NATO jets target Libyan capital - Aids on army vehicles and ammunition depots in Tripoli follow announcement of extension of alliance's Libyan mission.

Fresh attacks have taken place in central Tripoli, with a series of explosions reported as Nato continues sporadic bombing of the Libyan capital.

A series of explosions and and gunfire was heard across Tripoli in the early hours of Friday morning, according to witnesses.

Footage captured by AP Television showed smoke rising from the city skyline following at least one large explosion.

A Libyan government official, speaking on condition of anonymity to the AP news agency, said that at least 10 NATO raids hit targets in and around Tripoli.

NATO earlier confirmed that it carried out attacks on Thursday, which it said hit military vehicles and ammunition depots, a surface-to-air missile launcher and a fire-control radar.

The attacks took place just hours after NATO and its partners said it would extend the Libyan mission for 90 more days in support of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's four-decade rule.

"This decision sends a clear message to the Gaddafi regime: We are determined to continue our operation to protect the people of Libya," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary-general, said.

Now in its fourth month, the Libyan conflict is deadlocked, with the opposition forces unable to break out of their strongholds and advance towards Tripoli, where Gaddafi appears to be firmly entrenched.

Opposition forces control the east of Libya around Benghazi, the third-biggest city, Misurata, and a mountain range stretching from the town of Zintan, 150km south of Tripoli, towards the border with Tunisia.

On Wednesday, opposition fighters in the country's west said they had managed to force Gaddafi troops out of the towns of Qasr el-Haj and Shakchuk.The towns had been under attack since February.

Residents and opposition forces in the west celebrated on the streets after a battle that lasted for nearly 12 hours.

By liberating the two towns, the opposition says it will now be able restore electricity to three other areas, one of which is Zintan, which has been heavily bombarded in recent days.

Misurata fighting

In the city of Misurata, opposition fighters have pushed forces loyal to Gaddafi out of the centre of the city and pushed westwards towards the neighbouring town of Zlitan, where they are exchanging artillery fire.

"They [pro-Gaddafi forces] are randomly bombarding from an area near Zlitan," Youssef, an opposition spokesman, told the Reuters news agency from Misurata.

Zlitan could become the next battleground, opposition forces said.

Residents there said pro-Gaddafi forces have been moving into the town and mounting a crackdown to prevent regime opponents from rising up and joining the opposition.

"Gaddafi has tightened security here. His brigades have been getting reinforcement every day. They have stepped up their campaign to arrest, terrify and frighten residents," an opposition spokesman in Zlitan, who identified himself as Mabrouk, said.

"The humanitarian situation is very bad. There are shortages of foodstuffs, baby milk and medicine. There has been no fuel for almost two months."

In another development, UN and US officials said that Qatar deported Iman al-Obeidi, a Libyan woman who accused Gaddafi's soldiers of raping her on March 26, back to Libya.

Vincent Cochetel, the UNHCR representative in Washington, told the AFP news agency that a Qatari military jet flew al-Obeidi to the port city of Benghazi, which is held by rebels, and she was now staying there in a hotel.

A Libyan rebel official told AFP last month that al-Obeidi had escaped from Libya to Qatar with the help of rebels.

She attracted international media attention when she stormed into the Rixos hotel on March 26, threw open her coat to reveal scars and bruises on her body to expose her ordeal.

A UN inquiry accused Gaddafi's government on Wednesday of carrying out systematic attacks on the population, saying it committed war crimes and also crimes against humanity.

While it noted fewer reports of violations by the opposition, the commission of inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council also found that rebel forces committed acts that constituted war crimes.


Libyan attendance

Separately, the Libyan government announced it will send a representative to the meeting of the international oil-exporting countries' group, OPEC, a day after Shokri Ghanem, the country's oil minister, confirmed his defection.

Mussa Ibrahim, the Libyan government spokesperson, said on Thursday that the government would be represented at the meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna on June 8.

"I don't have a name yet, but we'll have somebody," he said.

The announcement came a day after Ghanem announced in Rome that he now supports the Libyan opposition, making him the second most senior official to quit the Gaddafi government.

However, Ibrahim played down the significance of Ghanem's departure. "This is a country, a state, a government, not just one person," Ibrahim told the Reuters news agency.

Up to now, oil and gas has accounted for 95 per cent of Libya's export income, 25 per cent of its gross domestic product and 80 per cent of government revenue, according to US government statistics.

Student monks too hold a protest

Heavy traffic jam reported from Dharmapala Mawatha Colombo today due to a protest organized by the Inter University Bhikkhu Federation (IUBF) calling for an inquiry into the recent death of a student monk of the Anuradhapura Buddhasrawaka Bhikkhu University.
Meanwhile the road blocks placed in the Kollupitiya junction towards the Temple Trees ha been removed. A police officer on duty at the scene when asked about the removal of the barriers, said that the protesters have the freedom to march at any direction they want.

(Photo is not from the actual senario )

Plan to arrest union leaders by chanting ‘conspiracy theory’ –who gave the order to murder?

The Rajapakse regime which was responsible for the murder of the youth Roshan Chanaka by police shooting is seeking to take into custody the Secretary Vasantha Samarasinghe and leaders of the Inter Companies workers union by claiming that this was a conspiracy as part of its camouflage plan.

In a communiqué issued by the Govt. today ,it has maneuvered to digress from the actual issues by alleging that this protest was a conspiratorial action to overthrow the Govt. In this dubious and duplicitous attempt it has lost not only its focus on the true picture but even the answers it should provide for the workers’ demands .
(Photo 01  Wasantha Samarasinghe)
Following the arrest of the Seeduwa police OIC , chief inspector Ratnayake and Inspector Ranasinghe , the govt. is bent on arresting the leaders of the unions to maintain a balance , sources within the Govt. say. The Govt . is in readiness to carry out this action as soon as the Geneva Human rights conference is over.

The arrests of these two Seeduwa police officers by the CID has rudely shocked all . These low rung officers did not give orders to the brutal police to shoot the workers. Such a thing could not have happened. Such orders have to come from the top. According to reports reaching Lanka e news , Senior DIG, Western range Gamini Navaratne who was on the scene was given direct orders to shoot not by the IGP but by defense Secretary Gotabaya . This was the reason Navaratne was transferred to Central province without any questions being posed to him. If the CID had recorded a statement yesterday evening from the other DIG Ravi Wijewardena who was there with him , why wasn’t Navaratne questioned. ? The reason is the fear that he might expose the individual who gave him direct orders to shoot.

At any rate, defense secretary Gotabaya when answering President’s question had stated , he did not give orders to shoot. Thereafter , the President has summoned the IGP and blasted him in the most foul language , a favorite occupation of the President when he is enraged. When a journalist has questioned the IGP after the ‘shelling’, he had said ‘ I am gong home. Enough is enough’

A doctor of the Ragama Hospital who wished to remain anonymous speaking to Lanka e news said, it was a Secretary of the President Gamini Senarath who forced the Hospital officials not to disclose that Roshan Chanaka died. It is very clear from all these episodes who are the true conspirators.

No matter what attempts are made to conceal the truth , the unlawful action of the police cannot be justified under any circumstance .Use of bullets to stop the throwing of stones is unlawful. If protestors are to be shot at , it can only be done in self defense by the Police. The police action was not in self defense . An innocent young life has been sacrificed by this Govt. at the altar of its despotic aims and ambitions. Hence , it is imperative that the individual who gave orders to the police to shoot so ruthlessly is trapped and apprehended immediately as this is a flagrant violation of the law . If law enforcers and the top rung officer responsible for national security engage in these types of actions, how can ordinary citizens to be law abiding ?

Need we remind how SL defense Secretaray Gotabaya Rajapakse who should be exemplary as the chief of national security became a by word for lawlessness when he ordered the DIG Pathirane and his officers to disperse forthwith when they arrived to maintain law and order at the venue where the Govt. Minister Wimal Weerawansa noted for his self seeking gimmicks ,and his stooges were staging violent protests in front of the UN office in SL. The media highlighted at that time how the defense Secretary acted unlawfully giving unlawful orders .‘ Why did you come to that spot ? Take your group and vanish’ was the unlawful order brazenly given by the SL’s national security Chief to the police DIG who tried to establish peace and calm when the Govt. Minister was creating unruly ugly scenes with his stooges near the UN office .

In the blitzkrieg of the final phase of the Eelam war , when the Army Commander at that time went to China , it can be inferred that Gotabaya could have given similar orders during that period going by his present behaviors . Because of his wrong orders issued to Shavendra De Silva, 25 soldiers of the STF sent to the battle field got killed at the same time. After Gen. Fonseka ‘s return from abroad , he referring to this stupid mistake said , ‘ SF soldier means 10 ordinary soldiers. Therefore you have unnecessarily got 250 soldiers killed.’ Fonseka had berated Shavendra De Silva and asked , who was responsible for this stupid mistake , when Shavendra De Siva had revealed it was Gotabaya ‘s instructions.

Gotabaya Rajapakse who holds a post in the civil administration as defense Ministry Secretary and therefore with zero power to give such orders is parading as a hero because he is the brother of the President . He breaks all channels of communication , and gives direct orders to the subordinates without due approval of the President or the Army Commander. He overrides the IGP and gives orders to the DIGs. He treats the court with contempt and loudly announces publicly ‘ I shall hang him’ making threatening remarks to the media.

The wood pecker is famous for pecking at trees. But that pecking lasts only until it pecks a plantain tree . Will the white flag story be a plantain tree story for the wood pecker or be another story ?

-lankaenews-

Battle rages in Yemeni capital - Heavy fighting continues across Sanaa, with witnesses saying security forces have fired live bullets at protesters !

Yemeni forces loyal to entrenched ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh have faced off with tribal fighters in Yemen's capital in clashes that killed dozens as a US envoy flew around the region to try to stop a looming civil war.

Street fighting in Sanaa, which grew out of protests against Saleh's rule since January, has killed at least 135 people in the past 10 days, calling into question the future of an impoverished Arab state already near economic disaster.

Heavy fighting continued late into the night on Thursday, with witnesses saying security forces had fired live bullets at protesters in the capital - no injuries were reported.

State television showed live pictures of the Yemeni Airways building ablaze and blamed tribesmen for setting it on fire. It is reported that the fire had started after government troops targeted the nearby home of Sadiq al-Ahmar, a prominent tribal leader.

Hackers attack another Sony network ! - Sony Corporation's third high-profile security breach comes after it promised to enhance its security measures !

Hackers have once again broken into Sony Corporation's computer networks, this time claiming to have stolen customer data to prove that the company's systems remain vulnerable to attack.

That marked the latest setback for Sony, which discovered in April that hackers had stolen data from more than 100 million of its accounts. Nobody has claimed responsibility for that attack.

The group LulzSec said on Thursday it broke into servers that run Sony Pictures Entertainment websites, and accessed the personal information of more than one million Sony customers.
(Photo 01 ; Group LulzSec says it accessed the personal information of more than one million Sony customers)

To underscore the point that the Japanese electronics giant is unable to keep intruders out of its network, LulzSec published the names, birthdates, addresses, emails, phone numbers and passwords of thousands of people who had entered contests promoted by Sony.

A Sony spokesman said the company was "looking into these claims" but declined to elaborate.


'We accessed everything' - hacking group said

"From a single injection, we accessed everything," the hacking group said in a statement. "Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?"

The Reuters news agency confirmed the authenticity of the data published about several of the sweepstakes entrants.

The attacks came on a day Sony executives were hauled before a Congressional committee to testify on the April attack of its gaming networks. Representatives criticised Sony for waiting several days to notify customers of the breach.

The US Federal Trade Commission could choose to review circumstances leading to this latest attack if Sony Pictures Entertainment failed to use proper procedures for protecting the data of its customers.


John Bumgarner, chief technology officer for the US Cyber Consequences Unit, a nonprofit group that monitors Web threats, was not surprised Sony's systems had again been breached.

"The system was unsecure," Bumgarner said, who last month warned of a string of security vulnerabilities across Sony's networks that he identified without special access to the electronics giant's computer systems.

He said he found vulnerabilities in the Sony Pictures Entertainment network as recently as last weekend.

The first hacking attacks in April, considered the biggest in Internet history, prompted Sony to shut down its PlayStation Network and other services for close to a month.

LulzSec has claimed responsibility for several hacks over the past month. It said it defaced the US PBS television network's websites, and posted data stolen from its servers Monday to protest a "Front Line" documentary about WikiLeaks.

It has also broken into a Fox.com website and published data about contestants for the upcoming Fox TV talent show, "X Factor".

LulzSec also said on Thursday it had hacked into Sony BMG Music Entertainment Netherlands and Belgium. It previously disclosed an attack on Sony Music Japan.

What is this so called QR (Quick Response) Code / Mobile Tagging Codes

QR (abbreviation for Quick Response) code  is a particular matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) which is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and certain smart camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be either text, URL or other data.

This is very common technology in in Japan as it was initially created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994. QR Code allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.The technology has seen a large uptake in Japan and South Korea. However, in the West there has been a slower adoption of QR codes may be due to being code looking bit ugly in design. Also it is similar to west in other asian countries
like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc...

QR codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). QR codes can be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user's device, to open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) or to compose an email or text message. Users can also generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites.QR codes storing addresses and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or almost any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone's browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is termed hardlinking or object hyperlinking.

Google's mobile Android operating system supports QR codes by natively including the barcode scanner (ZXing) on some models, and the browser supports URL redirection, which allows QR codes to send metadata to existing applications on the device. Nokia's Symbian operating system is also provided with a barcode scanner, which is able to read QR codes,while mbarcode is a QR code reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple i OS, a QR code reader is not natively included, but over 50 free apps are available with reader and metadata browser URI redirection ability. As for BlackBerry devices, the App World application can natively scan QR codes and load any recognized Web URLs
on the device's Web browser.The use of QR codes is free of any license. The QR code is clearly defined and published as an ISO standard. Denso Wave owns the patent rights on QR codes, but has chosen not to exercise them. The term QR code itself is a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated.

(Photo 1; QR Code , Photo 2; A giant QR code linking to a website, to be read with smart mobile phones.)

Uses of QR Code;

England Bowled Outs Sri Lanka for mare 81 in 2nd Innings to claim 1st Test Win in the series

England 496 for 5 dec (Trott 203, Cook 133, Bell 103*) beat Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Paranavitana 66, Anderson 3-66, Swann 3-78) and 82 (Swann 4-16, Tremlett 4-40) by an innings and 14 runs

Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett bowled England to an extraordinary innings-and-14-run victory as Sri Lanka collapsed in a barely believable 24.4 overs on the final day in Cardiff. The pair shared eight wickets before Stuart Broad bounced out the last two batsmen to secure one of more remarkable wins in recent memory considering the amount of time lost to rain. Sri Lanka were shell-shocked and couldn't handle the pressure, losing eight wickets in the final session.

When Andrew Strauss declared two overs into the day, having given Ian Bell chance to reach his hundred - after play was delayed until 3pm by heavy morning rain - the summit of England's ambitions appeared to be taking some psychological points to Lord's on Friday. However, Tremlett removed both openers before tea to set the nerves jangling, and when Mahela Jayawardene became his third at the start of the final session, panic was beginning to set in the Sri Lankan ranks.

Only when they were eight down did the visitors try to erase England's advantage with any haste as Thisara Perera and Ajantha Mendis put bat to ball, but wickets were never far away against a pumped-up bowling attack. It didn't matter that Strauss only had three frontline options, with James Anderson suffering a side strain. Tremlett preyed on the batsmen's insecurities against the short ball, Swann found turn to force frazzled minds into playing loose shots, and then Broad hustled through the final resistance with 26 overs still to play.

The merits of Strauss allowing Bell to reach three figures would have been hotly debated had England run out of time at the end, but his bowlers ensured he didn't have to worry. The door was pushed ajar by Tremlett's new-ball burst, elevated to the role vacated by Anderson and one he'll be reluctant to relinquish. He struck with the last ball of his first over when Tharanga Paranavitana edged a low chance to first slip that was well held by the captain.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is a player who could have quickly erased the deficit and eased the pressure, but he got into a tangle against a shorter delivery from Tremlett and the chance lobbed back to the bowler. Dilshan was given out straight away but he went to the DRS and replays confirmed a glove. Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara survived until tea with Sri Lanka 33 for 2, yet they gave a false sense of security.

Although Tremlett changed ends after the interval, he maintained a probing length which left doubt in the batsman's mind as to whether to play forward to back. Mahela opted to come onto the front foot and Tremlett's extra carry ensured another edge carried comfortably to Strauss. England began to sense something could happen.

Swann then gave another example of why he's the world's best spin bowler. Thilan Samaraweera was caught playing back to one that didn't bounce and dragged onto the stump. Next, from round the wicket, a beautiful piece of bowling lured Sangakkara into an edge and Strauss snaffled his third edge - this time in the unaccustomed position of slip to the spinner.

There was no stopping England or Swann as Farveez Maharoof edged his third ball and again the DRS was fruitless as HotSpot showed a clear edge. However, TV evidence was less clear when Prasanna Jayawardene, the first-innings hero with 112, was given out off a gloved pull. This time it was England who called for the review and although HotSpot wasn't conclusive, Rod Tucker, the third umpire, went on the noise as he had with Sangakkara's first-innings dismissal. The subsequent use of Snicko proved he was right again.

Sri Lankan ODI Opener, Tharanga's test positive for banned drugs !

Sri Lanka opening batsman Upul Tharanga tested positive for an banned substance at this year's World Cup, an International Cricket Council (ICC) source told Reuters on Sunday.

Left-hander Tharanga scored two centuries in the tournament co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and was the fifth highest run-getter.

He has played 15 tests and 121 one-day internationals and scored 12 international centuries.

"We have not had any contact from the ICC and we are waiting to hear from them," Nishantha Ranatunga, the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, told Reuters from Colombo. "If this is true I expect we will hear from them soon."

An ICC spokesman declined to comment.

Sri Lanka's Sunday Times said Tharanga had claimed he was prescribed prednisolone by an alternative medicine practitioner who had treated other cricketers in the past. Prednisolone, a corticosteroid, is on the WADA banned list.

Mahinda Samarasinghe who went to Geneva betrays the patriotic Sri Lankans by uttering a profusion of blatant lies

Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who is in Geneva for the UN human rights Committee conference which begins tomorrow, has betrayed the patriotic Sri Lankans by blatantly and brazenly uttering a profusion of lies at the forums which are being held these days prior to the UN HR sessions beginning tomorrow, according to reports reaching Lanka e news.

The most wicked betrayal he committed was when he uttered the diabolic falsehood that the former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka was taken into custody and jailed on indictments of war crimes . He had even gone further and lied shamelessly through his teeth that the Rajapakse Regime does not spare or safeguard the war crime culprits, not even former Army Commander.