Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Lee Kuan Yew lē kwän yo͞o, yü [key], 1923–2015, prime minister of Singapore (1959–90). Educated in England, he obtained a law degree from Cambridge Univ. in 1949 and in 1954 founded the modera...

(Encyclopedia) Kenyatta, Uhuru Muigai, 1961–, Kenyan politicial leader, son of Jomo Kenyatta. A Kikuyu, he entered politics in the 1990s, joining the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and ran unsuccessfully for ...

(Encyclopedia) liquor laws, legislation designed to restrict, regulate, or totally abolish the manufacture, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages. The passage of liquor laws has been prompted chiefly by the desire to...

(Encyclopedia) loan, in business, sum of money borrowed at a particular interest rate. More generally, it refers to anything given on condition of its return or repayment of its equivalent. A loan may be acknowledge...

(Encyclopedia) Milner, Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount, 1854–1925, British statesman and colonial administrator. He distinguished himself as a student at Oxford and was briefly a journalist in London. He became (1887)...

(Encyclopedia) Aso, Taro täˈrō äˈsō [key], 1940–, Japanese politician, prime minister of Japan (2008–9). Grandson of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and son of a successful industrialist, he attended Gakush...

(Encyclopedia) Salazar, António de Oliveira əntôˈnyo͝o ᵺĭ o͝olēvāˈrə sələzärˈ [key], 1889–1970, Portuguese statesman and dictator. After studying at the Univ. of Coimbra, he became professor of po...

(Encyclopedia) Imperial Conference, assembly of representatives of the self-governing members of the British Empire, held about every four years until World War II. The meetings prior to 1911—in 1887, 1897, 1902, ...

(Encyclopedia) Klaus, Václav klous [key], 1941–, Czech politician. A staunch free-market economist and leader (1991–2002) of the Civic Democratic party, he has been one of Eastern Europe's more influential pos...

(Encyclopedia) Witte, Count Sergei Yulyevich syĭrgāˈ yo͞oˈlyĭvĭch vĭtˈə [key], 1849–1915, Russian premier. A railway administrator, he became minister of communications (1892) and minister of finance (18...