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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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They Pay homage in Venezuela - to

leading African Roland Lumumba

March 10th, 4:36pm

(Prensa Latina) 

 

The Venezuelan Government - paid tribute to the leading 

anti-imperialist, anti-colonial & promoter of pan-african 

solidarity, Roland Gilbert Okito Lumumba, reported

 the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

 

The son of the first president of the Democratic Republic of 

the Congo, Okito Lumumba died on January 28, on which 

occasion the Venezuelan Minister, Yván Gil, described 

him as the “faithful heir..... of an historic struggle”.

 

The vice-chancellor for Africa, Yuri Pimentel said on Tuesday 

that Venezuela and Africa, “are united by the same story of 

struggle ------- of confronting the genocide and looting of 

our resources.”

 

He stated that it has been a common struggle for freedom and 

sovereignty, and felt that these “struggles of Africa -- are also

a part of the Bolivarian Revolution”.

 

Pimentel valued the “unconditional in every moment of 

difficulty and victory” friendship of the african leader 

with the Venezuelan people --- who accompanied 

them, he said, from the heart of Mother Africa.

 

About his legacy, he expressed that it will not be remembered 

as “a cold statue”, but in the fulfilment of the task ahead.

 

“Your absence feels like a weight on the soul and
a vacuum
 in the first row of the struggles,”
said the deputy Foreign minister.

 

The tribute to the leading african was performed in the context

 of the visit to Caracas of a delegation of the African Legacy 

Foundation, of which he was a founding member and 

secretary general at the time of his death, said 

the foreign minister.

 

The representative of Africa... accompanied by the diplomatic 

corp and authorities, paid tribute today.. with a floral offering 

to the Liberator ---- Simon Bolivar, in the National Pantheon.

 

 

_____________________________________

 

 

 

Cuba --- calls for the defense of 

the right of self-determination

March 10th, 9:51am

(Prensa Latina) 

 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez,

 today hosted a call to the resolute defence of the right 

of peoples to self-determination.

 

Equally urged to respect the election of a political 

system, of economic and cultural development - 

without outside interference.

 

Through the social network X, the Minister noted the 

urgency of this "to prevail in international relations, 

dialogue, cooperation, respect for the sovereign 

equality of States, the peaceful settlement of 

disputes --- and the commitment to multi-

lateralism, instead of the threat and

 use of force."

 

__________________________________

 

 

Reported in Italy: US blocking
the 
funds in support of Cuba

March 10th, 7am

(Prensa Latina) 

 

The Union Base (USB), an important guild of Italy, denounced 

the lock on payments, of funds for the campaign “Medicine 

to Cuba,” says a report today.

 

A statement posted on the official website of the Italian trade 

union concerned “over the last few days, we have verified 

that the system of money transfer, PayPal blocked the 

funds of private citizens who send money”
in 
support of this initiative, launched
last M
arch 5.

 

“We asked our union's why we used the system of PayPal 

for actions related to Cuba,” according to the complaint 

by the USB.

 

The simple appearance of the word Cuba enables this 

restriction, as the expression in this country of the 

extraterritorial application... of the criminal 

economic blockade of the commercial 

and financial tax from more than 60

 years ago by the US against Cuba, 

brought back - in the past few 

months, by the regime of

Donald Trump.

 

“With a measure by Trump --- from the 29th of January, the 

oppression of the Cuban people has intensified, and the 

shortage of petroleum, medicine & food on the island 

is on the rise”, and “it is unacceptable that even the 

actions of solidarity and the sending of funds for 

humanitarian aid ------ is blocked by the US

 authorities,” says the note.

 

The union said, “what the administration Trump imposes on

 Cuba is not a blockade it is an act of war against an entire 

people,” and it is “a coward's war, fought not with bombs, 

but with hunger, darkness, and siege”. 

 

It is, as noted, an action of genocide “against a people 

who for more than sixty years, have built a model of 

society that has challenged capitalism -- showing 

that it is possible to guarantee social rights and 

employment for all, free access to health care 

and education.”

 

“Cuba has trained doctors for the whole world -- leading to

public health where the market only brought poverty”, 

and “this is what imperialism does not forgive, they

have shown that there is an alternative, that the 

health of a people can take precedence over 

the profit of a few”

 

The USB refers also to the US increasing pressure against 

all of the countries that receive medical attention from

Cuban personnel, demanding the removal of the staff 

of Cuban health care... and cites the case of the 

Italian region of Calabria, whose people and 

government --- rejected such maneuvers.

 

This union reaffirms that, despite the obstacles it faces, is

 re-launching with might, this campaign of solidarity with 

Cuba, and calls on - “all the political forces, media and 

social organizations to denounce the conduct of the

criminal and genocidal US”, adds the source.

 




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












 


 





 

 

Hezbollah's statement 8


March 11th, 8pm


(al Manar)


 


As part of the “Eaten Straw” operations, the 


Islamic Resistance fighters targeted, at 


19:40 on Wednesday, those Israeli 


settlements, already warned to 


evacuate, within a 5-km area 


from the Lebanese borders, 


with dozens of missiles. 


 


 


_____________________________





Pushkov: Iran's Missile Potential - Is

Greater Than Opponents Expected

March 11th, 7:06pm

(RT.ru)

 

Iran's missile capabilities are much more powerful than its

 opponents anticipated, according to Alexey Pushkov, a 

member of the Federation Council's Committee on 

Constitutional Legislation.

 

“While Iran has already used between 2,000 and 2,500 

missiles, the scale of its strikes shows that its
missile 
capabilities are much more
powerful than its 
adversaries
have anticipated,” wrote 

Pushkov on Telegram.

 

Earlier, the deputy commander of the IRGC, General 

Ali Fadavi, said... that Iran could use a new type of 

missile in the coming days - for retaliatory strikes.

 

 

__________________________________________




Hezbollah S.G. Congratulates Ayatollah Khomeini 


on Election, Reiterates Commitment to 


Islamic Revolution Path


March 11th, 4:03pm


(al Manar)


 


Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem sent 


a congratulatory cable to the Leader of the Islamic 


Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Ali 


Khamenei, on his election, reiterating the 


Resistance Party’s commitment to the 


Islamic Revolution Path.


 


What follows is the text of the cable:


 


In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful


 


Your Excellency Ayatollah Leader Sayyed Mojtaba 


Ali Khamenei, may God keep your shadow,


 


Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings.


 


We have received with great joy and pride ---- the news of your 


election by the Assembly of Experts in the Islamic Republic 


of Iran as a leader, guide, and blessed & faithful successor 


to preserve the path of Imam Khomeini (may God sanctify 


his soul), for which the martyred Leader Imam Sayyed Ali 


Khamenei (may God sanctify his soul) dedicated his life, 


blood, and the blood of the martyrs, dear and precious,


to safeguard this path and promote the independence 


of Iran & its authentic Islamic identity relying on God 


Almighty and trusting in the presence of the Iranian 


people, who are devout, zealous, and brave ---- and 


confident in the possibility of achieving progress,


building capabilities.. and demonstrating the 


just Islamic political model in addressing 


crises… and being bold in confronting 


oppression, aggression, and the 


oppressors --- and foiling their 


conspiracies and thwarting


their criminal wars.


 


We hope that ---- under your promising leadership, you will 


continue this authentic and revolutionary Islamic path on 


the ideological, political, moral, and practical levels, 


which guides the aspiring and oppressed peoples 


of the world..... towards righteousness, 


independence, and the realization


 of justice.


 


We – Hezbollah – Lebanon, thank God - for the great blessings 


He has bestowed upon us, including the political, moral, and 


revolutionary rise that was inspired by the blessed Islamic 


Revolution in Iran, the liberating and independent path, 


and the firm and effective steps ---- taken under the 


leadership of Sayyed Abbas al-Moussawi, Sayyed 


Hassan Nasrallah & Sayyed Hashem Safieddine 


(may God be pleased with them) ---------- in 


strengthening the resistance ---- against 


occupation, aggression, & oppression. 


We congratulate you on your election.


 


We affirm that we are committed to your leadership, as we 


were with the Guardian Leader --- and the martyred Imam 


Khamenei and the founder Imam Khomeini, (may God be 


pleased with them) steadfast in supporting the religion, 


truth, and humanity, and paving the way until justice is 


achieved, by the blessing of the Imam of the Time, 


may God hasten his noble appearance.


 


 In my personal name ----- and on behalf of my brothers in the
Hezbollah Shura Council... the leadership & Mujahideen 
of
the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, we renew our pledge


to you ..and pray that God will grant you success and 


guidance, to achieve the hopes of your people and 


the oppressed peoples in repelling the arrogance 


and oppression of the aggressors from them --- 


and their countries.


 


Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings.


 


Secretary-General of Hezbollah


Sheikh Naim Qassem


 


Beirut, 20th of Ramadan, 1447 AH


March 10, 2026






Source: Al-Manar English Website


 


 


__________________________________





Any ship passing Strait of Hormuz 


must obtain approval:
IRGC 
Navy chief


March 11th, 2:57pm


 (PressTV)


 


The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)


 Naval Force says any vessel seeking to sail through the Strait 


of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, it could 


become a target of Iranian attacks.


 


In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Alireza 


Tangsiri said that two ships that had ignored Iran’s warnings 


were targeted in the Strait earlier that day.


 


Tangsiri ridiculed the US government’s pledges to escort 


and protect vessels transiting the waterway, calling 


them “hollow promises.”


 


“Were the ships assured of safe passage through the Strait of 


Hormuz? This should be asked of the crews of the vessels 


Express Rome and Mayuree Naree, who today, trusting in 


empty promises, ignored the warnings and intended to 


cross the Strait, but were caught,” the general said


 in a Farsi-language post.


 


“Any vessel intending to pass must obtain 


permission from Iran,” he added.


 


Iran has intensified its restrictions on the passage of ships 


through the Strait of Hormuz amid an ongoing US-Israeli 


war of aggression against the country.


 


Authorities have indicated that the Strait, through which nearly 


one-fifth of global oil passed before the war, remains open and 


that vessels not serving the interests of the United States 


and Israel .........can sail through safely.


 


The restrictions have led to a significant rise in global energy 


and commodity prices, with experts suggesting that the 


impact could escalate to historic levels ---- if the 


confrontation continues.


 


This comes as Washington has failed to provide escorts to 


vessels seeking to transit the waterway, despite earlier 


pledges to do so ...as part of efforts..... to restore 


market confidence.


 


Iran selling more oil


 


However, a Wednesday report by The Wall Street Journal said 


that Iran --- has managed to transport more oil through the 


Strait of Hormuz, despite a sharp decline in shipments 


by other oil giants in the Persian Gulf.


 


The report noted that tankers have loaded an average 


of 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil per day, higher 


than the 2 million barrels per day which Iran 


exported in February.


 


Citing data from tanker tracking service Kpler --- the report 


showed that seven tankers have loaded oil off the Iranian 


coast since the war began on February 28, with at least 


two of the most recent loadings now safely sailing out 


of the Persian Gulf.


 


 


____________________________________


 


 


 


100 US soldiers wounded - in Iran's 


attack on Kuwait's al-Udairi base:


 IRGC


March 11th, 2:45pm


 (PressTV)


 


The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) - has announced 


that around 100 US “terrorists” ---- have been injured ---- in a 


retaliatory attack by Iran's navy on al-Udairi base, Kuwait. 


 


The IRGC said in a statement that its naval forces carried out 


"glorious and powerful" operations ---- against the remnants 


of the US forces in West Asia.


 


According to the statement, the operations included “two 


heavy and simultaneous missile strikes” on the al-Udairi 


helicopter base...... which left “more than 100” US 


soldiers injured.


 


The wounded were transferred to al-Jaber 


and Al-Mubarak hospitals, it said.


 


The statement added --- that Iranian missiles and drones also 


struck the key infrastructure of the US base at Mina Salman 


port in Bahrain, which serves as the headquarters of the 


US Fifth Fleet, and also hosts critical systems, such as


the Leeds. 


 


“The Patriot camp, and the equipment warehouses, as well 


as the accommodation & gathering centres of US terrorist 


soldiers at the two naval bases of 'Muhammad Al-Ahmad' 


& 'Ali Al-Salem' [in Kuwait], were also intensely struck.”


 


The IRGC spokesman says that US soldiers have become 


displaced across cities throughout the West Asia region.


 


The IRGC vowed that the war against “the terrorist Americans 


and the criminal Zionist regime” will continue powerfully


 until “the complete surrender of the enemy.”


 


Iran conducts drone attacks on 'Aman, Unit 8200' 


 


Meanwhile, Iran’s Army announced that it has launched drone 


attacks on the military intelligence organization of the Israeli 


army, Unit 8200, the Green Pine radar, and the headquarters 


of the submarine Haifa Naval Base.... since the early hours 


of Wednesday.


 


According to the statement, the military intelligence 


organization of the Israeli army, known as “Aman”, 


which was targeted in the recent drone attack 


played a role in ---- “identifying targets and 


military actions in the Ramadan war.”


 


It added that the other target, “Unit 8200,” was responsible 


for “collecting intelligence signals, tracking digital 


communications, and conducting offensive 


cyber operations.”


 


220 US forces killed or wounded
in Iranian strikes in 24 hours


 


An Iranian Army spokesman says 220 US soldiers and 


commanders have been killed or wounded, and 


significant damage has been inflicted on US


assets in the region, in retaliatory attacks 


by the Iranian Armed Forces --- over the 


past 24 hours.


 


The statement also described the targeted Green Pine 


radar as “one of the main pillars of the regime's army 


n countering Iranian missiles,” noting that the 


damage inflicted to these radars --- has 


“significantly reduced” the regime’s 


ability to intercept missiles.


 


The US and Israel started a fresh round of aerial aggression 


on Iran on February 28, some eight months after they 


carried out unprovoked attacks on the country.


 


Iran began to swiftly retaliate against the strikes by launching 


barrage of missiles and drone attacks on the Israeli-occupied 


territories ---- as well as on US bases in regional countries.


 


 


________________________________________________


 


 



US-Israeli barbarism ‘greatest threat
to 
civilization since WWII':
Ex-UN expert


March 11th, 11:58am


(PressTV)


 


A former United Nations independent expert, has condemned 


the US-Israeli “barbaric” military actions against the Islamic 


Republic of Iran, which he asserts constitute “the gravest 


danger to civilization since the Second World War.”


 


Alfred De Zayas, who served as the UN Independent Expert on 


the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International 


Order, in a post on X, formerly Twitter -- issued this stark 


warning amid the escalating Israeli-US war against Iran.


 


In a strongly worded statement, De Zayas slammed 


the mainstream media outlets --- for "selling" this 


barbarism to the public through their coverage.


 


He also called out certain European governments over their 


complicity in the war against Iran --- through their political 


and material support for it.


 


The former UN official warned that this combination of 


military aggression, media complicity and European 


backing ---- "confirms their civilisational collapse" 


is now underway.


 


De Zayas's comments reflect growing international concerns 


over the scale and intensity of the unprovoked and illegal 


military campaign, which has now entered its 12th day.


 


More than 1,300 Iranians have been martyred in the 


aggression, including the Leader of the Islamic 


Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei 


and some top-ranking commanders.


 


The former UN expert's condemnation carries particular 


weight -- given his previous mandate overseeing global 


standards for democratic participation and equitable 


international relations.




____________________________________________________




Ambassador Jalali: The damage to the forces 
that attacked Iran -- will grow exponentially


March 11th, 12:09pm


(RT.ru)


 


The damage to the forces that attacked Iran - will grow 


exponentially, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem 


Jalali said, in an interview with RIA Novosti.


 


At the same time, the diplomat emphasized - that Iran has


 a “unique doctrine in the field of combat strategies and


 tactics,” and adjusts the level and intensity of the 


conflict on each front .....according to its 


specific needs.


 


 















Image: Qasem Soleimani's Birth Day


Today, March 11th, in 1958,

 

Qasem Soleimani,

 

soldier, commander

patriot and hero,

 

is born.

 

Qasem Soleimani  was an Armed Forces of the Islamic 

Republic of Iran military officer, who served in the 

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

 

From 1998, until his assassination (by Trump) in 2020, he 

was the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division 

primarily responsible for extra-territorial & clandestine 

military operations. 

 

Soleimani was significantly involved in the build up of the 

military capacity of Lebanon's Hezbollah, shaping the 

post-war political landscape in Iraq, and turning 

around the West's proxy war on Syria. 

 

In his later years, he was considered by some analysts to

be the right-hand man of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali 

Khamenei, as well as the second-most powerful person 

in Iran, behind him.

 

 

''The U.S. President tweeted some ridiculous things --- in 

response to our president's statements. It is beneath 

the dignity... of the president of the great Islamic 

country of Iran to respond - so I will respond 

--- as a soldier of our nation. 


 

''Let me tell you, Mr. Trump, you gambler. Know -- that we are 

near you ....where you least expect it. Where you could not

even imagine. We, are a nation of martyrdom. We, are the 

nation of Imam Hussein. Ask around. We have endured 

many hardships. Come, we are waiting. We --- are the 

real men on the field, as far as you are concerned. 

 

''For you --- we know that this war means 

destruction. You may start the war, 

but we will draw its end. So, you 

should not insult the Iranian 

nation. You --- should not 

insult our president.''




''Defending Palestine... is an honour for the Islamic Republic 

of Iran, and Iran --- will not renounce and give up its duty.
Palestinians are our friends, and enemies of Palestine 

are our enemies and this is - and will be - our policy.''


"We are not like the Americans. 


We don’t abandon our friends."







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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