W O R L D

Rajapaksa aide among 4 killed in poll violence
Colombo, October 8
At least four persons, including an adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were killed today in a shootout during Sri Lanka's violence-marred local government elections, forcing the authorities to impose curfew just outside the capital. Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, an aide of Rajapaksa and a former ruling party lawmaker, was killed in a shootout following clashes.


An injured is being taken to a hospital in Colombo. — Reuters

US drones hit by virus
Los Angeles, October 8
America’s remote-controlled kill machines, the Predator and Reaper drones which carry out hunt missions over Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, have been hit by a computer virus.

Drones are widely used in US military operations, especially as ground troops are withdrawn

Yemen Prez: Will leave power in coming days
Sanaa, October 8
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said today that he would leave power in the coming days, the closest the veteran leader has come to announcing he plans to step down after nine months of mass protests against his 33 year rule.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen President

Pak judge who awarded death to Qadri shifted
Lahore, October 8
A Pakistani high court has transferred an anti-terrorism court judge who recently awarded the death sentence to the self-confessed assassin of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer for security reasons.

MJ’s doc admits giving anesthetic before he died
Los Angeles, October 8
Doctor Conrad Murray, who is facing the manslaughter trial in Michael Jackson's death, admits giving anesthetic propofol to the singer.

Hollywood misses key tech ally
Washington, October 8
In the death of Apple’s visionary co-founder Steve Jobs, US entertainment industry has lost a key technology envoy who helped push the film, TV and music industries into the digital age.

 

 

Rajapaksa aide among 4 killed in poll violence
The victim was a former ruling party lawmaker

Colombo, October 8
At least four persons, including an adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were killed today in a shootout during Sri Lanka's violence-marred local government elections, forcing the authorities to impose curfew just outside the capital.

Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, an aide of Rajapaksa and a former ruling party lawmaker, was killed in a shootout following clashes between two factions of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance in Kotikawatta, a north Colombo suburb.

Three others, including a bodyguard of Premachandra, was also killed in the shootout.

Among the 10 injured are Duminda Silva, a member of parliament, who suffered serious head injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit in a critical condition.

Kotikawatta local council was one of the 23 councils which went to polls today in the last phase of the local government election began in March.

A curfew has been imposed in the area following the shoot out, police spokesman Maxi Proctor said.

Election monitors said the polling was between 55 to 60 per cent. Over 50 incidents of election malpractices, including intimidation of voters and illegal propaganda work, were reported, the monitors said.

Over 1.5 millions voters were eligible to vote to elect 420 members for a four-year term. The results are expected to be announced tomorrow.

The elections are seen as a mid-term test for Rajapaksa, who has tightened his grip on power following his landslide victory in the presidential polls last year. — PTI

US drones hit by virus

Los Angeles, October 8
America’s remote-controlled kill machines, the Predator and Reaper drones which carry out hunt missions over Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, have been hit by a computer virus and network specialist can’t seem to get rid of it.

The virus has infected Creech Air Force base in Nevada from where the robotic machines fly globally, Los Angeles Times reported.

But, media report said so far the virus hasn’t hindered global missions of the drones and there’s been no leak of classified information.

The infection, first reported by Wired magazine two weeks back is allegedly logging pilots’ every keystroke as they carry out the missions.

The virus has remained on the drones’ computer system despite multiple efforts to remove it. “We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back... We think it’s benign,” Wired magazine reported.

“Military network security specialists aren’t sure whether the virus and its so-called ‘keylogger’ payload were introduced intentionally or by accident; it may be a common piece of malware that just happened to make its way into these sensitive networks,” the magazine said. The specialists don’t know exactly how far the virus has spread. Something is going on, but it has not had any impact on the missions overseas.

The Creech Air Force Base public affairs office responded to inquiries about the reports with a statement: "We generally do not discuss specific vulnerabilities, threats, or responses to our computer networks, since that helps people looking to exploit or attack our systems to refine their approach. We invest a lot in protecting and monitoring our systems to counter threats and ensure security, which includes a comprehensive response to viruses, worms, and other malware we discover."

The magazine said the drones don't exactly have the most rigorous security protocols and cites the example in 2009 when insurgents in Iraq were able to capture unencrypted video footage from the drones using a piece of cheap software.

Drones are widely used in US military operations, especially as ground troops are withdrawn. Last week, a drone strike killed American-born jihadi Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, along with two other militants. — PTI

Yemen Prez: Will leave power in coming days

Sanaa, October 8
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said today that he would leave power in the coming days, the closest the veteran leader has come to announcing he plans to step down after nine months of mass protests against his 33 year rule.

"I reject power and I will continue to reject it, and I will be leaving power in the coming days," Saleh said in a speech on state television.

Saleh has been clinging to his position while opposition and ruling party representatives cast about for a formula to see through a transition-of-power deal. "I call on my supporters to persevere and to confront any challenge," Saleh said.

Protests against Saleh's rule have paralysed Yemen, weakening government control over swathes of the country and fanning fears Al Qaida's regional wing may use the upheaval to expand its foothold near shipping routes through the Red Sea.

Saleh has thrice backed out of signing a Gulf-mediated power transition deal. The opposition says the government is holding up negotiations after Saleh's return from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone for treatment after a June assassination attempt.

Abdulghani al-Iryani, a Yemeni political analyst, said: "This is just Saleh's latest line. I don't think it is really anything new. I remember he once said he would be ready to leave any day, so I don't think he means what he said."

Saleh has made many verbal concessions during the protests against him which began in January, including promising to step down in return for immunity from prosecution. — Reuters

Pak judge who awarded death to Qadri shifted

Lahore, October 8
A Pakistani high court has transferred an anti-terrorism court judge who recently awarded the death sentence to the self-confessed assassin of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer for security reasons.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry issued the order transferring Judge Pervez Ali Shah, who went on long leave after receiving threats for awarding the death sentence to Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Taseer.

The Chief Justice placed the services of Shah at the disposal of the Punjab government and transferred him from anti-terrorism court no II in Rawalpindi to the child protection court in Lahore.

Radical clerics have criticised Shah for giving an "un-Islamic" verdict and called for action against him. — PTI

MJ’s doc admits giving anesthetic before he died

Los Angeles, October 8
Doctor Conrad Murray, who is facing the manslaughter trial in Michael Jackson's death, admits giving anesthetic propofol to the singer.

In a police interview conducted two days after Jackson's death, Murray narrated in a collected, steady voice, the long hours during which he tried in vain to get the star to sleep on drugs other than propofol, the powerful surgical anesthetic that ultimately caused Jackson's death, the Los Angeles Times.

In the tape, Murray details his treatment of Jackson, including his administration of propofol and admits giving the medicines, but said he did not administer enough to cause death.

The amounts found led officials to conclude that Jackson died from acute propofol intoxication. — PTI

Hollywood misses key tech ally

Washington, October 8
In the death of Apple’s visionary co-founder Steve Jobs, US entertainment industry has lost a key technology envoy who helped push the film, TV and music industries into the digital age.

In the 25 years after he bought George Lucas’ digital animation business and renamed it Pixar Animation Studios, Jobs charmed, angered and cajoled Hollywood executives as he pursued his vision for digital entertainment, media reports from California said.

Jobs relentlessly challenged the industry to change - ushering in the age of digital animation with "Toy Story," upending record labels with the iPod and the iTunes store, and negotiating to sell TV shows and films online. Disney's ABC was the first to sign on, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

"Steve and I were talking for months about delivering TV shows on iTunes, which is when he shows me the video iPod, and I said, 'We're in!'" Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger was quoted as telling the paper.

With the 2006 sale of Emeryville's Pixar, Jobs became Disney's biggest investor, with a stake worth $4.35 billion.

Hollywood executives resisted putting shows online. But Jobs was determined to get the studios onboard, Jim Gianopulos, co-chairman of News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment was quoted as saying.

Today, iTunes is the top seller of online movies, with 66 per cent of the market for electronic sales and Web video on demand, researcher IHS said in August. Its share of U.S. music retailing was 70 per cent last year, according to NPD, the Chronicle said. — IANS