Coolombo Night Race

Fast cars and bikes, hot ladies, and loud music – sounds like heaven for anyone who is an ardent follower of street racing. For many years, street racing has been a topic that has been frowned upon. more...

Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond)

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will open the Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) Mahinda Rajapaksa Performing Arts Theatre today ( 15 / 12 / 2011 ).The Theatre built on a model similar to the Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) of Polonnaruwa, was constructed with expertise from China at a cost of Rs 3.08 billion.

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Sajith Vimukthi

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Sri Lankans Returning from Japan can check for radiation

The Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority says that Sri Lankans returning from Japan can undergo a complete check for radiation if they wish to do so, Chairman of the Authority Dr. W. Abeywickrema said.

Speaking to the News Now.lk, Dr. Abeywickrema said that additional information on the radiation check can be available on the Authority’s hotline number – 0112547332 – and anyone who wishes to conduct the test can visit the Authority.

However Dr. Abeywickrema said that the radiation check was not compulsory and only those who were interested could get it done.

After days of seesawing between hope and fear, between a triumphant vindication of nuclear safety and a disastrous loss of confidence in the atom, events at the stricken Fukushima nuclear reactors seem to have taken an alarming turn for the worse, as the Foreign Office advises Britons to consider leaving Tokyo and north-eastern Japan, the foreign media reported.

According to reports Yukiya Amano, the Japanese head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has abandoned his largely reassuring stance to say the situation is “very serious”. Gregory Jaczko, the Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has been assisting the Japanese authorities, said that radiation levels are “extremely high”. And the EU’s energy commissioner, Guenther Oettinger, said: “We are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster.” He added: “There is talk of an apocalypse and I think the word is particularly well chosen.”

(Report by Jamila Najmuddin for News Now.lk)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Radiation fears after Japan blast



Explosions at a Japanese quake-stricken nuclear plant have led to radiation levels that can affect human health, a senior Japanese official has said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has urged those living within 30km (18 miles) of the plant to stay indoors.

Earlier, reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was hit by a blast - the third reactor to explode in four days - leading to fears of a meltdown.

The crisis was sparked by a 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami on Friday.

Thousands of people are believed to have died.

Exclusion zone

A fresh explosion rocked reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - 250km (155 miles) north-east of Tokyo - in the early hours of Tuesday.

"Now we are talking about levels that can impact human health," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.


Exclusion zone

A fresh explosion rocked reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - 250km (155 miles) north-east of Tokyo - in the early hours of Tuesday.

"Now we are talking about levels that can impact human health," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.

JAPAN NUCLEAR EMERGENCY

  • Explosions in three reactors at Fukushima plant
  • Fourth reactor on fire
  • Containment chamber damaged at reactor 2
  • Radiation levels at plant rise more than four fold
  • 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone
  • People living within 30km to stay indoors

He stressed that such levels were recorded at the plant and that the "further away you get from the power plant or reactor, the value should go down".

In his televised address, Prime Minister Kan said: "There is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out."

He added that the last remaining people within a 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant had to leave, and that those living between 20km and 30km from the site should remain indoors.

Radiation levels around Fukushima for one hour's exposure rose to eight times the legal limit for exposure in one year, said the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco).

The radiation reading at 0831 local time (2331 GMT) climbed to 8,217 microsieverts an hour from 1,941 about 40 minutes earlier, Tepco said. The annual legal limit is 1,000 microsieverts.


A fire which briefly broke out at the plant's reactor 4 on Tuesday is also believed to have led to radioactive leaks.

Higher radiation levels were recorded on Tuesday south of Fukushima, Kyodo news agency reported.

Levels in Tokyo were higher than normal, but officials said there were no health dangers.

Shares on the Tokyo stock exchange plummeted 13%, before recovering slightly. The leading Nikkei index had already fallen by 7% on Monday.

On Monday, a hydrogen blast at the Fukushima plant's reactor 3 was felt 40km (25 miles) away. It followed a blast at reactor 1 on Saturday.

All explosions have been preceded by cooling system breakdowns. Engineers are trying to prevent meltdowns by flooding the chambers of the nuclear reactors with sea water.


Japan's nuclear safety agency said it suspects Tuesday's blast may have damaged the vessel that holds reactor 2.

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says that would make it a more serious incident than the previous explosions, which were thought just to have damaged the buildings that housed the reactors.

Complete devastation

Meanwhile, five days after the tsunami triggered by the earthquake, the relief operation is continuing.

The latest official death toll stands at about 2,400 - but some estimates suggest 10,000 may have been killed.

One of the worst-hit towns, Minamisanriku, is now just a scene of complete devastation, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey.

Everything was flattened by the force of the tsunami, with only the town's hospital and a government building remaining, our correspondent says.

Thousands are still unaccounted for - including hundreds of tourists - while many remote towns and villages have not been reached.

More than 500,000 people have been made homeless.

The government has deployed 100,000 troops to lead the aid effort.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Zimbabwe Cricket's Poor Showing At World Cup Boosts Sri Lanka Prospects

Zimbabwe’s chances of reaching the quarter finals of the cricket World Cup dwindled after a 139-run loss to hosts Sri Lanka at Pallekale international Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Thursday

Zimbabwe’s chances of reaching the quarter finals of the International Cricket World Cup have dwindled following the side's 139-run loss to hosts Sri Lanka at Pallekale International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Thursday.

Sri Lanka posted 327 runs which Zimbabwe chased but failed to better, posting only 188 runs. Sri Lanka earned 7 points from 5 matches played within Group A.

Zimbabwean captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and put Sri Lanka in to bat first chosing to field instead. Sri Lanka openers Thilakaretne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga posted an 282 runs for the first wicket, setting an ICC World Cup record.

Cricket commentator Brian Goredema told VOA Studio 7 reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye that Zimbabwe must now hope for a mathematical miracle to reach the quarter finals with only two matches to go in the series.