UK. 

 

We also need to note the Iranian self-styled "opposition," which 

takes the form of the monarchist supporters of the former 

Shah who want to install his son as the new king. Then 

there is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO, aka People’s 

Mujahedin of Iran/National Council of 

Resistance of Iran)

 

The MKO is a designated terrorist group based in Albania,

a NATO member state, where it maintains a troll farm 

alongside other operational infrastructure.

 

It was removed from the US list of terrorist organizations in

 2012 ---- following an extensive lobbying campaign 

supported by Zionist lobby networks.

 

In June 2023, Albanian police raided the group’s premises, 

seizing around 150 computer devices. The raid followed 

the China-brokered rapprochement between Iran and 

Saudi Arabia, after which Riyadh, having long 

denied any connection to the MKO, was 

forced to withdraw its backing.

 

The Saudis had also denied funding the anti-Islamic Republic 

media outlet, Iran International, but once the agreement 

mediated by China was signed - financial support was

abruptly cut and the channel’s London office closed.

 

Several months later, however, a new London office was opened 

after fresh funding was secured from the Zionist entity, which 

continues to bankroll the propaganda outlet to this day.

 

The case of Iran International highlights the broader ecosystem

 of external opposition groups targeting Iran. Many of these are 

financed through deniable intermediaries such as the National 

Endowment for Democracy & a network of affiliated agencies.

 

Journalist Alan MacLeod has recently documented several of 

these organizations in MintPress, including Human Rights 

Activists in Iran / Human Rights Activists News Agency,

the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights

in Iran, and the Centre for Human Rights in Iran. 

There are, however, many more such entities 

operating within this parallel infrastructure.

 

Leftist take on Iran

 

We should begin with those “leftists” who have historically held 

deeply flawed positions on “regime change” and the roles of 

the CIA, MI6, and Mossad.

 

Many are already familiar - with the limitations of figures such 

as Bernie Sanders, who spoke of an “abhorrent regime” and 

praised the “incredible courage” of Mossad-directed 

“protesters”; or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, often 

scathingly referred to by critics as “AOCIA”; or 

Jeremy Corbyn, who stated that he was 

“appalled by the killing of protesters”; 

or Zarah Sultana, who declared, 

 

“The images of body bags leave no doubt about the brutality 

of Iran’s repression, and a communications blackout

 is indefensible.”

 

In the UK, Owen Jones, Michael Walker of Novara Media, 

and many others followed the same pattern. For those 

who remain unconvinced on these points, I suggest 

consulting the sources linked in the 

preceding statements.

 

The “Mullahs”, the “Ayatollahs” and the “Islamists”

 

Part of the problem is that Islamophobia runs deep within 

the left. Often disguised... as morally upright secularism,

 a closer look reveals much more beneath the surface.

 

Back in 2017, I co-edited a book on Islamophobia -- which 

proposed a theory identifying five pillars of Islamophobia. 

 

Alongside Western states, neoconservatives, the Zionist 

movement, and the far-right, we argued that a fifth pillar 

was found within certain elements of leftist, secular, 

and feminist movements.

 

In the book, we examined the so-called pro-war left, the New 

Atheists, feminist groups, and strands of secularism. Back 

then, we concluded that:

 

It is clear that, while some within these groups did not initially 

set out, to campaign against the oppressive conditions faced 

by Muslims in the West, many have ultimately ended up there.

 

In this sense, we describe these movements as “social 

movements from above,” whose trajectories.... have 

effectively aligned them with other Islamophobic 

currents – whether intentionally or not.

 

However, the problem on the Western left runs much deeper.

 It permeates the core of anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist 

movements and is evident across the so-called 

‘revolutionary’ left.

 

Thus, beyond the “pro-war left,” when it comes to Iran, we must 

also critically examine the anti-war and pro-Palestine left.

 

Many on the left hold anti-theist and anti-Islamic views. Perhaps

 tentatively at first, they eventually adopt the racist language 

commonly used to describe Muslims and Muslim societies.

 

Terms like “Mullahs,” “Ayatollahs,” and “Islamists” – the latter, 

as I have argued elsewhere, being popularized by Zionist 

ideologues and curated by none other than Benjamin 

Netanyahu – come to be accepted.... as 

natural descriptors.

 

“Islamic fundamentalism”

 

Another key term in left-wing Islamophobia is “fundamentalism.”

 In the UK, a certain current of feminists formed a group called 

Women Against Fundamentalism, in the late 1980s.

 

They did not adopt a nuanced or narrow definition of 

“fundamentalism” limited to a small subset within 

religious movements. Rather, they explicitly 

stated (1994, p. 7) that they were referring

 to movements that “use religion as a 

basis” for political strategies.

 

This description - covers nearly all Muslim political movements, 

with the exception of a handful of Westernized secular groups

—almost all of which are funded by state-related interests.

 

By their definition, Christian liberation theology and even

the Quakers, a well-known liberal Christian group, 

would also qualify.

 

It is remarkable --- that this Islamophobic term was deemed

 appropriate for an organization claiming to be progressive, 

but there it is. One of the key activists, was Julia Bard, a 

member of the Jewish Socialists’ Group, raising several 

questions about that organization.

 

Others involved included Nira Yuval-Davis, who describes 

herself as “an anti-Zionist diasporic Israeli Jew,” a 

phrase that appears to legitimize the false Zionist 

notion that Jews outside Israel, constitute a 

diaspora and lends political legitimacy to

 the concept of “Israel.”

 

Perhaps the best-known figurehead of Women Against 

Fundamentalism was Gita Sahgal, infamous for 

labeling the civil rights group Cage as “Jihadi,” 

a subject I have explored in depth elsewhere. 

The term “Jihadi” is another Islamophobic 

label ....used to demonize Muslims 

engaged in political life.

 

Maryam Namazie and the secular/feminist/

communist  alliance ------ with Mossad

 

Gita Sahgal has also been closely associated with the Council 

of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB). For example, she appeared 

for “evening drinks” at a 2013 meeting alongside Maryam 

Namazie, the spokesperson for CEMB.

 

Founded in 2007, CEMB is an anti-Muslim organization. 

Namazie, who is Iranian, was prominent in the early 

October 2022 demonstrations against the Islamic 

Republic in Trafalgar Square on behalf of CEMB.

 

Images of her topless protest were subsequently

 removed by Instagram and Twitter.

 

That day, she joined forces with Islamophobic monarchists and 

other anti-government factions. Namazie is a former leading 

member of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran, though as

 of 2017 she still identified as a “communist.”

 

This has not prevented her from collaborating with far-right 

groups through her “anti-Shariah” campaign organization, 

One Law for All. Among its supporters from Islamophobic 

networks are prominent neoconservatives like Ayaan 

Hirsi Ali and Caroline Fourest, as well as Zionists 

such as Alan Johnson, who works for the 

Israeli lobby group BICOM.

 

Additionally, various UK anti-Muslim civil society groups, 

including the Lawyers’ Secular Society, the National 

Secular Society, Women Against Fundamentalism 

(mentioned earlier), and British Muslims for 

Secular Democracy, have been involved.

 

One Law for All - has also worked closely with far-right figure 

Baroness Cox, who is known for inviting Dutch Islamophobe 

Geert Wilders to the UK.

 

On January 16 of this year, Namazie published a piece on

 the website of the Islamophobic UK NGO, the National 

Secular Society, titled Iran: The Generation That 

Broke Faith with Theocracy.

 

The article echoed many of the main falsehoods circulated 

by Mossad and CIA-linked actors, including blaming deaths 

caused by foreign-backed terrorists on the police and 

Basij, claiming that families must pay for the bullets 

that killed their loved ones, in order to reclaim 

their bodies, and more.

 

Left opposition and ‘workerism’

 

There is also a tendency ---- to seize upon any criticism 

of governments in Western-designated enemy states. 

Liberal opposition suffices, but it’s often preferable

 if it can be framed as left-wing or ‘progressive’ 

criticism or revolt. Thus, Owen Jones has 

made himself appear misguided.... by 

citing Tudeh, the marginal, counter

-revolutionary, and Islamophobic 

Iranian “Communist” party.

 

The naive “workerism” prevalent among large sections of the 

left is also noteworthy. Consequently, many leftists have 

circulated statements from unions in Tehran and 

elsewhere, attempting to leverage these as 

proof of genuine grassroots dissent,

thereby obscuring the cover they 

provide to acts of terror.

 

One of the more sophisticated examples of this approach 

appeared in a piece published by Progressive 

International, the think tank funded in part 

by proceeds from the Sanders Institute, 

established by Bernie Sanders.

 

While the article offered an otherwise nuanced analysis of the 

forces arrayed against the Islamic Republic, it slipped into 

imagining that workers’ struggles in Iran might be free 

from foreign intervention. However, as British writer 

Phil Bevin demonstrates, the backing of such 

actions by the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) 

terror cult --- seriously undermines 

these arguments.

 

It comes as no surprise that Progressive International, with its 

star-studded roster of intellectuals including Noam Chomsky, 

Jeremy Corbyn, and Yanis Varoufakis --- is also a strong 

supporter of the recently collapsed CIA operation in

 northeast Syria, commonly known as Rojava.

 

Those involved in running Rojava.. are closely linked to the 

Sanders-Corbyn political current. Its director, David Adler, 

came from the Sanders Institute, and communications 

director James Schneider, is the highly controversial 

former spin doctor for Corbyn. Their involvement 

inthe “Justice for Kurds” campaign aligns 

seamlessly with their effective cover 

for CIA and Mossad-backed terror 

in Iran.

 

Anti-zionists against Islam

 

Here are some words from a self-proclaimed anti-Zionist

 and supporter of Palestinian liberation, spoken within 

the last fortnight.

 

To be clear, this is not someone who is a “watermelon” 

supporter of Palestinian “rights,” but a genuine 

supporter of the resistance and the liberation 

of Palestine, at least according to their 

public statements.

 

“Yes, Israel and the USA were involved in attacking the regime 

during the protests, but to miss the hatred of the Iranian 

people for the repressive, corrupt, theocratic rule of 

the Mullahs is racist and orientalist. The clerical 

regime of Iran is bated in the blood of their 

own people.”

 

“The clerical regime in Iran bears resemblance to fascism.”

 

“I happen to believe that when religion takes over 

the state, it inevitably means it is repressive.”

 

It is truly breathtaking to hear these racist beliefs spill from the 

mouths of self-proclaimed anti-racists and anti-Zionists. Every 

term from the Islamophobic bingo card is there: “regime,” 

“theocratic,” “mullahs,” “repressive,” and, of 

course, “fascism.”

 

This example is just one of many that reveal how deeply 

Islamophobic ideas run on the left — including within 

anti-Zionist circles, Jewish anti-Zionist 

groups included.

 

Revolutionary socialists for Mossad terror

 

Here is a ‘revolutionary socialist’ posting on Facebook, a 

post that received 172 likes from prominent British and 

international leftists, including many members of 

Trotskyist groups such as Counterfire and the 

Socialist Workers Party.

 

The author, John Clarke, a Canadian academic and socialist 

activist, opened his brief piece by stating that “the struggle 

in Iran should be supported but, at the same time, we must 

speak out against US and Israeli interference 

and intervention.”

 

There seems to be no recognition... that this amounts to 

simultaneously supporting Mossad and condemning it. 

 

Clarke goes on to acknowledge that “there is no

doubt that Western and Israeli intelligence 

agencies are seeking to influence the 

movement in Iran.

 

Doubtless, there are also reactionary and monarchist 

elements on the ground who are doing all they can 

to ensure the struggle serves US interests.”

 

In reality, the original demonstrations beginning December 28th 

were protests over economic grievances, not protests against 

the Islamic Republic itself. The left appears oblivious to the 

internal political dynamics at play. When Pahlavists and 

Mossad agents showed up, they were roundly 

condemned by the demonstrators.

 

Following the two nights of rioting and terror -- instigated by 

Mossad and its recruits, million-strong marches took place 

in Tehran and other cities across the country. Virtually no 

Western leftist - has acknowledged this massive display 

of national unity.

 

Most strikingly, Clarke quotes Lenin on the 1916 Easter Rising 

in Ireland, writing that Lenin “took on those who focused on 

the imperfect form of the struggle and stressed the way 

forward that it pointed to.” While true, it is utterly 

fanciful to compare an anti-colonial uprising in 

Ireland --- to a Mossad-orchestrated terror 

attack in Iran.

 

The latter signals the potential end of the Islamic Republic, the 

balkanization of Iran, and its elimination as a threat to the so-

called “Greater Israel” project and the leading global 

supporter of Palestinian resistance.

 

Clarke claims socialists - should offer “winning strategies,” but 

Mossad and CIA subversion of the Islamic Republic is a losing 

strategy, both for the prospects of socialist revolution and for 

human civilization.

 

It is also - a surefire way to guarantee full Zionist triumph in 

Palestine, expansion into Greater Israel, and even further, 

towards a new Jewish empire.

 

The New Left for “nuanced” analysis

 

Then there is the tendency to produce “sophisticated” and 

“nuanced” academic-style writing that deliberately says 

very little. Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, an Iranian 

lecturer at the University of St Andrews, writes

 on the New Left Review blog:

 

“Some cast the unrest as an imminent revolutionary rupture; 

others as exclusively the product of foreign destabilization; 

still others as the delayed reckoning of a society finally 

pushed beyond endurance. Each captures part of the 

picture, but none adequately explains the dynamics 

of the present conjuncture. What is unfolding is 

better understood as the convergence of 

accumulated social exhaustion, acute 

distributive shock - and a crisis of 

governance... which the Islamic 

Republic no longer possesses 

the ideological, bureaucratic 

or fiscal resources 

to manage.”

 

So far, so apparently nuanced. But there is a red flag in that 

phrase “present conjuncture,” which signals that this 

account ultimately carries water for Mossad-

backed terror.

 

This term -------- is a staple of poststructuralist and postmodern

 academic work, which often tries to maintain the appearance

 of a radical, even Marxist, spirit. It originates.. from Italian 

Marxist Antonio Gramsci’s work, later adopted by French 

structuralist Marxist Louis Althusser, whose “glacial 

grip,” as Terry Eagleton put it, was passed on to 

British cultural studies scholar Stuart Hall 

and his followers.

 

The problem is, that by the time Hall domesticated the concept 

in the 1980s, it had been stripped of any recognisable Marxist 

or anti-imperialist politics. Now, forty years later, the term is 

confined to academic debates and has no practical use 

whatsoever for actual movements seeking to defeat

 imperial power.

 

And so it is that only a few paragraphs later, we find this:

 

At the same time, there is video evidence of armed protesters 

confronting security forces with knives, machetes, and, in 

some cases, firearms, supposedly indicating how years 

of repression have radicalized segments of 

the opposition.

 

The evidence for this claim is, of course, nonexistent. These 

weapons did not arise from the radicalization of Iranian 

citizens but were supplied by foreign 

intelligence agencies.

 

Moreover, this narrative completely ignores the open boasting 

by Mossad and even Mike Pompeo’s January 2nd post on X, 

claiming Mossad agents were on the ground. Did Sadeghi-

Boroujerdi overlook this crucial information in his 

research? In fact, the word “Mossad” does not

 appear once in his piece.

 

The most glaring failure of analysis is the suggestion that 

Mossad’s involvement only strengthened the Islamic 

Republic’s arguments.

 

“Acknowledging foreign interference does not mean endorsing 

the claim that the nationwide protests were purely foreign-

engineered. A widespread uprising... rooted in years of 

social and economic hardship, cannot be reduced to 

external intelligence machinations—even if Israeli 

and US agencies - sought to hijack it. What they 

chiefly achieved, was to provide a convenient 

alibi for repression, reframing the protests 

as a continuation of the June war, 

thereby... justifying a state of 

exception under the guise 

of national security.”

 

This is a truly awful way to describe an assault on the very 

foundations of the Islamic Revolution. Unsurprisingly, 

Sadeghi-Boroujerdi resorts to the racist label 

“Islamist” in his analysis of the Republic.

 

He closes his post by lamenting a “rapidly narrowing space for 

political agency.” Yet in this context, the idea of “agency” 

reeks of one of the key CIA talking points routinely 

deployed in regime change operations, an 

agenda tied closely to a specific 

intelligence agency.

 

In the end, there is no way around it: the international left is, 

at best, providing cover for and advancing Zionist efforts to 

destroy the Islamic Republic – and with it, the material 

defense of the Palestinians.

 

At worst, they are direct collaborators in the Zionist assault on 

Iran and -- by clear extension -- in the genocide in the Levant. 

And if they are Iranian, they are traitors to their own people.

 

David Miller is the producer and co-host of Press TV’s weekly 

Palestine Declassified show.  He was sacked from Bristol 

University in October 2021 over his Palestine advocacy. 

 

(The views expressed in this article do 

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV)





Image: National Girl Child Day 2026 in India

 

  Today, January 24th, is

 

National Girl Child Day 2026 in India

 

National Girl Child Day is observed on January 24 

every year, highlighting India's commitment to 

supporting, uplifting, and empowering girls

 in all sections of society. 

 

National Girl Child Day highlights the need to address issues

 like gender bias, female foeticide, child marriage, poor 

nutrition, health disparities, and limited access 

to education. 

 

 It was in 2008 that the concept of National Girl Child Day was 

launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, 

and the observance continues to serve as a powerful 

platform to highlight the rights of girl children and 

the challenges they still face. 

 

Despite the claims of improving social and health indices, girl 

children in many parts of India still face discrimination and 

strive to get equal opportunities in various fields including 

academics, science and technology, sports, the defence 

services, and leadership roles.

 

National Girl Child Day reiterates a core national message: 

every girl has the right to be born, to live with dignity, to 

receive education, and to lead with confidence. 

 

The day underscores India’s broader goal of achieving 

gender equality and ensuring the holistic development 

of its daughters. Across India ---- schools, colleges, 

government bodies, and NGOs are expected to 

organise... awareness rallies, educational 

workshops, debates, and community 

programmes. 

 

Felicitation ceremonies honouring girl achievers in sports, 

STEM, academics, and social leadership aim to inspire 

young girls and shift community perceptions. 

 

All these programmes -- focus on improving girls' education, 

providing them financial assistance through scholarships, 

health and wellbeing and also creating awareness about 

child marriage and gender-based violence. 

 

Educational sessions on legal rights, digital literacy, 

and career guidance form a key part of the 

nationwide activities. 

 

The day also draws attention to the importance of girls’ health, 

particularly during adolescence. Health experts emphasise 

that addressing issues such as undernutrition and 

anaemia can significantly improve educational 

outcomes and long-term economic potential,

 creating positive intergenerational impact. 

 

As India marks National Girl Child Day 2026, the observance 

stands as a reminder that empowering girls is not just a 

social responsibility but a national priority - essential 

for building an inclusive, progressive, and 

sustainable future.






 

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.



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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