Foundation.

The foundation of the bank was part of the implementation of the New Economic Policy. On 3 October 1921, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK), passed a resolution for the founding of the State Bank of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This was followed by a similar resolution passed by Sovnarkom on 10 October 1921. It began operations on 16 November 1921. In February 1922 Lenin described the State Bank as a "a bureaucratic paper game", comparing it to a Potemkin village in a letter to Aron Sheinman who he accused of being a "Communist-mandarin childishness". In 1923 it was transformed into the State Bank of the USSR. It was placed under the jurisdiction of Narkomfin. The Soviet state used Gosbank, primarily, as a tool to impose centralized control upon industry in general, using bank balances and transaction histories to monitor the activity of individual concerns and their compliance with Five-Year Plans and directives. Gosbank did not act as a commercial bank in regard to the profit motive. It acted, theoretically, as an instrument of government policy. Instead of independently and impartially assessing the creditworthiness of the borrower, Gosbank would provide loan funds to favored individuals, groups and industries as directed by the central government.  In 1931 Boris Berlatsky, a senior official of the State Bank was put on trial for wrecking as part of the 1931 Menshevik Trial.

Perestroika.

As part of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika program, other banks were formed, including; "Promstroybank" (USSR Bank of Industrial Construction), "Zhilstoybank" (USSR Bank of Residential Construction), "Agrobank" (USSR Agricultural Bank), "Vneshekonombank" (USSR Internal Trade Bank), and "Sberbank" (USSR Savings Bank). "Sberbank" continues to this day as one of Russia's largest banks, retaining senior ex-Gosbank personnel and most of the present Russian government's banking business.

Senior executives.

This is the list of the Chairmen of the Board of the State Bank.  The Chairman was appointed by the Premier of the Soviet Union.

Gosbank (, "Gosudarstvenny bank SSSR"—the State Bank of the USSR) was the central bank of the Soviet Union and the only bank whatsoever in the entire Union from the 1930s to 1987. Gosbank was one of the three Soviet economic authorities, the other two being "Gosplan" (the State Planning Committee) and "Gossnab" (the State Committee for Material Technical Supply). The Gosbank closely collaborated with the Ministry of Finance of the USSR to prepare the national state budget.

Die Gosbank ( – Staatsbank der UdSSR) war die Zentralbank der Sowjetunion und zwischen den 1930er Jahren und 1987 de facto ihre alleinige Bank. Sie unterstand dem Volkskommissariat für Finanzen (Narkomfin, später Ministerium für Finanzen) und war ein zentrales Instrument der Wirtschaftspolitik.


Biography.

Born at Cave Springs, Arkansas, Dinsmore was the son of Alexander Winchester and Catherine Anderson Dinsmore. He attended private schools in Benton and Washington Counties. He married Elizabeth Le Grand Fisher of St. Louis, Missouri, on May 25, 1883. They had one son, Hamilton; and though Elizabeth died on June 19, 1886, he never remarried.

Career.

Dinsmore worked as a store clerk and later a traveling salesman for a St. Louis firm. Deciding to become a lawyer, he persuaded Samuel N. Elliott of Bentonville to proctor him. In 1872 Governor Elisha Baxter appointed him the eleventh Benton County Circuit Court clerk. He resigned in 1874, when he was admitted to the bar, and the following year, he moved to Fayetteville, where he entered into a law partnership with David Walker. In 1878, he was elected prosecuting attorney for the Fourth Judicial District, and served until 1884.  In January 1887, Dinsmore was appointed by President Cleveland as Minister Resident and consul general to the Kingdom of Korea and served until May 25, 1890. Because of his acquaintance with Korea and Korean matters, he was sought out by a young Syngman Rhee in January 1905, while he was on his diplomatic mission United States to secure aid for Korea against Japanese annexation. Dinsmore succeeded in getting Rhee a brief meeting with Secretary of State John Hay, but Rhee's mission would ultimately end in failure.  After he resumed the practice of law in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Dinsmore was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third and to the five succeeding Congresses. He served from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1905. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1904 to the Fifty-ninth Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and in later years devoted most of his time to the management of his farming interests. He served as member of the board of trustees of the University of Arkansas.

Death.

Dinsmore died in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 2, 1930 (age 79 years, 129 days). He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Hugh Anderson Dinsmore (December 24, 1850 – May 2, 1930) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.

Hugh Anderson Dinsmore (* 24. Dezember 1850 in Cave Springs, Benton County, Arkansas; † 2. Mai 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri) war ein US-amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1893 und 1903 vertrat er den fünften und von 1903 bis 1905 den dritten Wahlbezirk des Bundesstaates Arkansas im US-Repräsentantenhaus. Außerdem war er von 1887 bis 1890 Gesandter in Korea.


Pre-Race Favourites.

2010 pre-race favourites included 2009 champion, Roman Kreuziger of as well as teammate Ivan Basso. Denis Menchov of Russia is also a favourite.  While not a favourite to win overall, local Alexandre Moos has a lot going for him as this will be his 12th and final Tour de Romandie.

Teams.

There are 20 teams for the 2010 Tour de Romandie. They are:

Stages.

Prologue.

This short course took in the beautiful, historic village of Porrentruy. Classics fans were pleased to hear there is a 400 metres cobbled section.

Stage 1.

A hilly stage in the Jura mountains north of Lake Neuchatel. Two category 1 climbs and a category 2 – and a few other bumps along the way. Although the last 10 km are downhill, the course may be well suited to a break-away.  Peter Sagan – the up-and-coming young cyclist claimed the victory in the sprint. It was his third victory of the season. The win put him in first place overall as he was just 0.92 seconds behind the previous leader, Marco Pinotti. Sagan was pleased with the win, but pledged his loyalty to team leader Roman Kreuziger. According to Cycling News, Sagan said,  Sprinter Mark Cavendish could not hang in the mountains and was dropped from the peloton with 45 km to go. Had he not, a victory would have helped teammate Marco Pinotti remain in the leaders jersey.

Stage 2.

This stage looks to be for the sprinters. The course will pass through Fribourg twice before a flat finish. Although two category one climbs are listed they are tiny. The course will climb twice the locally famous and steep cobbled climb "Lorette." Anyone hoping to foil the sprinters will need to attack here.

Stage 3.

It's a short time trial but the first 7 kilometres are uphill at around 4%.

Stage 4.

For the first time in more than 40 years, Romandie will have a stage finish in France. Starting in Vevey (Switzerland), the route will pass UCI headquarters in Aigle before turning up into the French Alps climbing the Categorie 1 "Pas de Morgins."  The top of the climb is the Swiss / French border. The final climb – the Categorie 1 Col du Corbier – is 6 km at roughly 8% – not easy. And while the summit is 20+ km from the finish, the last 17 kilometres are a gradual uphill.  Before this stage Mark Cavendish winner of stage 2, was withdrawn by his team for his two fingered celebration after victory.

Stage 5.

The "Queen" stage. It's very short, but has three very difficult climbs.

The 2010 Tour de Romandie (64th Edition) cycling road race started on 27 April and finished on 2 May in Switzerland. It was the 6th event in the 2010 UCI ProTour, and the 13th event in the World Calendar. The race winner had been declared as Alejandro Valverde, who won the final stage to take the race by 11 seconds. However, some four weeks after the end of the race the UCI placed Valverde under a two-year suspension for his involvement in the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case, which was backdated to, and involved removal of all his results since, 1 January 2010. Simon Špilak was thus promoted to winner of the event.

Die 64. Tour de Romandie fand vom 27. April bis zum 2. Mai 2010 statt. Nach einem Prolog folgten fünf Etappen; die Distanz betrug 654,8 Kilometer. Das Rennen zählte zur UCI ProTour 2010. Sieger wurde Simon Špilak.


Plot.

Rip Thomas is the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion, and his appearances on network television have been a thorn in the side of Brell, the head of the struggling World Television Network. Rip's Wrestling show is huge on the ratings and WTN network programmes are slipping down in the ratings. The day after Rip's most recent title match, Brell attempts to bribe the champion into joining his network, but Rip declines the offer, but despite that, Brell continues his efforts to make him reconsider. A bit later, Brell's cronies try to jump Rip, but Rip is able to fight them off.  Later, Brell visits the No Count Bar, where he comes up with his own wrestling program called "Battle of the Tough Guys". The show is successful due to the introduction of Zeus, an ex-convict and former protege of Rip's trainer, Charlie. Zeus wins the $100,000 tournament and becomes Brell's prized fighter.  Samantha Moore, a beautiful corporate spy, is sent by Brell to seduce Rip. However, Rip's good nature and dedication to charity win her over, and she confesses her identity to the wrestler and turns to his side. Brell learns of Samantha's defection and, vowing revenge, sends his underlings to kidnap and rape her. However, Rip manages to stop the would-be kidnapping, throwing one of the stooges into a tree trunk.  Later, Rip is at a charity event when Brell and Zeus arrive, demanding that Rip prove his honor by fighting Zeus on "Battle of the Tough Guys." Rip, wanting to set a good example and knowing children are around, declines. Meanwhile, Rip's younger brother Randy and his friend, Craig, decide to check out Zeus for themselves, attending an illegal fight being held in a warehouse. After watching Zeus defeat the monstrous Rebar Lawless, Craig foolishly identifies Randy as Rip's brother to Brell and his associates. Randy attempts to defend himself but Zeus brutally beats him, sending him to the hospital. Enraged, Rip accepts Zeus' challenge to avenge his brother.  On the night of the match, Brell has Samantha kidnapped and orders Rip to go 10 minutes through the fight then lose the fight to save her life. As the battle begins, Samantha manages to escape, but just as Brell's goons corner her, Charlie and Craig rescue her and defeat the bad guys. Back in the arena, Zeus has the upper hand at the start of the fight, ruthlessly pummeling Rip, even trying to kill him by ripping out one of the steel posts and trying to run Rip through his prone chest. Randy cheers to urge his brother to fight back. Rip is re-energized by Randy's words and once he sees Samantha is safe, gains a second wind and starts to turn the tides on Zeus. The fight destroys the ring, with Rip and Zeus continuing the battle up the through the stands as a disbelieving Brell watches from the control room.  Rip finally puts an end to the match by knocking Zeus off a catwalk, which causes him to fall through the ring and lose. A frustrated Brell begins destroying electrical equipment, in total disbelief over Zeus' loss. Rip angrily goes after Brell intending to repay him for his misdeeds. In fear, Brell retreats, but accidentally comes in contact with live wires he has exposed in his tirade and is fatally electrocuted. With his enemies now vanquished, Rip celebrates his victory with Randy and his friends.

Production.

A rumor was started that the short headbanger in a cage in the bar scene is a young Peter Dinklage. The role of "short headbanger" is actually played by Rick Allen.

Reception.

Box office.

The movie debuted at #2, behind "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", with $4,957,052 in ticket sales. Hogan writes in his autobiography the budget was about eight million dollars. Vince McMahon, who financed the movie, more or less broke even because of distribution fees. The final tally was $16,093,651 in ticket sales.  During the October 13, 1997 episode of "Monday Night Raw", Vince McMahon joked, "Hogan promised me that if the movie lost money he was gonna return his salary. I guess the check is still in the mail." This was during the Monday Night Wars and was part of a number of digs at Hogan's then-new movie project "Assault on Devil's Island". "Raw" commentator Jim Ross also joked during the late 90s; "No Holds Barred? More like No Profit Allowed."

Critical response.

The film was panned by critics, with an 11% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews.  Film critic Brian Orndorf described the film as "tremendously crude, unapologetically manipulative, and aimed directly at easily entertained 13-year-old boys."  Michael Wilmington of the "Los Angeles Times" gave the film a positive review and wrote: "The movie never takes itself seriously and director Tom Wright (TV's 'Beauty and the Beast') has fun with the wrestling montages. Hogan himself has an appealing screen presence—like a gallant teddy bear who goes berserk every 10 minutes or so." "The Philadelphia Inquirer"'s Desmond Ryan remarked:  The "Chicago Tribune"'s Gene Siskel remarked, simply, that "No Holds Barred" "is utterly lacking in the campy quality of the World Wrestling Federation telecasts."  In his 1991 review of "Suburban Commando", Roger Ebert recalled that "despite the fact that [Hulk Hogan's] public image is often aimed at children [...] his first film, 'No Holds Barred' (1989) was surprisingly violent, sexist and blood-soaked."  Richard Harrington of "The Washington Post" said that "[Hogan's] performance is as dreadful as one might expect from a man with such limited skills outside the ring, made worse by a story that is at once more obvious and less inspired than your average Wrestlemania script. [...] 'No Holds Barred' makes 'Rocky' look like 'Citizen Pain.'"  Wrote Stephen Holden of "The New York Times":  Reviewing the Blu-ray in 2014, Felix Vasquez Jr. of "Cinema Crazed" wrote: "Hogan as The Ripper is a force of nature here, and he makes "No Holds Barred" in to a fun action cartoon."

Home video.

The film was released on VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc in October 1989. It was released on DVD for the first time ever with a digitally remastered transfer by WWE Home Video under the WWE Studios banner on July 3, 2012. A Blu-ray Disc release followed in April 2014.

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie.

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie, as the event was billed, was shown on pay-per-view on December 27, 1989. The program consisted of the film in its entirety, followed by a match previously recorded at a "Wrestling Challenge" taping on December 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. It is currently one of the few WWE pay-per-views not yet available on the WWE Network.

Background.

The main event pitted Hogan and Lister — appearing in character as "Zeus" — on opposing tag teams. Hogan teamed with longtime friend Brutus Beefcake, while the heel Zeus teamed with Randy Savage. The four had been involved in an intertwined feud since the summer. Zeus had made several appearances at WWF events and cut promos stating that he, and not Hogan, should have received top billing in "No Holds Barred". Meanwhile, as Hogan and Savage were feuding over the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, Beefcake began feuding with Savage after Beefcake insulted Savage's manager Sensational Sherri during a TV taping. At the 1989 SummerSlam, Hogan and Beefcake teamed to defeat Savage and Zeus, after which the tag team feud simmered for several months as Zeus began appearing with Ted DiBiase in the lead-up to the 1989 Survivor Series. Unlike 1989 SummerSlam, Miss Elizabeth did not make an appearance at this event.  The Hogan-Beefcake vs. Savage-Zeus tag team rivalry resumed after the Survivor Series, in the lead-up to "No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie."

Match result.

The Hogan-Beefcake vs. Savage-Zeus steel-cage match was part of a "WWF Wrestling Challenge" taping. In addition to matches pitting mid- and lower-card wrestlers against jobbers, other contests (which were not televised) saw "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes defeat Big Boss Man, WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeat Dino Bravo, The Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku) defeat WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition by countout, and Curt Hennig defeat Ron Garvin.  Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake defeated Randy Savage and Zeus in the 09:27-long steel-cage match. The match could be won either by pinfall/submission or by having both members of a team escape the cage.  After a back-and-forth match early on, all four competitors were knocked out after Hogan hit a suplex on Zeus, and Beefcake and Savage hit each other's heads into the cage structure. Sensational Sherri (the manager of the Savage-Zeus team) handed a chain to Savage, who attempted to strike Beefcake with a fist drop off the top of the cage, but Beefcake recovered and caught Savage coming off. Eventually, Beefcake knocked Savage to the mat and escaped the cage; Savage—with some eventual help from Beefcake—crawled outside, tying the match at 1-apiece.  Meanwhile, Hogan rallied against Zeus, battering him before dropping three leg drops to score the pin and the win for the Hogan-Beefcake team.

Aftermath.

This was Zeus' last match in the WWF, as Lister left shortly afterward; meanwhile, Savage continued to target Hogan, and later, The Ultimate Warrior, over the WWF Championship. Zeus (as Z-Gangsta) and Hogan would eventually face each other again in the main event at WCW's Uncensored (1996) with Savage this time partnering Hogan, in a two-versus-eight Doomsday Cage match.  Among the dark matches, the Demolition-Colossal Connection match was contested one day prior to the match where the Colossal Connection won the WWF Tag Team Championship, while Dino Bravo continued to be the Ultimate Warrior's top foe for the Intercontinental Championship.

No Holds Barred is a 1989 action film produced by Michael Rachmil, directed by Thomas J. Wright, written by Dennis Hackin and starring professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (who is billed as executive producer alongside Vince McMahon). The film is produced by the World Wrestling Federation under a "Shane Distribution Company" copyright and was released by New Line Cinema on June 2, 1989. It was launched as an attempt to boost Hulk Hogan's acting career several years after his appearance in "Rocky III".

Der Hammer (in Österreich: Hulk Hogan – Der Hammer) ist ein US-amerikanischer Actionfilm von Thomas J. Wright. Der Film wurde von der World Wrestling Federation finanziert und ist die erste Hauptrolle des Wrestlingstars Hulk Hogan.


Teams.

The 22 teams in the race were announced on 22 March. Sixteen teams were guaranteed a place in the race by virtue of a September 2008 agreement between the UCI and the organizers of the season's three Grand Tours. Those guaranteed a place are those who were members of the UCI ProTour at the time of the agreement. Two from this group, and, declined to participate in the race, instead focusing on the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Two new teams joined the ProTour for 2010. One,, participated in the race, but the other,, did not wish to participate, since they planned to send their best riders to the partially concurrent Tour of California. Seven UCI Professional Continental teams, two of which ( and ) were part of the September 2008 agreement as they were members of the ProTour at that time, joined the 15 ProTour teams to round out the teams list. Each team entered a squad of nine riders, giving the event a 198-rider peloton at its outset.  The race's 22 teams were:

Non-invitation of Dutch teams.

The Giro, like the 2009 Vuelta a España before it and the forthcoming Tour de France, began in the Netherlands. The two Dutch Professional Continental teams, and, had both ridden Grand Tours in 2009. Throughout the season, the two teams tried to prove their combativeness in the hopes of securing Grand Tour invites, trying especially to outdo one another. Since the openings to the Giro and the Tour were partly financed by Dutch tax money, Vacansoleil's team manager called for political help to get invites for his team, but neither Dutch team made it into either the Giro or the Tour. Consequently, neither made the Vuelta a España teams selection, either. The teams' disappointment at their non-invitation led to communications with UCI President Pat McQuaid, which may result in reforms to how teams are selected for the Grand Tours.

Pre-race favorites.

The Giro was often described as being wide open in terms of who had the best chance to win it. This is because many notable riders, including the past three champions, did not enter. 2007 Giro d'Italia champion Danilo Di Luca, who originally finished second in the 2009 Giro d'Italia, was suspended by his national federation in February for a doping incident in the 2009 Giro. 2008 Giro d'Italia champion Alberto Contador skipped the Giro to better focus on the Tour de France, as he also had in the previous season. After first indicating that he might defend his championship, 2009 champion Denis Menchov also announced that he would not ride the Giro, instead focusing on the Tour de France, in order to complete the career sweep of the Grand Tours. Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, leaders of the squad in the 2009 Giro, announced in October 2009 that they would ride the partially concurrent Tour of California instead of the Giro, which is why was not selected for the Giro.  Just five days before the race began, the UCI announced several riders were under suspicion of doping by virtue of irregular values in their biological passports. Among them was Franco Pellizotti, who had been set to be one of the leaders for the team and had been described as a pre-race favorite. While team firmly stood behind Pellizotti in the case and expressed anger that the UCI unveiled their findings so close to the start of the Giro, they obligingly pulled him from their squad. He was replaced by Vincenzo Nibali, who had been planning to ride the Tour of California as a squad leader. While not an overall favorite, Alessandro Ballan intended to participate in the race, stating in October that it was a certainty he would start, after missing out on the Giro in 2009 when he was world champion. This was an indication well in advance that the was in line for an invite to the race. Ballan was later suspended by his team as a result of an internal doping investigation, meaning he had to miss the Giro. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing. Most pre-race analyses identified Ivan Basso, Cadel Evans, and Carlos Sastre as the major favorites to win the overall classification, with Evans perhaps the consensus pick. Basso and Sastre had both ridden the Giro in 2009 and come away finishing in the top five. Sastre also won two difficult mountain stages in the race's final week, and was noted as a rider who gets stronger as a race goes along, making the Giro's very climbing-intensive third week possibly sit in his favor. Evans had finished on a Grand Tour podium in each of the past three seasons, including in the most recent three-week event, the 2009 Vuelta a España. He also entered the race as the reigning world cycling champion and had had a successful 2010 season to date, with a win in La Flèche Wallonne and a podium finish in the Tirreno–Adriatico. Neither Basso nor Sastre had raced much in the 2010 season prior to the Giro. Other riders named as contenders included Bradley Wiggins, former Giro winners Damiano Cunego and Stefano Garzelli, Alexander Vinokourov, Marzio Bruseghin, Christian Vande Velde, Domenico Pozzovivo, David Moncoutié, and Michele Scarponi. Race director Angelo Zomegnan also named Basso, Evans, and Sastre as his three favorites, and included Wiggins and Linus Gerdemann as possible darkhorses.  Mark Cavendish and Daniele Bennati, stage winners in the past two editions of the Giro, were absent from this race, but several top sprinters took the start in Amsterdam. These included Tyler Farrar, André Greipel, and Alessandro Petacchi, all of whom had themselves won Grand Tour stages in 2009 and figured to be top favorites for the Giro's flat stages. Former Tour de France points classification winner Óscar Freire intended to make his Giro debut in this race, but he pulled out due to sinusitis shortly before the race started. Other sprinters in the Giro peloton included Robbie McEwen, Freire's teammate Graeme Brown, Baden Cooke, Leonardo Duque, Sebastian Haedo, Wouter Weylandt, and Greg Henderson.

Route and stages.

The Giro's 21 stages were divided into the following classifications by race organizers Gazzetta dello Sport: four time trials (three individual and one team), seven flat stages, five mixed stages, and six mountain stages. The race began in the Netherlands, the ninth time in the Giro's history that the race began outside Italy, and the first since 2006's start in Belgium. A short individual time trial and two flat stages were held there. Starting the race away from Italy meant that an early rest day, coming just three days into the 23-day race, was necessary to transfer to Italy. The first stage upon entering Italy was a team time trial, the fifth consecutive year that discipline had featured in the Giro. Stage 7 visited Tuscany and was raced partly on unpaved roads used yearly in the Italian semi-classic Montepaschi Strade Bianche. The course honored Italian cycling legends Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, and Costante Girardengo by passing through their hometowns in the first road race stages in Italy.  Five stages ended with climbs, with most coming in the race's last week. The first was stage 8 to Monte Terminillo, a long climb gaining of vertical elevation for an average gradient of 7.3 percent, one of the most difficult climbs in the Apennine Mountains in the region of Abruzzo. The next was Monte Zoncolan in the Carnic Alps, which at in length was shorter than some of the other climbs in the race, but with of vertical gain in that time, its 20 percent maximum gradient made it one of the most difficult. The Stage 16 individual time trial went to Plan de Corones, on a course identical to the one used in the 2008 Giro d'Italia. In, this stage gained over and featured a section with 24 percent gradients in the final kilometer. The Giro's last two road race stages were especially climbing-intensive, including the Passo del Mortirolo, rising in for an average gradient of 10 percent, and the Passo di Gavia, known for being climbed during the 1988 Giro d'Italia in the middle of a driving blizzard. The Gavia was also the "Cima Coppi", the race's highest point, and Stage 20, in which it featured, was considered the queen stage. Other climbs during the race included the Passo del Bratello, Monte Grappa, the Passo delle Palade, the Passo di Santa Cristina, the Forcola di Livigno, and the last climb of the race, the Passo del Tonale. Most of these climbs also featured difficult descents.  The route was noted to appeal to many types of riders, be they climbers, sprinters, or time trialists. The race had seven flat stages which figured into end in mass sprints, and the hilly mixed stages were inviting for breakaways. Sastre, one of the first riders to announce he would ride the Giro, commented that the route was much harder than that of the 2009 Giro, and would demand a very strong climber to be its champion. Zomegnan concurred that the route favored climbers, noting that the distance spent time trialing was not great and that it would take errors from climbing specialists to allow a rider better suited for time trialing to be Giro champion.

Race overview.

The Giro began in Amsterdam with an individual time trial. Favorites for the stage included two British riders, captain Bradley Wiggins and'David Millar. Several riders in the Giro peloton considered Wiggins the prohibitive favorite. Wiggins won the stage, securing the first pink jersey. A major surprise on the stage was Grand Tour rookie Brent Bookwalter from coming in second, just 2 seconds off Wiggins' winning time. Millar was seventh, 6 seconds back. This set the stage for a turbulent opening to the Giro, as both of the road race stages in the Netherlands featured several crashes. The courses for the road stages in the Netherlands were noted to have a lot of street furniture on them, which combined with the riders' nerves on the first day of a three-week Grand Tour as well as crosswinds from the North Sea to make the first mass-start stages very perilous. Tyler Farrar, Carlos Sastre, Christian Vande Velde, Greg Henderson, Wiggins, Alessandro Petacchi, Domenico Pozzovivo, Marzio Bruseghin, Filippo Pozzato, and Gilberto Simoni all fell from their bikes at some point while the Giro was in the Netherlands. There were also many other crashes that took down so many riders it was difficult to keep track of exactly who was effected. Crashing and, consequently, falling away from the leading group on the road, meant different things for different riders. For sprinters like Farrar and Petacchi, crashing meant they were unlikely to be able to contest the finishes for stage wins, while overall contenders like Wiggins and Sastre lost time in the general classification. For the second year in a row, Vandevelde suffered a broken collarbone as a result of his crash, consequently abandoning the race. Despite crashing during stage 2, Farrar got up and was able to win the stage from a depleted field sprint. The state of the roads in the Netherlands and the sheer quantity of crashes that took place there incurred much criticism and questions over whether they should be included in a Grand Tour. Cadel Evans and Alexander Vinokourov both took the pink jersey while the Giro was in the Netherlands. Vinokourov held it prior to the transfer to Italy, with six riders from three teams within 10 seconds of him, meaning the pink jersey still remained very much in flux.  After the transfer, the first stage in Italy was a team time trial, a race where each member of the squad races against the clock together, and the team's time is taken for the fifth rider to cross the finish line. was the winning squad, and had a time gap over Vinokourov's team that was sufficiently large enough for Vincenzo Nibali to become the fourth race leader in as many stages. At last, there was stability in the race leadership, as Nibali comfortably retained over the next two stages, both of which featured breakaways taking the day's honors while the peloton finished together. Stage 7 was a major one, incorporating stretches of gravel roads near the finish. The day on which this stage was run also happened to have very heavy rainfall, making the course muddy and dangerous. Much like had happened in the Netherlands, a great many riders crashed in this stage, perhaps chief among them Wiggins and Sastre, who both lost more than four minutes. Nibali also crashed, and upon seeing this, Alexander Vinokourov, Damiano Cunego, and Cadel Evans broke free of the leading group. Evans won the stage, one of many riders to cross the finish line covered in mud, and Vinokourov took back the race leadership. Through the first mountain stage and two flat stages that followed, the overall standings did not change much, and Vinokourov retained the jersey.  Stage 11 into L'Aquila provided for major changes to the overall standings. More than 50 riders formed the day's escape group, and they quickly took 20 minutes advantage. Among them were Sastre, Wiggins, and's Richie Porte, who was holding the white jersey as best young rider and, at sixth overall, was the best-placed man in the group. Sastre, Wiggins, and Porte all had multiple support riders with them in the breakaway who set strenuous paces to keep the group away. The main field, containing the Giro's top favorites, pulled back a little time but was still nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Evgeni Petrov at the finish. The day's result massively shuffled the overall classification. Porte was the only rider who had been in the top ten before the stage who remained there afterward, and took the pink jersey. Sastre and Wiggins, who entered the Giro as contenders but had fallen well back in the overall standings before this stage, both moved back into the top ten.  Porte kept the pink jersey for two days, conceding it to David Arroyo, a fellow member of the L'Aquila breakaway, on stage 14 when he could not climb Monte Grappa with the leaders on the day. On this stage, the race's overall favorites began to creep back into the top of the overall classification, as previous race leaders Nibali, Vinokourov, and Evans assumed 8th through 10th in the standings. There were again great changes to the overall classification in stage 15, by way of the climb up Monte Zoncolan. Ivan Basso won the stage and greatly reduced his deficit to Arroyo, though the Spaniard still held the pink jersey after this stage. Evans, Scarponi, Vinokourov, and Nibali also finished well-placed and moved up. Wiggins again fell out of contention, this time conclusively so, by losing 25 minutes on the climb. Evans turned in the best ride of the pre-race favorites in the Plan de Corones time trial, closing his deficit to Basso and moving past Sastre in the overall. After this stage, the only riders left in the top ten from the L'Aquila breakaway were Arroyo, Porte, Sastre, and Robert Kišerlovski, who all finished the Giro in the top ten.  After a stage each for the breakaway and the sprinters, during which there were no major changes to the overall standings, the riders were faced with the very climbing-intensive final two road stages. The team rode a very hard tempo in stage 19 over the Passo del Mortirolo, which eventually whittled that group down to just Basso, Nibali, and Scarponi. They crossed the Mortirolo more than two minutes ahead of Arroyo, which was nearly enough time to make Basso the virtual race leader. Arroyo, noted as a far better descender than Basso, took very aggressive lines coming down the Mortirolo and caught up with Vinokourov, Sastre, Evans, and John Gadret, who had been between him and the leading trio. Basso's group had only 30 seconds on Arroyo's at the start of the stage-concluding Aprica climb, but they took more and more time as the climb went on and finished three minutes ahead, giving Basso the pink jersey with two days left to race. Arroyo elected not to try to aggressively descend any of the four large climbs on course in the final road race stage, settling for second place by riding with Basso and the other top riders in the peloton most of the day. There were a few changes in time gaps, but the same riders remained in the top ten from the previous day, as Johan Tschopp won the stage from a breakaway. The individual time trial in Verona which closed out the Giro also provided for small changes to the overall, but Basso's 15th place on the stage was easily enough to make him Giro champion. Arroyo and Nibali rounded out the podium.  Australian riders won each of the lesser jersey awards. Evans won the points classification, represented in 2010 with a red jersey in a return to the original colour scheme for the three minor classifications that reflected the colours of the Italian flag. Evans's victory came about by way of nine top-ten finishes, including a stage win, over the course of the race. This classification was tightly contested throughout the race; six different riders held the jersey, and it changed hands nine times. Matthew Lloyd of won the green jersey for the mountains classification, taking maximum mountains points during his stage-winning breakaway in stage 6. He made morning breakaways later on in mountain stages to take points on other climbs and consolidate his lead. Porte won the white jersey as best young rider, holding it for all but three stages. Success was widespread among the 22 teams in the race. In sharp contrast to the 2009 Giro, the only rider to win multiple stages in this year's race was Farrar, who took the sprint finishes to stages 2 and 10.,,,,,,, and each won one stage. had two stage wins, first with Wouter Weylandt in a depleted sprint finish to stage 3 in the Netherlands, and two stages later Jérôme Pineau led a winning breakaway across the finish line.'s Chris Anker Sørensen won stage 8 on Monte Terminillo after figuring into a morning breakaway, and their time trial specialist Gustav Larsson won the final race against the clock in Verona. won multiple sprint stages, first with leadout man Matthew Goss when ace sprinter André Greipel missed out on the opportunity, and later Greipel himself took a win. took back-to-back stage wins, first with Petrov in L'Aquila and then with Filippo Pozzato, who won a 10-man sprint after a late breakaway in stage 12. After there had been no Italian stage winners for the first 11 days of racing, Pozzato's stage win was the first of five in a row and six overall for Italian riders. Nibali and Basso were among those stage winners; as they also won the stage 4 team time trial, theirs was the only squad with more than two stage wins. They also won both teams classifications, the time-based Trofeo Fast Team and the points-based Trofeo Super Team.,, and did not win any stages, but Vinokourov's and Arroyo's stints in the pink jersey and Tom Stamsnijder's win in the "Traguardo Volante" classification meant that they did not come away from the Giro empty-handed. Only,,,, and came away from the Giro with nothing, even though Milram had one of their riders (Paul Voss) wearing the Mountains jersey at some point.

Classification leadership.

In the 2010 Giro d'Italia, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages, the leader received a pink jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner was considered the winner of the Giro.  Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a red jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. Unlike in the better known points classification in the Tour de France, the type of stage had no effect on what points were on offer – each stage had the same points available on the same scale. The win earned 25 points, second place earned 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th. In addition, points could be won in intermediate sprints.  There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a green jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized as either first, second, or third category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The "Cima Coppi", the race's highest point of elevation, awarded still more points than the other first-category climbs.  The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. This was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1985 were eligible.  There were also three classifications for teams. In the Trofeo Fast Team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time; the Trofeo Super Team was a team points classification, with the top 20 placed riders on each stage earning points (20 for first place, 19 for second place and so on, down to a single point for 20th) for their team; and the Fair Play classification rewarded those teams that best avoided penalty points for minor technical infringements.  The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.

Final standings.

Minor classifications.

Other less well-known classifications, whose leaders did not receive a special jersey, were awarded during the Giro. These awards were based on points earned throughout the three weeks of the tour. Each mass-start stage had one intermediate sprint, the "Traguardo Volante", or T.V. The T.V. gave bonus seconds towards the general classification, points towards the regular points classification, and also points towards the T.V. classification. This award was known in previous years as the "Intergiro" and the "Expo Milano 2015" classification. It was won by Tom Stamsnijder of the team.  Other awards included the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes. Mountains classification winner Matthew Lloyd won this award. The Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage. It was won, like the closely associated points classification, by Cadel Evans. Additionally, the "Premio della Fuga" rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field, each rider in an escape of ten or fewer riders getting one point for each kilometre that the group stayed clear.'s Jérôme Pineau was first in this competition. Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements. was most successful in avoiding penalties, and so won the Fair Play classification.

World Rankings points.

The Giro was one of 26 events throughout the season that contributed points towards the 2010 UCI World Ranking. Points were awarded to the top 20 finishers overall, and to the top five finishers in each stage.

The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country. The route included climbs such as Monte Zoncolan, Plan de Corones, the Passo del Mortirolo and the Passo di Gavia before ending in Verona with an individual time trial.

Der 93. Giro d’Italia fand vom 8. bis 30. Mai 2010 statt. Das Radrennen wurde in 21 Etappen über eine Distanz von 3418 Kilometern ausgetragen. Es siegte zum zweiten Mal der Italiener Ivan Basso.


Biography.

Egerton was the eldest son of the Right Reverend John Egerton, Bishop of Durham, and the grandson of the Right Reverend Henry Egerton, Bishop of Hereford, youngest son of John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater. His mother was Lady Anne Sophia Grey.  He joined the British Army in 1771 and was promoted to captain in 1776, to major in 1779, and to lieutenant-colonel in 1790. He was promoted to colonel of 7th Light Dragoons in 1793, but in 1797 transferred to be Colonel of 14th Light Dragoons, serving under Major-general Craufurd during the Peninsular War to great acclaim. He remained colonel of the 14th Dragoons for the rest of his life and was promoted major-general in 1795, lieutenant-general in 1802 and full general in 1812.  Egerton also sat as a Tory Member of Parliament for Morpeth from 1777 to 1780 and for Brackley from 1780 to 1803. The latter year, on the death of his first cousin once removed, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, he succeeded as seventh Earl of Bridgewater.  He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1808. and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (F.S.A.) on 4 February 1808.  Lord Bridgewater died in October 1823, aged 70. On 14 January 1783 he had married Charlotte Catherine Anne (died 1849 aged 85), only daughter and heir of Samuel Haynes. Their marriage was childless, and therefore his younger brother Francis inherited the title of Earl of Bridgewater. Egerton left his estates in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Durham, Flintshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire and Yorkshire to John, Viscount Alford, provided he had managed to become Duke or Marquess of Bridgwater with a suitable remainder. John did not fulfil the proviso in the will, failing in court to persuade the judge. However his heir got the clause declared illegal, so the 2nd Earl Brownlow commenced a damaging and lengthy case of litigation that in 1851 resulted in the Egerton family forfeiting the estates.

Monuments and memorials.

Lord Bridgewater is commemorated by a memorial at the Bridgewater Chapel at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Little Gaddesden. In the early 17th century, Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley, had purchased Ashridge House, one of the largest country houses in England, from Queen Elizabeth I, who had inherited it from her father who had appropriated it after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Ashridge House served the Egerton family as a residence until the 19th century. The Egertons later had a family chapel with burial vault in Little Gaddesden Church, where many monuments commemorate the Dukes and Earls of Bridgewater and their families.

John William Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater FRS (14 April 1753 – 21 October 1823), known as John Egerton until 1803, was a British cavalry officer, and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1777 to 1803 when he succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Bridgewater. He was from the Egerton family.

John William Egerton, 7. Earl of Bridgewater FRS FSA (* 14. April 1753; † 21. Oktober 1823), war ein britischer Peer, General und Tory-Politiker.


Background.

From 1991 to 1993, Sinduhije was a news reporter for National Radio and Television of Burundi and then became the chief news editor for "La Semaine", an independent weekly newspaper that was shut down by the National Army during a military coup. He worked at Studio Ijambo, a 10 full-time journalists (Hutu and Tutsi correspondents are equally represented) independent radio production studio in Bujumbura providing programming to the BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and to national radio. His accomplishments as a journalist were recognised by Harvard University who invited him to the Kennedy School as a Shorenstein Fellow in 1997.  During the ethnically divisive Burundi Civil War, Sinduhije, who is a Tutsi, adopted a Hutu war orphan.

Radio Publique Africaine.

In 2001, Sinduhije founded Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), along with Samantha Power, as a means of bringing about peace between his fellow Tutsi and the Hutu in his often war-torn country. He thought of the idea while working at the state radio station. RPA's stated purpose is "to humanize relations between the ethnic groups." Sinduhije later stated that it was initially hard to find donors for the project, given the regional distrust of public radio after the role that the Rwandan public radio station Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines had played in that nation's recent genocide.  Sinduhije's house was broken into in February 2003 and his security guard murdered in apparent retaliation for the station's reporting. The incident led Amnesty International to call on Burundian authorities to guarantee Sinduhije's safety and that of other journalists. The government of Burundi briefly banned the station on 17 September 2003 for broadcasting an interview with a spokesman for Agathon Rwasa's rebel group, the National Liberation Forces. However, other stations refused to broadcast news in solidarity until the ban was removed, and the government allowed the station to resume transition within three days.  For Sinduhije's work with the station, he was honored with the 2004 International Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In 2009, "Time" named him to its "Time" 100, an "annual list of the world's most influential people".

Presidential candidacy.

Sinduhije left the station in December 2007 in order to pursue a political career, announcing his candidacy for the 2010 presidential elections.  On 3 November 2008, Sinduhije was arrested for holding an unauthorized meeting. After nine days of detention at Mpimba Central Prison, he was additionally charged with "insulting the president", Pierre Nkurunziza, based on documents the police had confiscated. The BBC reported that his detention was widely viewed as politically motivated, given the impending presidential election. The United States Embassy in Burundi described Sinduhije's arrest as "unacceptable" and demanded his release. The British government also noted its concern, stating that the arrest threatened "the ability of Burundians to exercise their civil and political rights". Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, "held solely for expressing his political views", and called for his immediate release. Burundi's ambassador to the United States responded that the Sinduhije's arrest was unconnected to the election and that Burundi was "committed to human rights".  Sinduhije was found not guilty on 13 March 2009 and released from prison. Following a series of candidate withdrawals and boycotts of a poll that opposition candidates accused of being rigged, Nkurunziza stood unopposed and was re-elected with 91.62 percent of the vote.

Sanctions.

In 2010s he was subject to US and UN sanctions for the violence instigated by members of his party.

Alexis Sinduhije (born 5 May 1967) is a Burundian journalist and politician. After founding Radio Publique Africaine during the Burundi Civil War, Sinduhije received a CPJ International Press Freedom Award and was named to the "Time" 100 list of most influential people. In 2007, he left journalism to run for president, but was arrested in 2008 on a charge of "insulting the president," Pierre Nkurunziza, drawing protests on his behalf from the U.S., U.K., and Amnesty International. He was found not guilty and released in 2009. The film "Kamenge, Northern Quarters" follows Sinduhije before, during, and after his incarceration.

Alexis Sinduhije (* 5. Mai 1967 in Burundi) ist ein Journalist und Oppositionsführer. Er hat 2001 den Sender Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) gegründet, um Friedensanstrengungen zwischen Hutu und Tutsi in seinem vom Krieg zerrütteten Land zu fördern. Er zeichnete sich durch eine für Burundi ungewöhnliche, ausgleichende Berichterstattung aus, zudem hat er als Tutsi einen Kriegswaisen der Hutu adoptiert. 2008 wurde er von der TIME als einer der 100 einflussreichsten Personen gekürt.


History.

1949–2000.

Mercator was founded in 1949 under the name "Ljubljana Groceries" (), and four years later it was given its current name, Mercator. The first director of the firm was Adolf "Adi" Osterc (1918–2014), who served in the Partisans' Gubec Brigade during the Second World War and then carried out political arrests after the war. The company operated only in Slovenia until the 1990s, and later started opening retail stores in other countries in the Balkans, with future plans to spread on markets outside the territories of the former Yugoslavia.

2000–2014: Regional expansion.

Mercator entered retail markets of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2000, Serbia in 2002, North Macedonia in 2005, and Montenegro in 2007. At the end of 2009, Mercator opened stores in Tirana, Albania, and Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. While also planning on opening seven other shopping centers in Bulgaria, Mercator considered exiting the Bulgarian market by 2013. In 2012, Mercator also planned to withdraw from the Albanian market; after which it closed the two stores located in the largest Albanian cities of Tirana and Durrës, in January 2013.

2014–2017: Agrokor's takeover.

To pay off its debt, Slovenian shareholders agreed to Croatian Agrokor acquiring a 53.1% stake in Mercator in late June 2014, and additional 27.6% of the company shares in early September, 2014; leading to vast closure of Mercator stores in Croatia and Bosnia, and acquirement of nearly an equal amount of additional stores in Serbia. Due to the absence of a final decision from the Bosnian Competition Council, Konzum only in BiH was not obliged to sell or rent any of the retail stores inherited by merging with Mercator BiH (Mercator shopping centers and DP markets). Konzum is, in some parts of the country, gained almost a monopoly position.

2017–present.

After the outbreak of the Agrokor debt crisis in 2017 and the subsequent corporate restructuring, 83 Konzum stores in Bosnia were rebranded as Mercator stores, while the other 173 stores the company owned continued to operate under the name Konzum.  However, because of Konzum's debts, Mercator returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2017. It took over 83 out of Konzum's 258 stores. After that, Konzum lost its title of the biggest supermarket chain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 31 December 2018, Mercator has 1,051 retail units, with most of the revenues coming from Slovenia (56.1%) and Serbia (32.6%).

Operating divisions.

While Mercator's primary market remains in Slovenia, it is also operating its retail chain in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro.  Poslovni sistem Mercator d.d. is the largest trading company in Slovenia. Including its franchise stores, it operates a total of 715 units (as at September 30, 2018). The company's core activity is retail of fast-moving consumer goods, while technical consumer goods (M Tehnika) and wholesale (Cash & Carry) are a separate business area. In addition, Mercator also operates two independent manufacturing companies in Slovenia – Mercator–Emba d.d., and Mercator IP d.o.o. – and it owns a self-service gas station company Maxen.  In Slovenia, Mercator is recognized as a national player, owing to the extent of its retail network and convenient location of its stores. Customers also appreciate the breadth of Mercator's offer and the largest offer of local products. Popularity and the widespread use of the Pika customer loyalty card that is used by virtually every Slovenian household demonstrate that Mercator has a special place with Slovenian consumers.  In addition to having the longest-standing tradition, Mercator is in many ways also a leader in terms of new developments. It was the first fast-moving goods retailer in Slovenia to operate an online store, the first one to offer self-checkout, the first one to offer shopping with mobile applications M Scan and M Scan Mobile, and it was the first retailer to develop a mobile platform called "Moj M" that also includes a mobile wallet "M Pay".  Mercator is constantly introducing innovative solutions to its services and its offer, gradually changing and upgrading them, and adjusting them to the actual needs of the customers, while replacing others with new ones. Thus, it is improving both the shopping experience and its efficiency, so that it can offer the customers what they need and desire, and what represents added value for them. As a result, it is developing a store tailored to the customers.

Serbia.

The first Mercator store was opened in Belgrade, in 2002. Today, the company has stores in many Serbian cities, including Belgrade and Novi Sad. An upscale supermarket in the basement of the Beograđanka skyscraper was originally branded "Mercator Premium", but it was rebranded to "Idea" after Agrokor's acquisition of Mercator. Some of the chain's other stores in Serbia are named "Roda". As of 31 December 2018, Mercator has 321 retail stores in Serbia.

Montenegro.

Mercator entered Montenegro's market in 2007. As of 2018, the retail chain is running stores under the "Idea" banner. As of 31 December 2018, Mercator has 117 retail stores in Montenegro.

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mercator opened the first store in Sarajevo, in 2000, and later several additional hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All Mercator BH stores were transferred to Konzum in late 2014. However all 83 Mercator BH stores were retransferred from Konzum to Mercator during September 2017. As of 31 December 2018, Mercator has 77 retail stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which 50 are markets, 16 supermarkets and 11 hypermarkets.

Croatia.

Mercator opened the first store in Pula, in 2000; following with establishment of over 40 hypermarkets and supermarkets, and many more convenience stores in Croatia. Following Agrokor's acquisition of Mercator, most stores were leased out to Konzum or closed down in late 2014, while the company Mercator H d.o.o., Croatia, has retained its real estate management operations.

Mercator (; Latin for'merchant') is a Slovenian multinational retail corporation owned by the Croatian company Agrokor that is operating in the Central and Southeast Europe.

Die Mercator-Gruppe ("Poslovni sistem Mercator, d.d.") ist eine der größten Handelsketten in Südosteuropa mit Sitz in Ljubljana, Slowenien. Sie betreibt im Wesentlichen großflächige SB-Warenhäuser, ist die führende Handelskette in Slowenien und hält Filialen in Serbien, Kroatien, Bosnien-Herzegowina, Montenegro und Albanien. Seit Juni 2014 ist sie eine Tochtergesellschaft des kroatischen Agrokor-Konzerns. 2017 verabschiedete der Državni Zbor ein Gesetz, das Tochtergesellschaften insolventer Unternehmen vor existenzbedrohlichen Abflüssen zur Muttergesellschaft schützen soll. In der Öffentlichkeit wurde das Gesetz als "Lex Mercator" diskutiert, da es auf diese Gesellschaft zugeschnitten ist, deren Muttergesellschaft Agrokor unter staatlicher Aufsicht saniert wird. Mercator gilt in Slowenien als systemrelevant, da zahlreiche Zulieferer vom Unternehmen abhängen.


History.

The town is in the ancestral lands of the Beni Zid tribe and their neighbors the Matmata tribes.  The [[Matmata Berber|Matmata çç (Berber: "Imatmaten", ) are a tribal confederation of Berber tribes, specifically Beni Faten, living mainly between Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. The ancestor of Matmata is called Maskab and nicknamed Matmat. In ancient times the Matmata inhabited the plateaus of Mindas, around Ouancherich (current [[Ouarsenis]]), and Mount Guezoul Tiaret and the great interior plains of Tunisia today. Become powerful at the beginning of the eleventh century, they actively participated in the war between [[Hammad ibn Bologhine]] and [[Badis Ibn El Mansour]].  [[Leo the African|Leo d'African]] visited El Hamma in the [[16th century|mid-sixteenth century]]. Sayin "It evokes the extremely hot spring that flows a mile and a half from the city and forms the stream that runs through the city in its middle in wide canals."  The [[English people|English]] explorer [[Thomas Shaw (divine and traveller)|Dr. Thomas Shaw]] who, as early as 1743, spoke of the city in these terms: ""The city of El Hamma is four leagues west of Gabes: the Tunisians have a small fort and a garrison because it is one of their border places [...] There are several baths, which each have a roof covered with straw, and in their basins, which are about twelve feet square and four deep, there is, for the convenience of those who bathe, stone benches a little to below the surface of the water.""  [[Victor Guérin]] described the town in 1862 ""At one o'clock, we arrive at El Hamma. This oasis is made up of several villages, which are: El Kasr, the most important of all, Dabdaba, where we ask hospitality to Sheikh, Soumbat, Zaouïet El Madjeba and Bou Atouche. Palm plantations watered by running water surround these villages. These waters come from four hot springs, three of which are in Dabdaba and the fourth between Dabdaba and El Kasr.  They were formerly enclosed in basins built in very beautiful cut stones and still exist, at least in part, because many blocks have been moved or removed. To each of these basins is attached a small bathhouse of modern construction but divided internally into several compartments that are ancient. The temperature of these sources varies: the hottest is forty-five degrees centigrade, the lowest is thirty-four degrees centigrade. Between Dabdaba and El Kasr once stretched a town called [[Aqua Tacapitanae]], because it depended on Tacape, from which it was separated by an interval of 18 [[Roman mile]]s. It is mentioned in the Route of Antonin. It is now completely destroyed and its debris has been used to build the modern villages that have succeeded it and a fort called Bordj El Hamma ""  [[File:The British Army in Tunisia 1943 NA1638.jpg|thumb|Crusader tanks in El Hamma, 29 March 1943.]]At the end of the [[19th century]], André Martel, estimated Beni Zid tribe had nearly 19,000 inhabitants, a quarter of whom permanently reside in the oasis of El Hamma. today a majority most of the Beni Zid are settled permanently in the Oasis.  On the 29th March 1943, New Zealand and British forced defeated the Germans at the [[Battle of the Mareth Line#Operation Supercharge II|Battle of the Mareth Line]] and entered El Hamma.  The completion of several deep bore holes to supply water to the Gabès cement plant in the 1980s and 1990s, saw a drying up of several hot springs including Aïn Echoffa, and a degradation of the palm grove farms.

Economics.

Agriculture has long been the main economic sector of activity in Hammah, the city's economy has diversified in recent years and the industry employs more than a third of the towns assets.  The hotel and tourism sector is also experiencing particularly significant growth thanks to a rehabilitation program co-financed by the [[World Bank]].

References.

[[Category:Populated places in Gabès Governorate]] [[Category:Oases of Tunisia]] [[Category:Communes of Tunisia]] [[Category:Spa towns in Tunisia]]

El Hamma ( "") is an oasis town located in the Gabès Governorate, 30 kilometers west of Gabès, Tunisia and near the eastern end of Chott el Fejej. Its population in 2014 was 73,512.

El Hamma (), auch "El Hamma de l'Arad", ist eine Oasenstadt im südlichen Tunesien. Sie liegt im Gouvernement Gabès und hat etwa 35.000 Einwohner. Der Ortsname stammt von "Hamma" für "Bad" und resultiert aus natürlichen artesischen Quellaustritten in ihrem Gebiet.


Early years.

While attending Brantford Collegiate Institute in Brantford, Ontario, Kaczur was rated as the best prep lineman in Ontario, was voted his school’s Lineman of the Year four times, and was his team's Offensive MVP in his junior and senior years. He also played for the Brantford Bisons of the Ontario Varsity Football League.

College career.

After high school, Kaczur worked in construction for two years before attending the University of Toledo. He was a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Rockets. As a freshman, he was named a third-team freshman All-American by "The Sporting News", and was also a second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection. As a sophomore, he won All-MAC first-team honors. He repeated those honors again in 2003 and 2004 as a junior and senior. He started 51 games during his college career and became Toledo's first ever player to earn all-conference honors in four seasons.

Professional career.

Kaczur was selected in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft (100th overall) by the New England Patriots. He was also selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the first round of the 2005 CFL Draft (9th overall). After beginning the season as a reserve right tackle behind Tom Ashworth, Kaczur started the final 13 games at left tackle for the Patriots in 2005, following an injury to veteran Matt Light. After recovering from an injury that limited him to a reserve role behind Ryan O'Callaghan at right tackle for the first two months of the 2006 season, Kaczur returned to the starting lineup in November and helped the Patriots make a run to the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.  In 2007, Kaczur started the first 15 games of the season, only missing the final game, to an injury. He returned for the Patriots playoff run, including Super Bowl XLII. He returned in 2008 to start 14 games, only missing two games in October due to injury. He was signed to a four-year, $16 million extension on August 24, 2009, four months after the Patriots selected fellow offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Kaczur started the first 13 games of the 2009 season before missing Weeks 16 and 17 with an injury; Vollmer started both games in Kaczur's place, and continued to start in Week 17 and the Wild Card playoffs, limiting Kaczur to a reserve role in both games.  After suffering a back injury early in the Patriots' 2010 training camp, Kaczur missed all the preseason and was inactive for the first four games of the season before being placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2010.  On July 29, 2011, he was released by New England.

Drug allegations.

On June 4, 2008 the "Boston Globe" published a story alleging that Kaczur had been arrested in April 2008 for illegal possession of the prescription painkiller oxycodone. Kaczur cooperated with the Drug Enforcement Administration, wearing a hidden recording device during drug transactions, in an undercover operation to apprehend his drug dealer.

Nicholas Jesse Kaczur (born July 28, 1979) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Toledo.

Nicholas Jesse Kaczur ([Kay-zer]; * 28. Juli 1979 in Brantford, Ontario, Kanada) ist ein ehemaliger kanadischer American-Football-Spieler der als Tackle und Guard für die New England Patriots in der National Football League (NFL) spielte.


Early years.

Hamlin attended Lamar High School. As a senior he recorded 4 interceptions, 20 receptions for 290 yards, 4 touchdowns, 148 punt return yards, 179 kickoff return yards, threw 3 passes and 3 were touchdowns, including one to his brother in the state title game. He finished his high school career with 23 interceptions. He twice received All-State, Region Player of the Year accolades and was also a three-time All-Region selection.  He received All-region honors in both baseball and basketball, helping the school win the baseball state championship as a junior.

College career.

Hamlin accepted a football scholarship from Clemson University. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 12 games with 7 starts at strong safety. He registered 55 tackles (one for loss), 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed.  The next year, he started 10 games, collecting 64 tackles (5 for loss), 2 interceptions, 3 passes defended, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He missed 3 games after breaking a bone in his left foot against Boston College.  As a junior, he registered 97 tackles (second on the team), 4 interceptions (led the team), 6 passes defensed, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He intercepted a two-point conversion attempt against North Carolina State University and returned it 100 yards for the first defensive touchdown in school history off an opponent's extra point attempt.  In his last year of eligibility, he registered 110 tackles (second on the team), 6 interceptions (led the team), 111 interception return yards (fourth in school history), 16 passes defensed, one sack, 2 quarterback pressures and 2 forced fumbles.  His 43 starts in 48 contests was a school record for defensive backs. He finished his college career with 326 tackles (12 for loss), 4 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 14 interceptions (third in school history), 18 takeaways (second in school history) and 22 passes defensed.

Professional career.

Dallas Cowboys.

Hamlin was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He suffered a broken wrist in the third preseason game while playing on special teams and remained inactive for the first 9 games until November 22, 2009.  He was waived on October 12, 2010, after the team decided to give more playing time to rookies Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Danny McCray.

Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hamlin was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad on October 15, 2010. He was promoted to the active roster on December 7 and played in 4 games. He was released on August 25, 2011.

Indianapolis Colts.

On August 29, 2011, he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts. He was released on September 3.

Washington Redskins.

The Washington Redskins signed him to their practice squad on December 20, 2011. He was waived on September 1, 2012.

Coaching career.

In 2013, Hamlin was hired as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Clemson University, where he worked with the defensive backs, before taking a job coaching in the NFL as a special teams quality control coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2015. The Bills did not retain Hamlin for the 2016 season.

Personal life.

His brothers Markee and Marquais, played safety for South Carolina State University. His cousin Amari DuBose, played running back for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Michael Hamlin (born November 21, 1985) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Clemson University.

Michael Hamlin (* 21. November 1985 in Lamar, South Carolina) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer American-Football-Spieler. Er spielte als Safety in der National Football League (NFL) unter anderem bei den Dallas Cowboys.


Regulations.

In 1963 the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale - the FIA’s regulatory body) lifted the 4.0 litre engine restriction on its GT classes, as well as introducing a sliding scale for minimum weight versus engine size. That change again opened the field to large American V8s, used on the AC Cobras and Lola Mk6 that year. It also revised the equivalence ratio for forced induction/turbo engines from 1.2 up to 1.4. The minimum height for cars was increased to 850mm (33.5 inches).  The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) renamed its ‘Experimental’ category as ‘Prototype’ and lifted the 4.0 litre engine restriction for those classes as well. The main change for the race was the starting positions on the grid were determined by the fastest times in practice rather than in order of engine size. In a nod to driver safety, the wearing of safety-belts was now recommended.

Entries.

The ACO received 80 entries but after a number of withdrawals there were 55 cars to practice. The proposed entry list comprised:  Once again Ferraris easily dominated the entry list with eleven cars. SEFAC Ferrari brought three new prototypes. The 250 P was an innovative mid-engined design of Mauro Forghieri that was a longer version of the Dino. The hefty 3-litre V12 generated 310 bhp. The team's regular Formula 1 drivers were assigned: John Surtees with Willy Mairesse, and Ludovico Scarfiotti with Lorenzo Bandini. The third car was driven by sports-car regulars Mike Parkes and Umberto Maglioli  There were also three new 330 LMB 4-litre front-engined prototypes run by privateer teams. While Ferrari stalwart Pierre Noblet ran a works-supported entry, the North American Racing Team (NART) ran another (for Dan Gurney and Jim Hall) as well as the 330 TRI/LM, for Pedro Rodriguez and Roger Penske, that had won the race the previous year. There was also a new British team – Ronnie Hoare's Maranello Concessionaires entered a 330 LMB for Jack Sears and Mike Salmon.  Four manufacturers lined up against the big Ferrari prototypes: Aston Martin, Maserati, Lister and Lola. John Wyer had convinced the ACO to accept the Aston Martin DP214 prototypes as GT-derivatives of the DB4 cars. The successor DP215 had a new 4.0-litre engine capable of 323 bhp. It was driven by Phil Hill and Lucien Bianchi.  Maserati returned with an updated Tipo 151 coupé for their French agency. Lightened and now fitted with a fuel-injected 5-litre V8 engine, it was the biggest car in the field and produced an impressive 430 bhp capable of 290 kp/h (180 mph). It would be raced by French veteran André Simon and Lloyd ‘Lucky’ Casner (owner of the American Camoradi team racing Maserati cars).  For their second foray into Le Mans, Lola rushed their revolutionary Mk6 GT prototype. The Eric Broadley / Tony Southgate design had a steel monocoque chassis with fibreglass body and intricate suspension design. Initially fitted with a mid-mounted Ford 4.2-litre Indycar engine generated 350 bhp, it was subsequently uprated to the 4.7 litre Ford engine. The car was so light that it needed ballast to reach its 875 kg minimum weight. However it was undergeared and could only reach a maximum 240 kp/h (150 mph). The car would be raced by David Hobbs and debutante Richard Attwood  Porsche, now entered as Porsche System Engineering, a Swiss-registered entity for the works team, had the 2-litre class to itself. They arrived with a pair of developed 718-series cars that had won the Targa Florio when the Ferrari s had failed. One a coupé (for ‘Jo’ Bonnier/Tony Maggs), the other a spyder (for Edgar Barth/Herbert Linge), they used the new 2-litre Flat-8 Formula 1 engine.  Once again the smaller-engined classes were strongly contested. Charles Deutsch (last year's victor), after the withdrawal of Panhard's engines, signed a deal with German manufacturer Auto Union-DKW. The 750cc three-cylinder, two-stroke engine could develop 80 bhp and with the streamlined body, could reach 225 kp/h (140 mph). His erstwhile partner, Bonnet had four works entries. Their new streamlined version now named the “Aerodjet”. Their French opposition however was from a new team: Jean Rédélé's new Alpine marque (also running with 1-litre Renault engines). The new A110 came to Le Mans in its streamlined M63 longtail version.  Austin-Healey had a new body designed by Frank Costin for their Sebring Sprite. The 1100cc BMC engine developed 95 bhp. Another British boutique sports-car manufacturer, Deep Sanderson, arrived with its new 301 prototype.  Since 1953 the ACO had offered a prize for a turbine-drive car to complete the 24-hour event. Yet it was only this year that a formal entry was received. Rover had worked on turbines for twenty years and the previous year their fourth prototype had done demonstration laps at Le Mans. Based on a BRM Formula 1 car, the twin turbines generated 150 bhp but only gave a maximum speed of 230 kp/h (145 mph). Unable to run on regulation fuel, (it ran on paraffin) the car was not on the official entry list, and given number “00”. And without a heat exchanger, the turbine's fuel consumption was so great (7mpg) that it could not run with a regulation fuel-tank. BRM, in turn, released their grand prix drivers, Richie Ginther and current World Champion Graham Hill.  In the GT division there were four Ferrari 250 GTOs. The works car was driven by sports-car regulars Carlo Maria Abate and Fernand Tavano. The two Belgian teams, Ecurie Francorchamps and Equipe Nationale Belge, returned and NART ran a long-wheelbase version.  Aston Martin had got two of their DP214 cars homologated, running with the same 3.7-litre engine as the DB4. The works team had Grand Prix drivers Bruce McLaren and Innes Ireland in one and Bill Kimberly / Jo Schlesser in the second. Jean Kerguen also returned with his French Aston Martin for the third year.  Briggs Cunningham was back this year with three of the Jaguar E-type ‘Lightweight’ specials overseen by Lofty England. The fuel-injected 3.8-litre Straight-6 engine now developed 310 bhp. Cunningham drove with Bob Grossman with his other regular drivers Walt Hansgen and Roy Salvadori were paired with Augie Pabst and Paul Richards respectively.  After his success in winning the 1959 race, Carroll Shelby had been working with Derek Hurlock, owner of AC Cars, to fit the new 260cu in (4.2-litre) small-block Ford V8 to the AC Ace chassis that was already race-proven at Le Mans. Put into production, it was the Mk 2 version with the bigger 289cu in (4.7-litre) Ford Windsor engine that was entered for the race. One from AC Cars for Ninian Sanderson and Peter Bolton, was managed by Stirling Moss and the other from Ed Hugus, who had run the car's race development in America.  In the smaller categories the Porsche works team had a pair 356B GS for their regular Dutch drivers Carel Godin de Beaufort and Ben Pon. The cars were now fitted with a new 2.0-litre flat-4 engine. They would be up against a privateer MG MGB, the manufacturer's latest model, driven by top British rally driver Paddy Hopkirk. In the 1600cc class a pair of works Sunbeam Alpines were matched against three Alfa Romeos run by the teams Scuderia Sant Ambroeus and Scuderia Filipinetti. The two Team Elite Lotuses had the 1300cc to themselves when the Equipe Nationale Belge Elite entry was withdrawn.

Practice.

Twenty-three cars availed themselves of the testing weekend over 6–7 April. It was the first appearance of the Ferrari 330 LMB and in it works driver Mike Parkes became the first driver to officially break 300 kp/h (186 mph) on the long Mulsanne Straight. But it was John Surtees who put in the best time over the weekend, with a blistering 3 min 45.8 s. Later, in official qualifying, Phil Hill was also calculated to have hit that magical 300kp/h barrier on the Mulsanne in his Aston Martin prototype.  Rushing to have their Lola GTs ready in time, Eric Broadley drove the first car himself across from their Bromley factory. Although arriving after inspections had officially closed, the ACO, perhaps surprisingly, still allowed the car to enter. The second car, still unassembled, had to be scratched).  Further late withdrawals and no-shows left only 49 cars to practice. The honour of the first Pole Position by qualification went to Pedro Rodriguez in the NART Ferrari with a lap-time of 3 min 50.9 s on Wednesday night. The works Ferrari 250s were second and third (Bandini ahead of Parkes). In fact all eleven Ferraris qualified in the top sixteen places. Hill got his Aston Martin to 4th, with his teammates in 8th and 10th, while the big Maserati was 6th on the grid.  Jo Bonnier got his two-litre Porsche in a very credible 17thwith a 4 min 07.9 s, well ahead of his nearest competition – his teammates in 23rd (4 min 13.2 s) and the GT Porsche in 26th with a distant 4 min 35.8. The fastest of the small cars was the Alpine of Richard/Frescobaldi with 4 min 42.8 s (29th). The Rover turbine did a 4 min 22.0 s that would have qualified it mid-field, but being outside the field it had to start 30 seconds after flagfall at the back of the field.

Race.

Start.

It was a sunny start for the race at 4 pm. Phil Hill got his Aston Martin off the line first, ahead of the Ferraris. But it was the Frenchman André Simon in his Maserati who delighted the local crowd. He blasted past them, nudging Surtees out the way at Mulsanne then overtaking Hill before Arnage to lead the first lap. Pat Ferguson planted his Lotus Elite into the sandbank at Mulsanne on the first lap, although he eventually managed to extricate it (only to plant it back in exactly the same spot on his next lap!). On the second lap André Guilhaudin, owner-driver of the CD-DKW, crashed it at Indianapolis, but his damage was terminal. Then on only the fifth lap, as the leaders were lapping the tail-enders, Roger Masson's Bonnet clipped the verge on the brow after the Dunlop bridge. It spectacularly somersaulted twice but Masson got out unharmed. Both Phil Hill, now running fourth, and Peter Sargent's Lister hit debris and damaged their gearboxes trying to slow but were able to keep on running. Simon continued to lead throughout his opening 2-hour stint before handing over to his co-driver ‘Lucky’ Casner. However, only an hour into his race, Casner brought the Maserati in with terminal gearbox problems. Likewise the earlier stress on the Hill Aston Martin and Sargent Lister took its toll and they too retired early with broken transmissions.  Ferraris now assumed the top five positions. At the 4-hour mark the works 250s of Surtees/Mairesse and Parkes/Maglioli were ahead of the NART 330 TRI/LM then Scarfiotti/Bandini in the other 250 P and Noblet's privateer 330. Sixth place was Bruce McLaren in his Aston Martin, leading the GT category. However at 8.20pm, a piston shattered in the engine while he was at speed going into the Mulsanne kink. McLaren managed to get the car safely to the roadside but the long oil slick from the holed sump started a catastrophic chain reaction of accidents: Jean Kerguen's DB4 Aston Martin spun out into a ditch, wrecking its differential. Sanderson endured a series of spins in his Cobra but luckily hit nothing and carried on. Then Salvadori's Jaguar arrived and spun at 265 kp/h (165 mph) and crashed into the banking. Fortunately, Salvadori (who had been unable to do up his full harness) was thrown out the rear window as the car burst into flames, then helped by Kerguen. This was then hit by Jean-Pierre Manzon's little Bonnet which rebounded into the middle of the track. Manzon, son of the great French racer Robert Manzon, was seriously injured and thrown onto the track. Christian Heins, leading his class and the Index of Performance, managed to avoid Manzon and the wrecks but in doing so, his Alpine-Renault went out of control, rolled and hit a lamp-post then exploded into flames. ‘Bino’ Heins, whose Willys franchise built the Alpines in Brazil, was killed instantly.

Night.

As night fell, Ferrari's fortunes began to change: the Noblet/Guichet car had to retire after a Ferrari mechanic forgot to replace the oil filler cap. Then Parkes and Maglioli were delayed, losing ten laps, to change the distributor. Carlo Abate, in the works-run GTO, was running third just about midnight when he got off-line going through the tricky Maison Blanche corner. He crashed at speed, wrecking the car, but was not injured. Not so fortunate was Bob Olthoff who crashed his Sebring Sprite there soon afterward and was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone.  Through the night Surtees and Mairesse continued to build their lead over their teammates. The NART Ferrari had charged back up to third after being delayed. However around 2am an oil-line burst and destroyed Penske's engine. Jo Bonnier, whose Porsche was running 7th and leading the medium-sized classes, came through the huge plume of engine smoke unsighted and crashed heavily in the trees. Bonnier was lucky to get away uninjured.  An hour later, the Gurney/Hall NART Ferrari, now running third, suddenly slowed at Maison Blanche. Hall coasted towards the pits then pushed it the final distance only to be told that the half-shaft had broken. The Kimberly/Schlesser Aston Martin inherited the place but the curse of third struck again soon before 2am, when they were forced to retire with piston problems, ending Aston Martin's challenge.  By the halfway mark at 4am, there were only 21 cars left running. However, Ferrari had the numbers to outlast their opposition. Surtees/Mairesse had done 189 laps, with a lap's lead over Scarfiotti/Bandini. The works cars already had a massive 10-lap lead over the remaining NART Ferrari of Gregory/Piper, the two Belgian GTOs. Sixth was the Barth/Linge Porsche 718 moving past the Maranello Ferrari and Cunningham's Jaguar, with the Parkes’ Ferrari charging back up the field in 9th. The Rover was cruising quietly just outside the top-10

Morning.

As dawn broke among the rising mist, David Hobbs in the Lola had a big accident at Maison Blanche. After running as high as 8th, the team had been battling the gearbox most of the night, losing two hours in the pits. Hobbs had been trying to change down for the corner when the gearbox finally jammed. A few hours later the leading Porsche of Barth/Linge, now up to 5th, lost a rear wheel coming up to the main straight. Edgar Barth pushed it the half kilometre to the pits where it was repaired and carried on.  Briggs Cunningham and Bob Grossman had steadily moved their Lightweight Jaguar into the top-10 through the night. However, on Sunday morning the brake pedal snapped as Grossman came to the end of the Mulsanne straight. The car slammed through three rows of haybales, scattering spectators, but he was able to get the car back to the pits. Stealing parts from their third car that had retired in the first hour, they lost two hours but got back into the race.  After leading for fifteen hours, Surtees and Mairesse had built up a two-lap lead. However at 10.45 Surtees pitted for fuel and a driver change. Mairesse got no further than the Esses when the car burst into flames. Fuel had carelessly been spilt in the engine bay and an electrics spark applying the brake lights ignited it. Mairesse got out, overalls on fire, before the car came to a halt. The mild burns to his face and arms kept him out of racing for two months.  Their teammates Scarfiotti and Bandini moved up to take the lead they wouldn’t cede.

Finish and post-race.

In the end they won easily – by 16 laps. In a record distance, it was the widest winning margin since Bentley's epic 1927 win (350 km). With Scarfiotti, Bandini and Ferrari it was the first all-Italian victory, as well as being the first win for a mid- or rear-engined car. In a dominant display Ferrari took the top six places. The Scuderia shared the top places with the two Belgian GT teams racing each other: Parkes and Maglioli chased hard and only failed to catch the Equipe Nationale Belge GTO, in second, by just over 100 metres. Fourth was the Ecurie Francorchamps GTO barely a lap behind. The Belgian drivers all celebrated together by driving to Paris two days later, and going to a nightclub till 4am leaving their respective racing cars parked outside.  The Maranello team's Ferrari came in 5th after battling overheating issues for most of the race. Sixth, and last surviving Ferrari, was the NART 250 GTO/LMB of Gregory and Piper. It had been out of alignment since 8am when Gregory had gone off at Arnage taking an hour to dig it out of the sand-trap.  After a remarkably trouble-free run (needing no mechanical work or even a change of tyres), the Rover turbine easily exceeded its 3600 km minimum distance (an average of 150 km/h) and was awarded the ACO's FF25000 prize. Although not classified, it covered sufficient distance that it would have finished 7thand beaten the 1958 winning car. In fact, classified 7th was the Sanderson/Bolton AC Cobra  After their troubles, the Barth/Linge Porsche came in 8th and Cunningham's Jaguar came in 9th. After the race-start antics the Lotus Elite of Ferguson and Wagstaff, finished tenth and class-winner.  Despite the good weather, attrition was high and the number of major accidents meant there were only fourteen cars running at the end of the 49 starters. The sole surviving Bonnet won the Index of Thermal Efficiency, driven by Claude Bobrowski and young debutante motorcyclist Jean-Pierre Beltoise

Official results.

Finishers.

Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO Class Winners are in Bold text.

Index of Performance.

Taken from Moity's book, at odds with Quentin Spurring's book.

Statistics.

Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO

The 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 31st Grand Prix of Endurance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans series and took place on 15 and 16 June 1963. It was also the tenth round of the 1963 World Sportscar Championship season.

Das 31. 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans, der 31 Grand Prix d’Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans, auch 24 Heures du Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, fand vom 15. bis 16. Juni 1963 auf dem Circuit des 24 Heures statt.


Playing career.

Club.

Martins was born in Brest, Brittany of Portuguese descent. After starting at hometown's Stade Brestois 29, he moved to AJ Auxerre in 1991, being a crucial part of an emergent side led by legendary Guy Roux; in 1992–93 they reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals and, four years later, achieved an historical double.  On 30 May 1996, Martins signed with Deportivo de La Coruña from Spain. After an impressive first season in La Liga he lost his importance in the squad due to injuries, and returned in January 1998 to France, joining RC Strasbourg for one and a half years and winning the 2001 edition of the Coupe de France after defeating Amiens SC on penalties.  After a loan to FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Martins rejoined Strasbourg until 2004, and closed out his career with Clermont Foot.

International.

Martins earned his first cap for France on 27 March 1993, in a 1–0 win against Austria. He represented the nation at UEFA Euro 1996 and made a total of 14 appearances, but his international career was vastly undermined by the emergence of Zinedine Zidane.

Coaching career.

Martins started his managerial career in 2006, with lowly Quimper Cornouaille FC. In the following year he was named his first club's director of football, but had a brief spell as interim coach in the beginnings of the 2008–09 campaign; he subsequently stayed on the bench, now as an assistant for the Ligue 2 team.  During 2011–12 and 2012–13, Martins acted as caretaker for Brest as a replacement for sacked Alex Dupont and Landry Chauvin, respectively. After managing to avert top flight relegation in the former season, he lost all eight matches he was in charge in the latter, with the subsequent 20th position in the table and relegation.  On 8 October 2014, Martins was appointed manager of Mauritania. In January 2019, he extended his contract until 2021.

Corentin da Silva Martins (born 11 July 1969) is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and the current manager of the Mauritania national team.

Corentin Martins (* 11. Juli 1969 in Brest) ist ein ehemaliger französischer Fußballspieler. Er spielte auf der Position des Mittelfeldspielers.


Site.

The vault that housed the diamonds is situated two floors below the main floor. It was protected by multiple security mechanisms, including a lock with 100 million possible combinations, infrared heat detectors, a seismic sensor, Doppler radar, and a magnetic field. The building itself had a private security force.

Robbery.

Leonardo Notarbartolo had rented a sparsely furnished office for approximately 25,000 Belgian francs ($700) per month in the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. This was a technique pioneered by New York City-based Serbian criminal authority "Mr. Stan", Vojislav Stanimirović. It was first accomplished in New York's diamond center many years prior to this robbery. It included creating access to the safe deposit box located in the vault beneath the building. The method also provided a tenant ID card offering 24-hour access to the building. There, he posed as an Italian diamond merchant in order to gain credibility. The robbery required eighteen months of preparation. The group used a variety of ingenious methods to overcome the security systems and left investigators confused as to how they had managed to successfully gain entry without triggering the security systems:  The group was caught after Notarbartolo and Speedy went to dispose of the evidence of their plans, planning to burn it in France. Speedy was overcome with panic at the prospect of transporting such incriminating evidence and insisted they dispose of it in a nearby forest. However, Speedy suffered a panic-attack and disposed of the evidence poorly, hurling it into the bushes and mud rather than burning it. Notarbartolo was busy burning his own evidence and when he discovered what Speedy had done, he decided it would take too long to gather everything up and they needed to leave, confident that nobody would find their rubbish. However, a local hunter owned the land and called the police when he found the rubbish the next day (believing it to be caused by local teenagers he had previously had disputes with). When he mentioned that some of the rubbish consisted of envelopes from the Antwerp Diamond Centre, the police immediately investigated. The evidence from the rubbish was enough to allow the police to gain a lead and they were eventually able to identify Notarbartolo from security footage from a nearby grocery store where he had purchased a sandwich (a receipt for the sandwich was amongst the rubbish). After the robbery, Notarbartolo and his team stole the security footage to conceal their identities. More than 123 out of 160 safe deposit boxes were forced open, each of which was made of steel and copper and had both a key lock and combination lock.

Perpetrators.

The theft was carried out by a five-man team led by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a professional thief who was skilled in social manipulation. Notarbartolo had rented space in the diamond district, and was arrested after being connected to the crime by DNA evidence from a partially eaten salami sandwich found near the crime scene.  In addition to Notarbartolo, the team consisted of at least four other members, whom Notarbartolo gave aliases during interviews, though he refused to specify whom each alias referred to:  Notarbartolo was found guilty of orchestrating the heist. He is considered to be the leader of a ring of Italian thieves called "La Scuola di Torino" (The School of Turin), who carried out the crime. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the court of appeal of Antwerp in 2005, but had since been released on parole in 2009. In 2011 a European Arrest Warrant was issued against him after he was found to have violated his parole conditions. One of these conditions was that he needed to compensate the victims of the heist, which he never made any attempt at. As a consequence, he was arrested again in 2013 at the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris during a layover from the United States to Turin, and was made to serve the remainder of his prison sentence until 2017.

Insurance fraud.

Notarbartolo claimed in an interview with "Wired" magazine that a diamond merchant hired them for the heist. He claims that they actually stole approximately €18 million ($20 million) worth of loot, and that the robbery was part of an insurance fraud.  Due to the fact that the vault itself was uninsured, as the insurance company realised the security flaws and would have never given it an insurance policy, there was actually very little insurance money involved, which casts doubt on his story.

Legacy.

The heist is the subject of the book "Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History" by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell.  The story of this diamond heist was featured on The Travel Channel's “Mysteries At The Museum” Season 16/Episode 4 titled “Project Vortex, Diamond Heist and Tinseltown, NJ”, narrated by series host Don Wildman.  Paramount Pictures optioned the rights to create a film about the heist, which have since expired. It was to be produced by J.J. Abrams.  Edgar Award-winning true crime author Burl Barer is collaborating with the other perpetrators and individuals from the "School of Turin", writing about what really transpired and how much was really taken. It will be released as a True Crime Series, 2018.

The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was one of the largest robberies in history. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and other type of jewelry valued at more than $100 million. It took place in Antwerp, Belgium, during the weekend of 15–16 February 2003. Though arrests were made and time was served, most of the diamonds stolen remain unrecovered.

Der Diamantenraub in Antwerpen war der Diebstahl von Wertsachen (Diamanten, Bargeld, Uhren und Schmuck) aus den als uneinnehmbar geltenden Schließfächern des Antwerpener Diamantenzentrums ("Antwerp World Diamond Center") in der Nacht vom 15. auf den 16. Februar 2003. Der Wert der Beute betrug mindestens 100 Millionen Euro; andere Schätzungen gehen bis zu 400 Millionen Euro. Damit handelt es sich um die größte jemals gestohlene Menge an Edelsteinen.