Riot police clash

Riot policemen run to avoid exploding petrol bombs during clashes with youths in central Athens May 11, 2011. Police fired teargas at dozens of youths hurling stones in central Athens on Wednesday as a strike against an EU/IMF prescribed austerity brought much of Greece to a halt during talks on the next slice of a bailout package. REUTERS

Lanterns for Wesak

The picture shows residents of the Sumaga Training Center preparing Wesak lanterns today in light of the upcoming 2600th Sambuddha Jayanthi. The Wesak lanterns made by the residents of the training center will be sold as a fundraiser for their CWE programme. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Commonwealth bid

Vice President of Commonwealth Games Federation, Tunku Imran (L) receives the candidate file next to Bid CEO and Organising Committee Member of Hambantota 2018, Nalin Attygalle (2nd L) and the 2018 Sri Lanka Commonwealth delegation during a presentation for their bid for candidate city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, in Kuala Lumpur May 11, 2011. Gold Coast of Australia and Hambantota of Sri Lanka submit their bids to host the 2018 Commonwealth

Playing with an unbeaten will

South African Glen Macintosh putts on May 2011 during the Nedbank SA Disabled Golf Open in Langebaan, Western Cape Province, about 100 kms north of Cape Town. The competition is one of the top disabled golf tournaments in the world with more than 60 competitors from South Africa, Ireland, Wales, and Sweden competing over the three-day event. AFP PHOTO

Victory Day parade

Russian soldiers, wearing World War II military uniforms, march on May 9, 2011 during the nation's Victory Day military parade in Stavropol in commemoration of the end of WWII. The lustre of the annual show of force was somewhat dimmed by renewed doubts about the wisdom of staging the costly exhibition and reports that Islamists were planning to undermine the celebration by staging new attacks. AFP PHOTO

Saving the tigers

A handout photo from WWF taken with a remote infra-red camera and released on May 9, 2011 shows a rare Sumatran tiger with a cub in images recorded in March and April 2011 in the forest of Bukit Tigapuluh wildlife reserve in Indonesia's eastern Sumatra.  Conservation group WWF Monday urged companies to drop plans to clear Indonesian forest areas where camera traps have captured footage of critically endangere Sumatran tigers and their cu

Up above

A hot-air balloon moves through the sky as the sun shines in the eastern German city of Dresden on May 8, 2011 as temperatures rose to a summerly 24 degrees centigrade in most parts of the country. AFP

A visit to Welikada

UNP MPs Tissa Athanayake and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena are seen here after visiting former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka at the Welikada prison this afternoon. The two MPs discussed matters relating Sarath Fonseka’s case during the visit. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana

Youth Corps pass out

The passing-out ceremony of 852 Rangers of the National Youth Corps. took place today at the Uyanwatta Football Stadium in Matara with Minister of Youth Affairs and Skill Development Dallas Alahapperuma as the chief guest. The Rangers had undergone training at Akuressa, Weeraketiya, Akmeemana, Galle, Bope, and Suriyawewa Youth Corps Training Centres. Pics by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk and Swarne Nettikumarage

England, here we come!

The Sri Lankan cricket team left for England this morning from Bandaranaike International Airport to participate in three tests and five one day matches that will start on May 26.Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep Fernando, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randeew, Prasanna Jayawardena, Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Lahiru Thirimanna, Tharanga Paranawithaana and Chanaka Welagedara are among the players who are in the Sri Lankan team lin

Jumbo runs amok

An elephant ran amok near the Welikada police station this morning after its caretaker lost control of the elephant. However it was tamed after some time. According to the caretaker the Myanmarian elephant was being taken from the Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya to the Defence Ministry for a function. Pic by Nisal Baduge

Israel military memorial day

Israeli drivers stand still during a two-minute silence in Tel Aviv as sirens wail across Israel on May 09, 2011 to mark Remembrance Day for the fallen of Israel's wars. Remembrance Day is followed immediately by the 63rd anniversary of the creation of Israel in 1948 according to the Jewish calendar. AFP

“No to violence against journalists”

Tunisian Journalists hold up banners during a protest against violence against the media by police in front of the headquarters of the Tunisian newspaper La Presse de Tunisie in Tunis on May 9, 2011. A total of 15 reporters and photographers working for both the local and foreign media, male and female alike, were subject to beatings and insults and had their equipment seized on May 5 and May 6 in Tunis. The banners held read “No to viole

Waiting for the right documentation

Hundreds of land deeds, birth and death certificates are issued at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat on a daily basis since almost all the people have lost their valuable documents during the time of war. The picture shows an elderly woman waiting in line till the official on duty issues her certificate. Pix by Samantha Perera

Preventing human trafficking

Justice Minister, Rauf Hakeem and Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Kathy Klugman is seen having a chat at a workshop on the prevention of people smuggling and human trafficking held in Colombo this afternoon. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana 

For media freedom

The Media Movement for democracy staged a protest campaign in front of the Fort Railway Station today demanding that the ban on the news website Lanka-e-news be lifted. The Movement also asked all unions and civil society organizations to come together in an attempt to protect democracy in the country. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana

Donating a drop of blood

Police personnel of the Police Headquarters in Fort organized a blood donation campaign at the police Headquarters premises today to observe the up coming 2600 “Sambuddha Jayanthi”. The blood donated at the event will be transferred to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital’s use. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Against the private pension scheme

The Inter Company Employee’s Union (ICEU) today organized a petition signing campaign against the government proposed private pension scheme. The picture shows protesters signing the petition against the private pension scheme in front of the Department of Labour in Narahenpita. Pix by Kithsiri de Mel

Splash

Sebastien Loeb of France and co-driver Daniel Elena of Monaco steer their Citroen DS3 WRC during the opening four special stages of the WRC rally of Italy 2011 on May 6, 2011 near Simala, on the Italian island of Sardinia. Championship leader and seven-time champion Loeb won the third and fourth special stages of the opening session after Citroen's Petter Solberg and Ford's Hirvonen had shared the opening two.  AFP PHOTO

Visiting Australian Governor General Que

Australia's Governor General Quentin Bryce reviews the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi May 9, 2011. Governor General Bryce and her husband Michael are on a visit to Vietnam from May 8 to 14. REUTERS

Atlanta Hawks - Chicago Bulls

Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson drives around Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng in the second half of their Eastern Conference semifinals NBA basketball game in Atlanta, Georgia  May 8, 2011. REUTERS

“Chicha”

Bolivia's President Evo Morales throws the “chicha”, a drink made from corn, as an offering to Mother Earth during the inauguration of a farmers market in Cochabamba May 8, 2011. REUTERS

JVP urges pay hike

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva refers to a document at the press briefing today. He lashed out at the government for not giving a pay hike for university lecturers. Pic by Nisal Baduge

Observing Buddha Jayanthi

JHU General Secretary and Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka embarked on an 11 day meditation retreat at Kanduboda meditation centre today to observe Buddha Jayanthi. A shaven headed Minister is seen here with 25 other JHU members at the Sadaham Asapuwa, Gothami road before leaving for Kanduboda. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana

Spent Fuel Pool

The Spent Fuel Pool of Reactor Unit 4 of Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Fukushima prefecture is seen in this still image taken from video on May 8, 2011, and released May 8, 2011. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged the nuclear plant in northern Japan, sparking the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.   REUTERS

Anti-nuclear rally

A protester wearing a gas mask uses a moblie phone at an anti-nuclear rally in Tokyo May 7, 2011. More than 1,000 people rallied on Saturday, one day after  Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan call for halt of the Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan, due to worries a strong earthquake could cause another nuclear crisis.    REUTERS

All about the wool

Cashmere goats, raised for their wool at a farm in Ordos,  in Inner Mongolia, northwest China, where across the country demand for the soft wool is growing even as overseas demand falls. The finest cashmere in the world is said to come from goats from the region of Ordos, also prized for their meat and skin. Derived from an archaic spelling of Kashmir, Cashmere is a fine wool which grows beneath the outer coarse hair of the Cashmere goat, wh

Going 4G

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the National Mobile Telecom Service Provider, announced that it has carried out a successful trial of LTE (Long Term Evolution) Technology achieving speeds of up to 96 Mbps. Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel has set another record in the region for the third consecutive time demonstrating broadband speeds of up to 96Mbps in downlink and 49Mbps in uplink using LTE technology.(L –R) Mr.Lawrence Paratz – Director, Sri

Navy dog

Edy, a military working/patrol explosive detection dog, takes a break after going through an explosive device detection training session at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan in this February 18, 2011 photograph. The New York Times and other United States media have reported that a military canine accompanied Navy SEAL Team Six commandos into a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in a raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.  R

Talking about academics

While requesting university academics not to go ahead with the proposed trade union action at this moment, Higher Education Minister S.B.Dissanayaka today said university academics were granted 36.25% salary increase from the budget 2011 while granting only 5% salary increase to all other public servants. The picture shows Minister S.B.Dissanayaka during the press briefing.  Pix by Nisal Baduge