title: Daniel Glass

texts:
<mask> is an American music industry executive whose output has included work with artists Billy Idol, Wilson Phillips, Sinéad O'Connor, Jon Secada, Warren Zevon, Blur, Huey Lewis and the News, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Erykah Badu, Baha Men, Kurupt, The Pretenders, Sugarcult, and, in 2007, the launch of Glassnote Entertainment Group artists – Secondhand Serenade, Justin Nozuka, Grammy Award-winning Phoenix, Grammy Award winning Mumford & Sons, The Temper Trap, Two Door Cinema Club, Daughter, Robert DeLong, Flight Facilities, Half Moon Run, Jeremy Messersmith, Chvrches, Grammy Award-winning Childish Gambino, Aurora, James Hersey, Mansionair,  The Strumbellas, Luwten, Dylan Cartlidge, Mosa Wild and Jade Bird. In 2011 Rolling Stone magazine named Glassnote "Best Indie Label." In 2013 and 2014, Glassnote won the A2IM Libera award for Best Label of the Year. In December, 2015, <mask> was named a CHEVALIER DE L'ORDRE DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES by the French Minister of Culture. Early years and the start of a music career
<mask> was raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1977, while engaged in pre-med studies at Brooklyn College, he began a stint as an R&B/dance disc jockey at the college's radio station WBCR. Still a student, he was subsequently hired as the first DJ for the influential discotheque, Regine's.SAM Records
<mask> joined the influential indie dance label SAM Records as vice president working with Gary's Gang, John Davis and the Monster Orchestra and the Evasions. He began focusing on developing artists’ careers, rather than just trying to pick hit records. Significantly, <mask> promoted street bands when other more conservative and larger labels had not. Chrysalis Records; Senior Vice President
<mask> joined Chrysalis Records in 1983 as Director of New Music Marketing and was later appointed Senior Vice President. During his six years with Chrysalis, he helped guide the careers of such stars as Pat Benatar, Huey Lewis and the News, Billy Idol, Spandau Ballet, Jethro Tull, Icehouse, The Divinyls, Sinéad O'Connor and Was (Not Was), among others. He also developed a strong college and intern program, which cultivated a number of talented young executives who later went on to high-level positions throughout the entertainment industry. SBK Records/EMI Record Group; President/CEO
In 1989, <mask> joined SBK Records as Senior Vice President of Promotion.This quickly produced success in breaking new artists, including the multi-platinum debuts of Jesus Jones, Technotronic, Wilson Phillips, Vanilla Ice, as well at SBK/Liberty country artist Billy Dean. In 1990, <mask> was promoted to Executive Vice President/General Manager of SBK Records. A 1992 edition of Crain's New York Business profiled him ("<mask>, 35, General Manager EMI Records Group North America") as one of the top "under forty" business executives. With the consolidation of SBK, Chrysalis, and EMI USA several years later into "EMI Record Group North America," he rose to President/CEO. In that position he was instrumental in bringing Jon Secada, Selena, Barrio Boyzz, Blur, D'Angelo, Roxette, Wilson Phillips, Vanilla Ice, Technotronic, and Arrested Development into platinum and Grammy Award-winning status, as well as the hit soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film, The Crying Game, which featured Boy George. Rising Tide Records/Universal Records; President
In 1996, <mask> caught the attention of Doug Morris (later, chairman of Universal Music Group), with whom he started Rising Tide Records (subsequently Universal Records), with <mask> as president. The label had success in breaking new artists, including the multi-platinum debut of Erykah Badu, Billie Myers, Goldfinger, and the Lost Boyz.Recognizing the changing landscape of the industry, <mask> strategically aligned Universal with such independent record labels as Kedar Entertainment, home to Erykah Badu, and Mojo Records, home to platinum artists Reel Big Fish and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Artemis Records; President
In 1999 <mask> joined Artemis Records as Executive Vice President. After a few months, he was named President and achieved success with the gold record rapper Kurupt, Grammy Award-winning Warren Zevon, rocker Steve Earle, gold record female hard rock group Kittie, the Pretenders and the triple platinum pop stars Baha Men. He also executive produced the Josh Joplin Group’s album, which was released in January 2001. Glassnote Records
In 2007, <mask> founded Glassnote Entertainment Group, encompassing a music label, publishing company, artist management, and merchandising. Among the artists signed to the label are Two Door Cinema Club, Grammy Award Winning Phoenix, Grammy Award Winning Mumford & Sons, Daughter, The Temper Trap, Aurora, Jeremy Messersmith, Mansionair, Dylan Cartlidge, The Strumbellas,  Flight Facilities, Robert DeLong, Jade Bird and Half Moon Run. In 2012, the sophomore release by Glassnote artist Mumford & Sons became the biggest selling debut album of the year with first week sales of 600,000 units.*
For the first release on the independent Glassnote Entertainment Group he chose Secondhand Serenade, the #1 unsigned artist in the history of MySpace, with 17 million plays and roughly 200,000 "friends." In 2013 Glassnote Records won the A2IM Libera Award for Best Label of the Year. Present Artist Management
In 2017 <mask> started a management company whose current roster includes Starcrawler and Liily. In January 2021, <mask> launched Connection Music Publishing, a publishing company for songwriters. Awards and leadership
Vice Chair of the UJA Federation of New York, which honored him as 2002 Music Visionary of the Year. 2005 TJ Martell Family of the Year
Founding Board President of LIFEbeat, an AIDS advocacy and hands-on service. organization he co-founded in April 1992.Founding Board Member of the Dance Music Hall of Fame. Vice President of The New York Music for Youth Foundation. Former Chairman/current member of the Development Committee and longtime former Trustee at The Dalton School. Has hosted the annual International Dance Music Awards (IDMA) in Miami Beach as he has done for the past 15 years
Member of the Brooklyn College Foundation
<mask> has run 25 NYC Marathons, 30 marathons total
<mask> ran the 2010 Boston Marathon
Became a Billboard Magazine Midem Master 2011
<mask> ran the 2011 Hamptons Marathon
<mask> was honored with a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2012 at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami Beach. Board Member of T.J Martell Foundation
Named 2013 Musexpo International Music Person of the Year
Named 2013 SESAC Visionary of the Year
Won Musexpo International A & R Executive of the Year 2014
Won 2014 Clio Award for Childish Gambino installation at Rough Trade Records, Brooklyn
Listed in the Billboard Power 100 for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Named a Chevalier De L'Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres by the government of France in December 2015
Board member of Children in Conflict, the American arm of Warchild

Personal life
<mask> is the father of <mask>, noted DJ and founder of Win Music, Maxie <mask>, a teacher, and <mask>. References

External links
Internsushi.com
"<mask>," 1/26/04
"<mask>, 35, General manager, EMI Records Group North America," Crains New York Business
"<mask> Named CEO of Artemis Records," 2/7/05
Video of 2007 interview
Beta TV Interview with <mask>
Spinner.com
Revolt.tv
Latimes.com
Billboard.biz
Hollywoodreporter.com
Sesac.com

American music industry executives
Record producers from New York (state)
Brooklyn College alumni
People from Brooklyn
20th-century American Jews
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
1956 births
21st-century American Jews

masks:
Daniel Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Daniel Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Glass
Daniel
Glass
Daniel
Daniel
Daniel
Daniel
Daniel
Sean Glass
Glass
Liam Glass
Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass


title: Lou Costello

type: original

texts:
<mask> (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as <mask>, was an American comedian and actor. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine "Who's on First?". The comedians, who teamed up in burlesque in 1936, were among the most popular and highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II. During a national tour in 1942 they sold $85 million in war bonds in 35 days. By 1955, their popularity waned due to overexposure, and their film and television contracts lapsed. Their partnership ended in 1957. Early life
<mask> was born on March 6, 1906, in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of Helen Rege and Sebastiano Cristillo.His father was Italian, from Caserta in Campania, Italy, and his mother was an American of Italian, French and Irish ancestry (her grandfather was Francesco Rege, from Piedmont, Italy). <mask> attended Public School 15 in Paterson and was considered a gifted athlete. He excelled in basketball and reportedly was twice Paterson's free throw champion. (His basketball prowess can be seen in Here Come the Co-Eds (1945), in which he performs all his own trick basketball shots without using a double or special effects.) He also fought as a boxer under the name "<mask>". Career
<mask> was a great admirer of silent movie comedian Charlie Chaplin. In 1927, <mask> hitchhiked to Hollywood to become an actor, but could only find work as a laborer or extra at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hal Roach Studios.His athletic skill brought him occasional work as a stunt man, notably in The Trail of '98 (1928). He can also be spotted sitting ringside in the Laurel and Hardy film The Battle of the Century (1927). He said he took his professional name from actress Helene <mask>, although by this time his brother, Anthony (Pat) had used <mask> in his career as a professional musician. Burlesque and Bud Abbott
In 1928, with the advent of talking pictures, <mask> headed back east intending to get theatrical experience. Stranded in St. Joseph, Missouri, he persuaded a local burlesque producer to hire him as a Dutch comic ("Dutch" was a corruption of "Deutsche", and the comic performed with a German accent). By the end of the year he was back in New Jersey. He began working in burlesque on the Mutual Burlesque wheel the following year.After the Mutual Wheel collapsed during the Great Depression, <mask> went to work for different stock burlesque impresarios, including the Minskys, where he crossed paths with a talented producer and straight man named Bud Abbott. They first worked together in 1935 at the Eltinge Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City after <mask>'s straight man fell ill. They formally teamed up early in 1936. Radio and Hollywood

Abbott and Costello were signed by the William Morris talent agency, which landed them featured roles and national exposure on The Kate Smith Hour, a popular radio variety show, in 1938. The team's signature routine, "Who's on First? ", made its radio debut on Smith's show early that year. Many of the team's sketches were further polished by John Grant, who was hired soon after the team joined the program.Their success on the Smith show led to their appearance in a Broadway musical in 1939, The Streets of Paris. The team was hosting a summer radio series in 1940 when they were signed by Universal Pictures for supporting roles in One Night in the Tropics (1940). They stole the film with their classic routines, including a shortened version of "Who's On First?" (the complete version was performed in The Naughty Nineties, released in 1945). The team's breakthrough picture, however, was Buck Privates, released early in 1941. Three more films followed in 1941, and they were voted the No. 3 Box Office Stars that year.After working as regulars on the Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy radio program in 1941–42, they launched their own show The Abbott and Costello Show, in October 1942. Fame and tragedy
The duo made 36 films from 1940 to 1956, and were among the most popular and highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II. Among their most popular films are Buck Privates, Hold That Ghost, Who Done It?, Pardon My Sarong, The Time of Their Lives, Buck Privates Come Home, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. In the summer of 1942, the team went on a 35-day cross-country tour to promote and sell War Bonds. The Treasury Department credited them with the sale of $85 million in bonds. In March 1943, after completing a winter tour of army bases, <mask> had an attack of rheumatic fever and was unable to work for six months. On November 4 of that year, he returned to the team's popular radio show, but while rehearsing at their NBC studio, <mask> received word that his infant son, <mask>., had accidentally drowned in the family pool.The baby worked loose the slats in his crib, climbed out and fell into the pool, unnoticed by the nanny. The baby ('Little Butch') was just two days short of his first birthday. <mask> had asked his wife to keep Butch up that night so the boy could hear his father on the radio for the first time. Rather than cancel the broadcast, <mask> said, "Wherever he is tonight, I want him to hear me", and went on with the show. No one in the audience knew of the death until after the show, when Bud Abbott explained the sad events of the day and how <mask> epitomized the phrase "The show must go on" that night. Maxene Andrews of The Andrews Sisters, said that his entire demeanor changed after the tragic loss of his son, saying, "He didn't seem as fun-loving and as warm ... He seemed to anger easily ... there was a difference in his attitude."As their careers grew more successful, serious cracks began to appear in Abbott and <mask>'s relationship. Reportedly, their first disagreement was in 1936 over a booking in a minstrel show at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. <mask> wanted to take the gig, but Abbott was hesitant. <mask> offered to give Abbott a larger split of their salary, and Abbott agreed. At the end of 1941, <mask> insisted that the team split their income 60/40 in <mask>'s favor. In 1945, when <mask> fired a maid and Abbott hired her, <mask> announced that he would no longer work with Abbott. However, they were still under contract to Universal and required to complete two movies in 1946.They did Little Giant and The Time of Their Lives, but barely appeared together in either film and rarely spoke to one another off-camera. Abbott reached out to heal their relationship, suggesting that the foundation he and <mask> had founded for rheumatic fever sufferers be named the <mask> Jr. Youth Foundation, which touched <mask> deeply. The project became a youth foundation that still exists. Their radio program moved to ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from 1947 to 1949. It was pre-recorded. In 1951, the duo began to appear on live television, joining the rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour.(Eddie Cantor, Martin and Lewis and Bob Hope were among the others). The following year their own filmed situation comedy, The Abbott and Costello Show, began running in syndication around the country. <mask> owned the half-hour series, with Abbott working on salary. The show, which was loosely adapted from their radio program and films, ran for two seasons, from 1952 to 1954, but found long life in syndicated reruns. They were forced to withdraw from Fireman Save My Child in 1954 due to <mask>'s poor health — he suffered relapses of rheumatic fever — and were replaced by studio contract players Hugh O'Brian and Buddy Hackett. The team could not reach a contract agreement with Universal the following year and left the studio after 15 years. <mask> was surprised and honored by Ralph Edwards on NBC's This Is Your Life in 1956.Abbott and <mask> split
By the mid-1950s, the Abbott and <mask> films were no longer box office gold. With concurrent film and television appearances, they suffered from overexposure, and were further eclipsed by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, who were the hot entertainment commodity of the 1950s that Abbott and <mask> were a decade earlier. After failing to come to terms with the team, Universal dropped their movie contract in 1955. In the early 1950s, troubles with the Internal Revenue Service forced both men to sell their large homes and the rights to some of their films. Abbott and <mask> made their final film together, Dance with Me, Henry in 1956. The film was a box-office disappointment and received mixed critical reviews. Abbott and <mask> dissolved their partnership in 1957 amicably.<mask> worked with other comedians, including Sidney Fields in Las Vegas, and sought film and television projects for himself. He appeared several times on Steve Allen's The Tonight Show, most often doing his old routines with <mask> or Tom Poston in the straight man role. In 1958, he played a dramatic role on The Tobias Jones Story episode of Wagon Train. Death

Shortly after completion of The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock, his only film appearance without Abbott, <mask> suffered a heart attack. He died at Doctors Hospital in Beverly Hills on March 3, 1959, three days before his 53rd birthday. Sources conflict on the circumstances of his last day and final words. By some accounts, restated in numerous "quotes" aggregates, he told visitors that the strawberry ice cream soda he had just finished was "the best I ever tasted", then expired.By other reports, including several contemporaneous obituaries, the ice cream soda exchange occurred earlier in the day; later, after his wife and friends had left, he asked his private duty nurse to adjust his position in bed. "I think I'll be more comfortable", he said; but before the nurse could comply, he suffered a cardiac arrest and died. After a funeral Mass at his parish, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Sherman Oaks, <mask> was interred at the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, on March 8. His wife Anne died from an apparent heart attack nine months later, on December 5, 1959, at age 47. Family
On January 30, 1934, <mask> married Anne Battler, a burlesque dancer. Their first child, Patricia "Paddy" <mask>, was born in 1936, followed by Carole on December 23, 1938, and <mask>. (nicknamed "Butch") on November 6, 1942. On August 15, 1947, their last child, Christine, was born.<mask>'s older brother, <mask> was a musician who had his own band before moving to Hollywood, where he was enlisted to perform stunts in <mask>'s place in the first ten Abbott and Costello films. Later he had a supporting role in Mexican Hayride (1948). <mask>'s sister, Marie Katherine Cristillo (1912–1988) was married to actor Joe Kirk (Nat Curcuruto), who portrayed "Mr. Bacciagalupe" on the Abbott and Costello radio and television shows  and appeared in supporting roles in several of the team's films. <mask> and Anne's second daughter, Carole, appeared in uncredited baby roles in a few Abbott and Costello films. She went on to become a contestant coordinator for the game show Card Sharks as well as a nightclub singer. She died of a stroke on March 29, 1987, at age 48 while married to Craig Martin, eldest son of Dean Martin. Carole's daughter, Marki <mask>, is an actress, director and producer in film and television.<mask> and Anne's youngest daughter, Chris, published a biography, <mask>'s On First, in 1981. Memorials

In 1946, <mask> was joined by Abbott to fund a 3.3 acre playground with baseball field on Olympic Blvd. in the Boyle Heights district of Los Angeles. The "Lou Costello Jr. Youth Foundation" opened May 3, 1947. In 1951, the playground was sold (donated) to LA City Parks for less than one-third its cost, and the name changed to "<mask> Costello Jr. Youth Recreation Center."On June 26, 1992, the city of Paterson, New Jersey, in conjunction with the Lou Costello Memorial Association, erected a statue of <mask> in the newly named <mask> Costello Memorial Park in the city's historic downtown section. It shows <mask> holding a baseball bat, a reference to the team's most famous routine, "Who's on First?". The statue has had brief appearances in two episodes of The Sopranos: "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Cold Stones". The statue and the "Who's on First?" routine also featured in the film Paterson (2016). In 2005, Madison Street, in the Sandy Hill section of Paterson, where <mask> was born, was renamed <mask> Place. The centennial of <mask>'s birth was celebrated in Paterson on the first weekend in March 2006.From June 24 to 26, 2006, the Fort Lee Film Commission held a centennial film retrospective at the Fine Arts Theatre in Hollywood. Films screened included the premiere of a digital film made by the teenagers of the present day <mask> Costello Jr. Recreation Center in East Los Angeles. Also premiered was a 35 mm restored print of the <mask>-produced 1948 short film 10,000 Kids and a Cop, which was shot at the <mask> Costello, Jr. Youth Center in East Los Angeles. In 2009, <mask> was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Abbott and <mask> are among the few non-baseball personnel to be memorialized in the Baseball Hall of Fame, although they are not inductees of the Hall. A plaque and a gold record of the "Who's on First?"sketch have been on permanent display there since 1956, and a video of the routine loops endlessly in the exhibit area. Radio

Filmography

Television

References

External links

<mask> at Abbott and Costello - Who's on First

1906 births
1959 deaths
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors

Actors from Paterson, New Jersey
American male comedians
American male comedy actors
American male film actors
American male radio actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American people of Italian descent
American people of French descent
American people of Irish descent
American stunt performers
Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles)
American burlesque performers
Comedians from California
Male actors from Los Angeles
Male actors from New Jersey
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees
Universal Pictures contract players
Vaudeville performers
Catholics from New Jersey
Comedians from New Jersey

masks:
Louis Francis Cristillo
Lou Costello
Louis Francis Cristillo
Costello
Lou King
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Lou Jr
Lou
Lou
Lou
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Lou Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Louis Nye
Costello
Costello
Costello
Costello
Lou Jr
Costello
Pat Costello
Lou
Costello
Lou
Costello
Lou
Lou
Costello
Lou
Costello
Lou
Costello
Costello
Lou Costello
Costello
Lou
Lou Costello
Lou
Costello
Costello
Lou Costello


title: Mahendra Pal Singh

texts:
<mask> (born 15 July 1940), is a jurist and a scholar of constitutional law, administrative law and comparative law, and Professor Emeritus at University of Delhi. Presently, he serves as a Research Professor of Law, Distinguished Scholar in Public Law & Comparative Law, Director – Centre for Comparative Law and Chairman of the Law School Doctoral Committee at Jindal Global Law School, OP Jindal Global University. He is best known amongst students of Constitution of India as the author of V.N. Shukla's Constitution of India a standard textbook for lawyers on Constitution of India. Internationally however, he is more famous amongst scholars of comparative law for his work, German Administrative Law in Common Law Perspective. Early life and influences

<mask> was born in a village called Jitholi in the district of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Having lost his parents at a very young age, he was brought up by his grandparents.Most of his childhood and adulthood were spent in this rural environment, an element which according to him left a lasting impression on his understanding of the nature of Indian legal systems. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Agra, followed by an LL.B from the same institution. He has said that he was motivated to study the Constitution after having read Corwin's "The Higher Law" Background of American Constitutional Law. He read for his LL.M at University of Lucknow under the leading constitutional law expert, V. N. Shukla. He followed it up with another LL.M at the Columbia Law School, where he had the opportunity to study under the leading authority on American administrative law and civil liberties, Walter Gellhorn. He came back to India to read for his LL.D from the University of Lucknow. In 1970, <mask> joined the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, where he was to remain as a Professor of Law until 2005.At the University of Delhi, P. K. Tripathi had an important influence on his work. From 1980 until 1982 and then again in 1985, he studied and researched in Germany at the South Asia Institute of the University of Heidelberg, and at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. The result was not only a fruition of learned academics, but also lifelong association with leading German scholars. Most important of these was Dietrich Conrad, one of the leading scholars of constitutional law from post-World War II Germany. Career
He started his career in 1964 as a lecturer of law at the University of Meerut, and later in 1970 moved to the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He also served as the Director of the Indian Law Institute. From December 2006 to December 2011, he was the Vice-Chancellor of The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.NUJS Law Review, which is a quarterly publication of that university, was conceptualised by him and has undertaken the responsibility of conducting and publishing its own research. He was also its founding Editor-in-Chief. He had also been the Chairperson of the Delhi Judicial Academy. <mask> is current Chancellor of the Central University of Haryana. He is also the Visiting Professor at the National Law University Delhi where he holds the Chair of Comparative Law. On his 70th birthday on 15 July 2010, a festschrift titled "Law and (In) Equalities" was released in his honour. The book dwells on the aspects of societal inequality in India, a theme which has remained central to <mask>'s study of Indian Constitution and law.In another gesture, on 12 December 2009, the All India Law Teacher's Congress presented Professor <mask> the 'Life Time Best Teacher Award'. On 28 September 2017, University of Delhi conferred upon him the title of Professor Emeritus in recognition of his achievements as Professor of Law. Central themes in work

Unarguably, <mask>'s most important contribution has been by way of analysing and understanding persistent inequalities in Indian society. Within the framework of Indian Constitution, he has argued for a distinction between distributive justice and compensatory justice, emphasising upon the importance of the latter in battling the age old hierarchies within Indian society. His work on reservation for backward classes and minorities has led to him to conclude that the fundamental rights mentioned in the Constitution should be interpreted in an Indian context, which means that a betterment of the society has to be brought about in terms of understanding and improving the Indian ways of life, rather than attempting their surgical replacement. Positions held
<mask> has been a fellow and visiting professor at several institutions and universities of international repute. In 1985 he was designated as the Professor of Law at Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.in 1994, he was appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Head of the Department of Law, University of Delhi, positions that he retained till 1997. In 1980–1982 and again in 1985 he was Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Heidelberg. The result of this stay was not only his works on German administrative law, and on minorities, but also a long and fruitful association between Indian and German legal academia. He briefly served as the Director of the Indian Law Institute in 1997. He joined the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences as its Vice-Chancellor in December 2006 till 2011. Between 2007 and 2010 he co-chaired Task Force - 1, Commission on Centre-State Relationship, Government of India. He then served as Chairperson of Delhi Judicial Academy from 2011 till 2013.He has also served as External Advisor, Centre for Minority Studies, Kansai University, Japan. <mask> was also a visiting professor and Head of Law Division at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg in 1987–88 and visiting professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Heidelberg in 1991–92. In 1999–2000 and 2001 he was fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg. He was a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2005, Kansai University, Osaka in 2002, National University of Singapore in 2005 and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 2006. In 2002–03 he was fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin and in 2004, at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In 2008 Renmin University of China, Beijing honoured him as visiting professor for three years. His publications include over one hundred papers in different legal journals and edited works and ten books including German Administrative Law in Common Law Perspective, Freedom of Trade and Commerce in India, Comparative Constitutional Law, Legal Dimensions of Market Economy and Human Rights and Basic Needs.Work on legal education in India
<mask> has laid especial emphasis in making legal education more meaningful to Indian society by making the top law schools more accessible to the students from less privileged background. At NUJS, and since, he has been leading an effort called IDIA, or 'Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access', which involves an engagement with school going children from different parts of semi-urban and rural India and to encourage and help them enter the top law schools of the country. Towards the same end, he has also been heading a group of academicians, called the Legal Education and Research Society or 'LEARS' as it is popularly referred to. He has also been running a school in his village Jitholi for the children of the nearby places. Students from NUJS and volunteers from IDIA have often visited and interacted with the kids of this school. Personal life
He is married to Sarla <mask>, who herself has been a teacher. Their three children are Sandhya, Shailendra and Swati.References

1940 births
Living people
Deans of law schools in India
Indian legal scholars
Scholars of constitutional law
Kansai University faculty
Delhi University faculty

masks:
Mahendra Pal Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh


title: Neil Bush

texts:
<mask> (born January 22, 1955) is an American businessman and investor. He is the fourth of six children of former President George H. W<mask> and <mask> (née Pierce). His five siblings are George W<mask>, the 43rd President of the United States; <mask>, a former governor of Florida; the late <mask>; <mask>; and <mask>. <mask> is currently a businessman based in Texas. Early life
On January 22, 1955, <mask> was born in Midland, Texas. <mask> was named after a good friend of the family, <mask>, chairman of Dresser Industries, George H. W. <mask>'s employer. As a child, <mask> spent some summers and holidays at his family's estate in Maine, the Bush compound.At age 11, he entered the exclusive St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. He struggled through school; a counselor told his mother that it was doubtful the boy had the potential to graduate. He was later diagnosed as having dyslexia, and his mother spent much time coaching him through his learning disability. Eventually, his grades improved and he graduated from St. Albans in 1973. Education
In 1977, <mask> earned a degree in economics from Tulane University. In 1979, <mask> earned an MBA. Career and business dealings

Silverado Savings and Loan
He settled in the Denver area where he was friends with members of the family of John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Reagan.<mask> was a member of the board of directors of Denver-based Silverado Savings and Loan from 1985 to 1988 during the S&L crisis of the 1980s. Since his father George H. W<mask> was Vice President of the United States, his role in Silverado's failure was a focal point of publicity. The U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision investigated Silverado's failure and determined that <mask> had engaged in numerous "breaches of his fiduciary duties involving multiple conflicts of interest." Although <mask> was not indicted on criminal charges, a civil action was brought against him and the other Silverado directors by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; it was eventually settled out of court, with <mask> paying $50,000 as part of the settlement. A friend who also donated funds to the Republican Party set up a fund to help defer costs <mask> incurred in his S&L
legal defense. Ignite! Learning

In 1999, <mask> co-founded Ignite!Learning, an educational software corporation. <mask> has said he started Austin-based Ignite! Learning because of his learning difficulties in middle school and those of his son, Pierce. The software uses multiple intelligence methods to provide varying types of content to appeal to multiple learning styles. To fund Ignite!, <mask> raised $23 million from US investors, including his parents, as well as businessmen from Taiwan, Japan, Kuwait, the British Virgin Islands and the United Arab Emirates, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Documented investors included Kuwaiti company head Mohammed Al Saddah, and Chinese computer executive Winston Wong, as well as the late Russian billionaire expatriate Boris Berezovsky, and Berezovsky's partner Badri Patarkatsishvili. <mask>'s relationship with the late controversial oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a political enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin who at the time of his death had been under indictment for fraud in Russia and an applicant for asylum in the United Kingdom, has been noted in the media.Berezovsky, who died in 2013, had been an investor in <mask>'s Ignite! program since at least 2003. <mask> met with Berezovsky in Latvia. The meeting caused tension between that country and Russia due to Berezovsky's fugitive status. <mask> was also seen in Berezovsky's box at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium for a football game in 2006, which prompted some stateside criticism. There had also been speculation in the English language Moscow Times that the relationship may cause tension in U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, "especially since Putin had taken pains to build a personal relationship with the U.S. president," <mask>. In 2002, <mask> commended his brother, George, for his efforts on education as president, but he questioned the emphasis on constant testing to keep federal aid coming to public schools: "I share the concerns of many that if our system is driven around assessments, pencil-and-paper tests that test a kid's ability to memorize stuff, I would say that reliance threatens to institutionalize bad teaching practices."As of October 2006, over 13 US school districts (out of over 14,000 school districts nationwide) have used federal funds made available through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to buy Ignite's portable learning centers at $3,800 apiece. A December 2003 Style section article in The Washington Post reported that <mask>'s salary from Ignite! was $180,000 per year. Kopin stock trades
In July 1999, <mask> made at least $798,000 on three stock trades in a single day of a company where he had been employed as a consultant. The company, Kopin Corporation of Taunton, Massachusetts, announced on the same day good news about a new Asian client that sent its stock value soaring. <mask> stated that he had no inside knowledge and that his financial advisor had recommended the trades. He said, "any increase in the price of the stock on that day was purely coincidental, meaning that I did not have any improper information."When asked in January 2004 about the stock trades, <mask> contrasted the capital gains he reported in 1999 and 2000 with the capital losses on Kopin stock he reported ($287,722 in all) in 2001. In 2001 Kopin joined a broad decline in high-tech stock valuations. Speaking engagements
<mask> has often been invited to speak to audiences overseas. <mask> says he has courtesy visits with world leaders but has no plans to wade into foreign policy. "Oftentimes because of my father's goodwill, and because of the president being who he is, people might extend an invitation, and it's enjoyable for me," <mask> said. "Some of these folks are family friends." Speaking at a Saudi Arabian economic forum in January 2002, <mask> referred to growing anti-American sentiment in Arab countries and said the two peoples must communicate better.He said the Arab P.R. machine is not as good as Israel's. <mask> frequently travels to the Middle East, Europe and Asia to negotiate deals and raise capital for various businesses. According to court filings from his divorce, in 2000 he was paid $1.3 million for such work. This includes $642,500 as a commission for introducing an Asian investor to the owners of an American high-tech company. The George W. <mask>-era White House Administration appeared unfazed by his world travel. "The president knows his brother will always do the right thing," press secretary Ari Fleischer said."Other business engagements
In 2002, <mask> signed a consulting contract that paid $2 million in stock over five years to work for Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., a firm backed by Jiang Mianheng, the son of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, plus $10,000 for every board meeting he attends. <mask> serves as co-chairman of a company called Crest Investment. Crest pays him $60,000 a year to provide miscellaneous consulting services. In 2001, <mask> incorporated an investment firm called LehmanBush with veteran China lawyer Edward Lehman. Philanthropy and charity involvement, volunteer work

George H.W. Bush Foundation For U.S.-China Relations
<mask> is the founder and chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation For U.S.-China Relations.Created in 2017, the Foundation serves as a U.S.-China Relations Think Tank, Track 2 Diplomacy Policy Hub and for Business, Trade and U.S. Investment. The organization holds an annual George H.W. Bush Conference on U.S.-China Relations. The purpose of The George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations seeks to advance U.S.-China relations in ways that reflect the ethos and values of President George H. W<mask>, whose visionary, wise, deft and steady stewardship of the U.S.-China relationship during his tenure as president was exemplary of the highest attributes and values of true statesmanship. Through an active, wide-ranging and highly innovative program of activities, the Bush China Foundation promotes the late president's life-long view that the U.S.-China relationship is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world and that a positive and constructive relationship between the two countries is in the best interest of both the United States and China as well as the entire global community. Points of Light
<mask> is the chairman of Points of Light; an international nonprofit that works to increase volunteerism in the world. Points of Light has approximately 250 affiliates in 22 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and companies dedicated to volunteer service around the world.In 2012, Points of Light mobilized 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service worth $635 million. Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue
<mask> was a founding director, along with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI), of the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue (FIIRD). The foundation promotes ecumenical understanding and publishes religious texts and was founded in 1999. <mask> is no longer on the board of the foundation. Anti-Ritalin campaign
In 2002, <mask> told the New York Post that he "endured his own Ritalin hell seven years ago when educators in a Houston private school diagnosed his son, Pierce, (then) 16, with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and pushed medication." In a September 26, 2002, episode of CNN Interview, <mask> told Connie Chung:

<mask> decided "the educators were wrong" about his son. "There is a systemic problem in this country, where schools are often forcing parents to turn to Ritalin," he said."It's obvious to me that we have a crisis." Also that year, <mask> testified before a hearing of the United States Congress to speak out against over-medicating children for learning disorders. He has suggested that many parents believe the ADD and ADHD diagnoses and subsequent medicating of their children because it explains why they aren't doing well in school, saying "it's the system that is failing to engage children in the classroom. My heart goes out to any parents who are being led to believe their kids have a disorder or are disabled." <mask> (along with filmmaker Michael Moore) is credited in the cast of a 2005 documentary film, The Drugging of Our Children directed by Gary Null. In the film's trailer <mask> says: "Just because it is easy to drug a kid and get them to be compliant doesn't make it right to do it." Ted Cruz presidential campaign
After his brother Jeb dropped out of the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, <mask> and his wife Maria signed on to the finance team of fellow Republican Ted Cruz.Personal life
<mask> was married to Sharon (née Smith) <mask> (born May 19, 1952) for 23 years. The couple have three children: <mask> Lauren (born June 25, 1984), Pierce Mallon <mask> (born March 11, 1986) and Ashley Walker <mask> (born February 7, 1989). The couple divorced in April 2003. <mask>'s divorce deposition gained public attention when he admitted to several sexual encounters in Thailand and Hong Kong. Sharon gained custody of their minor child Ashley, who for a while was estranged from her father. In addition, Sharon kept their marital home after she collected enough money to pay off the mortgage. In 2004, <mask> remarried in Houston, Texas, to Mexican-born Maria (née Manass) Andrews, a volunteer at the Houston literacy-foundation office of <mask>'s mother, Barbara.Robert Andrews, Andrews' ex-husband, sued <mask> in September 2003 for defamation after she alleged that <mask> was the father of Andrews' two-year-old son. DNA testing showed that Andrews was the father, but the suit was dismissed in 2005. <mask>'s son, Pierce was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 from Texas' 22nd district, but finished third in a fifteen-way primary. References

External links

Excerpt from "<mask>—the unauthorized biography"
Wilmsen, Steven. Silverado: <mask> and the Savings and Loan Scandal National Press Books, August 1991,
Ignite! Learning Webpage
<mask>'s political donations
<mask> profile as non-executive Chairman of SingHaiyi Group Ltd.

1955 births
American computer businesspeople
American consulting businesspeople
American education businesspeople
American philanthropists
American stock traders
<mask> family
Businesspeople from Texas
Businesspeople in software
Children of presidents of the United States
Children of vice presidents of the United States
Freeman School of Business alumni
Living people
Livingston family
People with dyslexia
People from Midland, Texas
Savings and loan crisis
Schuyler family
Texas Republicans
St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
Tulane University alumni

masks:
Neil Mallon Bush
. Bush
Barbara Bush
. Bush
Jeb Bush
Pauline Robinson Bush
Marvin Bush
Dorothy Bush Koch
Neil Bush
Bush
Bush
Henry Neil Mallon
Bush
Bush
Bush
Bush
Neil Bush
. Bush
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Neil
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George Bush
Neil Bush
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Neil Bush
Neil Bush
. Bush
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Neil Bush
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Neil Bush
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Neil
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Lauren Bush
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Sharon Bush
Neil Bush
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George Bush
Neil Bush
Neil Bush
Neil Bush
Bush


title: James Norwood Pratt

texts:
<mask> (born March 27, 1942) is an American author, educator, and speaker, on the topics of wine, tea, and tea lore. Known as "America's Tea Sage," he is possibly the world's most widely read authority on tea and tea lore. Early years
He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and brought up in Forsyth County, North Carolina. His mother, <mask>, was a graduate of the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college, Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She majored in Latin and English Literature, subjects she subsequently taught high school students. His father, Eugene C<mask>, was an actor and musician, turned tobacco company executive and political activist, turned self-employed businessman and farmer. <mask> was educated at R.J. Reynolds High School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in Europe.While at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he enrolled in its Honors Program, infamously named the "Suicide 50" given the extreme obstacles enrollees faced in the program. In 1960, as part of the Honors Program, <mask> made his first journey to Europe aboard . On his return journey, on its sister ship , <mask> first met his future wife, Valerie Turner <mask>. Since 1965, he has lived chiefly in San Francisco, California. Literary works
In California, he wrote his first book The Wine Bibber's Bible (1971), which sold a half-million copies. The acknowledged classic became an indispensable guide to the finest wines of California, and received stellar reviews. Among others, the San Francisco Chronicle noted that it is "[a] delightful book .. . built upon extensive knowledge," and the Washington Post noted that it is "[i]lluminated by love and garnished with literary allusion." He is best known for his books on tea, including <mask> <mask>'s Tea Lover's Treasury (1982), The Tea Lover's Companion (1995), and Reading Tea Leaves (1996) as authored "by a Highland Seer." <mask> <mask>'s Tea Lover's Treasury includes an introduction by preeminent American food writer, M.F.K. Fisher, who notes that: "<mask>'s book about tea is written so deftly, in its heady combination of learning and pure love, that its pages will cheer us long after what's in the cup is cold and stale." In 2000, he brought out <mask> <mask>'s NEW Tea Lover's Treasury, a complete re-casting of his earlier work in the light of increased information. This book is often used as a training manual in the United States tea trade, and has been translated into German with the title Tee für Geniesser. Beginning in 2007, <mask> <mask> began contributing articles to the tea blog, T Ching.He published more than 25 articles on artisan teas and tea history until 2014. In 2010, he authored <mask> <mask>'s Tea Dictionary, which was named Best New Publication by the World Tea Expo (2010). The comprehensive dictionary was designed as a handbook for the international tea trade, but intended to be accessible and useful to tea lovers of every description. The book includes terms for cultivation, manufacture, tasting, trading, marketing, and classification of tea. Most recently, in 2017, he annotated and released The Romance of Tea, William Ukers' 1936 work describing the legendary and true origins of tea, the spread of its consumption as a beverage, and the romantic trade that grew up around it, among other topics. The New York Times described The Romance of Tea as "[a] truly delightful history of the tea plant's 1600 years of beneficent ministry to man's comfort and aesthetic pleasure." Tea trade milestones
He was named Honorary Director of the Imperial Tea Court, a traditional Chinese teahouse founded in 1993 by Roy Fong in San Francisco, now located in the San Francisco Ferry Building.Mr. <mask> has played a major role in disseminating China tea information and tea ways in America and the West. He first anglicized the name for the Chinese covered cup, for example, as "gaiwan" and on second thought changed the spelling to "guywan." Both spellings are now found in English, French and German. Also a speaker and teacher, Mr. <mask> has addressed audiences from Zurich, Switzerland (Le Club des Buveurs de The Suisse) and London's Kew Gardens to Hangzhou (China Tea Research Institute). He served as International Juror at India's first-ever tea competition, The Golden Leaf India Awards 2005, in Coonoor, India. He has served as a consultant, teacher, taster or spokesman for several tea companies. Profiling him as "The Renaissance man of the tea industry" in Fresh Cup magazine's "1999 Tea Almanac", Michelle Williams wrote: "Parts historian, connoisseur, and world-traveller…he has carved out a reputation as the consummate spokesman for US tea consumers.His wit and dedication to the beverage have helped spread the gospel of tea to tens of thousands of people." In 2007 he helped stage a Festival of Tea for Santa Fe Opera's premier production of "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" by Chinese composer Tan Dun. Extensive interviews with Mr. <mask> are featured in the 2009 book,  The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey. He appears in Scott Chamberlin Hoyt's 2008 documentary film of the same name. Quotes
"America's new tea lovers are the people who have forced the tea trade to wake up. Elsewhere, tea has meant a certain way, a certain tradition, for centuries, but this is America! The American tea lover is heir to all the world's tea drinking traditions, from Japanese tea ceremonies to Russian samovars to English scones in the afternoon.India chai, China green, you name it and we can claim it and make it ours. And that's just what we are doing. In this respect, ours is the most innovative and exciting tea scene anywhere." ~<mask> <mask> in "A Life in Tea: <mask> <mask>'s (not so) Mad Mission" by Julie Beals, Editor-in-Chief,

"Taking tea is a moment of windless calm, amid the bluster of daily events has always been one of humanity's favorite pleasures. But beyond pleasure, tea can always provide glimpses of the ultimate reality, usually when we least expect any." References

Sources

External links
Tea Society Biography
 documentary film trailer featuring <mask> <mask> Ching, a tea industry blog. Living people
1942 births
American non-fiction writers
Writers from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tea culture

masks:
James Norwood Pratt
Helen Davis Pratt
. Pratt
James Norwood Pratt
Pratt
Pratt
Pratt
James Norwood
Pratt
James Norwood
Pratt
Norwood Pratt
James Norwood
Pratt
James Norwood
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James Norwood
Pratt
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James Norwood
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James Norwood
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Pratt T


title: Ranil Wickremesinghe

texts:
<mask> (, ; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician and a Member of Parliament from the National List of the United National Party. He is the leader of the United National Party since 1994. He served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015. Born to a wealthy, political family, he graduated from University of Ceylon and qualified as an Advocate from the Ceylon Law College in 1972. Entering active politics in the mid 1970s with the United National Party, he was first elected to Parliament from the Biyagama electorate in the 1977 parliamentary elections and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, by his uncle President J. R. Jayewardene. He was thereafter appointed Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister in Sri Lanka. In 1989, President Ranasinghe Premadasa, appointed Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Leader of the House.He succeeded D. B. Wijetunga as Prime Minister in 1993 following the assassination of Premadasa and Wijetunga succession the presidency. He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in November 1994 following the assassination of Gamini Dissanayake during the campaign for the 1994 presidential election. On 8 January 2015, <mask> was appointed as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena, who had defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election. <mask>'s coalition alliance, the United National Front for Good Governance, won the 2015 parliamentary election with 106 seats. Although it fell short of an outright majority, <mask> was re-elected as Prime Minister with over 35 Sri Lanka Freedom Party members joining his cabinet. Wickremesinghe was removed as Prime Minister on 26 October 2018 by President Maithripala Sirisena with the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister, which Wickremesinghe refused to accept, resulting in a constitutional crisis. The constitutional crisis ended with Sirisena re-appointing Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on 16 December 2018.He resigned as Prime Minister on 20 November 2019, and was again succeed by Mahinda Rajapaksa following the 2019 presidential election. He contested the following parliamentary elections in 2020, but failed to secure a seat in Parliament. He re-entered Parliament as a National List MP of the United National Party, and was sworn in as a member of parliament on the 23rd of June 2021. Early life and education
Born on 24 March 1949 in Colombo, Wickremesinghe was the second son of Esmond Wickremesinghe and Nalini Wickremesinghe née Wijewardena. His father was a lawyer who became a press baron taking over the Lake House Group of newspapers. His grandfathers were <mask> of the Ceylon Civil Service and the press baron, D. R. Wijewardhena. Wickremesinghe was educated at the Royal Preparatory School and at the Royal College, Colombo where he was a classmate and friend of Anura Bandaranaike, son of then Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike and Dinesh Gunawardena, son of socialist leader Philip Gunawardena.Wickremasinghe entered the Faculty of Law of the University of Ceylon at its Colombo Campus which is now the University of Colombo. After graduation, he completed the law exams at the Ceylon Law College and took oaths as an advocate in 1972 after having apprenticed under H. W. Jayewardene, QC. He became an Attorney at law following the changes to the legal profession in 1973. Wickramasinghe received an honorary doctorate from Deakin University in Australia on February 14, 2017, for his significant contributions in reforms in economy, education and human rights. Political career
<mask> joined the United National Party (UNP) and progressed through its ranks. He was appointed as the chief organizer of the Kelaniya Electorate in the mid-1970s but was later appointed as the chief organizer of the Biyagama Electorate, which he won in the 1977 parliamentary elections. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new government of J. R. Jayewardene, and was soon promoted to the post of Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, which made him the youngest cabinet minister of Sri Lanka.During his term as deputy minister, he initiated the Sri Lanka National Guard and the National Youth Services Council (NYSCO), which provides vocational and career training to school leavers. <mask> was later made the Minister of Education. First premiership (1993–1994)
Under the Presidency of Ranasinghe Premadasa, <mask> was appointed as the Minister of Industry, under which he initiated industrial reforms and established the Biyagama Special Economic Zone. Wickremesinghe had competition from his senior colleagues in the UNP, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, who had been rivals of President Premadasa. He was appointed the Leader of the House in 1989. On 7 May 1993, <mask> was sworn in as prime minister after President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers and Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga was appointed president. During his term he was credited for pushing the country through an impressive economic transformation and was generally backed by the business community.Opposition (1994–2001)
In the 1994 parliamentary elections, the UNP lost to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's People's Alliance (PA), and Kumaratunga was appointed Prime Minister of the country. Wickremasinghe was defeated in the race for Opposition Leader by two votes by fellow UNP member Gamini Dissanayake, who had re-joined the party. This gave Gamini Dissanayake the default leadership of the party and made him the presidential nominee of the UNP. The UNP was progressing well under Gamini Dissanayake's leadership, when he too was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers. Gamini Dissanayake's widow, Srima replaced him as the candidate of the UNP in the 1994 election. Securing just 35% of the vote, she lost to Chandrika Kumaratunga in all electorates except Mahiyangana. Afterwards, <mask> was appointed as the opposition leader as well as the UNP leader.Wickremesinghe was seen as a co-operative opposition leader who gave the government a chance to carry out its agenda in its early days. In the 1999 election, <mask> was nominated as UNP's presidential candidate. After a tense election campaign in the wake of the violent North Western Provincial Council election, the Tamil Tigers blasted a suicide bomb in an election campaign rally, in which President Kumaratunga lost her right eye. In the election held two days later 21 December 1999 amidst a wave of sympathy, Kumaratunga received 51% of the popular vote to be re-elected as
Executive President. The gap between <mask> and Kumaratunga was approximately 700,000 votes (6% of the valid votes). Kumaratunga was sworn in for her second term as president on 22 December 1999. After the loss of the 1999 presidential elections, Wickremasinghe unsuccessfully led his party in the 2000 parliamentary elections, again losing out to the PA.

Second premiership (2001–2004)

In the parliamentary general election 2001 UNF, led by <mask> <mask>, won 109 seats and PA was able to obtain only 77 seats.Consequently, he was able to form a new UNF government and sworn as the 17th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on 9 December 2001. However Chandrika Kumaratunga still remained the President of the country. This led to a confusing situation where the President and the Prime Minister were from two opposite parties. Although, according to the constitution, both head of state and head of government was the President, Prime Minister <mask> Wickremesinghe was able to appoint his own cabinet  and he had the actual control over the government. President Chandrika Kumaratunga also chaired cabinet meetings as de facto head, but her influence over decision making was strictly limited. He also requested international community to assist in development during the ceasefire which led to the Tokyo Donor Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka was held in June 2003 in which Sri Lanka received more than 4.5 billion dollars in reconstruction and development aid. During this time he proposed the creation of the "Western Region Megapolis" project.Planned with the assistance of architects and town planners of a Singaporean firm CESMA, it proposed to create a large city in the western province that can rival major cities in the world. However the project did not proceed after the fall of his government. Foreign policy
<mask> <mask>'s foreign policy during his tenant as the Prime Minister pushed closer relations with the west. He expected their economical backing to overcome the economic crisis. He also largely took assistance, especially from Norway, to resolve the ongoing Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka. In July 2002 he was able to meet George W. Bush, the President of the United States during that period. It was the first time after 18 years a Sri Lankan leader met the US leader in the White House.This visit was primarily focused on building new relationships based on economical links between United States and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, US government pledged to support his peace efforts with LTTE. He also met the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi  and the Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Many of these visits were focused on the issues regarding resolving the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka. Peace process
<mask> Wickremesinghe believed a political solution based on a United Sri Lanka was the permanent solution to the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka. He also believed that such a solution could be reached through a peaceful negotiation process with LTTE. Ceasefire Agreement (CFA)
Three months after the election <mask> <mask>'s government entered into a ceasefire agreement (CFA) with LTTE.The agreement was signed on 22 February 2002 at different locations in the war zone by both parties and Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jon Westborg acted as the facilitator. It was said that the main objective of this agreement was to find a negotiated solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Both parties agreed to halt all offensive military operations. An international monitoring mission called Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was formed to inquire into any instance of violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement. In the aftermath of signing CFA the island was deemed as a safe place once again, after decades of war. Specially tourism industry experienced a significant escalation where the number of tourists arrived to the country was suddenly increased. The A9 Highway was reopened up to Kilinochchi on 15 February 2002 after 18 years.Many checkpoints and roadblocks were removed in government-controlled areas. Peace talks
After signing CFA Ranil Wickremesinghe held a few rounds of peace talks with LTTE between 2002 and 2003. Prof. G. L. Peiris, minister Milinda Moragoda and minister Rauff Hakeem led the government delegation and LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan and military leader Karuna Amman led the LTTE faction during the peace talks. The Royal Norwegian government acted as the chief facilitator during the peace talks. There were six rounds of peace talks which were held at different locations around the world:

 16–18 September 2002, Bangkok
 31 October-3 November 2002, Bangkok
 2–5 December 2002, Oslo
 6–9 January 2003, Bangkok
 7–8 February 2003, Berlin
 18–21 March 2003, Tokyo

After the Oslo round of peace talks in December 2003, a concluding statement was declared by the Norwegian facilitators which later became known as Oslo Declaration. In this statement it was stated that "both parties have decided to explore a political solution founded on internal self-determination based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka".This was considered as one of the most significant incidents in the history of finding a political solution to the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka. After the 6th round of peace talks in March 2003 LTTE abruptly withdrew from the peace talks. However, in October 2003 LTTE again showed some intentions of entering into the peace process, calling for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA). The proposal was handed over to the government through Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar. Analysts saw Wickremesinghe was fanning the internecine feuds among the Tigers and systematically weakening them and a foreign policy intended to tighten the global dragnet against the LTTE. Agreements were signed with the US which allowed Sri Lanka get assistance in terms of military training, military technology, intelligence, special training in counter-terrorism and direct monetary assistance for military development. During the ceasefire period United States Pacific Command assessment team conducted a study from Sept 12–2002 to Oct 24, 2002 which made several recommendations to strengthen the capabilities of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force in case of the peace process failing.After studying the weakness of the military the study recommended the use of

masks:
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Wickremesinghe
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Cyril Wickremesinghe
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title: Ranil Wickremesinghe

texts:
 cluster bombs (Which weren't banned until 2010 when Cluster Munitions Convention came into effect)to destroy unarmoured area targets and recommended arming Kafirs and Mi-24 gunships with guided weapons in case of fighting close to enemy forces. The US also donated the SLNS Samudura during this time

Criticism on peace process
The opposition and the nationalistic movements of the country strongly opposed CFA and the overall peace process of <mask> <mask>'s regime. They continuously criticized and protested against CFA claiming it as a threat to the sovereignty of the country which ultimately leads the way to a separate state for LTTE, so called Ealam. It was later claimed by Karuna Amman who defected from the LTTE during <mask> <mask>'s regime that the LTTE dragged the peace talks to smuggle weapons and ammunition including aircraft. LTTE continuously violated CFA in great many occasions. In August 2007 SLMM agreed that LTTE had violated CFA in total 3830 occasions while government of Sri Lanka had violated CFA in only 351 occasions. Several Sri Lankan Army intelligence operatives were allegedly killed by LTTE during this period.Nationalistic movements of the country also widely criticized the proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority by LTTE arguing that would divide the country. They claimed it had all the pre-requirements for a separate state for LTTE. Ultimately CFA and its consequences became the main topic of debate during Presidential Election. It was evident from the results of the election that the Sinhalese majority of the country disapproved of CFA. End of the Regime
Few days after LTTE proposed of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked three ministers of the cabinet and took over the ministries using her constitutional powers ending the uneasy coalition between her and the Prime Minister <mask> <mask> while he was out of the country. Addressing the nation she claimed that this decision was taken in the interest of national security. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna also decided to ally with PA to defeat the <mask> <mask>'s government which they claimed as a threat to the sovereignty of the country.Consequently, President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved the parliament on 7 February 2004
 which effectively ended <mask> <mask>'s regime. Opposition (2004–2015)

In the 2004 Parliamentary Elections held on 2 April <mask> <mask>'s UNF lost governmental office. Despite the expectation of a full six-year term, and planned projects cut short by the defeat, the UNP was optimistic that it could regain power in a future election. Within 14 months of UPFA's victory, the radical JVP wing's (composed of over 30 members) parting of ways with the government, left the UPFA's parliamentary composition well short of the required majority. He remained in the post of the Opposition Leader until 2015, when Maithripala Sirisena who sworn in as the President, appointed him as the Prime Minister. Presidential election, 2005
In December 2004, Wickkamaesinghe was chosen by the United National Party as its presidential candidate for Presidential Elections due in late 2005. The Supreme Court decided in August 2005 that the elections should be held that year despite the President's argument that her term would end in 2006.Mahinda Rajapaksa, then Prime Minister, was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In the Presidential Election held on 17 November 2005, Wickremesinghe was defeated narrowly by Mahinda Rajapaksa, who gained 50.29% of the vote to Wickremesinghe's 48.43%. A large number of the minority Tamil population in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country, who were largely expected to back Wickremesinghe were prevented from voting by the extremist LTTE, which had enforced a boycott of the polls. Provincial elections, 2008–2009
With the success in defeating LTTE in war, the government held a series of provincial elections in 2008 and 2009 for 8 provincial councils (Eastern, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, North Western, Central, Western, Uva, and Southern). In all occasions, UNP was soundly defeated by a large margin by UPFA. Of all the elections UNP obtained only 30% of the total polled and UPFA was able to gain 59% of the total polled. The margin was 2,527,783
compared to 180,786 in Presidential Election  in 2005.Presidential election, 2010
<mask> <mask>, signed an Alliance Agreement with twelve other opposition parties in November 2009 and he announced that, a Common Candidate would be fielded for the Presidential Election which would be held in 2010. Later he announced that the former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka has been selected as the common candidate and pledged to support him. Presidential election, 2015
UNP along several other parties and civil organizations signed to an Understanding Agreement and decided to field the then Secretary General of Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Maithripala Sirisena as the Common Candidate for the Presidential Election and the Common Candidate pledged to appoint <mask> Wickeremesinghe, as the Prime Minister if he would win the election. In the elections held on 8 January 2015, Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena was selected as the 6th President of Sri Lanka and on 9 January 2015 when he was sworn in, he appointed <mask> <mask> as the Prime Minister of the Sri Lankan Parliament. Third premiership (2015–2019)
Following the 2015 Presidential Election's United National Party-led common candidate Maithripala Sirisena having won 51.28% of votes and under Memorandum of Understanding agreement, <mask> was appointed as prime minister for the 100-day program plan and this is his third term as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. <mask> vowed to regain majority in the Parliament and making it as the United National Party's Government, at the same time he also promised to secure the futures of younger generations and instantly confirmed that the Government will launch 1 million jobs for the youth as well advancement for the education and health sectors will maintain as promised. He also took steps to develop the former war-zones by touring the affected areas and met civil activists to discuss the issues faced by the Jaffna civilians and schools and to expedite investigations of missing persons.He also took steps to uplift Northern Province communities and to improve their standard of living. UNP/UNFGG-led by Wickremesinghe had won the General Parliamentary Elections held on 17 August 2015, making himself the Prime Minister for his 4th term, with 106 seats in 225-member Parliament of Sri Lanka forming the government (though short of 7 seats to secure the simple majority of the Parliament) defeating the political rivalry UPFA de facto leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his bid to return as prime minister after his defeat as president. <mask> also scored the highest preferential votes in the election with 500,556 votes, beating his common antagonist Rajapaksa by a considerable margin (with Rajapaksa garnering 423,529 preferential votes) whilst setting a new record as the candidate with the highest number of preferential votes in Sri Lankas' elections history. He also restarted the Megapolis plan which he started in when he was PM in 2001–2004. Surbana was consulted to revise the master plan to suit newer needs. The Ministry of Megapolis and Western development was created for project and the project which expects to convert the currently unplanned Western Province into a major megapolis by 2030 with an estimated population of 8.4 million and expects to solve the issues concerning traffic congestion, waste management and slum dwellers in urban areas. Wickremesinghe also showed interest in Surbana creating a similar plan for Trincomalee in the Eastern province and an agreement was later signed with Surbana for the purpose.He proposed major economic reforms and proposed a knowledge based social market economy which will be built on social justice principles that will also focus on the availability of global opportunities for education and strengthening of the health system to face health concerns of the 21st century. He also planned on reducing high income disparity levels in the domestic economy and increasing exports. He launched a plan to reform state-owned enterprise, enter into trade agreements with India and China to increase market access and regain GSP+ to regain EU markets, restructure key investment promotion agencies, develop tourism, attract high spending tourists, and develop the rural economy. Special economic zones and a special financial and business hub in Colombo were also proposed. He also organized the Sri Lanka Economic forum 2016 with the presence of international investor and Founder Chairman of Open Society George Soros and Nobel Laureate Economist Joseph Stieglitz and many other experts such as Ricardo Hausmann. The forum was seen as a boost to the Sri Lankan economy and during the forum Soros decided to invest in Sri Lanka the initial investments were expected to be around $300 Million. He also launched a loan and grant scheme for small and medium enterprises named "Swa Shakthi" empower rural entrepreneurs and develop the rural economy.However, in 2017, during his tenure Sri Lanka recorded just 3.1% economic growth rate, the lowest for 16 years. Government bonds controversy
In February 2015 CBSL advertised the sale of Rs. 1 billion in 30 year government bonds at a coupon of 12.5%, though several accounts erroneously cite an indicative rate of 9.5%. The sale was oversubscribed with 36 bids totaling Rs. 20 billion. The majority of bidders, 26, bidded for Rs. 100 million or less at a rate of 9.5%–10.5%.However, a few bidders, including Perpetual Treasuries Limited, wanted interest rates of 11%–12%. On 27 February 2015 the CBSL accepted Rs. 10 billion in bids at rates of 9.5%–12.5%. The issuing of ten times the advertised bonds, and at a higher than expected rate, was alleged to cost the Sri Lankan government an additional Rs. 1.6 billion ($10.6 million), though this was disputed by the Leader of the House of Parliament. A petition was lodged in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka contesting the methodology used to allege such a loss. Perpetual Treasuries was issued, directly and indirectly, with Rs.5 billion in bonds at 12.5%. Perpetual Treasuries was one of the primary dealers in the sale and is owned by son-in-law of the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Arjuna Mahendran, who was appointed by Wickremasinghe. On 28 October 2016 the Committee On Public Enterprises, after a lengthy investigation, found Mahendran responsible for the bond issue scam and recommended legal action be taken against him. However, President Maithripala Sirisena announced that he had appointed a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to further investigate the case. The commission handed over the report on Central Bank bond issuance to Sirisena on 30 December 2017, and the Presidential Secretariat made available the full report in PDF form from its website for public viewing. During the investigation Wickramesinghe had to appear before the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry. A group of ministers from the President's party along with opposition MPs failed in a recent attempt to pass a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister in Sri Lanka's Parliament.On 15 March 2018 Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court issued an arrest warrant on Arjuna Mahendra on charges of criminal breach of trust for allegedly providing confidential information of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to Perpetual Treasuries Limited. 2018 local election

United National Party led by <mask> Wickramasinghe suffered shocking defeat in the 2018 local authority elections. They were only able to secure 34 councils out of 340 total councils. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s proxy Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna won 231 councils. After the election defeat some MPs of UNP and party members asked <mask> Wickramasinghe to resign from the party leadership and Prime Minister position. Some media reported that President Maithripala Sirisena also urged <mask> Wickramasinghe to resign from his position leading into political crisis. Foreign policy

His foreign policy was aimed at re-balancing relations with India and the West that were strained during the previous regime and keeping good relations with China as well.He also chose to restart discussions to solve the Indo-Sri Lanka fishing dispute but strongly defended the Sri Lankan navy's right to shoot Indian fishermen that fish in Sri Lankan waters, stating:

His foreign policy was seen as moving away from the Rajapaksa government's isolationist policies, which distanced Sri Lanka from the western world. His policies were seen to attract investments and financial aid. His government allowed a 99-year lease of a port to a Chinese company which caused protests in 2017. He also worked to develop relations with Japan and Singapore, choosing them as his second and third foreign state visits after being elected as prime minister. During his visit to Japan, he promised to support Japan's bid to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council and entered to a "comprehensive partnership" with Japan covering political, economic and

masks: Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Ranil Ranil Ranil


title: Ranil Wickremesinghe

texts:
 security issues.
. During his visit to Singapore, in an interview with The Straits Times he invited Singaporean submarines and frigates to visit Sri Lanka. Corruption elimination
During the Rajapaksa regime which oversaw the rise of lawlessness and abuse of state power by Rajapaksa's government ministers and officers after the defeat of the regime, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe decided to set up high-powered responding Police Division so-called "Financial Crimes Investigation Division". This led to arrest Basil Rajapaksa the younger brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his political henchmen who were involved in large-scale corruption also were arrested within months after forming the committee.However several  family members and friends of Rajapaksa were questioned by the FCID, Rajapaksa fears that his entire family and friends could be prosecuted and brought down to justice. Former President Rajapaksa asked President Sirisena over the pending charges against his family members and political associations to be dropped. However, President Sirisena refused to drop the charges that were ongoing, The meeting between President Sirisena and former President Rajapaksa ended up as unsuccessful over President's refusal to consider the key demands of Rajapaksa to be appointed as Prime Ministerial candidate and the charges against his family members and close associations to dropped. Rajapaksa's faction in SLFP criticised that the FCID were used as a tool to revenge on his associations and threatened to take legal action against FCID. 2018 constitutional crisis

In the evening of 26 October 2018, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister after the United People's Freedom Alliance withdrew from the unity government. He also informed <mask> Wickremesinghe was removed from office. Wickremesinghe said he refuses to accept the dismissal claiming that it was unconstitutional which triggered a constitutional crisis.Following rulings by the Supreme court and the Appeal court, Rajapaksa backed down and Wickremesinghe was re-instated at prime minister on 16 December 2018. Presidential election, 2019

Following much internal party negotiations Wickremesinghe agreed to back Sajith Premadasa as the party candidate for the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election. Premadasa was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa who gained 52.25% of the votes against 41.99% by Premadasa. Post premiership (2019-)

Parliamentary election, 2020

Following his defeat, Premadasa left the part to form his own party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya from which he contested the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election. Wickremesinghe lead the remaining party members in the parliamentary election which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 parliamentary elections resulted in a landslide victory of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna led by Mahinda Rajapaksa gaining 59.09% of the votes and securing 145 seats in parliament and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya gaining 23.90% votes and 54 seats. The United National Party suffering its worst defeat in its history received a total of 249,435 votes, which was 2.15% of votes cased.For the first time in its history it failed win a single seat in parliament, having only gained one national list seat. Re-enters parliament as an MP, 2021
<mask> <mask> was sworn in as a member of parliament on the 23rd of June 2021. He re-entered Parliament as a National List MP of the United National Party. Criticism

Dissent within the Party
Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Nanda Mathew were the first UNP members of parliament to crossover and joined the government in 1999 during <mask> <mask>'s tenure as the leader of UNP. This was followed by Wijayapala Mendis, a veteran UNP member of parliament since 1965, who joined the government in 2000. After the defeat in 2004 parliamentary election a senior member of UNP and a former minister of <mask> <mask>'s 2001–2004 government, Rohitha Bogollagama switched sides and allied with government. Soon after the defeat in the presidential election in 2005 Mahinda Samarasinghe and Keheliya Rambukwella defected to the government.Both were former ministers of <mask> <mask>'s 2001–2004 government and senior members of the party. Mahinda Samarasinghe was the government chief whip (2001–2004) and the opposition chief whip(2004–2006). Keheliya Rambukwella had gained the highest number of votes in 2004 parliamentary election from Kandy district. Following the controversy that resulted in the rejection of the UNP list of candidates for the Colombo Municipal Council election in 2006 that led to the UNP losing control over the council after 50 years, prompted several senior members in the party to challenge <mask>'s leadership and demanded his resignation as party leader. This group pushed to have Wickremesinghe replaced by the deputy party leader Karu Jayasuriya. However, this bid fell thought due to the lack of support from the majority of the party seniors. In 2007, Wickremesinghe established a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mahinda Rajapaksa government agreeing to UNP's collaboration with the government on issues of national interest.However, shortly afterwards, 17 of the UNP's 60 members in parliament, including the group who had challenged Wickremesinghe's leadership, led by deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya crossed over to the governing UPFA ranks in parliament and were given ministerial appointments. The group consisted of senior members of UNP and many of them were former ministers of <mask> <mask>'s 2001–2004 government: Karu Jayasuriya (Deputy Leader of UNP), M. H. Mohamed (former speaker of the parliament), Milinda Moragoda, G. L. Peiris, Bandula Gunawardane, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Gamini Lokuge, P. Dayaratna, Mano Wijeyeratne, Rajitha Senaratne, R.A.D. Sirisena, Mahinda Wijesekara, Naween Dissanayake, Hemakumara Nanayakkara, R. M. Dharmadasa Banda, Neomal Perera and Chandrasiri Sooriyaarachchi. However, in late 2008, Jayasuriya crossed over once again to the opposition and was given back the deputy leader post. In February 2008, Wickremasinghe was once again under pressure to step down from the party leadership to accept an advisory position, from a majority of the UNP's parliamentary group. In March, the UNP working committee decided to create a new post called Senior Leader of the party and appointed Wickremasinghe to the post. This was amid discussion with the UNP's parliamentary group about the need for the Wickremasinghe to relinquish his post (of party leader) so that a new leader could be appointed.However, late March the party working committee decided that he should remain as the party leader. The defection of the party stalwarts to join the government continued thereafter: Susantha Punchinilame, Mahinda Ratnatilaka and Nandimithra Ekanayake who were members of parliament, a famous business tycoon and UNP Anuradhapura district leaderThilanga Sumathipala, a prominent UNP youth leader and a member of Western Provincial Council  R. Duminda Silva, a former UNP member of parliament and a veteran actor Ravindra Randeniya, opposition leader in North Western Provincial Council Ashoka Wadigamangawa  all allied with the government in different occasions. The most recent defection was the members of Parliament Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranayake joining the government. It is alleged that over 60 UNP MPs left the party during Wickremesinghe's leadership. Batalanda detention centre
It was alleged by the People's Alliance government that <mask>, then a Minister, was the political authority behind an illegal detention centre in the Batalanda housing and industrial complex outside Colombo between 1988 and 1990 which was allegedly run by a government-backed counter-subversive unit as part of the state's operation to put down an armed insurgency by the JVP. The People's Alliance government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, appointed a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate activities of Batalanda and on 3 September 1997 Wickremesinghe was summoned to testify before the commission. The commissions report was released on 12 April 1998.The commission was a fact-finding mission and had no judicial powers, however it recommended the government to "bring the guilty to book". One of its findings was that "Wickremesinghe and the SSP Nalin Delgoda, are indirectly responsible for the maintenance of places of unlawful detention and torture chambers in houses at the Batalanda Housing Scheme". It further stated that Wickremesinghe held "unauthorised meetings of police officers involved in counter-insurgency operations in the housing complex, and that as such, he had abused his authority". No criminal proceedings took place thereafter. Allegations on conspiring against Gamini Dissanayake
In August 2012, Minister of Health and SLFP general secretary Maithripala Sirisena alleged that during the 1994 presidential election campaign, all campaign details concerning the UNP presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake were being secretly passed on to his opponent, Chandrika Kumaratunga by Wickremesinghe. Minister Sirisena made this disclosure while addressing an election committee meeting held at Siripura, Polonnaruwa. Sirisena asserted that he has ample proof to validate his claim and allegations.Consequently, both parties started to challenge each other for open media debates. Allegations of "dictatorial behavior" in the party
<mask> was accused of being a dictator as the leader of UNP. The Mahanayaka of the Asgiri Chapter the Most Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thero once has said that since recently the Opposition Leader <mask> Wickremasinghe is acting like a dictator. On 2010, UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara accused in that within the constitution of the UNP <mask> Wickremasinghe is not a democratic leader but a dictator. Former minister and UNP MP Mahinda Wijesekara accused that "We don't need a dictator in the party" as Wickremesinghe opposed for the party reforms. Family and personal life
Wickremasinghe married Maitree Wickremasinghe, Sri Lankan academic and Professor of English in 1994. Wickremasinghe has made several efforts to keep his private life out of politics.His personal life is rarely publicized or discussed. Maitree Wickremasinghe avoided the political spotlight until Wickremasinghe's recent re election as prime minister in 2015. His paternal grandfather was Cyril Leonard Wickremesinghe, CCS who was the first Sinhalese Land Commissioner and his grandmother was Esme Moonemalle Goonewardene, daughter of Proctor Edward Goonewardene and Ada Moonemalle of Moonemalle Walawwa, Kurunegala whose brother was Theodore Barcroft L. Moonemalle Proctor and Member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. His maternal grand father was D. R. Wijewardena son of Muhandiram Tudugalage Don Philip Wijewardena and Helena Wijewardena nee Dep Weerasinghe. His grandmother was Alice Ruby Meedeniya, daughter of J. H. Meedeniya Adigar of Meedeniya Walawwa, Ruwanwella and Corneliya Magdleine Senanayake whose mother was Corneliya Regina Senanayake nee Obeyesekere, sister of Lambertus Obeyesekere Maha Mudaliyar of Kataluwa Walawwa. A number of members of Wickremesinghe's family are currently active in the government. His cousins State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Wasantha Senanayake and his aunt Sri Lanka High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Amari Wijewardene.Honours
 Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014)
 Doctor of Laws (honorary) – Deakin University (2017)

International affiliations
He is a member of International Democrat Union. The IDU held a meeting in Sri Lanka in 2004 under his influence, when he was prime minister. Electoral history

See also
 List of political families in Sri Lanka
 List of international prime ministerial trips made by Ranil Wickremesinghe

Notes

References

Further reading
 <mask> Wickramasinghe (2005), Desapalanaya saha dharmaya, Publisher: Nugeegoda Sarasavi Prakasanayo,
 Jayaratna, A. E. (2005), Ranil Wickramasinghe: Darshanaya Saha Saame Mawatha,

External links

Ranil Wickremesinghe's Web Site
 The Wickremasinghe Ancestry
 Wijewardene Ancestry
 Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe's Father
 Website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

 United National Party website
 "Ranil Wickramasinghe: consistency is his forte"
 BBC Profile
 Ranil re-elected as Asia-Pacific Vice Chairman of IDU
Elections in Sri Lanka 2010

1949 births
Alumni of Royal Preparatory School
Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo)
Candidates for President of Sri Lanka
Ceylonese advocates
Culture ministers of Sri Lanka
Deputy ministers of Sri Lanka
Education ministers of Sri Lanka
Industries ministers of Sri Lanka
Leaders of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
Leaders of the United National Party
Living people
Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 13th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka
Sinhalese lawyers
Sinhalese

masks: Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Wickremesinghe Ranil Ranil Ranil