Adam Gottlob Moltke

Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke (10 November 171025 September 1792) was a Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, and Favourite of Frederick V of Denmark. Moltke was born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg. His son, Joachim Godske Moltke, and his grandson, Adam Wilhelm Moltke, later served as Prime Minister of Denmark.
Early life.
Adam Gottlob Greve von Moltke was born 10/11 November 1710 to Joachim von Moltke and Magdalene Sophia von Cothmann. Though of German origin, many of the Moltkes were at this time in the Danish service, which was considered a more important and promising opening for the young north German noblemen than the service of any of the native principalities.
Career.
In 1722, through one of his uncles, young Moltke became a page at the Danish court, in which capacity he formed a lifelong friendship with the crown prince Frederick, later King Frederick V.
Reign of Frederick V.
In 1730, immediately after his accession, Frederick made Moltke Lord Chamberlain and showered him with honours: He was made a privy councillor, was granted the estate of Bregentved in 1747 and created him a count in 1750.
As the companion of the king, Moltke's influence grew to the point that foreign diplomatists declared he could make and unmake ministers at will. Especially notable is Moltke's attitude towards the two distinguished statesmen who played the leading parts during the reign of Frederick, Johan Sigismund Schulin and The Elder Bernstorff. Schulin he revered, but Bernstorff irritated him with his affected airs of superiority. But though a Prussian intrigue was set up for the supersession of Bernstorff by Moltke, the latter, convinced that Bernstorff was the right man in the right place, supported him with unswerving loyalty.
Count Moltke's appointment as Lord Chamberlain, an office that had previously been a mere court post, was now an outstanding position that gave Moltke opportunity as the king's confidential friend to be around him from morning till night, with the king talking to him about whatever was on his mind, which enabled Moltke to make his influence felt in all areas where he pleased. One of his main tasks was to take care that his dissolute Majesty didn't damage the Royal household's reputation with his constant orgies.
Moltke was less liberal in his views than many of his contemporaries. He looked askance at all projects for the emancipation of the serfs, but, as one of the largest landowners of Denmark, he did service to agriculture by lightening the burdens of the countrymen and introducing technical and scientific improvements, which also increased production. His greatest merit, however, was the guardianship he exercised over the king.
On the death of Queen Louisa, the king would have married one of Moltke's daughters had he not peremptorily declined the dangerous honour. Moltke then arranged for a new marriage for the king, which took place at Frederiksborg Palace on 8 July 1752 to Frederick the Great of Prussia's sister-in-law Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Reign of Christian VII.
On the death of Frederick, who died in his arms on 14 January 1766, Moltke's influence came to an end. The new king, Frederick's son, Christian VII, could not endure him, and exclaimed, with reference to his lanky figure: "He's stork below and fox above". At that time Moltke was also unpopular, because he was, wrongly, suspected of enriching himself from the public purse. Therefore, in July 1766, Moltke was dismissed from all his positions and retired to his estate at Bregentved.
On 8 February 1768, through the interest of Russia, to whom he had always been sympathetic, he regained his seat in the council, but his renewed influence was to be brief. As Christian VII's reign was marked by mental illness, he was heavily influenced by his personal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Streunesee had risen steadily in power and from 1770 to 1772, was "de facto" regent of the country.
On 10 December 1770, Moltke was again dismissed without a pension for refusing to have anything to do with the liberal Struensee. In short order, Struensee issued no fewer than 1,069 cabinet orders abolishing torture, unfree labour (corvée), censorship of the press, noble privileges, "etiquette" rules at the Royal Court, and banned slave trade in the Danish colonies. In addition, he instituted criminalisation and punishment of bribery, university reforms, assignment of farmland to peasants, and re-organization and reduction of the army After losing support of the people, partially as a result of his abolition of censorship of the press, Struensee was deposed by a coup in 1772, after which the country was ruled by the King's stepmother, Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, his half-brother Frederick and the Danish politician Ove Høegh-Guldberg.
Personal life.
He was married to Christiane Frederikke von Brüggemann (1712–1760). After her death, he married Sophie Hedevig von Raben (1732–1802), the daughter of Christian Frederik von Raben, the Gouverneur (or Bishop) of the Diocese of Lolland–Falster from 1737 to 1763. Between his two wives, Moltke was said to have had 22 sons, five of whom became cabinet ministers, four who became ambassadors, two who became generals, and all of whom went into public service.
Adam Gottlob Moltke lived in retirement until his death on 25 September 1792.
Amalienborg.
From 1748 to 1749, the district of Frederiksstaden was founded by King Frederick V to commemorate the tercentenary of the Oldenburg family's ascent to the throne of Denmark. While the development was the idea of Danish Ambassador Plenipotentiary in Paris, Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Moltke, along with the royal architect, Nicolai Eigtved, spearheaded the construction. The project consisted of four identical mansions, built to house four distinguished families of nobility from the royal circles, placed around an octagonal square. Moltke's mansion, which was erected in 1750–54, was the most expensive of the four palaces at the time it was built, and had the most extravagant interiors. It's Great Hall ("Riddersalen") featured woodcarvings ("boiserie") by Louis August le Clerc, paintings by François Boucher and stucco by Giovanni Battista Fossati, and is acknowledged widely as perhaps the finest Danish Rococo interior. The mansion formally opened on 30 March 1754, the King's thirtieth birthday.
On 26 February 1794, the Royal Family found itself homeless after the Christiansborg Palace fire. As the Moltke and Schack families were willing to part with their mansions for promotion and money, the royal family, headed by the King Christian VII, acquired the first of the four palaces in the course of a few days, and commissioned Caspar Frederik Harsdorff to turn it into a royal residence. The family occupied the new residence December 1794. These mansions (now called Palaces) form the modern palace of Amalienborg.
Legacy.
In 1753, Moltke, as Director for the Danish Asiatic Company, commissioned an equestrian statue of King Frederik V from French sculptor Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly. The foundation stone was laid in place in 1760 at the 100-year celebration of political absolutism in Denmark. The statue was finally unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V's death in 1766.
In 1766–1769, he commissioned Caspar Frederik Harsdorff to build a memorial chapel for himself at Karise Church in Faxe, which had been begun Harsdorff's former teacher, architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin.
Moltke owned a large art collection which was displayed in his palace; this was later opened to the public. In 1885 a catalogue was published of the collection, which consisted mostly of Dutch masters. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1764. His memoirs, written in German and published in 1870 are of considerable historical importance.


Hillsdale County Railway


Blue Arrow

Blue Arrow Limited is a United Kingdom based employment and recruitment agency that places individual jobseekers in temporary and/or permanent Catering, Driving Industrial and Office roles across the Hospitality, Manufacturing, Public Service, Retail, Support Services and Transport sectors.
The head office is in Luton, Bedfordshire.
Blue Arrow is now part of the Impellam Group plc, an international staffing business traded on the Alternative Investment Market with operations in the UK, Ireland, Europe, United States, Australia and New Zealand.
History.
On 10 November 1959, Blue Arrow (then named 'The Barnet Agency Ltd' and founded by Sheila Birch) was incorporated. On 12 October 1982, the company name was changed to 'Blue Arrow Personnel Services Ltd' and then finally to 'Blue Arrow Ltd' on 28 June 2000.
The company became listed on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1984. In June 1987, Blue Arrow acquired Manpower Inc., which was then the world's largest temporary employment agency, for $1.3bn.
In 1987, Blue Arrow was at the centre of a financial scandal when employees of National Westminster Bank's investment arm, County NatWest, covered up a failed issue of £873m of new stock (intended to finance the takeover of Manpower Inc.). Blue Arrow was cleared of any wrongdoing. In 1989, Tony Berry stepped down as CEO.
On 17 April 1996, the company was acquired by The Corporate Services Group plc. On 7 May 2008, the Corporate Services Group plc merged with Carlisle Group Limited to form one of the UK's largest recruitment groups, Impellam.


International Religious Liberty Association

The International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) is a non-sectarian and non-political organization promoting religious freedom. It was originally organized by the Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in 1893 to campaign for religious freedom for all when the danger of restrictions from blue laws became apparent. Its headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland in the United States.
Mission statement.
The IRLA's mission statement says: "The International Religious Liberty Association will disseminate the principles of religious liberty throughout the world; defend and safeguard the civil right of all people to worship or not to worship, to adopt a religion or belief of their choice, to manifest their religious convictions in observance, promulgation, and teaching, subject only to the respect for the equivalent rights of others; support the right of religious organizations to operate freely in every country by their establishing and owning charitable or educational institutions; and organize local, regional, and national chapters as well as seminars, and congresses."
Activities.
Since 2003, IRLA has organized the annual "Religious Liberty Dinner" to celebrate and bring attention to freedom of religion or belief, both in the United States and around the world. It also presents "International Religious Freedom Award" to individuals for their outstanding service to freedom of religion or belief. Previous awardees include H. Knox Thames (2007), Mikhail P. Kulakov (2008), David Saperstein (2009), Denton Lotz (2009), Dave Hunt (2010), Gunnar Stålsett (2011), Kit Bigelow (2011), Brian Grim (2016), and Thomas F. Farr (2017).


Feed the Minds

Feed the Minds is an ecumenical Christian international development charity that supports the most marginalised individuals and communities around the world. Its vision is "A world in which all people everywhere have the opportunity to live life in all its fullness", and it works towards this vision through its Education for Change programme and Overseas Book Service.
In 2011/12 Feed the Minds changed the lives of 100,000 people through its Education for Change programme, and supported churches in development by sending more than 3,000 quality used books to 126 theological colleges.
Campaigns.
The Lunches for Life campaign, launched in 2010, invites followers to hold food based fundraising events. The campaign runs in September to coincide with International Literacy Day (on 8 September). So far, it has raised more than £4,000 which has contributed to running projects on the Education for Change program.
Organisational values.
The organisations values are:
Requiring Feed the Minds to work in partnership rather than alone with an aim to achieve genuine exchange of resources and support.
Committed to encouraging indigenous creativity and local writing. Projects should be designed by the communities they are intended to serve and should reflect understanding of and respect for the rich diversity of cultures worldwide.
Committed to improving efficiency. Feed the Minds strives to be trustworthy and honest in their operations and decision-making.
Organisational Approach.
Literacy has been at the heart of the work of Feed the Minds throughout its history and is also acknowledged in the Millennium Development Goals as an essential aspect of the commitment to Education For All.
Publications.
In 2011, in partnership with the Population Council in Kenya, Feed the Minds conducted some research into Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. The research looked at how an Alternative Rite of Passage, which involves education and a celebration but no cutting, could protect young girls at the same time as protecting cultural traditions.
In 2011 "Storytelling: A tool for promoting peace and literacy" was produced to support a project called Trauma Healing Through Storytelling, Reading and Writing, funded by Feed the Minds in partnership with the Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Programme (PHARP) and the Sudan Evangelical Mission (SEM). Feed the Minds believe storytelling is a particularly powerful literacy and empowerment tool.
Volunteering and Regional Groups.
Feed the Minds has a network of six regional groups in England. They organise social and fundraising events across the British Isles.
In 2011/2012 alone these regional groups raised £29, 585. Feed the Minds have also estimated that groups such as their Salisbury committee have sold in excess of 100,000 books over the last few decades.


Piedmont (train)

The Piedmont or Piedmont Service is a regional passenger train operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), running six times a day between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a sister train to the "Carolinian", which runs from Charlotte to New York City. The "Piedmont" route is coextensive with the far southern leg of the "Carolinian," largely paralleling Interstate 85. Operations began in May 1995.
NCDOT owns the rolling stock used on the "Piedmont", unlike the "Carolinian", which uses Amtrak rolling stock. Both trains are marketed by NCDOT under the NC By Train brand.
History.
North Carolina developed the "Piedmont" as a regional follow-on to the "Carolinian", which had entered service in early 1990. With the growing popularity of the "Carolinian," state officials sought to add a second daily round-trip between Charlotte and Raleigh. However, Amtrak initially balked, claiming that it didn't have enough rolling stock to spare. Undaunted, in the fall of 1990, NCDOT approved the acquisition of five used passenger cars and the leasing of two diesel locomotives. The board planned to have the second train enter service by early 1992.
The "Piedmont" (as the train came to be called) faced numerous delays. Norfolk Southern, which leased the track, insisted that the state construct a wye in Charlotte for turning the two trains around. At the time, the southbound "Carolinian" had deadheaded south to the nearest wye in Pineville and turned around there. In 1993, the cost of the wye plus land purchase was estimated at $200,000; by late 1994, this grew to $695,000, plus $1.5 million for a maintenance facility in Raleigh. The "Piedmont" finally began operating on May 26, 1995. Originally, it operated with an early-morning trip to Charlotte and a nighttime return to Raleigh. Its creation enabled same-day business travel between Charlotte and Raleigh in both directions.
After delays in refurbishing the motive power and passenger cars, an additional "Piedmont" round trip began operating on June 5, 2010. With the addition of the second train, Amtrak rebranded the route "Piedmont Service" to reflect the multiple daily frequencies.
On March 22, 2011, it was announced that an agreement between NCDOT, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Railroad had been reached that would allow for $461 million in grants from the federal government to be used in upgrading infrastructure. The money would be used to add additional double track and passing sidings, as well as reducing curves, resulting in a 13-minute reduction in travel time.
Improvements include the new Raleigh Union Station, which had its "ribbon cutting" in late April 2018 and began accepting trains that July. A third daily "Piedmont" round trip was added on June 4, 2018 with a fourth round trip to be added in 2023.
On April 6, 2020; the "Piedmont" was truncated to a single round trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 18, 2020, the "Piedmont" was suspended in a further round of COVID-related service cutbacks. This left the "Carolinian," which returned that day after a month-long suspension, as the only rail link between Charlotte and Raleigh. The "Piedmont" returned on August 10th, with a single round trip. A second round trip was restored in December. On April 5, 2021, the "Piedmont" resumed its full schedule of three round trips. This was part of a planned larger restoration of service across the Amtrak system in the spring and summer of 2021.
While the "Piedmont" is operated by Amtrak crews, most other operations are handled by NCDOT. The state sets schedules, owns the equipment, and handles most of the marketing. Maintenance is handled by state contractors at facilities in Charlotte and Raleigh.
Accidents and incidents.
On May 13, 2010, a westbound "Piedmont" collided with a lowboy tractor-trailer that was stuck on the tracks in Mebane, North Carolina, with 13 people injured.
Route details.
The "Piedmont" operates over North Carolina Railroad trackage. Norfolk Southern Railway and its predecessors have leased the NCRR from the state since 1871.
On-board volunteers from the North Carolina Train Host Association provide information about points of interest in North Carolina. Station hosts are also on hand at the Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh stations.
Rolling stock.
The motive power for the "Piedmont" has been provided by eight state-owned locomotives. Two are EMD F59PHIs, numbered 1755 (City of Salisbury) and 1797 (City of Asheville). Six are EMD F59PHs, numbered 1810 (City of Greensboro), 1859 (City of High Point), 1869 (City of Durham), 1871 (Town of Cary), 1893 (City of Burlington), and 1984 (City of Kannapolis). NCDOT also has five cab control units which are numbered 101-105. NCDOT's current F59PHs were originally used by GO Transit of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and rebuilt by American Motive Power and Altoona Works. Locomotives from Amtrak's national fleet, such as the GE P42DC, may also be used.
NCDOT formerly operated two GP40PH-2's rebuilt by AMF. 1768 (City of Charlotte), originally [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|B&O]] [[EMD GP40|GP40]] 4008, was sold to the [[Virginia Railway Express]] and became VRE V24. 1792 (City of Raleigh), originally [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad|L&N]] GP40 3006, was wrecked in the Mebane accident. Everything except the [[EMD 645]] engine, bell and horn were scrapped.
Since at least 2017, the "Piedmont" has operated with two locomotives on either end of the train to improve on-time performance. When westbound trains arrive in Charlotte, the engineer simply goes to the locomotive on the other end of the train to take it to Raleigh, and vice versa. With the addition of more cab control units, the "Piedmont" will eventually operate in [[push-pull train|push-pull mode]].
State-owned passenger cars on the "Piedmont" are refurbished coach cars originally built by [[Pullman-Standard]] and the [[St. Louis Car Company]] in the 1960s for the [[Kansas City Southern Railway|Kansas City Southern]] and [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]]. There are five lounge/baggage cars and one coach/baggage car originally built by the St. Louis Car Company in the 1950s and used by the [[United States Army]]. The lounge car includes vending machines and complimentary coffee and tea. There are 14 regular coaches used on trains in addition to the six lounge/baggage cars. Each coach is named after a state landmark or state symbol. During the COVID-related service cutbacks of 2020, NCDOT opted to run the "Carolinian" rather than the "Piedmont" to save the expense of maintaining the state-owned consists, since the "Carolinian" uses Amtrak rolling stock.
All rolling stock has been painted in a blue and silver [[livery]], with red accents, based on the [[flag of North Carolina|North Carolina state flag]]. The "Carolinian" uses Amtrak's national red-white-blue livery.
In August 2019, the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] awarded NCDOT up to $76.9 million to purchase 13 new coaches, allowing the replacement of some older cars and an expansion to four daily round trips. On May 22, 2020, Senator Thom Tillis announced that NCDOT will receive an $80 million dollar grant to order 13 additional new railcars (for an overall total of 26 new railcars) and 6 new locomotives to replace the remainder of the current fleet. , nine former [[circus train]] cars purchased by NCDOT for $383,000 in 2017 for restoration and use on the Piedmont are stored in [[Spring Hope, North Carolina]]. The state listed the nine cars for sale in December 2020.
Finances.
During [[fiscal year]] (FY) 2016, the "Piedmont" carried a total of 152,175 passengers, a 5.8% decrease from FY 2015's total of 161,487 passengers. The train had a total revenue of [[United States dollar|$]]3,213,742 during FY 2016, a drop of 2.7% below FY 2015's revenue of $3,402,929.
Station stops.
[[File:Amtrak Piedmont.svg|thumb|400px|Amtrak Piedmont ]]
An additional station in [[Lexington station (North Carolina)|Lexington]] operates during the [[Lexington Barbecue Festival]] in October.
The NCDOT offers free transit passes which allow detraining "Piedmont" passengers to get one free bus ride and one transfer on the same day of travel. Passes are honored by 13 participating transit systems along its route.
External links.
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1995]]
[[Category:Amtrak routes]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in North Carolina]]


District Planning Committee

District Planning Committee (DPC) is the committee created as per article 243ZD of the Constitution of India at the district level for planning at the district and below. The Committee in each district should consolidate the plans prepared by the Panchayats and the Municipalities in the district and prepare a draft development plan for the district.
Functions of DPC.
The Constitution of India provides the DPCs two specific responsibilities. In preparing the draft development plan, the DPC shall have regard to matters of common interest between the Panchayats and the Municipalities including spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation and the extent and type of available resources, both financial or otherwise. The DPC in this endeavor, is also mandated to consult such institutions and organizations as may be specified. In order that the plans
at different levels are prepared, there is need to strengthen the system comprising the machinery of planning and the process of consolidation of plans at the district level.
There is confusion in states as to whether the DPC is to be established as a separate and permanent office or whether it denotes only a meeting that is periodically called and which can be serviced by a part-time secretariat. There is a feeling that the DPC ought not to emerge as yet another layer of bureaucracy to vet people’s plans. At the same time, the fact that the DPC is held intermittently and without permanent support undermines its effectiveness as a constitutional institution and a coordinating mentor. On balance, the DPC merits the status of a permanent institution, with adequate Secretariat to service it at the District level. It could also be provided the means of drawing experts to assist it whenever required.
Status of DPCs in the States.
All States and Union Territories except Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, J&K and NCT of Delhi are required to set up District Planning Committees in accordance with Article 243ZD of the Constitution of India. But the status, as of financial year 2007-08 is as follows:-
It is clear that the steps taken to operationalize the provisions of Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India, by the States, have been unsatisfactory. Despite its shortcomings, DPC should become a fulcrum of planning effort in a district and should be enabled to develop the capacity to undertake expected tasks.
An analysis of DPCS.
An analysis of the functioning of DPCs and the formulation and implementation of ‘district plans’ in 14 States reveals the following:-
Establishment of DPCs: Efforts.
The first step is to ensure that DPCs are set up in all States in accordance with Article 243 ZD of the Constitution. In spite of the resolutions of the Second Round Table to set up DPCs as mandated by the Constitution and efforts by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to persuade all States, some States are still dragging their feet in this regard. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj addressed all Secretaries of Panchayati Raj in States on 30 May 2005 requesting them to constitute DPCs in their respective States if the same had not been constituted. Their attention was also drawn to the meeting of the Committee of Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of Panchayati Raj in the States/Union Territories held on 11 April 2005 wherein the Ministry of Panchayati Raj had communicated that the States that had not constituted DPCs in accordance with Article 243ZD of the Constitution should do so before 31 October 2005. However, this was not achieved. The steps taken by this Expert Group and the circular issued by the Planning Commission to all States regarding formulation of the Annual plans of States has already been referred to in Chapter 2.
While the circular marked an important step forward and would give an impetus to the endeavor to establish and strengthen District Planning Committees, detailed instructions were issued to all States and Central Ministries prior to Eleventh plan discussions on the following points:
Support to DPCs.
The need to provide professional support to the DPC cannot be overstated. Though several States have provided staff from the State level on deputation to District Panchayats for the purpose of undertaking planning, such Staff are overburdened and ill equipped. There is a need to create, preferably within the District Panchayat, a separate cell to service the District Planning Committee. The Cell could have five separate and distinct sections, namely, dealing with Municipal Plans, District Panchayat Plans, Intermediate Panchayat Plans, Village Panchayat Plans and one for maintenance of data and undertake research, with the necessary support in terms of IT and qualified research assistants.
Enabling DPC functioning.
The aim of drawing experts is to assist the local governments concerned (Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies) in both forming a vision and designing strategies to attain that vision.
Advice of the experts would be based on experience, expertise and the field position, as revealed from ground data. Special efforts ought to be made by States to ensure that the best talent and the most motivated are invited to participate as experts. The following points are recommended by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, to guide the drawing of experts to support the DPC:
The DPC could also constitute a few sectoral sub-committees for both the envisioning and the consolidation processes. The task of sectoral Sub Committees is to go into the details of each development sector assigned, such as proper quantification and description of service available in the sector, whether these meet the norms prescribed, the gaps that
need to be filled and track data availability, in consultation with local Bodies, public and private organizations before finalizing the vision of that Sector. Once the Sectoral Vision document is prepared, it shall be submitted to the DPC. Sectoral sub-committees could also give suggestions for innovative plans and integrated projects, which local governments may accept if they so desire.
One of the primary tasks of the DPC would be to build capacity for decentralized planning in the district. A major impediment to proper planning is the lack of personnel providing planning support and availability of good and comprehensible information at the Intermediate and Gram Panchayat levels. Provision of support for planning at the Intermediate Panchayat level:
Each Intermediate Panchayat should be provided a planning and data unit, which could also be integrated into the larger concept of having a Resource Centre at each Intermediate Panchayat level, to provide a basket of pooled services, such as for engineering, agriculture, watershed development, women and child care, public health etc., which Gram Panchayats can draw upon for support in planning and implementation.


United Nations Security Council Resolution 590

United Nations Security Council resolution 590, adopted unanimously on 26 November 1986, considered a report by the Secretary-General regarding the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. The Council noted its efforts to establish a durable and just peace in the Middle East but also expressed its concern over the prevailing state of tension in the area.
The resolution decided to call upon the parties concerned to immediately implement Resolution 338 (1973), it renewed the mandate of the Observer Force for another six months until 31 May 1986 and requested that the Secretary-General submit a report on the situation at the end of that period.


Komarno (Hasidic dynasty)

Komarno is a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Aleksander Sender Safrin (born 1770, died August 28, 1818 in Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary and is buried there) of Komarno, Ukraine.
Dynasty.
Rabbi Aleksander Sender Eichenstein.
Rabbi Sender was the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Eichenstein (born 1740, died February 26, 1800) of the town of Safrin, from where Rabbi Sender's family name originates. He was a disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin and died at the age of 47 on a Saturday night, after spending Shabbos with the Yismach Moshe of Uhel. The Yismach Moshe appointed his kehilla to bury him in the Ohel (lit. tent) that was to be his very own burial place in Uhel.
Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Safrin.
After the death of Rabbi Sender, his son, Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Yehuda Yechiel Safrin (born February 13, 1806, died April 28, 1874), was raised by his uncle (his father's brother), Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Eichenstein (born 1763, died June 22, 1831) of Zidichov.
Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Yehuda Yechiel Safrin of Komarno, known as the Komarno Rebbe, was one of the most prolific expounders of the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, producing volumes of original insights on Jewish and Torah philosophy as inspired by the Baal Shem Tov, whom he calls "Mory V'Rabi" (my Teacher and inspirer), although the Baal Shem Tov died years before his birth. He also wrote insights on the Mishnah and Jewish Law. A hidden Torah Scholar for many years, he only later became known for his genius, piety and ability to work wonders. According to Hasidic legend, he showed a phenomenal ability as a child to foresee events happen before they did. His uncle and foster parent, Rabbi Hirsh of Zidichov, "removed" this talent from him and "hid" it from him to be used at an older more mature age. He was a giant among his generation and although he held positions that were in conflict with the Shulchan Aruch, he never held positions that were not based on the Rishonim and other accepted Talmudic or Zohar sources. Among his other works, Rebbe Yitzchak Eisik of Komarno's monumental commentaries Heichal HaBrachah on the Torah, Otzar HaChaim on the commandments, and Zohar Chai on the Zohar, are classics of Kabbalah as well as Hasidic philosophy.


Charles Nyonyintono Kikonyogo


R v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, ex parte World Development Movement Ltd

R v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, ex parte World Development Movement Ltd is a judicial review case in English law decided by the Divisional Court of England and Wales on 10 November 1994 in which the World Development Movement challenged the decision of the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to spend £234 million on a development project on Malaysia's Pergau Dam.
Facts.
At the time, the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) was under the supervision of the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, its primary remit being to promote UK exports to the developing world ("aid through trade"). During this period, it has been alleged that there was a connection between the granting of aid and the achievement of either foreign policy goals or British companies winning export orders.
A scandal erupted concerning the UK funding of a hydroelectric dam on the Pergau River in Malaysia, near the Thai border. Building work began in 1991 with money from the UK foreign aid budget. Concurrently, the Malaysian government bought around £1 billion worth of arms from the UK. The suggested linkage of arms deals to aid became the subject of a UK government inquiry from March 1994. In November 1994, the World Development Movement applied for judicial review.
Judgment.
The High Court of England and Wales held that the Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, had acted "ultra vires" (outside of his power, and therefore unlawfully) by allocating £234 million towards the funding of the dam, on the grounds that legislation only empowered him to allocate funds to economically sound projects.
Notes.


Francisco Cajigal de la Vega

Francisco Cajigal de la Vega (sometimes spelled "Francisco Caxigal de la Vega") (February 6, 1691, Ribamontán al Monte, Cantabria – 1777) was a Spanish military officer, governor of Cuba from 1747 to 1760, and interim viceroy of New Spain, from April 28, 1760 to October 5, 1760, succeeded by Viceroy Joaquín de Montserrat, marqués de Cruillas.
Cajigal was lieutenant general in the royal army and a knight of the Order of Santiago. He was appointed as governor of Cuba in 1747.
He was governor of Cuba in 1760 at the time of the death of the previous viceroy, Agustín de Ahumada. The Audiencia possessed sealed orders to be opened on the death of Ahumada, and these named Cajigal to fill the position on an interim basis. He sailed from Havana for Veracruz on March 28, 1760. He remained in Veracruz a few days awaiting the arrival of the vehicle intended to take him to Mexico City. He made his solemn entry into Mexico City on April 28, 1760 and took up the government.
He worked to reform the accounting at the treasury. He removed the sales tax on products of iron and steel to stimulate construction and the mining of that metal. To augment revenue, he sold the monopoly on the production of playing cards and farmed out the collection of customs duties at Veracruz for five years. Other measures spurred the economy of La Florida and Panzacola (Pensacola).
He increased the regular army of New Spain to 2,921 men. He named his son, Juan Manuel, commander of the cavalry company of the viceregal guards.
On the ascension of Charles III to the Spanish throne, a general amnesty was declared. In New Spain, at least, it did not free many prisoners because there were many exceptions.
This viceroy was not considered very honorable. He insisted on a very high salary (at the rate of 40,000 pesos per year) and huge expenses for his return journey from Mexico to Havana (6,000 pesos).
He turned over the government of the colony to his successor, Joaquín de Montserrat, marqués de Cruillas on October 5, 1760 and returned to Havana, where he took up his old position.


Taxation in Andorra

The tax system of Andorra has evolved according to the country's economic activity and structure, and the tax bases have been expanded to optimally distribute the weight of the tax burden, going from an almost exclusively indirect tax system to a system with direct taxation that can be approved at the international level. Despite its taxes, Andorra ceased to be a tax haven for its neighboring countries years ago, and for the European Union and OECD recently.
In accordance with the mandate established in the 1993 Constitution, tax powers are divided between the "Comuns" — town councils – and the Government.
History.
After the Andorran Constitution came into force, the qualified law delimiting the powers of the "Comuns", of November 4, 1993, configures and delimits the powers of the commons within the framework of their self-government.
During the period 1994–1996, an important activity of tax development was observed with the creation of five new taxes:
In 2000, the legislator approved the Law on the Tax on the provision of services (ISI), in accordance with the political model of generalizing indirect taxation to all sectors of the economy. It is a framework law that establishes the bases for indirect taxation on services and that, through specific laws, within two years, must be developed in all sectors.
In May 2002, the indirect tax on the provision of banking and financial services (currently repealed), and the indirect tax on the provision of Insurance services were approved. The same year, the rate was approved by reason of the notarized public faith service (currently repealed) and the tax on real estate property transfers within the framework of fiscal co-responsibility between the commons and the Government.
In 2003, Law 10/2003, of June 27, on communal finances unifies the essential elements of communal taxes and homogenizes the bases of the various tax figures that these local administrations develop through the respective ordinances. On November 3 of the same year, the three specific tax laws were passed that generalize indirect taxation to all sectors of the economy:
These three new taxes, which entered into force on January 1, 2006, were replaced by the indirect general tax (IGI), which entered into force on January 1, 2013.
Government direct taxation begins in 2006 with the entry into force of the capital gains tax on property transfers. It is a direct tax that is taxed on the increase in the value of real estate that is evidenced by the inter vivos, onerous or lucrative transfers of real estate, as well as by the constitutions or transfers of real rights over them.
On December 29, 2010, three major taxes were approved in the field of direct taxation. They are:
In 2013, Andorra announced plans to impose an income tax in response to pressure from the European Union. The tax was introduced in 2015, at a flat rate of 10%. Also the General Indirect Tax (IGI) was applied. Its introduction allowed replacing the vast majority of existing indirect tax figures that taxed the consumption produced in the territory. In this way, the indirect taxation framework becomes more neutral and efficient for companies and fairer for citizens.
In 2014, the Department of Taxes and Borders was created, with the aim of establishing an administrative authority in charge of managing the tax system and the customs system, equipped with human resources and legal mechanisms that allow for management and collection effective income of a tax nature.
Finally, on January 1, 2014, the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) came into force, which completes the configuration of the Andorran fiscal framework and introduces a tax system comparable to that existing in other neighboring countries, the European Union and the OECD. The new tax covers all the income that the taxpayer may obtain, regardless of its type and source, also incorporating business income that until then was taxed on income tax from economic activities.
Communal tax system.
The qualified Law delimiting the powers of the commons determines the taxing power of municipalities in relation to taxes:
State tax system.
The fees, taxes and rates that compound the state tax system of Andorra are:
Income tax.
Andorra introduced the personal income tax regime on the first of January 2015. It is a tax composed of sections that are applied on the income tax base, similar to that of neighboring countries. Without going into the many details of the tax and in a simplified way:
The tax on savings income follow the same regime as the income tax, but the difference in this case is that the first €3,000 of investment income is tax exempt. The rest of income is taxed at 10%.
Corporate tax.
The more relevant tax on corporations in Andorra is the IS or Impost de Societats (IS), and corresponds to a fixed general rate of 10%.
There are in addition some bonuses for new corporations:
Value added tax.
Andorra is not part of the EU VAT area, despite being in a customs union with the EU. On January 1, 2013, Andorra introduced the IGI (Impost General Indirecte), that is the main value added tax and indirect tax, replacing the sales tax regime. Its general tax rate is 4.5%, but there are some other rates applied to certain goods and services:
Capital gains tax on property transfers (PLV).
When someone want to sell Andorran property to obtain some profit, a capital gains tax will be applied on the real asset. The nominal rate is 15% if the property is sold before the first year, 13% if it is sold in the second year of possession, 10% in the third year of possession and decreases by 1% each year after the third year (so the rate can be 0% in the 12th year). However, an individual can avoid the capital gains tax buying another property before six months of the sale.


Koson (Hasidic dynasty)

Koson (, ) is a hasidic dynasty originating in the village of Koson (also Kossyny or Kaszony) in Ukraine. The dynasty was founded by Rabbi Yehosef Rottenberg in 1897.
History.
"Bnei Shileishim".
Rabbi Yehosef Rottenberg was born in Halych in 1853 to Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh and Chaya Dreizya Rottenberg. He studied under Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz and Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum of Siget. Rabbi Yehosef married Rebbetzin Sara Yittel, the daughter of Rabbi Meshulim Feish Segal-Lowy I of Tosh and authored the "sefer" "Bnei Shileishem" (and is therefore sometimes referred to by its name). He settled in Koson in 1897 where he served as rebbe. After his death in 1911, he was succeeded as rebbe in Koson by his son, Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Rottenberg.
"Shmuah Tovah".
Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Rottenberg married Raitze, daughter of Rabbi Asher Yashaya Rubin of Kolbuszowa, Poland, and authored the "sefer" "Shmuah Tovah". In 1920 however, nine years after assuming the position of rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Shlomo died, and was succeeded by his younger brother (and son-in-law), Rabbi Yisrael Tzvi Rottenberg, known by the name of his "sefer", "Ohr Moleh".
"Ohr Moleh".
As Rebbe, the "Ohr Moleh" established a hasidic yeshiva, Yeshiva Ateres Tzvi, in Koson that attracted over a hundred students from throughout the region who came to study Torah for a year or more. For the "Yamim Tovim", many more chassidim would come to Koson to be with the rebbe. During World War II in 1944, the entire Jewish community of Koson was taken to the Beregszasz Ghetto in nearby Berehove, and soon after, they were deported to Auschwitz. The "Ohr Moleh" and all his children, save for one son-in-law, perished there.
Post World War II.
A third son of the "Bnei Shileishim" (and a brother of the "Shmuah Tovah" and the "Ohr Moleh"), Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Rottenberg served as a rabbi in Kleinvardein before emigrating to Los Angeles, and was recognized as the Kosoner Rebbe. His son, Rabbi Pinchas Shalom Rottenberg, served as Kosoner Rebbe in New York, as did his son after him, Rabbi Menachem Yisrael Rottenberg. He was succeeded by five sons: Rabbi Meir Yehosef in Brooklyn and later Linden, New Jersey; Rabbi Moshe Shmuel in London, England; Rabbi Naftali Tzvi; Rabbi Avraham Baruch in Lakewood Township, New Jersey; and Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib (Chaim Leibish) in Monsey.
Chanukah attack.
The Koson community came under the spotlight when an anti-Semitic machete attack occurred on Hanukkah, December 28, 2019, in the home of Rabbi Chaim Leibish Rottenberg, the Kossoner Rebbe of Monsey, New York. After the attack, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, standing outside Rabbi Rottenberg's home, "This is an intolerant time in our country. We see anger. We see hatred exploding. It is an American cancer on the body politic." Then-President Donald Trump called the attack "horrific" and said that "we must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism."
Linden, New Jersey.
Rabbi Meir Yehosef Rottenberg, a son of Rabbi Menachem Yisrael Rottenberg, served as Kossoner Rebbe in Borough Park, Brooklyn before relocating his congregation to Linden, New Jersey. Although the community had started out very small, it grew quickly and currently includes families living in nearby Roselle, Cranford, Clark, and Rahway. After the opening of the Kosonner congregation, other Hasidic communities sprouted in Linden as well, including Bobov, Rachmastrivka, Pupa, and Satmar communities.
Israel.
The son of the "Shmuah Tovah", Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Rottenberg (also the first cousin of Rabbi Pinchas Shalom Rottenberg, Kosoner Rebbe of New York), served as a rabbi in Debrecen. He later emigrated to New York, where he became recognized as the Kozova Rebbe and in 1961, to Bnei Brak, Israel. His son, Rabbi Asher Rottenberg, continued the Kosoner dynasty in Bnei Brak (two of his other sons, Rabbis Yechiel Mechel and Chaim Shlomo Rottenberg, succeeded him as Kozova Rebbe).
Lineage of the Kosonner dynasty.
Included in the dynasty of the Kosoner Rebbes are the Kozova Rebbes, who descend from Rabbi Yehosef Rottenberg as well.


Thomas Bridges, 2nd Baron Bridges

Thomas Edward Bridges, 2nd Baron Bridges, (27 November 1927 – 27 May 2017) was a British hereditary peer and diplomat.
Early life.
Bridges was born on 27 November 1927 to Edward Bridges, later Cabinet Secretary. His grandfather was Robert Bridges, the Poet Laureate. He was educated at Eton College and New College, Oxford.
Career.
He joined the Diplomatic Service in 1951. Following postings to, amongst other places, West Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Washington, D.C., he was HM Ambassador to Italy from 1983 to 1987.
He sat as a crossbench member of the House of Lords from 1975, and was one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain under the House of Lords Act 1999 He was on leave of absence from March 2011 to May 2015. Having failed to attend during the whole of the 2015–16 session without being on leave of absence, he ceased to be a member on 18 May 2016 pursuant to section 2 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014. He died a year later on 27 May 2017 at the age of 89.
Personal life.
Bridges was married to Rachel Mary Bunbury (1926–2005), youngest daughter of Sir Henry Noel Bunbury . They had three children:
The Conservative peer, The Lord Bridges of Headley, is his nephew.
Honours.
In 1969, Bridges succeeded to the barony of Bridges upon the death of his father. In the 1975 New Year Honours, he was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George as a Companion (CMG). In the 1983 New Year Honours, Bridges was promoted within the same Order as a Knight Commander (KCMG). In the 1988 New Year Honours, Bridges was promoted within the same Order as a Knight Grand Cross (GCMG).


Portfolio margin

Portfolio margin is a risk-based margin policy available to qualifying US investors. The goal of portfolio margin is to align margin requirements with the overall risk of the portfolio. Portfolio margin usually results in significantly lower margin requirements on hedged positions than under traditional rules. While margin requirements of Regulation T generally limit leverage on equity to 2:1, with portfolio margin, leverage of 6:1 or more is possible.
Overview.
Portfolio margin is calculated using the Options Clearing Corporation's (OCC) Customer Portfolio Margin system. This system—based on the OCC's TIMS methodology—sets the margin requirement to the maximum hypothetical loss of the portfolio. The maximum loss is found by stressing the underlying securities in the portfolio across a range of hypothetical market moves and valuing the portfolio under each scenario. The size of the market move depends on the type of underlying:
After the scenario P&Ls are determined for each group of securities with the same underlying, P&L offsets are applied across pairwise security groups. These offsets are set by The Options Clearing Corporation and are informed by the degree of correlation between pairwise securities. The offset percentages for different types of indexes and different levels of aggregation are defined in an offset table.
Once the offsets are applied, the net P&L for the Portfolio can be determined under each market move scenario. For example, 90% of the profit on a Russell 3000 index ETF long position can be used to offset the loss on a S&P 500 index ETF short position. This corresponds with the 90% offset allowed for securities in the Broad Based Indexes product group. There are over 28 product groups in total, each with its own offset percentage. Note that (non-index) single stock positions do not obtain any P&L offsets and therefore a portfolio of these positions has a minimum margin requirement of 15%.
In order to qualify for a portfolio margin account, a broker-dealer customer must meet the minimum equity guidelines as set by FINRA: $100,000 for customers of firms that have real-time intra-day monitoring systems, $150,000 for customers of firms without real-time intra-day monitoring systems, and $500,000 for Prime Broker customers or Introduced account customers where trades are executed away from the clearing firm.
The NYSE began a pilot program in April 2007 offering portfolio margin to certain qualified accounts. This program became permanent in Aug 2008.


Fish Tank (film)

Fish Tank is a 2009 British drama film written and directed by Andrea Arnold. The film is about Mia, a volatile and socially isolated 15-year-old, and her relationship with her mother's new boyfriend. "Fish Tank" was well-received and won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film. It was included in the BBC's The 21st Century's 100 greatest films (compiled in 2016), ranking at no. 65 on the list.
The film was funded by BBC Films and the UK Film Council. It was theatrically released on 11 September 2009 by Curzon Artificial Eye.
Plot.
Mia Williams, a volatile and socially isolated 15-year-old, lives on an East London council estate with her single mother, Joanne, and younger sister, Tyler. Mia has just fallen out with her best friend, Keely. She doesn't get along with her precious sister nor verbally abusive mother. Mia provokes Keely's other friends with physical aggression. Mia regularly practices hip-hop dance alone in a deserted flat in her family's building, drinking alcoholic cider beforehand.
Later, Mia comes across a tethered horse in a Traveller encampment. She tries to free it, only to be caught and chased by two young men, the horse's owners. Billy, the younger of the three, is less hostile to Mia.
Mia's mother Joanne's new boyfriend, Conor, is charming and handsome. He notices Mia's dance moves, and invites Mia and Tyler to come with him and Joanne on a day-trip to the countryside. He introduces them to his favourite song, Bobby Womack's version of "California Dreamin', and shows Mia how to catch a fish using her bare hands. Although Mia is abrupt with Conor, she seeks his attention.
At an internet café, Mia takes a poster stuck up in the window by a club that is clearly adverting for erotic dancers. Friends of Keely enter the internet cafe and argue with and assault Mia. Later, Mia assists Billy in stealing a car engine part from a junkyard, appearing to flirt. Mia visits Conor at work where he is a security guard. Conor encourages her to apply for the dancing audition, lending her a video camera to record an audition on. Their interactions become increasingly flirtatious.
A social worker visits Joanne regarding Mia, offering a referral to boarding unit for disengaged teens. Mia flees. Conor later administers a flirtatious spanking to Mia when she returns, Mia becomes jealous and angry when she overhears Conor and her mother having sex.
Mia is invited by the club to perform in person after sending in her tape. With Joanne passed out drunk upstairs, and after Mia and Conor have also been drinking, Conor asks to see Mia's dance routine. She dances to "California Dreamin', and Conor initiates sex. Conor tells Mia to keep their liaison a secret. The following morning, Mia hears her mother crying as Conor has left. In her anger, Joanne tells Mia she planned to abort her whilst pregnant. Mia tracks him down to his middle-class home. He explains that he cannot see her anymore because of her age and drives her to a station. However, Mia returns to his house and sneaks in. She finds a video camera which reveals footage of Conor's partner and their young daughter, Keira. Mia angrily urinates on Conor's living room floor; and then sneaks out of the back door when the family return home.
Mia lingers by Conor's home and eventually leads Kiera away from her family. Keira tries to escape Mia, who catches up with her, and in the struggle inadvertently pushes her into the river. Mia pulls Kierra out and takes her home anonomously. Conor soon chases Mia down post Kiera's return, chasing Mia across a field and forcefully slapping her.
Mia goes to her dance audition, soon realising its true nature. The other participants perform erotic auditions. Mia takes the stage, but as the music she had chosen (Bobby Womack's version of "California Dreamin'" from Conor's CD) starts dejectedly leaves the stage,
Mia heads to Billy's home, not finding the horse. Billy tells her that the horse had to be put down to which Mia responds by breaking down in tears. Billy invites Mia to relocate with him to Cardiff. Mia returns home to pack for the trip, and, despite their coldness, joins Joanne and her sister in synchronised dancing to Nas' "Life's a Bitch". Mia and Billy depart for Wales.
Production.
Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, had no prior acting experience. She was cast for the film after one of Arnold's casting assistants saw her arguing with her boyfriend in , which is the railway station featured in the film.
Principal photography began 28 July 2008 over the course of six weeks, and was filmed in chronological order. Actors where unaware of their characters' trajectories through the film due only being provided relevant sections of the script at a time.
Location filming took place on the Mardyke Estate in Havering, in the town of Tilbury, and on the A13.
Music.
Music features prominently in the film. The song Mia uses at her audition is "California Dreamin'", as covered by Bobby Womack (1968).Characters in the film dance to the song "Me & U" by Cassie and the video for Down 4 U by Ja Rule and Ashanti is shown on screen. Other songs include "Jah Rule (w/ Paul St. Hilaire)" by Rhythm & Sound (Album: W/The Artists), "Life's a Bitch" by Nas, "Just to Get a Rep" by Gang Starr, "Cool Down the Pace" by Gregory Isaacs, "Your House" by Steel Pulse, "Juice" by Eric B and Rakim, "Baby girl" by Wiley, "Show Me Love" (Stonebridge Club Mix) by Robin S, "Get Up Offa That Thing" by James Brown, "In The Fading Light" by New Device, and "Original Nuttah" by Shy FX & UK Apache.
The film has no non-Diagetic music; the entire soundtrack consists of songs and music played by characters within the narrative.
Release.
Distribution.
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2009. Curzon Artificial Eye and IFC Films acquired United Kingdom and United States distribution rights to the film respectively. The film went onto screen at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2009. It was then released in the United States on 15 January 2010.
Critical reception.
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of critics reviewed the film positively, based on a sample of 143 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10. The consensus states "Cannes Jury Prize-winner "Fish Tank" is gritty British realism at its very best, with flawless performances from newcomer Kate Jarvis, and Michael Fassbender." The "New Yorker"'s David Denby writes, ""Fish Tank" may begin as a patch of lower-class chaos, but it turns into a commanding, emotionally satisfying movie, comparable to such youth-in-trouble classics as "The 400 Blows"".
Box office.
"Fish Tank" was released domestically on 11 September 2009 taking £103,180 on its first weekend and a total of £332,488. As of 15 June 2010, the film earned $374,675 in the United States and $1,612,034 elsewhere, bringing the worldwide total to $1,986,709.
Home media.
A new high-definition digital transfer of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection in February 2011. Extras include three short films by director Andrea Arnold: "Milk" (1998), "Dog" (2001), and the Oscar-winning "Wasp" (2003).


Fulata

Fulata (Manchu: ; ; died 1694) was Governor-General of Nanjing (1688–94). A nephew of Mingju (President of the Ministry of Punishments; Director of the Imperial Household; President of the censorate), he was an imperial clansman, who rose rapidly by service in Beijing and the provinces to be Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1688, a post he filled until his death. The Kangxi Emperor described him as the only fit successor to Yu Chenglong (): "a man of peace without weakness, not afraid of responsibility, and devoted to the people." Canonised, he was included in the Temple of Worthies.


Juan de Fustes

Juan de Fustes (1500s-1573) was a Spanish nobleman, conquistador and explorer, who arrived at the Río de la Plata in the army of Sebastián Caboto.
He was born in the Canary Islands (Spain). In 1558 he participated in expeditions in the Pilcomayo River. Fustes had been held captive by the Indians during an expedition to Brazil. He had been captive by the tribe for 10 years, then he joined as a neighbor of Asunción.


New Zealand Agency for International Development

The New Zealand Aid Programme is the New Zealand Government's international aid and development agency. NZAID is division of New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Previously a semi-autonomous body, it was reintegrated back into the Ministry as the International Development Group following a restructure in 2009. Its Māori name is "Nga Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti" – the paddles that bring growth from afar. The Head of the New Zealand Aid Programme is Jonathan Kings, a lawyer and public servant.
History.
NZAID was established in 2002 by the Fifth Labour Government with the launching of a new overseas aid policy, "Towards a Safe and Just World Free of Poverty". The establishment of NZAID as a semi-autonomous body marked a significant shift in the management of New Zealand official development assistance (ODA). Prior to 2002, ODA had been managed by MFAT using largely non-specialist staff, policies and procedures.
A Ministerial Review in 2001 found that New Zealand's management of ODA lacked a clear mission: "Management and staff are pursuing poorly defined
development assistance, foreign policy and trade objectives. There is a serious confusion of purpose. At the implementing end, desk officers are uncertain and concerned about the core mission of their work." The 2001 Review found that NZ ODA lacked focus; poverty analyses on which to base decisions; systematic analysis of past performance; and systematic use of good practice in aid design and delivery. The rotational staffing system (whereby career MFAT staff were rotated through the aid management division, rather than recruited specifically for skills and experience in ODA issues) had led to the relevant area of MFAT being regarded as "both a training ground for diplomats and a dumping ground for non-performers". Basic issues of staff and document management were found wanting. The establishment of NZAID was a response to these and other problems.
The Cabinet Minute (01) 28/8 which mandated the creation of NZAID "set the following major directions for New Zealand's ODA:
Structure.
NZAID consists of six organisational divisions:
Development approach.
The mission statement of the New Zealand Aid Programme expresses a desire to "support sustainable development in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world". This includes carefully targeting aid dollars towards activities and projects that are likely to result in tangible differences to the quality of people's lives, particularly in the Pacific region.
Area of operation.
In 2009, Cabinet agreed to the mission statement and directed that within this the core focus be sustainable economic development. Cabinet also directed that the Pacific remain the core geographic focus and receive an increased portion of New Zealand's ODA.
Controversy and criticism.
In 2008, the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General and Audit New Zealand released critical reports on NZAID procedures and systems, leading to negative comments in New Zealand Parliament and critical media coverage. NZAID has responded with a programme to "strengthen internal systems and processes".
NGOs in New Zealand have defended the performance of NZAID. The most significant NGO criticism of the New Zealand aid programme is that it should be larger.
The New Zealand National Party have claimed that overseas aid needs "fresh thinking" and that "Over many years and various Governments, New Zealand
aid has encouraged the growth of political structures and bureaucracy that are not sustainable." and that "there is no evidence that the major problems identified in the 2005 report by Professor Marilyn Waring have been rectified."
Trevor Loudon, a member of the free market liberal ACT Party, has criticised NZAID as an organisation, and individuals within it, for having a "socialist bent" and funding organisations that are "more political than aid oriented". However, there has been noticeably less criticism of this sort in New Zealand than in Australia.


National Housing and Construction Company

National Housing and Construction Company Limited (NHCC), is a Ugandan construction and real estate management company, partly owned by the Uganda Government. The Company’s mandate is to increase the housing stock in the country, rehabilitate the housing industry and encourage Ugandans to own homes in an organized environment.
History.
NHCC was established by the National Housing Corporation Act of 1964, as a government parastatal. The Act was repealed by the 1974 Decree to form the National Housing and Construction Corporation. In July 2002, the corporation became a public limited liability company known as the National Housing and Construction Company Limited. Later, the Uganda government partially divested from NHCC by selling 49 percent shareholding to the Libyan African Investment Company, an investment company owned by the government of Libya. or is it?
Ownership.
As of October 2016, the shareholding in the stock of NHCC was as depicted in the table below:
In August 2016, Patrick Ocailap, an official in the Ugandan Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, indicated that NHCC did not have sufficient funds to meet its obligations. New investors are needed to inject new funds to increase the company's working capital. In October 2016, the government of Uganda announced its intention to acquire 100 percent shareholding in the company.
Asset base.
In 2011, NHCC owned assets in excess of US$70 million, with annual turnover of US$6 million. NHCC owned 5.0% of Housing Finance Bank, Uganda's 9th largest commercial bank, as of December 2013.
Projects as of 2016.
As of October 2016, the following were some of the construction and management projects that NHCC was involved in: (1) Impala Housing Estate, Namungoona, Kampala. This is the fourth phase of the Namungoona development, bring the number of planned and completed housing units to 469. (2) Bukerere Housing Estate. Located in Bukerere, Mukono District, the development is planned to have between 2,000 and 3,000 housing units of 3 to 4 bedrooms each designed with an estimated built up area of to each. A section of this development will consist of three storey flats (condominiums) intended for upper middle class clients. (3) Jasmine Apartments: Three Bedrooms. These flats, each measuring , with 3 bedrooms, are located in Naalya, Kira Municipality and are intermixed with retail shops and communal amenities including gardens and rooftop terraces. (4) Rwizi View Estate: 2 Bedrooms. Located within the city centre of Mbarara, the development consists of two bedroom apartments, each measuring approximately . (5) Rwizi View Estate: 3 Bedrooms. Located adjacent to the 2 bedroom development, the three bedroom apartments have the same approximated living space of .
Recent developments.
In July 2014, NHCC borrowed US$9 million from Shelter Afrique, a Nairobi-based pan-African finance institution, for the purpose of constructing more affordable housing in Uganda.
NHCC owns the twin towers known as Crested Towers in Nakasero, currently housing the headquarters of Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited and the headquarters of the European Union in Uganda, among other tenants. According to the CEO of NHCC, as of June 2016, the buildings were valued in excess of USh80 billion (approx. US$23.5 million). The rent derived from this development is worth USh13 billion (approx. US$3.82 million) every year, according to the CEO.


Lackawanna Cut-Off

The Lackawanna Cut-Off (also known as the New Jersey Cut-Off or Hopatcong-Slateford Cut-Off) was a rail line built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W). Constructed from 1908 to 1911, the line was part of a main line between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York. It ran west for from Port Morris Junction in Port Morris, New Jerseynear the south end of Lake Hopatcong, about west-northwest of New York Cityto Slateford Junction in Slateford, Pennsylvania, near the Delaware Water Gap.
When it opened on December 24, 1911, the Cut-Off was considered a "super-railroad"a state-of-the-art rail linehaving been built using large cuts and fills and two large concrete viaducts, allowing what was considered high-speed travel at that time. It was shorter than the Lackawanna Old Road, the rail line it superseded; it had a much gentler ruling gradient (0.55% vs. 1.1%); and it had 42 fewer curves, with all but one permitting passenger train speeds of or more. It also had no railroad crossings at the time of its construction. All but one of the line's 73 structures were built of reinforced concrete, a pioneering use of the material. The construction of the roadbed required the movement of millions of tons of fill material using techniques similar to those used on the Panama Canal.
Operated through a subsidiary, Lackawanna Railroad of New Jersey, the Cut-Off remained in continual operation for 68 years, through the Lackawanna's 1960 merger with the Erie Railroad to form the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, and the EL's conveyance into Conrail in 1976. Conrail ceased operation of the Cut-Off in January 1979 and filed for abandonment of the line in 1983, citing its excess east-west routes. It removed the track in 1984, then sold the right-of-way to private developers. A project to restore service on the east end of the Cut-Off to Andover, New Jersey, is projected to be complete in 2025.
History.
Before the Cut-Off (1851–1905).
The line's origin involves two men who most likely never met: John I. Blair and William Truesdale. Blair built the DL&W's Warren Railroad, chartered in 1851 and completed in 1862, to provide a connection between the mainlines of the DL&W in Pennsylvania and the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in New Jersey. But when the Lackawanna-CNJ merger fell through and the Lackawanna merged with the Morris & Essex Railroad in New Jersey instead, the Warren Railroad became part of a circuitous patchwork of rail lines connecting two unanticipated merger partners.
The route (later known as the "Old Road" after the New Jersey Cut-Off opened) had numerous curves that restricted trains to . The bigger operational problem, however, was caused by the two tunnels on the line: Manunka Chunk Tunnel, a twin-bore tunnel whose eastern approach occasionally flooded with heavy rains; and the single-bore Oxford Tunnel, which was double-tracked in 1869 and reduced to gauntlet track in 1901. As more and more traffic moved over the line, Oxford Tunnel became the Lackawanna Railroad's worst bottleneck.
Truesdale became DL&W president on March 2, 1899 with a mandate to upgrade the entire railroad. Early on, the railroad focused on increasing freight capacity by using larger locomotives and cars, as well as strengthening bridges to handle these larger loads. Although Truesdale recognized early on that the Old Road needed to be replaced, it really wasn't until after 1905 that the railroad was in a position to take up the project in earnest. This led Truesdale to authorize teams of surveyors to map out potential replacement routes westward from Port Morris, New Jersey, to the Delaware River for what would be the railroad's largest project up until that time.
Planning and construction (1905–1911).
During 1905–06, 14 routes were surveyed (labeled with letters of the alphabet), including several that would have required long tunnels. On September 1, 1906, a route without tunnels was chosen. This New Road (Route "M") would run from the crest of the watershed at Lake Hopatcong at Port Morris Junction to south of the Delaware Water Gap on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River at Slateford Junction.
At , the line would be about shorter than the Old Road. The new route would have only 15 curves42 fewer curves than the Old Road, the equivalent of more than four complete circles of curvaturewhich increased speeds and decreased running timemoreso for freight, but for passenger trains as well. The ruling grade was cut in half from 1.1% to 0.55%. The new line would also be built without railroad crossings to avoid collisions with automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles.
Uncertain national economic conditions in 1907 delayed the official start of construction until August 1, 1908. The project was divided into seven sections, one for each contracting company. Sections 3–6 were each; Sections 1–2 and 7 were of varying lengths. (Theoretically, to divide the line evenly, the seven sections should have been just over four miles each, but that would have placed the Pequest Fill entirely within Section 3 and the two viaducts within Section 7.) The amount of work per mile varied; the largest share apparently went to David W. Flickwir, whose Section 3 included Roseville Tunnel and the eastern half of the Pequest Fill. DL&W chief engineer George G. Ray oversaw the project, although given the size and remote location of the project, Assistant Chief Engineer F.L. Wheaton was assigned the task of overseeing the construction in person.
To accommodate the labor gangs, deserted farmhouses were converted to barracks, with tent camps providing additional shelter. These workers, many of whom came from Italy and other foreign countries or other parts of the U.S., were recruited and would move on to other projects after their work on the Cut-Off was completed. These workers were viewed with suspicion by the local populace in Warren and Sussex counties, with the town of Blairstown going as far as hiring a watchman at $40 per month for the duration of the project. Supervisory personnel and skilled laborers stayed in local hotels, boarding houses, or local farmhouses, usually at exorbitant rates ($1–2 per day) during the years of construction.
With several thousand men working on the project for over three years, the area all along the Cut-Off, and as far west as Portland, Pennsylvania, benefitted financially.
As many as 30 workers may have lost their lives building the Cut-Off. Most of their names remain unknown because they were registered with their contractor by number only. In 1910, for example, five workers were killed in a single blasting mishap near Port Morris, one of several deadly accidents that involved dynamite. Other workers died in machinery or cable car accidents, or landslides. At least one worker is known to have died of typhoid fever.
Sections.
 The Cut-Off's reinforced concrete structures (73 in all), which consumed of concrete and 735 tons of steel, include underpasses, culverts, and the two large viaducts on the western end of the line.
Some of dynamite were used to blast the cuts on the line. A total of of fill material was required for the project, more than could be obtained from the project's cuts. This forced the DL&W to purchase of farmland for borrow pits. Depending on the fill size, material was dumped from trains that backed out onto track on wooden trestles or suspended on cables between steel towers. During construction, several foreign governments sent representatives on inspection tours to study these new techniques.
The Pequest Fill extended west of Andover to Huntsville, New Jersey. It was at its maximum height tall and was long, requiring of fill. Armstrong Cut was deep and long, mostly through solid rock. The line's deepest cut was Colby Cut (immediately west of what would become Roseville Tunnel) at deep. The tunnel was not in the original plans for the Cut-Off, and in fact much of the cut above the tunnel had already been blasted when in October 1909 unstable anticline rock was encountered, leading to a decision to abandon the cut and to blast what would become a tunnel instead. Contractor David W. Flickwir, whose section included Roseville Tunnel and the eastern half of the Pequest Fill, worked around the clock during the summer of 1911 when construction fell behind schedule.
Stations were built in Greendell, Johnsonburg and Blairstown; the Greendell area was already being served by the nearby Lehigh & Hudson River Railroad in Tranquility. Interlocking towers were built at Port Morris Junction and Greendell, New Jersey, and Slateford Junction in Pennsylvania.
The final cost of the project was $11,065,512 in 1911 US dollars, equal to $ today. Although exact modern comparisons of cost are difficult, it is estimated that the same project today might cost upwards of $1 billion US dollars.
Heyday (1911–1958).
The first revenue train to operate on the Cut-Off under the new timetable that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on December 24, 1911, was No. 15, a westbound passenger train that passed through Port Morris Junction at about 3:36 a.m. Most long-distance trains that traversed the Old Road shifted to the Cut-Off, effectively downgrading the older line to secondary status.
The Cut-Off was built to permit unrestricted speeds for passenger trains of (heavier rail that was installed later allowed speeds to increase to ). Sidings were built at Slateford, Hainesburg, Johnsonburg, Greendell, Roseville, and Port Morris; about 25% of the route contained additional sidings. With upwards of 50 trains a day, towermen often ordered freight trains to take a siding or even be rerouted over the Old Road. As traffic decreased, Hainesburg, Johnsonburg and Roseville sidings were altered or removed. The remaining sidings remained in use until 1979.
Roseville Tunnel posed occasional problems, especially during the winter with snow and ice buildup. Rockslides were a constant threat west of the tunnel. In recognition of this, a detector fence was installed west of Roseville Tunnel in 1950 to change trackside signals to red if rocks fell. The most serious rockslide to ever occur on the line, however, would take place within Armstrong Cut (just west of Johnsonburg) in 1941, closing the line for nearly a month, and causing trains to be rerouted via the Old Road. The north side of Armstrong Cut was trimmed back to prevent further rockslides.
Passenger.
 The Cut-Off was a scenic highlight for passenger trains. Early in the 20th century, the DL&W's woman in whitePhoebe Snowwas featured in a poster that touted the new line and the Pequest Fill. At that time, and into the early diesel era (late 1940s), the "Lackawanna Limited" was the railroad's premier train. It was later joined by the "Pocono Express", the "Owl", and the "Twilight". While the Lackawanna only operated mainline passenger trains between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York, passengers could transfer to and from other railroads at Buffalo. For example, the Nickel Plate offered through sleeper service to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, via the Lackawanna.
In 1949, the Lackawanna began modernizing its mainline passenger coaches. The railroad had already begun replacing steam engines with diesels in 1946, starting with mainline passenger trains. The "Lackawanna Limited" was also modernized and renamed the "Phoebe Snow", helping breathe freshness back into a passenger train program that had seen only modest improvements since the 1930s. The Phoebe Snow would run for 11 years as a DL&W train and then as an Erie Lackawanna train from 1963 until November 1966. The "Lake Cities", ironically a former Erie Railroad train, became the last regularly scheduled passenger train on the Cut-Off, making its last run on January 6, 1970.
The only station on the Cut-Off at which mainline passenger trains would stop was Blairstown. Blairstown was also the first stop on westbound trains where passengers were permitted to disembark (i.e. westbound passengers boarding and detraining east of Blairstown were required to use suburban train service instead). This explains why Blairstown was the first stop listed on the destination board at the boarding gate at Hoboken for trains travelling via Scranton. In later years, Blairstown had a somewhat unusual facet of operation: any trains arriving after the station agent went home for the night would automatically activate the station platform lights as the train entered the signal block. This practice was abandoned after passenger service ended.
Freight.
Besides cutting travel time, the Cut-Off required fewer engines to pull eastbound freights up to the summit at Port Morris. For westbound freights, the challenge was keeping trains from going too fast. Initially, no speed limit existed on the Cut-Off, with engineers (both freight and passenger) being expected to exercise "good judgment". By the 1920s, however, most freights were restricted to or less, depending on the priority of the train and the type of locomotive and rail cars. By 1943, rail had been installed on the Cut-Off, which permitted fast freights to run at through the Erie Lackawanna years. After Conrail took over operations in 1976, the speed limit was decreased to 50 mph.
Local freights served customers at all three stations on the Cut-Off. Over the years, Blairstown handled the most local freight. The Johnsonburg creamery, built in anticipation of the opening of the line, served local dairy farmers for years. Another creamery, an ice house, and a stock yard were built at Greendell. The final local shipment was shipped in 1978 by Conrail: cattle feed for a customer in Johnsonburg that was delivered to Greendell, as the siding at Johnsonburg no longer existed.
Accidents.
There were two accidents on the Cut-Off:
There were three other accidents that did not occur on the Cut-Off itself but indirectly involved it:
Decline (1958–1979).
The DL&W was one of the most profitable corporations in the U.S. when it built the Cut-Off. That profitability declined sharply after World War II, leading to the 1960 merger with the Erie Railroad. DL&W single-tracked the Cut-Off in 1958 in anticipation of the Erie merger. The westbound track was removed, leaving a passing siding at Greendell and shorter sidings at Port Morris and Slateford. After the merger, most freight traffic shifted to the Erie's mainline through Port Jervis, New York. With the cessation of passenger service in 1970, the Cut-Off became relatively quiet for several years. In 1972, the CNJ abandoned operations in Pennsylvania, causing through freights to be run daily between Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Scranton, using the Cut-Off and the CNJ's High Bridge Branch. (This arrangement with the CNJ would end on April 1, 1976, with the creation of Conrail). As such, when Penn Central closed its Maybrook, New York Yard in 1970, the original reason for using the "Erie side" suddenly no longer existed. As a result, the EL looked to upgrade the "Scranton side", and by 1974 nearly all EL freights had been re-routed to the Scranton Division via the Cut-Off.
After Conrail took over, existing labor contracts kept EL's freight schedule largely unchanged. The railroad replaced many rotted ties, returning it to better physical condition. But Conrail eventually shifted all freight traffic to other routes, citing the grades over the Pocono Mountains and EL's early-1960s severing of the Boonton Branch near Paterson, New Jersey as reasons for moving rail traffic off of the route, leading Conrail to run its final through freights in late 1978 and officially ended service on the Cut-Off in January 1979. Routine maintenance on the line ceased, and the signal system was shut off. Scranton-Slateford freights continued running into 1980 when coal delivered to the Metropolitan Edison power plant in Portland, Pennsylvania, shifted from the Scranton Division to the former Bangor & Portland Railway.
Preservation and service restoration (1979–present).
Efforts to preserve the Cut-Off began shortly after Conrail ended service on it in 1979. An Amtrak inspection train ran on November 13th of that year, and counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania made attempts to acquire the line. Nevertheless, Conrail removed the tracks on the Cut-Off in 1984, and in the following year sold the right-of-way to two different land developers. In 2001, the State of New Jersey acquired the right-of-way through eminent domain, and the short section in Pennsylvania was conveyed to the Monroe County Railroad Authority. Subsequent federal studies conducted on the Cut-Off and the mainline into Pennsylvania found a need for the restoration of passenger service.
In 2011, after a nearly three-decade effort to reactivate the line, NJ Transit launched the $61 million Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project. The first phase aimed to link Port Morris Junction to Andover, New Jersey (Andover station), away. By December 2011, about of track had been installed from Port Morris Junction west to Stanhope, New Jersey. As of 2021, about of rail, in three unconnected sections, has been laid between Port Morris and Lake Lackawanna, and most of the right-of-way between Port Morris Junction and the lake had been cleared of trees and debris. All environmental issues have been resolved. Work on Roseville Tunnel, a two-year project, is anticipated to start in October 2021. Based on current projections, the earliest that commuter operations could begin would be 2023.
Although no specific plans have yet to be announced about the restoration of service west of Andover, a federal study has examined the feasibility of an extension into northeastern Pennsylvania, possibly as far as Scranton. Additionally, Amtrak has placed the New York City to Scranton, PA rail line on its proposed 2035 map.
Gallery.
From top left, photos depict scenes from east to west.


Afzal Khan Shirazi

Shukrullah Afzal Khan Shirazi (1570-1639) was a Mugal courtier during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. He achieved fame as a scholar and rose to become Grand Vizier of the Mughal Empire.
Biography.
He was born in Shiraz in Safavid Persia where his father was a petty revenue collector in Fars. Two of his father's brothers held financial positions in Iran, whilst two others were engaged in trade between Iran and India.
He came to Mughal India in the early 1600s and spent time in the retinue of Shah Jahan whilst the latter was still a prince. He later attained the post of imperial procurement officer during the reign of Jahangir and continued the role during the early years of Shah Jahan's reign. He was accompanied to India by his brother Amanat Khan, who became renowned for designing the calligraphic inscriptions on the Taj Mahal.
In the later reign of Shah Jahan, Afzal Khan was elavated to the position of wazir, or prime minister. He was regarded as one of the most widely admired men of his era and was a particular favourite of Shah Jahan. He was praised for his intellect, administrative abilities and mysticism, and his dedication to "maximising economic productivity and the affluence of the people."
He died at Lahore in 1639. His body was brought to Agra and he was laid to rest in a tomb now known as Chini Ka Rauza.


Irene Marcos

Maria Irene Celestina Marcos-Araneta (born September 16, 1960) is the third child of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos. Known as being "the quiet one" among the Marcos siblings and the only one not holding public office, her best-remembered role in her father's 21-year rule involved expensive events, such as her 1983 wedding to Gregorio Maria Araneta III which was said to cost US$10.3 million, and for her September 1985 party on the presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo, whose lavishness caused a scandal when video coverage of it came out in the wake of the 1986 EDSA Revolution.
More recently she gained media attention after being tagged in the Panama Papers leak, and for triggering student protests after her attendance in various campus events.
Controversies.
She, her mother and brother have moved for the reversal of the Sandiganbayan's decision to forfeit in favor of the government all assets, investments, securities, properties, shares, interests, and funds of Arelma Inc. being managed by Merrill Lynch Asset Management in New York.
Marcos-Araneta was named in the internationally-controversial Panama Papers, along with her husband, Gregorio Maria Araneta III, her sister Imee Marcos and her nephews Fernando Manotoc, Matthew Joseph Manotoc, and Ferdinand Richard Michael Manotoc.


Coach Trip (series 3)

Coach Trip 3 was the third series of Coach Trip in the United Kingdom, that was filmed between September and October 2008 and began showing in May 2009. The show's format after a break of 3 years remained unchanged from the previous series but the titles were new along with the timeslot: seven couples travelling around Europe on a coach like series 1 for 30 days attempting vote off the least popular couples with visits to Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg for the first time. Tour guide Brendan Sheerin and coach driver Paul Donald both returned for this series, which aired on Channel 4 with a similar end to series 2. David Quantick was the narrator and MT04 MTT was the registration number plate for the first and only time.
Voting History.
Notes.
No timekeepers or removals in series


Vijay Samnotra

Vijay Samnotra is an Indian civil servant and former international career diplomat who served in the United Nations. He formerly served as Head of United Nations Environment Programme in India, and Senior Adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator on Climate Change and Urbanization.
Career.
Samnotra joined the Central Secretariat Service after qualifying through the Civil Services Examination. He served as Under Secretary to Government of India and later served as Private Secretary to then Minister of State Maneka Gandhi. He later resigned from civil service and joined the United Nations.
He served in the United Nations for 25 years and worked in United Nations Office at Nairobi and United Nations Environment Programme. He also worked as speech writer to two Under-Secretary-Generals of the United Nations and in that capacity, he assisted in conceptualizing the themes and information campaigns around the World Environment Days as well as of the annual “Clean Up the World” campaigns.
In the year 2016, he established the India Country Office of UNEP in Delhi. As a Senior Adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator on Climate Change and Urbanization, he also contributed to building collaborative projects and programmes for other autonomous associate agencies of UN. The Bali Strategic Plan on Capacity Building and Technology Transfer for quality assurance of UNEP’s projects and programmes are well known.
Environmental management is strongly related to human behaviour at all levels of natural and human interactions. It promotes greater connectivity between ecosystems and societal performance. On a practical level, the inter-linkages initiative is based on the assumption that improving the implementation of existing environmental mechanisms does not necessarily require new instruments but, rather, a greater level of coherence among the tools already available. In this regard, Samnotra's contributions to provide Interlinkages that represents a time- and cost-effective approach to strengthening the existing systems of managing sustainable development is well noted.
Mr Samnotra has led and resolved the issues and concerns for supporting the agriculture sector of India and the world. He revealed that the negative impacts of agriculture on various ecosystem services have often led to large societal costs that are increasingly being felt on human well-being, including, for example, declines in water quality for downstream residents affecting their health, and declines in wetlands and coastal ecosystems.
In the multisector workshop of WHO, he advised developing policy frameworks for eradicating air pollution so as to minimize the environmental health risks in developing countries. He revealed in his reports that household air pollution is the second, and ambient air pollution is the seventh leading risk factor for diseases in India. Over 620 000 deaths and about 18 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) are attributable to Ambient Air Pollution in India, while over one million deaths and 31 million DALYs are attributable to Household Air Pollution in India.
As a Senior Adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India on Climate Change and Urbanization, he coordinated the project on Circular Economy in India leading to the publication of “Ahead of the Curve”; Drafted the plan to make the United Nations in India carbon neutral; Advised the UN Resident Coordinator on all issues relating to Climate Change and Urbanization issues in his interactions with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Office; Drafted the UN-India partnership proposal on climate change, innovation and urbanization.