Category: Politics

NUUK, November 25, 2008 (AFP) – Some 39,000 people in Greenland vote on Tuesday in a referendum on self-rule for the Danish territory, a move that could pave the way for total independence for the Arctic island.Public opinion polls in the run-up to the referendum have suggested that a large majority plan to vote in […]

Nov 16, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan journalist who had been detained for over eight months had been questioned about what he wrote, and had also revealed to court that he had been repeatedly threatened, a media report said. Tissainayagam had told court on May 9 after he had seen another arrested colleague being […]

Nov 08, 2008 (LBO) – Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontiers or RSF) has condemned what it called live censorship on a Sri Lankan government television station amid criticism of a new broadcasting law. After receiving representatives of journalists’ organisations and media owners, media and information minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa announced that implementation […]

WASHINGTON, November 5, 2008 (AFP) – Here is a tally of preliminary results in the US presidential election, based on projections by US networks. At 0214 GMT, with results given in 27 states, Obama had 175 and McCain had 81 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, out of a […]

CHICAGO, November 5, 2008 (AFP) – US President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday that a new dawn of American leadership was at hand and stressed the shared destiny of the United States and the rest of the world. “It’s been a long time coming. But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this […]

WASHINGTON, November 5, 2008 (AFP) – Americans elected Democrat Barack Obama as their first black president Tuesday, in a transformational election which will reshape US politics and reposition the United States on the world stage.With a stunning grassroots political movement, powered by massive multi-million dollar fundraising, Obama first beat Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic Party’s […]

COLOMBO, October 31, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has the lowest press freedom rating of any democracy and has been the first to use anti-terror laws to prosecute journalists, international rights groups said Friday. Five organisations, including the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said journalists and media institutions seeking to report independently on the island’s […]

Oct 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s top business chambers have called for political unity to back government efforts to devolve power to minority Tamils and defeat Tiger rebels. The call came in a statement which also urged the government to do more to help civilians displaced by fighting between government forces and Tamil Tigers. […]

NEW DELHI, October 26, 2008 (AFP) – A senior Sri Lankan minister on Sunday held talks with the Indian foreign minister over the safety of the island nation’s minority Tamils as its conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels escalates. Sri Lanka’s Tamils share close cultural and religious links with the 55 million Tamils in the southern […]

Oct 23, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lanka media rights group has condemned more deaths threats against human rights activists and lawyers and demanded a police investigation. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The Free Media Movement (FMM) said in a statement the government should […]

NEW DELHI, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – India voiced concern Wednesday over the conflict in Sri Lanka as Tamil MPs in parliament clashed over charges of “genocidal attacks” on the Tamil minority in the troubled island nation. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament that New Delhi had conveyed its worries to Colombo over the safety […]

NEW DELHI, October 18, 2008 (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday told Sri Lanka he was deeply concerned about the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in the war-torn island and urged it to protect Tamil civilians caught in the conflict.Rajapakse assured Singh “all necessary measures” were being taken to keep civilians from harm’s way in […]