Reactions to the Duke lacrosse case

The 2006 Duke University lacrosse case resulted in a great deal of coverage in the local and national media as well as a widespread community response at Duke and in the Durham, North Carolina area.
Media coverage.
Initial coverage (March–April 2006).
The case attracted widespread media attention almost from the moment it became public. The apparent circumstances—three white males (David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty) from privileged backgrounds at an elite university apparently taking advantage of a student and single mother (Crystal Gail Mangum) from a crosstown black college (NCCU), trying to make ends meet by working as a stripper and escort—seemed tailor-made for wall-to-wall coverage. However, once the case deteriorated, critics saw it as a stinging showcase of bias in the media and the university system.
Among those giving extensive coverage to the matter was Nancy Grace. Before Duke suspended its men's lacrosse team's season, she sarcastically noted on the air, "I'm so glad they didn't miss a lacrosse game over a little thing like gang rape!" and "Why would you go to a cop in an alleged gang rape case, say, and lie and give misleading information?" Another, Susan Estrich, said "I teach criminal law. But what are we dealing with here? The mafia, or a sports team from a first-class university. Instead, they hire them lawyers to trash the victim and the prosecutor." Former prosecutor Wendy Murphy supplied the case with some of the most inflammatory claims and supported Nifong's withholding of evidence saying, "Nifong should be rewarded for respecting the defendants' rights by not leaking the type of evidence that could help him personally respond to criticism." Murphy said "I never, ever met a false rape claim, by the way. My own statistics speak to the truth."
Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte declared on her blog that people who defended the wrongly accused Duke students were "rape-loving scum". "Time" reported that in "late January, more ethics charges were heaped on the District Attorney in the Duke University sexual-assault case, and Marcotte attacked the news with her usual swagger and sarcasm:"
Marcotte later deleted posts on her blog critical of her statements, then later deleted the entire entry.
"Reason" contributing editor Cathy Young has described Marcotte as a "leader of the cyber-lynch mob in the Duke University rape hoax". In "Marcotte's eyes, the real crime of the 'independent feminists' is helping preserve the idea that the presumption of innocence applies even in cases of rape and sexual assault."
Other outlets that have been accused of taking an initial pro-prosecution slants included, but are not limited to:
The case continues (May–October 2006).
Grace continued to feature developments in the case on her program, with a pro-prosecution slant. On June 9, 2006, after hearing reporting on various defense motions, which the CNN reporter indicated might already prove reasonable doubt, Grace sarcastically asked, "Well I'm glad you have already decided the outcome of the case, based on all of the defense filings. Why don't we just all move to Nazi Germany, where we don't have a justice system and a jury of one's peers?" On June 22, 2006, she featured "Sports Illustrated" writer Lester Munson who opined, "I think the state has probably a better case than most observers are describing. I have studied this at some length ... There is some voracity to the victim's account."
On August 6, 2006, "The News & Observer" of Raleigh, NC, wrote that District Attorney Mike Nifong "promised DNA evidence that has not materialized. He suggested that police conduct lineups in a way that conflicted with department policy." The article went on to say that "he made a series of factual assertions that contradicted his own files: He suggested the players used condoms; he accused the players of erecting a wall of silence to thwart investigators; and he said the woman had been hit, kicked and strangled. The medical and police records show that the victim had said no condom was used, that police had interviewed three players at length and taken their DNA samples and that the accuser showed no significant bruises or injuries."
On August 25, 2006, amid growing doubts as to the strength of the case and the veracity of Mangum, "The New York Times" published a front page article by Duff Wilson and Jonathan Glater stating that the weaknesses in the case highlighted by the defense were not indicative of the strength of the case as a whole. "In several important areas, the full files, reviewed by "The New York Times", contain evidence stronger than that highlighted by the defense." The "Times" story further indicated that "there is also a body of evidence to support decision to take the matter to a jury." This article would be widely criticized as the actual lack of strength of Nifong's case became apparent. In spite of widespread criticism, the newspaper's Public Editor defended Wilson, and he was permitted to remain on the case through Nifong's disbarment trial.
The case deteriorates (November 2006-May 2007).
After many inflammatory comments about the defendants, Nancy Grace's show covered the dismissal of charges on the day of the announcement, but with a substitute host. Undaunted by the lack of DNA evidence, CNN's Paula Zahn insisted that "the DA would not be proceeding with this case if he didn't believe that this alleged victim had been raped." She also demanded explanations "How, then, sir , do you explain the woman's injuries ... particularly some of the internal injuries?"
Perhaps the most grudging admission of exoneration came from "The Boston Globe", which stated in a lead editorial: "Three members of the Duke lacrosse team may have been louts, but all the evidence suggests they were not rapists . . . the students have the resources to get on with their lives."
Similarly grudging was sportswriter John Feinstein, who stated on the syndicated sports talk show The Jim Rome Show in May 2007 "I think they're guilty of everything but rape" and "I really don’t want to hear that they’re victims and martyrs, and that their lives have been ruined." Feinstein, who in March 2006 had demanded the revocation of the scholarships of every Duke men's lacrosse team member, and who (against the findings of the Coleman report) continued to describe the team as "out-of-control", added "I don't think I've been proven wrong."
Nancy Grace, who had been particularly vocal in her support for Nifong's prosecution, took the night off for the show following the Attorney General's dismissal of all charges, with Jane Velez-Mitchell guest hosting instead.
While the march of the 2007 Duke men's team to the NCAA final game generally received extensive and favorable coverage, a number of sportswriters published negative stories about the team. "Washington Post" columnist Mike Wise wrote "[I]t's hard to embrace everyone as a victim. With all due respect to those 'INNOCENT' bracelets worn around Durham this year, this isn't "To Kill a Mockingbird II." "Chicago Tribune" columnist Philip Hersh commented, "The idea that the Duke lacrosse team's success is a feel-good story makes me ill. . . it would be a bigger mistake to believe (the dropping of charges) means Duke's lacrosse team was innocent of assault against common decency."
After proclamations by the North Carolina Attorney General, Roy Cooper, that the three students were "innocent" in April, "USA Today" columnist and incoming Bennett College President, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, commented in an interview on National Public Radio a few days later that they were "hooligans," had lied, and that they "did not deserve an apology."
The "Duke Chronicle" noted the closing of the case, and stated. "There are other members of the Duke community, however, from whom we have not heard [...] These are the voices of the range of individuals, from students to professors to community members, who responded to last year's allegations not with moderation [...] but with extreme, inflammatory and unfounded statements."
Response.
Duke faculty groups.
Soon after the allegations were made, 88 Duke professors (referred to sometimes as the "Group of 88", sometimes referred to as the "Gang of 88") from the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences placed an ad in "The Chronicle" referring to the circumstances surrounding the allegations as a "social disaster" and quoting primarily anonymous individuals citing racism and sexism in the Duke community. The advertisement concluded, "We're turning up the volume [...] To the students speaking individually and to the protestors making collective noise, thank you for not waiting and for making yourselves heard," and "These are the students shouting and whispering about what happened to this young woman." Notable signatories included Houston Baker, Miriam Cooke, Anne Allison, Cathy Davidson, Ariel Dorfman, Michael Hardt, Alice Kaplan, Claudia Koonz, Pedro Lasch, Walter Mignolo, Mark Anthony Neal and Alex Rosenberg. The ad was spearheaded by faculty member Wahneema Lubiano.
In three departments, more than half of faculty signed the statement. The department with the highest proportion of signatories was African and African-American Studies, with 80%. Just over 72% of the Women's Studies faculty signed the statement, Cultural Anthropology 60%, Romance studies 44.8%, Literature 41.7%, English 32.2%, Art & Art History 30.7%, and History 25%. No faculty members from the Pratt School of Engineering or full-time law professors signed the document. Departments that had no faculty members sign the document include Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Genetics, Germanic Languages/Literature, Psychology and Neuroscience, Religion, and Slavic and Eurasian Studies.
In January 2007, many months after the initial print of the ad, a new letter was posted at the Concerned Duke Faculty website signed by 87 faculty members stating that the original ad was misinterpreted. The letter states that the intent of the original ad was to address issues of racism and sexism in the community and not to prejudge the case.
In January 2007, lacrosse team member Kyle Dowd filed a lawsuit against Duke University and visiting associate professor and signatory to the original ad, Kim Curtis, claiming that he and another teammate were given failing grades on their final paper as a form of retaliation after the scandal broke. The case has been settled with the terms undisclosed except that Dowd's grade was altered to a P.
Dowd's mother emailed another original signatory, Houston Baker, who continued after the charges had been dropped to accuse her son and the others of being "hooligans, rapists," and called her "the mother of a farm animal."
Another signatory, Thavolia Glymph, said she was disappointed because "since the DNA results were returned Monday, we moving backwards." The DNA results indicated that there was neither any sexual nor physical connection between the stripper and the players she accused.
Seventeen faculty members of the economics department sent a letter showing support for the players on January 6, 2007, saying, "We regret that the Duke faculty is now seen as prejudiced against certain of its own students," and telling the players that they are more than welcome to enroll in their courses.
Student groups and independent organizations.
Many students showed their support for the lacrosse team during the investigation in a variety of ways. The Duke women's lacrosse team chose to wear "Innocent" sweatbands with the accused players' numbers during their games in the 2006 NCAA Final Four. "We want to win a national championship for ourselves but definitely also for the university and the men's team," one team member explained. "They don't really have a chance to play their season, which is a shame." The women came under fire from many in the media. Kevin Sweeney of "Salon" argued that their actions will make it more difficult for rape victims to speak out in the future, while "New York Times" sports columnist Harvey Araton stated that their "cross-team friendship" made them lose common sense.
Another group of students, Duke Students for an Ethical Durham, sought to encourage students to vote in the upcoming election as Durham residents. It was specifically created in response to Nifong's mishandling of the case. Nifong ended up winning the election.
The Association for Truth and Fairness (ATAF) seeks to raise money to defray some of the indicted players' legal fees. ATAF, a non-profit organization, will continue to "help victims of abuses of power and other prosecutorial injustices."
Wristbands saying "Duke Lacrosse 2006 INNOCENT! #6 #13 #45" were also sold to raise money for the cause.
An outpouring of support came at the beginning of the 2007 lacrosse season. For the season opener, 6,485 fans attended the game to cheer the Blue Devils on their way to a 17-11 victory over Dartmouth.
North Carolina Central University forum.
The day after DNA results came back negative, Nifong and other city officials such as Durham Mayor Bill Bell spoke at a community forum on April 12, 2006, on violence against women at N.C. Central, where the accuser was a student. The crowd, predominantly African American, criticized the media for portraying the accuser as a stripper and escort instead of a mother and student. One questioner said that Duke University hospital must have tampered with the DNA sample for it to come back negative, while another suggested that the accuser ought to have been helicoptered to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for treatment since Duke had a conflict of interest. One NCCU student, Chan Hall, as quoted by "Newsweek", stated, "It's the same old story. Duke up, Central down." He continued that he wanted to see the Duke students prosecuted "whether it happened or not. It would be justice for things that happened in the past." NCCU Chancellor James H. Ammons Jr. said that "[t]his incident has forced us to examine issues relevant to any campus environment -- sexism, racism and the need to educate our students about sexual assault and violence against women." At the same time, he urged the crowd to be patient and let the legal process take its course.
NAACP and civil rights activists.
The NAACP urged for a thorough investigation of the facts and a trial with a jury before the public formed an opinion on the case. North Carolina NAACP Legal Redress Chair, Al McSurely, explained that "The NAACP stands for fair play for all parties, zealous investigation and deep concern for the survivors of racist/sexist attacks." At the same time, some have criticized the NAACP for making statements that portrayed the players as racist despite evidence to the contrary, using the case to promote the group's cause, and implying guilt. McSurely stated that "[w]ithin five minutes, the men threatened the women with racial and misogynist verbal assaults," despite evidence to the contrary. He continued that the lacrosse players "were caught with their macho entitlement views hanging out and, to save themselves, they have together to blame the survivor of their verbal assaults."
After Nifong dropped the rape charges against the three players in December 2006, the NAACP's "case monitor" and NCCU law professor Irving Joyner stated that the drop of rape charges could help Nifong's case: "Now, they don’t have to establish that there was penetration committed against the accuser . . . In addition to that, now they don’t have to deal with the DNA or the lack of DNA evidence. And with the rape shield statute, it’s unlikely that information will even come before the jury to consider."
On the official state NAACP's website, an 82 point 'Crimes and Torts committed by Duke Lacrosse Team Players' memo was listed long after the charges were dropped and the players were declared innocent. Included in the memorandum was an assessment of the defendants' strategy to have the charges dropped: "The three defendants they have two mountains to climb. First, they must deflect public attention from their boorish, racist, and illegal behavior by mounting outlandish attacks on the survivor and the D.A. Second, they must deal with a mountain of physical evidence, that is corroborated by, we have reason to believe, accounts of some of the men who were at the party who have cooperated with the police and the D.A. from early on." North Carolina Attorney General Roy A. Cooper refuted these facts in the summary of findings report. It stated that "no evidence ... corroborate[d] the accusing witness's versions of the events ... No DNA evidence confirmed her stories ... No medical evidence confirmed her stories ... No other witness confirmed her stories ... The accusing witness’s accounts of the story changed significantly."
In April 2006, civil rights activist Al Sharpton was invited on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" to discuss the case. Sharpton began the interview by commending the "blacks and whites who stood vigil and to come together in that community to stand up for this girl." In response to Bill O'Reilly's questions concerning the possibility that the woman might have fabricated the allegations, Sharpton said, "First of all, the authorities have charged there was a crime. ... When the prosecutors went forward, they clearly have said this girl is the victim, so why would we be trying the victim?" When O'Reilly mentioned recent news reports that DNA testing had failed to match any of the defendants, Sharpton said, "I think that all of the facts that you have laid out the DA had — and I know this DA is probably not one that is crazy. He would not have proceeded if he did not feel that he could convict." Sharpton continued that the case parallels "Abner Louima, who was raped and sodomized in a bathroom." At the conclusion of the interview, when O'Reilly said that Sharpton didn't know what happened, Sharpton agreed. "I don't know yet and I think that the proper thing to do is to support those that want justice."
On April 15, 2006, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said that his non-profit Rainbow/Push Coalition organization would pay for the college tuition of the accuser, Mangum, whether she fabricated the story or not. Jackson said that she should never "have to stoop that low to survive." He continued that the "...fantasy's as old as slave masters impregnating young slave girls [...] The character of this thing is chilling [and] [s]omething happened that everybody's ashamed of..." Defense attorney Joe Cheshire found Jackson's comment about "slave masters" odd because the players did not ask for black strippers. "There is no slave-master mentality here, and that's just another perfect example of [...] self-absorbed race pandering," Cheshire stated.
After all charges were dropped on April 13, 2007, the North Carolina NAACP praised the state attorney general's investigation into Mangum's claims that had found them to be without merit.
Bloggers.
The case received extensive coverage on blogs. One blog which supported the three students was "Durham-in-Wonderland" authored by Brooklyn College history professor KC Johnson. Johnson also co-authored a book on the case with journalist Stuart Taylor, entitled "Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case." The players' lawyers stated that they used the blog as a resource throughout the case, and Seligmann made a point of thanking Johnson in his statement following the dismissal of charges.
"Wanted poster" distribution.
A poster that "looked like a wanted poster" was distributed on campus and in nearby neighborhoods shortly after the allegations surfaced in March 2006 showing pictures and names of 40 members of the lacrosse team, urging them to "come forward" with information on the alleged rape.
Duke administration and University president.
During the initial investigation of the players by Durham police, Dean Sue Wasiolek advised the players to cooperate with police and tell the truth, not tell anybody about the charges, nor hire attorneys because she thought nothing would come of it. Wasiolek is one of the defendants named in the Ekstrand lawsuit. Chris Kennedy, senior associate athletic director, told the captains to contact their parents immediately and to hire attorneys shortly after (on March 17).
Moneta and Brodhead placed Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty on interim suspension for the Spring 2006 semester following their indictment, while David Evans graduated the day before he was indicted. In the fall of 2006, their status was modified to "administrative leave" to allow them to make academic progress while not at the university.
Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University, was quoted by WRAL-TV as saying to the Durham Chamber of Commerce on April 20, 2006, "If our students did what is alleged, it is appalling to the worst degree. If they didn’t do it, whatever they did is bad enough." At the same time, Brodhead repeatedly stated that "our students must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise," with his earliest citation on March 25, 2006.
On December 20, 2006, Brodhead stated that "the DA's case will be on trial just as much as our students will be." Two days later, Nifong dropped the most serious rape charges against the players. Brodhead released a statement calling for Nifong to recuse himself and questioned his actions: "Given the certainty with which the district attorney made his many public statements regarding the rape allegation, his decision today to drop that charge must call into question the validity of the remaining charges. The district attorney should now put this case in the hands of an independent party who can restore confidence in the fairness of the process. Further, Mr. Nifong has an obligation to explain to all of us his conduct in this matter."
On January 3, 2007, Brodhead invited Seligmann and Finnerty back to Duke as students in good standing even though they still faced charges. They were also welcomed to participate on the lacrosse team. Brodhead explained, "We have decided that the right and fair thing to do is to welcome back Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty to resume their studies at Duke for the spring semester. Although the students still face serious charges and larger issues require Duke’s collective attention, the circumstances in this case have changed substantially, and it is appropriate that the students have an opportunity to continue their education." Both declined. Instead, Seligmann decided to enroll at Brown University, while Finnerty chose to attend Loyola College in Maryland.
Brodhead, in an interview with Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes", stated that "Duke has a rule and many, many, many other universities observe the same rule, which is that when a student is indicted for a crime that has an element of violence, we often separate the student from the university because you don't know at that time what harm [...] might be done either in the community or to the student. It isn’t a judgment of guilt. It isn't a disciplinary measure. And what we've done is to use the interim to try to understand the nature of the case better. Weighing a lot of things [...] the presumption of innocence, the nature of the charges, the need of the students to get on with their life. Once the facts took the turn they did in December, then we had to rebalance those things. Then at that point it just seemed to us that simple fairness meant that we had to allow the students to come back."
In regards to the team's season, Duke athletic director Joe Alleva decided to forfeit two games due to admitted behaviors such as "underage drinking and hiring private party dancers". According to Brodhead, the team's players then "wished to suspend competitive play until the DNA results come back." Brodhead then decided to suspend the remainder of the season until "there [was] a clearer resolution of the legal situation."
In an open letter to the public, Brodhead outlined his formation of committees to examine the lacrosse team, the administration's response to the incident, the student judicial process, campus culture, and a presidential council. The committees have been criticized by some observers, including KC Johnson, former student president Elliott Wolf (offered a seat in the Campus Culture Initiative), and the "Chronicle", since it was chaired by several Group of 88 members such as Anne Allison, Karla FC Halloway, and lacrosse critics Prasad Kasibhatla and Peter Wood. Among the conclusions of the Group-chaired committees was shared governance of athletics by faculty members, and required classes for students by Group members. Also, the student senate representative was Chauncey Nartey, a student who Sue Pressler had previously reported to the police because he had made death threats to Mike Pressler's family.
After Nifong's resignation and disbarment, Brodhead released a statement: "One fact stares us in the face: The ordeal of the last 15 months was wholly unnecessary. It was not the result of reasonable differences of legal opinion or honest errors of judgment. Our students were accused by the community's senior law enforcement officer with no credible basis in fact [...] The actions Duke took caused consternation to many in the University family, which I profoundly regret. As Duke University's president, I resolve to do my part to repair the harm unleashed by Mr. Nifong's actions and to move forward from this painful episode."
Later, Brodhead apologized to the lacrosse players and their families for the university's "failure to reach out" in a "time of extraordinary peril." Brodhead's actions generated criticism from opinion pieces in the media. For example, "Newsweek" published an article on September 10, 2007 that argued that "Brodhead and Nifong [the DA in the case] had an almost willful disregard for the facts." An article in "The Economist" on September 15, 2007, stated that Brodhead did "little, if anything, to defend the lacrosse players or to criticise the faculty [at Duke] for its lynching mob mentality." Stuart Taylor Jr. and KC Johnson argue President Brodhead and other administrators "portray[ed] them [the students] with grotesque exaggeration as a bunch of uncooperative, rowdy, drunken white racists who might well be rapists, too. Nifong, hoping to divert attention from the powerful proof of innocence in the soon-to-be-public DNA tests (that exculpated the students), could hardly have hoped for a more obliging helper than Richard Brodhead."
Other Duke faculty.
Duke English Professor Houston Baker (now former professor as he was hired as a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University in May 2006) wrote a scathing letter on March 29, 2006, regarding the lacrosse team and the administration's response to the incident, asking, "[w]hat have Duke and its leadership done to address this horrific, racist incident alleged to have occurred" and asserting "we have been deeply embarrassed by the silence that seems to surround this white, male athletic team's racist assaults (by words, certainly - deeds, possibly) in our community."
Baker also wrote that the players were "safe under the cover of silent whiteness" and these "[y]oung, white, violent, drunken men among us - [are] implicitly boasted [sic] by our athletic directors and administrators." He said Duke has joined other colleges and universities in the "blind-eying of male athletes, veritably given license to rape, maraud, deploy hate speech, and feel proud of themselves in the bargain." He also explicitly stated that the lacrosse players displayed "abhorrent sexual assault, verbal racial violence, and drunken white male privilege loosed amongst us."
Duke University Provost Peter Lange responded, "I cannot tell you how disappointed, saddened and appalled I was to receive this letter from you. A form of prejudice - one felt so often by minorities whether they be African American, Jewish or other - is the act of prejudgment: to presume that one knows something 'must' have been done by or done to someone because of his or her race, religion or other characteristic." He continued, "We do not know much about the worst of what may have happened in the incident that has inflamed our community," and concluded, "Sadly, letters like yours do little to advance our common cause."
Brodhead appointed Duke Law Professor, James Earl Coleman, Jr., to head the committee to examine the lacrosse team's culture. Dr. Coleman found that the team has exhibited "exemplary academic and athletic performance" and is "[n]either racist or sexist. On the contrary, the coach of the Duke Women's Lacrosse team has expressed her sense of camaraderie that exists between the men's and women's team; members of the men's team, for example, consistently come to the women's games. The current as well as former black members of the team have been extremely positive about the support the team provided them." Also in the report, while it was stated that the rates of alcohol abuse for the lacrosse team were higher than most other Duke athletic teams, "their conduct has not been different in character than the conduct of the typical Duke student who abuses alcohol."
Since then, Coleman has been one of the most vocal critics of Nifong's handling of the case. In an interview with "60 Minutes", Coleman argued that he pandered to the black community in the middle of the election campaign: "I think that he pandered to the community by saying 'I'm gonna go out there and defend your interests in seeing that these hooligans who committed the crime are prosecuted. I'm not gonna let their fathers, with all of their money, buy, you know, big-time lawyers and get them off. I'm doing this for you.'" Furthermore, Coleman stated that Nifong has committed serious prosecutorial misconduct, and if there was a conviction, there "would be a basis to have the conviction overturned based on his conduct."
Professor Steven Baldwin of the Chemistry Department was another of the few faculty members to make public statements about the case. In two letters to the Duke Chronicle ("What About Mike Pressler?" in April 2006 and "The Administration's Mismanagement of Lacrosse" in October 2006), Dr. Baldwin strongly criticized the administration's handling of the case, especially with respect to Coach Mike Pressler.
External links.
[[Category:Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse]]
[[Category:Reactions to 2000s events|Duke Lacrosse Case]]


K. Dwight Venner

Sir Kenneth Dwight Vincent Venner, KBE, SLC (c. 1946 – 22 December 2016) was the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, a position he held from December 1989 to November 2015. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Finance and Planning in the St Lucian Government between November 1981 and November 1989.
He was educated at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where he obtained both a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Economics. He served as a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of the West Indies and then as a lecturer in Economics from 1974 to 1981.
In 1996 he was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and in 2001 promoted to Knight Commander (KBE) in the same order. In 2012 he received the Saint Lucia Cross for outstanding contribution in economics and finance.
Venner was born in Kingstown, Saint Vincent. He was married to Lynda Arnolde Winville Venner née St. Rose.
Retirement.
In late 2015 Venner announced his retirement after 26 years of service in his position as Governor. He stepped down at the end of November 2015. Venner was the longest-serving governor of any central bank, monetary authority, or federal reserve, having served since 1989.
As of January 8, 2016, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in Grenada, Timothy Antoine, has been appointed as the new head of the ECCB.
Venner died at the age of 70 on 22 December 2016 at Tapion Hospital in St. Lucia.


Warth v. Seldin

Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490 (1975), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court reviewed the concept of judicial standing and affirmed that if the plaintiffs lacked standing, they could not maintain a case against the defendants.
Background.
The plaintiffs brought action against the town of Penfield, New York, a suburb of Rochester, and against members of the Zoning, Planning, and Town Boards of Penfield, alleging that Penfield's zoning ordinances intentionally and wrongly excluded persons of low and moderate income from living there.
The not-for-profit housing organization Metro-Act of Rochester joined with several Rochester taxpayers as well as low and moderate-income individuals of various racial and ethnic backgrounds were considered jointly as party-plaintiffs to this action. However, the United States District Court dismissed the case, citing that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue. The United States Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal.
The court was tasked to determine if the American rules of standing should be considered part of the 'case or controversy' clause of Article Three of the United States Constitution or, apart from that, if the court can hear cases on "generalized grievances" or in the interest of third parties where none of the complainants have standing.
Opinion of the Court.
The Court found that as none of the plaintiffs could demonstrate any injury actually done to them by the defendants, the plaintiffs were third parties to the issue and had no standing to sue. The plaintiff's descriptions of their own meager financial situations and subsequent inability to live in Penfield were found by the Court to be the consequence of the economics and housing market of the area rather than any wrongdoing by the defendants.


Everett Railroad

The Everett Railroad is a shortline and heritage railroad that operates on ex-Pennsylvania Railroad trackage in the Hollidaysburg area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It runs freight trains over two separate lines, one from Brooks Mill and Sproul, and the other, owned by the Morrison's Cove Railroad, from Roaring Spring to Curryville and Martinsburg. The affiliated Hollidaysburg and Roaring Spring Railroad , which the Everett Railroad operates both under contract and via trackage rights, connects the two segments to each other and to the Norfolk Southern Railway (ex-Conrail) in Hollidaysburg. The Everett Railroad name refers to its former location near Everett, abandoned in 1982.
History.
The Everett Railroad was incorporated in April 1954 to take over a portion of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad and Coal Company (H&BT) near Everett, which was abandoned in May. The line, which extended north from the end of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Mt. Dallas Branch at Mount Dallas to a point near Tatesville, parallel to PA Route 26, had been constructed from 1859 to 1863 by the Bedford Railroad, which was merged into the H&BT in 1864. Conrail discontinued service on the then-Mt. Dallas Secondary in October 1982, severing the Everett Railroad's ties to the outside world and forcing its abandonment.
The company was revived in May 1984, when it acquired a part of Conrail's Bedford Secondary between Brooks Mill and Sproul. Completed in 1910 by the Bedford and Hollidaysburg Railroad, a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this line had connected to the Mt. Dallas Secondary near Bedford until 1982. A second line, the Morrison's Cove Secondary from Roaring Spring to Curryville, along with a short branch into Martinsburg, was acquired by the Morrison's Cove Railroad, organized by local shippers, in mid-1982. The shippers initially contracted with the Allegheny Southern Railway , which operated the line from September 1982 to the end of 1984, but on January 1, 1985 the Everett Railroad took over operations. This line had been constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad itself in 1871. Conrail continued to operate the remainder of the Morrison's Cove Secondary, from Roaring Spring through Brooks Mill to Hollidaysburg, until Alan W. Maples, owner of the Everett Railroad, organized the Hollidaysburg and Roaring Spring Railroad (H&RS) and bought the line in March 1995. Simultaneously, the Everett Railroad acquired trackage rights to Hollidaysburg, and began operating the H&RS under contract.


South Prussia

South Prussia (; ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1793 to 1807.
History.
South Prussia was created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland and in 1793 included:
The capital of the province was Poznań (1793-1795) at first, afterwards Warsaw (1795-1806), which was added in 1795 after the Third Partition, but it was actually administered by the General Directory ("General-Direktorium") in Berlin.
South Prussia bordered on the Brandenburgian Neumark region in the west and the Prussian Netze District in the north. After the Third Partition, the lands of Dobrzyń and Płock northeast of the Vistula river were transferred to New East Prussia, while South Prussia gained the Warsaw region of the former Masovian Voivodeship. In the southeast the Pilica river marked the border with those Lesser Polish territories that in 1795 became part of Austrian New Galicia. In the southwest it bordered on the Prussian Silesia Province and New Silesia, a smaller province including the former Duchy of Siewierz, which was administered from South Prussia.
Some German colonists invited to settle on the province's noble estates were known as "Hauländer", while others who settled on royal crown lands were known as " Kolonisten". The term Hauländer is a German corruption of the original Hollender who negotiated special terms of democratic rule for their settlements which came to be known as Hollendry. Many Germans still lived under the Schulzendorf style of village government and therefore were not Hauländer.
Following Napoleon Bonaparte's victory in the War of the Fourth Coalition and a Polish uprising, the territory of South Prussia became part of the Duchy of Warsaw, a French client state, according to the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it was divided between the Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen and Congress Poland, a part of the Russian Empire.
The General Directory records dealing with the history and genealogy of the Prussian part of Poland were taken from the Prussian archives by Napoleon Bonaparte soon after 1806 and transferred to Warsaw.
Demographics.
In 1806 the province had 1,503,508 inhabitants.
Administration.
Departments.
It was subdivided into the Kammerdepartements "Posen" (Poznań), "Kalisch" (Kalisz), and "Warschau" (Warsaw).
Districts.
In 1806, South Prussia consisted of three departments ("Kriegs- und Domänen-Kammern") divided into the following districts or counties ("Kreise"):


Thomas Frazer (Auditor General)

Thomas Frazer was the 2nd Civil Auditor and Accountant General of Ceylon. He was appointed in September 1799, succeeding Cecil Smith, and held the office until 29 September 1802. He was succeeded by Robert Boyd.


Civilian Response Corps

The Civilian Response Corps (sometimes referred to as CRC) is a program of the United States Department of State, Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). The Civilian Response Corps is a group of federal employees and volunteers from the private sector, state and local governments who are trained and equipped to deploy rapidly to countries in crisis or emerging from conflict in order to provide reconstruction and stabilization assistance. They are diplomats, development specialists, public health officials, law enforcement and corrections officers, engineers, economists, lawyers, public administrators, agronomists and others – offering the full range of skills needed to help fragile states restore stability and the rule of law, and achieve economic recovery and sustainable growth as quickly as possible.
The assistance is partly humanitarian, and partly to prevent failed states from becoming "havens" for terrorist groups or otherwise threaten the security of the United States. Originally proposed by Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Joseph Biden (D-Del.), the Civilian Response Corps is responsible for U.S. government efforts to stabilize war-torn societies and rebuild nations. Civilian Response Corps members provide an elite and unparalleled opportunity to address daunting and perplexing challenges of American national security.
America’s federal civilian workforce has a long and distinguished history of service in difficult environments abroad. Yet the challenges of the 21st century require a significant increase in the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to emerging threats to the security of the United States and its friends and allies. The President has empowered the Secretary of State to coordinate and lead integrated U.S. government efforts to prepare, plan for, and conduct stabilization and reconstruction activities, and to coordinate with the Secretary of Defense to harmonize civilian and military activities.
Funding and size.
Civilian Stabilization Initiative.
The need for the Civilian Stabilization Initiative (CSI) has been consistently illustrated over the past two decades in a range of reconstruction and stabilization crises, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Kosovo, and Somalia. It builds on four years of interagency development, exercises, and pilot efforts to create a robust civilian response capability, and underpins it with new and innovative approaches to integrated civilian-military planning and operations management. CSI also answers Congress’ call for the U.S. government to build its civilian capacity.
2010.
President Barack Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget, released on May 7, 2009 requested $323.3 million for the CSI to build U.S. civilian capacity for reconstruction and stabilization efforts.
The initiative would expand the current Civilian Response Corps and established a permanent U.S. government-wide civilian reconstruction and stabilization response capacity. The President’s budget request supports the recruitment, development, training, and equipping of the Civilian Response Corps.
2009.
President George W. Bush requested $248.6 million in Fiscal Year 2009 budget for the CSI, which includes the Civilian Response Corps. The intent of CSI was to:
2008.
In the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 United States Congress provided up to $75 million in initial funding for the active and standby components of the Civilian Response Corps.
1207 funding.
Section 1207 of the FY 2006 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the United States Secretary of Defense to transfer up to $100 million per year for two years to the Department of State for programs that support security, reconstruction or stabilization. In passing section 1207, United States Congress recognized the pressing need previously expressed by the Bush administration for a civilian response capability for stabilization and reconstruction activities in countries that are prone to conflict. After funding $110 million in projects in FY06 and FY07, it was apparent that 1207 was a promising way to respond to stabilization and reconstruction needs. As a result, section 1207 was renewed for an additional $100 million in 2008.
Civil-military.
The 2009 Capstone Concept for Joint Operations (CCJO) reinforces the role of the military in reconstruction and stabilization by listing ‘relief and reconstruction’ as one of the four basic military activities. The Defense Department has identified the importance of integrated civilian and military environments as essential to stability operations and other government and non government agencies and organizations have identified the preference of civilians over military actors. Currently to coordinate reconstruction efforts between the military and civilian elements, the President signed into law National Security Presidential Directive 44 on December 7, 2005.
In National Security Presidential Directive – 44 (NSPD-44), the president stated the need to create a cohesive and permanent mechanism for the US government to address stabilization and reconstruction issues abroad. The Civilian Response Corps was created as a civilian interagency mechanism that would interface with the military to bring peace and stability to war torn countries. In this capacity the Secretaries of State and Defense integrate stabilization and reconstruction responsibilities to maintain clear accountability and to lead and support operations.
Composition.
No one U.S. agency has the full range of skills needed to undertake effective reconstruction and stabilization operations. That is why the Civilian Response Corps is an interagency body that will promote “whole of government” planning and implementation of such missions with members in the Departments of State, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Treasury, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Participants will be diplomats, development specialists, public health officials, law enforcement and corrections officers, engineers, economists, trade specialists, demographers, lawyers, public administrators, agronomists and others – offering the full range of skills needed to help fragile states restore stability and the rule of law, and achieve economic recovery and sustainable growth as quickly as possible.
Pilot program.
The U.S. Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) coordinates the Civilian Response Corps and has developed pilot groups of Active and Standby members who have deployed to Sudan, Chad, Haiti, Lebanon, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan to assist with conflict prevention and mitigation.
The State Department coordinates with the Secretary of Defense to harmonize civilian and military activities.


Roshan Digital Account

Roshan Digital Account (RDA) is a banking facility available to Non-resident Pakistanis, this facility allows Pakistani nationals living abroad to have access to banking services within Pakistan without having to visit a consulate, embassy or a physical bank branch.
The initiative was launched by the government of Imran Khan, who inaugurated the programme in September 2020. Toward the end of April 2021, RDA deposits had exceeded $1 billion.
The RDA banking process is entirely digital with accounts setup and operated online. The facility has simplified procedures for opening an account compared to the challenges non-resident Pakistanis faced in accessing banking services before this facility was available. The account can be setup within 48 hours.
History.
RDA services were launched in September 2020 and as of end of March 2021 over $800 million have been deposited by oversees Pakistanis in these accounts.
The facility was developed by the State Bank of Pakistan, the Pakistani central bank, on the policy initiative of the Pakistani government of PM Imran Khan, the facility continues to be operated by the central bank.
Services.
Oversees Pakistanis can open these accounts which are available in either rupee denomination or a foreign currency denomination (such as pound, euro or dollar). Funds in these accounts are fully repatriable (no limit on inflow or outflow of money from the accounts). Another service available for oversees Pakistanis is the ability to use this RDA facility to invest in Pakistan's stock market or buy Pakistani government bonds directly from their accounts. At the start of the initiative, eight of Pakistan's banks agreed to provide this facility to non-resident Pakistanis, including some of the largest players in Pakistani banking such as Faysal Bank, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and United Bank Limited (UBL).
Naya Pakistan Certificates (NPCs).
RDA enabling investment by non-resident Pakistanis in Naya Pakistan Certificates (NPCs) issued by the Government of Pakistan, in USD, GBP, EURO and PKR in both conventional and Shariah-compliant forms. On NPC, only a 10% withholding tax on profits is applicable that is full and final. No filling of tax return is required.
Resident Pakistanis who have assets abroad declared with FBR can also invest in USD/GBP/EURO denominated NPCs. To do so, they can open a Roshan Digital Account in foreign currency by visiting a bank branch in Pakistan.


Fort Davis National Historic Site

Fort Davis National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in the unincorporated community of Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas. Located within the Davis Mountains of West Texas, the historic site was established in 1961 to protect one of the best remaining examples of a United States Army fort in the southwestern United States.
History.
Established in October 1854 along the Limpia Creek at Painted Comanche Camp by Bvt. Maj. Gen. Persifor Frazer Smith, Fort Davis was named after Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. "Hoping to protect the garrison from winter northers, Smith tucked the fort into a canyon flanked on three sides by sheer rock walls." Commanding the post was 8th Infantry Regiment commander Lt. Col. Washington Seawell.
Other forts in the frontier fort system were Forts Griffin, Concho, Belknap, Chadbourne, Stockton, Richardson, Bliss, McKavett, Clark, McIntosh, Inge, and Phantom Hill in Texas, and Fort Sill in Oklahoma. "Sub posts or intermediate stations" also were used, including Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station, and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin.
From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail, and to control activities on the southern stem of the Great Comanche War Trail and Mescalero Apache war trails.
The fort was evacuated in April 1861 under orders from General David E. Twiggs at the start of the Civil War. During John R. Baylor's invasion of New Mexico, only 20 Confederate States Army troops manned the fort. On the night of 4 August 1861, Mescalero Apaches raided a nearby cattle pen, and during the pursuit on 11 August, Lt. Reuben E. Mays and all but one of his 13-man patrol were killed in an ambush. This defeat convinced Baylor to staff the fort with three officers and 70 enlisted men. The Confederates evacuated the fort and all other posts west of Fort Clark in August 1862.
Fort Davis is important in understanding the presence of African Americans in the West and in the frontier military because the 24th and 25th U.S. Infantry regiments and the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry regiments, all-black regiments (known as the buffalo soldiers), which were established after the Civil War, were stationed at the post. Lt. Col. Wesley Merritt led Troops C, F, H, and I of the 9th Cavalry in reoccupying the fort on 29 June 1867. They rebuilt the fort, using limestone and adobe, outside the canyon walls.
Preservation.
Today, 24 restored historic buildings and over 100 ruins and foundations are part of Fort Davis National Historic Site. Five of the historic buildings have been refurbished to the 1880s, making it easy for visitors to envision themselves being at the fort at the height of its development. A self-guided tour of the fort begins at the site's visitor center. Living history demonstrations are common during the summer.
Fort Davis National Historic Site was authorized as a unit of the National Park System in 1961, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
A memorial at Fort Davis honors the heroism of Indian Emily, the fictional subject of a popular legend. The actress Jolene Brand portrayed "Indian Emily", who saved the fort from an Apache attack, in the 1959 episode of the same name on the syndicated television anthology series, "Death Valley Days", hosted by Stanley Andrews. Emily adopts the white man's ways but flees when a young officer, Tom Easton (Burt Metcalfe), whom she loves prepares to marry another. She returns to warn the fort of a pending Apache attack but dies of a gunshot wound fired in error. Meg Wyllie played Tom's compassionate mother, Mrs. Easton.


Abgeltungsteuer

The Abgeltungsteuer (German, from "Abgeltung" "settlement", "discharge" + "Steuer" "tax") is a flat tax on private income from capital. It is used in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg.
Germany.
In Germany, the "Abgeltungsteuer" was introduced through the that passed the German Parliament on 14 August 2007. The "Abgeltungsteuer" became effective on 1 January 2009.
Earlier tax law.
In 2009 the "Abgeltungsteuer" replaced the that had been effective since 2001.
The had a procedure whereby taxable income was halved for purposes of dividend taxation. Fifty percent of income, as defined in article 3 number 40 of the Tax Act as amended in 2008, was exempt from income tax.
Dividends and taxable capital gains from the sale of investments were taxed (if a certain exemption limit was exceeded) at only half the rate of income tax and . Profits from the sale of equity investments were not taxable if they were held for over a year.
The half revenue procedure was moot as of 1 January 2009 with the passage of the new "Abgeltungsteuer" (Article 32 of the German Income Tax Act).
Who is liable.
The taxation at the level of a shareholder (shareholders or partners) depends on whether the shareholder is an individual or a corporation:
Amount of withholding tax.
The "Abgeltungsteuer" is levied as a withholding tax. Private investor’s tax liability is settled. The already taxed capital gains are no longer recorded in the annual income tax return.
Instead of taxing with the personal tax rate of taxpayers, their income regardless of their height is taxed with the flat tax rate of 25%. The legal basis for this was amended in the Unternehmensteuerreformgesetz of 2008 in Art. 32 d of the German Income Tax Act.
The withholding tax rate according to Art. 43 a Para. 1 German Income Tax Act is 25% plus solidarity surcharge of 5.5% on the final withholding tax and possible church tax (8 or 9% of the flat tax). This makes a total of "Abgeltungsteuer" of 26.375% church tax excluded.
The surplus income from capital assets cannot be shortened by the overall deductions through lump sum or actual expenses. In their place, the saver's allowance in the amount of 801 € will be used as deduction (Art. 20 Para. 9 German Income Tax Act). However actually there are several decisions in court to rule on that restricted deduction possibility.
What is taxable.
Taxable current income.
Among the investment income are (Art. 20 Para. 1 German Income Tax Act):
This means, profits which have been recorded and taxed only in the context of speculation are now already taxable for a holding period of more than one year.
Taxable private capital gains.
Taxable private capital gains are (Art. 20 Para. 2 German Income Tax Act):
Exemptions from the tax deduction.
The rules for the "Abgeltungsteuer" do not apply for the following:
Alternatives.
Investment income upon which flat rate tax was withhold, do not have to be declared in the annual income tax return. Only if church tax has not been withhold or the personal income tax rate is below 25%. A tax refund on the difference between the tax rates is possible (Art. 32 Para. 6 German Income Tax Act). This makes sense when the personal tax rate of the income is below 25%. The intention was that the income on investment income will not be taxed higher than their other income. A withdrawal of actual costs associated with private capital gains is however no longer permitted, the saver's allowance in the amount of 801 € will be used as deduction.
Losses.
Losses are considered as follows:
Foreign investment income.
Investment income that was generated abroad also falls under the "Abgeltungsteuer". The Federal Republic of Germany concluded with many countries double taxation agreements so that the regulations differ from each country to country. The aim is to avoid that one taxpayer is charged with similar taxes more than once on the same income for the same period. Though the "Abgeltungsteuer" is not applicable in foreign countries, the taxpayer has the responsibility to declare the income for taxation at the local tax office. Foreign taxes on capital gains are only chargeable up to a height of 25% according to German Income Tax Act (Art. 43 a Para. 3). Nevertheless, there can be possibility that losses from other securities transactions are added to the original loss. That leads to a paid tax on capital gains of more than 25% seen over the entire calendar year. Such a negative surplus will not been refunded by the tax authorities and is also not transferable to the following years.
Austria.
In Austria, a withholding tax on capital income took effect on January 1, 1993. The legal basis for the tax is the Austrian final taxation law ("Endbesteuerungsgesetz").
Luxembourg.
Since 2006, taxpayers who have tax liability in Luxembourg have been subject to a 15% flat rate withholding tax on interest income. For nonresident EU citizens who receive interest income from Luxembourg, a 20% tax rate applied through 30 June 2011, rising to 35% as of 1 July 2011 under the European Directive on the taxation of savings interest income.


Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation

The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation is the highest-ranked official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is secretary to government of India and executive of Department of Space (DOS) which directly reports to the prime minister of India.
The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was founded in 1962 under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) with Vikram Sarabhai as its chairperson which in 1969 became ISRO. In 1972, government of India had set up a space commission and DOS and brought ISRO under DOS.
Since Sarabhai has assumed the position, there have been ten chairmen of the ISRO, with Prof. Satish Dhawan serving the longest term of 12 years as the chairman.


Sebastian Duterte

Sebastian "Baste" Zimmerman Duterte (born November 3, 1987) is a Filipino politician who is the vice mayor of Davao City since 2019. He is the second son of President Rodrigo Duterte, and his sister, Sara, is the incumbent mayor of Davao City.
Early life and education.
Duterte was born on November 3, 1987, in Davao City. He is the youngest son of President Rodrigo Duterte and Elizabeth Zimmerman, a Filipina flight-attendant of American and German Jewish descent. His brother, Paolo, is the incumbent representative of Davao City's first district, and his sister is mayor.
Duterte obtained his high school diploma at San Beda University. He studied political science at Ateneo de Manila University.
Political career.
In 2019, Duterte ran unopposed for vice mayor of Davao City with his sister and incumbent mayor, Sara, as his running mate under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago ticket. The siblings won the election. He has been appointed "acting mayor" of the city twice: from July 19 to September 17, 2019; and from September 28 to October 5, 2020.
Personal life.
Duterte is a dedicated surfer and often posts images of himself surfing. He launched his own reality travel show "Lakbai" on TV5. He has two children with his long-time live-in partner.


Praful Bhavsar

Praful Bhavsar is an Indian space scientist who has held several major positions in the Indian Space program including the Project Scientist for the first rocket launch into space from Indian soil on 21 November 1963. In 1986, he retired from the position of Director, Space Applications Center of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
and the Director, Indian Remote Sensing Satellite Utilization Program.
Bhavsar was born on 17 August 1926 and received his Doctorate in Physics from Gujarat University in 1958 for his research in Cosmic Rays at the Physical Research Laboratory under the guidance of Vikram Sarabhai. In the same year he moved to the University of Minnesota as a research fellow in the laboratory of Professor John R. Winckler to study high altitude Cosmic Rays using balloons. Whilst at Minnesota, Bhavsar also collaborated with Professor Jacques Blamont who would later play a key role in India's first rocket launch.
The Scientific and Technical Sub-committee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COSPAR) was established in 1958. One of its objectives was to foster international scientific collaboration. In 1962 Indian National Committee for Space Research INCOSPAR was established by the Indian government under the chairmanship of Dr Vikram Sarabhai. One of its first projects was the establishment of the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in the district of Trivandrum on the southern tip of India very close to Earth's magnetic equator.
Bhavsar was a former student of Dr.Vikram Sarabhai, and at his request returned to India and joined a team of scientists as the project scientist that launched India's first rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). The two stage Nike-Apache sounding rocket came from the USA and the French payload that left a vertical trail of sodium vapour in the upper atmosphere from a 100 to 120 km altitude. The primary purpose of this flight was to measure atmospheric winds, temperature, diffusion and turbulence by photographing the trail of the ejected sodium.
Bhavsar has held many prestigious positions over the years, including: Scientific Co-ordinator, ISRO (1967–1975); Member-SecretaryINCOSPAR (1970–1981); Chairman – Remote Sensing Area, Space Applications Center (1976–1984); Director, Indian Remote Sensing Satellite Utilization Programme (1981–1986); and Director, Space Applications Center, ISRO (1985–1986).
In 1999 Bhavsar was awarded the Aryabhata Award in recognition of his lifetime achievement in the area of Astronautics by the Astronautical Society of India.


Sabre Dance

"Sabre Dance" (, "Suserov par"; , "Tanets s sablyami") is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet "Gayane" (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres. It is Khachaturian's best known and most recognizable work. He apparently felt that its popularity "deflected attention from his other works."
Its middle section is based on an unnamed Armenian folk song. According to Tigran Mansurian, it is a synthesis of an Armenian wedding dance tune from Gyumri tied in a saxophone counterpoint "that seems to come straight from America."
"Sabre Dance" is considered one of the signature pieces of twentieth-century popular music. It was popularized by covers by pop artists, first in the US and later in other countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany. Its use in a wide range of films and television series over the decades have significantly contributed to its renown. "Sabre Dance" has also been used by a number of figure skaters from at least five countries in their performances. Tom Huizenga of NPR describes it as "one of the catchiest, most familiar—perhaps most maddening—tunes to come out of the 20th century." "Billboard" magazine calls it "a piece that's known to every pops orchestra in existence."
Hit in the US.
In 1948 the "Sabre Dance" became a jukebox hit in the United States. Due to its popularity, "Newsweek" suggested that 1948 could be called "Khachaturian Year in the United States." That year three versions of the "Sabre Dance" reached number one in the "Billboard" Best-Selling Records by Classical Artists:
These three versions were included in Year's Top Selling Classical Artists by "Billboard" in 1948. The "Sabre Dance" became the first million-selling record of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. According to the "Current Biography Yearbook", it was Levant's performance that "received popular attention."
Hit in the UK.
An electric guitar version by Dave Edmunds' band Love Sculpture reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1968.
In popular culture.
The "Sabre Dance" has been used in numerous films, animated films, television series, video games, and commercials over the years, oftentimes for humorous effects. The piece's popular familiarity has been enhanced by its traditional use as accompaniment by travelling circuses and on television variety shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show" when novelty acts such as plate spinners appeared.
Some notable television shows that have used it include "The Jack Benny Program" (1961), "A Piano in the House" from "The Twilight Zone" (1962), "The Onedin Line" (1971 and 1972), "The Benny Hill Show" (1985), "Our Very First Telethon" episode of "Full House" (1990), "The Simpsons" (1991), "Two and a Half Men" (2004), "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" (2004), "Peterotica" episode of "Family Guy" (2006), "SpongeBob SquarePants" (2007), and "The Big Bang Theory" (2009). The song was featured in The Amazing Race 28, when teams travelled to Armenia and had to search the Yerevan Opera Theater for their next clue.
On June 6, 2013 on the 110th anniversary of Khachaturian’s birthday a modern take of the Sabre Dance—"Sabre Dance on the Street"—was performed at Yerevan Cascade by Barekamutyun dance ensemble and Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Films.
Films in which the "Sabre Dance" was used include
"The Barkleys of Broadway" (1949), "One, Two, Three" (1961), "The System" (1964), "The Seven Brides of Lance-Corporal Zbruyev" (1970), "Amarcord" (1973), "Well, Just You Wait!" 6th episode "Countryside" (1973), "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986), "Repentance" (1987), "Punchline" (1988), "Hocus Pocus" (1993), "Radioland Murders" (1994), "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994), "Don't Drink the Water" (1994), "I Married a Strange Person!" (1997), "Vegas Vacation" (1997), "A Simple Wish" (1997), "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998), "The Lion King 1½" (2004), "Kung Fu Hustle" (2005), "Scoop" (2006), "Sicko" (2007), "Ghost Town" (2008), "Witless Protection" (2008), "Le Concert" (2009), "Pájaros de papel" (2010), "Sabre Dance" (2015). In his frenzied comedy "One, Two, Three", director Billy Wilder used the dance repeatedly for comic effect, including a crazed chase through East Berlin, and the chaotic closing ride to the airport featuring James Cagney and Horst Bucholz. It was also played briefly in "".
Video games.
Video games in which the "Sabre Dance" was used include:
In sports.
The National Hockey League (NHL)'s Buffalo Sabres have used the piece as a theme song since the team was established in 1970. After a hiatus, the "Sabre Dance" was again made their theme song in 2011.
In 2010–13, the "Sabre Dance" became popular in the city of Donetsk, Ukraine, because it was played in Donbass Arena, the venue of FC Shakhtar Donetsk, whenever the Armenian football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a goal.
The "Sabre Dance" was featured in the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony held in Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia on February 7.
Figure skating.
The "Sabre Dance" has been used by numerous figure skaters, including:


Battle of Gnila Lipa

The Battle of Gnila Lipa took place early in the World War I on 29–30 August 1914, when the Imperial Russian Army invaded Galicia and engaged the defending Austro-Hungarian Army. It was part of a larger series of battles known collectively as the Battle of Galicia. The battle ended in a defeat of the Austro-Hungarian forces.
Background.
The battle is named after a river in Western Ukraine, an historical region of Galicia. It is a tributary of Dniester, and is also called the Hnyla Lypa ().
According to Prit Buttar, "In Galicia the weakness of the Austro-Hungarian position lay in the east. An entire army - Böhm-Ermolli's Second Army - was still missing, either still deployed in the Balkans or languishing on painfully slow troop trains. By contrast, the Russians had two powerful armies deployed for an early advance into eastern Galicia. The two eastern armies were now ordered to move west as fast as possible, in order to reduce the pressure on the Fourth and Fifth Armies. As his western armies moved north, Conrad had to protect their eastern flank, and therefore ordered Brudermann's Third Army to perform this task by moving north." The two Russian armies consisted of Nikolai Ruzsky's Third Army, with the IX, X, XI, and XXI Corps, consisting of 12 infantry divisions and 4 cavalry divisions, and the Aleksei Brusilov's Eighth Army, with the VII, VIII, XII, and XXIV Corps, consisting of 10 infantry divisions and 5 cavalry divisions. The Third Army was located around Rovno and Dubno, while the Eighth Army was located around Proskurov. The Austro-Hungarian Third Army consisted of the III, XI, and XIV Corps, with 18 infantry divisions and 4 cavalry divisions, supported by Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza's "Armeegruppe", consisting of the XII Corps. Brudermann's Third Army was ordered north to protect Conrad's eastern flank, while Kövess was ordered to advance east of Lemberg towards Przemyślany. On 21 August, Russian forces crossed the frontier between Brody and Tarnopol. On 25 August, the Russian Third Army was preparing to advance north of Lemberg, while the Eighth advanced to the south.
Battle.
Brudermann's plan of attack was for his XII Corps towards Remizowce, his III Corps towards Zloczow, with the XI protecting the northern flank. On 26 August, the II Corps advanced and immediately encountered the Russian XI Corps. By the end of the day, the III Corps advance was limited to Gologory and Zlota Lipa area. The XII corps encountered the Russian X corps. On 27 August, Brudermann tried once again to attack east, but that night and the next day, retreated along a line from Lemberg to Przemyslany, and the Gnila Lipa. The 13 Austro-Hungarian divisions now faced 22 Russian divisions, while the Russian VII and XII Corps advanced from the southeast. Yet the Russian Third Army paused. On 29 August, attacks by the Austro-Hungarian XII and VII Corps, newly arrived from Serbia, were stopped by the Russian VII and XII Corps respectively. On 30 August, the Russians pressed forward their attacks, overwhelming the Austro-Hungarian XII Corps, and Brudermann was forced to retreat along a line south from Lemberg.
Aftermath.
Prit Buttar noted, "Conrad's spirits lifted when news arrived from Auffenberg's headquarters that the Russian forces involved in the fighting around Komarów had been destroyed, and that it would therefore be possible for the victorious Fourth army to attack towards Lemberg as planned." However, the Russian Eighth Army advanced through Bukovina, and Brudermann unable to hold his position, withdrew to the Wereszyca. Lemberg was abandoned on 2 September, and the Russians entered the next day. Brudermann was dismissed the same day, replaced by Svetozar Boroević.


Tax pooling

Tax pooling allows New Zealand taxpayers to pool their provisional tax payments together in an account held by a registered tax pooling intermediary at Inland Revenue (IRD) so that underpayments by some can be offset by overpayments of others. Taxpayers receive/pay an interest rate that is higher/lower than IRD's rates if they overpay/underpay provisional tax. Intermediaries operate under legislation set out in the Income Tax Act 2007 and Tax Administration Act 1994.
Tax pooling has been operating in New Zealand since 2003 after legislation was passed by the New Zealand Government. Tax Management NZ was the first intermediary to offer the service.
Accountants across New Zealand recommend the use of tax pooling to taxpayers to manage income tax obligations.
Background.
Taxpayers in New Zealand with an income tax liability of more than $2500 for the previous year may have to pay provisional tax the following year. This usually happens if they earn income without having tax deducted during the year.
Often the amount of income tax a taxpayer must pay is uncertain as provisional tax payments are based on an estimation of annual profit.
If a taxpayer does not pay enough provisional tax, it may be charged IRD interest (also known as use of money interest). On the other hand, if it pays too much provisional tax, it may receive an interest credit. The use of money interest rate for underpayments is higher than that applying to overpayments. In some cases, the underpayment rate is higher than a taxpayer's borrowing rate.
Both overpaid and underpaid provisional tax have financial consequences. Overpaid provisional tax results in money that a taxpayer could use in its business being tied up at IRD at a cost to the taxpayer. Underpaid provisional means a taxpayer is faced with an unexpected interest cost on top of its liability. Many taxpayers consider the overpayment interest rate does not adequately compensate them and the interest charged on underpayments is too high.
Officials acknowledged that the provisional tax rules resulted in uncertainty for taxpayers because they assume taxpayers can correctly forecast their income for the year.
A proposed change to the use of money interest rates did not find favour with IRD. They considered that idea to be unworkable, arguing that the underpayment rate needs to be set high to ensure taxpayers pay the right amount of tax at the right time. It also suggested that an additional penalty for underpayments may be required to ensure the right incentives were in place to encourage compliance from taxpayers if the underpayment rate was reduced.
In 2001, IRD publicly raised the possibility of having a system that allowed provisional taxpayers to pool their payments through a commercial intermediary so the interest charged on underpayments and paid on overpayments would be closer to normal commercial interest rates, avoiding the current wide differential.
Ian Kuperus.
Ian Kuperus, an accountant and former IRD employee, is credited with coming up with the idea of tax pooling. He identified the opportunity for taxpayers to trade their under- and overpayments of tax and take advantage of the interest rate differential while leading the tax division at the National Bank, after the government introduced use of money interest in 1988.
With the backing of National Bank, Ian pitched tax pooling to IRD and the then Minister of Revenue, Trevor de Cleene. However, neither party was convinced. He continued to promote the concept in submissions to IRD and one to the McLeod Review of Taxation when moved to the New Zealand Dairy Board (now Fonterra).
In 2001, when IRD publicly raised the possibility of trading provisional tax payments as a means of reducing exposure to use of money interest, Ian engaged with IRD officials by helping to write legislation and come up with an actual system that would bring together taxpayers, an independent intermediary and IRD.
He left the Dairy Board a year later to establish Tax Management NZ.
How tax pooling works.
Tax deposit
Rather than pay provisional tax directly to IRD, a taxpayer deposits money with a tax pooling intermediary on its three provisional tax dates. The tax pooling intermediary deposits each payment into its tax pooling account at IRD. The taxpayer's deposits are date-stamped and recorded in the intermediary's tax pool registry. The taxpayer can use the deposits held in the pool on its behalf to settle their income tax liabilities once it has finalised its income tax return. Funds remain in the intermediary's tax pool account at IRD until instruction is received from the taxpayer to transfer the deposits into the taxpayer's own IRD account. Once processed by IRD, the taxpayer's IRD statement will show the tax pool transfers at the original date of the deposit, satisfying the taxpayer's liability.
Tax sale/purchase
A depositing taxpayer who has excess tax remaining once it has transferred what it needs from the tax pool to satisfy its own liability can earn a higher rate of interest on their overpayment than it would receive from IRD by selling the surplus tax it has at each of its provisional tax dates to another taxpayer who has underpaid at those dates. The underpayer can reduce the interest payable on its underpaid income tax when it purchases this surplus tax to meet its own liability.
A taxpayer may also purchase other types of tax (including income tax, GST, FBT and PAYE) if it has received a notice of reassessment from IRD due to a voluntary disclosure or audit.
Tax swap
A depositing taxpayer who has overpaid at one provisional tax date and underpaid at another can swap tax between these dates (or with another depositing taxpayer) to even out payments to either increase or reduce the amount of interest payable or receivable. A tax swap is a combination of a tax sale and a tax purchase.
Tax finance
This arrangement allows a taxpayer to pay an upcoming instalment of provisional tax at a date in the future that suits them. The taxpayer pays an upfront finance fee and a tax pooling intermediary makes a date-stamped deposit equal to the amount financed into its tax pool account on behalf of the taxpayer on the provisional tax date. The taxpayer then pays the intermediary at the agreed upon date in the future and the intermediary arranges the tax deposit to be transferred from its tax pool to the taxpayer's IRD account.
Tax finance became popular in 2009 when businesses were experiencing cashflow constraints and looking at other sources of working capital.
Legislative changes.
In 2003, the government changed the rules so that businesses would receive imputation credits when they deposit money into a tax pooling account.
A number of amendments were made to tax pooling legislation in 2009 and 2011 following a review of the rules. These include:
In 2014, the government announced its intention to introduce legislation that would allow taxpayers to use tax pool funds to meet accrued IRD interest and core tax obligations. Under previous rules, funds could only be used against core tax. The legislation was passed in 2016.
In 2016, IRD issued a discussion document explaining proposed changes to the New Zealand provisional tax system. The document stated that while the new safe harbour threshold would reduce the impact of use of money interest on taxpayers, they could continue to using tax pooling to make their payments.
Tax pooling today.
There are six registered tax pooling intermediaries approved by, and registered with, IRD. Five of these operate as companies. In 2014, an independent review of tax pooling rules carried out via PwC found that the system is operating efficiently and is valued by taxpayers.


Wilhelm Sponneck

Wilhelm Carl Eppingen Sponneck (16 February 1815 – 29 February 1888) was a Danish nobleman ("rigsgreve") and Minister of Finance. He was influential in Danish customs affairs for several years.
Biography.
Wilhelm Carl Eppingen Sponneck was born in Ringkøbing in 1815. He graduated from Sorø Academy in 1832, and entered into a study of the law. He received a law degree in 1836.
He was employed in the Danish customs service and rose to a leading position in the 1840s after publishing a 600-page work about customs services. King Frederick VII of Denmark appointed him to the Constitutional Assembly in 1848. Also in 1848 he was appointed Finance Minister, an office which he occupied in a total of five cabinets. He was first a supporter of the Unitary State with Holstein, but during the First War of Schleswig he switched to a pro-Danish policy, and in 1850 he enacted a temporary law removing the customs duties between Denmark and Schleswig, and later the same year, he enacted a similar law abolishing the Danish-Schleswig customs border altogether. In 1850-51, he tried to introduce the income tax, but was unsuccessful when Parliament rejected the proposal. Sponneck's proposal to introduce postage stamps was more successful; the first Danish stamps were issued in 1851.
In January 1851, Sponneck traveled to Berlin to negotiate with Prussia and Austria, trying to establish a peace settlement that maintained the Danish/Schleswig/Holsteinish union while securing extra close ties between Denmark and Schleswig. He was unable to secure a lasting agreement, and he abandoned his pro-Danish sympathies and returned to defending the pre-war Unitary State. In 1853 the Danish Parliament rejected his proposal to remove the customs border between Denmark/Schleswig and Holstein by applying the same rates everywhere. Sponneck reacted by enacting the law anyway, citing King Frederick's absolutist powers in the two duchies, consequently issuing the law in the name of the king. Parliament ultimately approved the law. He later tried to enforce the use of Danish coinage in Southern Schleswig and Holstein, a policy that gave him many enemies. His popularity dropped even lower when he in 1854 proposed a return to absolutist royal rule in matters relating to Danish-Holsteinish affairs. Sponneck left politics in 1854, and was appointed leader of the customs service, a position he occupied until 1863.
In 1863, he accompanied 17-year-old Prince Vilhelm of Denmark to Greece where Vilhelm had just been elected king. Sponneck remained in Greece for a few years, serving as advisor to the youthful king.
Following his return to Denmark, he became involved in private enterprise. In 1866 he became chairman of the control commission for the Zealandic railways. In 1868 he became the director of the National Bank and joined the board of the Great Northern Telegraph Company. Sponneck later resigned these positions and became the leader of the newly founded Kjøbenhavns Handelsbank and chairman for the insurance company, "Danmark".


United Nations Security Council Resolution 368

United Nations Security Council Resolution 368, adopted on April 17, 1975, recalled previous resolutions and considered a report from the Secretary-General before calling upon the parties involved in the prevailing state of tension in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War to immediately implement resolution 338. The Council then renewed the mandate of the United Nations Emergency Force for another three months until July 24, 1975, and requested the Secretary-General submit a report on the developments in the situation and the measures taken to implement the resolution.
The resolution was adopted by 13 votes; China and Iraq did not participate in the vote.


Mughamis ibn Rumaythah

Mughāmis ibn Rumaythah ibn Muḥammad Abī Numayy al-Ḥasanī () was a co-Emir of Mecca from 1347 to 1349.


Matej Ninoslav

Matej Ninoslav (died 1250) was the Ban of Bosnia in the period of 1232–50. Most of Bosnia was under the Kingdom of Hungary from 1235 to 1241. Ninoslav was also a Prince of Split in 1242–1244 during the local civil war. Ninoslav established control of most of Bosnia after the Hungarian withdrawal. Ninoslav continually defended Bosnia during the Bosnian Crusade that persecuted its heretic population. He was succeeded by his cousin, Ban Prijezda, in 1254.
Biography.
Early rule.
Before his rule, early in his life, Ninoslav was an opposer of the Bogumils, a faithful Hungarian supporter and a pious Catholic Christian. Entering his rule, Matej Ninoslav forcibly replaced his predecessor, Stjepan Kulinić with the help of the adherents of the Bogumil Bosnian Church, which caused good relations with Serbia to sour.
During his rule, Ninoslav served as a faithful Hungarian vassal, but was greatly underestimated during his reign. The Prenestine Bishop James, serving as the Pope's legate, finished a business in Hungary and came to Bosnia to influence Matej Ninoslav to give a statement that he will remain a Catholic, even though his ancestors were Bogomil heretics. The Roman Pope wrote a letter to Matej Ninoslav thus on 10 October 1233, guaranteeing his integrity and putting him under his protectorate:
"Hugging you with true love, your person and your land of Bosnia. We accept under the protection of Saint Peter and Us with all the lands, that you rightfully hold, and We stand by you through the protection of this letter, as long as you remain in Catholic religion..."
The letter also bears a mention of his Bogumil cousin, Prijezda, who now returned to his old religion by converting to Catholicism. This was insufficient to the Pope's emissaries - so Prijezda had to give his son hostage as a guarantee. Ban Ninoslav himself had to beg to Rome itself for the release of Prijezda's son.
In 1234, King Andrew II of Hungary gifted Ninoslav's title to Herzeg Coloman, who passed on the title on to Matej's cousin, Prijezda during the crusades between 1234 and 1239, weakening Matej's position as Ban. At the same time, the son of former Bosnia's Ban Stjepan, Prince Sibislav of Usora began to intrude on Ninoslav's territory with his forces, trying to return the title of Ban to the House of Kulinić. To make matters worse; the Pope was unsatisfied with the Bogumil sect in Bosnia; so he replaced the old, presumably Bogumil, Bosnian Bishop, in 1233, with a German member of the Dominican Order Johannes Wildeshausen. Wildeshausen was not welcomed in Bosnia since its population did not want an extremely zealous German for their ecclesiastical leader. The Pope's emissaries to Bosnia become more and more frequent as the situation become more and more tense. It led to Pope Gregory IX calling for a Crusade on Bosnia on 17 October 1234. This proclamation was given in Rome the same significance of the Crusades for the Holy Land. On 9 August 1235, the Pope also confirmed King Andrew's proclamation of Croatia's Herzog Coloman as the legitimate Ban of Bosnia.
Edicts to Dubrovnik.
Some time between 1232 and 1235, Matej issued an edict to the Republic of Ragusa, guaranteeing the old privileges given to Ragusa by Ban Kulin long ago. In it, Ninoslav mentions Serbs ("Srblji") and Vlachs ("Vlasi"). It dealt with commercial privileges and states that for deceit by a Vlach of a Serb, a Bosnian court was to be conveyed. But for deceit of a Serb over a Vlach, a court was to be convened in Ragusa (Dubrovnik).
Ninoslav reissued the edict to Ragusa on 22 March 1240, but expanded it to include a protectorate guaranteeing the independence of Ragusa in case of an attack by Serbian King Stefan Vladislav. The latter was reissued in March 1249 during the reign of King Stefan Uroš I.
Late rule and the Crusades.
The Hungarians amassed an immense Crusader Force. The Bosnians didn't want to give up their religion for another, under Hungarian sword, so they organized resistance. Soon the Crusaders, led by Croatia's Herzog Coloman, stormed Bosnia. As Ban Matej didn't have the strength to oppose, he retreated to the impassable mountains and primeval forests. The war lasted for almost five years and was exhausting for both sides as can be seen in the fact that Bishop Wildeshausen begged the Pope to relief him from his duty. Ninoslav put up a staunch defense. Prince Sibislav of Usora joined the fight against Ninoslav soon. Many of the Bosnian noblemen under Sibislav crossed to the Hungarian side, while others were simply too afraid to act. On 26 April 1238, it seemed that Coloman had destroyed the heretic strength in Bosnia, reporting to the pope that Bosnia had been cleansed. On 23 December 1238, Coloman continued to amass victories against the heretic side. Although the Crusaders managed to freely overrun the Western Areas and the Hum they could never get a permanent hold of Bosnia proper. In 1237, deemed incapable, Bishop Wildeshausen was replaced by the Pope with a Hungarian Dominican, that conducted terror by burning the Bogomils on stakes. Matej had to retreat to Dubrovnik in 1240, after the numerous crusaders overran his realm.
In 1241, the Tartars invaded Hungary and killed Herzog Coloman on the river of Šaj. King Bela IV was on the retreat which enabled Ninoslav to restore control over most of Bosnia. The Tartars were fought off by the Croats, sending them back across Bosnia, bringing more destruction to the Bosnian land.
Split-Trogir conflict.
In retaliation, Ninoslav punished the Pope's supporters throughout Bosnia after he restored control. His cousin, Prijezda, fled to Hungary. Ninoslav also intervened in the civil war in Croatia between the loyalist city of Trogir and rebelling Split as he was looking to gain more of Split's possessions. He sided with Split which rebelled against King Bela IV and elected Ninoslav as its new Prince. The Split assault on the City of Trogir failed, but the City's surroundings were devastated. In 1244, King Bela sent one of his two armies on Bosnia against Ninoslav. Ninoslav lost Split, as the Hungarian Army, under Slavonia's Ban Dionisus, together with the forces of Trogir took the city in the summer of 1244. A peace treaty was signed on July 19, 1244. The amnesty itself excluded Split's allies, presented by Ninoslav. The other army was led by King Bela and breached to the city of Glaško in Bosnia. Bosnia was not harmed itself by the King's military campaign and a peace was signed on 20 July 1244 with Ban Ninoslav and his brothers and nobility, that confirmed the rights and lands of the Bosnian Church. Bela's negotiations lasted in Glaško from 15th to 21 July. Matej Ninoslav had to only nominally recognize Hungarian rule and kept his possessions abroad, in Slavonia. He also had to grant numerous lands in Bosnia itself, recognizing and keeping the organization and infrastructure of the Catholic Church.
Proposed Crusade against Ninoslav.
The Bosnian heresy remained strong, so King Bela IV and the Roman Catholic Archbishop requested that Pope Innocent IV launch a new Crusade against Ninoslav in 1247. The situation grew very dangerous, so Ninoslav wrote to the new Pope that he always remained a staunch Catholic Christian, and never a heretic. This was confirmed by the Pope's delegates that visited Bosnia shortly thereafter. The Pope wrote to the Catholic Archbishop in 1248 stating that he found Ninoslav to be a noble man and loyal to the Catholic faith, despite the sympathy he received infidels against his old enemies, and asked the Archbishop not to rise up against the Ban.
The remainder of his reign, Ban Ninoslav Matej dealt with inner matters in Bosnia. His death after 1249, possibly in 1250, brought some conflicts over the throne; as the Bosnian Church desired someone from their own sphere of interest, and the Hungarians side desired someone that they could easily control. Eventually, King Bela IV conquered and pacified Bosnia and succeed in putting Ninoslav 's Catholic cousin Prijezda as the Bosnian Ban. The Bosnian Bishop was expelled to Djakovo in Slavonia and never returned to Bosnia, with the Roman Catholic Church permanently losing all greater foundations in Bosnia.


Ahmed Aboul Gheit

Ahmed Aboul Gheit ( , also: Abu al-Ghayt, Abu El Gheyt, etc.) (born 12 June 1942) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who has been Secretary-General of the Arab League since July 2016. He was reappointed for a second term on 3 March 2021. Aboul-Gheit served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt from 11 July 2004 to 6 March 2011. Previously, between 1999 and 2004, he was Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was succeeded as Minister of Foreign Affairs by ICJ judge Nabil Elaraby in March 2011, following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. He was elected Secretary-General of the Arab League in March 2016, and his term commenced on 3 July 2016.
He was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur, first rank in 2002.
Early life.
Born in Heliopolis in Cairo on 12 June 1942, Aboul Gheit was originally from the city of Port Said. He studied business at Ain Shams University, Cairo.
Career.
Aboul Gheit joined the diplomatic corps in 1965 after completing university, and rose through the ranks of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, occupying diplomatic positions in Rome, Nicosia, Moscow and New York. He participated in negotiations in 1978 of the Camp David Accords, which led to the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. In 1999, he was appointed Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations, before being recalled to Cairo in 2004 to take the lead in diplomacy.
Aboul Gheit started his career as Third Secretary at the Embassy of Cyprus. Later he was First Secretary for Egypt's Ambassador to the United Nations, Political Consultant at the Egyptian Embassy in the Soviet Union in 1984, and Ambassador of Egypt to Italy, Macedonia and San Marino. In 1999 he was the head of Egypt's permanent delegation to the United Nations.
Aboul Gheit served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt from 11 July 2004 to 6 March 2011. In December 2005, he began mediating the Chad-Sudan conflict. During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy in 2006, he said "this was a very unfortunate statement and it is a statement that shows that there is a lack of understanding of real Islam. And because of this we are hopeful that such statements and such positions would not be stated in order to not allow tension and distrust and recriminations to brew between the Muslim as well as the west." On 26 December 2010, Aboul Gheit opened the first Egyptian consulate outside Baghdad in the northern city of Erbil in a one-day visit to Iraq, where he also held talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
After the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011, he ceased to be Foreign Affairs Minister on 6 March 2011, after which he devoted himself to writing his memoirs.
Secretary-General of the Arab League.
Aboul Gheit was elected Secretary-General of the Arab League in March 2016, to succeed Nabil el-Arabi. However, his election was not without some League members' criticism, due to his age. His term commenced on 3 July 2016.
Gheit called the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria a "blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty".
On 11 May 2021, Gheit condemned Israeli air strikes on Gaza as "indiscriminate and irresponsible".


Vasudevan Gnana Gandhi

Vasudevan Gnana Gandhi is an Indian rocket scientist, known as the pioneer of cryogenic rocket science in India. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, Gandhi started his career by joining the Indian Space Research Organization in 1968 and held many positions such as Project Director and Programme Director at ISRO. His contributions are reported behind the development of booster liquid stages of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the uprating of VIKAS engine. A recipient of the Aeronautical Society of India Award, Gandhi was honored by the Government of India, in 2005, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.