title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Factory workers supported Pugachev because their situation had worsened; many state-owned factories had been turned over to private owners, which intensified exploitation. These private owners stood as a barrier between the workers and the government; they inhibited appeals to the state for improvement of conditions. Also, with the loss of Russia's competitive advantage on the world market, the production of the Ural mines and iron-smelting factories declined. This decline hit the workers the hardest because they had no other place to go or no other skill to market. There was enough material to support rebellion against the system. By and large the factories supported Pugachev, some voluntarily continuing to produce artillery and ammunition for the rebels.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: In 1773 Pugachev's army attacked Samara and occupied it. His greatest victory came with the taking of Kazan, by which time his captured territory stretched from the Volga to the Ural mountains. Though fairly well-organized for a revolt at the time, Pugachev's main advantage early on was the lack of seriousness about Pugachev's rebellion. Catherine the Great regarded the troublesome Cossack as a joke and put a small bounty of about 500 rubles on his head. But by 1774, the threat was more seriously addressed; by November the bounty was over 28,000 rubles. The Russian general Michelson lost many men due to a lack of transportation and discipline among his troops, while Pugachev scored several important victories.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Pugachev launched the rebellion in mid-September 1773. He had a substantial force composed of Cossacks, Russian peasants, factory serfs, and non-Russians with which he overwhelmed several outposts along the Iaik and early in October went into the capital of the region, Orenburg. While besieging this fortress, the rebels destroyed one government relief expedition and spread the revolt northward into the Urals, westward to the Volga, and eastward into Siberia. Pugachev's groups were defeated in late March and early April 1774 by a second relief corps under General Bibikov, but Pugachev escaped to the southern Urals, Baskiria, where he recruited new supporters. Then, the rebels attacked the city of Kazan, burning most of it on July 23, 1774. Though beaten three times at Kazan by tsarist troops, Pugachev escaped by the Volga, and gathered new forces as he went down the west bank of the river capturing main towns. On September 5, 1774, Pugachev failed to take Tsaritsyn and was defeated in the steppe below that town. His closest followers betrayed him to the authorities. After a prolonged interrogation, Pugachev was publicly executed in Moscow on .


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Pugachev's vague rhetoric inspired not only Cossacks and peasants to fight, but also indigenous tribes on the eastern frontier. These indigenous groups made up a comparatively small portion of those in revolt, but their role should not be underestimated. Each group had a distinct culture and history, which meant that their reasons for following Pugachev were different.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts, and Chuvash (from the Volga and Kama basin) for example, joined the revolt because they were upset by Russian attempts to convert them to Orthodoxy. These groups lived within Russia's borders, but held onto their language and culture. During the Pugachev Rebellion, these natives responded by assassinating Orthodox clergy members. Because the natives professed allegiance to Pugachev, the rebel leader had no choice but to implicitly condone their actions as part of his rebellion.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The Tatars (from the Volga and Kama basin) were the indigenous group with the most complex political structure. They were most closely associated with Russian culture because they had lived within the empire's borders since the 16th century. Many Tatars owned land or managed factories. As more integrated members of the Russian Empire, the Tatars rebelled in objection to the poll tax and their military and service obligations. The Tatars were closely associated with the Cossacks and were a crucial part of Pugachev's recruitment efforts.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: As a group, the Bashkirs had the most unified involvement in the rebellion. The Bashkirs were nomadic herdsman, angered by newly arrived Russian settlers who threatened their way of life. Russians built factories and mines, began farming on the Bashkir's former land, and tried to get the Bashkirs to abandon their nomadic life and become farmers too. When fighting broke out, Bashkir village leaders preached that involvement in the rebellion would end Russian colonialism, and give the Bashkirs the political autonomy and cultural independence they desired. The Bashkirs were crucial to Pugachev's rebellion. Some of the memorable leaders of the rebellion, like Salavat Yulaev were Bashkirs, and historian Alan Bodger argues that the rebellion might have died in the beginning stages were it not for the Bashkir's involvement. But important to note is in spite of their integral role, Bashkirs fought for different reasons than many of the Cossacks and peasants, and sometimes their disparate objectives disrupted Pugachev's cause. There are accounts of Bashkirs, upset over their lost land, taking peasant land for themselves. Bashkirs also raided factories, showing their aggression towards Russian expansion and industrialization. Pugachev thought that these raids were ill-advised and not helpful towards his cause.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: While the Bashkirs had a clear unified role in the rebellion, the Buddhist Kalmyks and Muslim Kazakhs, neighboring Turkic tribes in the steppe, were involved in a more fragmented way. The Kazakhs were nomadic herdsman like the Bashkirs, and were in constant struggle with neighboring indigenous groups and Russian settlers over land. Pugachev tried hard to get Kazakh leaders to commit to his cause, but leaders like Nur-Ali would not do so fully. Nur-Alit engaged in talks with both Pugachev's and Tsarist forces, helping each only when it was advantageous for him. The Kazakhs mostly took advantage of the rebellion's chaos to take back land from Russian peasants and Bashkir and Kalmyk natives. Historian John T. Alexander argues that these raids, though not directly meant to help Pugachev, ultimately did help by adding to the chaos that the Imperial forces had to deal with.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The Kalmyks' role in the rebellion was not unified either, but historians disagree about how to classify their actions. Historian Alan Bodger argues that the Kalmyks' role was minimal. They helped both sides in the conflict, but not in a way that changed the results. John T. Alexander argues that the Kalmyks were a significant factor in the rebel's initial victories. He cites the Kalmyk campaign led by II’ia Arapov which, though defeated, caused a total uproar and pushed the rebellion forward in the Stavropol region.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: By late 1774 the tide was turning, and the Russian army's victory at Tsaritsyn left 9,000-10,000 rebels dead. Russian General Panin's savage reprisals, after the capture of Penza, completed their discomfiture. By 21 August 1774, Don Cossacks recognize that Pugachev is not Peter III. By early September, the rebellion was crushed. Yemelyan Pugachev was betrayed by his own Cossacks when he tried to flee in mid-September 1774, and they delivered him to the authorities. He was beheaded and dismembered on 21 January 1775, in Moscow.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: After the revolt, Catherine cut Cossack privileges further and set up more garrisons across Russia. Provinces became more numerous, certain political powers were broken up and divided among various agencies, and elected officials were introduced.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The popular interpretation of the insurgency was that Pugachev's men followed him out of the desire to free themselves from the oppression of Catherine's reign of law. However, there are documents from Pugachev's war college and eye witness accounts that contradict this theory. While there were many who believed Pugachev to be Peter III and that he would emancipate them from Catherine's harsh taxes and policies of serfdom, there were many groups, particularly of Bashkir and Tatar ethnicity, whose loyalties were not so certain. In January 1774, for example, Bashkir and Tatar generals led an attack on the City of Kungur. During the revolt the nomadic Kazakhs took the opportunity to raid the Russian settlements. Pugachev's troops suffered from a lack of food and gunpowder. Many fighters deserted, including one general who left the battle and took his entire unit with him. One general wrote in a report to his superior, V. I. Tornova, "For the sake of your eminence, we humbly request that our Naigabitskiaia Fortress be returned to us with or without a detachment, because there is not a single Tatar or Bashkir detachment, since they have all fled, and the starshins, who have dispersed to their homes, are presently departing for the Naigabanskaia fortress." ("Dokumenty i Stavki E. I. Pugacheva, povstancheskikh vlastei i ucherezhdenii, 1773-1774." Moskva, Nauka, 1975. Document number 195. Author's translation)


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The concept of freedom was applied to the movement in regard to being free from the nobility. A peasant was to be free to work and own the land he worked. Pugachev's followers idealized a static, simple society where a just ruler guaranteed the welfare of all within the framework of a universal obligation to the sovereign. The ruler ought to be a father to his people, his children; and power should be personal and direct, not institutionalized and mediated by land- or serf owner. Such a frame of mind may also account for the strong urge to take revenge on the nobles and officials, on their modern and evil way of life.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Pugachev's followers were particularly frightened by apparent economic and social changes. They wished to recapture the old ideals of service and community in a hierarchy ordained by God. They needed a palpable sense of direct relationship with the source of sovereign power. The Cossacks were most keenly aware of the loss of their special status and direct contact with the czar and his government.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The Imperial government endeavored to keep the matter of the rebellion strictly secret or, failing that, to portray it as a minor outbreak that would soon be quelled. The absence of an independent Russian press at the time, particularly in the provinces, meant that foreigners could read only what the government chose to print in the two official papers, or whatever news they could obtain from correspondents in the interior. (Alexander, 522) Russian government undertook to propagate in the foreign press its own version of events and directed its representatives abroad to play down the revolt.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: The Russian government favored the use of manifestos to communicate with the people of Russia. Catherine thought that exhortations to abandon him would excite popular antipathy for his cause and elicit divisions within rebel ranks. Her printed pronouncements were widely distributed in the turbulent areas; they were read on the public squares and from the parish pulpits. In the countryside local authorities were instructed to read them to gatherings of the people, who were then required to sign the decree. These government proclamations produced little positive effect. They actually added more confusion and even provoked unrest when the peasantry refused to believe or sign them.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Much of the blame for the spread of the insurrection must be laid on the local authorities in Russia. “They were lax, timid, and indecisive; their countermeasures were belated, futile, and lost lives needlessly.” Catherine herself recognized this assessment. As Catherine said “I consider the weak conduct of civil and military officials in various localities to be as injurious to the public welfare as Pugachev and the rabble he has collected.” The weakness could not have been entirely the fault of the officials. The local bureaucracy in Russia was too remote and too inefficient to adequately deal with even the most basic administrative matters.


title: Pugachev's Rebellion

text: Pugachev's success in holding out against suppression for over a year proved to be a powerful incentive for future reforms. It made apparent to the government several problems with their treatment of the provinces. They were left weakly controlled and consequently, susceptible to outbreaks of peasant violence. The most crucial lesson Catherine II drew from the Pugachev rebellion, was the need for a firmer military grasp on all parts of the Empire, not just the external frontiers. For instance, when the governor of the Kazan guberniya called for assistance against the approaching Pugachev, there was no force available to relieve him. The revolt did occur at a sensitive point in time for the Russian government because many of their soldiers and generals were already engaged in a difficult war on the southern borders with Ottoman Turkey. However, the professional army available outside the gates of Kazan to counter the Cossack-based army of Pugachev only consisted of 800 men.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: Rainbow High is a fashion doll franchise created by Michael Scott Anderson originally as Rainbow Surprise and released by American toy company MGA Entertainment in 2020 originally as a spin-off from their "Poopsie Slime Surprise" brand. The back story for the franchise revolves around an elite high school for visual arts, featuring students who represent colors of the rainbow.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: At the close of 2020, the brand got independent from other MGA brands and got complemented with an audiovisual franchise of in-universe-branded web series of computer-animated shorts and episodes which were predominantly released on YouTube and later made available on Netflix. In February 2022, MGA released the franchise's first official spin-off known as "Shadow High" to be the brand's rival school, with the spin-off brand spotting/representing grayscale colors in clear contrast to their hosts.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: In 2019, MGA released a line of 14-inch fashion dolls under their "Poopsie" brand, named "Rainbow Surprise". Though these dolls bear some resemblance to the eventual "Rainbow High" dolls, they are scaled up and have painted eyes rather than inset eyes. These four dolls were later re-released the following year under the "Rainbow High" brand in new packaging. "Rainbow Surprise" also included a series of blind-boxed Fantasy Friends dolls which were also incorporated into the "Rainbow High" brand.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: The first 11-inch "Rainbow High" dolls were released in 2020, with the initial lineup including Ruby Anderson, Poppy Rowan, Sunny Madison, Jade Hunter, Skyler Bradshaw and Violet Willow dolls. Each of the original dolls included two outfits and a doll stand, while the dolls themselves featured inset eyes and thirteen points of articulation.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: A web series of computer-animated shorts was announced following the release of the first dolls. The series is produced by Australian animation studio "Pixel Zoo" with the financial backing from the "Screen Queensland" initiative of the Queensland Government with the first episode premiering on October 2, 2020 and additional episodes releasing at least every fortnight. The web series was complemented with spin-offs premiering every other week; looking at the activities and adventures of Rainbow High in the eyes of Violet Willow with her show, ""The Vi Life"" (pronounced ""vie life""), and Karma Nichols with her show, ""Kontent with Karma"" with the latter debuting on 16 April 2021.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: The web series concluded its first season on 11 June 2021 The second season premiered on 16 July 2021 and concluded on 28 January 2022, with the third season featuring the rival school, "Shadow High", beginning 2 months later on 25 March, and concluded 23 November of that same year.


title: Rainbow High (dolls)

text: Following their release in mid-2020, the doll franchise appeared on multiple hot-toy lists including Toys "R" Us Canada and The Toy Insider, while The NPD Group reported in August 2020 that, "Rainbow High" was the No. 3 best selling fashion doll line and the No. 7 best selling doll line overall in the U.S.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Sri Lanka, formerly called "Ceylon", is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Indian subcontinent, in a strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. The nation has a total area of , with of land and of water. Its coastline is long. The main island of Sri Lanka has an area of 65,268 km; it is the twenty-fifth largest island in the world by area. Dozens of offshore islands account for the remaining 342 km area. The largest offshore island, Mannar Island, leads to Adam's Bridge.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Adam's Bridge, a land connection to the Indian mainland, is now mostly submerged with only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to temple records, this natural causeway was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480. The formation is also known as "Rama's Bridge", as according to Hindu mythology, it was constructed during the rule of Lord Rama.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Sri Lanka's climate includes tropical monsoons: the northeast monsoon (December to March), and the southwest monsoon (June to October). Its terrain is mostly low, flat to rolling plain, with mountains in the south-central interior. The highest point is Pidurutalagala at . Natural resources include limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: More than 90% of Sri Lanka's surface lies on Precambrian strata, some of it dating back 2 billion years. The granulite facies rocks of the Highland Series (gneisses, sillimanite-graphite gneisses, quartzite, marbles, and some charnockites) make up most of the island and the amphibolite facies gneisses, granites, and granitic gneisses of the Vinjayan Series occur in the eastern and southeastern lowlands. Jurassic sediments are present today in very small areas near the western coast and Miocene limestones underlie the northwestern part of the country and extend south in a relatively narrow belt along the west coast. The metamorphic rock surface was created by the transformation of ancient sediments under intense heat and pressure during mountain-building processes. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that these rocks and related rocks forming most of south India were part of a single southern landmass called Gondwanaland. Beginning about 200 million years ago, forces within the Earth's mantle began to separate the lands of the Southern Hemisphere, and a crustal plate supporting both India and Sri Lanka moved toward the northeast. About 45 million years ago, the Indian plate collided with the Asian landmass, raising the Himalayas in northern India, and it continues to advance slowly to the present time. Sri Lanka does not experience earthquakes or major volcanic events because it rides on the center of the plate.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The island contains relatively limited strata of sedimentation surrounding its ancient uplands. Aside from recent deposits along river valleys, only two small fragments of Jurassic (140 to 190 million years ago) sediment occur in Puttalam District, while a more extensive belt of Miocene (5 to 20 million years ago) limestone is found along the northwest coast, overlain in many areas by Pleistocene (1 million years ago) deposits. The northwest coast is part of the deep Cauvery (Kaveri) River Basin of southeast India, which has been collecting sediments from the highlands of India and Sri Lanka since the breakup of Gondwanaland.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Extensive faulting and erosion over time have produced a wide range of topographic features. Three zones are distinguishable by elevation: the Central Highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The south-central part of Sri Lanka—the rugged Central Highlands—is the heart of the country. The core of this area is a high plateau, running north–south for approximately 65 kilometers. This area includes Sri Lanka's highest mountains. (Pidurutalagala is the highest at 2,524 m) At the plateau's southern end, mountain ranges stretch 50 kilometers to the west toward Adam's Peak (2,243 meters) and 50 kilometers to the east toward Namunakula (2,036 m). Flanking the high central ridges are two lower plateaus. On the west is the Hatton Plateau, a deeply dissected series of ridges sloping downward toward the north. On the east, the Uva Basin consists of rolling hills covered with grasses, traversed by some deep valleys and gorges. To the north, separated from the main body of mountains and plateaus by broad valleys, lies the Knuckles Massif: steep escarpments, deep gorges, and peaks rising to more than 1,800 meters. South of Adam's Peak lie the parallel ridges of the Rakwana Hills, with several peaks over 1,400 meters. The land descends from the Central Highlands to a series of escarpments and ledges at 400 to 500 meters above sea level before sloping down toward the coastal plains.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Most of the island's surface consists of plains between 30 and 200 meters above sea level. In the southwest, ridges and valleys rise gradually to merge with the Central Highlands, giving a dissected appearance to the plain. Extensive erosion in this area has worn down the ridges and deposited rich soil for agriculture downstream. In the southeast, a red, lateritic soil covers relatively level ground that is studded with bare, monolithic hills. The transition from the plain to the Central Highlands is abrupt in the southeast, and the mountains appear to rise up like a wall. In the east and the north, the plain is flat, dissected by long, narrow ridges of granite running from the Central Highlands.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: A coastal belt about thirty meters above sea level surrounds the island. Much of the coast consists of scenic sandy beaches indented by coastal lagoons. In the Jaffna Peninsula, limestone beds are exposed to the waves as low-lying cliffs in a few places. In the northeast and the southwest, where the coast cuts across the stratification of the crystalline rocks, rocky cliffs, bays, and offshore islands can be found; these conditions have created one of the world's best natural harbors at Trincomalee on the northeast coast, and a smaller rock harbor at Galle on the southwestern coast.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Sri Lanka's rivers rise in the Central Highlands and flow in a radial pattern toward the sea. Most of these rivers are short. There are 16 principal rivers longer than 100 kilometers in length, with twelve of them carrying about 75% of the mean river discharge in the entire country. The longest rivers are the Mahaweli Ganga (335 km) and the Malvathu River (170 km). In the highlands, river courses are frequently broken by discontinuities in the terrain, and where they encounter escarpments, numerous waterfalls and rapids have eroded a passage. Once they reach the plain, the rivers slow down and the waters meander across flood plains and deltas. The upper reaches of the rivers are wild and usually unnavigable, and the lower reaches are prone to seasonal flooding. Human intervention has altered the flows of some rivers in order to create hydroelectric, irrigation, and transportation projects. In the north, east, and southeast, the rivers feed numerous artificial lakes or reservoirs (tanks) that store water during the dry season. During the 1970s and 1980s, large-scale projects dammed the Mahaweli Ganga and neighboring streams to create large lakes along their courses. Several hundred kilometers of canals, most of which were built by the Dutch in the 18th century, link inland waterways in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Sri Lanka's climate can be described as tropical, and quite hot. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with year-round warm weather, moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The average temperature ranges from a low of in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where temperatures may reach ). The average yearly temperature for the country as a whole ranges from . Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7 °C (7.2 to 12.6 °F). January is the coolest month, especially in the highlands, where overnight temperatures may fall to . May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is marked by four seasons. The first is from mid-May to October, when winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. The second season occurs in October and November, the intermonsoonal months. During this season, periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. During the third season, December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The northeastern slopes of the mountains may be inundated with up to of rain during these months. Another intermonsoonal period occurs from March until mid-May, with light, variable winds and evening thundershowers.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: An increase in average rainfall coupled with heavier rainfall events has resulted in recurrent flooding and related damages to infrastructure, utility supply and the urban economy.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall. At Colombo, for example, daytime humidity stays above 70% all year, rising to over 90% percent during the monsoon season in June. Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the intermonsoonal month of March, but a high of 79% during the November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 70 and 79%.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The pattern of life in Sri Lanka depends directly on the availability of rainwater. The mountains and the southwestern part of the country, known as the "wet zone," receive ample rainfall (an annual average of 2500 millimeters). Most of the southeast, east, and northern parts of the country comprise the "dry zone, which receives between 1200 and 1900 mm of rain annually. Much of the rain in these areas falls from October to January; during the rest of the year there is very little precipitation, and all living creatures must conserve precious moisture. The arid northwest and southeast coasts receive the least amount of rain—600 to 1200 mm per year—concentrated within the short period of the winter monsoon.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The natural vegetation of the dry zone has adapted to the annual change from flood to drought. The typical ground cover is scrub forest, interspersed with tough bushes and cactuses in the driest areas. Plants grow very fast from November to February when rainfall is heavy, but stop growing during the hot season from March to August. Various adaptations to the dry conditions have developed. To conserve water, trees have thick bark; most have tiny leaves, and some drop their leaves during this season. Also, the topmost branches of the tallest trees often interlace, forming a canopy against the hot sun and a barrier to the dry wind. When water is absent, the plains of the dry zone are dominated by browns and grays. When water becomes available, either during the wet season or through proximity to rivers and lakes, the vegetation explodes into shades of green with a wide variety of beautiful flowers. Varieties of flowering acacias are well adapted to the arid conditions and flourish on the Jaffna Peninsula. Among the trees of the dry-land forests are some valuable species, such as satinwood, ebony, ironwood, and mahogany.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: In the wet zone, the dominant vegetation of the lowlands is a tropical evergreen forest, with tall trees, broad foliage, and a dense undergrowth of vines and creepers. Subtropical evergreen forests resembling those of temperate climates flourish in the higher altitudes. Montane vegetation at the highest altitudes tends to be stunted and windswept.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Forests at one time covered nearly the entire island, but by the late 20th century lands classified as forests and forest reserves covered only one-fifth of the land. The southwestern interior contains the only large remnants of the original forests of the wet zone. The government has attempted to preserve sanctuaries for natural vegetation and animal life, however. Ruhunu National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer, and peacocks, and Wilpattu National Park in the northwest preserves the habitats of many water birds, such as storks, pelicans, ibis, and spoonbills. During the Mahaweli Ganga Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totalling 1,900 km as national parks.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The dominant pattern of human settlement during the last 2,500 years has consisted of village farming communities. Even in the 1980s, the majority of people lived in small villages and worked at agricultural pursuits. Traditional farming techniques and life-styles revolve around two types of farming--"wet" and "dry"—depending upon the availability of water.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The typical settlement pattern in the rice-growing areas is a compact group of houses or neighborhood surrounding one or several religious centers that serve as the focus for communal activities. Sometimes the houses may be situated along a major road and include a few shops, or the village may include several outlying hamlets. The life-sustaining rice fields begin where the houses end and stretch into the distance. Some irrigated fields may include other cash crops, such as sugarcane, or groves of coconut trees. Palmyra trees grow on the borders of fields or along roads and paths. Individual houses also may have vegetable gardens in their compounds. During the rainy seasons and thereafter, when the fields are covered by growing crops, the village environment is intensely verdant.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The nature of agricultural pursuits in Sri Lanka has changed over the centuries and has usually depended upon the availability of arable land and water resources. In earlier times, when villagers had access to plentiful forests that separated settlements from each other, slash-and-burn agriculture was a standard technique. As expanding population and commercial pressures reduced the amount of available forestland, however, slash-and-burn cultivation steadily declined in favor of permanent cultivation by private owners. Until the 13th century, the village farming communities were mainly on the northern plains around Anuradhapura and then Polonnaruwa, but they later shifted to the southwest. In the 1970s, wide expanses of the northern and eastern plains were sparsely populated, with scattered villages each huddled around an artificial lake. The Jaffna Peninsula, although a dry area, is densely populated and intensively cultivated. The southwest contains most of the people, and villages are densely clustered with little unused land. In the Central Highlands around Kandy, villagers faced with limited flat land have developed intricately terraced hillsides where they grow rice. In the 1960s and 1970s, the wet cultivation area was expanding rapidly, as the government implemented large-scale irrigation projects to restore the dry zone to agricultural productivity. In the 1970s, the area drained by the Mahaweli Ganga changed from a sparsely inhabited region to a wet rice area similar to the southwest. Through such projects, the government of Sri Lanka has planned to recreate in the dry zone the lush, landscape associated with the irrigation works in ancient Sri Lanka.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Beginning in the 16th century and culminating during the British rule of the 19th and 20th centuries, the plantation economy came to dominate large sections of the highlands. Plantation farming resulted in a drastic reduction in the natural forest cover and the substitution of domesticated crops, such as rubber, tea, or cinnamon. It also brought about a changed life-style, as the last hunting-and-gathering societies retreated into smaller areas and laborers moved into the highlands to work on plantations. Through the late 20th century, workers on large plantations lived in villages of small houses or in "line rooms" containing ten to twelve units. The numerous plantations of small landholders frequently included attached hamlets of workers in addition to the independent houses of the plantation owners.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: The coastal belt surrounding the island contains a different settlement pattern that has evolved from older fishing villages. Separate fishing settlements expanded laterally along the coast, linked by a coastal highway and a railway. The mobility of the coastal population during colonial times and after independence led to an increase in the size and number of villages, as well as to the development of growing urban centers with outside contacts. In the 1980s, it was possible to drive for many kilometers along the southwest coast without finding a break in the string of villages and bazaar centers merging into each other and into towns.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: Land use (2018): 20.7% arable land, 15.8% permanent crops, 7% permanent pasture, 29.4% forest, 27.1% other.


title: Geography of Sri Lanka

text: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo


title: Skunkworks project

text: A skunkworks project is a project developed by a relatively small and loosely structured group of people who research and develop a project, often with a very large degree of autonomy, primarily for the sake of radical innovation. The term originated with Lockheed's World War II "Skunk Works" project.


title: Skunkworks project

text: Everett Rogers defined "skunkworks" as an "enriched environment that is intended to help a small group of individuals design a new idea by escaping routine organizational procedures."


title: Skunkworks project

text: The term originated during World War II when the P-80 Shooting Star was designed by Lockheed’s Advanced Development Projects Division in Burbank, California, under similar circumstances. A closely guarded incubator was set up in a circus tent next to a plastics factory in Burbank. The strong smells that wafted into the tent made the Lockheed R&D workers think of the foul-smelling “Skonk Works” factory in Al Capp’s "Li'l Abner" comic strip.


title: Skunkworks project

text: Skunk Works was run using "Kelly's 14 Rules", Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was the first team leader of Skunk Works and designer of the P-80, U-2, SR-71 and many more. He is described as being an "organizing genius".


title: Skunkworks project

text: Since its origination with Skunk Works, the term was generalized to apply to similar high-priority R&D projects at other large organizations which feature a small elite team removed from the normal working environment and given freedom from management constraints.


title: Skunkworks project

text: The term typically refers to technology projects developed in semi-secrecy, such as Google X Lab. Other famous skunkworks were Microsoft Research, special teams at Boeing, and the lab of about 50 people established by Steve Jobs to develop the Macintosh computer, located behind the Good Earth Restaurant in Cupertino.


title: Skunkworks project

text: "The Economist" notes that the expectations for the products developed by skunkworks have changed in the 21st century from "something that makes their competitors say 'Wow'" to "something that makes their competitors' customers say 'Wow'". Rather than sequestering skunkworks, the companies now tend to promote communication between them and marketing, design, and accounting departments.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Julie Gayet (; born 3 June 1972) is a French actress and film producer. She is also known for being the wife of the former President of the French Republic, François Hollande.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Gayet was born in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, where her father Brice Gayet is a professor and head of gastric surgery at the Institut Mutualiste Montsouris. He was former head of the clinic to the Lariboisière Hospital and lecturer at the "Faculty Xavier Bichat" at Paris Diderot University. Her mother is an antique dealer. Her paternal grandfather, Alain Gayet, was also a surgeon and became a Compagnon de la Libération after World War II. She received a social liberal intellectual upbringing.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Gayet studied art history and psychology at university, circus skills at the circus school of the Fratellini family, and operatic singing under Tosca Marmor. At the age of 17, she studied at the Actors Studio in London with Jack Waltzer, and then continued at the Tania Balachova School in Paris.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Gayet made her acting debut in a 1992 episode of the French TV series "Premiers baisers", and had her first film role as an extra in "" (1993), but her first role of public note was in the 1996 comedy "Delphine 1, Yvan 0" by Dominique Farrugia.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Her musical performances include playing in video-clips for Benjamin Biolay and singing a duet with Marc Lavoine.


title: Julie Gayet

text: In 2007, she founded her own production company, Rouge International, with Nadia Turincev and produced films such as "The Ride" by Stephanie Gillard, "Fix me" by Palestinian Raed Andonia and "Bonsai" by Cristian Jimenez of Chile.


title: Julie Gayet

text: In 2013, Gayet co-directed with Mathieu Busson the documentary "Cinéast(e)s" featuring 20 French female film directors.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Gayet appeared on the cover of the 17 January 2014 issue of the French "Elle magazine". The issue hit newsstands on 15 January 2014, two days ahead of its usual release day. The headline read "Julie Gayet, Actress and Committed Woman, a French Passion".


title: Julie Gayet

text: In 2003, Gayet married author and screenwriter Santiago Amigorena, but they divorced in 2006. The couple have two children.


title: Julie Gayet

text: Gayet is a centre-left activist, having appeared in a video supporting François Hollande during the 2012 French presidential election. She is a member of the Support Committee of the PS candidate for the 2014 Paris mayoral election, Anne Hidalgo. She also supported same-sex marriage in France.


title: Julie Gayet

text: In 2013 rumours started circulating that Gayet was in a secret relationship with President Hollande. On 10 January 2014, a story in the tabloid "Closer" featured seven pages of alleged revelations and photos about the affair, provoking wider media coverage. Hollande said he "regretted this violation of his private life" and was "thinking about" pursuing a legal response, but did not deny the substance of the story. The 10 January issue was so popular that "Closer" "reprinted the issue, with a further 150,000 copies scheduled to hit newsstands" on 15 January 2014. On 16 January 2014, the AFP news agency reported that Gayet would sue "Closer" for €50,000 in damages and €4,000 in legal costs.


title: Julie Gayet

text: On 27 March 2014, a French court ordered "Closer" magazine to pay Gayet €15,000 ($20,700) for publishing the photos that revealed an affair between her and President Hollande. In November 2014, she was photographed with Hollande at the Élysée Palace gardens; it was revealed that her affair with Hollande was ongoing and that she was spending at least four nights a week with him there.


title: Julie Gayet

text: In October 2022, she is appointed to the supervisory board of French professional rugby union club CA Brive.


title: Propagandhi

text: Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.


title: Propagandhi

text: While their earlier work was aligned with the punk rock and skate punk tradition, in later years Propagandhi records have moved towards a heavier and more technical heavy metal-influenced sound. Both in their lyrics and hands-on activism, the band's members champion various left wing and anarchist causes and veganism, and have taken a vocal stance against human rights violations, sexism, racism, nationalism, homophobia, imperialism, capitalism and organized religion.


title: Propagandhi

text: In 1986, Samolesky and Hannah recruited original bassist Scott Hopper via a "progressive thrash band looking for bass player" flyer posted in a local record shop. Hopper was replaced three years later by Mike Braumeister, which completed the first lineup to perform live. After the band established itself through several demos and larger shows, including one with Fugazi, Braumeister moved to Vancouver, and John K. Samson became the band's third bassist.


title: Propagandhi

text: In 1992, Propagandhi played a show with California punk rock band NOFX and included in their set a cover version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Impressed by their performance, NOFX front man Fat Mike signed them to his independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. The band later accompanied him to Los Angeles, where they recorded their debut album, "How to Clean Everything", released in 1993. The band spent the next three years touring and issuing several smaller releases, including the "How to Clean a Couple o' Things" single on Fat Wreck Chords, a split 10-inch record with I Spy, a split 7-inch with F.Y.P, and the double 7-inch "Where Quality is Job #1", the latter three on Recess Records.


title: Propagandhi

text: In 1996, they recorded and released their second album, "Less Talk, More Rock", via Fat Wreck Chords. The title was ironic, as they had become well known for lengthy song explanations and speeches during live performances. The album was more politicized than its predecessor, with such song titles as "Apparently, I'm a 'P.C. Fascist' (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)", "Nailing Descartes to the Wall/(Liquid) Meat Is "Still" Murder", and "... And We Thought Nation-States Were a Bad Idea". Ramsey Kanaan, founder of the anarchist publishing company AK Press, appears on "A Public Dis-Service Announcement from Shell" as the voice of the petroleum multinational. Partial proceeds of the album were donated to AK and other activist groups. "Less Talk, More Rock" caused some controversy at the time of its release due to the band's pro feminism and "gay positive" stance which, according to Hannah, clashed with the sexist and homophobic culture of the West Coast punk rock scene with which the band had become associated.


title: Propagandhi

text: After "Less Talk, More Rock"s release, Samson departed and formed The Weakerthans. Hannah's then-roommate Todd Kowalski, formerly of Propagandhi's touring mates I Spy and the political grindcore band Swallowing Shit, replaced him. Hannah and Samolesky also founded the record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records, which also released The Weakerthans' first album. The label structured itself around the participatory economic proposals of Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert. The band issued "Where Quantity Is Job #1", a collection of EP and compilation tracks, demos, and live songs.


title: Propagandhi

text: In 2001, Propagandhi released their third album, "Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes". The album was considered by some to be a major departure from their previous works. The song titles and lyrics of "Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes" furthered the sphere of their political views, bolstered by the addition of Kowalski's aggressive songwriting and an increased density of guitar lines. The album includes enhanced content, with political videos and essays concerning such topics as COINTELPRO and the Black Panther Party.


title: Propagandhi

text: Propagandhi released the album "Potemkin City Limits" on October 18, 2005. Like its predecessor, the album features multimedia content, with a number of PDF files on topics such as participatory economics and veganism, and links to websites of organizations that Propagandhi support. The album's opening track, "A Speculative Fiction", won the 2006 SOCAN Songwriting Prize by online vote. Propagandhi pledged to use the $5000 prize to make donations to the Haiti Action Network and The Welcome Place, an organization in Winnipeg for which they'd previously done volunteer work which helps refugees start new lives in Manitoba.


title: Propagandhi

text: Hannah briefly adopted the pseudonym Glen Lambert in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the release of "Potemkin City Limits", causing confusion among some fans, reviewers, and commentators; the band concluded the prank by announcing on 14 August 2006 that Glen Lambert had been dismissed and would be replaced by "former" member Chris Hannah. This coincided with the addition of second guitarist David Guillas, marking the band's first four-piece lineup in their then-twenty year career. Guillas, nicknamed "The Beaver", was a former member of two Winnipeg-based rock outfits, Giant Sons and Rough Music. Hannah had previously stated that he had been a fan of, and influenced by, Guillas' work in Giant Sons.


title: Propagandhi

text: In 2007, the band released a DVD entitled "Live from Occupied Territory", which features a recording of their set at The Zoo in Winnipeg on July 19, 2003. Proceeds of the DVD benefit the Grassy Narrows blockade and the Middle East Children's Alliance. Included on the DVD are two full-length documentaries: "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land", and "As Long as the Rivers Flow".


title: Propagandhi

text: The band spent the following years working on their fifth record, "Supporting Caste". During the recording sessions, Hannah stated that to his ears the record "resemble[d] a nuclear-powered space-age composite of "Potemkin City Limits", "Less Talk More Rock", Giant Son's "Anthology" and a carefully measured dose of "Today's Empires Tomorrow's Ashes"". The band created a web page giving fans an option to receive two high-quality songs from the album before its release by donating $1 to $10 to one of three activist organizations which they supported. The page also linked to various pre-orders of the album. It was officially released on 10 March 2009.


title: Propagandhi

text: The digital "Recovered EP" followed on 6 April 2010. It featured old recordings from the "How To Clean Everything" and "Less Talk, More Rock" eras, remastered and with new parts recorded by Hannah. A split 7-inch with Sacrifice followed that December, featuring Propagandhi covering Corrosion of Conformity. In collaboration with their friends and fellow musicians from Sheet Happens Publishing and Protest the Hero, Propagandhi also released a tablature transcription of "Supporting Caste" for guitar and bass in early 2012.


title: Propagandhi

text: The group began plans for a new record shortly after completing "Supporting Caste". After several years' work and pre-release snippets offered through various Internet outlets, "Failed States", their sixth studio album, was released on 4 September 2012 through Epitaph Records. Early reviews were generally positive: "Revolver" praised the record's musical and lyrical accomplishment, while "Exclaim!" identified its improvements upon the standards set by the band's recent work. In October 2012, the release of the "Failed States" tab book was announced.


title: Propagandhi

text: David Guillas has not been part of the touring lineup as of September 2015, and the band soon after recruited Floridian musician, Sulynn Hago, as their new touring guitarist. On May 10, 2017, the band announced on their Facebook page that a new studio album has been recorded, ready for release in or after Summer 2017. On July 17, 2017, Propagandhi announced that their new album, "Victory Lap", would be released on September 29 through Epitaph Records. The announcement was followed by the release of the title track. In that album, Sulynn Hago was credited as a band member and David Guillas a "Propagandhi alumnus" who had contributed additional guitar parts.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan Chun Sing (; born 9 October 1969) is a Singaporean politician and former major-general who has been serving as Minister for Education since 2021 and Minister-in-charge of Public Service since 2018. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Buona Vista division of Tanjong Pagar GRC since 2011.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: A recipient of the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship, Chan started his career in the Singapore Army in 1987 and held various staff and command positions, and attained the rank Major-General. He served as Chief of Army between 2010 and 2011 before entering politics.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: During the 2011 general election, he contested as part of a five-member PAP team in Tanjong Pagar GRC and won, he was elected as a Member of Parliament.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: He served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2015 and 2018, Senior Minister of State for Defence between 2012 and 2013, Minister for Social and Family Development between 2012 and 2015, and Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts between 2011 and 2012. He also served as the party whip between 2015 and 2019.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan grew up in a single-parent household. His mother, Kwong Kait Fong, was a machine operator and he has a sister, Chan Siew Yin. He lived in a three-room HDB flat in MacPherson with his mother, grandparents, aunt and sister until he was 30 years old. Chan is married with a daughter and two sons. He is fluent in three of the four official languages of Singapore: English, Mandarin and Malay. He is also a fan of Everton F.C.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan attended Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. Being one of the four top scorers from Raffles Junior College in the GCE A Level examination in 1987, Chan was awarded the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1988. He graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge with a first class degree in economics.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: He subsequently went on to complete the Sloan Fellows programme at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2005 under the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan enlisted into the Singapore Army in 1987, before he attained the rank Brigadier-General and left in 2011 for politics. He has held several appointments and this include: Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment between 1998 and 2000; Army Attaché in Jakarta between 2001 and 2003; Commander, 10th Singapore Infantry Brigade between 2003 and 2004; Head, Joint Plans and Transformation Department between 2005 and 2007; Commander, 9th Division and Chief Infantry Officer between 2007 and 2009; and Chief of Staff – Joint Staff between 2009 and 2010.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan excelled as a student at the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1998, and was the first foreign student to be conferred the Distinguished Master Strategist Award in the same year.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 26 March 2010, Chan was appointed Chief of Army. He stepped down from his post and left the Singapore Armed Forces on 25 March 2011 in order to contest in the 2011 general election.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of the five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Lee Kuan Yew contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC. He represented the Buona Vista ward, which was previously held by Lim Swee Say. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover as none of the opposition parties contested Tanjong Pagar GRC. During the election campaign, Chan used the Hokkien phrase ""kee chiu"" ("hands up") at a rally to engage the crowd, and the term became a nickname for him.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Following the 2011 general election, Chan was appointed Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Minister of State for Communications and the Arts. Chan, then 42, was one of the youngest ministers to be appointed to the Cabinet.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 31 July 2012, Chan relinquished his portfolio in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and was appointed Senior Minister of State for Defence. Following a restructuring of government ministries in November 2012, he began heading the newly created Ministry of Social and Family Development as Acting Minister. He was promoted to full Minister in September 2013, and concurrently served as Second Minister for Defence.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 23 January 2015, Chan joined the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on a part-time basis; He was appointed as NTUC's deputy secretary-general on 27 January 2015 and joined NTUC full-time from April 2015.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 1 October 2015, following the 2015 general election, Chan was appointed Deputy Chairman of the People's Association, a role which he held till 2021 before relinquishing it to Edwin Tong. In the same year, Chan was put in charge of leading the PAP team in Tanjong Pagar GRC after Lee Kuan Yew died in March 2015.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 23 November 2018, Chan succeeded Tharman Shanmugaratnam as the PAP's Second Assistant Secretary-General (alongside Heng Swee Keat). In the lead-up to the 2020 general election, Chan was widely seen as one of the three leading candidates (alongside Heng and Ong Ye Kung) to succeed Lee Hsien Loong as Prime Minister of Singapore.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan has announced three key priorities for his Ministry in the Committee of Supply debate 2014. These priorities are: (i) to maintain the currency and adequacy of Singapore's social support policies, (ii) to deliver integrated social services and (iii) to develop manpower for the social service sector.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan launched the first of 23 Social Service Offices to bring social assistance touch points closer to the populace.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: The tender evaluation process was revised for commercial childcare centres. The joint effort by Early Childhood Development Agency and Housing Development Board aimed to keep rental costs in HDB estates manageable, and in turn keep childcare programmes affordable.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: More infrastructure support to benefit non-Anchor Operators (AOP) setting up preschools in high demand areas and workplaces. Non-AOPs who provide quality and affordable programmes can tap on a Teaching & Learning Resources Grant of up to S$4,000 per year for materials and equipment.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: During a Parliament session in 2017, responding to a raised question, he replied that there will be no change to an existing policy, that single mothers will continue to get only eight of the 16 weeks paid maternity leave that married mothers are entitled to, and will still not be entitled to claim a child relief tax incentive.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Chan held the position of Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (minister without portfolio) from 9 April 2015 to 30 April 2018. He was also Secretary General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 4 May 2015 to 30 April 2018.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: On 24 April 2018, it was announced that Chan would succeed Lim Hng Kiang and S. Iswaran as the Minister for Trade and Industry, and would relinquish his NTUC chief portfolio to Ng Chee Meng, effective from 1 May 2018. He also took over responsibility for the Public Service Division on the same day as well.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: An audio leak from a closed-door meeting between Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) members and minister Chan Chun Sing on 18 February 2020 revealed that Chan had used the derogatory hokkien term "sia suay" (English definition embarrassment) to describe Singaporeans who were panic buying.


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: The second audio leak happened two days before the 2020 general election, The Online Citizen published an article along with an audio clip of a speech made by Chan. In the audio clip, Chan mentioned the PAP's results during elections and the restricting space access north of Seletar Airport. Chan later wrote on Facebook that the speech took place in 2019 at a closed-door conversation held after Malaysia imposing a restricted flying zone north of Seletar Airport. He claimed that the audio clip was leaked and circulated for "ill-intent".


title: Chan Chun Sing

text: Following a Cabinet reshuffle, on 15 May 2021, Chan succeeded Lawrence Wong as Minister for Education.


title: Shan Masood

text: Shan Masood (Urdu, Punjabi: شان مسعود; born 14 October 1989) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team, Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and the Multan Sultans. He is a left-handed batter and an occasional right-arm medium-fast bowler.


title: Shan Masood

text: In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).


title: Shan Masood

text: He was born in 1989 in Kuwait, where his father worked in a bank. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the start of the Gulf War, the family left for their native Pakistan.


title: Shan Masood

text: After returning to the United Kingdom with his parents, he studied at Stamford School, Lincolnshire and then Durham University where he studied economics. He studied Management and Sports Sciences at Loughborough University through a distance learning programme.


title: Shan Masood

text: In his first-class debut in the 2007 season, Masood scored 54 for Karachi as part of a 154-run opening stand with Asad Shafiq. He also played three first-class games for Durham University.


title: Shan Masood

text: In April 2018, he was named the vice-captain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.


title: Shan Masood

text: In September 2019, Masood was named as the captain of Southern Punjab for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.


title: Shan Masood

text: In December 2021, he was signed by Derbyshire for the 2022 county season. In April 2022, in the second round of matches in the 2022 County Championship, Shan scored his maiden double century in first-class cricket, scoring an unbeaten 201 runs on the opening day against Sussex. In the following match, Shan scored another double century, becoming the first batter for Derbyshire to score back-to-back double centuries in first-class cricket. In May 2022, he scored his third century for Derbyshire against Worcestershire.


title: Shan Masood

text: Masood made 75 on Test debut against South Africa in October 2013. He scored his maiden century against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in July 2015, putting on 242 for the third wicket with Younis Khan as Pakistan successfully chased 382. Masood, a part-time medium pacer, bowled for the first time in Test cricket on 23 July 2016 against England at Old Trafford. His first delivery was a no ball.


title: Shan Masood

text: In September 2018, he was named in Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2018 Asia Cup, but he did not play. In January 2019, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against South Africa, but again he did not play. In March 2019, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against Australia. He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Australia on 22 March 2019.


title: Shan Masood

text: In December 2019, he scored his second Test century, against the touring Sri Lankans at the National Stadium, Karachi. In the same match, he also scored his 1,000th run in Test cricket.


title: Shan Masood

text: In February 2020, Masood made his third Test century, against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England. In November 2020, he was named in Pakistan's 35-man squad for their tour to New Zealand.


title: Shan Masood

text: In September 2022, he was named in the Pakistan's T20I squad for the series against England. He made his T20I debut on 20 September 2022, against England.


title: Chennai 600028

text: Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Shiva, Jai, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Inigo Prabakaran, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with Vijayalakshmi Feroz and Kristine Zedek, making their acting debut as well. The film was produced by S. P. B. Charan along with J. K. Saravana, a Singapore-based award-winning producer. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Premji Amaran and Yuvan Shankar Raja and also Illayaraja respectively.


title: Chennai 600028

text: The film is based on street cricket played in India, focusing on various themes as friendship, love and rivalry in a suburban area. Following its theatrical release on 27 April 2007, it received critical acclaim and emerged a surprise sleeper hit, running successfully for more than one year in theaters, whilst going on to achieve cult status in the subsequent years. The film's title is derived from the pincode for Mandaveli, a suburb of Chennai, where the story takes place. The success of the film gained the relatively unknown actors – Jai, Shiva, Premji and Nithin Sathya, newcomers Vijayalakshmi, Vijay Vasanth and the director Venkat Prabhu popularity.


title: Chennai 600028

text: The film was also remade in Bengali as "Le Chakka" (2010), Sinhalese as "Super Six" (2012), and in Kannada as "Bangalore 560023" (2015). A sequel for the film, "Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings", has also since been released.


title: Chennai 600028

text: The story revolves around two local cricket league teams that compete against each other in local matches and consider each other as sworn enemies. Royapuram Rockers are on top of the chain and keep bashing the Sharks year after year. The heroes of the movie are the Sharks' team.


title: Chennai 600028

text: The story begins when Raghu's parents move from Royapuram to Visalakshi Thottam, Chennai 600 028. Raghu is a member of the Royapuram Rockers Cricket team, and a college student living with his parents. He has no choice but to move with them although he detests the area. He is not very excited at the prospect of living in the same area as his sworn enemies. Raghu is faithful to his teammates, but they ignore him because of the distance. Angered at being replaced by a new guy in the team in one of the matches, Raghu estranges himself from cricket and the Rockers.


title: Chennai 600028

text: Raghu informs of Pazhani's sister Selvi's love for Karthik to him. This incident initiates Raghu's friendship with a few Sharks team players and eventually gets induced into the team. Raghu practices with the Sharks to play against the Rockers in the upcoming Radio Mirchi trophy. Pazhani, who soon learns of his sister and Karthik's love affair is disappointed and then there is a tiff amongst the friends. The team splits up for a while, but Karthik apologizes to Pazhani and they make up. The team reunites and starts practicing for the trophy once again. Unfortunately, Karthik is stabbed by his brother's enemies and is rendered unfit to play the match. Pazhani replaces Karthik as the captain and the team heads for the match.


title: Chennai 600028

text: Under tight pressure and with a nail biting finish, the Sharks finally defeat the Rockers in the semi-finals of the tournament. In the finals they meet their enemies, a group of school kids named Bad Boys-II who practice by bunking school to play cricket on the beach. The kids are really good and the Sharks know it because they have lost badly to them once before.


title: Chennai 600028

text: "Chennai 600028" is the directorial debut of Venkat Prabhu. He initially titled the film as "Enga Area Ulla Varaadha" ("Don't come into our territory"), from the opening song in "Pudhupettai", but lyricist Vaali was critical of the idea, feeling that the title was "negative" sounding. Subsequently, the film was renamed as "Chennai 600028", with the idea of including the area's postcode taken from the title of the American television series "Beverly Hills, 90210". Venkat Prabhu felt the new title was "more apt and universal".


title: Chennai 600028

text: The film's score was composed by Venkat Prabhu's brother, Premji Amaran, while his cousin, Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the soundtrack, which also featured two tracks that were rearranged by Premji. The soundtrack album, featuring 9 tracks, released on 19 February 2007 in India and four days later in Singapore and Malaysia, on 23 February 2007. The audio was launched at the radio station Radio Mirchi, broadcasting all the songs live, which was said to be the first time in India. The lyrics were written by 'Kavignar' Vaali and Gangai Amaran, father of Venkat Prabhu. Also, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja penned the lyrics for the song "Natpukullae", besides singing it. 19 singers had rendered their voice for the songs, including Yogi B, DJ Funky Sathiya and SilveStar, two Singaporean rappers, actor Karunas, director Venkat Prabhu and producer S. P. B. Charan.


title: Chennai 600028

text: The album was both critically acclaimed and gained immense popularity upon its release, being described as, "excellent", a "rocking album" and one of the "aesthetic highlights" of the film. The songs were said to be a big hit as reportedly 25000 CDs were sold on the very first day, "ruling the charts" worldwide. The songs "Jalsa" and "Saroja Saman Nikalo" were "rocking the dance floors".


title: Chennai 600028

text: "Chennai 600028" was released on 27 April 2007, and emerged as a major commercial success. Sify in their review stated that "All the guys who acted in the film are candid and have let their hair down. RJ Shiva is the surprise packet in the film. Venkat Prabhu deserves a pat on his back for making a breezy fun movie which highlights the fact that cricket in India which is a religion for many is also won through team spirit and sacrifice. So go ahead, make your matinee and enjoy the match." Filmibeat reviewed it as "Apart from cricket there is enough space for love, friendship, sentiments and decent comedy in the script." Baradwaj Rangan reviewed the film as "A street-cricket saga from a bunch of no-names comes out of nowhere and knocks your socks off." Writing for Rediff, the review stated as "The movie is a result of a perfect team effort in every sense. A perfect entertainer, not to be missed."


title: Chennai 600028

text: The film emerged as a sleeper hit at the box office, and also emerging as the cult status, in coming years. The film's 100th day celebrations, took place on 5 August 2007 at Chennai Trade Centre, with Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan being the chief guest. The film is later dubbed in Telugu as "Kodithe Kottalira" in 2009"."


title: Chennai 600028

text: The film was remade in Bengali as "Le Chakka" (2009), and in Kannada as "Bangalore 560023" (2015). The film was also remade in Sinhalese as "Super Six" in 2012.


title: Chennai 600028

text: Plans to make a sequel to "Chennai 600028" were reported several times in the media, shortly after the first film's release. It features several cast members from the earlier film including Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash and Nithin Sathya. Actors Vaibhav, Subbu Panchu, Abhinay Vaddi were chosen to play supporting roles in the film. Production of the film was officially unveiled on 28 February 2016 and the film was released on 9 December 2016.


title: Phil Black

text: Phil Black is an Australian CNN International freelance reporter, based in London. Black joined CNN in April 2007 and covers stories around Europe. In 2008 he was part of CNN's team covering the Russian-Georgian conflict, which broke out over separatist South Ossetia.


title: Phil Black

text: Black is a former reporter for "Seven News" in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Black joined Seven News as a senior producer in 2000. He then moved to the reporting team. Some of the stories he has covered include the CityRail crisis, Redfern riots, the 2002 Christmas bushfires and the Sarah, Duchess of York pay for access scandal in May 2010. One of his most important stories was in December 2004, where he reported from Sri Lanka after the Boxing Day tsunami.


title: Phil Black

text: Black was in Bathurst for several weeks for the 2006 Bathurst 1000, the first after the death of Peter Brock. Black reported live to "Seven News" in Sydney almost each night while he was in Bathurst.


title: Phil Black

text: Before joining "Seven News", Black worked for about five years at the Nine Network where he was a reporter on the travel program "Getaway".


title: Phil Black

text: Black has reported the news from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, often from close to the conflict.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, (born 4 March 1946) is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is the 132nd richest person in the UK, as ranked by the "Sunday Times" Rich List 2021, with an estimated fortune of £1.257 billion.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He sat on the Conservative benches of the House of Lords until 2015, having been created a life peer in 2000. His peerage was controversial due to his status as a tax exile. The Cabinet Office stated that he would take up permanent residence in the UK for tax purposes, but it was reported a decade later that he had not done so.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft holds dual British and Belizean nationality, and is a belonger of the Turks and Caicos Islands.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Michael Anthony Ashcroft was born in Chichester, West Sussex. His father Eric was a British colonial civil servant; Ashcroft spent some of his early years in British Honduras (now Belize) and Malawi.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He was educated at Norwich School, Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, and Mid-Essex Technical College (now Anglia Ruskin University), where he obtained a Higher National Diploma in Business studies.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: After a period in Belize after completing his education, Ashcroft returned to hitch hike around Europe, and then for a short period of time became the manager of a rock and roll band.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1967, Ashcroft joined Carreras Tobacco as a management trainee. He left Carreras in 1969, joining Pritchard Services Group, a cleaning and business services company, after several months unemployed. In 1972, at the age of 26, he started his own business, Michael A. Ashcroft Associates, which he would use to launch several profitable acquisitions.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft's first acquisition was Uni-Kleen – a loss-making cleaning company with 1,000 employees, which he purchased for just £1 in 1974, with a £15,000 bank loan (). He worked to turn the company around, selling it just three years later for £1.3 million.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: On exiting Uni-Kleen in 1977, his next purchase was Hawley Goodall, another poorly performing company, this time in camping equipment manufacture. Ashcroft used Hawley to make a series of acquisitions, transforming the company into a business services group, ranging from janitorial services for hospitals and offices, to car auction services, and later with a focus on the security services industry. Through the sale of the car auctions division to the fast-expanding British Car Auctions (BCA), he formed a lifelong friendship with David Wickins, whom he would later help take a majority stake in Lotus Cars, as well as provide finance for other joint-ventures. By 1981, Hawley had made its first acquisitions in the United States, and its total revenues had grown to $27 million.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: By early 1983, Hawley had built up a 20% stake in pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Cope Allman. Ashcroft offered to increase his stake to 29.9%, just below the 30% level at which a formal bid for the entire company must be launched. Ashcroft and Cope Allman fought bitterly over the purchase share price and current holdings, with Cope Allman reporting Ashcroft and Wickins to the Takeover panel, after discovering that BCA had built up a 13.5% in the company. But the takeover panel found that Ashcroft and Wickins were operating independently, so Hawley was able to increase its holding to 29.9%. At this point the combined holdings of Hawley and BCA in Cope Allman amounted to 43.5%, giving them the power to introduce sweeping changes without launching a full bid. Cope Allman was eventually sold to an MBO backed by Hawley and financed by Bain Capital, and then sold to Bowater in 1992 in a complex swap of assets with ADT/Hawley.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1985 Ashcroft and Wickins bought car sales dealership Henlys Group via a Canadian-registered company, Mipec. Controlled by Ashcroft's Hawley Goodall, Henlys was merged with the already-owned funeral hearse maker Coleman Milne to form a motoring division. In 1989, Hawley Goodall sold its motoring division consisting of Henlys and Coleman Milne to the Plaxton Group, the bus and coach manufacturer based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1986, Hawley bought out Ashcroft's former employer, Pritchard Services, leaping to second place in the U.S. services industry. At this time, Hawley had revenues of more than $1.3 billion.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: 1987 was a key year for Hawley. In the early part of the year, it bought Crime Control Inc. based in Indianapolis, for $50 million, placing the company in fourth place in the U.S. security market. Later in the year it bought ADT Security Services, the largest electronic security company in the United States. This purchase transformed Hawley into the leading security services business in the United States, and resulted in the majority of its revenues coming from the North American market. As a result of the acquisition, Bermuda-registered Hawley changed its name to ADT Inc. and decided to refocus its business around security services. At the end of 1987, the company sold its North American-based facility services business to Denmark's ISS A/S.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1987, Ashcroft bought out the existing shareholders of Wickins' BCA via Hawley Goodall. Based at Blackbushe Airport to allow Wickins access to his treasured aviation division, which flew both Jet Ranger helicopters and Beechcraft King Air turbo prop aircraft, Ashcroft, who has a disliking for such flippant expenditure, immediately sold off the aircraft. Wickins joined the board of Hawley Goodall, remaining there until the Tyco takeover. He retired from BCA in 1990. In 1995, to allow for the Tyco transaction, the group decided to divest itself of BCA. The residual North American arm was sold to trade buyers, while the European arm was sold to a consortium of some 40 private investors, including Ashcroft via his Belize-based investment company. In September 2006, BCA was bought by the UK-based investment banking arm of private bank Samuel Montagu & Co., a division of HSBC, personally netting Ashcroft over £200 million.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1997, ADT was sold by a reverse takeover to US conglomerate Tyco International for $6.7 billion, allowing Tyco to become tax-efficient.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft disposed of large amounts of the Tyco stock which he had acquired as a result of the sale of ADT, stating that he needed the capital to diversify into other things and that he never retained a substantial stake in any enterprise which he did not control. Ashcroft nevertheless continued as a non-executive director of Tyco, a role he still held in 2002 when Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski was arrested in New York in connection with personal tax offences. Unease had already been expressed at Tyco at some of Kozlowski's corporate decisions and Ashcroft was amongst the directors who appointed lawyer David Boies to investigate irregularities in the company. In time, the exposure of management deficiencies led to Ashcroft demanding that the whole of the board of directors of Tyco should resign, to be replaced by new management.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft has close business and other connections with the Commonwealth country of Belize, and served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations between 1998 and 2000. In his 2005 biography, he admitted that it is a country where his interests have been "exempt from certain taxes for 30 years". In 2009, the Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow told its parliament:


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Barrow also warned David Cameron that relations with the United Kingdom would be damaged if Ashcroft were given a senior position in government.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1981, Belize had gained independence from the UK. Seeing the opportunity to build an off-shore operations base and control the country's financial service, in 1984 Ashcroft formed Belize Holdings (BHI), which became the vehicle for a parallel acquisition spree during the 1980s, beyond the scope of Hawley.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: By the late 1980s, BHI had become one of the largest holding companies in Belize, with direct interests in or holdings via main operating company Stargate Ltd, ranging from telecommunications, property, the Belize shipping register, and citrus fruits.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1987, BHI led the formation of Belize Bank Holdings (BBH), which took control of Belize Bank from the Royal Bank of Canada. Belize Bank has become the country's largest financial institution, controlling some 50 percent of the market. BBH developed local and international interests in facilities services, finance and telecommunications. Belize Bank itself formerly held a majority stake in Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), until it was nationalised by the Government of Belize.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2005, under pressure from the Belize Government to bring transparency to its Belize based financial interests, BBH restructured, demerging its interests in England and Ireland into a separate company, Carlisle Group Ltd. BBH then renamed itself BCB Holdings.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft also has significant interests in the following companies quoted on the Alternative Investment Market: Restore plc, WeAre20:20 and Impellam Group.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Having attempted a takeover Corporate Services Group in 1999, in June 2006 he increased his stake to 28.5%, prompting speculation that he might make an offer for the remaining shares in the company. In May 2008 the merger of Carlisle Group and Corporate Services Group to form Impellam Group was announced. Listed on the Alternative Investment Market, the combined group places in excess of 40,000 people into work each week.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In September 2007, Ashcroft agreed to the sale of AIM listed cleaning services supplier OneSource. Based mainly in the United States, it was the old North American cleaning business of ISS that Ashcroft had sold to them when refocusing Hawley in 1987. Bought in 1997 for $1, he agreed the sale of the company at a value of £179m.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In March 2006, he became the major shareholder in English professional football club Watford, owning up to 42% of the club's shares. In September 2006, he accepted a bid for British Car Auctions (BCA) worth £450m, netting him a personal gain of £200m.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft has a 72.3 per cent stake in English sparkling wine producer Gusbourne, which he acquired in 2013 for £7 million.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In April 1972, Ashcroft married Wendy Mahoney. They had two sons and one daughter; the marriage was dissolved in 1984. His second marriage in 1986 was to Susan Anstey. The couple have homes in London, Maidenhead in Berkshire, and Belize.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft owns a Dassault Falcon 7X, registration VP-BZE, via his Bermudian registered company, Flying Lion. On 27 December 2017, while parked at the Malta International Airport, the plane careened off the apron, smashed into a fence and a road before crashing into an office building. The incident is believed to have occurred after the plane's wheel chocks were blown away due to strong winds. No injuries were reported but the plane suffered extensive damage.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In the UK, he was a major donor to and Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1998 to 2001, under William Hague. His tenure was marked by a number of controversies: he was seen to pay little UK income tax because of his domicile in Belize; and he was at the centre of a debate about openness and accountability of political funding. Unsubstantiated speculation about his business affairs was concluded when he pursued a libel action against "The Times". This was settled on 9 December 1999, when "The Times" issued a front-page statement saying "The Times is pleased to confirm that it has no evidence that Mr Ashcroft or any of his companies have ever been suspected of money-laundering or drug-related crimes... Litigation between the parties has been settled to mutual satisfaction, with each side bearing its own costs."


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2004, he clashed with Conservative leader Michael Howard when he offered a £2m donation on the condition that it should go to his specified candidates rather than into general Conservative Central Office funds. Ashcroft stated in 2005: "I much prefer to be involved, to make sure that my investment is wisely placed."


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In December 2005, he was appointed Deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. During the "Cash for Peerages" controversy, on 31 March 2006 Ashcroft was named by the Conservative Party as having lent it £3.6m.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Significant donations made to the Conservative Party by Bearwood Corporate Services, a company controlled by Ashcroft, have also come under scrutiny. The trading status of the company, and thus the validity of donations totalling £5.1m between 2003 and 2008, is unclear and became the subject of an investigation by the Electoral Commission begun in October 2008. Both Labour MPs and the Prime Minister had called for the process to be concluded in time for the next general election, due by mid-2010. Liberal Democrat Lord Oakeshott stated: "Democracy is in danger if Lord Ashcroft has been pouring millions into Conservative campaigns through an offshore pipeline from a Caribbean tax haven." However, in March 2010 sources from the Electoral Commission described the donations as being "legal and permissible".


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: On 1 March 2010, Ashcroft said that he was not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. On 4 March 2010 the House of Commons Public Administration select committee decided to hold a "special one-off inquiry" into Ashcroft's peerage and his tax affairs. The committee's three Conservative MPs are said to have refused to take part in the inquiry.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In September 2010, Ashcroft announced he would be stepping down as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. His resignation came as he published Minority Verdict, his critical analysis of why the Conservative Party failed to gain an overall majority in the general election; leading to the Conservatives forming the Coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. He was replaced by the Conservative MP, former government minister and the current Treasury Select Committee member, Michael Fallon.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2012, "The Daily Telegraph" credited Ashcroft, owner of both the ConservativeHome and PoliticsHome website with


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: "stopping the Coalition working" by moving policy on Europe, welfare, education, taxation to the right. Prior to the 2010 election, Cameron gave Ashcroft a large office and a significant role in the election campaign but he received no reward in the form of ministerial job.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Although claiming not to exercise editorial control, Ashcroft, a "brutal critic of the Coalition from the start"


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: has established "megaphone presence" in the online media and the Lib Dems are described as blocking economic and welfare system reforms. The parties have separate and contradictory agendas and—as exemplified by Michael Gove's education reforms intended for Tory ears only'-do not even consult each other.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Cameron's philosophy of liberal conservatism has been destroyed by "coordinated attacks on the Coalition." Although voters may have liked Coalition government, "the two parties are no longer trying to pretend that they are governing together" and Cameron seems unwilling to celebrate midterm successes. "Ashcroft, who has been against it all along, looks like getting his way."


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft became the largest donor to the Conservative's candidate for the 2021 London mayoral election. Of the £255,000 raised by the candidate, Shaun Bailey, Ashcroft donated £100,000.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2022, he published a book about the wife of the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Carrie Symonds, to whom he attributed a negative influence on her husband.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft allegedly gave the People's United Party in Belize $1m when it was in opposition. During its period in power, it introduced laws that are claimed by opponents and media commentators to be financially advantageous to Ashcroft.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft has become a significant figure in Australian politics having been identified as the single largest individual donor to any Australian political party during the 2004–05 financial year. The Australian Electoral Commission reported in February 2006 that Ashcroft (who gave his address as "House of Lords, Westminster, London") had donated $1 million to the Liberal Party in September 2004, shortly before the 2004 federal election. It was, at the time, the biggest single private donation in Australian political history. He also made donations of $250,000 to the party on 28 July 2010 and in September 2013.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Developing from work he did for the Conservative Party in his Deputy chairman role, since 2010. Lord Ashcroft has been a major independent public pollster of British political opinion. This has included polling at constituency level, which is rare in British psephology. Lord Ashcroft Polls' results are freely available online and are frequently discussed in various media outlets.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2013, Ashcroft stated that he has given tens of millions of pounds to good causes over the years. In May 2013, he pledged to donate more than half of his money to good causes, and became a signatory of The Giving Pledge.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: On 12 October 2009, Lord Ashcroft pledged NZ$50,000 for the safe return of two-year-old toddler Aisling Symes. Aisling had gone missing a week earlier in West Auckland, New Zealand.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: £100,000 reward in the search for the gunman who killed Olivia Pratt-Korbel in liverpool. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-62981651


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft was the Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University from November 2001 to January 2021. He donated £5 million in 1999 for the university's business school at Chelmsford, now called Lord Ashcroft International Business School, and another £5 million gift in 2009 to create a new business school in Cambridge.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He is the sponsor of Ashcroft Technology Academy in Wandsworth, a state secondary school within the English academy programme.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He became the main backer, along with Stephan Shakespeare (CEO and co-Founder of YouGov) of Flooved, an education technology startup.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He has provided a copy of "Britain's Treasure Islands" to every secondary school in the UK and its overseas territories.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft is also an Ambassador for the education and veterans charity SkillForce which, under Chief Executive, Ben Slade, devised and developed the Prince William Award – the only award of its kind in William's name.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft is a whale spotter, through which interest he has financially supported various environmental groups and campaigns. He financially supported the Environmental Investigation Agency, who persuaded him to back a television campaign in six Caribbean countries, aimed at coaxing them to withdraw their support for whaling. The countries had received $16 million (£8 million) a year in fisheries aid from Japan. The campaign coincided with the 2006 International Whaling Commission conference in St Kitts.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft has also supported military causes; in September 2011 he hosted a reception at the House of Lords for the launch of the Felix Fund, the charity for bomb disposal experts and their families.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft pledged to donate all of the author's royalties from his book "Special Forces Heroes" to the Help for Heroes charity, and from his book, "George Cross Heroes" to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He donated £1 million of the £7 million cost of the Bomber Command Memorial in London's Green Park, and his contribution is recognised on each side of the memorial.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft collects Victoria Crosses which are awarded for valour and devotion to duty to members of various armed forces. His collection is by far the largest in the world spanning 128 years from acts of valour at the start of the Crimean War in 1854 to an act of courage during the Falklands War in 1982. He wrote "Victoria Cross Heroes" to mark the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Following the theft of a number of Victoria Crosses awarded to New Zealand servicemen from the Army Museum at Waiouru in late 2007, Ashcroft pledged NZ$200,000 for their return. Those stolen included the VC & Bar of Charles Upham. The medals were recovered three months later and at a presentation in Wellington on 15 April 2008 he pledged a further NZ$200,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the thefts.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In July 2008, Ashcroft announced a donation of £5 million for a permanent gallery at the Imperial War Museum, where the fifty Victoria Crosses held by the museum are now on display alongside his own collection of 162 VCs.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft has been described as a "tax exile", and for a number of years lived in the UK enjoying the controversial non-domiciled tax status. At the time of his ennoblement the Cabinet Office said that Ashcroft would be taking up permanent residence in the UK for tax purposes, an undertaking described in the newspapers as a "pledge" and a "gentleman's agreement", but he did not in fact claim to do so until a decade later, when a change in the law would have required him to quit the Lords, had he not done so. Then in 2017 it was revealed following the Paradise Papers leak of offshore investment documents that Lord Ashcroft remained a domicile of Belize despite having claimed to have given up his non-dom tax status in 2010.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1999, Ashcroft was first nominated by Conservative Party leader and friend William Hague for the Lords. During their investigation, the House of Lords Appointments Commission was fed via the media with certain information, which originated from Jonathan Randel, an intelligence research specialist for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Randel leaked Ashcroft's name as being in the DEA's files, although it later emerged that Ashcroft was one of five million people they routinely had files on. Randel claimed that the DEA was ignoring Ashcroft in its investigation of money laundering, allegations which "The Times" newspaper later printed on its front page. However, later investigation by various British media sources from information released under the US Freedom of Information Act showed that at no point did the DEA personally investigate Ashcroft.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: After his second successful nomination to the Lords and his ascent to the house, Ashcroft sued "The Times" in the High Court. The two parties eventually reached an out of court agreement which resulted in Rupert Murdoch agreeing to "The Times" printing a full front page retraction of its allegations. Ashcroft later recounted his own side of the story in his book, "Dirty Politics, Dirty Times."


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2003, Ashcroft was criticised by the High Court judge, Mr Justice Peter Smith in "Rock (Nominees) Ltd v RCO (Holdings) Plc". Smith condemned Ashcroft's tactics in relation to the takeover of cleaning company RCO by the Danish firm ISS. Smith said,


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Smith went on to say that Ashcroft "was not content with a small £250,000 profit earned in a matter of weeks. He now seeks to extract millions." Ashcroft responded by telling journalists that "being accused of blackmail by a man who states that speculation has no part to play in the City is rather like finding that you are sharing a railway carriage with a drunk. It's best not to take too much notice."


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2008, "The Economist" ran an article on the web of loans and court cases surrounding Belize Bank (owned by Ashcroft), a private hospital company called Universal Health Services and the government of Belize. It was alleged that Belize Bank had wrongly appropriated monies sent from the government of Venezuela for housing purposes to settle debts relating to loans to UHS and illegally guaranteed in secret by the Belizean premier.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: "The Guardian" said that sources claimed the bills were paid by a company owned by Ashcroft in Belize, meaning that he did not pay VAT. The newspaper estimated that the total VAT bill could have totalled more than £40,000; however, paying the bill in this way removed the legal obligation to pay VAT.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 2012, BBC's "Panorama" programme alleged that Lord Ashcroft continued to control the Caribbean construction company Johnston International after its sale in 1999 until it went bankrupt in 2010, and that he concealed his continuing control. Ashcroft denied he owned Johnston after 1999, though he avoided answering questions about whether he continued to "control" it.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: Ashcroft's book "Call Me Dave: The unauthorised biography of David Cameron", published on 5 October 2015, has been criticised for containing content which lacks evidence. In addition to this, some commentators believe Ashcroft published the book to tarnish David Cameron's reputation. The book triggered the "Piggate" scandal with an allegation that a photograph exists which shows Cameron putting "a private part of his anatomy" into the mouth of a dead pig's severed head, which was positioned in the lap of another man.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: On 31 March 2000, Ashcroft was appointed as a life peer, and the title Baron Ashcroft, "of Chichester in the County of West Sussex" was gazetted on 20 October 2000, the last creation of the millennium. His appointment to the House of Lords was controversial at the time, particularly because of his business and political interests in Belize; the body responsible for scrutiny of political honours had refused his becoming a member of the Lords one year earlier.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: He was nominated by Conservative party leader William Hague on the condition that he became a UK resident although at the beginning of 2010 he announced his "non-domiciled" tax status. Ashcroft had announced that he intended to take the title "Baron Ashcroft of Belize", a suggestion that infuriated his political opponents. He later said this had been a joke, and his title was created as simply "Baron Ashcroft".


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In the 2000 Birthday Honours, on the advice of the Belizean government, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) "for public service to the community and country" of Belize.


title: Michael Ashcroft

text: In 1999, he was given the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by Anglia Ruskin University; he would be named chancellor of the university in 2001. He was chancellor for 20 years until 2021 and made significant contributions to the university.