EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 14 WORLD FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Small parties could be kingmakers in U.K. Gotabaya promises media Lib Dems, DUP, SNP or Brexit Party could play a decisive role if leading parties fail to win majority freedom under his govt. Agence France-Presse 10 Scots voted to stay in the London EU — to breathe life into its Uphold country’s reputation, President tells media houses If British Prime Minister Bo­ campaign. ris Johnson fails to win an ab­ Led by energetic First Mi­ Meera Srinivasan fence establishment, Mr. Go­ solute majority in Parlia­ nister Nicola Sturgeon, 49, COLOMBO tabaya, a former Defence Se­ ment on Thursday, smaller the party has campaigned Sri Lankan President Gota­ cretary, squarely denied the parties may find themselves under the slogan “Stop Brex­ baya Rajapaksa on Thursday charges. The CID’s submis­ holding the trump cards in it”, believing the vote to assured that media freedom sion pertained to the assassi­ negotiations to form an al­ leave has exposed a perma­ will not be hindered in any nation of well­known new­ liance. Some opinion polls nent ideological rift between form during his tenure, ac­ spaper editor Lasantha suggested that Mr. Johnson’s Scotland and the rest of Bri­ cording to a statement from Wickrematunga, in January Conservative Party would tain. The party’s progressive his office. 2009. In the last month, at fail to gain majority as most ideology means it could the­ Addressing heads of local least one news website was polls showed the gap bet­ oretically join forces with the media institutions, he said raided, while two other on­ ween the Conservatives and Labour Party. that while there was an op­ line journalists were “ques­ Labour narrowing on the eve But its demands to hold a portunity for “reasonable Gotabaya Rajapaksa tioned”. An editor of a Vavu­ of the election. second independence refe­ criticism”, he expected ev­ niya­based Tamil newspaper Here are the parties who rendum in 2020 and its op­ ery media institution to fulfil His assurance comes was also questioned in No­ could hold the keys to Final countdown: Leader of Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson taking a selfie in Sheffield.* REUTERS/FILE position to Britain’s Trident its obligation towards the amid concerns among sec­ vember allegedly over publi­ power. nuclear programme could country, by “engaging in fa­ tions over media freedom in cation of “LTTE­related” seats. The promise to cancel forced to join forces with downfall. They believe Mr. complicate negotiations. vourable media reporting” Sri Lanka after the Novem­ photographs, local media re­ The ‘Remainers’ Brexit has proven unpopular Northern Ireland’s Demo­ Johnson’s deal will lead to a to uphold the country’s ber presidential election. ported. Under Jo Swinson, 39, the among even europhiles. cratic Unionist Party to border between Northern The Brexit Party reputation. Several journalists and dissi­ “No doubt that there is a Liberal Democrats hope to The party’s role in a coali­ govern. Ireland and mainland Bri­ The new party is the latest The statement quoted dents in Sri Lanka have been big fear factor now,” said se­ capture the votes of “Re­ tion government in the early But the immovable stance tain, which they fear could vehicle of chief eurosceptic him as saying: “People of targeted in the past. nior journalist and commen­ mainers” with a clear mes­ 2010s, a period marked by of the ultra­conservative par­ stoke growing momentum Nigel Farage. this country elected me to According to internation­ tator Victor Ivan, a former sage to cancel Brexit, pitch­ severe austerity, has also ty’s 10 MPs on Brexit was the for a united Ireland. The His party won the Euro­ the office of the President al press freedom advocate editor of Sinhala weekly ing themselves as the pro­EU turned off voters on the Left. decisive factor in the failure DUP is the main party in pean elections in May, weeks with great expectations. En­ Reporters Without Borders newspaper Ravaya. “A lot of party, as opposed to the pro­ Their failure “to capitalise of Conservative Prime Minis­ Northern Ireland and is led after its official launch, lead­ hancing the efficiency of pol­ (RSF), at least 14 journalists journalists who merely co­ Brexit Conservatives and un­ on their distinctive position ter Boris Johnson to get the by 49­year­old Arlene Foster. ing to Theresa May’s depar­ iticians and public officials, were murdered during the vered and followed issues as decided Labour. on Brexit” was “perhaps the divorce deal he had reached ture and a pro­Brexit shift elimination of corruption 2005­15, when Mahinda Ra­ part of their job now feel The Lib Dems, who came biggest surprise of the elec­ with the EU through Scottish party within Tory party. Despite an and the economic develop­ japaksa was President. threatened under the new second in EU elections in tion campaign,” pollster Parliament. The Scottish National Party intervention by his friend ment are some of the priori­ In 2017, when the Crimi­ government,” he told The May, have seen their ranks John Curtice said. The party also opposed an (SNP), which wants Scotland Donald Trump, Mr. Farage ties among them. As such I nal Investigations Depart­ Hindu, adding that the pre­ swell after defections by dis­ agreement negotiated bet­ to split from the rest of Bri­ has struggled to compete expect the fullest support ment (CID) told a magistrate vious government, “alth­ sident pro­EU Conservative Northern Ireland’s DUP ween Brussels and Mr. John­ tain, has capitalised on the against Mr. Johnson, who and cooperation of media to­ court in Colombo about ough foolish”, was “relative­ MPs. But polls suggest they With no absolute majority in son’s predecessor Theresa 2016 Brexit referendum — in warned against splitting the wards achieving these “top­secret death squads” ly much better” for media could lose some of their 21 2017, the Conservatives were May, contributing to her which more than six out of Leave vote. objectives.” reportedly linked to the de­ freedom. ELSEWHERE 16 killed in Ukraine college fire 13 killed in Bangladesh plastic factory blaze Firefighters pull out two more bodies after eight­day search The fire broke out in a room where 8 cylinders were kept, according to a survivor Agence France-Presse charges of professional ne­ of the six­storey building, Press Trust of India noon at Keraniganj, on the around 5:45 p.m. after it jured workers, said the fire Kiev gligence and placed her un­ which caught fire last Wed­ Dhaka outskirts of Dhaka, police started at around 4:30 p.m., broke out at a room where Firefighters have pulled two der house arrest. nesday. Another 30 people At least 13 people were killed was quoted as saying by the said Sazzad Haustoria, the eight cylinders were kept. Suu Kyi's defence of more bodies from a college The bodies of the last two were injured in the blaze, and 21 others critically in­ bdnews24.com. agency’s Director General. He added that there was a Army puzzles many building in Ukraine’s south­ people missing following the with eight still in hospital as jured in a devastating fire At least 13 workers died The cause of the fire could leak in the lines, the Daily THE HAGUE ern port of Odessa that fire were found late on Wed­ of Thursday. that ripped through an ille­ and 21 others were being not be immediately deter­ Star reported. The Gambia condemned burned in a spectacular fire nesday, the emergency ser­ The College of Econom­ gal plastic factory in Bangla­ treated at the Dhaka Medical mined by the authorities. Around 300 people Aung San Suu Kyi’s “silence” last week, authorities said vices said in a statement. ics, Law, and the Hotel and desh, police said on College Hospital on Thurs­ The factory had also worked in two shifts at the over the plight of Rohingya on Thursday, bringing the Restaurant Business is in Thursday. day, the report said. caught fire earlier in Febru­ factory. Around 150 people, on Thursday after the Nobel number of dead to 16. 30 injured central Odessa and gets The fire swept through The Fire Service and Civil ary, the Dhaka Tribune including many women, Peace Prize laureate Prosecutors have arrested Firefighters spent eight days around 400 graduates per the Prime Patent Plastic Li­ Defence brought the blaze at reported. were working when the fire defended Myanmar against the director of the college on combing through the debris year. mited on Wednesday after­ the factory under control However, one of the in­ started, the worker said. genocide charges at the ICJ. Lawyers said that she ignored allegations of mass murder, rape and forced deportation 50 lawyers arrested after Fire on Russia’s only in her arguments while Trump signs order targeting defending the Army. AFP attack on Lahore hospital aircraft carrier kills one Russia expels two anti­Semitism at universities German diplomats It was under repair at Arctic shipyard MOSCOW Five patients died as doctors, staff fled Russia expelled two German Press Trust of India ties took place after doctors Colleges that allow such activity will be denied funds Associated Press diplomats on Thursday in Moscow Lahore were unable to provide the retaliation for Berlin’s ousting Reuters Russia’s only aircraft carrier of two employees of the Pakistan police on Thursday patients timely treatment clear that Title 6 of the Civil WASHINGTON suffered a massive fire on Russian Embassy last week arrested 50 lawyers for at­ during their bid to avert the Rights Act, which prohibits over a brazen killing last tacking a cardiac hospital, assault, Geo News reported.