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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>U.S.</span></font></b></st1:country-region><b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'> Photographer Wins Award for Shot of Bombed-Out <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Beirut</st1:place></st1:City><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-element:frame'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><img width=450
height=302 id=StoryImage src="cid:image001.jpg@01C74C78.19B690D0"
style='border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;
border-top-width:0px'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-element:frame'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>An
image of stylish Lebanese youths driving through a <st1:City w:st="on">Beirut</st1:City>
neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombing, taken by <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
photographer Spencer Platt, has won the World Press Photo of the Year award,
the jury announced Friday.</span></font><font size=1 color="#4a4a94"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#4A4A94'>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>The image contrasts
a group of friends against a background of the wreckage of a collapsed
building. Tellingly, one woman grimaces as she uses her mobile phone to send
a text message to a friend, while another, wearing sunglasses, covers her
nose with a handkerchief.</span></font><font size=1 color="#4a4a94"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#4A4A94'>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>The award, which
Platt took while working for photo agency Getty Images, is considered one of
the most prestigious for photojournalists.</span></font><font size=1
color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>The photo was taken
on Aug. 15, the second day of a cease-fire between <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Hizbullah, as hundreds
of thousands of Lebanese began returning to their homes. It also won in the
category of "Daily Life Singles."</span></font><font size=1
color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>The chairman of the
jury, Michele McNally of the New York Times, described the shot as "a
picture you can keep looking at."</span></font><font size=1
color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>"It has the
complexity and contradiction of real life, amidst chaos. This photograph makes
you look beyond the obvious," she said in a statement announcing the
winners.</span></font><font size=1 color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>In the prestigious
spot and general news categories, Reuters' Akintunde Akinleye won in the spot
news singles category for a picture of a man rinsing soot from his face after
a pipeline explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, on Dec. 26, while Italy's Davide
Monteleone won in the spot news story category for Contrasto with photos of
the Israeli bombings of Lebanon in July.</span></font><font size=1
color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><st1:country-region w:st="on"><font size=2 color="#4a4a94"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>Italy</span></font></st1:country-region><font
size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#4A4A94'>'s Paolo Pellegrin, working for Magnum Photos, won in the
general news singles category with a picture of a victim of an Israeli rocket
attack, taken in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Tyre</st1:City>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:country-region></st1:place>, on Aug. 6. Hungarian
photographer Zsolt Szigetvary won in the general news story category for
photos of the riots in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Budapest</st1:place></st1:City>
in September and October, working for MTI.</span></font><font size=1
color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>In sports news, a
shot of French football player Zinedine Zidane headbutting an opponent in the
World Cup final in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:State>
on July 9 won in the Sports Action category for Dutch photographer Peter
Schols, working for Dagblad De Limburger, GPD, and Reuters.</span></font><font
size=1 color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:#4A4A94'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>The Associated Press
won six awards, the most of any news agency overall, followed by Reuters with
five and Getty with four.</span></font><font size=1 color="#4a4a94"
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#4A4A94'>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-element:frame'><font size=2 color="#4a4a94" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#4A4A94'>Platt will receive
his award and $13,000 in a ceremony April 22.<i><span style='font-style:italic'>(AP)</span></i>
</span></font><font size=1 color="#4a4a94" face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#4A4A94'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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