The Election Department in Sri lanka a short while ago said that the voter turnout for the local government polls which is currently in progress was considerably low in all parts of the country
“The voter turnout was considerably low in all parts of the country with a little improvement in Hambantota (percy's home town)” Said Deputy Elections Commissioner W.P.Suamanasiri.
According to independence election monitoring bodies like PAFFREL & Network for Election Monitoring said that by noon the voter turnout was between 20% to 28%. but they said their was a sharp increase in the number of incidents of election related violence.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
5 key Oppostion figures arrested ! - Bahrain Uprise
Authorities in Bahrain have arrested at least five key opposition figures, a day after a crackdown on anti-government protesters in the centre of the capital Manama, reports say. The streets are said to be calm but extremely tense, with soldiers patrolling after an overnight curfew.
Correspondents say the opposition, which is seeking political reform, has gone to ground to plan its next move.
At least three civilians and three police died in Wednesday's violence.
Matar Ibrahim, a former opposition MP from Bahrain's Shia majority who recently resigned in protest at the crackdown, told the BBC the government was completely ignoring the message from the US that it was on the wrong track. The US state department has criticised the use of excessive force and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for dialogue.
Correspondents say the opposition, which is seeking political reform, has gone to ground to plan its next move.
At least three civilians and three police died in Wednesday's violence.
Matar Ibrahim, a former opposition MP from Bahrain's Shia majority who recently resigned in protest at the crackdown, told the BBC the government was completely ignoring the message from the US that it was on the wrong track. The US state department has criticised the use of excessive force and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for dialogue.
Japan dumps water on stricken reactors
Military helicopters in Japan have dumped water on reactors at the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in an effort to cool down a spent fuel storage pool, local media said.
Two CH-47 helicopters scooped up seawater and released it over the reactors on Thursday while another helicopter checked radiation levels in the air.
The plant, 220km north of Tokyo, has been hit by several explosions after a devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday.
Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Osaka, said "four flights were made and of those water-drops by the helicopters, only one hit its target". The effort has since been abandoned, he said.
"Given that more than a hundred would be required to hit dead-on to fill the reactors with enough water to cool the rods, it is – forgive the phrase – a bit of drop in the ocean at the moment," our correspondent said.
The mission was part of efforts to cool the storage pools at the number 3 and number 4 reactors. The cooling systems at both reactors are not functioning, raising fears that spent fuel rods could melt and release radioactive material outside the building.
Police water cannons were also set to support the effort in addition to equipment already in use over recent days at the plant.
Toshimi Kitazawa, the defence minister, said an additional 11 military vehicles would be deployed for efforts to help cool the reactors, while pumps supplied by the US armed forces were also being transferred.
Nuclear safety
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the top priority should be pouring water into the fuel-rod pools at reactors 3 and 4, which may be boiling and are not fully covered by roofs that would reduce radiation leaks.
Two CH-47 helicopters scooped up seawater and released it over the reactors on Thursday while another helicopter checked radiation levels in the air.
The plant, 220km north of Tokyo, has been hit by several explosions after a devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday.
Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Osaka, said "four flights were made and of those water-drops by the helicopters, only one hit its target". The effort has since been abandoned, he said.
"Given that more than a hundred would be required to hit dead-on to fill the reactors with enough water to cool the rods, it is – forgive the phrase – a bit of drop in the ocean at the moment," our correspondent said.
The mission was part of efforts to cool the storage pools at the number 3 and number 4 reactors. The cooling systems at both reactors are not functioning, raising fears that spent fuel rods could melt and release radioactive material outside the building.
Police water cannons were also set to support the effort in addition to equipment already in use over recent days at the plant.
Toshimi Kitazawa, the defence minister, said an additional 11 military vehicles would be deployed for efforts to help cool the reactors, while pumps supplied by the US armed forces were also being transferred.
Nuclear safety
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the top priority should be pouring water into the fuel-rod pools at reactors 3 and 4, which may be boiling and are not fully covered by roofs that would reduce radiation leaks.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Minister S.B. is to offer 25000 computer tender to Thilanga Sumathipala !
Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake has decided to offer the tender of buying 25,000 computers for the use of university students to his funding partner, Casino Owner and UPFA MP, Thilanga Sumathipala.
The Secretary to the ministry Sunil Jayantha Navaratne has called for proposals on 10th March 2011. Technical specifications of computers mentioned in the call for tenders were prepared only to suit Lenova brand computers which are produced by a private company belong to Mr Thilanga Sumathipala.
Ministry sources say that many companies planned to apply for the tender were prevented the opportunity as a result.
Billionaire, Casino & Bookie Owner Thilanga Sumathipala has been the main funder for S.B Dissanayake while he was in the UNP as well as with the SLFP alliences. Extremely disappointed of Rajapaksa regime’s politics, the pair is turning into similar tender irregularities to raise funds for a future political campaign against Rajapaksas, say political analysts.
The Secretary to the ministry Sunil Jayantha Navaratne has called for proposals on 10th March 2011. Technical specifications of computers mentioned in the call for tenders were prepared only to suit Lenova brand computers which are produced by a private company belong to Mr Thilanga Sumathipala.
Ministry sources say that many companies planned to apply for the tender were prevented the opportunity as a result.
Billionaire, Casino & Bookie Owner Thilanga Sumathipala has been the main funder for S.B Dissanayake while he was in the UNP as well as with the SLFP alliences. Extremely disappointed of Rajapaksa regime’s politics, the pair is turning into similar tender irregularities to raise funds for a future political campaign against Rajapaksas, say political analysts.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Telephones of seven ministers tapped by Dictator Percy's Regime !
A top government member (pro percy) has ordered the intelligence units to tap the mobile phones of seven ministers and 40 provincial councilors who have avoided taking part in the government's campaign for the local government elections.
Following the directive by this top government official a team of 10 intelligence officers headed by a senior DIG has been assigned to the task.
The relevant mobile phones have already been tapped and conversations are being listened to by these officers. A special meeting has been scheduled for every Friday with the senior DIG to discuss the matter.
The respective ministers and provincial councilors have been involved in several secret discussions, which is also one of the reasons for their mobile phones to be tapped.
According to another reliable source, they are currently planning to shift to oppistion once Peoples Leader Sajith Premadasa becomes the leader of UNP or they are planning to do something like in middle east countries to oust dictator percy and his family regime.
Following the directive by this top government official a team of 10 intelligence officers headed by a senior DIG has been assigned to the task.
The relevant mobile phones have already been tapped and conversations are being listened to by these officers. A special meeting has been scheduled for every Friday with the senior DIG to discuss the matter.
The respective ministers and provincial councilors have been involved in several secret discussions, which is also one of the reasons for their mobile phones to be tapped.
According to another reliable source, they are currently planning to shift to oppistion once Peoples Leader Sajith Premadasa becomes the leader of UNP or they are planning to do something like in middle east countries to oust dictator percy and his family regime.
Radiation 'now high enough to affect health - Confirms Japanese authorities
The Japanese authorities say that the radiation crisis at the nuclear plant which was damaged in Friday's earthquake and tsunami is worsening, and levels are now high enough to affect human health.
The danger has been caused by a new explosion at one of the reactors in the Fukushima plant, followed by a fire. The operator says meltdown is now possible.
The Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said that everyone within 20km (12 miles) of the plant should leave the area immediately. The BBC's Dominic Kane reports.
The danger has been caused by a new explosion at one of the reactors in the Fukushima plant, followed by a fire. The operator says meltdown is now possible.
The Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said that everyone within 20km (12 miles) of the plant should leave the area immediately. The BBC's Dominic Kane reports.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The risk of further releases of radioactive material remains "very high" - Japanese Prime Minister
( CNN Video, Pls wait some time until the video get loaded, it does takes some time ))
Japanese authorities trying to stave off meltdowns at an earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant reported more grim news Tuesday as radiation levels soared following another explosion at an overheating reactor.
The risk of further releases of radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains "very high," Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday. In addition to an explosion at the No. 2 reactor, the building housing the No. 4 unit -- which had been shut down before Friday's earthquake -- was burning Tuesday morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano announced.
The plant's owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, evacuated all but about 50 of their workers from the plant following Tuesday's explosion at the No. 2 reactor. Radiation levels at the plant have increased to "levels that can impact human health," Edano said -- between 100 and 400 millisieverts, or as much as 160 times higher than the average dose of radiation a typical person receives from natural sources in a year.
Evacuations have already been ordered for anyone living within 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of the plant, and Edano said anyone between 20 and 30 kilometers (between 12.5-18.6 miles) should remain indoors. At least 500 residents were believed to have remained within the 20-kilometer radius Monday evening, Edano said.
Edano spoke more than four hours after an explosion at the No. 2 reactor, the third blast in four days. The cooling system at that unit was damaged by a hydrogen explosion at the No. 3 unit on Monday, and workers had been attempting to keep temperatures at unit 2 in check by pumping seawater into the reactor ever since.
The "explosive impact" took place shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday (5 p.m. Monday ET), TEPCO said. Pressure readings indicated some damage to the No. 2 reactor's suppression pool, a donut-shaped reservoir at the base of the reactor containment vessel.
"We are continuing the water injection into the pressure vessels, but the operators who are not directly engaged in this operation are being evacuated to safer locations," a TEPCO executive told reporters at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Monday's hydrogen explosion at reactor No. 3 injured 11 people, Japanese authorities said. A similar hydrogen explosion on Saturday blew the roof off the containment structure around the No. 1 reactor and hurt four people.
Edano said earlier that he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at all three troubled reactors at the plant.
Dictators forces say Brega under their control but freedom fighters say they have retaken Brega
Videos of freedom fighters in libya
Dictator and possible war criminal Muammar Gaddafi's forces are slowly pushing towards the main oppostion-held towns in Libya, reports say.
Ajdabiya, the last major town before the freedom fighter base in Benghazi, came under heavy aerial attack. In the west, ground forces and tanks have begun shelling the town of Zuwara. Freedom fighters say they have retaken Brega, but the government has denied the claim.
Earlier, the UN Security Council met to discuss the imposition of a no-fly zone, but there was no consensus. The BBC's Barbara Plett says there were divisions about authorising such a zone, with France calling it a game-changer, but countries such as Russia expressed caution, saying serious questions remained.
Meanwhile, a UN envoy, Abdul Ilah Khatib, has met with Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Kusa in Tripoli.
In the meeting, Mr Khatib, a former Jordanian foreign minister, reiterated demands for an end to the violence and requested access for humanitarian groups, a UN spokesman said.
With fighting continuing in the east of Libya, it is not clear exactly where the front line is.The eastern oil town of Brega changed hands several times over the weekend, amid a relentless barrage of air and ground attacks by government forces.
Sources; BBC, Al Jazeera
Radiation leak fears at Japan plant - Third explosion hits Fukushima nuclear plant !
A radiation leak is feared after Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency reported a third explosion at Unit 2 of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant in the country's northeast.
Watch Video of Nuclear plant explosion
Shinji Kinjo, an agency spokesman, said that "a leak of nuclear material is feared", after the explosion was heard at 6:10am local time (21:10 GMT) on Tuesday.
The troubles at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began when a massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan's northeast on Friday knocked out power, crippling cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from melting down.
Watch Video of Nuclear plant explosion
Shinji Kinjo, an agency spokesman, said that "a leak of nuclear material is feared", after the explosion was heard at 6:10am local time (21:10 GMT) on Tuesday.
The troubles at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began when a massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan's northeast on Friday knocked out power, crippling cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from melting down.
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