Inside the Tunnels

UK: Inside the London’s Abandoned Tunnels – Under Clapham South Northern Line Tube Station! (3.3.2025)

Despite the difficult circumstances, in an oral history played out loud to visitors, Margaret reminisces fondly about her time in the shelter.

“I had a wonderful time,” she explains. “I was an only child, and I made friends. We used to rush up and down the tunnels.

“People were all in the same boat down there. It was a great leveller. Whether you were rich, poor or whatever you were. If you were homeless.

“People were very kind to each other, much more than they are now. It’s funny isn’t it, that it takes a war to do that.”

After the end of the conflict, the shelters continued to be used as cheap hotel accommodation costing three shillings a night, equivalent to £4 today.

Guests at Clapham South included those who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush Generation.

But in 1956, after a fire at the Goodge Street station shelter, the Government decided to abandon the tunnels.

Today, they are mainly used as archive storage, although the tunnels under Clapham Common once housed a hydroponic farm.

For anyone who wants to check out the shelter themselves, new dates for the ‘Hidden London’ tour were released earlier this week, with tickets costing £38.

Reds Under the Beds!

Cuba: Soviet “Operation Anadyr” [1962] – and Red Army Casualties! (25.2.2025)

On a more practical level, the 50,000 Soviet military and civilian personnel that were sent to Cuba, when preparing for the deployment, where issued with fur-hats, balaclavas, and skies, etc, together with arctic equipment – to fool the US Intelligence community. Instead of traversing to the cold north-east – the Soviet Red Army was in fact deploying to the tropical south-east. Following the 1956 betrayal of Joseph Stalin by Nikita Khrushchev (playing to the Western and Trotskyite hatred of genuine Marxist-Leninism) – the authentic Socialist processes and institutions of the USSR were robust and possessed strength in-depth. The destruction of the 1917 October Revolution in the USSR would take just 36-years to achieve (1956-1991). In the 1960s it was the USSR that aided Cuba and not Socialist China (Mao Zedong had condemned Khrushchev and upheld the good reputation of Joseph Stalin) – a stance which led to the Sino-Soviet Split (1956-1991). Cuba could have requested help from China – but chose not to at the time. A position condemned by numerous Maoist groups – such as the Workers’ Institute in the UK.

Cuba Remembers Socialist Soldiers!

Cuba: “Defenders of the Homeland” & “Soviet Internationalist Soldiers” Remembered! (24.2.2025)

During his speech, the Defense Attaché, Captain 1st Rank Valery N. Zubarev, thanked their Cuban friends for their efforts to preserve the Mausoleum where the remains of Soviet soldiers who died fighting in Cuba rest, and highlighted the special and friendly nature of their bilateral relations. In his speech, the Head of the Directorate of Educational Institutions of the FAR, Brigadier General Juan Antonio Sánchez Fabré, highly valued the solidarity and assistance provided to the Island by the USSR since the first days of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, as well as recalled the contribution of the USSR (and Russia) to the creation of the professional army of the Cuban Republic.

Workers prepare for the maiden flight of AS700D, a lithium batterypowered airship at the Jingmen Zhanghe Airport in Hubei province on Friday. (ZHAO PING/FOR CHINA DAILY)

China: Electric AS700 “Airship” Makes Successful Debut Flight! (22.2.2025)

Domestically made airship AS700 will take off in later half of 2021, said Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Special Vehicle Research Institute on Wednesday. The airship can hold maximum of nine passengers to meet the requirement of low-altitude tourism market, according to media report.

To meet the requirement of China’s and international requirement of low altitude tourism, the maximum range and flight time of AS700 airship can reach 700 kilometres and travel uninterrupted for 10 hours. Single line seats and wide-opened windows provide maximum of 9 passengers with a unique viewing experience.

Zhang Jinhua, senior designer of AVIC Special Vehicle Research Institute said the development and research of AS700 airship started from 2018. “With the development of tourism industry, modern airship is able to provide sightseeing, cargo and passenger transmission business basing on its economical and safe features,” said Zhang.

History of Roman Occupation!

UK: Early Roman “Basilica” Found in London! (13.2.2025)

The site was discovered at 85 Gracechurch Street, an office building that’s about to be demolished and redeveloped.

Earlier archaeological investigations revealed the ancient basilica’s approximate location, so the team created several small test pits to see what was hidden beneath the concrete floor.

On the third attempt, digging between the filing cabinets, they struck lucky.

“You can see a huge chunk of Roman masonry, and it’s incredible that it survives this well. We’re absolutely thrilled that there’s so much of it here,” said Sophie Jackson.

Fake Beggars Punished - Read Beggars Rewarded!

Afghanistan: Taliban “Outlaws” Poverty – Rounds-Up Over 34,000 Beggars! (9.2.2025)

Major parts of the collected beggars were fake and professional, the official told the state-owned media outlet, and saying the police after investigation have allocated a monthly allowance to the needy one and referred the professional beggars to the concerned entities for further investigation.

The Afghan caretaker government, according to the official, is committed to fighting the culture of begging as part of efforts to keep the society clean.

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