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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.”


 









 

 


Maduro-Trump Dialogue - and 


Political Bureau of the PSUV 


during Venezuela's week 


December 6th, 9:19am


(Prensa Latina) 


 


President Nicolás Maduro's revelation of the telephone


 dialogue held with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, 


stood out in the week that ends today in Venezuela, 


where the constitution of the Political Bureau of 


the PSUV was announced.


 


In the midst of multiple speculations - after the US president 


acknowledged to the press “yes we spoke”, the Bolivarian 


head of state admitted that they spoke - in a “tone of 


respect, and even cordiality”.


 


Maduro's admission -- not only put an end to malicious 


speculation against him, but hinted at the possibility 


of advancing.... along the path of dialogue and 


understanding, through peace diplomacy.


 


If that call.. “means that steps are being taken towards 


respectful dialogue, from State to State, from country 


to country, dialogue and diplomacy are welcome, 


because we will always seek peace”, the ruler 


stressed to the applause of civil, military and 


community authorities --- of the Commune 


“Simón Rodríguez”, in Petare, state


 of Miranda.


 


The dignitary evoked his six years as chancellor, a period


in which he learned diplomatic prudence, and in these 


years as President, with that school, and from the 


teacher he had, in Commander Hugo Chávez, 


“I like prudence ...and not microphone 


diplomacy”, he voiced.


 


When there are important things, “it has to 


be silent until it happens”, he highlighted.


 


He expressed that the US people and youth are tired of 


eternal wars and “have marks on their collective 


psychology as a country” .....of conflicts in 


Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.


 


Those people say en masse “no more Afghanistan, no 


more Vietnam, no more Libya and no more Iraq”, 


he stressed.


 


Maduro reaffirmed that the path of the people of the 


United States and Venezuela “has to be a path of 


respect, diplomacy and dialogue”.


 


He reiterated - that he likes prudence, respect and “with 


the favour of God and our Commander of Commanders, 


the Lord Jesus Christ, everything will turn out well for 


peace, independence, and the dignity and future 


of Venezuela”.


 


In this context, the president of the United Socialist Party of 


Venezuela (PSUV) and the nation announced the formation 


of the Political Bureau of this political force, one of the 


agreements emanating from the 5th Congress and 


the 4th, of its Youth.


 


“I have already spoken with each one, they have specific tasks, 


and I intend to swear them in front of the people because I 


want them to be.. due to the new popular constituent 


process of the Committees and Commands of the 


Comprehensive Bolivarian Community”, the 


president said, before a large crowd.


 


The Political Bureau of the PSUV, is made up of 12 compatriots 


with experience, half of men and half of women, so that they 


assume “the leadership at the highest level of the social 


political forces of the Bolivarian Revolution” and 


accompany him....... in his leadership as 


Commander in Chief, he noted.


 


This new party structure ------- has a Secretary General; 


an Undersecretary General and Head of Propaganda 


and counter Propaganda; a Secretariat of Social


 Movements; of Street Mobilization; of 


Parliamentary Affairs; and of
Security 
and Defense.


 


In addition... to a Strategy Secretariat; of Comprehensive 


Political Training; of International Affairs; of Production


 and Finance; of Organization and Youth.


 


The general secretary of the PSUV, Diosdado Cabello, 


confirmed that this political force demonstrated in 


all these years of electoral events “being at the 


forefront and being the main political force of 


the Bolivarian Revolution....... with victory 


after victory”.


 


But also - to become - he stated, an instrument to 


address - and channel - the needs of the people.


 


As part of the transformations of the Party in its base 


structures, it was announced that a total of 237,902 


Streets... with their Comprehensive Bolivarian 


Committees were formed, while in a similar 


process, more than 47,000 Commands of 


Comprehensive Bolivarian Communities 


-- were activated.


 


Cabello pointed out that this is a new way of having the 


Party structure prepared.... for any scenario, “if it is 


about winning elections -- we go to the electoral 


process, we will be there to defend the people 


in the streets and the PSUV will be there to


 defend the country”.


 


The undersecretary general of the political formation, 


Jorge Rodríguez, stressed that, from the streets, the 


neighbourhoods, the communities and the urban


centres, “we are going to defend our right to 


be free, to independence, to a full life”.


 


The resumption of flights with repatriates from US was


 also significant, after having suspended them for 48 


hours, two from Eastern Airlines arrived this week 


with 438 deported migrants.


 


The complaint by Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez 


about the forced sale of the company Citgo Petroleum 


Corporation in the US, also had repercussions, 


and deserved the unanimous repudiation 


of the National Assembly.







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





000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
 

 

Urgent

 

52 Zionist settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

backed by Israeli occupation forces: 

Palestinian media

 

 

_______________________

 

 

 

New Escalation ---------- Occupation Forces Launch 

Widespread Raids and Arrests Across West Bank

December 8th, 12:29pm

(al Manar)

 

The Israeli occupation army launched a widespread campaign of 

raids across the occupied West Bank in the early hours of today, 

resulting in the arrest of a number of Palestinian civilians. 

 

Among those detained during an incursion into the town of Arraba 

near Jenin, is the former prisoner Lubna Ezz El-Din, who had been 

released in an earlier prisoner exchange deal, 

 

Occupation Forces stormed the city of Nablus and the adjacent 

Balata and Ein refugee camps. A residential building in the 

Rafidia area, west of Nablus, was also raided. 

 

The operations extended to the governorates of Salfit, Bethlehem, 

Hebron, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm. A substantial Israeli military force 

further conducted a raid on the town of Mikhmas, northeast of 

occupied Jerusalem.

 

A report in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper revealed that Israeli 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has allocated 2.7 billion 

shekels for the establishment of 17 new settlements in

 the West Bank ...over the coming five years.

 

In a related development, the Palestinian Ministry of Health 

announced the death of 21-year-old Baraa Qablan, who 

succumbed to the wounds sustained from Israeli 

occupation gunfire last night --- between the 

towns of Azzun and Izbat al-Tabib... near 

Qalqilya. The Israeli army is currently

 holding his body.

 

 

Source: Agencies (edited 

& translated by Al-Manar 

English Website)

 

 

__________________________________________

 

 

 

Hezbollah MP Calls on Lebanese State 

Not to Make Concessions at Expense 

of National Duties

December 8th, 12:09pm

(al Manar)

 

Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc at the Lebanese 

Parliament MP Raed Berro, called on the Lebanese State ---- not to 

offer concessions to the enemy at the expense of national duites.

 

During a memorial service in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh), MP 

Berro said the Lebanese State “should not be a third party when 

the conflict is between the Lebanese people and the Israeli 

enemy,” Hezbollah Media Relations announced, Monday.

 

“We understand...... that it takes into account some international 

pressures and internal Lebanese circumstances, but not at the 

expense of carrying out its national duties as stipulated by 

the constitution, the law, and national duty,” the 

Hezbollah lawmaker said.

 

Being a third party contradicts the normal role of the State, 

which is to defend the national interests, MP Berro stated.

 

He called on the Lebanese State to put an end to some officials 

“who are indifferent to the wounds and pain of the people and 

the daily Israeli attacks against them, and even justify the 

aggression ------ and blame the resistance for defending 

the country.”

 

“Anyone who believes that these attacks will weaken the resistance 

and its people is mistaken. And anyone who assumes that we have 

been weakened internally, in Lebanon, as a result of the blows 

the resistance suffered in the last war - is also mistaken,” 

MP Berro affirmed.

 

 

 

Source: Al-Manar English Website

 

 

 

_________________________________________

 

 

 

‘Israel’ Acknowledges Over 22,000 Soldiers 

Injured .....Since Start of Gaza Offensive

December 8th, 11:09am

(al Manar)

 

The Israeli Occupation Ministry of Defense has disclosed..... that 

its rehabilitation department is currently treating approximately 

82,400 soldiers and veterans wounded during military service. 

This figure includes over 22,000 injuries sustained since the 

beginning of the military offensive on Gaza, which started 

on October 7, 2023.

 

According to data reported by The Jerusalem Post, nearly 31,000
of 
those receiving care are being treated for psychological

conditions, with post-traumatic stress disorder - being
the primary diagnosis. 

 

The ministry’s statistics indicate that 58% of the new injury claims 

are related to mental health, with roughly 1,500 new requests 

for recognition of psychological service injuries....... 

being filed each month.

 

The enemy ministry projects that the number of wounded requiring 

treatment will rise to 100,000 by the year 2028. It is estimated 

that roughly half of this total will be suffering from chronic 

psychological disorders.

 

The released data further specifies that 26% of the current caseload 

stems from the Gaza offensive. Among these casualties are 132 

individuals now confined to wheelchairs, 64 who have been 

declared 100% disabled, 88 amputees, and five who 

have lost their sight.

 

In response to the rapidly growing number of wounded, the Ministries 

of Defense and Finance, have established a special committee to 

explore.. the expansion of support and treatment programs. The 

Ministry of Defense has announced its intention...... to increase 

the rehabilitation department’s budget by 53% ...raising it to 

8.3 billion shekels (about $2.57 billion). Nearly half of this 

budget is earmarked for treating psychological trauma.

 

Demographic breakdowns show that 68% of the wounded are 

over the age of 40. The city of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut 

recorded the highest injury rate relative to its 

population --- followed by Herzliya and 

Ramat Gan. The oldest individual 

receiving treatment ---- is a 98-

year-old veteran......... of the 

pre-state Haganah forces.

 

 

Source: Agencies (edited 

& translated by Al-Manar 

English Website)

 

 

__________________________

 

 

 

Israeli Occupation Forces Raid 

UNRWA Headquarters ------ in 

Occupied East Jerusalem

December 8th, 10:08am

(al Manar)

 

Israeli occupation forces stormed and searched the headquarters

 of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine 

Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood 

of occupied East Jerusalem on Monday morning.

 

UNRWA confirmed that the forces raided the compound and 

confiscated mobile phones from the site’s security guards. 

The agency stated that a large contingent of forces 

remained inside, severing communications and 

leaving the situation unclear.

 

The raid followed the United Nations General Assembly’s 

overwhelming adoption last Friday, of five resolutions 

concerning Palestine, which included the renewal 

of UNRWA’s mandate.

 

The Jerusalem Governorate strongly condemned the incursion, 

labeling it a blatant violation of international law and a serious 

assault on the inviolability and dignity of United Nations 

institutions. In a statement, it asserted that the action 

constitutes a clear breach of the UN Charter, the 

conditions of UN membership, and specific UN 

resolutions—particularly Security Council 

Resolution 2730 (May 24, 2024), which 

obligates states ----- to protect UN 

personnel - and facilities. This 

protection, the Governorate 

noted, applies directly

 to UNRWA.

 

According to the Governorate’s account, a large force stormed

 the headquarters at dawn, detained security personnel, 

confiscated their phones, and imposed a complete 

communications blackout and cordon around 

the area -- while conducting extensive 

searches inside the building.

 

The statement contextualized the raid as part of a series of attacks 

since the Israeli government’s enforcement on January 30 of a 

decision to ban UNRWA operations in East Jerusalem. This 

decision, had already prompted the departure of the 

agency’s international staff from the city - after 

their permits expired, while local staff were 

absent from the offices during the raid.

 

The Jerusalem Governorate reaffirmed ---- that East Jerusalem is 

occupied territory under international law, and its annexation is 

unrecognized. It stressed that targeting a UN agency serving 

refugees represents a grave violation of the international 

system and UN authority, and constitutes a direct 

challenge to the recent UN General Assembly 

vote renewing UNRWA’s mandate.

 

The Governorate reiterated its support for the International Court 

of Justice’s advisory opinion, which underscores Israel’s lack of 

sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, including 

Jerusalem—an integral part of UNRWA’s operational area. 

 

It called on the international community to reject recent 

Israeli decisions, which it described --- as tools for 

entrenching occupation and oppression.

 

Concluding its statement, the Jerusalem Governorate urged urgent 

international action to hold Israel accountable as a state that 

violates international law and to prosecute its leaders for 

crimes committed against the Palestinian people and

 their institutions.

 

 

 

Source: Palestinian media (Translated 

& edited by Al-Manar English Website)

 

 

 

_____________________________________

 

 

 

Jumblatt --- No Normalization, 

No Negotiations Under Fire

December 8th, 8:08am

(al Manar)

 

Walid Jumblatt, former head of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party, 

stated, “We reject normalization and insist on a ceasefire before any 

return to the principles established at the Beirut Arab Summit.” He 

emphasized, “We adhere to fixed principles, primarily concerning 

the land and sovereignty — and by land, we mean everything 

above and below it.”

 

Jumblatt made these remarks on Sunday after a meeting with 

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain al-Tineh. 

The meeting was attended by MP Taymour Jumblatt, 

head of the Democratic Gathering bloc, and former 

minister Ghazi Aridi.

 

He further affirmed, “We refuse to negotiate under fire with the 

Israeli enemy,” noting that “Simon Karam, appointed head of 

the negotiating delegation, is a seasoned negotiator. 

However, any negotiations must take place under 

the conditions of a solid ceasefire, an Israeli 

withdrawal, and the return of displaced 

residents to their villages.”

 

Jumblatt also called for “strengthening the Lebanese army,” 

expressing support for “the army’s measures south of the 

Litani River.” He concluded by questioning, “Where is 

the international aid for the Lebanese army?”

 

 

Source: Al-Manar Eglish Website

 

 

____________________________________

 


 





New panel with pro-Israel ties 

------- to oversee UK case on 

Palestine Action: Report

November 27th, 7:28pm

 (PressTV)

 

 

 Police officers address demonstrators at a protest against

the ban on Palestine Action outside the UK Home Office
in London, November 24, 2025. (Photo by Shutterstock)

 

A new report says a British judge set to decide whether the UK’s 

proscription of Palestine Action is lawful has been abruptly 

replaced by a panel ---- that includes a judge with long-

standing ties to Israel, leading to accusations 

of a “stitch-up.”

 

The Electronic Intifada reported on Thursday --- that High Court 

Judge Victoria Sharp, who has well-documented connections

to pro-Israel lobbying networks in Britain, will now lead the

 newly appointed panel overseeing the case.

 

Before the change, High Court Justice Martin Chamberlain, an 

expert on free speech law.... had been scheduled to rule on 

whether to overturn the British government’s designation: 

of Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organization. But last 

Wednesday ----- he was abruptly replaced by a 3-judge 

panel, comprised of Victoria Sharp, Karen Steyn
and 
Jonathan Swift.

 

Victoria Sharp’s appointment to the panel is drawing 

particular scrutiny ------- due to her family and 

professional links to pro-Israel networks.

 

Her twin brother, Richard Sharp, sits on the board of trustees 

of the charity One Million Mentors, alongside Trevor Chinn, 

a major British funder of pro-Israel groups.

 

Richard Sharp is also a former chair of the BBC. When he 

was appointed in 2021, the broadcaster noted: that 

“Sharp’s heritage is Jewish and he is considered 

by those who know him, broadly pro-Israel. He 

has a twin sister, Victoria, who is a 

senior judge.”

 

He resigned from the BBC in 2023 ------ after breaching 

public appointments rules by failing to disclose his 

involvement in facilitating a £1 million loan to 

then prime minister Boris Johnson.

 

Victoria Sharp’s own professional background has also come 

under the spotlight. As a barrister in the 1980s, she was 

instructed by the law firm, Mischon de Reya --- which 

later represented the Israeli regime - and a number 

of pro-Israel groups, in legal efforts to challenge 

boycotts of Israel in the UK.

 

She has also been reported to have served as one of the 

“principal advisers” to media tycoon Robert Maxwell, 

later revealed to have acted as a spy for Israel.

 

Chinn, a longtime figure in pro-Israel advocacy, has 

backed groups such as Labour Friends of Israel.

 

After the Labour Party took office last year, an analysis 

by Declassified UK, found that half of Prime Minister 

Keir Starmer’s cabinet had received funding from 

Israel-aligned donors - with Chinn - among the 

most prominent.

 

“I’ve spent my entire life --- working for Israel,” Chinn said 

during a meeting in 2013. In January, he was awarded 

the Medal of Honour by the Israeli president for his

 “contribution to Israel and the Jewish people.”

 

Although the last-minute replacement of Chamberlain 

was unusual within the British legal system, it was 

not without precedent.

 

A similar switch occurred earlier this year - in the case 

brought by the Palestinian human rights organisation 

al-Haq, which challenged the British government 

--------- over its role in exporting F-35 bomber 

components to Israel.

 

In that case, Karen Steyn --- was one of two judges who 

stepped in to replace Chamberlain, and she ultimately

 ruled in Israel’s favour.


On 10 June 2022, Swift ruled in favour of the UK Government


that the deportation flights of unsuccessful asylum seekers 


in the UK to Rwanda ----- should be allowed to proceed,
as 
there was ''material public interest'' in doing so.


 


He added in his ruling, that the risk posed to 


refugees was "in the realms of speculation".


 


On 8 June 2023, Swift ruled in favour of the UK
Government 
------ and rejected the appeal of
Julian Assange's legal team.


 

Meanwhile, campaigners were once again arrested

this week.. for holding signs expressing support 

for Palestine Action.

 

Palestine Action has focused much of its campaign 

on Elbit Systems UK --- Israel’s largest weapons 

manufacturer, which it accuses of supplying 

weapons to the Israeli military during the 

regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.

 

In July, the UN human rights chief sharply criticized 

Britain’s ban on the activist group, calling it

“disturbing” misuse of the UK’s counter 

terrorism laws ---- and urging the 

government ---- to reverse 

the decision. 

Image: Norman Finkelstein's Birth Day

 

  
Today, December 8th, in 1953,

 

Norman Finkelstein,

 

political scientist and activist,

who opposes Israeli nazis,

 

is born.

 

Norman Gary Finkelstein's primary fields of research are the 

politics of the Holocaust and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

 

Finkelstein was born in New York City to Jewish Holocaust-survivor 

parents. He is a graduate of Binghamton University - and received 

his Ph.D. in political science - from Princeton University. He has 

held faculty positions at Brooklyn College, Rutgers University, 

Hunter College, New York University, and DePaul University, 

where he was an assistant professor from 2001 to 2007.

 

 In 2006, the department and college committees at DePaul University 

voted to grant Finkelstein tenure. For undisclosed reasons.......... the 

university administration did not tenure him, and he announced his 

resignation after coming to a settlement with the university.

 

Finkelstein rose to prominence in 2000 after publishing The Holocaust 

Industry, a book in which he writes, that the memory of the Holocaust

is exploited as an ideological weapon to provide Israel with immunity 

from criticism. He is a critic of Israeli policy and its supremicism. 

 

The Israeli government barred him from entry to the country for 

ten years in 2008. Finkelstein has called Israel the "Jewish 

supremacist state", and views it as committing the crime 

of apartheid against the Palestinian people.

 

 Through personal accounts in one of his books, he compares the 

plight of the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation with
the 
horrors of the Nazis. 

 

Finkelstein's most recent book --- on Palestine and Israel, 

published in 2018 is Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom.

 

 

Finkelstein has said of his parents that "they saw the world through

the prism of the Nazi Holocaust. They were eternally indebted -- to 

the Soviet Union (to whom they attributed the defeat of the Nazis) 

- so anyone who was anti-Soviet they were extremely harsh on".

 

They supported the Soviet Union's approval of the creation of the 

State of Israel, as enunciated by Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, 

who said that Jews had earned the right to a state, but saw

that Israel had sold its soul to the West and "refused to 

have any truck with it".

 

According to Finkelstein, his involvement in the Israeli–Palestinian 

conflict began in 1982, when he and a handful of other Jews in 

New York protested against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. 

He held a sign up, saying: "This son of survivors of the 

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Auschwitz, Maijdenek 

will not be silent: Israeli Nazis – Stop the 

Holocaust in Lebanon!"

 

He has written scathing academic reviews of several prominent 

writers and scholars who, he says, misrepresent facts in order 

to defend Israel's policies and practices. 

 

His writings have dealt with topics such as Zionism, the 

demographic history of Palestine, and the existence of

 a "Holocaust industry" - that exploits the memory of 

the Holocaust to further Israeli political interests.

 

Because of his outspoken criticism of Israel, Finkelstein has 

received death threats and harassment. In February 2025, 

he was harassed by the right-wing Zionist group Betar. 

While he was on the street, some members of the 

group gave him pagers, as a reference to the 

2024 pager attacks in Lebanon.

 

 

''I think Israel -- as a number of commentators pointed out, 

is becoming an insane state. And, we have to be honest 

-- about that. While the rest of the world wants peace, 

Europe wants peace, the US wants peace --- but this 

state wants war, war and war. It is a lunatic state.''

 

 

''The big difference --- between political correctness and woke politics,

is political correctness was really marginal, a few campus radicals, 

but the Democratic Party has instrumentalized identity politics to 

displace what was once its base --- the trade union movement. 

Identity politics.. has infiltrated most of what you would call 

liberal culture and so its impact, the dangers it poses, are 

much more significant. Identity politics has appropriated 

those causes ---------- the women's question, the African-

American question, but lopped off the class element.''

 

 

"I am an old-fashioned communist".






 

Israeli universities -------- face 

growing academic isolation 

despite Gaza ceasefire,

 report says

November 25th, 8:39am
(PressTV)

 

The academic boycott of Israeli universities in Europe has 

doubled, even after the Gaza ceasefire aimed at ending 

the occupying regime’s genocidal war against the 

besieged Gaza Strip.... a move that further 

isolates Tel Aviv --- in global higher

education, a new report says.

 

The Academic Boycott of Israel Monitoring Team, created by 

the Committee of University Presidents in Tel Aviv, said in a 

report on Monday that academic boycotts targeting the 

regime have surged, with around 1,000 cases 

reported in Europe by November.

 

It stressed that Israel’s negative image, which has persisted even 

after the ceasefire over the genocidal war against Gaza -- is “so 

deeply entrenched that political moves alone are not enough 

to shift public perception.”

 

Contrary to expectations that the boycott would ease following the 

ceasefire, the report notes that “the opposite occurred,” with 

institutions and individual academics more frequently 

filing boycott cases.

 

The monitoring team, whose report was published by The Marker, 

the economic version of the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz ---- also 

warned that this expanding boycott could isolate Israeli higher

 education significantly and pose a long-term strategic threat

 to its international standing.

 

The report further identified concrete consequences for the move, 

including a drop in EU Horizon Europe research grants for Israeli 

scholars, exclusion from international cooperation projects, 

and a breakdown in collaborative programs.

 

The Association of University Heads in Israel has reportedly 

recorded over 1,000 incidents of academic boycotts over 

the last two years, three times the total as of a year ago.

 

According to the report, 57 percent of cases involve individual 

researchers (mainly being excluded from research groups), 

22 percent are institutional severances, seven percent 

are from professional associations, and 14 percent 

relate to halted student exchanges or 

postdoctoral partnerships.

 

It also said that this crippling boycott trend --- is unlikely to reverse 

soon without “major regional and geopolitical changes,” warning 

that sustained isolation of Israeli academia may continue.

 

The boycott movement “will accompany Israeli academia for 

a long time and will not ease without major regional and 

geopolitical changes,” the report noted.

 

Israel has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians, most of them women 

and children, and injured over 170,900 others in Gaza since 

October 7, 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, 

when it launched a brutal war against the 

Palestinian territory.

 

Despite a ceasefire announced in October,

 Israel continues to target Gaza -------

 in violation of the agreement. 

 

Hamas has urged the guarantors of the ceasefire, namely Qatar, 

Turkey, Egypt, and the United States, to press Israel to abide 

by the deal ---- and stop its attacks on Gaza.  




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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