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Pärnu

(Encyclopedia)Pärnu pärˈno͞o [key], Ger. Pernau, Rus. Pyarnu, city (1994 pop. 51,963), SW Estonia, on the Gulf of Riga. A seaport, it exports timber and flax and is also a beach and health resort. It was founde...

Ramgoolam, Navinchandra

(Encyclopedia)Ramgoolam, Navinchandra, 1947–, Mauritian political leader, prime minister of Mauritius, (1995–2000, 2005–14), son of of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. A doctor, he practiced medicine from 1975 to 1...

Daugavpils

(Encyclopedia)Daugavpils douˈgäfpēls [key], Ger. Dünaburg, city, SE Latvia, on the Western Dvina River....

employment bureau

(Encyclopedia)employment bureau, a government-run establishment for bringing together the employer offering work and the employee seeking it. As a not-for-profit service, employment bureaus operate differently from...

Ermeland

(Encyclopedia)Ermeland wôrˈmēə [key], historic region of East Prussia, extending far inland from the Baltic Sea. It was ceded to Poland in 1466 by the Teutonic Knights, passed to Prussia in 1772, and reverted t...

peonage

(Encyclopedia)peonage pēˈənĭj [key], system of involuntary servitude based on the indebtedness of the laborer (the peon) to his creditor. It was prevalent in Spanish America, especially in Mexico, Guatemala, Ec...

Clark, Helen

(Encyclopedia)Clark, Helen, 1950–, New Zealand politician, prime minister (1999–2008), b. Hamilton, N.Z. A graduate of the Univ. of Auckland (B.A., 1971; M.A., 1974), she taught political science there (1973–...

Keating, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Keating, Paul, 1944–, Australian politician. A trade-union official and member of the Labor party, he was first elected to parliament in 1969. As federal treasurer (treasury minister) from 1983 to 1...

Fraser, Douglas Andrew

(Encyclopedia)Fraser, Douglas Andrew, 1916–2008, American labor leader, b. Glasgow, Scotland. His family emigrated to the United States when he was a child and settled in Detroit, where he began his working life ...

tournament

(Encyclopedia)tournament or tourney, in the Middle Ages, public contest between armed horsemen in simulation of real battle. In this military game, which flourished from the 12th to the 16th cent., combatants were ...