Sri Lanka’s tour of Zimbabwe, which should have been a bre—-eze, caught the attention of almost everybody… for all the wrong reasons. Though the cri-cket played and opponents encountered weren’t great, one felt the team and especially the chairman of the selectors copped plenty of criticism for the manner in which Sri Lanka played – especially in the second Test despite a brave fight back and a creditable draw.
As well as some truly remarkable architecture, Galle offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy a slice of history with its car-free cobbled streets, buildings bearing the architectural styles of its various European colonisers and tiny craft shops nestled amongst the houses like hidden gems. It’s like travelling back in time; and it doesn’t take me long to realise that I have arrived at a very special place.
A teardrop-shaped island in the southeast of the Philippines, 500 miles from the capital Manila, Siargao (pronounced shar-gow) feels like Bali might have a few decades ago. Given its smaller size (a population of 200,000, compared to Bali’s four million), Siargao has remained unspoiled, remote, and still relatively under the radar, despite the influx of new infrastructures in recent years.
The Republic of North Macedonia in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe geographically occupies about two-fifths of ancient Macedonia, which was a famous kingdom in classical Greek antiquity. Now, the rest of the region belongs to neighbouring Greece and Bulgaria.
Forming a complex border between the major cultural traditions of Europe and Asia, Macedonia has been ruled by several conquerors since ancient times – Romans, Byzantines and Slavs, as well as the Ottomans who occupied the land for almost 500 years until the early 20th century.
Beginning with a childhood fondness for calendar pictures of European cityscapes and later graduating from the University of Moratuwa with a degree in architecture, Damith Premathilake is an accomplished architect who incorporates nature – as well as minimalism – into the simple and elegant spaces he designs.
He is greatly inspired by world-renowned architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe whose sense of simplicity, clean lines and elegant forms continue to amaze him. Premathilake focusses on the unique characteristics of a project that may vary according to personal tastes, context, social characteristics, financial considerations or the availability of materials for the design
Getting from Tokyo to Osaka is a two and a half hour journey, but soon — well, in 17 years — it might take just 67 minutes. A new initiative called the Linear Project is being developed by the Japan Railways Group to facilitate travel across Japan at record-breaking speeds. The project would revolve around the Linear bullet train, which initially runs on wheels before gathering enough speed to retract its wheels and continue running while levitating four inches above the ground. The elimination of friction between the wheels and track allows the train to travel at speeds of up to 311 mph.
First published in the early 1920s as a children’s book, ‘The Story of Doctor Dolittle’ has taken many forms of movie adaptations with perhaps the most popular being that of Eddie Murphy’s portrayal of the wonderful doctor.
However, the latest 2020 revival is sadly not one for the books. Sure, children will like it enough but as an adult, it is like taking a spoonful of some nasty medicinal concoction your doctor forced you to drink!
Effigies of Paddington Bear, Mr Bean, Mary Poppins, Laurel and Hardy, and Bugs Bunny were some of those chosen to celebrate London’s film industry.
Hugh Bonneville, who played Mr Brown in the Paddington films, said they “add to the texture of the square”.
Zizi Strallen, who plays Mary Poppins in the West End show, also posed for a picture with her bronze duplicate.
Since becoming chief executive in 2005, Iger led the company through several blockbuster acquisitions and the launch of the Disney+ streaming service.
Viewed by many to be the most powerful man in Hollywood, Iger had previously announced plans to retire only to push back his departure date.
Iger will remain Disney’s executive chairman until the end of 2021.
I’m a home bird really; I love to stay home,” says Umaria Sinhawansa who is seated at a table inside a mi-nuscule dressing room. She is dressed to kill in an outfit that she’s worn for a photoshoot; but her bold choice of colour and chic attire are in complete contrast to her chirpy and bubbly personality.
She adds: “I’m a workaholic and perfectionist.” We’re inclined to agree since she was the youngest artiste to have the honour of being nominated for the Best Singer award two years in a row – in 2007 and 2008 – at the Sarasaviya Awards. She was also the Silver Award winner at the 11th Pan-Asian Music Festival.