Taking advice

UNP Parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena was appointed the Chairman of the Working Committee of the United National Party, today. Seen here is Dr. Jayawardena speaking to the leader of the UNP Ranil Wickramasinghe. Pix by Kithsiri de Mel

'We will not surrender, we will not give up'

Still image taken from footage broadcasted by Libyan state TV shows Muammar Gaddafi greeting a tribal leader in an unknown location June 7, 2011. The Libyan leader, wearing dark glasses and traditional robes, was greeting the leaders in a small room without windows. The news anchor said the meeting had taken place on Tuesday. REUTERS

Mom to the rescue

Flora, the mother of three month old male pygmy hippo Sapo tries to rescue him after he crawled under a gate at Whipsnade Zoo near Dunstable, southern England June 7, 2011. When fully grown, Sapo will reach one metre in height and weigh over 250 kg. REUTERS

Covered in volcanic ash

An aircraft belonging to Austral with ash on it from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain remains standred on the tarmac of the sky resort San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina's Patagonia June 6, 2011. A volcano dormant for decades erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching an ash cloud more than 6 miles (10 km) high that blew over the Andes and carpeted the resort in neighboring Argentina. The eruption in the Puyehue-Cor

Grains in warehouse

An employee sweeps up grains in a warehouse in the the village of Konstantinovo, some 60 km (37 miles) from the Southern Russian city of Stavropol June 7, 2011. Russia's decision to lift its grain export ban from July could put some downward pressure on market prices but with an uncertain crop outlook in the United States and in major EU producers, it said international prices are expected to remain volatile.  REUTERS

Full Solar Eclipse

Tourists watch the sun being blocked by the moon during a solar eclipse in the Australian outback town of Lyndhurst, located around 700 km (427 miles) north of Adelaide in this December 4, 2002 file photo. Australia's military has lost its X-Files, detailing sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, across the country, a newspaper report said on June 7, 2011. After a two-month search in response to a newspaper Freedom of Informatio

Keeping a close watch

A staff from the city's command centre of education exams watches real time monitors showing students taking the National College Entrance Exams in Chongqing municipality, June 7, 2011. About 9.33 million students will take the national college entrance exams from June 7 to 8, Xinhua News Agency reported. REUTERS

Volcano sparks lightning

Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan

A general view of the Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan May 31, 2011. The Kumtor mine, located about 4,000 metres (13,100 feet) above sea level in the Tien Shan mountains, contributed about 10 percent of Kyrgyzstan's gross domestic product (GDP) last year and accounted for about 40 percent of the country's exports. Picture taken May 31, 2011. REUTERS

Final farewell

Relatives of the late Mrs. Nalini Wickremesinghe, led by her son UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe carrying the coffin at the Borella Cemetery this evening. Mrs Wickremesinghe passed away on Sunday night at the age of 90. Pic by Kushan Pathiraja VIDEO

Opening the Kokavil tower

A communications tower that will bring national television and radio back to the north since the end of the war was opened today in Kokavil by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The new tower will broadcast both state-run and private channels, and also be used for mobile phones, Internet provision and military operations, the president’s office said. Pics by Pradeep Dilrukshana

Paying last respects

Several leading Government and Opposition members paid their last respects to the mother of Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickramasinghe who passed away this morning.    The funeral service of the late Mrs. Nalini Wickramasinghe will be held at 6.30 p.m. at the Borella cemetery. Pic by Kithsiri de Mel

Beansprouts and E.coli

Beansprouts and salad sprouts are seen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin June 6, 2011. The managing director of a German organic farm that might be at the centre of a deadly E.coli outbreak said on Monday he was baffled that his beansprouts are suspected of causing such devastation.  German officials said on Sunday the beansprouts of Klaus Verbeck, the head of the “Gaertnerhof Bienenbuettel”, could be the source of

Lightning bolts

Lightning bolts strike around the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain near southern Osorno city June 5, 2011. The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain, dormant for decades, erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching ash over 6 miles (10 km) into the sky, as winds fanned it toward neighboring Argentina, and prompted the government to evacuate several thousand residents, authorities said. REUTERS

Lankan way

A Sri Lankan dancer performs on the ground during the lunch break during the second cricket test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's in London June 5, 2011. REUTERS

Jaw Bone Relic of Buddha

The picture shows a devotee at the exposition of the Jaw Bone Relic of the Buddha at the Maligakanda Vidyodaya Maha Pirivena today. The Jaw Bone Relic was brought to Sri Lanka from Gandara Pradesh in Pakistan. Pix by Nisal Baduge

A visit to Sigiriya

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Monkey business

Britain's primatologist Jane Goodall observes a group of chimpanzees at Taronga Zoo in Sydney June 5, 2011. Taronga Zoo announced a $150,000 five year funding partnership for Tchimpounga, the largest African chimpanzee sanctuary in Congo, according to the zoo. REUTERS

Mammoth tusk

An archaeologist cleans the tusk of a prehistoric animal at Miraflores neighborhood in Tegucigalpa June 3, 2011. According to Virgilio Paredes, director of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), the finding could correspond to the tusk of a mammoth or mastodon from 12,000 or 15,000 B.C. REUTERS

Thunderbirds

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 fighters perform during the Air Show Turkey 2011 at the Izmir port in the Aegean port city of Izmir, western Turkey, June 4, 2011. REUTERS

Stashed away

A Thai custom officer shows a false gavial during a news conference at Thailand's customs department in Bangkok June 2, 2011. Thai customs have found 451 turtles worth 1 million baht ($33,000) stashed in suitcases offloaded from a passenger flight from Bangladesh, the latest seizure of live creatures at Bangkok's bustling Suvarnabhumi airport. Turtles of varying sizes worth around 2,000 baht apiece in Thai markets, and seven false gavi

Taking cover

Riot police take cover behind an election campaign point of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) as they clash with left wing demonstrators during a protest against the government in Istanbul June 2, 2011. REUTERS

"Las Mayas"

A boy plays with a cat while her father works on their shack at the slum of Las Mayas in Caracas. The hillside slum of "Las Mayas" provides both great vistas of Caracas and an ideal view of a housing crisis shaping into a major battleground for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's re-election bid. Along one side of the once-forested slopes, shacks of corrugated iron, wood and mud cling precariously to land that erodes a little bit

Showing support

A protest was held in front of the Jaela police station by workers in the area today against the killing of FTZ worker last Monday. The picture shows protestors and police personnel in front of the Jaela police during the protest. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana

Protest by student monks

Hundreds of student monks marched to Temple Trees today to protest the government’s alleged suppression of the Fundamental Democratic rights of the people. The protest march which began near the Viharamahadevi Park was allowed to proceed right up to the gates of Temple Trees where the student monks remained for more than two hours chanting slogans and awaiting an appointment from the President to discuss their issues. Pic by Pradeep Dilruks

Suspects taken to prison

Suspects Seeduwa OIC, Chief Inspector, R. M. Ratnayake and OIC of the Environmental Unit, Inspector K. L. Ranasinghe are being taken to the prison after they were remanded by the Negombo Magistrate.  Pix by Susitha R. Fernando

Ice Bear

Sculptor Mark Coreth works on the carving of an ice polar bear at Circular Quay in central Sydney June 3, 2011. The ice polar bear will gradually melt as people are encouraged to touch and feel the melting ice, which symbolise the plight of polar bears in the Arctic where melting ice caps are threatening their survival. REUTERS

Miami Heat's

Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler goes up for a basket next to Miami Heat's LeBron James, Joel Anthony and Chris Bosh during the first half in Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series in Miami, June 2, 2011. REUTERS

All smiles

The Sri Lanka squad and management pose for a photograph before Friday's second cricket test match against England at Lord's in London June 2, 2011. REUTERS

Protest over the death

The JVP and Free Trade Zone (FTZ) employees conducted protests today in Town Hall and Katunayake respectively, to protest the death of the 21 year-old who was killed in clashes between police officers and FTZ employees earlier this week. Pic by Pradeep Dilruckshana and Samantha Perera