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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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Cuba appreciates China's support 


in the face of economic blockade


April 1st, 9am


 (Prensa Latina) 


 


The organizational secretary of the Central Committee of the 


Communist Party of Cuba, Roberto Morales, today thanked 


China for its firm stance of rejection of the United States


 economic blockade.


 


«Once again we express our gratitude for the unconditional 


support of the sister People's Republic of China, 


demonstrating that Cuba is not alone», he 


expressed, in the social network X.


 


This gratitude comes after the statements of Chinese presidential 


spokesperson Mao Ning, who affirmed... that her country has 


always defended respect for the sovereignty and territorial 


integrity of all countries and  --- «opposes any pretext to 


violate the sovereignty of others States or interfere 


in their internal affairs».


 


«China firmly supports Cuba in defending its sovereignty and 


security --- and opposes foreign interference», Ning added.


 


Likewise, the spokesperson urged the United States - to 


immediately end the blockade and sanctions against 


the Caribbean nation, as well as any coercion or 


pressure, and he asserted.. that they will 


continue to provide the island with all


 the help within their reach.


 


 


________________________________________________




Cuba - appreciates the solidarity 

support of the people of Russia

March 31st, 12:33pm

 (Prensa Latina) 

 

The Cuban Foreign Ministry today thanked the people and 

government of Russia for their solidarity support, now

materialized through the arrival of an oil tanker

 from that country to the island.

 

«This valuable aid comes in the midst of the energy blockade
imposed by the United States, which is trying to suffocate 

the Cuban population», the Foreign Ministry expressed 

on its profile on the social network X.

 

Likewise, he echoed the words of Dimitri Peskov, spokesman 

for the Russian president, when he expressed that it is a 

duty for that nation not to remain on the sidelines, and 

provide the necessary help to the people of Cuba.




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Maduro sent a message 

------- from a US prison

by Marina Sovina

 (night editor)

March 29th, 5:12am

(Lenta.ru)

 

President Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who is in custody in

 the US, has made an address for the first time in a long 

time. He published his statement on the X social 

network page.

 

"We have received your messages, letters, and prayers. 

Every word of love and support ..strengthens us 

spiritually. We are fine, strong, calm, and in 

constant prayer," the message posted
on 
behalf of Maduro and his wife,
Cilia 
Flores, said.

 

He also called for the strengthening of peace, national unity, 

and dialogue, emphasizing that Venezuela must follow a 

path - of "reconciliation and respect." The Venezuelan 

leader thanked the citizens and "people of goodwill" 

around the world for their solidarity, noting that 

their support provides moral strength and

 inner resilience.

 

It was previously reported that Nicolas Maduro is being held

 at the Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn in 

a cell measuring approximately 3 metres by two metres 

...and is in almost total isolation. 

 





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







































 

True Promise 4:  Iran and resistance axis 
ops. against US-Israeli assets on April 1


April 1st, at 9:20pm


(Press TV Website Staff)


 


Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region 


continue to carry out retaliatory military operations against 


the United States and the Israeli regime.


 


On Tuesday, April 1, 2026, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps 


(IRGC) and the Iranian Army conducted multiple operations as 


part of Operation True Promise 4... which was launched 


immediately after the US-Israeli coalition carried out 


an unprovoked act of aggression --- against the
Islamic 
Republic of Iran on February 28.


 


Iranian armed forces have so far carried out 89 waves of missile 


and drone strikes with advanced weaponry targeting Israeli 


military facilities in the occupied territories, as well as US 


occupation bases and assets .....scattered across the 


West Asia region.


 


The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement and the Islamic 


Resistance in Iraq have also joined the front against the 


external aggressors, inflicting heavy blows on them.


 


Hezbollah’s operations have been primarily focused on Israeli 


military sites in the occupied territories. Its operations - are 


both in response to the assassination of the Leader of the 


Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and 


the relentless ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime 


over the past year.


 


Iraqi resistance groups have also been carrying out daily 


operations, primarily against US military assets in Iraq 


and other Arab countries.


 


Below is a list of operations carried out by the Iranian armed 


forces, as well as resistance movements in Lebanon and 


Iraq, against the US and the Zionist regime on April 1:


 


Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC):


 


The coordinated, synergistic, and multi-axis operations were 


carried out in “Wave 89” of Operation True Promise 4, code-


named “O Musa Kalimullah,” involving the launch of over 


100 heavy missiles, attack drones, and 200 rockets 


across a vast operational radius spanning tens of 


thousands of kilometres ..throughout West Asia, 


from north to south of the occupied territories, 


targeting US and Zionist positions.


 


These combined operations, conducted as a tribute to the pure 


souls of the martyrs of the Yemeni Islamic Resistance, struck 


locations in “Eilat,” “Tel Aviv,” and “Bnei Brak,” targeting 


military sites and gatherings of Israeli forces.


 


Subsequently, a hideout of US occupation forces in Bahrain, 


housing 80 personnel, was struck with a precision missile.


 


Two early warning air radar systems operated by US forces in


the region,.....stationed on a maritime structure in the waters 


and islands of the UAE, were destroyed with high precision.


 


An oil tanker belonging to the Israeli regime, operating under 


the trade name “Aqua 1,” was also precisely targeted and 


is currently burning in the central Persian Gulf region.


 


A secret and covert assembly point of US forces outside the 


perimeter of the enemy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was struck 


with multiple attack drones and ballistic missiles. 


 


According to field reports, a large number of senior naval 


officers were transferred to hospitals in the city of 


Manama ...following the attack.


 


The “Chinook” helicopter preparation centre and its 


equipment storage hangars at Al-Udeid base were 


struck -- using a combination of ballistic missiles 


and drones.


 


Several formations of attack drones were also launched at


 the “Abraham Lincoln” carrier strike group in the northern 


Indian Ocean, which, according to documentation and 


satellite imagery, has fled its previous position and 


retreated deeper into the Indian Ocean.


 


Iranian Army:


 


Deployment locations of US AWACS and refueling aircraft 


stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, radar sites for detecting 


and intercepting missiles and combat drones, and 


electronic warfare installations in the UAE were 


targeted using powerful Arash-2 drones with a 


flight endurance of 2,000 kilometres.


 


Hezbollah:


 


In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance 


fighters --- targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their 


vehicles in the Janijel Heights in Al-Qantara town with 


a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted gatherings of Israeli 


soldiers and their vehicles at Tallat Friz in the town of 


Ainata ..with rocket barrages.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers and their vehicles in Khillet al-Hijjah in the town 


of Aitaroun - with a rocket barrage.


 


In defense of Lebanon and its people, and within the framework 


of the warning issued by the Islamic Resistance to a number 


of settlements in northern occupied Palestine, the Islamic
Resistance fighters targeted the "Nahariya" settlement 


with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters also targeted the 


"Kabri" settlement ---- with a rocket barrage.


 


In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance 


fighters targeted a gathering of soldiers and vehicles of the 


Israeli soldiers in Al-Qawzah town - with a rocket barrage.


 


 Islamic Resistance confronted an Israeli warplane in the


 skies of the town of Jwayya with a surface-to-air missile.


 


Islamic Resistance targeted an Israeli military helicopter in the 


airspace of the town of Yaroun with two surface-to-air missiles.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers 


near the reservoir in the town of Al-Qantara with artillery shells.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the newly established truce 


site in the border town of Markaba ---- with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in the town of Odeissah with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a newly established 


artillery position of the Israeli army in the town of Rab 


Thalathin with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters shot down an Israeli military drone 


of the "Hermes 450 - Zik" type in the skies of the town of 


Ainata ....with a surface-to-air missile.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a Merkava tank on 


Al-Frayz hill in the town of Ainata with an attack drone.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the "Ma'ayan Baruch" 


site in northern occupied Palestine with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters confronted an Israeli warplane 


in the skies over the town of Baflayh and its vicinity with 


a surface-to-air missile.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a Merkava tank on the 


Al-Sal'a hill in the town of Al-Qantara with a guided missile.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in Al-Qantara town square --- with artillery shells.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted gatherings of Israeli 


soldiers in the town of Al-Qawzah with rocket barrages.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers and their vehicles in the "Shomera" settlement 


with artillery shells.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in the town of Al-Bayyada with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in the town of Al-Bayyada for the second time 


with an attack drone.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in the playground of the Deir Seryan school with


 an attack drone.


 


In defense of Lebanon and its people, and within the frame-


work of the warning issued by the Islamic Resistance to a 


number of settlements in northern occupied Palestine the 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the "Nahariya" 


settlement with a rocket barrage.


 


In defense of Lebanon and its people, at 17:30 on Wednesday, 


the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the communications 


station at the "Al-Aliqa" barracks in the occupied Syrian 


Golan ....with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters also targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers at the Hadabat Al-Ajal site north of the "Kfar Yuval" 


settlement, with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in "Kfar Giladi" settlement with a rocket barrage.


 


IIslamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in the "Metulla" settlement with a rocket barrage.


 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli 


soldiers in "Misgav Am" settlement with a rocket barrage.


 


Yemeni Military:


 


The third military operation in the “Holy Jihad Battle” targeted 


sensitive sites of the Israeli regime in southern occupied 


Palestine --- using a barrage of ballistic missiles.


 


The operation was conducted in coordination with Iranian 


armed forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon and successfully 


achieved its objectives.


 


Islamic Resistance in Iraq:


 


Targeted US and Israeli interests in 


northern Iraq using drone aircraft.


 


Targeted US and Israeli interests in


 Bahrain, using appropriate means.


 


 


_____________________________________







Leader urges nationwide effort at 


reconstruction, realization of 


Iran's 'bright future'


April 1st, 8:44pm


 (PressTV)


 


Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba 


Khamenei has urged nationwide efforts aimed at repairing 


the damage caused by unprovoked US-Zionist aggression 


....and realizing the country's continued prosperity.


 


The Leader made the remarks ---- in a message issued on 


Wednesday on the occasion of the Islamic Republic Day 


and the National Nature Day.


 


April 1 in Iran is celebrated as the Islamic Republic Day, marking 


the 1979 referendum that established the Islamic Republic, and 


ended the US-backed Pahlavi monarchy. Annually the occasion 


also corresponds to National Nature Day that marks the end 


of the Nowruz Holidays, a 13-day period that follows the 


beginning of the Persian New Year.  


 


The Leader noted how the aggression - besides taking aim at the 


country's people, had targeted its land and natural environment.


 


"At a time when the vile and ruthless American and Zionist enemy 


knows no human, moral, or existential limits in its savagery, and 


has even attacked and damaged the natural and environmental 


spaces of our beloved homeland, every effort aimed at 


expanding development and building Iran’s bright 


future --- is both worthy and necessary," 


the message read.


 


It described the nation as having passed through this year’s 


spring commemorations with a spirit of steadfastness and 


dignity, referring to their successful resilience in the face 


of the aggression, which has been witnessed - by proud 


defense of the country.


 


"The heroic nation of Iran has intertwined this year’s 


Nowruz with epic resolve and honour," it noted.


 


'Saplings of hope' in honour of martyrs


 


At the heart of the message was a tribute to the country's 


martyrs, especially those who have perished throughout 


the latest aggression that began on February 28.


 


The Leader made special reference to the aggressors' attack 


on a girls' school in the southern Iranian city of Minab that 


martyred as many as 186 people.


 


"The child-killing, monstrous American and Zionist fiends 


brutally martyred the young saplings of the school," 


Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said, referring to 


the young victims.


 


The Leader urged people in cities and villages across the 


country to participate in a coordinated tree-planting 


effort extending from Nature Day - through to the 


end of Spring.


 


"Yet the Iranian nation, in honour of all the martyrs, especially 


the martyrs of the war, is planting the sapling of hope across 


its land, so that each of these saplings may, in the years 


ahead, grow into a blessed tree ...and a fruitful one."


 


 


____________________________________________________




Iran’s Army: Retaliatory strikes

--- target AWACS at Tel Aviv 

airport, tankers, US bases

April 1st, 2:59pm

 (PressTV)

 

In a fresh wave of retaliatory airstrikes, Iran’s Army targeted 

US AWACS and refueling aircraft stationed at Tel Aviv 

airport, along with its radar and electronic warfare 

sites in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

In a statement on Wednesday, the Army said the attacks came 

in response to the brutal air assaults by “the Zionist regime 

and the criminal United States” against the country,

 which continue to target residential and 

civilian areas.

 

“Since dawn today,” it said, the Armed Forces have “targeted with 

drone strikes the US AWACS and refueling aircraft stationed at 

Ben Gurion Airport, as well as radar sites for detecting and 

tracking missiles and combat drones, and electronic 

warfare sites used to counter combat drones 

in the UAE.”

 

According to the statement, powerful Arash-2 drones with a flight 

range of 2,000 kilometres were used in this wave of attacks.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army: reiterated that the Armed 

Forces will stand firm to the very end to make the aggressors 

regret the innocent blood they have shed across the country.

 

Since the US and Israel launched their joint military aggression 

against Iran on February 28, the Army has continued its drone 

attacks on US bases in the region and military sites in the 

occupied territories. 

 

According to reports and satellite imagery, the 

sites have sustained serious damage.

 

More than one month into the unprovoked war on the country, 

Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US bases across the region have 

caused an estimated $800 million in damages.

 

Notable among these strikes is the damage to a pivotal US Air 

Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane during 

the March 27 missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan 

Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

 

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, this specific attack 

also injured more than 10 service members and damaged 

several aerial refueling tankers.

 

Military analysts describe the loss of these “flying radars” as a 

“big deal” that has significantly crippled Washington’s ability 

to manage the battlespace in the Persian Gulf.

 

Beyond the AWACS and tankers, Iran’s attacks have damaged or 

destroyed radar systems, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense 

(THAAD) missile defense system, and Reaper drones in attacks 

on the US bases --- in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, 

Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.

 

 

_________________________________________



100+ heavy missiles, drones fired at 

enemy positions in wave 89 of 

retaliation: IRGC

April 1st, 1:30pm

 (PressTV)

 

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has fired 

over 100 heavy missiles and attack drones -- along with 200 

rockets across a radius of 10s of thousands of kilometres
- targeting US and Zionist positions ------- throughout the 

occupied territories and the wider West Asia region. 

 

The coordinated operations were executed on Wednesday

 in conjunction with other Iranian armed forces and 

resistance fronts.

 

According to the IRGC Public Relations Department, strikes 

targeted military objectives and terrorist forces of the 

Zionist regime in Eilat, Tel Aviv, and Bnei Brak, with 

local sources reporting heavy Zionist casualties.

 

In continuation of the operation, a hideout of US terrorist army 

forces in Bahrain, where 80 personnel were stationed, was 

precisely targeted, said the statement.

 

Additionally, a helicopter group of the US army at the Al-Udayri 

base was struck by ballistic missiles, resulting in the 

destruction of one helicopter and severe damage

 to others, it added.

 

The statement said the latest wave of attacks 

will continue ------- with further strikes today.

 

Strategic gains of the imposed war

 

The IRGC statement highlighted the achievements of the imposed 

war on Iran for the Islamic world, underscoring the unification of 

the Islamic Ummah under a single banner, achieved through

 the integration and coordination of resistance fronts 

against the unjust enemies of the Muslim world, 

along with the rock-solid cohesion of the 

Iranian nation.

 

The statement also highlighted the glaring consequences for the 

aggressors. "The difficult and stressful life ---- in the occupied 

territories on the eve of the Jewish holiday, the suspension 

of medical services and food supplies in the United States,

the escape --- of American soldiers from the region, and 

soaring inflation across the world ------ are also among 

the results achieved by the delusional warmongers."

 

US officers killed, Israeli tanker set ablaze

 

The IRGC, in a follow-up statement, noted that Iranian naval 

orces conducted five separate operations in wave 89 of 

attacks targeting US and Zionist military assets 

across the region by employing a combination 

of ballistic missiles, Qadr cruise missiles 

and explosive drones.

 

The statement detailed that a hidden and sheltered gathering 

point of US terrorists outside the Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain 

was struck ---- by a swarm of explosive drones and 

ballistic missiles.

 

According to field reports, a large number of senior officers from 

the terrorist naval unit were transferred to hospitals in Manama 

following the attack, added the statement.

 

At the Al-Udayri base, a centre for preparing Chinook helicopters 

and storage sheds for their equipment was targeted with a 

combination of ballistic missiles and drones. One 

helicopter was completely destroyed, while 

others sustained serious damage, 

according to the statement.

 

In the first IRGC operation in wave 89, two early warning radar 

systems belonging to US terrorists in the region, mounted on

 a marine structure in UAE waters and islands, were 

precisely destroyed.

 

A tanker belonging to the child-killing Zionist entity, commercially 

named Aqua One, was precisely targeted in the central waters 

of the Persian Gulf and is currently burning.

 

Also at dawn on Wednesday, multiple waves of explosive drones 

were launched toward the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group 

in the northern Indian Ocean.

 

According to documented evidence and satellite imagery, the

 carrier group has fled its previous position and retreated 

into the depths of the Indian Ocean.

 

“According to analysts and eyewitnesses, the intensity of Iranian 

missile strikes targeting the heart of Israel and various regions 

across the Middle East since dawn today contradicts the 

narrative promoted by Tel Aviv and Washington that 

such attacks have been reduced by 90 percent, a 

refrain that had become a recurring theme in 

American and Israeli statements,” 

the statement said.

 

The IRGC stressed ------ that the Strait of Hormuz remains 

decisively and firmly under the control of the IRGC Navy.

 

The strait will not be reopened to the enemies of the nation, 

regardless of the "ridiculous shows" of the American 

president, it said.

 

The IRGC further disclosed that precise intelligence from 

Tuesday’s naval assault on a hidden gathering point of 

US officers in the UAE confirmed that 37 individuals 

were killed, with many others wounded and 

transported to city hospitals.

 

The 89th wave of Operation True Promise 4 marks the latest

in a series of daily Iranian retaliatory strikes since the US

and Israel launched an unprovoked military campaign 

against Iran on February 28.

 

That initial aggression, included airstrikes on several 

Iranian cities and the assassination of Leader of the 

Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

 

Since then, Iran's armed forces have conducted waves of 

decisive missile and drone operations targeting US 

military bases across West Asia and Israeli 

positions in the occupied territories, and

with Iran consistently framing these 

operations ---- as legitimate self-

defense in international law.

 

The resistance movements in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen 

have also joined those retaliatory attacks with 

coordinated missile and drone operations 

against US and Israeli interests.

 

 

_____________________________________________

 

 

‘Unmistakeable intent’: Outcry grows ---- over the

Israeli-US bombing of Iranian pharma company

April 1st, 11:57am

  (PressTV)

 

The Israeli-US attack on a major Iranian pharmaceutical 

company in Tehran, which produced life-saving cancer 

medications and critical drugs ------ has drawn wide-

spread condemnation.

 

The deliberate act of aggression, which targeted the Toufiq 

Darou pharmaceutical research company, has been 

labeled a horrendous war crime by the Iranian 

authorities - and observers.

 

Social media users were quick to point out that the targeted 

facility was not producing dangerous weapons, but 

essential drugs used by people.

 

“Trump and Israel just bombed a major pharmaceutical facility in 

Tehran, Iran, producing cancer medications and critical drugs. 

Not a military base. ‘Precision strike’ on a medicine factory, 

destroying the production line. Cancer treatment. Hospital 

anesthesia,” wrote a social media user, Sahar.

 

The Iranian Embassy in Japan, condemning 

the attack, called it a “deplorable act.”

 

“In a deplorable act, the American and Israeli regimes --- have 

targeted Toufiq Darou, a prominent Iranian pharmaceutical 

research company. This enterprise --- specializes in 

manufacturing essential medicines, including 

anti-cancer drugs and anesthetics, which 

are indispensable for treating cancer 

patients,” it wrote.

 

“This deliberate targeting of a medical production facility is 

a blatant assault on humanitarian principles ---- that the 

international community cannot afford to ignore.”

 

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, framed 

the attack .....as an extension of long-standing US policies:

 

“Attacking pharmaceutical factories represents yet another 

dimension of their criminal sanctions – the very same 

sanctions that have long deprived Iranians of life-

saving medicines. This is a blatant war crime 

& crime against humanity.”

 

The strike has also drawn attention ------- to the 

humanitarian impact beyond the factory walls.

 

Analyst Mohit Gour noted that an Iranian Mahan Airlines 

civilian aircraft, scheduled to arrive in Delhi on April 1 

carrying over 11 tons of humanitarian aid, including 

medicines, was reportedly hit in a US strike.

 

“The war is no longer limited to missiles and weapons....… its

impact is now directly visible on the lives of ordinary people. 

If drug manufacturing plants & civil aviation start becoming 

targets, the damage is not limited to just one country… it 

affects people globally.”

 

The Iranian Embassy in Sweden... echoed the 

condemnation of the pharmaceutical facility.

 

“Israeli strikes on pharmaceutical facilities make the intent 

unmistakable. This is a blatant war crime. Such actions 

must be addressed in line with international law and 

accountability,” it said.

 

Some, like social media user Abdolrahim Ansari,

 characterized it ----- as an act of desperation.

 

“Attacks on hospitals and pharmaceutical production centres 

show that Israel has exhausted its goals and is desperate. 

The idea that Iran will back down with these attacks is 

a fantasy,” he wrote.

 

The strike also prompted pointed commentary on the contrast 

between US domestic policy and its aggressive military 

actions abroad.

 

Reza Nasri highlighted the disparity, writing: “Despite years of 

U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ and so-called crippling sanctions, 

Iran — unlike America provides free healthcare and free 

higher education to its people. Maybe that why you’re 

sadistically bombing our hospitals, pharmaceutical 

companies, and universities, @SecRubio?”

 

In a post on X on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas 

Araghchi -- condemned the targeting of pharmaceutical 

companies, warning that Tehran will respond forcefully.

 

“The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly 

bombing pharmaceutical companies,” Araghchi wrote.

 

“What they’ve gotten wrong is that they’re not dealing with 

defenseless Palestinian civilians. Our Powerful Armed 

Forces will severely punish aggressors.

 

 

___________________________________

 

 


‘Nazi and Fascist thinking’: Iran blasts 

US for invoking 2,000-year-old war

April 1st, 11:40am

  (PressTV)

 

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, says attempts by 

some US officials to justify the ongoing war of aggression by the
United States on Iran is a reminder of Adolf Hitler’s mindset 

and the Nazi and Fascist thinking --- before and during 

World War II.

 

Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in a post on his X account on 

Tuesday night, after US Senator Lindsey Graham, the GOP’s 

godmother, claimed that the US’s 2026 war efforts 

against the Islamic Republic.... could end a 

“2,000-year-long conflict.”

 

In similar controversial comments, Steve Bannon, a US political 

strategist and an extremist theorist of the Republicans, just 

recently advised the White House to execute what 

Alexander the Great did against Iran some 

2,300 years ago by overthrowing the 

Achaemenid dynasty.

 

“Such distorted historical references are revealingly similar to 

Nazi and Fascist thinking; Adolf Hitler justified invading other 

countries by invoking ‘Lebensraum’ and praising the Roman 

empire. Mussolini used the glory of the Roman empire to 

excuse his aggressions in North Africa,” Baghaei said.

 

“Even though the U.S. has no ancient empire, if it now claims to 

represent the ‘West’ and uses European history to justify its 

brutal military aggression on Iranian nation, it’s in fact 

reviving the same dangerous pre-WWII FASCIST 

mindset – torpedoing the very modern values 

of human rights and international law the 

West claims to stand for. That’s 

unprecedentedly alarming,” 

he added.

 

In a separate post on X on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry 

spokesman also condemned the aggressors for attacking 

Iran’s pharmaceutical factories, warning that those who 

try to distract public attention from the realities of the 

war could be the invaders’ accomplices.

 

“Attacking pharmaceutical factories represents yet another 

dimension of their criminal sanctions – the very same 

sanctions, that have long deprived Iranians of life-

saving medicines. This is a blatant war crime & 

a crime against humanity. Those... who try to 

distract public attention from the realities 

of this illegal war by obsessing over the 

price of oil and groceries.... should be 

careful --- not to become complicit in

these atrocities,” Baghaei stressed.

 

Israeli missiles struck a major pharmaceutical company in 

Tehran on Tuesday morning, completely destroying its 

raw material production units and its research and 

development unit.

 

The attack on the company, Tofigh Daru, came as Israel 

stepped up terrorist strikes on Iran and US President 

Donald Trump alternated between threats to target 

the country’s energy infrastructure and ''talk'' of 

trying to strike a deal with Iran.

 

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Tuesday 

that Israel was “openly and unashamedly bombing 

pharmaceutical companies.”

 

The Israeli military said in a statement late in the day, that 

it had struck the Tofigh Daru factory, claiming the facility 

was secretly supplying a potentially deadly drug to the 

Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research 

of Iran.

 

Dr. Mahdi Pirsalehi, the deputy minister of health and president 

of the Food and Drug Administration, described the strike as 

“an attempt to disrupt the country’s health care system.”

 

Pirsalehi said the company is “one of the most important 

producers of raw materials for hospital medications and 

drugs used in operating rooms,” and that raw materials

 for some cancer medications are also produced there.

 

Tofigh Daru is owned by Iran’s largest pension fund. “The 

company in question belongs to the nation’s retirees,” 

Pirsalehi said, “and this action has targeted the 

health and lives of people.”

 

For years, US sanctions on Iran have made it nearly impossible

for foreign pharmaceutical companies to continue working in 

the country, forcing the majority of medicine production to 

be done domestically.

 

Under international humanitarian law, commanders must 

distinguish between military and civilian targets.

 

 

________________________________

 

 

 

Iran continues to produce, upgrade ballistic

 missiles..... at strategic sites: Report

April 1st, 11:37am

 (PressTV)

 

Iran’s missile production at key strategic bases 

is proceeding with notable consistency, 

according to a report.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that 

production capacity at strategic sites is steadily increasing, 

alongside the continued deployment of ballistic 

missile launchers.

 

According to the report, the “Etemad” missile is an upgraded 

version of the “Emad,” with improvements derived from 

operational experience gained during the 

“True Promise” missions.

 

The report also highlighted significant advancements 

in guidance systems, designed to evade missile 

defense networks.

 

It pointed to footage from Tuesday night’s aerospace operation 

by the IRGC, which showed a missile successfully passing 

through 3 interceptor missiles ---- and striking its target 

with precision.

 

The reporter emphasized that accumulated experience and 

innovative thinking within the armed forces are driving the 

continued growth of the country’s missile capabilities.

 

On February 28, the US and the Israeli regime launched an 

unprovoked war on Iran, assassinating former Leader of 

the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei 

as well as several top military commanders.

 

Iran’s response has been decisive and strong. The Iranian Armed 

Forces have been engaged in daily waves of missile and drone 

operations against US interests across West Asia and Israeli 

positions in the occupied territories.

 

 

_________________________________________

 

 

Yemen hits sensitive Israeli targets 

in third strike since joining Iran-

led resistance

April 1st, 11:36am

  (PressTV)

 

Yemeni armed forces have conducted their third round of strikes 

against Israeli targets in the occupied territories, targeting 

sensitive locations.

 

“With Allah's help and reliance upon Allah, we carried out the third

 military operation in the ‘Holy Jihad Battle,’ targeting sensitive 

Israeli enemy targets in the southern occupied Palestine 

with a barrage of ballistic missiles,” they said in a 

statement on Wednesday.

 

The operation was conducted jointly with Iranian armed forces 

and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, and 

successfully achieved its objectives, it said.

 

“Yemeni armed forces affirm that the enemy's escalation of its 

aggression, crimes, and attacks against Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, 

and Palestine will only drive … Yemen to further escalation 

in the coming period until the aggression stops and the 

blockade is lifted.”

 

The Yemeni armed forces officially joined the war against the US 

and Israel ---- in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 

resistance front in Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine on Saturday.

 

They carried out the first military operation using a barrage of 

ballistic missiles targeting sensitive Israeli military sites in 

southern occupied Palestine.

 

 

______________________________________________

 


 

Hezbollah hits Israeli bases with drones, rockets 

as Netanyahu unveils ‘Greater Israel’ scheme

April 1st, 11:35am

  (PressTV)

 

Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has launched a series 

of drone and rocket attacks on Israeli military positions and 

settlements in the northern occupied lands, while the 

Lebanese army slammed Israel for continuing 

strikes ---- “without distinction” between 

military personnel and civilians.

 

In a statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it had targeted the 

Amiad base, north of the Sea of Galilee, with a group of 

“suicide drones,” as air raid sirens sounded across 

several areas, in the northern occupied lands.

 

Israeli media reported that warning sirens were activated in 

Misgav Am, Kiryat Shmona, and other settlements in the 

Galilee Panhandle, amid fears of drone infiltration.

 

Lebanese media also reported the passage of drones from 

Lebanon into northern occupied lands and the activation 

of alarms in the Upper Galilee.

 

The group said it also targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers 

and military vehicles at the Misgav Am position with 

rockets, while additional warning sirens were 

reported in Yir’on in the western Galilee.

 

At the same time, the Lebanese Armed Forces said they were

 carrying out repositioning and redeployment operations in 

southern border towns ....facing Israeli incursions.

 

In a statement, the army said the move was intended to prevent 

the encirclement, isolation, and disruption of supply lines to 

deployed units, following enemy advances.

 

It added that Israeli attacks were continuing in multiple areas 

“without distinction between military personnel and civilians.”

 

The army said it would continue supporting residents “to the 

extent possible,” while maintaining a military presence in 

the affected towns.

 

It also said that ------- despite major pressures and operational 

challenges, it would continue carrying out its duties “to the 

maximum extent possible” within its available capabilities.

 

Meanwhile, according to Israel’s Maariv newspaper, Israeli Prime 

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said military operations were still 

ongoing and the Israeli army would continue to strengthen the 

so-called “security zones” around its borders, including in 

Gaza, southern Lebanon, and parts of southern Syria.

 

Netanyahu reportedly claimed.. Israel now controls “over

50 percent” of the Gaza Strip and has made “significant 

advances” in Lebanon and Syria.

 

He was quoted as saying Israel had created “deep security zones”

beyond its borders — stretching.. in Syria from Mount Hermon to 

the Yarmouk area, and in Lebanon through a broad buffer zone 

aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah’s threat and reducing the risk 

of anti-tank missile fire.

 

The remarks come as Israeli officials have publicly outlined 

plans for a broader buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

 

Reuters reported this week that Israeli minister of military affairs 

Israel Katz ....said the regime intends to maintain control of a 

security zone extending to the Litani River, and that around 

600,000 displaced Lebanese residents would not be 

allowed to return...... until the so-called security of 

the northern occupied territories is guaranteed.

 

Maariv also quoted Netanyahu as saying that some Arab 

governments are discussing the possibility of aligning 

with Israel against Iran, and that over the years, he 

had held “secret talks” ...with Arab leaders, 

warning them that Iran sought to over-

throw their governments.

 

Despite Netanyahu’s claims... of strategic success, 

criticism from inside Israel has continued to grow.

 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the prime 

minister’s remarks, saying Netanyahu was ignoring 

reality at a time when Israeli soldiers were dying 

in Lebanon and the northern towns remained 

under fire.

 

“The only thing that has changed is Israeli society 

— you have divided us from within,” Lapid said.

 

 

______________________________________

 

 

 

Defeated & delusional: Netanyahu’s remarks 

------ reveal a $80bn war failure, says analyst

April 1st, 11:21am

  (PressTV)

 

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements on Iran, 

claiming that it no longer poses an existential threat to the 

regime is a complete strategic failure that suggests he

 is leaving office “defeated,” says an analyst.

 

Patricia Marins, a Brazilian military analyst, in a post on X on 

Thursday, characterized Netanyahu’s remarks not as a sign 

of strength, but as the ultimate admission of failure.

 

“There is nothing more defeatist than this.

 It is 100% defeatist rhetoric,” Marins said.

 

Her critique centres on the unfulfilled war objectives 

that Netanyahu himself .....had laid out.

 

According to Marins, he had consistently articulated three 

primary goals regarding Iran: regime change, limiting

 Iran’s missile capabilities, and dismantling its 

nuclear program.

 

“He has achieved none of these objectives,” Marins stated.

 

Instead, she maintained, the war has saddled Israel 

with staggering economic damage.

 

Marins cited operational costs and broader economic losses to 

paint a picture of a war that has yielded no strategic gains 

at a prohibitive financial price.

 

“He has saddled Israel with $60-80 billion in losses from this war,” 

she said, breaking down the daily expenditures. “Each day -- of 

operations, including interceptors and material damage, costs 

between $1.5-2 billion, based on the spending during the 

12-day war.”

 

She noted that the full scope of the damage is still being 

calculated... with thousands of compensation claims 

already filed for direct damage caused by Iranian 

missile attacks.

 

The analyst said the Israeli ministry of finance estimates

 the broader economic loss .....at $3 billion per week.

 

Marins framed the outcome as a direct consequence of what 

she called Netanyahu’s “megalomania,” noting.... that his 

approach - has created more problems than solutions.

 

The analyst suggested that Israel’s aggressive posture 

may have backfired strategically - regarding Iran’s 

nuclear ambitions.

 

“If the Iranians hadn’t built a nuclear weapon before,

 now they have every reason to do so,” Marins said.

 

 

_______________________________________

 

 


‘Economic terrorism’: Steel facilities 

hit again ----- in US-Israeli strike

April 1st, 11:09am

  (PressTV)

 

The Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan is Iran’s largest steel 

producer and one of the biggest industrial complexes in the 

Middle East and North Africa.

 

Isfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Company says it has been

attacked for a 2nd time by the US-Israeli aggression.

 

In a statement released on Wednesday, the company said 

warplanes ---- targeted a number of vital sections of its 

infrastructure at 23:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

 

Initial assessments indicate the attack has caused significant 

damage to several parts of the company, the report said.

 

The enemy also targeted a subsidiary of Mobarakeh Steel 

Company called Sefid Dasht Steel Company in the south

-western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

 

Due to policies put in place after the previous attack on Thursday, 

only a small number of employees were present and just a few of

 them ...suffered minor injuries, according to the statement.

 

The Mobarakeh Steel Company is Iran’s largest steel producer and 

one of the biggest industrial complexes in West Asia and North 

Africa, playing a central role in the country’s steel industry.

 

In another attack on one of Iran’s most important industrial units, 

the Khuzestan Steel Company was also targeted on Friday, 

which caused damage to parts of its facilities.

 

Iran’s Human Rights Organization issued a statement on 

Wednesday, condemning the US-Israeli aggression’s 

“systematic strikes” on civilian infrastructure.

 

“These attacks are a blatant violation of international law and a 

form of economic terrorism and their goal is to put maximum 

pressure on Iran’s civilian population,” it said.

 

Factories --- including steel plants, are the main livelihood of 

millions of Iranians and the aggression’s goal of destroying 

them is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and a 

war crime.

 

The organization called on the international community - to break 

its silence on the US-Israeli aggression war crimes against Iran’s 

populace and hold the enemy accountable for its violation of 

human rights.

 

 

________________________________________________

 

 

 

‘War Crime’: Iran condemns attacks 

on Arak, Ardakan nuclear sites

April 1st, 11:09am

(PressTV)

 

Iran has condemned attacks on its nuclear facilities 

under the safeguards of the International Atomic 

Energy Agency (IAEA), calling such strikes a

 “war crime.”

 

The warning from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) 

on Wednesday comes days after a military assault as part of 

the US-Israeli terrorist war on the Islamic Republic  -------

on two nuclear sites in Arak and Ardakan.

 

Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the AEOI, said that attacking 

nuclear facilities under IAEA oversight --- is inconsistent with 

international principles and constitutes an international 

offense, even against a heavy water complex.

 

The Khondab heavy water complex in Arak was targeted for a 

second time, following an earlier attack during the 12-day 

war last June. On the same day, the Iranian authorities 

reported that a yellowcake production facility in 

Ardakan, in the central province of Yazd, was 

also struck.

 

“Attacking nuclear facilities that are under IAEA safeguards is 

totally inconsistent with international principles and such an 

international offense, even against a heavy water complex,

is definitely a war crime,” Kamalvandi stressed.

 

Kamalvandi said Iran has legally documented the incidents and is 

consulting both domestic and international legal experts. 

 

He said the matter will be pursued through the country’s 

Foreign Ministry and the office of the vice president 

for legal affairs.

 

He also stressed that despite these attacks, Iran’s nuclear 

knowledge and capabilities cannot be destroyed. “The 

enemy will definitely fail to obliterate Iran’s nuclear 

knowledge... through these attacks.”

 

Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear program is peaceful 

...and conducted under strict international supervision. The 

country maintains that any strike on safeguarded nuclear 

sites ---- is a violation of international law, undermining 

global agreements on nuclear safety and protection.

 

 

_____________________________________

 

 


Envoy warns UN ---- on Trump’s threat to 

‘obliterate’ Iran’s civilian infrastructure

April 1st, 7:56am

  (PressTV)

 

Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United 

Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, says US President Donald Trump’s 

threats to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure is a blatant 

violation of international law.

 

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres 

and the president of the United Nations Security Council -- on 

Tuesday, Iravani drew the urgent attention of UN chief and 

the members of the Security Council “to yet another 

explicit and escalating threat -- issued by the 

President of the United States against 

the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

 

In a public social media post published on Monday, Trump openly 

threatened that should an agreement with Iran not be reached 

"shortly", the US would "blow up and completely obliterate" 

Iran's critical civilian infrastructure, including its electric 

generating plants, oil facilities, Kharg Island, a sea 

port for the export of up to 90% of Iran's oil 

products, and all desalination facilities.

 

This follows his earlier threat on March 21 to "hit and obliterate" 

Iran's power plants, "starting with the biggest one first."

 

“The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure … for the 

purposes of economic coercion, collective punishment, 

orwith the intent to terrorize the civilian population 

--- constitutes a serious violation of international 

humanitarian law and amounts to war crimes,” 

the letter said.

 

The letter called on the UN - to unequivocally condemn these 

explicit threats, take all necessary measures to prevent the 

realization of such unlawful threats, and hold the US 

accountable - for any consequences arising from 

such threats.

 

In response to deliberate and unlawful attacks on Iran's civilian 

infrastructure, the letter said, the Islamic Republic of Iran 

reserves its inherent right of self-defense under Article 

51 of the Charter of the United Nations --- and will 

undertake all the necessary and proportionate 

measures -- to fully safeguard its sovereignty, 

territorial integrity, & vital national interests.

 

In another letter to the UN on Tuesday, Iravani addressed US-

Israeli strikes on the UN offices in Tehran. “Iran strongly 

condemns these heinous and brutal attacks against 

the United Nations,” it said.

 

The letter called on Guterres to ensure the protection and 

inviolability of United Nations premises in all member 

states and formally - and vigorously - denounce 

the attacks.

 

 

________________________________________

 

 


Iran rejects ‘US dream’ of sacrificing defense 

to let US ‘seize oil fields .....in 48 hours’

April 1st, 7:34am

  (PressTV)

 

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has said that 

the US could have rapidly seized Iran’s oil resources if Tehran 

had not invested in military capabilities, in a sharply worded 

response ------- to comments by the US Secretary of State.. 

Marco Rubio.

 

In a post on X, Qalibaf wrote that without spending on weapons, 

the US "could’ve gone in, seized all their oil fields in 48 hours… 

armed the Israelis with the best weapons, and created many, 

many new Gazas,” dismissing Rubio’s suggestion that Iran 

should prioritize domestic spending over defense.

 

Qalibaf dismissed the scenario as 

an “American Dream” that will

 never be realized.

 

“It would’ve been so beautiful...... Then we could’ve gone in, 

seized all their oil fields in 48 hours - 48 hours, believe me 

- armed the Israelis with the best weapons, and created 

many, many new Gazas. The real ‘American Dream,’ 

folks,” he said. “Never,” he wrote in all caps.

 

 

The terrorist war on Iran began on February 28, when the United 

States and Israel launched attacks on the country, including a 

carpet-bombing strike on a residence in central Tehran that 

martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah 

Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

 

The Islamic Republic responded forcefully, launching precision 

strikes on sensitive Israeli targets and US bases across the 

region, catching both sides by surprise.

 

Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington could see the “finish line”

 in the Iran war, ‌which is now in its fifth week, and the US will 

have to reexamine ‌ties with NATO after its unprovoked war.

 

“We can see the finish line. It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, but 

it is coming,” Rubio told Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” show.

 

Joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon 

have killed thousands of civilians and also raised oil prices 

and shaken global markets.

 

President Donald Trump -- who has offered shifting timelines and 

objectives for the war, ranging from toppling Iran’s government 

to weakening its military and regional ‌influence - said on 

Tuesday the US could end its military attacks on Iran 

within two to three weeks.

 

Rubio said “that there’s nothing any government is doing, or any 

country in the world is doing now to help Iran that is in any way 

impeding our mission.”

 

He added Washington will have to reexamine its relations with 

NATO after the war on Iran. “Ultimately, that’s a decision for 

the ‌president to make, and he’ll have to make it,” 

Rubio said.

 

“But I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to reexamine 

whether or not this alliance.. that has served this country well 

for a while is ‌still serving that purpose, or has it now become 

a one-way street where America is simply in a position to 

defend Europe, but when we need the help of our allies, 

they’re going to deny us basing rights, and they’re 

going to deny us overflight,” he ‌added.... in 

reference to the use of military bases.

 

European leaders have refused to get directly 

involved in military attacks against Iran.

 

 

________________________________________

 

 

 

Iran files UN protest against 4 Arab states 

over the use of their territory in attacks

April 1st, 7:02am

  (PressTV)

 

Iran has strongly protested over the use of the territory 

and airspace of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi 

Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait in recent US and 

Israeli attacks against the country..... 

calling on the four Arab states --- to 

uphold good-neighbourly relations 

--- and prevent any further use of 

their territory --- against Iran.

 

In separate letters to the United Nations Secretary-General 

and the Security Council on Tuesday, Iran’s Ambassador 

and Permanent Representative to the United Nations 

Amir Saeid Iravani said under international law, 

states bear responsibility if their territory is 

made available for acts of aggression or 

armed attacks against a third country.

 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran --- has expressed its strong and
unequivocal protest -- against these unlawful actions,” 
he 

wrote, adding that Iran “firmly calls on the United Arab 

Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, to observe 

the principles of good-neighbourliness, and prevent 

the continued use of their territory --- against the 

Islamic Republic of Iran.”

 

In the letters, Iran stated that while it remains committed to the 

principle of good-neighbourly relations and respect for the 

sovereignty of the 4 countries, it reserves the right to 

take “all necessary and appropriate measures,” 

including.. the exercise of its “inherent right 

of self-defense” -- in order to protect its 

sovereignty, territorial integrity, and 

political independence.

 

Tehran stated that the airspace and territory of the four countries 

were repeatedly used for the planning, preparation, support, and 

execution  of military operations against Iran --- in March.

 

In its letter concerning the United Arab Emirates, Iran noted that 

US warplanes, drones, surveillance aircraft, and, in some cases, 

Emirati aircraft ---- operated from or through Emirati airspace, in 

attacks and intelligence missions targeting Iranian territory.

 

Tehran said these incidents demonstrated a continued pattern

--- of the unlawful use of Emirati territory and airspace --- in 

support of military action against Iran.

 

In its letter concerning Saudi Arabia, Iran stated that US military

 aircraft used Saudi airspace and surrounding routes in the 

northern Persian Gulf and near the Kuwaiti border --- to 

conduct bombing missions against Iranian targets.

 

Iran said these operations included bombing missions, 

intelligence support, aerial refueling, and recon

activities carried out through or over Saudi

 territory and airspace.

 

In its letter regarding Qatar, Iran said that Qatari airspace was 

used in a smaller but still significant number of operations 

involving US aircraft.

 

Iran said these actions constituted a violation of the principles 

of good-neighbourliness ----- and called on Doha ---- to prevent 

any recurrence.

 

In its letter concerning Kuwait, Iran emphasized ---- that Kuwaiti 

airspace was used by US military aircraft in several operations,

 including one involving a B-1 bomber that Tehran said 

originated from RAF Fairford in the UK and transited 

Iraq ...before entering Kuwaiti airspace.

 

Iran said the use of Kuwaiti airspace for such operations 

amounted to an unlawful act and urged Kuwait to 

prevent its territory from being used in any 

future attacks.

 

In all four letters, Iran requested that the correspondence be 

circulated as official documents of the UN Security Council.

 

Tehran described the issue as one of international legal 

responsibility, arguing that allowing a country’s land or 

airspace to be used for attacks on another state 

could amount to complicity in aggression.

 

While reiterating its stated commitment to regional relations 

and respect for sovereignty, Iran also made clear that it 

considers the actions serious enough to justify the

preservation of its right to self-defense - under 

international law.





































Image: Peter Law's Birth Day


Today, April 1st, in 1948,

 

Peter Law,

 

genuine socialist

and independent,

 

is born.

 

Peter John Law was a Welsh Labour councillor and subsequently 

Labour Co-operative Assembly member (AM) for Blaenau Gwent. 

He resigned from Labour over its authoritarian control - and sat 

as an independent member of Parliament (MP) and AM for the 

same constituency.

 

Law resigned from the Labour Party in 2005. In the 2005 general 

election, he defeated the Labour candidate by over 9,000 votes. 

The Daily Telegraph described his victory as "one of the most 

spectacular general election results of modern times".

 

Born in Abergavenny, Law was educated at Grofield Secondary 

School and then attended Nant-y-Glo Community College.

 He later studied at the Open University. He then ran a 

General Store between 1964 and 1987. He was 

subsequently appointed chair of Gwent 

Healthcare NHS Trust.

 

Law served as a councillor for Nantyglo and Blaenau Urban 

District Council between 1970 and 1974. He continued to 

serve as a councillor on Blaenau Gwent County Borough

Council until 1999 and was the mayor for 1988-1989.

 

He was selected for the constituency in the first elections to the 

National Assembly for Wales in 1999, winning the seat easily.

 

When Labour formed a coalition government with the Liberal 

Democrats, Law made no secret of his opposition to the 

decision and was not retained in the administration. 

 

Law left the Labour Party in protest at the use of an all-woman 

shortlist in selecting the candidate for the general election, 

which was used to replace the retiring Llew Smith. Law 

believed all-woman shortlists were being selectively 

imposed on local parties only where a leadership-

supported male candidate was unlikely to 

be selected.

 

Smith had enjoyed a majority of 19,313, making it the safest 

parliamentary seat in Wales. Prior to the announcement of 

Law's rumoured candidacy - his Labour opponent Maggie 

Jones stated that Law would be "very foolish" to stand 

against her. She argued "Blaenau Gwent is solidly 

Labour and I don't think people will vote for 

anyone else."

 

Law won the seat with 58.2% of the vote, defeating 

Labour candidate Maggie Jones -- and gaining a 

majority of 9,121 votes. He campaigned while 

recovering from surgery for a brain tumour.

Law initially withdrew from the election 

on 4 April upon receiving the news of 

his tumour, but was persuaded to 

continue standing, receiving 

treatment throughout 

the campaign.

 

Law married Trish Bolter in 1976 and they have three 

daughters and two sons. They lived in Nantyglo.

 

Law died at his home in Nantyglo, aged 58, suffering from a 

recurrent brain tumour first diagnosed during the 2005 

election campaign. As a result of his death... there 

were by-elections in Blaenau Gwent for both the 

UK Parliament and the Welsh Assembly seats. 

 

In the by-elections Law's former agent, Dai Davies, won 

the election to Law's former Westminster seat, while 

his widow, Trish Law, succeeded him in the Welsh 

Assembly. Both stood under the banner of the 

Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group.

 

His widow claimed that he was offered a peerage to not 

stand against Labour in Blaenau Gwent in 2005... this 

was denied by Labour. The claim had considerable 

media impact because of the ongoing ''Cash for 

Peerages'' police investigation.

 

Law's funeral was held on Thursday 4 May 2006, at 

Christchurch in Ebbw Vale, exactly a year after he 

was elected to parliament.

 

Some schools and businesses closed.. in order to 

allow people to see the cortège ---- and people 

lined the streets with the funeral described 

as the biggest in the town since that of 

Nye Bevan. 

 

Law was cremated at Gwent Crematorium. On 10 May 2006 a 

thanksgiving service took place at St Paul's Church for those 

unable to get a seat or unable to attend Law's funeral.

 

In December 2007 a memorial concert in honour of Law was 

held locally, with the proceeds raised donated to Hospice 

of the Valleys. On 10 December 2007 a plaque in Law's 

honour .......was also installed at the new Ebbw Vale 

Parkway railway station, with the location chosen 

to mark his years of campaigning.... for a railway 

link to Cardiff to be restored for the community.

 

 

"We don't need a quango - to tell us what to do in Blaenau 

Gwent, where we have a socialist tradition dating back 

100 years."

 

"What I find very strange - is that even after the result 

in Blaenau Gwent, there is no one in the party - who 

is prepared to admit that they were wrong." 

 

''For everything I have ---- and everything I am --- 

I have to thank the people of Blaenau Gwent.''







China labels Israeli-occupied lands 


as ‘high risk area,’ bans all new


 investments: Report


February 5th,  7:41pm


 PressTV)






A Chinese investment fund has revealed that the Beijing 


government has imposed a ban on all new investment 


in Israeli-occupied lands due to the regime’s brutal 


aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip. 






The news emerged in Israeli media outlets, amid a lawsuit filed 


by members of Kibbutz Hanita against Ballet Vision, a Chinese


-controlled fund that holds an 80% stake in Hanita Lenses, an 


intraocular lens manufacturing plant located in the northern 


part of the occupied lands near the Lebanese border. 






Israeli settlers from the kibbutz have filed a lawsuit against the 


fund, which controls 80 percent of an intraocular lens plant 


located in the northern settlement.






A lawsuit filed in the Tel Aviv district court shows the kibbutz is 


seeking approximately $11 million, accusing the fund of failing


 to exercise an option to purchase their remaining shares, as


 stipulated in a prior agreement.






According to a response letter from Ballet attached to the 


lawsuit... the Chinese government has classified Israeli-


occupied lands as a "high-risk area" or "red category" 


due to the ongoing situation in the West Asia region, 


specifically since Oct. 7, 2023.






“Since the outbreak of the fighting, the Chinese government 


has classified Israel as a high-risk zone (red category) and 


prohibited any new Chinese investment in the Israeli-


occupied lands,” it said in the letter.






The letter further says that until the restriction


 is lifted, the transaction.... is not feasible.






“As long as this restriction remains in place, there is no 


practical operational ability to exercise the option,” 


it added






Aside from the Chinese government's ban on investing in 


Israeli-occupied territories, Ballet says Hanita Lenses


 incurred significant operational losses.






Liu Yuxiao, a director of Ballet Vision and CEO of the lens 


manufacturing plant, earlier said that Hanita Lenses 


sustained losses of around $15 million over a 


period of three years --- as well as a 


$4 million debt. This resulted in


 severe financial issues.






Yuxiao said he became the CEO in March last year to try 


to prevent total collapse, and added that the company 


may now break even in 2026.






The developments also come as ties between the two sides 


were deteriorating over the self-ruling island of Taiwan, 


which has been looking to the Zionist entity for 


increased military cooperation.






China has already warned Israel against providing military 


expertise and technology to Taiwan under the guise of 


civilian programs. 






Tel Aviv is reportedly assisting Taipei with integrating 


elements of its Green Pine and Arrow systems in 


order to develop the Tian Gong-4 missile 


system, which will be part of the 


T-Dome network. 






The military cooperation comes despite ongoing Chinese 


warnings that it would not tolerate Israeli ties with the 


island, which it considers a renegade province.






Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel and its 


administration has refrained from condemning 


the Tel Aviv regime's crimes in the besieged


 Gaza Strip ---- and the other occupied 


Palestinian territories.



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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