Scotland
has voted against ending its 307-year-old union with England and Wales,
with the Scottish National party conceding defeat in the historic
referendum.
The result was mathematically certain to be a victory
for the Better Together campaign after 30 of Scotland's 32 local
authorities declared, including the major cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh
and Aberdeen. An estimated 55% of voters are expected to reject First
Minister Alex Salmond's prospectus for independence when all the results
are declared.
The yes campaign scored four big successes, winning
53% in the largest city of Glasgow, 54% in West Dunbartonshire, 57% in
Dundee and 51% in North Lanarkshire.
However, the no camp was
victorious in 26 authorities. It won overwhelmingly in areas where it
was expected to do well, including Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire and Borders,
but also in areas that could have gone to the yes campaign, including
Falkirk, Inverclyde, Eilean Siar and Clackmannanshire.
Awaking to a likely victory for Better Together, David Cameron, the
prime minister, tweeted that he had spoken to Labour former chancellor
Alistair Darling, leader of the no campaign, and congratulated him on a
"well-fought campaign".
The outcome was a deep disappointment to the vocal, enthusiastic
pro-independence movement led by the Scottish first minister, Alex
Salmond, who had seen an opportunity to turn a centuries-old nationalist
dream into reality, and forced the three main British parties into
panicked promises to grant substantial new power to the Scottish
Parliament.
The decision spared Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain a shattering
defeat that would have raised questions about his ability to continue
in office and diminished his nation’s standing in the world.
But
while the result preserved a union molded in 1707, it left Mr. Cameron
facing a backlash among some of his Conservative Party lawmakers. They
were angered by the promises of greater Scottish autonomy that he and
other party leaders made just days before the vote, when it appeared
that the independence campaign might win. Some lawmakers called for
similar autonomy for England itself, and even the creation of a separate
English Parliament.
The
outcome headed off the huge economic, political and military
imponderables that would have flowed from a vote for independence. But
it also presaged a looser, more federal United Kingdom. And it was
unlikely to deter Scottish nationalists from trying again.
The
passion of the campaign also left Scots divided, and Mr. Salmond was
expected to call later on Friday for reconciliation after a vibrant
exercise in democracy that had episodes of harshness and even
intimidation.
President
Obama had made little secret of his desire that the United Kingdom
remain intact. Indeed, Britain had long prided itself on a so-called
special relationship with the United States, and Britain’s allies had
been concerned by, among other things, Mr. Salmond’s vow to evict
Britain’s nuclear submarine bases from Scotland, threatening London’s
role in Western defenses.
As
the vote approached, the margin between the two camps narrowed to a few
percentage points, and at one point, the “yes” campaign seemed to have
the momentum.
That
was enough to alarm Britain’s political leaders from the three main
parties in the Westminster Parliament in London. In a rare show of
unity, they promised to extend significant new powers of taxation to
Scotland, while maintaining a formula for public spending that many
English voters saw as favoring Scots with a higher per-capita
contribution.
Almost 5 million Gmail addresses and their passwords have
been compromised and leaked on a Russian Bitcoin forum. Admins on the
forum have removed the passwords from the text file, but the Internet is
forever, so if your username is among those that have been hacked, you
should change your password immediately.
Luckily, there’s a quick tool you can use to figure out if your account information was leaked. Just head to http://isleaked.com/en.php and input your email address. [Edit:
If you're wary of inputting your email address on a site you're not
familiar with, the best course of action is simply to change your
password as a precaution. Update: For added assurance,
we reached out to isleaked.com via email, and they pointed out again
that you can substitute a few asterisks so as not to give up your full
email address and assured us that they aren't collecting the email
addresses entered.] It’ll tell you whether or not you need to change
your password and then helpfully remind you that you probably should do
that regularly anyway, which you totally do, right? (Yeah, neither do
we.)
According to The Daily Dot,
Google representatives told Russian media a lot of the data is
outdated, and the user who posted it claims that around 60% of the
passwords are current. Also leaked were accounts for Russian services
Mail.ru and Yandex, and it appears the data was collected over years of
phishing efforts and other hacks without actually compromising any of
the companies’ databases.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday vested with the public the Weras Ganga Development Project - Bellanwila Section which includes a recreation park similar to Diyatha Uyana located near the Parliament round-about.
The recreation park built on a marshy land on the banks of the Weras Ganga and close to the historic Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya is located in an environment with a breathtaking landscape and setting.
The park consists of walking paths and is a perfect setting for a walk in the evenings for the young and the old alike and those who want to relax in the serene environment. Food outlets are also available to cater to the needs of the visitors. The visitors can refresh themselves with a snack and drink in a healthy, relaxed and an environmentally rich atmosphere.
The President yesterday declared open the facility amidst the chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha led by Chief Incumbent of the Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya Professor Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathna Thera.
Later, the President visited some of the stalls and also went round the walk way amidst applause by the large crowd present. He was accompanied by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Government Ministers and other dignitaries.
The President with other invitees and the public also enjoyed a cultural show which followed.
The Weras Ganga Basin plays an important role as a center of economic and social activity in the Colombo Metropolitan Region. Also, the development of Weras Ganga has helped mitigate the effects of floods in Colombo and the suburbs.
The newly developed infrastructure facilities under the project are expected to attract new business and investments.
Tourism based ventures are expected to create new employment opportunities.In addition local flora and fauna has also been protected. Plans are afoot to utilize the improved waterways as alternative modes of transport. Improved recreational facilities will allow families and others to spend quality time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The project covers the Municipal Council areas of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, Dehiwala - Mt. Lavinia, Maharagama, Boralesgamuwa, Kesbewa and Moratuwa. The project is implemented by the Urban Development Authority in collaboration with other state entities and the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Construction work was handled by the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy. The work has been carried out under the guidance of Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The Government within a short period of time has completed a number of similar initiatives such as the Nawala Canal, Diyatha Uyana Park, Nawala Wetland Park and Diyawanna Lake Development projects.
President
Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday vested with the public the Weras Ganga
Development Project - Bellanwila Section which includes a recreation
park similar to Diyatha Uyana located near the Parliament round-about.
The recreation park built on a marshy land on the banks of the Weras
Ganga and close to the historic Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya is located
in an environment with a breathtaking landscape and setting.
The park consists of walking paths and is a perfect setting for a
walk in the evenings for the young and the old alike and those who want
to relax in the serene environment. Food outlets are also available to
cater to the needs of the visitors. The visitors can refresh themselves
with a snack and drink in a healthy, relaxed and an environmentally rich
atmosphere.
The President yesterday declared open the facility amidst the
chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha led by Chief Incumbent of the
Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya Professor Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathna
Thera.
Later, the President visited some of the stalls and also went round
the walk way amidst applause by the large crowd present. He was
accompanied by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Government Ministers and other dignitaries.
The President with other invitees and the public also enjoyed a cultural show which followed.
The Weras Ganga Basin plays an important role as a center of economic
and social activity in the Colombo Metropolitan Region. Also, the
development of Weras Ganga has helped mitigate the effects of floods in
Colombo and the suburbs.
The newly developed infrastructure facilities under the project are expected to attract new business and investments.
Tourism based ventures are expected to create new employment
opportunities.In addition local flora and fauna has also been protected.
Plans are afoot to utilize the improved waterways as alternative modes
of transport. Improved recreational facilities will allow families and
others to spend quality time away from the hustle and bustle of the
city.
The project covers the Municipal Council areas of Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte, Dehiwala - Mt. Lavinia, Maharagama, Boralesgamuwa, Kesbewa and
Moratuwa. The project is implemented by the Urban Development Authority
in collaboration with other state entities and the Sri Lanka Land
Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Construction work was handled by the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy. The
work has been carried out under the guidance of Defence and Urban
Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The Government within a short period of time has completed a number
of similar initiatives such as the Nawala Canal, Diyatha Uyana Park,
Nawala Wetland Park and Diyawanna Lake Development projects.
- See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk:8082/?q=local/president-opens-weras-ganga-development-project#sthash.R9TrwZHC.dpuf
President
Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday vested with the public the Weras Ganga
Development Project - Bellanwila Section which includes a recreation
park similar to Diyatha Uyana located near the Parliament round-about.
The recreation park built on a marshy land on the banks of the Weras
Ganga and close to the historic Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya is located
in an environment with a breathtaking landscape and setting.
The park consists of walking paths and is a perfect setting for a
walk in the evenings for the young and the old alike and those who want
to relax in the serene environment. Food outlets are also available to
cater to the needs of the visitors. The visitors can refresh themselves
with a snack and drink in a healthy, relaxed and an environmentally rich
atmosphere.
The President yesterday declared open the facility amidst the
chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha led by Chief Incumbent of the
Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya Professor Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathna
Thera.
Later, the President visited some of the stalls and also went round
the walk way amidst applause by the large crowd present. He was
accompanied by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Government Ministers and other dignitaries.
The President with other invitees and the public also enjoyed a cultural show which followed.
The Weras Ganga Basin plays an important role as a center of economic
and social activity in the Colombo Metropolitan Region. Also, the
development of Weras Ganga has helped mitigate the effects of floods in
Colombo and the suburbs.
The newly developed infrastructure facilities under the project are expected to attract new business and investments.
Tourism based ventures are expected to create new employment
opportunities.In addition local flora and fauna has also been protected.
Plans are afoot to utilize the improved waterways as alternative modes
of transport. Improved recreational facilities will allow families and
others to spend quality time away from the hustle and bustle of the
city.
The project covers the Municipal Council areas of Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte, Dehiwala - Mt. Lavinia, Maharagama, Boralesgamuwa, Kesbewa and
Moratuwa. The project is implemented by the Urban Development Authority
in collaboration with other state entities and the Sri Lanka Land
Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Construction work was handled by the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy. The
work has been carried out under the guidance of Defence and Urban
Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The Government within a short period of time has completed a number
of similar initiatives such as the Nawala Canal, Diyatha Uyana Park,
Nawala Wetland Park and Diyawanna Lake Development projects.
- See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk:8082/?q=local/president-opens-weras-ganga-development-project#sthash.R9TrwZHC.dpuf
President
Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday vested with the public the Weras Ganga
Development Project - Bellanwila Section which includes a recreation
park similar to Diyatha Uyana located near the Parliament round-about.
The recreation park built on a marshy land on the banks of the Weras
Ganga and close to the historic Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya is located
in an environment with a breathtaking landscape and setting.
The park consists of walking paths and is a perfect setting for a
walk in the evenings for the young and the old alike and those who want
to relax in the serene environment. Food outlets are also available to
cater to the needs of the visitors. The visitors can refresh themselves
with a snack and drink in a healthy, relaxed and an environmentally rich
atmosphere.
The President yesterday declared open the facility amidst the
chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha led by Chief Incumbent of the
Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya Professor Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathna
Thera.
Later, the President visited some of the stalls and also went round
the walk way amidst applause by the large crowd present. He was
accompanied by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Government Ministers and other dignitaries.
The President with other invitees and the public also enjoyed a cultural show which followed.
The Weras Ganga Basin plays an important role as a center of economic
and social activity in the Colombo Metropolitan Region. Also, the
development of Weras Ganga has helped mitigate the effects of floods in
Colombo and the suburbs.
The newly developed infrastructure facilities under the project are expected to attract new business and investments.
Tourism based ventures are expected to create new employment
opportunities.In addition local flora and fauna has also been protected.
Plans are afoot to utilize the improved waterways as alternative modes
of transport. Improved recreational facilities will allow families and
others to spend quality time away from the hustle and bustle of the
city.
The project covers the Municipal Council areas of Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte, Dehiwala - Mt. Lavinia, Maharagama, Boralesgamuwa, Kesbewa and
Moratuwa. The project is implemented by the Urban Development Authority
in collaboration with other state entities and the Sri Lanka Land
Reclamation and Development Corporation.
Construction work was handled by the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy. The
work has been carried out under the guidance of Defence and Urban
Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The Government within a short period of time has completed a number
of similar initiatives such as the Nawala Canal, Diyatha Uyana Park,
Nawala Wetland Park and Diyawanna Lake Development projects.
- See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk:8082/?q=local/president-opens-weras-ganga-development-project#sthash.R9TrwZHC.dpuf
