Veteran photo-journalist Dunstan Wickremarante has won a prestigious award for one of the best pictures in the World Cup Cricket tournament.
His photograph of a dramatic Kaluwitharane catch in the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe match has been selected by a panel of eminent judges as the best photograph of the Colombo match.
Dunstan, the most senior working photo-journalist in Sri Lanka today, will receive a cash award of 10,000 Indian rupees (about 18,000 SL rupees).
The panel of judges consisted of Sunil Malhotra, Chief Photographer of Reuters India; K J Rao, Chief of the Sports Bureau at PTI; Kapil Dev, India's legendary cricketer, and Masatake Matsumoto who represents Fuji in India.
The photography competition, sponsored jointly by Jindal Photo Films Ltd and the Indian Express Group of Publications was open to professional photographers and the PILCOM accredited photographers from all over the world.
The photo-competition offered a prize of Rs 10,000 for the winning entry from every one of the 37 Wills World Cup matches. Additionally, the organisers have announced prizes for the three best photographs of the entire tournament. The prize money is Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000, and Rs. 25,000 respectively, for the three best photographs of the entire tournament. The winning entries will be chosen by an expert panel.
Jindal Photo Films Ltd is the market leader in the photographic goods business in India and enjoys more than 50 per cent market share in many of the product categories it operates in. Jindal Photo Films has a marketing and technical tie-up with Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd Japan, a Fortune 500 company.
The four-hour power cut imposed throughout the island, is likely to continue for several weeks, until the Monsoon rains begin, official said.
According to Weather Chief A.W. Mohottala there will be rain in a few days but it will not be sufficient for the reservoirs.
"We are expecting evening thunder showers in a few days, but this will not fill the reservoirs. It is only after the Monsoon rains that the reservoirs will be filled. This will probably be in the third week of May" he said.
According to Dr. Mohottala the country is facing a severe drought which has reduced the water level in several reservoirs.
Meanwhile the power cuts which began on Friday have disrupted work all over and caused much grumbling among the people.
Whilst several state and private establishments use generators for the four hours, other firms just existed through it with little work done or shifted their working hours to avoid the power cut.
One foreign company in Peliyagoda, when the power cut was from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m., shifted working hours from 8.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Meanwhile Health Minister A.H.M. Fowzie has appealed to the Ceylon Electricity Board not to impose power cuts in hospitals.
The traffic in the city worsened after the traffic lights stopped operating due to the power cuts and long lines of vehicles were seen all over during the power cut from 10.00 a.m.
Hundreds of city workers from southern suburbs like Dehiwela, Ratmalana and Moratuwa said they were virtually forced to undergo an 8 hour power cut. One resident of the Katubedda flats said at home they had no lights or water from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. When they came to office they faced a similar situation from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Colombo Traffic Chief Gamini Karunatilake told The Sunday Times that since the worst was during 10.00 am to 2.00 pm they were hoping to deploy officers to all traffic Signal areas.
A travel agency in Nairobi has offered the Sri lankan cricket team a one week Safari in Kenya, following Sri Lanka's historic win over Australia in the World Cup Final.
Furaha Travels of Kenya has extended this offer which is valid until the end of this year an official writing to the Finlays Travels in Colombo said.
The tour which lasts 7 days will consist of two nights at the Nairobi Grand Regency, Two nights at the luxurious Lodge at Masai Mara, one night at Lake Naivasha and two nights at Mt. Kenya Safari Club.
The travel agency has assured expenses up to the drop off at the airport.
The TULF's Batticalo District MP Joseph Pararajasingham has accused the Sri Lankan Airforce of attacking innocent civilians at Nachchikudda in the Mannar District.
He has described this aerial attack in the fishing village early on Saturday as a retaliatory act against the attack on naval gunboats by the LTTE the previous day.
According to the Government Agent of Kilinochchi, 16 people including seven children below the age of fifteen were killed in the attack while about 50 civilians were reported injured.
"The attack has caused alarm and further fear among the displaced Tamil population in the North who are already undergoing severe material and moral misery, depression, anxiety and stress. This unprovoked vindictive reprisal deserves the utmost condemnation and should never be repeated in the interest of bringing any future settlement to the ethnic issue. The confidence of the civilian population must never be forfeited however tempting the provocation," Mr. Pararajasingham has said in a message to President Kumaratunga.
He has called on the President to probe the incident. He has also urged that positive steps be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and asked that medical and material relief be given to the affected families immediately.
Dr. K. T. W. Sumanasuriya, President of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1992 - 1993 has been awarded the societies medal for 1995. He is the 13 recipient of this prestigious award.
The medal was instituted in 1946 by Ms. H. W. Abeysekera Peiris, wife of Sir Paul E. Peiris. The donation was made by her in memory of her father the late Sir S. C. Obeysekera.
Some of the previous recipients were Sri Paul E. Pieris, Dr. S. Paranavithana, R. L. Brohier, Rt. Rev. Dr. Edmund Peiris, Prof. M. B. Ariyapala. The 1993 medical was awarded to Dr. C. G. Uragoda who was the 12th recipient.
At least one person was injured and vehicles and other property damaged in clashes between two rival factions of PA supporters in Hasalaka over the opening of a new garment factory, Police said.
A gang on Friday opened fire and attacked a group who were putting up posters about the opening of the factory in Hasalaka today.
A Central Provincial Council member's bodyguard is alleged to have led the attack. A driver of the vehicle carrying the posters was injured and rushed to the Mahiyangana hospital.
Earlier, a vehicle carrying machinery to the garment factory was attacked and damaged in the area.
Continue to the News/Comment page 2 - I have become a target, says Lakshman Kadirgamar
Go to the Gossip Column
Please send your comments and suggestions on this web site to
info@suntimes.is.lk or to
webmaster@infolabs.is.lk