When a new virus hits the Internet there is little that an anti-virus software can do to stop the malware on the very day. But now, British engineers have come up with an answer to the problem.

Engineers Simon Wiseman and Richard Oak from defence technology company Qinetiq, Worcestershire, have found a way to stop computer viruses in their tracks by intercepting every file that could possibly hide a virus and adding a string of computer code to it that will disable any virus it contains.

Their technique mainly targets emailed attachments and adds the extra code to them as they pass through a mail server.

A key feature of the scheme, which they are patenting, is that no knowledge of the virus itself is needed, so it can deal with new, unrecognised “zero day” viruses as well as older ones, journal New Scientist reported.

Many mailservers already block attachments that will run as executable programs – such as PC files with a .exe suffix – in case they are viruses.

But virus writers have tricks up their sleeve to get round this. For example, they can disguise files as an innocent Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file to fool unsuspecting users into converting them into an “executable” program file that will run on their computer.

Qinetiq aims to prevent this by inserting a line of machine code – the raw code that microprocessor chips understand – into the header area of incoming files.

Charles Haddon-Cave QC has delivered a crushing indictment of the MOD in his report on the loss of an RAF Nimrod on 2 September 2006 while on operations in Afghanistan. Although he says BAE Systems and QinetiQ are also to blame, it is the MOD and the government that is ultimately responsible for all military matters. One particular aspect is critical in understanding what went wrong:

The MOD suffered a sustained period of deep organisational trauma between 1998 and 2006, beginning with the 1998 Strategic Defence Review. Financial pressures and cuts drove a cascade of multifarious organisational changes which led to a dilution of the airworthiness regime and culture within the MOD and distraction from vital safety and airworthiness issues as the top priority.

At last, someone has highlighted the root problem in the MOD and the Services at large: that constant activity has and continues to cause deep trauma to the organisation when it should be concentrating on operational matters. The report goes on to say:

There was a shift in culture and priorities in the MOD towards ‘business’ and financial targets, at the expense of functional values such as safety and airworthiness. The Defence Logistics Organisation, in particular, came under huge pressure. Its primary focus became delivering ‘change’ and the ‘change programme’ and achieving the (so-called) ‘Strategic Goal’ of a 20% reduction in output costs in five years and other financial savings.

There we have it. Demands for savings forced an institutional shift in priority away from providing the right military capability to delivering military savings.  Making savings is what all reviews and reorganisations are ultimately about, and by God they will make them.  Service is not a business, it is a duty and a critical national requirement.

And that these changes were to take place ‘against a backdrop of dramatically increased operational demands as a result of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq (not to mention Fire Brigade strikes), shows how poorly the Armed Forces have been led over the last decade.

Of course, military people themselves must not abrogate their responsibilities – and they will not – but leadership begins and ends at the top, with the grand strategy and the willingness to resource the capabilities needed to meet that strategy.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) used a state of the art robot known as a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to dramatically reduce the time spent dealing with a fire involving an acetylene cylinder yesterday (23 September). 

RBFRS was called at 12:43 to reports of acetylene on fire in an HGV workshop at Toutley Depot, Old Forest Road, Wokingham.  Acetylene cylinders, which are commonly used in welding, can be extremely hazardous in the event of a fire, as they can explode – posing a serious risk to life and property. 

The standard operational procedure when dealing with a fire involving acetylene cylinders is to set up a 200m cordon and then cool the cylinders for 24 hours to ensure they are safe.  This would have meant not only closing the Toutley Depot but also the A329 and possibly evacuating some local residents.

However, sending the ROV into the workshop meant that crews could quickly receive vital information about the incident, without putting themselves in danger.  The ROV has inbuilt specialist tools, including a thermal imaging camera and filming equipment, which allows firefighters to assess the situation from a safe distance.  At the Toutley Depot incident, the ROV conducted tests to determine the condition of the cylinder.  Once it was found to be cool, the cylinder valve was turned off using a spanner attached to the ROV.  If the cylinder had been found to have reached a critical temperature, crews would have needed to cool it for 24 hours.

The ROV is available for use by the Brigade as part of an agreement between RBFRS, QinetiQ (who developed the technology) and London Fire Brigade. 

Station Manager Jess James from Caversham Road, who was the officer in charge of the incident, said: “Using the ROV meant that we could deal with the incident in around three and a half hours, rather than the 24 hours it would traditionally take.  This not only means that the premises could be handed back to the owners in a shorter space of time but also that fire crews are freed up more quickly and available to attend other incidents.  The main benefit of using the ROV however is that it can be sent directly into the danger zone, ensuring the safety of the fire crews.”

South Uist in the Hebrides

by Tony Grew

A Scottish Nationalist MP tried to secure an emergency debate this afternoon.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed plans to cut 125 jobs at the Hebrides missile range in South Uist and to control firing operations remotely base in Wales.

Angus MacNeil, the member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles), wanted the House to give “urgent consideration” to the proposed closure.

He said that at least 120 jobs would be lost if the closure went ahead.

“Unofficial estimates from Highlands and Islands Enterprise effectively double that,” he told MPs.

“South Uist, North Uist and Benbecula cannot cope with that level of cuts.

“In a major city such as Glasgow, that would be the equivalent of 6,000 to 7,000 jobs gone at the stroke of a pen.

“Bad as that may be in a city, for an island community it is infinitely worse; it means depopulation to the next city or employment opportunities that are eight hours away by ferry and vehicular transport.”

Mr MacNeil said that islanders have taken the Hebrides missile range “into their community and accepted and worked with its needs and demands.”

“An entire community has shaped itself to fulfil its needs,” he said.

“A service and sacrifice that entailed forgoing many opportunities, at great opportunity cost to the community.

“The Ministry of Defence, through QinetiQ, cannot walk away leaving chaos and a vacuum behind. There is a social and economic responsibility here.

“Over and above the social and economic responsibility, however, the Hebrides range is simply the best for purpose in missile testing.

“No other range compares to the Hebrides range; it is so large that the curvature of the earth becomes a factor.

“This difficulty is mitigated by the existence of St. Kilda as a monitoring post almost in the middle of the range.

“There is no equivalent in the UK—or in Europe—to Hebrides range.

“Hebrides range is important to the defence of the realm, and also for the defence of Europe, as many other countries use the range for testing.”

Mr MacNeil said plant to close the range 15 years ago were “rightly rejected for many valid reasons.”

MPs can apply an for emergency debate under Standing Order 24.

However, the Speaker said:

“I have listened carefully to what the hon. Member has said, and I have to give my decision without stating any reasons.

“I am afraid that I do not consider the matter he raises to be appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 24.

“I cannot therefore submit the application to the House.”

An interactive photograph that tells a neat and sexy story. NSFW

This is a really neat little assemblage that includes different photos that have been put together in some way to tell a story of some sorts. Click’em all to see what happens. (via designyoutrust)

The order has come to iRobot Corp from the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). It’s the first purchase of iRobot’s advanced PackBot 510 series under an existing $200 million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

The company says that PackBot 510 series provides the Army with advanced robotic capabilities that surpass those of the battle-tested PackBot 500.

Also, a London-based defence and security technology company QinetiQ has supplied its TALON family of robots. A unit of 2,500 robots are positioned in Iraq and Afghanistan to detect and clear mines, unexploded ordnance, and dangerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a safe distance. 

QinetiQ says that detection and clearance of mines is important in Afghanistan, where large numbers of landmines litter the countryside as a result of almost continuous fighting since the late 1970s injuring 200,000 people, according to United Nations estimates.

For iRobot, this is the sixth order under the IDIQ contract. The current total contract value now stands at approximately $22 million. This order includes the delivery of 125 PackBot 510 with EOD Kit robots.

The PackBot 510 with EOD Kit has advanced vision and surveillance capabilities. It adapts to different Improvised Explosive Device (IED) missions including check points, inspections, and route clearance.

The robot provides soldiers with a tool to identify and dispose of IEDs, roadside bombs, and other unexploded ordnance while keeping them at safe distances. Additionally, the PackBot 510 provides improved lift and manipulation capabilities, greater speed, military-standard batteries, a hardened laptop with game-style hand controller, and a variety of other upgrades that enhance its mission effectiveness. 

“The PackBot 510 provides a new level of capability and modularity in support of the warfighter,” said Joe Dyer, president of iRobot Government and Industrial Robots. “These robots are battle-tested and are saving lives by giving our troops separation from many of the dangers found on the battlefield.” 

iRobot has delivered more than 2,400 PackBot robots that make a difference every day by conducting dangerous missions that keep warfighters out of harm’s way, says the company.

Army of Robots Deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan
A unit of 2,500 robots are positioned in Iraq and Afghanistan to detect and clear mines, unexploded ordnance, and dangerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a safe distance. London-based defence and security technology company QinetiQ has supplied its TALON family of robots…More

the boycott movement is gaining steam globally. it is amazing to watch. it gives me hope that people will not forget gaza. that they will be steadfast and help palestinians in gaza to remain steadfast. there is even a new rap song by invincible, an anti-zionist jew, about the boycott which you can download for free if you click this link. here is the final verse (btw: i don’t think she’s israeli; as far as i know she is american):

Look, i’m Israeli, my government’s so arrogant
War criminals who call Palestinians terrorists
For resisting extinction and occupation
Comparing this to genocide and reservations of Native Americans
Its a massacre! Kick out they ambassadors!
Divest from their apartheid like South Africa
Boycott em like King to Montgomery buses,
Show them we want peace but only with real justice
They murdering the media and witnesses left
We gonna stop shopping at all the businesses that invest
In building they settlements and gentrifying our corners
Illegal walls over there and the US-Mexico border
Build a worldwide movement til the truth is heard
And supporting the Israelis who refuse to serve
All the C.O.s who AWOL when deployed to Iraqi stations
All the people rallying while the cops are chasing
If we enlisted in the system we got an obligation
We ain’t got the patience, time to stop the occupation

Boycott, Divest, and Sanction
Til there’s right of return for displaced and reparations

and lovely, lovely mark gonzales along with the other fabulous rappers from human writes project–nizar wattad and omar chakaki–did a benefit show for gaza the other day in my hometown los angeles. they called it “get down for gaza” and all of them emanated sheer brilliance.

it is important for these voices to be heard. to be shared. to empower us to continue with our resistance work. i’ve been thinking a lot about various levels of boycott and one thing i wish i could convey to the leadership of hamas is this: to take a strong moral stand and to refuse any reconstruction or humanitarian aid from the united states or the israeli terrorist state. this is what hezbollah did in 2006. this is why boycott is an essential element of resistance. if hamas does not take this stand they will be giving israelis jobs and they will likely be overcharged for those goods. they need to force humanitarian organizations to take the same moral stand. even the palestinian authority, that bastion of normalization, is shackled with respect to funds, some of which are for gaza:

Israel is preventing the Western-backed Palestinian Authority from transferring cash to the Gaza Strip to pay its workers and others hard-hit by war, Western and Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.

Setting up interim international committee that would fund, organize aid directed towards reconstruction of
The restrictions threatened to undercut the ability of President Mahmoud Abbas’ West Bank-based government to reassert a presence in the Hamas-ruled territory after Israel’s 22-day offensive, said the officials, who asked not to be identified.

The cash restrictions also underscored the wider hurdles facing reconstruction, estimated to cost more than $2 billion, in the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million Palestinians live.

but there is good news because those who don’t normalize are rewarded. and those who do will be punished as is the case with veolia:

Today the Stockholm community council in Sweden announced that the French company Veolia who has been the current operator at the Subway’s in Stockholm County for 10 years lost the contract to the MTR-cooperation. The contracts for the coming 8 years is worth 3,5 Billion EURO and has been the biggest ongoing public contract procurement process in Europe.

Although the board for county’s public transportation ensured the decision was based on commercial factors the debate about Veolias involvement in a controversial tramway project in Jerusalem (Jerusalem light railway) has been intense in Swedish media.

The tramway connecting the Israeli west Jerusalem with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory has triggered discussions about Veolia’s ethical policy. Public protests against Veolia has brought the attention to the dilemma of operating public services when you at he same time are involved in politically controversial activities.

As late as the day before the decision the community council received lists with thousands of signatories from people demanding the county council to choose an operator who should not be associated with violations of international humanitarian law.

- This is clearly another sign of the importance for commercial actors not to have their brand associated to unethical behaviour, in the case of illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory we can already see a trend of international companies who are moving out their operations from settlements, says Joakim Wohlfeil, at the Swedish development organization Diakonia.

likewise the movement to prosecute israeli terrorist leaders for war crimes is building, even among the some 17 israelis who are not with its state terrorism:

Anonymous self-described Israeli human rights activists have set up an Internet site detailing alleged war crimes committed by senior government officials and Israel Defense Forces officers. No known human rights organization is behind the site, whose founders refuse to give their names.

The site, www.wanted.org.il, includes “arrest orders,” complete with pictures and personal details, for Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and his two predecessors, Dan Halutz and Moshe Ya’alon, former air force commander Eliezer Shkedy and others. It also explains how to inform the International Criminal Court in The Hague of when the “suspects” are outside Israel, and hence vulnerable to arrest.

in england, unlike the u.s., students are becoming incredibly active stating sit-ins at their universities in solidarity with gaza and to force their universities to not grant honorary degrees to israeli terrorist war criminals:

Students at King’s College London are staging a sit-in protest on campus over the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the honorary doctorate bestowed on the Israeli president, Shimon Peres.

In the latest of a flurry of occupations at English universities in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, more than 100 students took over a lecture theatre in the university yesterday.

Kings students are demanding that the university issue a formal statement condemning Israel’s bombing of Gaza and revoke the honorary doctorate Peres was awarded in November last year.

the students at king’s college also have a blog where you can track their activities. and thankfully this energy is contagious as now the students at warwick university they have also staged a sit in and here are their demands from their blog:

1. Warwick University should suspend all relations with companies which supply the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This includes BAE Systems, MBDA, QinetiQ and Rolls Royce.

2. That the University donate old computer equipment and textbooks to universities in Palestine, specifically those that were partially destroyed in Gaza during the current Israeli military operation.

3. That the University fund and provide logistical support for a series of talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

4. That there be no legal, financial, or academic measures taken against anyone involved in or supporting the sit-in. This extends to the Student’s Union. Students involved should be guaranteed free movement in and out of the space.

and today at oxford university students took over a building in solidarity with gaza:

More than 80 students on Thursday took over one of Oxford University’s buildings to demand the university releases a statement condemning Israel’s recent offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

“Palestinians have the same rights as we do, including the right to education as enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights,” a spokesperson said.

and mounting pressures for a war crimes trial for israeli terrorists like livni is already having an effect:

Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni nearly cancelled a planned trip to Belgium over concerns that the Israeli leader could face legal actions for war crimes.

this is exactly what we want. we want them to live in fear of facing up to the responsibilities for the crimes they commit. and we must keep this up. it is essential that we keep up the pressure on this and let this energy spread globally. where are the american students? why aren’t they occupying university buildings to get their university and government’s attention on gaza? i especially wonder about the new york university students and faculty in light of this recent news that sami sent me:

After months of planning and promoting, NYU has announced that it will delay the opening of its Tel Aviv study abroad site due to enrollment difficulties following military strife in the area. The program, which was slated to launch this month, will not host students until September 2009.

“Because of the conflict in Gaza and Israel and a consequent decline in enrollment that would compromise the quality of our program and its cocurricular offerings, the university chose to delay the opening of its NYU in Tel Aviv study abroad program,” university spokesman John Beckman said.

someone needs to do something at that university. something big to shut this program down. i know that most of them drank the obama koolaid, but really, the pressure must be kept up. (yes, i know he ordered guantanamo to be closed today, but that is merely symbolic: he didn’t order any of the cia secret torture prisons to be shut, for instance.) obama just delivered a speech in which he said “hamas must recognize israel” and that “israel has a right to defend itself.” no palestinians with a spec of self respect should recognize israel’s right to exist. no one should recognize israel’s right to exist for that matter. they do not. jews have a right to exist as citizens wherever the live, of course. but israel is a colonial terrorist regime and does not have a right to exist. joseph massad lays out why they don’t have these rights in his beautiful essay on electronic intifada, but here is an important point he makes, which, of course, obama doesn’t get:

The major argument here is two-fold, namely that while Israel has the right to defend itself, its victims have no similar right to defend themselves. In fact, the logic is even more sinister than this and can be elucidated as follows: Israel has the right to oppress the Palestinians and does so to defend itself, but were the Palestinians to defend themselves against Israel’s oppression, which they do not have a right to do, Israel will then have the right to defend itself against their illegitimate defense of themselves against its legitimate oppression of them, which it carries out anyway in order to defend itself legitimately.

robert fisk, commenting on obama’s vapid inaugural address noted what people here are thinking (though if read the full article i should warn you that no one here is thinking about anything close to two states or israeli terrorists’ security; they are thinking about the right of return–except, of course, for normalizers and collaborators):

It would have helped if Obama had the courage to talk about what everyone in the Middle East was talking about. No, it wasn’t the US withdrawal from Iraq. They knew about that. They expected the beginning of the end of Guantanamo and the probable appointment of George Mitchell as a Middle East envoy was the least that was expected. Of course, Obama did refer to “slaughtered innocents”, but these were not quite the “slaughtered innocents” the Arabs had in mind.

There was the phone call yesterday to Mahmoud Abbas. Maybe Obama thinks he’s the leader of the Palestinians, but as every Arab knows, except perhaps Mr Abbas, he is the leader of a ghost government, a near-corpse only kept alive with the blood transfusion of international support and the “full partnership” Obama has apparently offered him, whatever “full” means. And it was no surprise to anyone that Obama also made the obligatory call to the Israelis.

or perhaps obama should take a lesson from mark steel who correctly points out the reality and cuts through the propaganda of what really goes on here in palestine:

The worrying part about whether the ceasefire in Gaza can hold together will be whether the international community can stop the flow of arms to the terrorists. Because Israel’s getting their planes and tanks and missiles from somewhere and until this supply is cut off there’s every chance it could start up again.

The disregard for life from these terrorists and their supporters is shocking. For example Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist, wrote that the purpose of the Israeli attack must be to “inflict a heavy death toll and heavy pain on the Gaza population”.

Replace “Gaza” with “western”, and that could have been written by al-Qa’ida. Maybe this is the problem: the Israelis are writing their policies by downloading statements from an Islamic Jihad website and just changing the place names. Also, if the Israelis think the Hamas rockets are as lethal as they say, why don’t they swap their F-16 fighters and Apache helicopters for a few of them?

there are so many reasons why one must keep up this pressure. the “war” on gaza may be over, but the root of the problem is not. obama’s new appointment to the region, george mitchell, will bring more of the same. in a speech he just delivered he wants the same old 2-state solution that will continue the basically 4 state reality of palestinians in gaza, the west bank, 1948 palestine, and refugees in the region and around the world. this is unacceptable.

i hate to break it to you, but foreign policy with respect to palestine is not going to change. it will be more of this same, which kevin alexander gray characterizes as follows:

When you think about it, US foreign policy toward Palestine has been a segregationist or apartheid policy. In his 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, former President Jimmy Carter likened Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and its repression of Palestinian people, both within Israel and in the occupied territories, to the state of apartheid, which existed in South Africa prior to the early 1990s. Apartheid means ‘separateness.’ And there is little debate that Zionism, the official ideology of Israel, is predicated on religious and ethnic separation or segregation. A self-described Jewish state — that is, a state that operates of, by and on behalf of a single group of people — cannot also be a secular, democratic state where persons of all religious and ethnic backgrounds are treated equally. A Jewish state that has never declared its borders, that has annexed and occupied territories, flouting international law and subjecting the indigenous population to poverty, indignity, theft, torture and death, is not only a colonialist outlaw state; it is also racist. As one Palestinian gentleman remarked to me, “While blacks in America were once considered subhuman, Palestinians are not considered humans at all.”

And Israel could not have pursued any of these policies without the steadfast financial and political support of the United States. It is no secret that Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the world. It receives more than $15 million every day from the United States, or $30 billion a year by most estimates. The F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters that have dropped hundreds of tons of bombs and missiles on Gaza are made in the United States and provided to the Israeli government. Every American taxpayer underwrites Israeli-style apartheid.

in south africa zwelinzima vavi the general secretary of the congress of south african trade unions (COSATU) also calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions in solidarity with palestinians:

1. All trade unions, social movements, NGOs, religious organisations and academics to support and actively participate in the boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign against Israel, refusing to handle anything that comes from and that goes to Israel in order to isolate it until it submits to international law and withdraws from all the occupied territories

2. We urge all companies and all shipping companies to refuse to carry any shipment of arms to Israel. Any shipping company who carries these weapons has the blood of the people of Gaza on its hands!

3. We call upon all governments to enforce international law, by refusing to recognise a country that makes a mockery of international law and the pursuit of human dignity. In this regard, they must expel Israeli ambassadors and representatives in order to ensure that we isolate it throughout the world until it subscribes to the ideals of human dignity! In this case, we salute the bold example of Venezuela and call upon all countries to emulate it.

4. We call upon international media to expose the real truth behind the war and not to hide the real issues in the name of objectivity, by projecting an image of Israel as a state under siege by terrorist, thus discrediting the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people. Balanced reporting does not mean, massaging issues and diluting the truth even in the face of insurmountable evidence against the wrong side.

5. We call upon the international trade union movement to emulate the heroic example of the Norwegian Locomotive Drivers Union, which on January 8 ensured that all trains in the whole of Norway, and all trams and subways in Oslo, stood still for two minutes in protest against Israeli invasion. In the process, they issued the following information for passengers: “Because of the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Locomotive Drivers Union in Norway has decided to demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinian people. This will be organised by adding two more minutes of stoppage at the station. The same action applies to all passenger trains in Norway simultaneously. We demand the immediate withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory. Thank you for your understanding”. This is very inspiring coming from Europe where the tendency, even amongst progressives, is to be apologetic about Israel and condemn the Palestinian struggle as acts of terrorism

6. We call for particular focus on targeting the conservative US and British foreign policies, which requires that we work with our counterpart unions and progressive organisations in these countries to effect radical foreign policy changes in relation to the Middle East. This should include exposing the complicit role of these two states in perpetuating the violence and arming Israel, while rhetorically positioning themselves as anti-terrorists.

7. We acknowledge the progressive role of our government in relation to the situation in the Middle East, including its humanitarian support for the suffering people of Gaza, but believe that there is a lot more we can do working together. In this instance, we call for the cessation of all trade relations with Israel.

8. The Arab League must be brought under pressure to act in solidarity with the Palestinian people and limit the chances of some states openly collaborating with Israel, but to lead the global offensive for the isolation of Israel, owing to their strategic proximity in that area.

all of this is necessary and all of this must be cultivated, we must grow it. and quickly. we cannot give up on this momentum. and we must fall into the false notion that the war on gaza is over. it’s not. today, for instance, the israeli terrorist navy fired on palestinians from the sea:

Israel’s navy shelled the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, injuring seven Palestinians, including five fishermen.

Mu’awiyah Hassanain, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in the Palestinian Health Ministry told Ma’an that Israeli gunboats shelled the As-Sudaniya area northwest of Gaza City.

He said the wounded people were taken to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Hassanain added that rescue teams are still working to recover the corpses, many of them now decomposing, of those killed in Israel’s three-week war on Gaza.

Separately, two Palestinians died in Egyptian hospitals where they were treated for wounds from Israel’s three-week offensive.

Medical officials identified them as: Tamer Omar Al-Louh, 22, from Gaza city and Azzam Mu’awad Ash-Shafe’y, 24, from Rafah.

The death toll from the war is now 1,330, with more than 5,000 injured.

and the suffering for those families who survived has not ended. in some ways it is only beginning as al jazeera’s sherine tadros continues to follow up with the samouni family–the family who saw 30 of its members massacred by israeli terrorists. this report shows nawal samouni who gave birth to her daughter while under attack by israeli terrorists:

in light of this and many other massacres haidar eid, a professor in gaza, also continues his call for boycott, divestment and sanctions arguing beautifully about the lack of moral courage from the region and the world and connecting these massacres to the south african shapeville massacre, which was a turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle:

For 22 long days and dark nights, Palestinians in Gaza were left alone to face one of the strongest armies in the world — an army that has hundreds of nuclear warheads, thousands of trigger-happy soldiers armed with Merkava tanks, F-16s, Apache helicopters, naval gunships and phosphorous bombs. Twenty-two sleepless nights, 528 hours of constant shelling and shooting, every single minute expecting to be the next victim.

During these 22 days, while morgues overflowed and hospitals struggled to treat the injured, Arab regimes issued tons of statements, condemned and denounced and held one meaningless press conference after another. They even held two summits, the first one convened 19 full days after the assault on Gaza began and the second one the day after Israel had declared a unilateral ceasefire!

The official Arab position vis-a-vis the Palestinians since 1948, with the exception of the progressive nationalist era (1954-1970) has been a lethal cocktail of cowardice and hypocrisy. Their latest collective failure to break the two-year old Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip and their lack of action to support Palestinians under brutal military assault must be questioned.

Arabs must demand answers from the spineless Arab League because there was no brotherly solidarity shown to Gazans during the Israeli assault. There was no pan-Arabism evident in their platitudes. Some, shockingly, even found it an appropriate time to blame Palestinians for the situation they found themselves in, instead of demanding that Israel stop its merciless assault.

In Gaza today, we wonder how the expressions of support for us in the streets of Arab capitals can be translated into action in the absence of democracy. We wonder whether Arab citizens of despotic regimes can nonviolently change the system. We torment ourselves with trying to discern the means that are currently available for democratic political change. With the ongoing massacre in Gaza, and the construction of an apartheid system in Palestine (in all of historic Palestine, including the areas occupied by Israel in 1967), we know that to survive, we must have the support and solidarity of our Arab brothers and sisters. We saw the Arab people rise to that challenge and stand by us for 22 days but we did not see their leaders behind them.

Archbishop Desmund Tutu of South Africa said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” The UN, EU, Arab League and the international community by and large have remained silent in the face of atrocities committed by Apartheid Israel. They are therefore on the side of Israel. Hundreds of dead corpses of children and women have failed to convince them to act. This is what every Palestinian knows today — whether on the streets of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank or refugee camps in the Diaspora.

We are, therefore, left with one option; an option that does not wait for the United Nations Security Council, Arab Summits, or Organization of Islamic Conference to convene: the option of people’s power. This remains the only power capable of counteracting the massive power imbalance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The horror of the racist apartheid regime in South Africa was challenged with a sustained campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions initiated in 1958 and given new urgency in 1960 after the Sharpeville Massacre. This campaign led ultimately to the collapse of white rule in 1994 and the establishment of a multi-racial, democratic state.

Similarly, the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions has been gathering momentum since 2005. Gaza 2009, like Sharpeville 1960, cannot be ignored: it demands a response from all who believe in a common humanity. Now is the time to boycott the apartheid Israeli state, to divest and to impose sanctions against it. This is the only way to ensure the creation of a secular, democratic state for all in historic Palestine.

eid’s words are the only way out: the people’s option. and the people’s option, unlike the “white man’s” option (aka the west) is liberation of palestine through various modes of resistance, including boycott divestment and sanctions. fortunately there is now a campaign for american academics to lend their support to this method of resistance. our call is now published on electronic intifada and you may visit our website as well. there is an email address for you to endorse the call.

Many people have been confused by the fact that there have been two Labour MPs called John Smith in recent history. Just to clarify the matter, smug right-winger and Monklands East MP John Smith died in 1994, while smug right-winger and Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith persists in breathing, though dead from the neck up.

No politician has identified themselves more intimately with the proposed St Athan military training complex than Smith. Memorably, Smith opined that campaigners opposing the project should be ’stopped’; meanwhile this stalwart defender of free speech himself been given double-page spreads in local newspapers to advertise the great benefits of the scheme.

Now, however, as has been recorded here and elsewhere, the St Athan super-deathschool project is beginning to unravel: senior armed forces officers have questioned its economic benefits and ability to deliver suitable training; financial backers have been scared off by the credit crunch; the jobs claims have been shown to be misleading; the moral case against Metrix has been greatly strengthened by the victory of the Raytheon 9 in a Belfast courthouse.

Metrix have responded by a propaganda campaign (or ‘consultation exercise’ as they quaintly call it), with meetings and exhibitions in the St Athan area. Unfortunately, however, they have discovered just how far they have to go to convince local people of the advantages of having a huge military presence on their doorstep, consisting of recruits to the armed forces of any country willing to pay for training in South Wales.

John Smith, however, is undeterred. In response to an assertion from Plaid councillor Nic Hodges that St Athan will be an ‘isolated gated village’, he argues that the Metrix PFI project will provide ‘wonderful’ state-of-the-art swimming and leisure facilities which will be available to the local civilian population and benefit our future Olympic stars, bringing an ‘incalculable’ number of jobs (whatever happened to those confident calculations of 5,500?)

There are two problems with this argument. One is that many people will simply not believe it. The security implications of concentrating all armed forces training into one complex are obvious to all; just try wandering into MOD St Athan now, or even being photographed nearby.

The second problem is that, possibly unknown to John Smith, “the best all round water and fitness facility in the UK” is currently being completed in Cardiff, including a state-of-the-art swimming pool (another PFI project) costing £32m. To quote the council blurb, “a 50m ten lane international competition swimming pool with two submersible booms and floating floors at either end of the main pool, capable of creating three 25m training pools; a family water area with four flume rides, including ’space bowl’ and ‘lazy river’, a beach area, plunge pool and water slides. In addition there is spectator seating for 1,000; plus extensive state-of-the-art fitness and leisure facilities”

How about a real public consultation over whether it is a sensible use of taxpayers money to build a £11 billion military training complex in order to have another pool less than twelve miles away?

The leisure complex represents even more profits for Metrix partner Laing O’Rourke, who also built the Millenium Stadium and most of St Davids 2. Perhaps there will be a place for John Smith on their board when he finally recognises that he is fooling nobody but himself.

Protesters were banned from marching through Cardiff city centre today as police invoked the public order act to minimise the visibility of the demonstration against the St Athan military academy.

Clearly acting on orders from high up the political food chain, police also insisted that written applications would be needed for further protests and threatened march organisers with arrest if anything untoward should happen at the event.

The pretext for the clampdown was that police intelligence suggested that disruptive elements were targetting the march. Perhaps we should take heart that police “intelligence” proved to be so resoundingly mistaken. Far more likely however is that the MoD and Welsh political establishment feared a movement which threatened the military-industrial complex they are building and the huge sum of money the stinking war profiteers and their allies are trousering through a scheme which will undoubtedly attract mass opposition once people get wind of what really is happening.

It that sense today’s march was a great success. Finally elements of the mass media, including Red Dragon Radio, the BBC and HTV Wales have allowed anti-military academy arguments to be aired. Although the march, routed round the back streets of Cardiff to the OU building on Custom House Street, was seen by virtually no-one, hundreds of thousands will have heard its message: no public money for war criminals!

The rally at the end of the march, which attracted exactly the kind of enthusiastic young audience PR have argued the campaign needs, was addressed by Davy McAuley of the Raytheon 9 (see previous articles), whose rousing speech was followed by that of Wales’ only openly anti-St Athan full-time politician, Jill Evans. Following our criticisms it was heartwarming to see Leanne Wood AM also on the march, and we confidently expect other councillors, AMs and MPs to break cover in the coming months.

The build-up for the march has been an excellent example of left unity, with South Wales anarchists, Cardiff PR, the SWP and others working together harmoniously. Now we must take that forward. The campaign meets this Tuesday, 29 April, 6.30pm at the Temple of Peace. If you care about the future of Wales, be there.

HTV news report is here.

With reports suggesting this Saturday’s anti-St Athan march will be larger than expected, an activist from the Derry-based Raytheon 9 campaign is due to speak at the closing rally. The Raytheon 9 are currently facing trial following their excursion into Raytheon’s offices in Derry in protest against the arms giant’s involvement in multiple atrocities.

Raytheon, for those still unaware, are part of the Metrix consortium who will build and run the military academy at St Athan through the glorified HP agreement known as PFI, for which we will all eventually pay.

Other speakers include Jill Evans MEP, the only professional politician in Wales to oppose the project, despite being left to hang by her party, Plaid Cymru, who at the first test of office have sacrificed any credibility as a left alternative; even the most left wing of its elected members, Adam Price MP and Leanne Wood AM, have baulked at opposing a scheme which they suppose to be a vote-winner.

Anti-St Athan campaigners on the ground are reporting that this in any case may be an illusion. The groundswell of opposition to the giant academy extends well beyond pacifist, socialist and anarchist groups, particularly in the local areas most affected by the expected influx of squaddies from half the world’s armies.

That opposition will surely grow once the strength of feeling against St Athan makes itself felt this Saturday. The demonstration will be hard to ignore – even by the post-Hutton BBC with its paranoia at being seen as anti-war and its comfortable business relationship with Land Services Trillium, the property outsourcing group who are building its new centres and who also happen to be fully paid-up partners in the Metrix consortium.

Volunteers are still needed for various tasks on the day. If you can help out, email us.

An updated leaflet advertising the next campaign meeting on 29 April can be downloaded from our resources page.

For a man supposedly fluent in both Welsh and English, Rhodri Morgan sometimes struggles to make any sense at all. His comment on the anti-St Athan protest at the Senedd on Jan 17 was a prime example:

“The reference to Raytheon and cluster bombs by campaigners is a simple guilt by association argument with absolutely no supporting evidence”

Translation anybody?

As we have already pointed out on this site, Raytheon most certainly do make the delivery systems for cluster bombs, and, indeed, depleted uranium weapons. How do we know this? Because they admit it themselves!

Or maybe the chief clown at the Cardiff Bay circus intends a different meaning: that the rest of the Metrix consortium, and the Welsh Assembly government, cannot be held responsible for the actions of their business partners.

Does anyone else in Wales share this bizarre view?

Our great leader goes on to conclude:

“They should be ashamed of themselves for using such a smear as a substitute for intelligent argument”

Psychologists call such a statement projection.

The St Athan campaign should perhaps be grateful the protest got any press coverage at all, given the craven attitude of the media towards the St Athan development and its willing repetition of the lies about how many jobs it will create in South Wales. Once again the BBC failed to report the action, even through its online news: the truth is that BBC newsrooms have existed in a state of paranoia since the Hutton Report – not the fault of individual journalists, most of whom undoubtedly hold the report in the same contempt as the rest of us – but of a management determined never again to incur the wrath of its paymasters.

The Senedd demo, though fully justified, was a small one: only to be expected for a protest on a weekday lunchtime. Congratulations to all who took part, however – the occasion’s been marked, and we can now look forward to a major demo in the Spring which even the BBC will be unable to ignore, however much big Rod might wish it.

Download St Athan campaign materials from our resources page. 

Stop press – St Athan campaign resources now available for download at this site! See Resources page.

Thursday 17 Jan marks the anniversary of the announcement that the Metrix consortium had successfully bid for the contract to build a privatised military academy in South Wales. The announcement was celebrated by Wales First Minister and renowned ’socialist’ Rhodri Morgan with a champagne-popping photo-opportunity outside the Senedd (Welsh Assembly building) in Cardiff. It was also celebrated by the US military-industrial complex, in the shape of the sinister Carlyle Group (ex-director George W Bush), who three weeks later sold their shares in Qinetiq, key players in the Metrix consortium, having seen them rocket on the stock market.

It was almost as if the Carlyle Group knew that the Metrix bid was sure to succeed – not that we would possibly suggest any underhand dealing in the matter!

The anniversary will not go unmarked by the campaign to stop the military academy at St Athan, who invite everybody who does not want to see public money handed to arms dealers to join them at 1pm outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. This will merely be the start of an escalating campaign against the academy, which will include meetings around the UK and a major demo in April supported by the Stop the War coalition.