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Colombo's Old Parliament Building was opened in 1930 by the then Governor Sir Herbert Stanley.<br/><br/>

Colombo is the largest city and former capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital.<br/><br/>

Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It has a city population of 647,100 (2010). Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948.<br/><br/>

In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Like many cities, Colombo's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority, encompassing other municipal and urban councils. The main city is home to a majority of Sri Lanka's corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. Famous landmarks in Colombo include Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park and the National Museum.
Colombo's Old Parliament Building was opened in 1930 by the then Governor Sir Herbert Stanley.<br/><br/>

Colombo is the largest city and former capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital.<br/><br/>

Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It has a city population of 647,100 (2010). Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948.<br/><br/>

In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Like many cities, Colombo's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority, encompassing other municipal and urban councils. The main city is home to a majority of Sri Lanka's corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. Famous landmarks in Colombo include Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park and the National Museum.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clerel de Tocqueville (29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his works <i>Democracy in America</i> (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and <i>The Old Regime and the Revolution</i> (1856). In both of these, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies.<br/><br/><i>Democracy in America</i> was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clerel de Tocqueville (29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his works <i>Democracy in America</i> (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and <i>The Old Regime and the Revolution</i> (1856). In both of these, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies.<br/><br/><i>Democracy in America</i> was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clerel de Tocqueville (29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his works <i>Democracy in America</i> (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and <i>The Old Regime and the Revolution</i> (1856). In both of these, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies.<br/><br/><i>Democracy in America</i> was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
Magna Carta (Latin for 'the Great Charter'), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for 'the Great Charter of the Liberties'), is a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.<br/><br/>

First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/>

The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The 8888 Nationwide Popular Pro-Democracy Protests (also known as the People Power Uprising) were a series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots in the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (today commonly known as Burma or Myanmar). Key events occurred on 8 August 1988, and therefore it is known as the 8888 Uprising.
Aung San Suu Kyi (born June 19 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi was elected Prime Minister as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, which won 59% of the vote and 394 of 492 seats. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections.<br/><br/>

She remained under house arrest in Myanmar for almost 15 years until 2010. Suu Kyi was the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India.
Cleisthenes (Greek: Κλεισθένης, also Clisthenes or Kleisthenes) was a noble Athenian of the Alcmaeonid family. He is credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508/7 BC. For these accomplishments, historians refer to him as 'The Father of Athenian Democracy'.<br/><br/> 

He was the maternal grandson of the tyrant Cleisthenes of Sicyon, as the younger son of the latter's daughter Agariste and her husband Megacles. Also, he was credited for increasing powers of assembly and he also broke up the power of the nobility of Athens.
Cleisthenes (Greek: Κλεισθένης, also Clisthenes or Kleisthenes) was a noble Athenian of the Alcmaeonid family. He is credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508/7 BC. For these accomplishments, historians refer to him as 'The Father of Athenian Democracy'.<br/><br/> 

He was the maternal grandson of the tyrant Cleisthenes of Sicyon, as the younger son of the latter's daughter Agariste and her husband Megacles. Also, he was credited for increasing powers of assembly and he also broke up the power of the nobility of Athens.
Aung San Suu Kyi (born June 19 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi was elected Prime Minister as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, which won 59% of the vote and 394 of 492 seats. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections.<br/><br/>

She remained under house arrest in Myanmar for almost 15 years until 2010. Suu Kyi was the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India.
Aung San Suu Kyi (born June 19 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi was elected Prime Minister as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, which won 59% of the vote and 394 of 492 seats. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections.<br/><br/>

She remained under house arrest in Myanmar for almost 15 years until 2010. Suu Kyi was the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India.<br/><br/>

The 2012 Burmese by-elections were held on 1 April 2012. The elections were held to fill 45 vacant parliamentary seats.<br/><br/>

The main opposition party National League for Democracy was re-registered for the by-elections on 13 December 2011 as part of the reforms in Burma since 2010. NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi ran in the seat of Kawhmu, which she won and her party won in 43 of the 44 seats they contested (out of 45).
Illiteracy rates in South Sudan are high. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the population cannot read or write. There are notionally five universities. Three of them moved their operations to the north during the war.<br/><br/>

Officials estimate that about 25,000 students have registered at the five universities at the time of independence in 2011, but the government lacks funding, teachers and expertise to develop higher education.
Illiteracy rates in South Sudan are high. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the population cannot read or write. There are notionally five universities. Three of them moved their operations to the north during the war.<br/><br/>

Officials estimate that about 25,000 students have registered at the five universities at the time of independence in 2011, but the government lacks funding, teachers and expertise to develop higher education.
Torit is the capital of Eastern Equatoria State and the seat of Imatong county in the southern region of South Sudan. Torit district was formed in 1934 by the merging of the districts of Teretenya and Opari. Opari was the district administrative headquarters' for the regions inhabited by the ethnic Lotuko (Otuho) Madi and Acholi people.<br/><br/>

Torit was badly affected by the violence of the Second Sudanese Civil War and conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army and its the first state that start the mutiny against the government. Much of its former population is internally displaced.
Before 1932, the Kingdom of Siam did not possess a legislature, as all legislative powers were vested in the person of the monarch. This has been the case since the foundation of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 12th century, as the king was seen as a 'Dharmaraja' or King who rules in accordance with the Buddhist law of righteousness. However on 24 June 1932 a group of civilians and military officers, calling themselves the Khana Ratsadon (or People's Party) carried out a bloodless revolution, in which 150 years of absolute rule of the House of Chakri was ended. In its stead the group advocated a constitutional form of monarchy with an elected legislature.<br/><br/>

The Draft Constitution of 1932 signed by King Prajadhipok, created Thailand's first legislature, a People's Assembly with 70 appointed members. The assembly met for the first time on 28 June 1932, in the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall. The Khana Ratsadon decided that the people were not yet ready for an elected assembly; however they later changed their minds. By the time the 'permanent' constitution came into force in December of that year, elections were scheduled for 15 November 1933.
On 6 August and 9 August, 1945, the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and on Nagasaki respectively. More than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these two bombings, during which the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan.<br/><br/>

Japan surrendered on 15 August, 1945 and a formal Instrument of Surrender was signed on 2 September, 1945, on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The surrender was accepted by Gen Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander, with representatives of each Allied nation, from a Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu. A separate surrender ceremony between Japan and China was held in Nanking on 9 September, 1945.<br/><br/>

Following this period, MacArthur established bases in Japan to oversee the postwar development of the country. This period in Japanese history is known as the Occupation. US President Harry Truman officially proclaimed an end of hostilities on 31 December, 1946.<br/><br/>

After a period of US occupation (1945–1952), Japan regained its independence. Japan was thereafter forbidden to have a standing army or wage war by Article 9 of its Constitution.
American influence combines with the Japanese tradition of Mizu shobai or the 'water trade'  (a traditional euphemism for the night-time entertainment business in Japan), in this post World War II 'stripu tisu' image.
On 6 August and 9 August, 1945, the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and on Nagasaki respectively. More than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these two bombings, during which the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan.<br/><br/>

Japan surrendered on 15 August, 1945 and a formal Instrument of Surrender was signed on 2 September, 1945, on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The surrender was accepted by Gen Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander, with representatives of each Allied nation, from a Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu. A separate surrender ceremony between Japan and China was held in Nanking on 9 September, 1945.<br/><br/>

Following this period, MacArthur established bases in Japan to oversee the postwar development of the country. This period in Japanese history is known as the Occupation. US President Harry Truman officially proclaimed an end of hostilities on 31 December, 1946.<br/><br/>

After a period of US occupation (1945–1952), Japan regained its independence. Japan was thereafter forbidden to have a standing army or wage war by Article 9 of its Constitution.
On 6 August and 9 August, 1945, the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and on Nagasaki respectively. More than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these two bombings, during which the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan.<br/><br/>

Japan surrendered on 15 August, 1945 and a formal Instrument of Surrender was signed on 2 September, 1945, on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The surrender was accepted by Gen Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander, with representatives of each Allied nation, from a Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu. A separate surrender ceremony between Japan and China was held in Nanking on 9 September, 1945.<br/><br/>

Following this period, MacArthur established bases in Japan to oversee the postwar development of the country. This period in Japanese history is known as the Occupation. US President Harry Truman officially proclaimed an end of hostilities on 31 December, 1946.<br/><br/>

After a period of US occupation (1945–1952), Japan regained its independence. Japan was thereafter forbidden to have a standing army or wage war by Article 9 of its Constitution.
Informal picture of the Imperial family playing a board game (1950s). Crown Prince Akihito left, Empress Kojun centre, Emperor Hirohito right.<br/><br/>

Hirohito, the Shōwa Emperor ,(April 29, 1901 – January 7, 1989), was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to exclusively by his posthumous name Emperor Shōwa.<br/><br/> 

At the start of his reign, Japan was one of the great world powers and one of the five permanent members of the council of the League of Nations. Emperor Hirohito headed Japan's imperial expansion, militarization, and involvement in World War II. After the war, he was not prosecuted, but remained emperor, though with significantly reduced power.
Aung San Suu Kyi  (born June 19 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi was elected Prime Minister as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, which won 59% of the vote and 394 of 492 seats. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest in Myanmar for almost 15 years until 2010. Suu Kyi was the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India.
On 6 August and 9 August, 1945, the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and on Nagasaki respectively. More than 200,000 people died as a direct result of these two bombings, during which the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan.<br/><br/>

Japan surrendered on 15 August, 1945 and a formal Instrument of Surrender was signed on 2 September, 1945, on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The surrender was accepted by Gen Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander, with representatives of each Allied nation, from a Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu. A separate surrender ceremony between Japan and China was held in Nanking on 9 September, 1945.<br/><br/>

Following this period, MacArthur established bases in Japan to oversee the postwar development of the country. This period in Japanese history is known as the Occupation. US President Harry Truman officially proclaimed an end of hostilities on 31 December, 1946.<br/><br/>

After a period of US occupation (1945–1952), Japan regained its independence. Japan was thereafter forbidden to have a standing army or wage war by Article 9 of its Constitution.
Thailand's Democracy Monument was commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup d'état which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam, by its military ruler, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram.
Thailand's Democracy Monument was commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup d'état which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam, by its military ruler, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram.
Thailand's Democracy Monument was commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup d'état which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam, by its military ruler, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram.
Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi was elected Prime Minister as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party, which won 59% of the vote and 394 of 492 seats. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections.<br/><br/>

She remained under house arrest in Burma for almost 15 years until 2010. Suu Kyi was the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India. Released from seven continuous years' house arrest in November 2010, Suu Kyi still plays a leading role in the Burmese pro-democracy movement.
Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (born August 23, 1950) is the President of Kyrgyzstan. She was sworn in on July 3, 2010, after acting as interim leader following the 2010 April revolution which led to the ousting of then President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. She is a former foreign minister and head of the parliamentary caucus for the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan.