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 They call from Venezuela 

to embody José Martí 

in necessary unity

Caracas, May 21st, 1:25pm

 (Prensa Latina) 

 

The deputy of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Blanca 

Eekhout called today to embody José Martí for the necessary 

unity and brotherhood of the peoples, due to the violent and 

irrational policy of the US.

 

Upon receiving the Order with the name of the Cuban National 

Hero, granted by the Council of the Bolivarian Liberator 

Municipality of Caracas, the president of the Simón 

Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity among 

Peoples (ISB), affirmed ------- that it is not a 

recognition, but a commitment.

 

He said he assumed it as more for the collective, than any

individual, on behalf of the Venezuela-Cuba Friendship 

and Mutual Solidarity Movement, social movements 

and the ISB Articulating Council, created by the

constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro.

 

The Venezuelan politician recalled the first visit of Commander 

Hugo Chávez to Cuba in 1994 when he declared that the 21st 

century will be that of hope, resurrection, and the dream of 

José Martí and Latin America.

 

He stressed, quoting the Bolivarian leader, that this union 

between Chávez and Fidel allowed for the construction 

of a new way of understanding the unity of peoples 

and mentioned as an example the emergence of 

the Bolivarian Alliance --- for the Peoples of 

Our America.

 

This bloc of integration, he said, was able to bring education, 

& health, to work miracles in a continent and far beyond, it 

is still alive - and that is why the "desperate and imperial 

barbarism" is trying to do what it cannot through ideas.

 

He stressed that U.S. imperialism now intends to impose 

its policy through fear, violence, dehumanization and 

irrationality "to confuse us" and force us to believe 

that what has been done so far "has not worked 

or is lost."

 

More than honouring him and following him, at this moment "it is
to embody José Martí," who knew, in the most difficult moment, 

what his task was to sow the seed so that the children of 

Cuba would reap the fruits of dignity and freedom, and 

go on to liberate an entire continent,' he said.

 

In statements to Prensa Latina, Eekhout considered it an honour

to receive this Order in the current circumstances - and urged to 

be Bolívar, Martí, Fidel and Chávez because "it is not enough to 

follow their ideas, share them and applaud them," but we have 

to embody them ------ because, as never before, we need unity 

and brotherhood.

 

In addition to the president of the ISB, the Order was awarded

to the Cuban researcher of the Pedro Pablo Rodríguez Centre

for Martí Studies, on whose behalf she was received by the 

Havana ambassador in Caracas, Jorge Luis Mayo, whom 

she thanked, for the gesture.

 

Councilman Alexander Berroterán ------- exalted the figure of the 

Apostle as the first Bolivarian of America, whose vision - made 

millions free in Cuba, which spread throughout Latin America
and his thought is valid - in the concrete action of peoples 

determined to be free - and resist the US' evil onslaught.


Berroteran described as "fallacious, ---- blindly arrogant" the 

accusation of the US Department of Justice against Army 

General Raúl Castro, "a brother of Venezuela, friend of 

Chávez, Maduro and us" and ratified the solidarity 

of the people of Caracas with Cuba ----- and the 

leader of the Revolution.

 

 

______________________________________



Young Cuban Communists 

Ratify Allegiance to 

Raul Castro

May 21st, 10:43am

 (Prensa Latina)

 

 The Union of Young Communists (UJC), Cuba's youth vanguard, 

today condemned in the strongest terms the false accusation 

of the United States government against Raul Castro, and 

ratified its loyalty to the leader of the Revolution.

 

In a statement issued on Thursday, the young people of 

the Caribbean nation denounced the U.S. attempt to 

manipulate the facts, revealing that "Brothers to 

the Rescue is a terrorist organization, based 

in Miami, with links to drug trafficking,

and which repeatedly violated 

Cuban airspace."

 

The text lists the multiple acts of sabotage,
assassinations and espionage against the
Caribbean country carried out for years
---- by these same terrorists.

 

The U.S. government is trying to dishonestly distort the 

facts and is untruthful by pointing the finger at Cuba, 

the statement said, "Our government reported more 

than 25 violations of our national airspace by that 

organization in just two years, between 1994 and 

1996. The seriousness of these violations - and 

the possible consequences, were given then."

 

The UJC showed in the statement that the false allegations 

that are being promoted today are desperate, fraudulent 

attempts to justify and provoke a military aggression 

against the largest of the Antilles' islands.

 

In response, the statement stresses, "young Cubans ratify 

our loyalty to Army General Raúl Castro Ruz --- 95 years 

after his birth: he ----- is our living example of nobility, 

integrity, patriotism, and fidelity to the Revolution."

 

The National Bureau of the Union of Young Communists --- 

signs the declaration, under the headline "Young Cubans

--------- are not going to be manipulated by our history!"








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


















 US.. will lose foothold in West Asia 
- and be forced out: Iran's Velayati


May 21st, 8:43pm


Al Mayadeen English


 


Iranian officials warn that the United States will be forced out


 of West Asia amid escalating tensions following US-Israeli 


aggression, while Tehran --- highlights its domestic unity.


 


Iran has issued a sweeping warning that the United States will 


ultimately be forced out of West Asia, as tensions continue to 


escalate in the aftermath of the US-Israeli aggression on Iran.


 


Ali Akbar Velayati.. senior advisor to the Iranian Leader on 


international affairs, said the Islamic Republic - was fully 


capable of confronting the United States independently, 


adding that “Iran’s friends across the world know, and 


its adversaries must also realize” ....its strategic 


resilience - and its ability to confront the US 


on its own.


 


He said Washington would “no longer have a foothold” in the 


region and would eventually be compelled to withdraw, 


framing the US presence in West Asia as part of a 


broader pattern of geopolitical contestation... 


and military and political pressure.


 


Velayati also accused the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain 


of adopting “the worst positions” in relation to the US-


Israeli aggression on Iran.


 


Separately, he stated -- that Iraq’s Kurdistan Region maintains 


close relations with "Israel", in contrast to Baghdad’s official 


position, and suggested.... that the region has become a 


logistical hub for Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.


 


Iran praises domestic unity -
amid US-Israeli threats


 


On the domestic level, the Iranian presidency - has rejected 


claims that foreign-backed efforts to generate armed riots 


have succeeded, insisting instead - that such attempts 


have been defeated ---- by Iran's national unity and 


public resilience.


 


Ismail Saghab Esfahani ----- who serves as an Iranian Vice 


President and an advisor to the Iranian leadership, said 


that “the enemies’ scheme to create chaos inside Iran 


has failed,” attributing the current stability ----- to the 


“steadfastness and resistance of the people.”


 


He added that Iranian citizens had also been the popular 


support base during the US-Israeli aggression, framing 


domestic cohesion as a decisive factor in countering 


efforts to destabilize the country.


 


Large-scale demonstrations... have taken place across the 


country over recent months ---- with a massive number of 


Iranian citizens expressing support for the government 


and condemning the US-Israeli aggression against 


their country.


 


Crowds gathered nightly in multiple cities, presenting the 


demonstrations as a show of rejection of the external 


pressure ---- and solidarity with the state, amid the


heightened regional tensions.


 


Public demonstrations have served as evidence of domestic 


unity, first rejecting armed riots and later --- withstanding 


Israeli and US bombings.


 


 


Source: Agencies


 


 


___________________________________


 


 


 


Hezbollah unveils Ababil FPVs 


deployed in its Southern


Lebanon operations


May 21st, 8:14pm


Al Mayadeen English


 


The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon continues its operations 


along the Lebanese-Palestinian border ----  targeting Israeli 


occupation forces’ troop gatherings and military vehicles.


 


The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah carried out a 


series of coordinated attacks on May 20 and 21, targeting 


Israeli enemy army positions across several towns in 


southern Lebanon -- using rocket barrages, artillery 


shelling, and swarms of suicide drones, including 


Ababil drones, a name taken from the Quranic 


verse: (And He sent against them birds


 [Ababil] in flocks).


 


Following are operations carried out on May 20:


 


At 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm, resistance fighters targeted an Israeli 


artillery encampment in the town of Odaisseh in southern 


Lebanon with a swarm of one-way attack drones.


 


At 2:20 pm, resistance fighters ---- targeted an Israeli artillery 


position in the city of Bint Jbeil with a one-way attack drone.


 


At 3:30 pm, resistance fighters targeted an Israeli artillery
encampment in the town of Rcheif with a one-way 


attack drone.


 


At 4:50 pm, resistance fighters - targeted a grouping of Israeli 


vehicles and soldiers in the town of Haddatha with a swarm 


of suicide drones.


 


At 6:50 pm, resistance fighters -- targeted a grouping of Israeli 


enemy army vehicles and soldiers in the towns of al-Bayyada 


and al-Naqoura with a swarm of one-way attack drones.


 


Following are operations carried out on May 21:


 


At 12:00 am, resistance fighters targeted groupings of Israeli 


army vehicles and soldiers in the towns of Dibl and Rsheif 


with rocket barrages.


 


At 12:10 am, resistance fighters targeted a grouping of 


Israeli vehicles and soldiers in the town of al-Bayyada 


with a rocket barrage. 


 


At 12:30 am, resistance fighters targeted groupings of Israeli 


army vehicles and soldiers in the town of Dibl and the 


outskirts of the town of Haddatha with a swarm 


of one-way attack drones.


 


Between 12:00 am and 02:00 am, resistance fighters carried out 


a wide-scale fire raid on all positions of the Israeli enemy army 


in the towns of Dibl and Rsheif ..and the outskirts of the town 


of Haddatha, using one-way attack drones and heavy rocket 


barrages in repeated waves.


 


At 9:20 am, resistance fighters targeted a grouping of Israeli 


army soldiers near the riverbed on the outskirts of the town 


of Deir Seryan with artillery shells and a rocket barrage.


 


At 10:45 am, resistance fighters targeted a grouping of Israeli 


enemy army soldiers and vehicles in the town of al-Qawzah 


with artillery shells.


 


At 12:00 pm, resistance fighters targeted an Israeli engineering


 vehicle at Khallet al-Raj in the town of Deir Seryan with an 


FPV, achieving a confirmed hit.


 


At 12:10 pm, resistance fighters targeted a grouping of Israeli 


enemy army vehicles and soldiers in the town of Rsheif with


 a swarm of Ababil FPVs.


 


At 3:35 pm, resistance fighters targeted an Israeli Namer vehicle 


in Dibl town ----- with an Ababil FPV, achieving a confirmed hit.


 


At 6:55 pm and 7:00 pm, resistance fighters targeted groupings 


of Israeli enemy army vehicles and soldiers near the port of 


the town of al-Naqoura and in the town of Tayr Harfa with 


a swarm of Ababil FPVs, achieving confirmed hits.


 


Also at 6:55 pm and 7:00 pm, resistance fighters targeted 


groupings of Israeli enemy army vehicles and soldiers 


in the towns of al-Naqoura and Dibl with a swarm of 


one-way attack drones.


 


Hezbollah's FPV drones expose Israeli military crisis


 


On a related note, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported earlier 


today that Israeli military commanders and settlers in the 


north - are experiencing deep frustration and anger over 


military and political stagnation on the Lebanon front, 


amid the continued confrontations with Hezbollah,
along the border.


 


The newspaper reported that the Israeli military was "marking 


time on a secondary front", unable to advance or impose a 


new security reality, while Hezbollah continued to dictate 


the pace of the fighting.


 


The newspaper cited military sources -- saying that explosive 


FPV drones operated by Hezbollah using fibre-optic systems 


had become the leading cause of injuries among the Israeli 


troops... with the military unable to find technological or
electronic solutions....... to intercept them.


 


 


Source: Hezbollah - Military Media


 


 


______________________________________



IRGC Navy coordinates safe passage of


 31 commercial vessels through the


Strait of Hormuz


May 21st, 4:15pm


(PressTV) 


 


The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says 


31 commercial vessels, including oil tankers and 


container ships, have safely passed through the 


Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours under 


the coordination and protection of its Navy 


despite unprecedented insecurity caused 


by the “terrorist US military” in the 


Persian Gulf region.


 


“Despite the aggression of the terrorist US military and the 


creation of unprecedented insecurity in the Persian Gulf 


- particularly in the Strait of Hormuz - the IRGC Navy 


sought to establish a clear and secure route, for 


the passage and continuation of global trade,”


 reads their statement.


 


The Iranian authority controlling the Strait of Hormuz in the 


Persian Gulf has defined the supervisory management 


zone of the waterway, announcing on Wednesday 


that movement through the strategic corridor 


requires coordination - and a permit.


 


The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said in a post on its 


official X account that the management zone ---- is "the line 


connecting Mount Mubarak in Iran and southern Fujairah 


in the United Arab Emirates, on the eastern side of the 


strait ...extending to the line connecting the end of 


Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the 


United Arab Emirates, on the western side of


 the strait."


 


"Movement within this area -- for passage through the Strait 


of Hormuz requires coordination" with the PGSA...... "and 


obtaining a permit from this body," the authority added.


 


Iran shut down the waterway to enemies and their allies in 


retaliation for the latest round of unprovoked aggression 


by the United States and Israel.


 


Tehran began applying stricter controls --- after US President 


Donald Trump announced on April 13 the continuation of an 


illegal naval blockade of Iranian vessels and ports, which 


Iran said violated the terms of a ceasefire ---- Trump had 


unilaterally announced ---- earlier that month.


 


Iran introduced the PGSA as a new institutional mechanism 


to regulate and oversee vessel traffic through the strait. 


In its first post on X, the authority said the account 


would provide real-time updates on operations in 


the waterway ---- and developments related to 


maritime transit management.


 


Iranian officials said the new communication channel is part of 


a wider operational system designed to improve coordination 


with commercial shipping.


 


Under the mechanism, vessels intending to pass through 


the strait receive direct electronic notifications outlining


any applicable rules, regulations, and procedural 


requirements ...before transit.


 


 


________________________________






Barakah ------ false flag: How Israeli drones 
targeted UAE nuclear plant to frame Iran, 


unleash nuclear catastrophe


May 21st, 2:06pm


by Ivan Kesic


(PressTV)


 


A drone strike on an electrical generator just outside the inner 


perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United 


Arab Emirates on May 17, 2026, suddenly brought the 


Persian Gulf to the brink of an environmental and 


nuclear catastrophe.


 


Iranian military sources have confirmed -- what the evidence 


overwhelmingly suggests: the attack was carried out by the 


Israeli military in a calculated provocation designed to 


push the UAE toward greater hostility against the 


Islamic Republic of Iran.


 


The UAE now finds itself at the epicentre of a dangerously 


escalating crisis following the attack on its only nuclear 


power facility, which, if breached, could irradiate the 


entire region.


 


While Emirati officials have made veiled accusations pointing 


toward Iran, couched in ambiguous statements about the 


drones' origin, a sober examination of the technical 


evidence - tells a different story. The flight path 


impossibilities, the operational sophistication 


required, and the consistent, decades-long 


pattern of US-Israeli false-flag operations 


across the Persian Gulf region ---- all 


converge on a single point.


 


Iranian military sources --- have explicitly identified the Zionist 


regime as the perpetrator. The attack serves Israeli interests, 


with surgical precision: driving a wedge between Iran and its 


Persian Gulf Arab neighbours, sowing regional discord, and 


creating a pretext for further escalation, all while the 


regime in Tel Aviv celebrates the chaos 


and destabilization.


 


The Barakah plant, situated on the UAE's far western coast near 


the Saudi border, is not an ordinary industrial site. It houses 


thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Any direct hit, 


or even a well-placed strike on its supporting 


infrastructure.... could have triggered a 


catastrophic release of radioactivity, 


poisoning the entire Persian Gulf.


 


The consequences would not have respected borders: Iran's 


own coastline, from Asaluyeh to Bandar Abbas, would have 


been among the first to suffer. This -- was not an attack on 


the UAE alone. It was an attack on the Persian Gulf itself.


 


Attack on Barakah nuclear plant
and official UAE statements


 


The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant sits in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra 


region, approximately 225 kilometres west of the UAE capital, 


hard against the Saudi border. Its location is strategic and 


so is its vulnerability.


 


Construction work on the facility began in 2012.... and the first 


reactor became commercially operational in 2021. Today, the 


facility boasts four advanced APR-1400 pressurized water 


reactors, developed in South Korea, each capable of 


generating 1,400 megawatts of electricity.


 


According to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation ---- the 


plant's reactors produce 40 terawatt-hours annually, meeting 


roughly 25 percent of the UAE's total electricity needs. It is 


a cornerstone of the country's energy strategy ....and its 


flagship nuclear achievement.


 


The environmental benefits are substantial: the plant saves 


up to 22.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, 


equivalent to removing 4.8 million cars from the roads. 


But beneath these impressive figures lies a sobering 


reality. Those same reactors house thousands of 


kilograms of nuclear material. What powers the 


Emirates ----- could also poison it.


 


On May 17, Abu Dhabi authorities responded to a fire that 


broke out in an external electrical generator located 


outside the plant's inner perimeter, a critical 


component whose destruction could 


cascade into larger systems. 


 


Officials insisted there was no impact on radiological safety 


levels and that all units continued operating normally.


 


But the official narrative began to fray almost immediately. The 


UAE Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense systems 


intercepted three drones that had entered Emirati airspace. 


Two were successfully destroyed, the ministry said. The 


third ------ struck the generator.


 


And then came the telling detail – one that speaks louder than 


any statement. For the first time in several weeks, the UAE 


Defense Ministry did not claim.... that the drones had 


entered the country from Iran.


 


Previous allegations of Iranian origin had never been confirmed 


by Iran's Armed Forces. The absence of the usual accusation, 


was itself an admission. And the evidence, as Iranian military 


sources confirm, points not east to Iran, but west to Tel Aviv.


 


IAEA assessment of the attack's grave implications


 


On May 19, 2026, the Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency addressed the United Nations 


Security Council. His assessment was stark ---


and deeply alarming.


 


The IAEA chief confirmed that a drone strike on the morning 


of May 17 caused a fire in an electrical generator located 


outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah plant. 


Radiation levels remained normal and no 


injuries were reported.


 


On the surface, these details offered a narrow sigh of relief. 


But he then laid bare the true gravity of what nearly 


transpired. He made clear that a direct hit on the 


Barakah Nuclear Power Plant could result in a 


very high release of radioactivity into 


the environment.


 


Even a strike that merely disabled the power supply lines to 


the plant, he explained, could increase the likelihood of 


reactor core melts, the nightmare scenario --- that 


nuclear safety regimes are designed to prevent. 


A meltdown at Barakah would not be a local 


problem but a regional catastrophe.


 


In their worst cases, both scenarios would necessitate urgent 


protective actions: mass evacuations, population sheltering, 


and the distribution of stable iodine tablets to prevent 


thyroid cancer. The reach of such measures would 


extend from a few kilometres to several hundred 


kilometres. Radiation monitoring would need to 


cover distances.... of hundreds of kilometres. 


Food restrictions - would likely need to be 


imposed across multiple countries.


 


The IAEA chief did not stop at technical warnings. Attacks


on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes are 


unacceptable, he said, consistent with IAEA General 


Conference resolutions. He added that such 


attacks are even more dangerous when 


directed against operating nuclear 


power plants – whether 


Zaporizhzhya, Kursk, 


Bushehr, Barakah, 


or any other. 


 


Nuclear power plants, he noted, are protected 


under international humanitarian law.


 


He then called for maximum restraint, stating that military 


attacks against nuclear power plants and other nuclear 


facilities ---- carry undeniable risks.


 


The message was clear: the world came closer than it knows 


to a nuclear environmental disaster in the Persian Gulf. And 


the only reason the catastrophe was avoided was not that 


the attack was minor, but because the drone struck a 


secondary target rather than the core itself. That 


is not a measure of safety.


 


Iranian military sources identify
Israeli responsibility


 


An informed Iranian military source has delivered a decisive and 


informed assessment of the May 17 drone attack on the UAE's 


Barakah nuclear facility: it was the handiwork of Israel.


 


The source, cited by a local news agency, said the Zionist 


regime is deliberately seeking to push the UAE toward 


deeper, more negative involvement in the region – 


against Iran and other Islamic nations. It is an 


operational reading of enemy intent.


 


He further noted that the UAE has engaged in various malicious 


actions over the past three months, while Iran, for its part, has 


clearly announced the operations it has carried out against 


the UAE, for its direct and indirect involvement in the 


recent war against Iran.


 


Transparency, in this context, is a form of warning. The same 


cannot be said of Tel Aviv. Some of the attacks targeting the 


UAE, the source emphasized, were also conducted by the 


Israeli regime – operating in the shadows, using proxies 


and false flags, always to maximize regional chaos 


while minimizing its own exposure.


 


The military source then delivered a blunt strategic advice to 


Abu Dhabi. The UAE should realize – more clearly than ever 


before – that friendship with the child-killing Israeli regime 


brings neither security nor economic benefit. Instead, it 


inflicts severe damage on the Arab country's security, 


economy, and regional reputation.


 


The source ------ further reaffirmed Iran's consistent position: the 


Islamic Republic harbors no hostility toward any country in the 


region. On the contrary, Iran has repeatedly called on regional 


states to collectively ensure the security of this strategic 


part of the world, and to utilize their abundant resources 


for the welfare of their peoples, rather than squandering 


them on imported wars and foreign-backed adventurism.


 


This assessment ---- is not new. It aligns with earlier Iranian 


diplomatic communications. On May 15, 2026, just two 


days before the drone strike, Iranian Foreign Minister 


Abbas Araghchi stated during a BRICS meeting that 


the UAE had stood alongside the United States and 


the Israeli regime ---- during the recent aggression 


against Iran.


 


He added that he had personally advised the UAE 


representative that neither the Zionist regime 


nor the United States can bring security


 to the Emirates.


 


Technical contradictions - in Emirati claims


 


The UAE Ministry of Defense did not directly accuse any 


regional actor of responsibility for the attack. Instead, 


it offered two pieces of information: first, that the 


drone struck the power plant from the western 


border; second, that it was launched from


 Iraqi territory, along with the two other 


alleged downed drones.


 


This constitutes a subtle, indirect accusation 


against Iran, channeled through its allies 


in the Iraqi Axis of Resistance.


 


There is a problem, however. The second official 


Emirati claim is inconsistent with the first. And 


both are technically unfounded, as the 


assessment reveals.


 


The Barakah nuclear power plant is located on the far western 


coast of the UAE, relatively close to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 


Any drone targeting the facility, would have followed one 


of two possible flight paths: either over the Persian Gulf 


from the north, or over the Saudi mainland from the 


west and south.


 


Consider the first option. An attack launched from Iranian soil 


would require the drone to arrive over the sea from the north. 


Yet Emirati officials themselves have denied this scenario, 


explicitly citing the western border as the point of origin.


In other words, not from Iran – from Saudi Arabia, a 


country ......conspicuously absent from the 


ministry's announcement.


 


Now consider the second option, combined with the claim that


 the drone's flight originated in Iraq. This represents a serious 


and unspoken indictment of Riyadh. It would mean that the 


drone flew over ....at least 800 kilometres of the Saudi 


mainland, traversing the more densely populated 


and energy-critical eastern coastline, a region 


blanketed by radar systems ---- without 


triggering any reaction - from Saudi 


air defenses or the Royal Saudi 


Air Force.


 


Kamikaze drones are indeed difficult to detect by radar due to 


their small cross-section and low-altitude flight, but that very 


difficulty - cuts against the Emirati claim.


 


If the drone was so hard to track, then tracing its origin to Iraq 


– a distance of approximately 1,000 kilometres – becomes 


virtually impossible. The UAE cannot simultaneously 


argue that its radars identified the launch point and 


that the drone was too stealthy to be intercepted 


along a 1,000-kilometre path.


 


The UAE operates several layers of air-defense radars..... with 


vastly different ranges. That layered architecture is designed 


precisely to prevent such ambiguities. Yet the official 


narrative leaves more questions than answers, 


however indirectly ---- toward uncomfortable 


truths about regional airspace, complicity, 


and ---- the real actors behind the attack.


 


The UAE's long-range AN/TPY-2 radar, integrated with the 


THAAD missile-defense system, can reportedly detect 


ballistic missiles at roughly 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres 


- under optimal conditions. General air-surveillance 


radars like the Ground Master 400 typically track 


aircraft out to about 470 to 515 kilometres.


 


Patriot system radars, used for engagement and fire control, 


usually operate in the 150 to 300-plus kilometre range, 


depending on target type and altitude.


 


None of these radars can detect the launch or low-altitude


 flight of a small kamikaze drone originating in Iraq. That 


is a technical fact, not a matter of interpretation.


 


Even if the Emiratis possessed precise intelligence from Iraq 


about the exact time and location of the drone's launch, a 


highly unlikely scenario given the operational security of 


such attacks, a more fundamental question remains.


 


Why would Abu Dhabi not inform its Saudi neighbours that a 


hostile drone would be traversing at least 800 kilometres 


of the Saudi mainland, flying freely for up to five hours, 


without any reaction from Saudi air defenses? The 


absence of such a notification... is telling.


 


What can be determined with certainty - is this: the drone attack


 was indeed carried out from the western border and over Saudi 


territory. And, there is no evidence – technical or otherwise – 


to support the claim that it was launched from Iraq.


 


Now consider Iran's position. The Islamic Republic operates its 


own nuclear power plant, Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf coast. 


Both Bushehr & Barakah are used exclusively for electricity 


production. Both operate under IAEA supervision. Both 


incorporate international management – Russian at 


Bushehr, South Korean at Barakah. Neither can 


be diverted for military purposes. Tehran has 


consistently denounced US-Israeli attacks 


on the Bushehr nuclear complex and has 


never labeledthe Emirati Barakah plant 


as a hostile target.


 


The strategic logic is irrefutable. Radiation from a damaged 


Barakah nuclear power plant would not respect borders. It 


would affect every country in the Persian Gulf region – 


including Iran itself. The plant sits on the coast at 


the widest part of the Persian Gulf, between Iran,


 the UAE, and Qatar, where sea currents.... 


move counterclockwise.


 


That means radioactive contamination would particularly 


affect the Iranian coast between Asaluyeh and Bandar 


Abbas ------ the country's most important energy, 


transport, natural, and tourist coastal zone.


 


Tehran -- has no conceivable interest in attacking a facility 


whose destruction would directly poison its own shores. 


The only parties ------with both the capability and the 


incentive to carry out such a strike -- are those 


who would remain... untouched by its 


radiological consequences -- and 


who stand to benefit from the 


regional chaos ------ that 


would follow.


 


US-Israeli false flag campaign 


using cloned Iranian drones


 


Since the launch of the US-Israeli military aggression against 


Iran on February 28, a parallel shadow war...... has emerged 


across the Persian Gulf, one fought, not with conventional
arsenals, but with cloned weapons designed to deceive.


 


As Iranian armed forces continued to conduct retaliatory strikes


on US and Israeli strategic and military assets, a sophisticated 


network involving the US, the Israeli regime and Ukraine, have


deployed ------ hundreds of replica Shahed-136 attack drones 


against the infrastructure of Persian Gulf states.


 


These attacks, confirmed by multiple Iranian military sources 


and documented through the recovered wreckage, represent 


a calculated strategy ---- with a single purpose: to fracture 


regional unity and draw Iran's neighbours.. into a direct
confrontation with the Islamic Republic.


 


The central objective of the US-Israeli false-flag campaign ---- is 


as simple as it is destructive. Convince the Arab states of the 


Persian Gulf - that Iran is attacking their sovereign territory.


 


Provoke military retaliation and transform the current US-Israeli 


aggression against Iran into a full-scale regional war, exactly 


what the enemy could not achieve through direct military 


confrontation. The Iranian military authorities ----- have 


documented this strategy with increasing specificity, 


noting that the enemy.. having failed to achieve its 


stated objectives on the battlefield has resorted 


to trickery and deception.


 


From a distance, the cloned drones are visually and audibly 


indistinguishable from Iran's original Shahed-136 loitering 


munitions. They share ---- the distinctive delta-wing 


configuration. They emit the same characteristic 


pusher propeller engine sound. They fly - the 


same low-altitude profile that has become 


familiar across conflict zones from 


Ukraine to the Persian Gulf. To 


the naked eye and ear, they 


are identical.


 


But Iranian military intelligence has identified a crucial 


distinction. These drones are not Iranian. They are 


produced under the designation Lucas, by US


 arms contractors.


 


Spektre Works unveiled this Shahed replica at a Pentagon 


event as early as summer 2025, months before the 


current aggression began. The Lucas drone, was 


explicitly designed to emulate the Iranian model 


at a comparable cost point, of approximately 


$35,000. That price point is not accidental. 


It is sufficient....... to create plausible 


deniability when debris fields are 


examined by non-specialists - 


while low enough to enable 


their mass deployment.


 


It leverages --- the very success of Iran's indigenous drone 


program --- against the Islamic Republic itself. The 


Shahed's reputation as a battle-proven, cost-


effective weapon... has been turned into a 


weapon of confusion. The more effective 


the original ---- the more plausible the 


counterfeit. And the more regional 


states misattribute the attacks.


 


Ukrainian arms manufacturers have spent years reverse-


engineering captured Shahed-136 airframes. By early 


2026, the Ukrainian industry had developed the 


capability ------ to produce Shahed-compatible 


drones using authentic Iranian components 


harvested from battlefields.


 


The Batyar drone – Ukraine's domestically produced Shahed 


copy – shares the same delta-wing configuration, engine 


type, and flight characteristics as the original Iranian 


system. But the real deception lies deeper. 


 


Harvested components from captured Shahed-136 airframes, 


including engines, flight control modules, and navigation 


systems ---- complete with authentic Iranian 


manufacturing marks, are incorporated


into new airframes.


 


This component re-use means that - even when debris is 


recovered - the presence of Iranian-manufactured parts 


appears to confirm Iranian origin. Only comprehensive 


forensic analysis – which includes examining serial 


number ranges, component wear patterns --- and 


firmware signatures - can reveal the deception. 


And such analysis takes time, expertise, and 


political will that is rarely available in the 


immediate aftermath of an attack.


 


False-flag attacks and sinister objectives


 


The pattern of attacks falsely attributed to Iran - escalated 


sharply in early March 2026, coinciding precisely with the 


onset of US-Israeli aggression against Iranian territory.


 


Saudi Arabia reported multiple drone incursions, including 


the interdiction of 13drones over Riyadh and the Eastern 


Province. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) 


issued a categorical denial ----- of any connection to 


these strikes.


 


Drone strikes targeted fuel storage tanks at the port of Salalah 


in Oman. The Iranian Embassy responded through social 


media to refute claims of Iranian responsibility, calling 


it a false-flag operation. The response was swift, 


public, and unambiguous.


 


Kuwait has also been targeted. An attack on Kuwait 


International Airport's radar system - represented 


a particularly dangerous escalation. Civilian 


aviation infrastructure is not – and has 


never been – a legitimate target for 


Iranian military operations.


 


The Barakah attack fits seamlessly into this established 


pattern of US-Israeli false-flag attacks. The objective is 


consistent: turn regional opinion against Iran while the 


Zionist regime's hands remain hidden.


 


 


_____________________________________


 


 


 


Iran to Europe: Learn from Nazi 


experience ---- after Ben-Gvir’s 


humiliation of humanitarian 


activists


May 21st, 12:55pm


 (PressTV)


 


Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has called on European 


nations to learn from the Nazi era, warning that history's 


harsh lesson will repeat itself if the West continues to 


remain silent ---- in the face of Israel’s systematic 


humiliation of the humanitarian activists.. 


seeking to break the siege of Gaza.


 


In a post on X on Thursday, Esmaeil Baghaei described the 


images ...of Israeli minister of so-called internal security 


Itamar Ben-Gvir at Ashdod Port, personally humiliating


 handcuffed humanitarian activists — many of them 


European citizens — as "profoundly shocking."


 


“They evoke the darkest echoes of history— moments when 


a regime, long protected from accountability, comes to see


 itself as exceptional, untouchable, and above the law,” 


he noted.


 


Baghaei recalled that in the 1930s, Europe comforted itself 


with the illusion that it could remain silent and immune in 


the face of a systematic degradation of human dignity, 


international law, and basic moral principles -------


 without ever paying a price.


 


 "History delivered a brutal lesson," he said, adding that the 


normalization of lawlessness and atrocity -- never remains 


confined.. to its original target.


 


The spokesman noted that today's real danger 


extends beyond any certain conduct by an 


Israeli official.


 


"The deeper issue ---- lies in the complicit silence, passive 


acceptance, and institutionalized inaction, vis-à-vis the


occupation, apartheid, and genocide -------- that have 


granted such policies and behaviour ........an 


appearance of normalcy, continuity, and 


growing audacity," he wrote.


 


Baghaei warned that if the West continues to widen the gap 


between its proclaimed core values and its actual conduct,


it will -- once again -- have to learn history's harsh lesson.


 


"Endless impunity does not moderate lawlessness — it 


normalizes atrocity and emboldens its perpetrators," 


he said further.


 


The Global Flotilla of al-Sumoud announced on Tuesday that 


Israel has confiscated all 50 ships carrying activists and 


humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The flotilla included 


428 activists from 44 countries and had set sail 


from Marmaris, Türkiye.


 


Ben-Gvir released a humiliating video showing the abduction of 


al-Sumoud activists, who were apprehended in international 


waters ------- forced to their knees - with their hands bound.


 


The abductees of the humanitarian flotilla aimed at breaking 


the siege of Gaza were transferred to Ashdod port after 


their ships were seized in the international waters 


of the Mediterranean Sea.












Image: Franz Jägerstätter's Feast Day


 Today, May 21st,

is the Feast Day of the Blessed
Franz Jägerstätter (3rd Order
of Saint Francis),

the Martyr.

 

Born Franz Huber on May 20th in 1907 in

Sankt Radegund, Archduchy of Austria 

above the Enns, Austria-Hungary, he

died on August 1943 (aged 36), in

Brandenburg an der Havel, the

Province of Brandenburg, 

Nazi Germany.

 

He is Venerated in the Catholic Church and

Beatified on October 26th, in 2007 - by the

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 

in Linz, Austria, by Cardinal José Saraiva 

Martins (on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI).

 

Franz Jägerstätter, TOSF; was an Austrian farmer 

and conscientious objector during World War II. 

 

Jägerstätter refused to fight for Nazi Germany because 

of his devout Catholic faith, leading to him being 

sentenced to death - and executed. 

 

As a boy, Franz was a higher-than-average student and an avid 

reader, apparently leaving school after his 14th birthday.. as 

permitted by law. His fellow villagers remembered the Franz 

of early manhood fondly as "a jolly, robust, fun-loving, hot-

blooded, 'he-man' type", intelligent and "bull-headed", 

who tended to be.... "ahead of the crowd" in his 

interests ..and to wish to be the first to try 

something new; he was the first in his 

village to own a motorcycle.

 

The young Franz was also remembered as a good fighter. 

On one occasion, he spent several days in jail as a 

consequence of a fight with members of the 

Heimwehr provoked by the attention paid 

by members of the group to local girls.

 

 In August 1933, an illegitimate daughter, Hildegard, was born 

to Jägerstätter and a local farm maidservant, Theresia Auer.

 

Hhe voluntarily paid money for her support and visited her 

often. Perhaps due to circumstances related to the girl's 

conception, Jägerstätter apparently underwent an 

"exile" around this time... during which he was 

obliged to leave Sankt Radegund for several 

years, working in the Eisenerz iron mines.

 

In the social democratic working class 

environment - he first experienced a 

crisis of meaning... but returned to 

his homeland a deeply pious man.

 

On Maundy Thursday, 1936, he married Franziska Schwaninger 

a deeply religious woman. After the wedding liturgy, the couple 

went on a pilgrimage to Rome, where they received a blessing 

from Pope Pius XI. The marriage resulted in three daughters: 

Rosalia (b. 1 September 1937), Maria (b. 4 September 1938), 

and Aloisia (b. 5 May 1940).

 

When German troops moved into Austria in March of 1938, 

Jägerstätter rejected the offer to be Radegund's mayor. 

He was the only person in the village, to vote against 

the Anschluss in the plebiscite of 10 April; yet the 

local authorities suppressed his dissent, and 

announced unanimous approval. 

 

He was dismayed to witness many Catholics in his town 

supporting the Nazis, writing, "I believe there could 

scarcely be a sadder hour for the true Christian 

faith in our country".

 

Although he was not involved with any political organization 

and underwent a brief period of military training, he stayed
openly anti-Nazi. He avoided any contact with the NSDAP, 

nor did he seek the help of local representatives.... to
avoid being drafted into the Wehrmacht.

 

On 8 December in 1940, the Solemnity of the Immaculate 

Conception, he joined the Third Order of Saint Francis. 

In summer 1940, a local parish priest Josef Karobath 

offered him work as a sacristan. He was therefore 

deferred from military service... four times.

 

Drafted for the first time on 17 June 1940, Jägerstätter, aged 33, 

was again conscripted into the German Wehrmacht in October 

and completed his training at the Enns garrison. He refused 

to take the Hitler oath, but could return home in 1941 

...under an exemption - as a farmer.

 

Faced with his experiences in military service, the suppression

 of the church, as well as reports on the Nazi T4 euthanasia 

program, he began to examine the morality of the war. 

 

Among Jägerstätter's writings, are three copies of a list of 

"Ten Questions" -- expressing his concerns about the evil 

of cooperation with the Nazis, which, despite its head-

line reading "Who can and will answer these ten 

questions for me?" --- was, in an early draft,

eleven questions. Thus:

 

Who will give us the guarantee that it is not the 

slightest bit sinful to belong to a party that 

aims to eradicate the Christian faith?

 

When has the magisterium of the Church given its approval 

for someone to do and obey everything the N.S. Party or 

government commands or desires us to do?

 

If everything is found to be right and good that is done by 

someone who belongs to the N.S. Volk community—such 

as collecting money for it and contributing to it—then 

must it not be that everything that does not conform 

to this Volk community's wishes must be declared 

evil and unjust? Both ways cannot be good.

 

What kind of Catholic would venture to declare that 

these military campaigns of plundering -- which 

Germany has undertaken in many lands -- and 

is still leading constitute a just and holy war?

 

Who would venture to maintain that only one individual [i.e., 

Hitler] of the German-speaking people bears responsibility 

in this war? And if only one individual is responsible, why 

then did so many millions of German-speaking people 

still have to vote "yes" or "no"?

 

Since when are deceived people - who are dying without 

repentance and without amending their committed sins 

and failures which they were deceived into committing

— allowed to enter heaven?

 

Why do we celebrate fighters for Nazism as heroes even 

in the churches of Austria? Didn't we still utterly damn 

such people, only five years ago?

 

If we can declare the German-speaking soldiers... who have 

relinquished their lives in the fight for the N.S. victory, to be 

heroes and saints, how much more highly --- should we 

regard the soldiers in the other lands who were intent 

on defending their homelands -------- after they were 

suddenly attacked by German-speaking soldiers? 

 

How can we still educate our children to become true 

Catholics today --- when we are supposed to teach 

them that some activities that previously were 

seriously sinful are now good or at least 

not sinful?

 

Why should we now regard as just and good those 

activities that the masses are undertaking? How 

can people successfully get to the other river 

bank when they are defenselessly pulled 

along by the stream?

 

Who can succeed in simultaneously being a soldier of Christ 

and also a soldier for National Socialism, in simultaneously 

fighting for the victory of Christ and his church - and also 

fighting for the victory of National Socialism?

 

Jägerstätter was kept waiting in an outer office for a very
long time before he could see Bishop Fließer, which he
thought to be..... due to suspicion that he was a
Gestapo agent. 

 

Franziska Jägerstätter recalled that the meeting lasted about 

half an hour, and when he came out, "he was very sad, and

said to me: 'they don't dare themselves, or it'll be their 

turn next.'"

 

Arrest and death

 

After many delays, Jägerstätter was again, called to active
duty in February 1943. He maintained his position against
fighting for Nazi Germany and --- upon entering into the
Wehrmacht garrison in Enns on the evening of March
1, declared on March 2 his conscientious objection.
His offer to carry out non-violent services
- was ignored.

 

 He was -- immediately arrested, repeatedly interrogated, and 

placed in custody, first at the Linz remand prison, then from 

4 May at Tegel Prison in Berlin. From the prison he wrote: 

 

"Is it not more Christian to offer oneself as a victim right away 

rather than first have to murder others, who certainly have a 

right to live and want to live — just to prolong one’s own life 

a little while?"

 

Accused of Wehrkraftzersetzung ("undermining military 

morale"), Jägerstätter was sentenced to death, "and 

loss of military dignity and civil rights" in a military 

trial at the Reichskriegsgericht in Charlottenburg 

on 6 July 1943. 

 

His wife and his parish priest visited him a few days later in jail 

and tried to talk him into serving, but did not succeed. When 

Jägerstatter was told of the fate of the Austrian Pallottine 

father - Franz Reinisch, who had been executed for his 

refusal to take the Hitler oath, his conscience was 

calmed. Jägerstätter expressed: that it would be 

better for his daughters to see their father as a 

martyr ---- rather than as a Nazi collaborator.

 

He was deported to Brandenburg-Görden Prison on August 9th, 

where he was executed by guillotine that afternoon at age 36. 

 

Minutes before his execution, he was given the option to sign a 

document to save his life and declined, abjuring any complicity 

with the Nazi regime. Jägerstätter's last recorded words 

before his death were:

 

 "I am completely bound in inner union with the Lord".

 

Jägerstätters's remains were cremated in the city of 

Brandenburg. Austrian school sisters who worked 

there.. were able to take possession of the urn 

and bring it to Upper Austria after the end of 

the war. In 1946, the urn was buried at the 

Sankt Radegund cemetery.

 

Jägerstätter was criticized by his countrymen, especially by 

those who had served in the military, for failing in his duty 

as a husband and father. The municipality of Sankt 

Radegund, at first refused to put his name on the 

local war memorial and a pension for his widow 

was not approved ...until 1950.

 

The beatification process was opened.. in 1994. In June 2007, 

Pope Benedict XVI issued an apostolic exhortation declaring 

Jägerstätter a martyr. The Austrian bishops had described 

Jägerstätter as a "shining example in dark times".

 

On 26 October 2007, Jägerstätter was beatified in a ceremony 

held by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins at the Cathedral of the 

Immaculate Conception, in Linz. The beatification was 

attended by 60 members of Jägerstätter's family, 

including his widow and their children, grand-

children, and great-grandchildren.

 

His feast day, is the day of his baptism, 21 May. In 2016, 

Jägerstätter's relics were embedded in the altar of the 

parish church of St. Radegund - and he is regarded as

co-patron of this church, which makes his feast day

 ...a solemnity.

 

The documentary Franz Jaegerstaetter: A Man of Conscience 

was released in 2011. A film about Jägerstätter, 'A Hidden 

Life', written and directed by Terrence Malick, premiered 

in May 2019 at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, and had

a US' general release, on December the 13th, in 2019.

 

The film is inspired by the book 'Franz Jägerstätter: 

Letters and Writings from Prison', edited by his

biographer, Erna Putz.
“I can only act on my own conscience. 


I do not judge anyone. I can only 


judge myself.”






“I have considered my family. I have prayed and put myself 


and my family in God’s hands. I know that, if I do what I 


think God wants me to do, he will take care of 


my family.”






“Discipleship to Christ requires heroism.”






“Love as the outer-wear is the ‘uniform’ of Jesus’


  disciples. His disciples are known by their love.”






“Even if I write with chained hands, it is 


better than having my will chained.”






“I do thank our Saviour....  that I was allowed to 


suffer for Him, and that I may also die for Him.”








EU approves new sanctions against Israeli 
settlers ------ over violence in West Bank

May 11th, 5:43pm

 (PressTV)

 

The EU agreed to impose new sanctions against Israeli 

settlers ------ over the increasing violence against 

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

 

EU foreign ministers, who gathered in Brussels for a meeting 

of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, also approved a 

new round of sanctions against Israeli organizations 

supporting illegal settlement activity in the 

occupied West Bank.

 

“It's done! The EU is sanctioning today the main Israeli 

organizations guilty of supporting the extremist and 

violent colonization of the West Bank, as well as 

their leaders. These most serious - and 

intolerable - acts must cease without 

delay," French Foreign Minister 

Jean-Noel Barrot, said, on 

social media platform X.

 

Barrot said, “The hope that France revived last year in New 

York, that of two recognized and respected States living 

side by side in peace and security, we will let no one 

undermine it."

 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also confirmed the decision, 

saying EU foreign ministers "gave the go-ahead to sanction 

Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians."

 

"It was high time we moved from deadlock to delivery.
Extwemisms and violence carry consequences,"

 Kallas saids - on X.

 

The decision sparked outrage from Israeli foreign minister

 Gideon Sa'ar, who called it “arbitrary --- and political”.

 

“The European Union has chosen, in an arbitrary and political 

manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities 

because of their political views ...and without any basis,” 

Sa’ar sneered... in a post on social media platform X. 

 

He defied the decision, saying Israel will continue 

to support the (illegal) settlements in the 

occupied West Bank.

 

Violence by Israeli forces and settlers has escalated across 

the occupied West Bank since October 2023, when Israel 

launched the genocidal war against Gaza, including 

killings, abductions, home demolitions, and 

settlement expansion.

 

Since then, at least 1,155 Palestinians have been killed,

and about 11,750 others injured, and nearly 22,000 

arrested in the occupied West Bank.

 

 

_____________________________________





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_b6pvBprmGA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1


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

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


_______________________________________



IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

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

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



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


PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


Chris Bryant's voting record:
from TheyWorkForYou.com

On Tuition Fees:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


On Human Rights:

Consistently voted for introducing ID cards

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

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


On the Environment:

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


On Special Interests:

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

Generally voted against a
statutory register of lobbyists


On War or Peace:

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

Consistently voted for the Iraq war

Consistently voted against an
 investigation into the Iraq war

Generally voted for replacing Trident
 with a new nuclear weapons system

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

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


On Independence:

Generally voted for more EU integration

____________________________
   

Chris Bryant Labour MP
From Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


His pay, allowances and some expenses:

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


His MP's expenses story:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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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