Rhondda Records is with you every day bringing the news ------- that gives a view of world events different to the mainstream media or social media!
Except Sundays - our day of rest.
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
Systematic Israeli attacks extended to religious, educational,
cultural, health, and media institutions. Violations included
cemetery desecration, closures of UN institutions, raids
on cultural centres, restrictions on education, targeting
of journalists, and the imposition of discriminatory
legislation affecting education and work,
reflecting a broader campaign ----
to dismantle any Palestinian
institutional presence
in al-Quds.
The al-Quds Governorate - documented 20 settlement plans in
January 2026, including seven deposited plans for 571 units
over 86.79 dunums, three approved plans for 807 units over
37.722 dunums, and two tendered plans proposing 3,751
units. These projects form part of a systematic
strategy to Judaize the city and expand
colonial settlements.
Source: News websites
_____________________________________
Jordan says will not be ‘battleground
or launchpad’ .......against Iran
February 2nd, 4:03pm
(PressTV)
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has assured Iran
that his country will not permit its territory or airspace
to be used for military strikes against the
Islamic Republic.
In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
on Monday, Safadi reinforced Amman's stated policy of non-
involvement in regional conflicts .......amid US threats of a
possible attack on Iran.
“Jordan will not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a
launching pad for any military action against Iran,” he said,
according to a Jordanian foreign ministry statement.
The top Jordanian diplomat said his country “will not permit
any party to violate its airspace or threaten its security
and the safety of its citizens.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reported -- that Safadi
expressed concern over the consequences of the tensions..
on the stability and security of the entire region.
The Jordanian foreign minister said Amman, along with other
regional countries, regards diplomacy as the only option for
resolving issues and supports any diplomatic process in
this regard.
Araghchi, for his part, informed his Jordanian counterpart -- of
Iran’s positions regarding the use of diplomacy to secure the
rights and interests of the Iranian nation ..and to safeguard
peace and stability in the region.
Tensions remain high between Iran and the United States as the
US continues its military buildup across West Asia, including
the Persian Gulf, which has run in tandem with repeated
threats by US President Donald Trump --------- of new
military action.
The US Central Command expands its regional presence
and continues to deploy warships, fighter jets, and
troops under the pretext of “regional security.”
Iranian officials emphasize that Washington’s presence fuels
conflict and undermines regional unity -- while the country
remains the true guarantor of security in West Asia.
‘Our hands are on the trigger’: Iranian army
chief warns Israel, US ---- against mischief
Iran’s army chief says the country’s armed forces are at the
highest level of readiness, with enemy movements under
constant watch and an immediate response prepared.
Iran has vowed -- that any act of aggression against the
country will be met with a swift and powerful response.
On February 1, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned that any attack would
trigger a “regional war.”
“They should know that if they start a war this time, it
will be a regional war,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.
___________________________________
Iran rules out - enriched uranium
transfer as part of nuclear deal
February 2nd, 4:06pm
(PressTV)
Iran has dismissed speculation about transferring its enriched
uranium to another country as part of any potential nuclear
agreement with the United States.
Ali Bagheri, the foreign policy head at Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC), said on Monday that the country will
not negotiate over its enriched uranium stockpiles.
“Iranian officials have no intention of transferring enriched
nuclear materials to any country, and negotiations do not
revolve around such matters at all,” Bagheri said.
Bagheri served as Iran’s deputy foreign minister for three
years until May 2024, when he took over as caretaker
foreign minister for a three-month period.
His comments followed remarks by a senior Russian official,
who said Moscow is prepared to help ease rising military
tensions between Iran and the US through proposals
that could pave the way for a nuclear deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that
Russia had long offered to assist with processing or
storing Iran's enriched uranium.
“Right now, Russia is continuing its efforts, continuing its
contacts with all interested parties, and maintains its
readiness to de-escalate tensions around Iran to
the best of its ability,” Peskov was quoted as
saying by Reuters.
SNSC chief Ali Larijani said on Saturday that a framework for
nuclear talks between Iran and the US was making progress.
Larijani’s announcement came.... two days after his visit to
Moscow and marked the first such statement amid
renewed threats of US military action, as
Washington has deployed a flotilla of
warships to regional waters.
______________________________________
President Pezeshkian orders
resumption of nuclear talks
with US: Reports
February 2nd, 2:56pm
(PressTV)
President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the
resumption of talks with the US over Iran’s
nuclear program, according to reports.
Sources familiar with the matter told the Fars and
Tasnim news agencies that Pezeshkian, on
Monday, gave the green light for talks
to begin.
The timing and location of the negotiations
were not immediately known.
Follow-up reporting by Tasnim suggested that the details
of the negotiations have not yet been finalized and that
once the overall framework of the talks takes shape,
further information will be provided.
Talks between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Oman,
collapsed last June after the US joined the Israeli regime
in its military aggression against the country, which
included attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
Meanwhile, ISNA reported that the Iranian and US delegations
were expected to meet for talks ...within the next few days.
As in the previous rounds.. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi and US President Donald Trump's senior envoy
Steve Witkoff, will lead the potential talks. Deputy
foreign ministers Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and
Kazem Gharibabadi, will accompany the
top Iranian diplomat.
According to some sources, following Araghchi's trip to Türkiye
on Friday and Ankara's efforts to host Tehran-Washington
talks, negotiations might be held in Turkey, potentially
involving Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
In addition to Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt.. have also made
diplomatic efforts to host the talks, as part of efforts
to prevent the US from launching a new act of
aggression against Iran.
Iranian officials have made it clear that any attack by the US or Israel would be met with an immediate, powerful response and --- could spark a regional war.
President Trump has ordered a massive military buildup in the
Persian Gulf but has shifted his rhetoric, from threatening a
strike and backing rioters who wrought havoc in Iranian
cities earlier this month, to calling for a deal with Iran.
The US president claimed on Sunday that Iranian officials were
“seriously talking to us” without providing further details, and
that “hopefully, we’ll make a deal.”
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the US from
a UN-endorsed nuclear deal with Iran, called the Joint
reporters on Monday that Tehran should first evaluate
the different aspects of talks with the US.
He said various points have been exchanged within
this framework, and Iran is currently “in the stage
of reviewing and deciding on the details of a
diplomatic process.”
He expressed hope that the efforts would yield results
in the future and that the framework of negotiations
would be determined.
Speaking in an interview with CNN on Sunday, the Iranian
foreign minister said the US must seize the chance to
reach a fair deal with Tehran, warning that any
military aggression would be a “disaster”
for the entire region.
The US side ...also projected optimism over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday,
US President Donald Trump said that Iran was “talking
to us, seriously talking to us.”
Iran will not transfer its enriched
nuclear material: SNSC official
Deputy for Foreign Policy at the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme
National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani said the country’s
enriched nuclear material ---- will not be transferred to
any country.
Iranian officials - have no intention of transferring enriched
nuclear material to any country, and possible negotiations
with the US are not centred on such a matter at all,
he added.
Israeli media have reported that Türkiye has allegedly offered to
take custody of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium as part of
diplomatic efforts to prevent a potential US military attack
on Iran.
A senior Turkish official told Haaretz that Istanbul is likely to
propose transferring Iran’s enriched uranium to Türkiye. The
proposal targets approximately 440 kilograms of uranium
enriched to 60% purity, along with other stockpiles.
_________________________________________
Palestinian committee seeks global help
to protect Christians, churches
amid settler attacks
February 2nd, 2:55pm
(PressTV)
A Palestinian church committee has warned that assaults by
illegal Israeli settlers - threaten the long-standing Christian
community in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories,
calling on churches globally to take immediate and
visible steps to safeguard Palestinian civilians,
including Christians.
In a letter to churches around the world, the Palestinian
Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs said
attacks by Israeli settlers have surged in various
neighbourhoods of the West Bank.
It noted that the attacks have targeted towns and villages
like Birzeit, Taybeh, and Ein Arik in the Ramallah and
al-Bireh governorates, as well as al-Makhrour and
Ash Ghurab areas in Bethlehem governorate.
According to the committee, the types of attacks include
arrests, physical assaults, land confiscations, and the
growth of settlement outposts.
It characterized the assaults -- as part of a deliberate policy
designed to change both the demographic and geographic
makeup of the region, with the goal of forcibly displacing
the local population.
Israel clearing northern Gaza land for settlements: Report
Israel is clearing homes and farmland in northern Gaza,
with evidence pointing to ---- plans for settlements.
“These are not isolated incidents,” the committee said,
adding that the violence is carried out under the
protection of Israeli forces --------- and amid
complete impunity.
The committee, citing data provided by the official
advocacy body Colonization and Wall Resistance
Commission, reported that illegal settlers were
responsible for more than 4,723 attacks in
the West Bank in 2025.
The number of illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank
reached 770,000 in more than 180 settlements and
256 settlement outposts by the end of 2024,
official Palestinian data showed.
The international community views the settlements as illegal
under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to
their construction on occupied territories. The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in
several resolutions.
In July 2024 --- the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared
Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal.
The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements
in the West Bank and East al-Quds. It was mere words.
According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and settlers
have killed at least 1,110 Palestinians in the West Bank,
including East al-Quds, and injured at least 11,500
others since October 2023.
_______________________________________
First group of Palestinians returning
from Egypt .....passes through the
Rafah crossing
February 2nd, 11:02am
(PressTV)
The first group of Palestinians started to re-enter the Gaza Strip
.....through the Rafah border crossing between the coastal
territory and Egypt, after it reopened for the movement
of people.
Palestinians entered Gaza on Monday morning under strict
Israeli security oversight and coordination with Egypt, as
well as the supervision of the EU.
The border crossing had begun operating on Sunday
on a trial basis ------ after being fully closed for over
18 months due to an Israeli-imposed blockade.
Around 50 Palestinians are expected to enter Gaza, and
some 150 Palestinians, including patients needing
medical treatment and their companions, plan
to exit Gaza from the border crossing
into Egypt.
Another 22,000 Palestinian patients are awaiting the full
reopening of the Rafah crossing to get to Egypt to
receive medical treatment, according to Gaza's
health officials.
Since May 2024, Israeli regime forces have maintained
control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.
The Israeli regime forces temporarily reopened the vital
crossing to allow patients and wounded Palestinians
to leave Gaza for treatment abroad during a short
ceasefire in January 2025.
However, the Israeli regime forces
closed the Rafah crossing again.
The Israeli regime forces - were scheduled to hand back
the vital border crossing to the Palestinians during the
first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement
that took effect in October 2025. However, they
refused to do so ------------ in violation of
the agreement.
Hamas hails reopening of Rafah crossing as big gain
Hamas --- has hailed the reopening of the Rafah crossing
in the southern Gaza strip, as a significant achievement
of Palestinian resilience.
The Israeli regime has killed about 72,000 Palestinians and
wounded more than 171,000, mostly women and children,
since launching the genocidal war on Gaza
in October 2023.
Also, about 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza
has been destroyed in the relentless attacks carried out
by the Israeli military during this time.
After the ceasefire, the Tel Aviv forces have violated
the ceasefire daily, resulting in the killing of 523
more Palestinians.
The brutal zionist regime has also breached the ceasefire
agreement by imposing restrictions on the agreed-upon
quantities of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza.
This is while Gaza's 2.4 million population is in dire
humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing
Israeli blockade and needs international
relief to reach the war-torn territory.
Today, February 2nd, is
Victory Day --- inthe Battle of Stalingrad
February 2 is celebrated in Russia as the Day of the Defeat of
German Forces by Soviet Troops in the Battle of Stalingrad.
This memorable day was introduced in March 1995 by the
federal law "On the Days of Military Glory (Victory Days)
of Russia".
On February 2, 1943, the German troops that were surrounded
near Stalingrad, during Operation Uranus, capitulated. The
defeat of Hitler's troops in the Battle of Stalingrad...
marked the beginning of a radical turning point
in the Great Patriotic War, the transfer of the
strategic initiative to the Soviet armed
forces --------- and caused a huge
international resonance.
This battle not only demonstrated to the world, the growth of
the skills of Soviet commanders, the combat skills of Soviet
infantrymen, artillerymen, pilots, and tankers, but also
provided examples of the unprecedented courage,
heroism and fortitude of the Soviet people.
In the brutal Battle of Stalingrad, people demonstrated personal
and collective heroism. This mass heroism of Soviet soldiers
confused the Nazis. The Germans.. did not understand the
actions of the Soviet people, who, Nazi propaganda told
them, were “beaten by Bolshevik commissars”.
The feats of ordinary soldiers frightened the Germans, instilled
in them a sense of fear... and self-doubt. Reading the pages of stories about the Stalingrad battle, getting acquainted with the selfless deeds of people --- each time amazed by their stamina, strength of mind, will and courage. These people really loved their Soviet homeland
--- believed in its bright future --- and were
ready to defend it to the last drop
of blood, to fulfill their duty
until the end.
Here are just some of the heroes of this battle.
Sniper Peter A. Goncharov (15.01.1903 - 31.01.1944). Before
the war, he worked as a chipper at the Krasny Oktyabr
metallurgical plant in Stalingrad. He joined the Red
Army in 1942, becoming a fighter in the workers'
militia regiment.
In September 1942, the regiment in which Pyotr served held
the line in the area of the Stary Rogachik farm. During the
battle, he found himself with a mortally wounded armour
-piercer; taking his anti-tank rifle, Pyotr Goncharov shot
down the enemy with his first shots. Soon his talent
as a marksman was noticed .....and he was
transferred to the sniper ranks.
He mastered the rifle to perfection and in the battle for Stalingrad destroyed near 50 enemies. Sniper 44th
Guards Rifle Guards Regiment, Senior Sergeant
Peter Goncharov (15-I Guards Rifle Division,
7-I Guards Army, Voronezh Front) to
25 June 1943 -- liquidated from a
sniper rifle 380 enemy soldiers.
Also, he became a sniper mentor, teaching 9 snipers.
Unfortunately, the hero did not live to see the final
Victory. On January 31st, in 1944 in the battle
for the village of Vodyanoe, Sofia District, in
Dnipropetrovsk region... he died (by this
time, he had already killed about 450
enemies). He received the Star of
Hero of the Soviet Union...
posthumously.
The feat of 16 Guardsmen --- led by Junior Lieutenant V. D. Kochetkov. In early August 1942, a very difficult situation
developed on the Stalingrad Front ------ in the area of
operations of the 62nd Army.
On August 7-9th, 1942, units of the 6th German Army, trying to
break through to the Volga, pushed the Soviet troops back to
the left bank of the Don, our units were surrounded in the
area of the city of Kalach. Our troops fought stubborn
defensive battles. It was on these days, that sixteen
guardsmen accomplished their feat. They occupied
a defensive position on the crest of height 180.9.
August 18, 1942 became the day of their immortal glory. On this
day, they repelled 5 attacks of enemy infantry. Their motto
became the words - "Not one step back!"
At dawn on August 19, they were attacked by enemy tanks, and
12 vehicles. They had neither a gun, nor an antitank rifle - only
grenades - and they were running out of ammunition. Many,
including the commander, were already wounded.
The soldiers - at the cost of their lives - burned 4 tanks. Only four men survived: Chirkov, Stepanenko, Shuktomov, & the seriously wounded junior lieutenant Kochetkov (later,
it turned out that P. A. Burdin and G. A. Unzhakov
survived after their wounds). The Germans
trembled and retreated. Only two tanks
stubbornly attacked.
Chirkov, Stepanenko and Shuktomov, with grenades, jumped
up with the cry: “You won’t take us!”, rushed at the enemy
and burned the German tanks. When reinforcements
reached the line, they found 6 destroyed German
vehicles and the bodies of the dead guards.
They died, but defended the line.
By order of the Military Council 2 of October 1942, the fighters
P. A. Burdin, I. I. Gushchin, N. V. Dokuchaev, V. D. Kochetkov,
B. A. Chirkov, M. A. Shuktomov were all posthumously
awarded the Order of Lenin, and the other ten
soldiers - the Order of the Red Star.
In honour of them, the poet Serafim Popov
dedicated the ballad “Stalingrad”:
If you ever come to the Volga,
At the mass grave bow the head.
Sixteen ----- they gave the hearts
For breathing and singing a song.
There were many such examples of love for
homeland and working people - by both
men - and women.
Medical instructor Marionella (Gulya) V. Koroleva, (September 9
1922 - November 23 1942) went to the front as a volunteer.
On 23 November 1942 -- during the fight for the height of 56/8 ---- Korolev carried 50 wounded soldiers out from the battlefield, bringing back grenades for the soldiers.
When the critical moment came, and the commander was
killed - she raised the fighters in a counterattack and the
first one broke into the enemy fortification. In the battle,
she personally destroyed 15 enemies ---- even though already twice wounded (one wound was fatal).
She continued to fight until reinforcements arrived.
In January 1943, the command of the Don Front
was posthumously awarded the Order of the
Red Banner.
When you read such stories, you understand that our
grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and ancestors,
were real titans, people made of steel.
Therefore, they won.
Spain acts against Israel's illegal settlements,
orders platforms to remove listings
December 30th, 3:10pm
(PressTV)
Spain has ordered seven major online platforms to remove
more than 100 holiday-rental listings located in Israeli-
Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs said on Tuesday that it
had identified 138 listings on platforms operating in Spain
and notified the companies to “immediately remove or
block” the content.
Authorities warned that failure to comply could result in further
government action, though the penalties were not specified.
The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, condemned the
listings, saying they help “normalize and perpetuate a colonial
regime considered illegal under international law.”
The move is a part of measures introduced by Prime Minister
Pedro Sanchez’s government to support Palestine and hold
Israel accountable for its genocidal aggression in Gaza.
Sanchez has repeatedly denounced the international community
for oscillating --- between “indifference” and “complicity” with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This latest move builds on a series of measures Spain has adopted
in recent months ---- to confront Israel over its illegal settlement
enterprise and military aggression.
In September 2025, the Spanish government banned imports
of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the
occupied Palestinian territories.
Sanchez said the goal is “to stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue
its perpetrators -------- and support the Palestinian population.”
The Spanish government has prohibited ships and aircraft
carrying weapons directed towards Israel from entering
its ports or airspace.
The country has said that it will ----- deny entry to
anyone directly involved in the atrocities in Gaza.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank -- are considered
illegal under international law, a position upheld by the United
Nations and the majority of the global community.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a
landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of
Palestinian territories illegal -- and calling for the removal
of all settlements from the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Since recognizing the Palestinian state - in 2024, Spain
has been one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s
genocide in Gaza.
Israel has so far killed more than 71,000 Palestinians since
launching the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023,
before a ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States,
was reached in the strip last October.
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 - opposedWorld 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
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.ukÂÂ
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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
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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:
– Request all your own data that the Labour Party holds on you:
http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy
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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.
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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
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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.
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.
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.
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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 !!!
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.
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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!
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."
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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 !!!
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.
