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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
strengthen global support for our common cause.”
People hold up a banner as they protest
against Israel at the entrance of the
International Criminal Court.
They coordinate actions to guarantee
continuity of flights in Venezuela
November 25th, 11:08am
(Prensa Latina)
Aeronautical authorities and representatives of national and
international airlines that operate from Venezuela held a
meeting with the objective of coordinating actions to
guarantee the continuity and normality of the air
transport, it emerged here today.
The Ministry of Transportation indicated in a press release that
the meeting was held the day before, at the headquarters of
the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics, and was chaired
by the head of the Venezuelan branch, Ramon Velasquez.
The source specified that the central message of the meeting, was
to guarantee confidence and security in operations by air service
providers to passengers, after the recent notification from the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), of the North
American government ----- against Venezuela.
In a message released last week, the FAA warned of the
«potentially dangerous situation» in the airspace of
Maiquetía, where the main international airport
of the Bolivarian Republic is located.
“What we want to convey is trust, everything is operating
normally” -- declared the president of the Venezuelan
airline Laser Airlines, Orlan Viloria, at the meeting.
The manager announced that next Thursday the company will
resume its flights normally to Bogotá, Curacao and Madrid.
Also the president of Estelar Latinoamérica CA, Boris Serrano,
stated that they continue their flights without problems - and
reported that this Tuesday the scheduled flight will leave for
Panama, meanwhile, they will soon re-schedule the
departure to Madrid.
The representatives of LATAM Airlines and TAP Air Portugal
ratified their commitments to the Bolivarian Republic.
The delegate of the Portuguese company, Miguel Araujo,
reiterated the “intention to continue trusting and
supporting Venezuela in its operations”,
the source cited.
In the same sense, Pedro Navarro, from Turpial Airlines, spoke,
who appreciated that the meeting generated a lot of hope and
assured the “intention is to continue offering a safe service,
timely and efficient to all Venezuelans and foreigners”.
Last Sunday the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical
Industries and Air Services SA. (Conviasa) reported
that it maintains all of its national and
international flights... as active.
A statement from Conviasa stressed: that all
its flights “are running absolutely normally”.
He stressed that as the flag airline of Venezuela the priority
is “to guarantee the safety and comfort of your trip, with
the comfort that characterizes our service... for your
peace of mind”.
Similar messages were published by the national companies
Estelar Latinoamérica CA, Avior Airlines, Rutaca Airlines,
Turpial Airlines and Láser Airlines.
____________________________________
Venezuela FM ----Calls Israeli FM“Criminal”: “Your Hands Stained with Innocent Blood”
November 25th, 9:34am
(al Manar)
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil on Tuesday hit back at Israeli FM Gideon Saar -- calling him a “war criminal” and “perpetrator of genocide” who will be held accountable by international justice.
The statement comes.... following Saar accusing Venezuela of
causing regional instability, escalating the refugee issue, and
serving as a link between Yemen, Hamas, and Hezbollah in a
speech in Paraguay’s Senate and House of Representatives.
“The name of Venezuela is too great - to come out of your filthy
mouth and your hands stained with innocent blood. We are a
people who struggle for our sovereignty and defend human
rights and international law. You represent the opposite,”
Gil said on his channel on Telegram.
He went on to say that Saar’s rhetoric does not worry Venezuela,
adding, “What matters ------- is that sooner or later, you will face
international justice.”
The Israeli Foreign Minister Saar is currently having meetings with
President Santiago Peña, Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez, and a
group of business executives... during his first official visit to
Paraguay. His next trip is anticipated to be to Argentina.
Venezuela has consistently condemned Israeli military actions
in Gaza and the broader region, calling for the prosecution of
Israeli leaders, as war criminals.
Source: Agencies
Gaza mourning A Palestinian girl mourns relatives martyred in Israeli attacks on Gaza, at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on November 20, 2025 (image by AP).
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
FM: Negotiation means dialogue,
not dictation;the US has to
abandon inflated demands
November 26th, 9:39pm
(PressTV)
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, says Iran remains open
to serious negotiations with the US, but only if it shifts
from imposing demands ....to engaging in equitable
and mutually beneficial dialogue.
“Negotiation means dialogue, not dictation, and we reject
anything based on dictats,” the top diplomat said
during an interview with France 24 in Paris,
on Wednesday.
He went on to decry a lack of genuine intent on
the US side, blaming it for the absence of any underway negotiation track.
“The reason is clear: There is no will in America for real,
fair negotiations,” he said, recalling that Iran had
already proven its commitment to diplomacy,
in earlier years.
The official cited the Islamic Republic’s joining the negotiation
process that yielded the 2015 nuclear agreement between
Iran and world countries, which was ditched by Donald
Trump - during the latter’s former tenure.
He also referred to the negotiation process that began
earlier this year, but was irreversibly disrupted, by an
imposed --- and illegal --- joint Israeli-US war on Iran.
Despite all this, Araghchi said, Tehran’s stance does
equate to a rejection of diplomacy, but to rejection
of any negotiation ---- shaped by coercion.
“The day the US government announces - that it is ready to
set aside imposed and excessive demands and pursue a
serious, win-win dialogue based on mutual interests,
Iran will never say ‘no,’” he said.
“But we don’t see that readiness now. We’re not rushing. We’re
waiting, and we will be patient until the US shows real intent
instead of inflated demands,” the foreign minister noted.
The interview also touched on regional diplomacy and recent
media claims.... regarding a letter sent by President Masoud
Pezeshkian to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Araghchi roundly dismissed allegations that the communication
concerned potential Riyadh-mediated talks between Iran and
...the US.
He, however... stated that the Islamic Republic “completely trusts”
the kingdom on the nuclear issue, asserting that the bilateral ties
and confidence between the two sides ---- have been improving
over the past years.
The official, meanwhile, reiterated - that the challenge
faced by Iran on the nuclear file was not a shortage
of mediators, but Washington’s approach
to negotiations.
‘Israel, US --- underestimated Iran’s strength’
Addressing the issue of the war --- Araghchi said the Israeli regime
and the US misread Iran’s level of strength during the war, which saw Iranian missiles strike enemy targets ------ “with rising power and accuracy” in retaliation.
The reprisal, he reminded, forced both Tel Aviv and Washington
to request a ceasefire, despite their early demands for Iran’s
“unconditional surrender.”
____________________________________
Trump had heated exchange with MBS
over Israel normalization demand:
Report
November 26th, 6:33pm
(PressTV)
D. Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed
bin Salman (MBS) grew tense last week, after the prince
pushed back -- at the US president’s demand that the
kingdom formally normalize relations with Israel,
a report says.
Citing US officials, Axios reported on Tuesday that Trump and
MBS held a “civil but difficult” meeting at the White House
on November 18, during which the president pushed hard
- for Saudi Arabia to join the controversial US-brokered
Abraham Accords.
According to Axios, MBS told Trump he could not improve
relations with Israel because public sentiment in Saudi
Arabia is overwhelmingly anti-Israel following the
genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
One source told Axios that the conversation was
filled with “disappointment ...and irritation.”
“The president really wants them to join the Abraham Accords.
He tried very hard --- to talk him into it. It was an honest
discussion. But MBS is a strong man. He stood his
ground,” the source said.
The "Abraham Accords" established diplomatic ties between
Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE & Bahrain,
and have been widely criticized ------------- as a betrayal of
Palestinian rights.
MBS reportedly told Trump that any potential agreement
with Israel must include “an irreversible, credible, and
time-bound path” ..........towards establishing
a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has refused to
commit to Palestinian statehood, rejecting even minimal
steps towards a political resolution.
The tense exchange, however, underscores Washington’s
ongoing efforts to pressure Arab governments into
normalizing ties with the Israeli regime despite
an overwhelming regional opposition. Across
the Arab world, normalization is widely
condemned as political capitulation
in the face of Israel’s continued
occupation and atrocities.
_____________________________________
West Bank | Israeli Occupation Forces
Launch Major Assaults Amid
Widespread Raids, and a
Total Lockdown
November 26th, 1:31pm
(al Manar)
Israeli occupation forces launched a large-scale assault at dawn
on Wednesday, storming the city of Tubas and the nearby town
of Tammun with military bulldozers and imposing a full lock-
down in what local officials described as the onset of a
sweeping offensive.
Zionist troops rolled into both areas with heavy reinforcements and
armoured vehicles as Israeli Apache helicopters circled overhead. Soldiers raided multiple homes, ransacked their contents --- and
evicted residents, turning several houses into military outposts.
Bulldozers... began sealing key roads in Tubas, Aqaba, and Tammun
with earth mounds, while Israeli forces conducted aerial insertions
of soldiers .....and deployed snipers across the city.
Helicopter Fire and Civilian Disruption
Apache helicopters intermittently opened fire, although no injuries
were immediately reported. The assault forced the shutdown of
public schools and kindergartens in Tubas --- as the Israeli
occupation army announced a “wide military operation”
across the northern occupied West Bank —
an operation it claimed was aimed at
“countering terrorism,” according
to its statement.
Governor of Tubas: “Unprecedented Military Escalation”
Ahmad Al-Asaad, the Governor of Tubas and the Northern Jordan
Valley, said the occupation deployed substantial reinforcements
and bulldozers across Tubas, Tammun, Aqaba, Tayasir, and
Wadi Al-Far’a, sealing major access roads with earth
barriers and military jeeps.
“For the first time in years - Apache helicopters are taking part in
these maneuvers, firing heavy machine guns toward residential
areas,” he said. “Israeli occupation forces stormed homes in
Tammun, Tubas, Al-Far’a, and Tayasir, forcibly removed
families, and ordered them not to return for several
days, turning the homes - into military posts.”
He added that a curfew had been imposed “until further notice,”
prompting local authorities to suspend schools and public
institutions and to keep emergency committees on high
alert. Al-Asaad ..also reported severe restrictions on
ambulance movement, with medical teams unable
to reach several patients in need of urgent care.
This latest escalation comes - amid more than two years of
intensified Israeli attacks across the occupied West Bank.
Source: News Agencies
_______________________________
Sheikh Qassem to Hezbollah Reservist Fighters:
Do Not Be Shaken, Be Sure:
Victory Comes from God
November 26th, 1:05pm
(al Manar)
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem
addressed reservist fighters of the resistance
on the annual Mobilization Day: affirming the
importance ----- of building both the spiritual
and material life in order to achieve victory.
“You build your material life through knowledge,
livelihood, marriage, and upbringing within the
framework of a good life,” Sheikh Qassem’s
letter read, “You build your spiritual life
through worship, jihad, adhering
to the community, and
serving people.”
Text of the message:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Your path is the path of Islam; your elevated rank is through piety;
your success - lies in sincerity of faith; your rope of salvation, is
allegiance (wilayah); and your anticipation of relief, is aligned
with the path of Imam Khomeini (may Allah sanctify his soul),
the leadership of the Guardian, Imam Khamenei (may his
shadow be prolonged), and the legacy of the Master of
the Ummah’s Martyrs, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him),
along the course of the Resistance.
Through your conduct and your performance, you shape
your lives in two integrated and perfected dimensions:
1. You build your material life through knowledge, livelihood,
marriage, and righteous upbringing within a wholesome life.
2. You build your spiritual life....... through worship, jihad,
adherence to the community, and service to the people.
O sons of the mobilization group fighters
This path is open for continuous elevation:
“And those who are guided — He increases them
in guidance and gives them their righteousness.”
Its result ----- is one of the two excellences in all fields of your
presence. The life of every mobilization cadre - is resistance,
and wherever he moves and strives, he embodies resistance.
All the arenas of your jihad are resistance ------ in the school,
the university, the profession, the administration, the field,
and the battlefield.
No matter how severe the crises grow, they will eventually ease.
The cycle of falsehood represented by the “Israeli–
American” aggression ......will come to an end.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“Indeed, victory comes with patience; relief comes
with tribulation; and with hardship ...comes ease.”
Know that victory is of two kinds:
– victory in the heart,
– and victory over the enemy.
Whoever attains victory in his heart and faith will surely
triumph over his enemy — even if after some time.
Persevere, so that you may attain the honour of dignity:
“And to Allah belongs honour, and to His Messenger, and to the believers.”
Hezbollah — its Islamic Resistance and its mobilization
cadres —— are the bearers of the banner of Imam
Al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance)
toward justice and triumph in both worlds.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:
“Mountains may move, but you must not move.
Bite down with your molars.
Offer your skull to Allah.
Set your foot firmly on the ground.
Cast your gaze toward the farthest ranks of the enemy.
Lower your sight.
And know that victory comes only from Allah the Exalted.”
Blessed is your day ----- O mobilization cadres,
and blessed are all your days of mobilization.
Peace be upon you.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
______________________________________
HezbollahWon’t Allow Surrender
-------- of Lebanon: MP Fadlallah
November 26th, 10:52am
(al Manar)
Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary
bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah, affirmed on Tuesday, that the
resistance group won’t allow Lebanon’s surrender.
In remarks during a memorial service for martyrs who fell in
Israeli aggression, MP Fadlallah said: “no political proposal
has yet been presented to Lebanon that would effectively
stop the Israeli aggression.”
“Despite all the Israeli violations and attacks from one year ago
until today, there is no room now for discussion on any subject
before this agreement is implemented, knowing that what is
being offered to Lebanon is either the continued killing or
complete surrender to the enemy,” thus the Hezbollah
lawmaker ......addressed the service at Al-Mujtaba
Complex in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh.
He noted that “all the concessions made at the Lebanese political
level have not been met by the enemy government with any step
towards Lebanon, because what they are proposing is that the
country surrender.”
MP Fadlallah stressed in this regard, that
Hezbollah won’t allow the surrender
of Lebanon.
“It is true that we are not warmongers, but we say it clearly:
We will not surrender to this enemy, and we will not allow
Lebanon to surrender to it, no matter the sacrifices
and costs.”
He acknowledged that Lebanon is undergoing a difficult and
harsh phase, but affirmed that “this does not mean that
in the face of killing, aggression, and challenges
we will fall and surrender to this enemy.”
“Our history has been fraught with many difficulties, but they
did not last, and the people of the land remained. We are
clinging to our land despite all the killing perpetrated
by the enemy,” the lawmaker added.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israei enemy assassinated senior
Hezbollah commander Haitham Al-Tabtabai along with
four operatives in Beirut’s Dahiyeh, in a new
aggression on Lebanon and in violation
of the ceasefire that ended (?) the
briutal Israeli war on Lebanon
between September and
November 2024.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
_________________________________
Israeli Strikes Claim More Lives
in Gaza, Ceasefire Violations
Mount
November 26th, 10:41am
(al Manar)
Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday resulted
in the deaths of at least three Palestinians, as a United
Nations report detailed the devastating long-term
economic collapse ------------- caused by the
ongoing aggression.
The aggression underscores the continued hostilities since
the collapse of a temporary ceasefire, with local sources
reporting new airstrikes and artillery fire in Khan Younis,
Rafah, and central Gaza.
According to a medical source, Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud
Abu Shab was martyred and another individual wounded after
being targeted by an Israeli drone near the Al-Farabi School
in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis. The wounded were
transported to the already strained Nasser Hospital.
Separately, a Palestinian man was martyred and others were
wounded when Israeli occupation forces targeted a group
of people east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the
central Gaza Strip. Earlier on Wednesday, Iyad
Fadl al-Qahwaji succumbed to wounds
sustained in a previous Israeli
airstrike in the Bani
Suheila area.
Further Israeli occupation military activity was reported
Wednesday morning, with warplanes launching an
airstrike on Rafah and helicopters opening fire
east of Khan Younis.
Mounting Casualties and Widespread Destruction
These latest incidents - add to the hundreds of violations
reportedly committed by Israeli occupation forces since
the end of a brief humanitarian pause on December 1,
2023. According to Palestinian sources, these
actions have resulted in 349 fatalities and
871 injuries since that date.
This ongoing occupation military campaign began on October 7,
2023. The conflict has resulted in a severe human cost --- with
nearly 70,000 fatalities and approximately 171,000 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities. The offensive has also
caused massive destruction, devastating an estimated 90%
of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
The human impact of the war was further quantified in a recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which
concluded -- that the offensive has set
back human development in Gaza..
by 69 years -- and caused one of
the worst economic collapses
ever recorded.
Source: Agencies and Palestinian media
(translated and edited by Al-Manar
English Website)
_______________________________________
UN Expert: Gaza War “Not a War,
----- It Is Genocide” After Report
Shows 87% Economic Crash
November 26th, 8:28am
(al Manar)
According to a devastating UN assessment, the war on Gaza
has reversed 69 years of human progress, destroying the
fundamental pillars of a functioning society.
The report, summarized by UN expert Francesca Albanese, states
that the economic, humanitarian, and social crises have moved
the Palestinian territories “from a lack of development to
complete destruction.” The UNCTAD report revealed --
that Gaza’s economy shrank by 87%, with individual
wealth collapsing to a mere $161 per person.
Albanese wrote in a post on X – on Tuesday – that this represents
the worst economic collapse ever recorded, adding, “This is not
a war; it is genocide.”
With every system for survival — including food, shelter, and health
care — destroyed, the UN body warns that Gaza is on the “brink of
total collapse.” Recovery is expected to be a multi-decade effort
requiring more than $70 billion and extensive international aid.
Source: Agencies (edited
& translated by Al-Manar
English Website)
Today, November the 26th, in 1929,
Slavko Avsenik,
composer and musician,
is born.
Beginning in 1953 with the formation of the Avsenik Brothers
Ensemble, Avsenik produced more than 1,000 songs and
garnered success both in Slovenia and in other parts
of Europe and America, and is viewed as a
Slovenian cultural icon.
Slavko Avsenik was a self-taught musician, who entered the music
business "by coincidence" in 1952. In 1953 he established the
Avsenik Brothers Ensemble with his brother Vilko, who was
a university-trained clarinet player.
His ensemble, known as 'Ansambel bratov Avsenik' in Slovenian was already quite popular in Slovenia by 1954, but it was their
1954 hit "Na Golici" which brought them international fame.
Na Golici is a Slovenian polka instrumental composed
by Slavko Avsenik and arranged by his brother, Vilko.
The song was written in 1954 and first recorded in January 1955 in
the Radio Kärnten (Carinthia) studio in Klagenfurt, Austria. It is
considered the most played instrumental tune in the world.
This song has been covered over 600 times all over the world.
Golica ------ the 1,836 metres (6,024 ft) high Slovenian mountain
from which the song takes its name, is a peak in the Western
Karawanks -- on the border between Slovenia and Austria,
above the Slovene town of Jesenice. It is known mainly
for its fields of wild white narcissi, swathes of which
cover Golica and surrounding pastures in late
April and early May.
Despite having given the song this title, Slavko Avsenik was
never in his life on Golica. Today the band is known as
Ansambel bratov Avsenik --- even though the band
no longers exists.
Music after a goal for Slovenia in the
IIHF World Championship in 2013
When I first heard the melody
I started rooting for Slovenia.
Greetings from Poland !!!
Israeli universities -------- face
growing academic isolation
despite Gaza ceasefire,
report says
November 25th, 8:39am (PressTV)
The academic boycott of Israeli universities in Europe has
doubled, even after the Gaza ceasefire aimed at ending
the occupying regime’s genocidal war against the
besieged Gaza Strip.... a move that further
isolates Tel Aviv --- in global higher
education, a new report says.
The Academic Boycott of Israel Monitoring Team, created by
the Committee of University Presidents in Tel Aviv, said in a
report on Monday that academic boycotts targeting the
regime have surged, with around 1,000 cases
reported in Europe by November.
It stressed that Israel’s negative image, which has persisted even
after the ceasefire over the genocidal war against Gaza -- is “so
deeply entrenched that political moves alone are not enough
to shift public perception.”
Contrary to expectations that the boycott would ease following the
ceasefire, the report notes that “the opposite occurred,” with
institutions and individual academics more frequently
filing boycott cases.
The monitoring team, whose report was published by The Marker,
the economic version of the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz ---- also
warned that this expanding boycott could isolate Israeli higher
education significantly and pose a long-term strategic threat
to its international standing.
The report further identified concrete consequences for the move,
including a drop in EU Horizon Europe research grants for Israeli
scholars, exclusion from international cooperation projects,
and a breakdown in collaborative programs.
The Association of University Heads in Israel has reportedly
recorded over 1,000 incidents of academic boycotts over
the last two years, three times the total as of a year ago.
According to the report, 57 percent of cases involve individual
researchers (mainly being excluded from research groups),
22 percent are institutional severances, seven percent
are from professional associations, and 14 percent
relate to halted student exchanges or
postdoctoral partnerships.
It also said that this crippling boycott trend --- is unlikely to reverse
soon without “major regional and geopolitical changes,” warning
that sustained isolation of Israeli academia may continue.
The boycott movement “will accompany Israeli academia for
a long time and will not ease without major regional and
geopolitical changes,” the report noted.
Israel has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians, most of them women
and children, and injured over 170,900 others in Gaza since
October 7, 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry,
when it launched a brutal war against the
Palestinian territory.
Despite a ceasefire announced in October,
Israel continues to target Gaza -------
in violation of the agreement.
Hamas has urged the guarantors of the ceasefire, namely Qatar,
Turkey, Egypt, and the United States, to press Israel to abide
by the deal ---- and stop its attacks on Gaza.
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.
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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.
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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.
