title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The Impala again was offered as a police vehicle in the ninth generation form. The 9C1 and 9C3 models were based on the LS model, yet offered steel wheels or steel wheels with wheel covers, optional rubber flooring, preparation for police equipment such as sirens, radios, lighting, special badging, inoperable rear door handles, windows, and door locks. It also came with the option for a rear vinyl bench seat as well as front cloth bucket or bench seats, both cloth front and rear seats, or vinyl front and rear seats. In addition, it offered preparation for a criminal cage to be installed between the front and rear seats. The fog lamps seen on the LT, LTZ, and SS were optional in 2008 & stayed as an option until 2012. The 9C1 and 9C3 also had the option of having the spoiler seen on the LT and LTZ until being replaced by the spoiler that is on the SS in 2009. In 2007, Active Fuel Management became an option across the board for the Impala. The police sedans received FlexFuel capability in 2008 to compete against the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, which also received a similar feature allowing it to utilize E85. From 2006 to 2011, the Impala 9C1 and 9C3 models used the 3.9 L (237 cu in) V6 paired to the heavy duty 4T65E-HD transmission and had standard dual exhaust.<ref name="LZG/9specs"></ref> Police Sedans utilized the SS radiator and cooling system as an upgrade from the standard 3.9 L engine (used in the Impala LTZ). Furthermore, the heavy-duty steel wheels were not redesigned. Instead, the Police Sedan used the original center caps or the older style wheel covers which were carried over from the 8th generation model. The 9C1 and 9C3 were equipped with an external trunk lock tumbler starting in 2008 which was not available for the civilian version of the car. The 9C1 and 9C3 police models had the standard wood grain for the 2006 model year until 2007 where it was replaced by aluminized interior trim. In 2010, the aluminized interior trim was replaced with faux carbon-fiber. For the 2012 model year refresh, both the 9C1 and 9C3 replaced the fog lamps with brake cooling ducts not seen on civilian models, body colored exterior trunk trim, larger 17-inch wheels with new wheel covers, and the same LFX V6 that powers the civilian Impala paired to a six speed automatic transmission. After the tenth generation Impala was introduced, the ninth generation Impala 9C1 and 9C3 remained in production as the Impala Limited and had a "Limited" badge on the trunk. The Caprice PPV succeeded the Impala 9C1 after production ended in 2016. Up to then, the Caprice 9C1 and Impala 9C1 was offered simultaneously.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The tenth-generation Impala was introduced at the 2012 New York Auto Show for the 2014 model year, with sales and production commencing March 4, 2013. The tenth generation Impala was the first North American sedan in 20 years to earn "Consumer Reports" top score, with a score of 95 of a possible 100 points.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: This tenth generation Impala, according to autoblog.com, is once again classified as full-size, the previous generation having been mid-size. It is larger than the previous generation, sharing the extended Epsilon II FWD platform with the Cadillac XTS. It was assembled in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, alongside the ninth-generation Impala (now renamed the fleet and rental exclusive-only Impala Limited), and at the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly in the United States. All trim levels are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission with sport and manual shifting modes.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The tenth generation models were shipped to dealerships across North America on March 25, 2013, and officially went on sale to the public April 1, 2013. That same day regular production on the Impala (the 2.4L eAssist and 3.6L equipped versions/LT2 and LTZ2 trims only) began at their Oshawa plant, while production at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant (the 2.5L equipped versions/LS, LT1 and LTZ1 trims) started production on April 8 and arrived to dealerships in May. The eAssist versions went on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: In 2014, the Impala saw its share of the full-size sedan market increase to 14.7 percent, up from 6.9 percent in 2013.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2014 Impala came standard with 18 inch wheels (19, and 20 inch offered in higher trims), low profile HID Headlights and LED daytime running lights (On LTZ trim) and offered three engines; a 2.5 L 4-Cylinder (the first time the Impala will use this type), a 2.4 L 4-Cylinder with hybrid-assist technology, and a 3.6 L V6. The interior came equipped with a 4.2-inch color display featuring Chevrolet MyLink (LT and LTZ trims), HD Radio (all trims) and Pandora Radio (LT and LTZ trims), Active noise cancellation for all 4-cylinder options, while new safety features included 10 Standard Airbags combined with OnStar. Optional features for the 2014 model included "full-speed-range adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, rear camera and rear-park assist".


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: For 2015, 4G LTE was added to OnStar as an optional feature HD Radio was no longer offered starting with the 2015 model year. In addition, the eAssist version was discontinued due to low sales.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: For the 2016 model year, the Impala went from five to four trim levels: LS, LT1, LT2, and LTZ2. A Midnight appearance package was added as an upgrade for the LT and LTZ level trims, which included unique black-pocket wheels and gloss black badges in addition to the standard black paint. Five new colors were introduced: Siren Red Tintcoat, Citron Green Metallic, Heather Gray Metallic, Mosaic Black Metallic, and Green Envy Metallic; six colors were dropped: Autumn Bronze, Red Rock, Crystal Red Tintcoat, Ashen Gray, Silver Topaz, and Champagne Silver. The Jet Black/Brownstone interior color scheme was dropped. 2016 models also came equipped with a new 800 cold-cranking amps battery, replacing the 900 CCA. Wireless charging for devices, front and rear splash guards, as well as lane change alert were added. The CD player was now only offered as standard equipment on the LTZ, but available as an option on other trims as part of the Technology package. 2016 also saw the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Capability features; only one phone brand at any one time can be used.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: In addition to the "OnStar/Connections Plan" being rebranded as the "Guidance Plan", the 2016 Impala's option packages were rebranded:


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2017 model year Impala only saw minor changes, with the top-of-the-line LTZ trim rebrand as the Premier trim and Pepperdust Metallic introduced as a new color option. The LS trim, previously available only with the four-cylinder engine, became available with the V6 engine in addition to the four-cylinder engine.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2018 model year Impala went from four trims to three: LS, LT, and Premier. The LT level trim added Entertainment, Convenience, and Leather packages options, while the Premier trim received the top-of-the-line Convenience package. Keyless starts, rear camera view, and MyLink became standard on all three levels trims, as the LS trim deletes the 4.2 inch display and AM/FM radio features. Daytime running lights became standard on LT and navigation became standard on Premier. During the Third Quarter of 2018 three new colors, Nightfall Gray Metallic, Cajun Red Tintcoat, and Graphite Metallic, were introduced.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2019 model year Impala only saw minor changes. The jet black interior was added to the LT convenience package, while the accessory level wheel locks became standard on all trims. The Graphite Metallic color was discontinued.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2020 model year Impala (its final year for the sedan) dropped the LS trim, leaving only the LT and Premier level trims. Only the 3.6L V6 engine was offered. In addition, certain features and option packages were deleted from both models.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2015 Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel runs on CNG (compressed natural gas) and gasoline. Unveiled in October 2013 by General Motors CEO Dan Akerson, the Bi-Fuel Impala would be offered to both fleet customers and retail. It is the only full-size CNG vehicle manufactured in North America. The new Impala will join the Honda Civic as a rare factory made CNG car to come straight from a major automaker and available for retail sales.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2015 Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel has a 500-mile driving range. It will allow the driver to switch from gasoline to CNG or from CNG to gasoline at the push of a button. The CNG tank is placed in the trunk. The Impala Bi-Fuel was one of the five finalists for the 2015 Green Car of the Year Award during the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, but lost to the BMW i3.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The Impala went on sale in South Korea as an export vehicle for the 2016 model year, marking the first time that Chevrolet had offered an American-built full-size sedan in the Korean market.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The tenth-generation Chevrolet Impala is available in three trim levels: LS, LT, and LTZ (later Premier). Each trim level includes a generous amount of standard equipment:


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: LS Includes: 2.5L EcoTec Inline Four-Cylinder (I4) gasoline engine, six-speed automatic transmission, Eighteen-inch (18") black-painted steel wheels with full plastic wheel covers, 4.2-inch (4.2") color LCD radio with Bluetooth (2014-2017 models), eight-inch (8.0") Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system (2018-2019 models), 100-watt six-speaker audio system, keyless entry, premium cloth seating surfaces (2014-2017 models), premium cloth seating surfaces with leatherette trim (2018-2019 models), power-adjustable front driver's bucket seat, OnStar with 4G LTE Wi Fi capabilities (2015-2019 models), leather-wrapped steering wheel, split-folding rear bench seat, color-keyed exterior door handles, and black side mirrors. The LS trim was discontinued after the 2019 model year.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: LT Adds to LS: Eighteen-inch (18") aluminum-alloy wheels, eight-inch (8.0") Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system, security system, remote vehicle start, premium cloth seating surfaces with leatherette trim, dual power-adjustable front bucket seats, color-keyed side mirrors, and wood interior trim.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: LTZ (Premier) Adds To LT: 3.6L VVT V6 gasoline engine with FlexFuel capabilities, nineteen-inch (19") aluminum-alloy wheels, keyless access with push-button start, luxury leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual heated front and rear seats, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, exterior LED Daytime Running Lamps (DRL's), rearview backup camera system, chrome-accented color-keyed exterior door handles with touch sensors, and chrome side mirrors.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: There was speculation that GM would discontinue the Impala in 2018 due to declining sales of American full-size sedans, in order to make room for more production of crossover SUVs. However, GM CEO Mary Barra later said that unlike Ford and FCA, GM had no plans to exit the sedan market, and at the time stated that the Impala would continue in production as a way to fill the void left by the planned departure of the Ford Taurus in 2019.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: GM later reversed course and made plans to idle the Detroit-Hamtramck and Oshawa assembly facilities and retire the Impala nameplate. After originally intending to end production in June 2019, GM decided to keep the Impala in production, with the extension of the assembly plants' idling to 2020. The final Chevrolet Impala was built at the Detroit/Hamtramck assembly plant on February 27, 2020.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash tests, the 2000 to 2005 Impala was given a "Good" rating overall for good structural performance and no chance of any significant injury in a crash of its severity, except for maybe a minor lower-left-leg injury, such as a bruise or sprain. The 2006 to present Impala is given a lesser overall "Acceptable" score for front impact collisions. and a "Good" score for side impacts. Side-curtain airbags are standard for front and rear rows; side torso airbags previously unavailable became standard on all trim levels beginning with the 2009 model year. GM made some minor structural enhancements to the Impala, beginning in December 2009; models produced after that received a "Good" in the IIHS frontal offset crash test.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: In September 2009, a local news station's investigative team in Rhode Island discovered that GM's fleet customers who purchased the 2006–2009 Impala were able to order them with the side-curtain airbags deleted for a savings of $175 per vehicle. Because these fleets typically sell off their cars after two to three years of use, many of the Impalas that were built without side-curtain airbags became privately owned cars.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: Another potential safety hazard, affecting Impalas of model years 2007 and 2008, is premature rear tire wear caused by defective rear suspension components. Police vehicles were upgraded to correct this defect and law enforcement agencies were compensated for expenses incurred for tire replacement, but civilian vehicles were not recalled. As a result, Impala owners launched a class action lawsuit in July 2011 against General Motors. In response, the current General Motors leadership claimed about a month later that they are not responsible to repair the defective vehicles manufactured pre-General Motors Bailout. Subsequently, in late September, a new lawsuit, disputing the GM response, was initiated by three of the estimated 400,000 Impala owners. (GM is also facing a similar legal dispute regarding a pre-bankruptcy upgrade to its OnStar system which left thousands of users without service in violation of their paid-up contracts.)


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: On April 22, 2014, the NHTSA opened an investigation into 60,000 2014 Chevrolet Impala models over concerns relating to the sedan's emergency braking system. This followed the NHTSA receiving a complaint from a driver who experienced "inappropriate activation of the emergency braking system", adding it "alleges that the driver assist system inappropriately activated emergency braking bringing the vehicle to a complete stop under what the driver considered to be full braking force". The driver also went on to say that he heard three to four beeps from the system while driving the rented vehicle, which had only 2500 miles on it. GM is fully co-operating in the investigation.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: "Motor Trend" magazine awarded the full-size Chevrolet including the Impala as its 1977 Car of the Year.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: "Automotive Fleet" and "Business Fleet" magazines awarded the Impala the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Fleet Car of the Year.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) selected the Impala for its 2006 Pyramid Award for Environmental Initiatives for the launch of its new ethanol-powered E-85 model.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: In 2007, the Impala began to replace the Monte Carlo on the NASCAR stock car racing circuit; more specifically, on all the scheduled racing events where NASCAR has mandated the use of a car with different (and some new) specifications, better known as the Car of Tomorrow.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The Impala was also used to represent Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series. In 2013, the Impala was replaced by the Camaro in the Nationwide Series.


title: Chevrolet Impala

text: The 2012 NASCAR season marked the end of use of the Impala nameplate on stock cars. From 2013 to 2017, Chevrolet drivers began driving the Holden VF Commodore SSV based Chevrolet SS in Sprint Cup until the Chevrolet SS was discontinued after 2017.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the British occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841, during the First Opium War between the British and the Qing dynasty. The Qing had wanted to enforce its prohibition of opium importation within the dynasty that was being exported mostly from British India, as it was causing widespread addiction among its populace.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The island was ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Nanking, ratified by the Daoguang Emperor in the aftermath of the war of 1842. It was established as a crown colony in 1843. In 1860, the British took the opportunity to expand the colony with the addition of the Kowloon Peninsula after the Second Opium War, while the Qing was embroiled in handling the Taiping Rebellion. With the Qing further weakened after the First Sino-Japanese War, Hong Kong's territory was further extended in 1898 when the British obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Although the Qing dynasty had to cede Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in perpetuity as per the treaty, the leased New Territories comprised 86.2% of the colony and more than half of the entire colony's population. With the lease nearing its end during the late 20th century, Britain did not see any viable way to administer the colony by dividing it, whilst the People's Republic of China (PRC) would not consider extending the lease or allow continued British administration thereafter.


title: British Hong Kong

text: With the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, which states that the economic and social systems in Hong Kong would have remained relatively unchanged for 50 years, the British government agreed to transfer the entire territory to China upon the expiration of the New Territories lease in 1997 – with Hong Kong becoming a special administrative region (SAR) until at least 2047.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In 1836, the imperial government of the Qing dynasty undertook a major policy review of the opium trade, which had been first introduced to the Chinese by Persian then Islamic traders over many centuries. Viceroy Lin Zexu took on the task of suppressing the opium trade. In March 1839, he became Special Imperial Commissioner in Canton, where he ordered the foreign traders to surrender their opium stock. He confined the British to the Canton Factories and cut off their supplies. Chief Superintendent of Trade, Charles Elliot, complied with Lin's demands to secure a safe exit for the British, with the costs involved to be resolved between the two governments. When Elliot promised that the British government would pay for their opium stock, the merchants surrendered their 20,283 chests of opium, which were destroyed in public.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In September 1839, the British Cabinet decided that the Chinese should be made to pay for the destruction of British property, either by the threat or use of force. An expeditionary force was placed under Elliot and his cousin, Rear-Admiral George Elliot, as joint plenipotentiaries in 1840. Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston stressed to the Chinese government that the British government did not question China's right to prohibit opium, but it objected to the way this was handled. He viewed the sudden strict enforcement as laying a trap for the foreign traders, and the confinement of the British with supplies cut off was tantamount to starving them into submission or death. He instructed the Elliot cousins to occupy one of the Chusan Islands in the Hangzhou Bay delta across from Shanghai, then to present a letter from himself to a Chinese official for the Emperor of China, then to proceed to the Gulf of Bohai for a treaty, and if the Chinese resisted, then to blockade the key ports of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. Palmerston demanded a territorial base in the Chusan Islands for trade so that British merchants "may not be subject to the arbitrary caprice either of the Government of Peking, or its local Authorities at the Sea-Ports of the Empire".


title: British Hong Kong

text: In 1841, Elliot negotiated with Lin's successor, Qishan, in the Convention of Chuenpi during the First Opium War. On 20 January, Elliot announced "the conclusion of preliminary arrangements", which included the cession of the barren Hong Kong Island and its harbour to the British Crown. Elliot chose Hong Kong Island instead of Chusan because he believed a settlement nearer to Shanghai would cause an "indefinite protraction of hostilities", whereas Hong Kong Island's harbour was a valuable base for the British trading community in Canton. British rule began with the occupation of the island on 26 January. Commodore Gordon Bremer, commander-in-chief of British forces in China, took formal possession of the island at Possession Point, where the Union Jack was raised under a "fire of joy" from the marines and a royal salute from the warships. Hong Kong Island was ceded in the Treaty of Nanking on 29 August 1842 and established as a Crown colony after the ratification exchanged between the Daoguang Emperor and Queen Victoria was completed on 26 June 1843.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Treaty of Nanking failed to satisfy British expectations of a major expansion of trade and profit, which led to increasing pressure for a revision of the terms. In October 1856, Chinese authorities in Canton detained the "Arrow", a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong to enjoy the protection of the British flag. The Consul in Canton, Harry Parkes, claimed the hauling down of the flag and arrest of the crew were "an insult of very grave character". Parkes and Sir John Bowring, the fourth Governor of Hong Kong, seized the incident to pursue a forward policy. In March 1857, Palmerston appointed Lord Elgin as Plenipotentiary, with the aim of securing a new and satisfactory treaty. A French expeditionary force joined the British to avenge the execution of a French missionary in 1856. In 1860, the capture of the Taku Forts and occupation of Beijing led to the Treaty of Tientsin and Convention of Peking. In the Treaty of Tientsin, the Chinese accepted British demands to open more ports, navigate the Yangtze River, legalise the opium trade and have diplomatic representation in Beijing. During the conflict, the British occupied the Kowloon Peninsula, where the flat land was valuable training and resting ground. The area in what is now south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island was ceded in the Convention of Peking.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In 1898, the British sought to extend Hong Kong for defence. After negotiations began in April 1898, with the British Minister in Beijing, Sir Claude MacDonald, representing Britain, and diplomat Li Hongzhang leading the Chinese, the Second Convention of Peking was signed on 9 June. Since the foreign powers had agreed by the late 19th century that it was no longer permissible to acquire outright sovereignty over any parcel of Chinese territory, and in keeping with the other territorial cessions China made to Russia, Germany and France that same year, the extension of Hong Kong took the form of a 99-year lease. The lease consisted of the rest of Kowloon south of the Sham Chun River and 230 islands, which became known as the New Territories. The British formally took possession on 16 April 1899.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In 1941, during the Second World War, the British reached an agreement with the Chinese government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek that if Japan attacked Hong Kong, the Chinese National Army would attack the Japanese from the rear to relieve pressure on the British garrison. On 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong began when Japanese air bombers effectively destroyed British air power in one attack. Two days later, the Japanese breached the Gin Drinkers Line in the New Territories. The British commander, Major-General Christopher Maltby, concluded that the island could not be defended for long unless he withdrew his brigade from the mainland. On 18 December, the Japanese crossed Victoria Harbour. By 25 December, organised defence was reduced into pockets of resistance. Maltby recommended a surrender to Governor Sir Mark Young, who accepted his advice to reduce further losses. A day after the invasion, Chiang ordered three corps under General Yu Hanmou to march towards Hong Kong. The plan was to launch a New Year's Day attack on the Japanese in the Canton region, but before the Chinese infantry could attack, the Japanese had broken Hong Kong's defences. The British casualties were 2,232 killed or missing and 2,300 wounded. The Japanese reported 1,996 killed and 6,000 wounded.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Japanese soldiers committed atrocities, including rape, on many locals. The population fell in half, from 1.6 million in 1941 to 750,000 at war's end because of fleeing refugees; they returned in 1945.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Japanese imprisoned the ruling British colonial elite and sought to win over the local merchant gentry by appointments to advisory councils and neighbourhood watch groups. The policy worked well for Japan and produced extensive collaboration from both the elite and the middle class, with far less terror than in other Chinese cities. Hong Kong was transformed into a Japanese colony, with Japanese businesses replacing the British. However, the Japanese Empire had severe logistical difficulties and by 1943 the food supply for Hong Kong was problematic. The overlords became more brutal and corrupt, and the Chinese gentry became disenchanted. With the surrender of Japan, the transition back to British rule was smooth, for on the mainland the Nationalist and Communist forces were preparing for a civil war and ignored Hong Kong. In the long run the occupation strengthened the pre-war social and economic order among the Chinese business community by eliminating some conflicts of interests and reducing the prestige and power of the British.


title: British Hong Kong

text: On 14 August 1945, when Japan announced its unconditional surrender, the British formed a naval task group to sail towards Hong Kong. On 1 September, Rear-Admiral Cecil Harcourt proclaimed a military administration with himself as its head. He formally accepted the Japanese surrender on 16 September in Government House. Young, upon his return as governor in May 1946, pursued political reform known as the "Young Plan", believing that, to counter the Chinese government's determination to recover Hong Kong, it was necessary to give local inhabitants a greater stake in the territory by widening the political franchise to include them.


title: British Hong Kong

text: During territorial rule, Hong Kong became the shooting location of two classic James Bond films, including "You Only Live Twice" and "The Man with the Golden Gun".


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by both the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Premier of the People's Republic of China on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985 and was registered by the People's Republic of China and United Kingdom governments at the United Nations on 12 June 1985. In the Joint Declaration, the People's Republic of China Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997 and the United Kingdom Government declared that it would relinquish Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. In the document, the People's Republic of China Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In accordance with the One Country, Two Systems principle agreed between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China, the socialist system of People's Republic of China would not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years. The Joint Declaration provides that these basic policies shall be stipulated in the Hong Kong Basic Law. The ceremony of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration took place at 18:00, 19 December 1984 at the Western Main Chamber of the Great Hall of the People. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office at first proposed a list of 60–80 Hong Kong people to attend the ceremony. The number was finally extended to 101. The list included Hong Kong government officials, members of the Legislative and Executive Councils, chairmen of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong celebrities such as Li Ka-shing, Pao Yue-kong and Fok Ying-tung, and also Martin Lee Chu-ming and Szeto Wah.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on the night of 30 June 1997. The principal British guest was Charles, Prince of Wales who read a farewell speech on behalf of the Queen. The newly appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the British Foreign Minister, Robin Cook; the departing Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten; the Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Field Marshal Sir Charles Guthrie, also attended.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Representing China were the CCP General Secretary and President of China, Jiang Zemin; Premier of China, Li Peng; and Tung Chee-hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. This event was broadcast on television and radio stations across the world.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Hong Kong was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom and maintained an administration roughly modelled after the Westminster system. The Letters Patent formed the constitutional basis of the colonial government and the Royal Instructions detailed how the territory should be governed and organised.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Governor was the head of government and appointed by the British monarch to serve as the representative of the Crown in the colony. Executive power was highly concentrated with the Governor, who himself appointed almost all members of the Legislative Council and Executive Council and also served as President of both chambers. The British government provided oversight for the colonial government; the Foreign Secretary formally approved any additions to the Legislative and Executive Councils and the Sovereign held sole authority to amend the Letters Patent and Royal Instructions.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Executive Council determined administrative policy changes and considered primary legislation before passing it to the Legislative Council for approval. This advisory body also itself issued secondary legislation under a limited set of colonial ordinances. The Legislative Council debated proposed legislation and was responsible for the appropriation of public funds. This chamber was reformed in the last years of colonial rule to introduce more democratic representation. Indirectly elected functional constituency seats were introduced in 1985 and popularly elected geographical constituency seats in 1991. Further electoral reform in 1994 effectively made the legislature broadly representative. The administrative Civil Service was led by the Colonial Secretary (later Chief Secretary), who was deputy to the Governor.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The judicial system was based on English law, with Chinese customary law taking a secondary role in civil cases involving Chinese residents. The Supreme Court of Hong Kong was the highest court and ruled on all civil and criminal cases in the colony. During the early colonial period, extraterritorial appellate cases from other regions of China involving British subjects were also tried in this court. Further appeals from the Supreme Court were heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which exercised final adjudication over the entire British Empire.


title: British Hong Kong

text: In March 1975 the Hong Kong government introduced a programme to measure public opinion of government efforts, known as Movement of Opinion Direction (MOOD).


title: British Hong Kong

text: In 1861, Governor Sir Hercules Robinson introduced the Hong Kong Cadetship, which recruited young graduates from Britain to learn Cantonese and written Chinese for two years, before deploying them on a fast track to the Civil Service. Cadet officers gradually formed the backbone of the civil administration. After the Second World War, ethnic Chinese were allowed into the service, followed by women. Cadets were renamed Administrative Officers in the 1950s, and they remained the elite of the Civil Service during British rule.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Prior to and during the Second World War, the garrison was composed of British Army battalions and locally enlisted personnel (LEPs) who served as regular members in the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy or the Hong Kong Military Service Corps and their associate land units. The Hong Kong Brigade served as the main garrison formation. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the garrison was reinforced with British Indian Army and Canadian Army units. A second brigade, the Kowloon Infantry Brigade, was formed to assist in commanding the expanded force. The garrison was defeated during the Battle of Hong Kong, by the Empire of Japan.


title: British Hong Kong

text: After the Second World War and the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the British military reestablished a presence. As a result of the Chinese Civil War, the British Army raised the 40th Infantry Division and dispatched it to garrison Hong Kong. It later left for combat in the Korean War, and the defense of the territory was taken up by additional British forces who were rotated from Europe. The garrison was further supplemented by LEPs, and Gurkhas. The latter came from Nepal, but formed part of the British Army. The size of the garrison during the Cold War fluctuated and ended up being based around one brigade.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Royal Hong Kong Regiment, a military unit which was part of the Hong Kong Government, was trained and organised along the lines of a British Territorial Army unit. As such, it was supported by British Army regular personnel holding key positions. These British Army personnel, for their duration of service to the Royal Hong Kong Regiment, were seconded to the Hong Kong Government. In the post-WWII era, the majority of the regiment's members were local citizens of Chinese descent.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The stability, security, and predictability of British law and government enabled Hong Kong to flourish as a centre for international trade. In the colony's first decade, the revenue from the opium trade was a key source of government funds. The importance of opium reduced over time, but the colonial government was dependent on its revenues until the Japanese occupation in 1941. Although the largest businesses in the early colony were operated by British, American, and other expatriates, Chinese workers provided the bulk of the manpower to build a new port city.


title: British Hong Kong

text: By the late 1980s, many ethnic Chinese people had become major business figures in Hong Kong. Amongst these billionaires was Sir Li Ka-shing, who had become one of the colony's wealthiest people by this time.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Hong Kong is characterised as a hybrid of East and West. Traditional Chinese values emphasising family and education blend with Western ideals, including economic liberty and the rule of law. Although the vast majority of the population is ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong has developed a distinct identity. The territory diverged from the mainland through its long period of colonial administration and a different pace of economic, social, and cultural development. Mainstream culture is derived from immigrants originating from various parts of China. This was influenced by British-style education, a separate political system, and the territory's rapid development during the late 20th century. Most migrants of that era fled poverty and war, reflected in the prevailing attitude toward wealth; Hongkongers tend to link self-image and decision-making to material benefits. Residents' sense of local identity has markedly increased post-handover: The majority of the population (52%) identifies as "Hongkongers", while 11% describe themselves as "Chinese". The remaining population purport mixed identities, 23% as "Hongkonger in China" and 12% as "Chinese in Hong Kong".


title: British Hong Kong

text: Traditional Chinese family values, including family honour, filial piety, and a preference for sons, are prevalent. Nuclear families are the most common households, although multi-generational and extended families are not unusual. Spiritual concepts such as "feng shui" are observed; large-scale construction projects often hire consultants to ensure proper building positioning and layout. The degree of its adherence to "feng shui" is believed to determine the success of a business. "Bagua" mirrors are regularly used to deflect evil spirits, and buildings often lack floor numbers with a 4; the number has a similar sound to the word for "die" in Cantonese.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Besides, the cultural integration can also be found in everyday life in Hong Kong. For example, British English is a common second language and also one of the official languages in British Hong Kong since the establishment of the colony. Moreover, British English is also taught in primary and secondary schools. For the metro system, the metro lines are named after places instead of numbered, unlike Mainland China, where metro lines are numbered. Roads were named after British royals, governors, famous people, cities and towns across the UK and the Commonwealth, as well as Chinese cities and places. Aside from Chinese New Year, Christmas is celebrated as the second-most important festival. In literature, some idioms in Cantonese are directly translated from those in English. A Mandarin Chinese speaker may recognise the words but not understand the meaning.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Food in Hong Kong is primarily based on Cantonese cuisine, despite the territory's exposure to foreign influences and its residents' varied origins. Rice is the staple food, and is usually served plain with other dishes. Freshness of ingredients is emphasised. Poultry and seafood are commonly sold live at wet markets, and ingredients are used as quickly as possible. There are five daily meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and "siu yeh". Dim sum, as part of "yum cha" (brunch), is a dining-out tradition with family and friends. Dishes include congee, "cha siu bao", "siu yuk", egg tarts, and mango pudding. Local versions of Western food are served at "cha chaan teng" (Hong Kong-style cafes). Common "cha chaan teng" menu items include macaroni in soup, deep-fried French toast, and Hong Kong-style milk tea.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Hong Kong developed into a filmmaking hub during the late 1940s as a wave of Shanghai filmmakers migrated to the territory, and these movie veterans helped build the colony's entertainment industry over the next decade. By the 1960s, the city was well known to overseas audiences through films such as "The World of Suzie Wong". When Bruce Lee's "The" "Way of the Dragon" was released in 1972, local productions became popular outside Hong Kong. During the 1980s, films such as "A Better Tomorrow", "As Tears Go By", and "Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain" expanded global interest beyond martial arts films; locally made gangster films, romantic dramas, and supernatural fantasies became popular. Hong Kong cinema continued to be internationally successful over the following decade with critically acclaimed dramas such as "Farewell My Concubine", "To Live", and "Chungking Express". The city's martial arts film roots are evident in the roles of the most prolific Hong Kong actors. Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, and Michelle Yeoh frequently play action-oriented roles in foreign films. At the height of the local movie industry in the early 1990s, over 400 films were produced each year; since then, industry momentum shifted to mainland China. The number of films produced annually has declined to about 60 in 2017.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Cantopop is a genre of Cantonese popular music which emerged in Hong Kong during the 1970s. Evolving from Shanghai-style "shidaiqu", it is also influenced by Cantonese opera and Western pop. Local media featured songs by artists such as Sam Hui, Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Alan Tam; during the 1980s, exported films and shows exposed Cantopop to a global audience. The genre's popularity peaked in the 1990s, when the Four Heavenly Kings dominated Asian record charts. Despite a general decline since late in the decade, Cantopop remains dominant in Hong Kong; contemporary artists such as Eason Chan, Joey Yung, and Twins are popular in and beyond the territory.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Western classical music has historically had a strong presence in Hong Kong and remains a large part of local musical education. The publicly funded Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the territory's oldest professional symphony orchestra, frequently hosts musicians and conductors from overseas. The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, composed of classical Chinese instruments, is the leading Chinese ensemble and plays a significant role in promoting traditional music in the community.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Despite its small area, the territory regularly hosts the Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Marathon, Hong Kong Tennis Classic and Lunar New Year Cup, and hosted the inaugural AFC Asian Cup and the 1995 Dynasty Cup.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Hong Kong represents itself separately from mainland China, with its own sports teams in international competitions. The territory has participated in almost every Summer Olympics since 1952 and has earned four medals. Lee Lai-shan won the territory's first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Cheung Ka Long won the second one in Tokyo 2020. Hong Kong athletes have won 126 medals at the Paralympic Games and 17 at the Commonwealth Games. No longer part of the Commonwealth of Nations, the city's last appearance in the latter was in 1994.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Dragon boat races originated as a religious ceremony conducted during the annual Tuen Ng Festival. The race was revived as a modern sport as part of the Tourism Board's efforts to promote Hong Kong's image abroad. The first modern competition was organised in 1976, and overseas teams began competing in the first international race in 1993.


title: British Hong Kong

text: The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the territory's largest taxpayer, has a monopoly on gambling and provides over 7% of government revenue. Three forms of gambling are legal in Hong Kong: lotteries, horse racing, and football.


title: British Hong Kong

text: During China's turbulent 20th century, Hong Kong served as a safe haven for dissidents, political refugees, and officials who lost power. British policy allowed dissidents to live in Hong Kong as long as they did not break local laws or harm British interests. The implementation of this policy varied according to what the senior officials thought constituted British interests and the state of relations with China. The Canton–Hong Kong strike (1925–1926) was anti-imperialist in nature. The 1966 riots and Maoist-led 1967 riots, essentially spillovers from the Cultural Revolution, were large scale demonstrations fuelled by tensions surrounding labour disputes and dissatisfaction towards the government. Although the 1967 riots started as a labour dispute, the incident escalated quickly after the leftist camp and mainland officials stationed in Hong Kong seized the opportunity to mobilise their followers to protest against the colonial government. Chinese Communist Party supporters organised the Anti-British Struggle Committee during the riots.


title: British Hong Kong

text: Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, wrote that it was "ironic" that despite Hong Kong being a symbol of China's humiliation by Britain, there was not one major movement started by the Chinese residents of the colony for its retrocession to China, even though there had been several upsurges of Chinese nationalism. He explained:


title: British Hong Kong

text: In the 1920s, the working class Chinese of Hong Kong did not have a good reason to rally around the Hong Kong government, and they were more susceptible to appeals based on Chinese nationalism. Consequently, the call of the Communists was basically heeded by the working men, and their actions practically paralysed the colony for a year. By the [end of the] 1960s, however, the attempts by the Hong Kong government to maintain stability and good order which helped improve everyone's living conditions, and ... the beginning of the emergence of a Hong Kong identity, changed the attitude of the local Chinese. They overwhelmingly rallied around the colonial British regime.


title: Antichrist

text: In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) is found five times in the New Testament, solely in the First and Second Epistle of John. The Antichrist is announced as the one "who denies the Father and the Son."


title: Antichrist

text: The similar term "pseudokhristos" or "false Christ" is also found in the Gospels. In Matthew (chapter 24) and Mark (chapter 13), Jesus alerts his disciples not to be deceived by the false prophets, who will claim themselves as being Christ, performing "great signs and wonders". Three other images often associated with the singular Antichrist are the "little horn" in Daniel's final vision, the "man of sin" in Paul the Apostle's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, and the Beast of the Sea in the Book of Revelation.


title: Antichrist

text: "Antichrist" is translated from the combination of two ancient Greek words (anti + Christos). In Greek, means "anointed one" and the word Christ derives from it. "" means not only anti in the sense of "against" and "opposite of", but also "in place of".


title: Antichrist

text: Whether the New Testament contains an individual Antichrist is disputed. The Greek term "antikhristos" originates in 1 John. The similar term "pseudokhristos" ("False Messiah") is also first found in the New Testament, but never used by Josephus in his accounts of various false messiahs. The concept of an "antikhristos" is not found in Jewish writings in the period 500 BC–50 AD. However, Bernard McGinn conjectures that the concept may have been generated by the frustration of Jews subject to often-capricious Seleucid or Roman rule, who found the nebulous Jewish idea of a Satan who is more of an opposing angel of God in the heavenly court insufficiently humanised and personalised to be a satisfactory incarnation of evil and threat.


title: Antichrist

text: The five uses of the term "antichrist" or "antichrists" in the Johannine epistles do not clearly present a single latter-day individual Antichrist. The articles "the deceiver" or "the antichrist" are usually seen as marking out a certain category of persons, rather than an individual.


title: Antichrist

text: Consequently, attention for an individual Antichrist figure focuses on the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians. However, the term "antichrist" is never used in this passage:


title: Antichrist

text: Although the word "antichrist" (Greek "antikhristos") is used only in the Epistles of John, the similar word "pseudochrist" (Greek "pseudokhristos", meaning "false messiah") is used by Jesus in the Gospels:


title: Antichrist

text: The second or first century book, Odes of Solomon, written by an Essene convert into Christianity, makes mention of the Antichrist in figurative terms, where the redeemer overcomes the monstrous dragon.


title: Antichrist

text: The only one of the late 1st/early 2nd century Apostolic Fathers to use the term is Polycarp (c. 69 – c. 155) who warned the Philippians that everyone who preached false doctrine was an antichrist. His use of the term "Antichrist" follows that of the New Testament in not identifying a single personal Antichrist, but a class of people.


title: Antichrist

text: Irenaeus (2nd century AD – c. 202) wrote "Against Heresies" to refute the teachings of the Gnostics. In Book V of "Against Heresies" he addresses the figure of the Antichrist referring to him as the "recapitulation of apostasy and rebellion." He uses "666", the Number of the Beast from Revelation 13:18, to numerologically decode several possible names. Some names that he loosely proposed were "Evanthos", "Lateinos" ("Latin" or pertaining to the Roman Empire). In his exegesis of Daniel 7:21, he stated that the ten horns of the beast will be the Roman empire divided into ten kingdoms before the Antichrist's arrival. Additionally, he stated that the antichrist would be of the tribe of Dan, evoking Jeremiah 8:16. This would correlate to the Talmudic view of the Jewish Messiah coming from the tribe of Dan on his maternal line. However, his readings of the Antichrist were more in broader theological terms rather than within a historical context.


title: Antichrist

text: The non-canonical Ascension of Isaiah presents a detailed exposition of the Antichrist as Belial and Nero.


title: Antichrist

text: Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 220 AD) held that the Roman Empire was the restraining force written about by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:7–8. The fall of the Western Roman Empire and the disintegration of the ten provinces of the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms were to make way for the Antichrist.


title: Antichrist

text: Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170 – c. 236) held that the Antichrist would come from the tribe of Dan and would rebuild the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in order to reign from it. He identified the Antichrist with the Beast out of the Earth from the book of Revelation.


title: Antichrist

text: Origen (185–254) refuted Celsus' view of the Antichrist. Origen utilized scriptural citations from Daniel, Paul, and the Gospels. He argued:


title: Antichrist

text: Cyril of Jerusalem, in the mid-4th century, delivered his 15th catechetical lecture about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, in which he also lectures about the Antichrist, who will reign as the ruler of the world for three and a half years, before he is killed by Jesus Christ right at the end of his three-and-a-half-year reign, shortly after which the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will happen.


title: Antichrist

text: Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 298–373) wrote that Arius of Alexandria is to be associated with the Antichrist, saying, "And ever since [the Council of Nicaea] has Arius's error been reckoned for a heresy more than ordinary, being known as Christ's foe, and harbinger of Antichrist."


title: Antichrist

text: John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) warned against speculating about the Antichrist, saying, "Let us not therefore enquire into these things". He preached that by knowing Paul's description of the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians, Christians would avoid deception.


title: Antichrist

text: Jerome (c. 347–420) warned that those substituting false interpretations for the actual meaning of scripture belonged to the "synagogue of the Antichrist". "He that is not of Christ is of Antichrist", he wrote to Pope Damasus I. He believed that "the mystery of lawlessness" written about by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 was already in action when "every one chatters about his views." To Jerome, the power restraining this mystery of lawlessness was the Roman Empire, but as it fell this restraining force was removed. He warned a noble woman of Gaul:


title: Antichrist

text: In his "Commentary on Daniel", Jerome noted, "Let us not follow the opinion of some commentators and suppose him to be either the Devil or some demon, but rather, one of the human race, in whom Satan will wholly take up his residence in bodily form." Instead of rebuilding the Jewish Temple to reign from, Jerome thought the Antichrist sat in God's Temple inasmuch as he made "himself out to be like God." He refuted Porphyry's idea that the "little horn" mentioned in Daniel chapter 7 was Antiochus IV Epiphanes by noting that the "little horn" is defeated by an eternal, universal ruler, right before the final judgment. Instead, he advocated that the "little horn" was the Antichrist:


title: Antichrist

text: Circa 380, an apocalyptic pseudo-prophecy falsely attributed to the Tiburtine Sibyl describes Constantine as victorious over Gog and Magog. Later on, it predicts:


title: Antichrist

text: Augustine of Hippo (354–430) wrote "it is uncertain in what temple [the Antichrist] shall sit, whether in that ruin of the temple which was built by Solomon, or in the Church."


title: Antichrist

text: Pope Gregory I wrote to the Byzantine Emperor Maurice in A.D. 597, concerning the titles of bishops, "I say with confidence that whoever calls or desires to call himself 'universal priest' in self-exaltation of himself is a precursor of the Antichrist."


title: Antichrist

text: By the end of the tenth century, Adso of Montier-en-Der, a Benedictine monk, compiled a biography of Antichrist based on a variety of exegetical and Sibylline sources; his account became one of the best-known descriptions of Antichrist in the Middle Ages.


title: Antichrist

text: "De Antichristo libri undecim", published by Tomàs Maluenda in 1604, is still considered the most complete treatise on the subject.


title: Antichrist

text: Arnulf, archbishop of Reims disagreed with the policies and morals of Pope John XV. He expressed his views while presiding over the Council of Reims in A.D. 991. Arnulf accused John XV of being the Antichrist while also using the 2 Thessalonians passage about the "man of lawlessness" (or "lawless one"), saying: "Surely, if he is empty of charity and filled with vain knowledge and lifted up, he is Antichrist sitting in God's temple and showing himself as God." This incident is history's earliest record of anyone identifying a pope with the Antichrist (see Christian Historicism).


title: Antichrist

text: Pope Gregory VII (c. 1015 or 1029 – 1085), struggled against, in his own words, "a robber of temples, a perjurer against the Holy Roman Church, notorious throughout the whole Roman world for the basest of crimes, namely, Wilbert, plunderer of the holy church of Ravenna, Antichrist, and arch-heretic."


title: Antichrist

text: Cardinal Benno, on the opposite side of the Investiture Controversy, wrote long descriptions of abuses committed by Gregory VII, including necromancy, torture of a former friend upon a bed of nails, commissioning an attempted assassination, executions without trials, unjust excommunication, doubting the Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and even burning it. Benno held that Gregory VII was "either a member of Antichrist, or Antichrist himself."


title: Antichrist

text: Eberhard II von Truchsees, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg in 1241, denounced Pope Gregory IX at the Council of Regensburg as "that man of perdition, whom they call Antichrist, who in his extravagant boasting says, I am God, I cannot err." He argued that the ten kingdoms that the Antichrist is involved with were the "Turks, Greeks, Egyptians, Africans, Spaniards, French, English, Germans, Sicilians, and Italians who now occupy the provinces of Rome." He held that the papacy was the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8:


title: Antichrist

text: Protestant Reformers, including John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Thomas, John Knox, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, and John Wesley, as well as most Protestants of the 16th-18th centuries, felt that the Early Church had been led into the Great Apostasy by the Papacy and identified the Pope with the Antichrist. Luther declared that not just a pope from time to time was Antichrist, but the Papacy was Antichrist because they were "the representatives of an institution opposed to Christ". The Centuriators of Magdeburg, a group of Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg headed by Matthias Flacius, wrote the 12-volume "Magdeburg Centuries" to discredit the Catholic Church and lead other Christians to recognize the Pope as the Antichrist. So, rather than expecting a single Antichrist to rule the earth during a future Tribulation period, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestant Reformers saw the Antichrist as a present feature in the world of their time, fulfilled in the Papacy.


title: Antichrist

text: Among the others who interpreted the biblical prophecy historically there were many Church Fathers; Justin Martyr wrote about the Antichrist: "He Whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time and times and a half, is even now at the door". Irenaeus wrote in "Against Heresies" about the coming of the Antichrist: "This Antichrist shall ... devastate all things ... But then, the Lord will come from Heaven on the clouds ... for the righteous". Tertullian looking to the Antichrist wrote: "He is to sit in the temple of God, and boast himself as being god. In our view, he is Antichrist as taught us in both the ancient and the new prophecies; and especially by the Apostle John, who says that 'already many false-prophets are gone out into the world' as the fore-runners of Antichrist". Hippolytus of Rome in his "Treatise on Christ and Antichrist" wrote: "As Daniel also says (in the words) 'I considered the Beast, and look! There were ten horns behind it – among which shall rise another (horn), an offshoot, and shall pluck up by the roots the three (that were) before it.' And under this, was signified none other than Antichrist." Athanasius of Alexandria clearly hold to the historical view in his many writings; in "The Deposition of Arius", he wrote: "I addressed the letter to Arius and his fellows, exhorting them to renounce his impiety... There have gone forth in this diocese at this time certain lawless men – enemies of Christ – teaching an apostasy which one may justly suspect and designate as a forerunner of Antichrist". Jerome wrote: "Says the apostle [Paul in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians], 'Unless the Roman Empire should first be desolated, and antichrist proceed, Christ will not come.'" He also identifies the little horn of and which "He shall speak as if he were God."


title: Antichrist

text: Some Franciscans had considered the Emperor Frederick II a positive Antichrist who would purify the Catholic Church from opulence, riches and clergy.


title: Antichrist

text: Historicist interpretations of Book of Revelation usually included the identification of one or more of the following:


title: Antichrist

text: The Protestant Reformers tended to hold the belief that the Antichrist power would be revealed so that everyone would comprehend and recognize that the Pope is the real, true Antichrist and not the vicar of Christ. Doctrinal works of literature published by the Lutherans, the Reformed Churches, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Anabaptists, and the Methodists contain references to the Pope as the Antichrist, including the Smalcald Articles, Article 4 (1537), the "Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope" written by Philip Melanchthon (1537), the Westminster Confession, Article 25.6 (1646), and the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Article 26.4. In 1754, John Wesley published his "Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament", which is currently an official Doctrinal Standard of the United Methodist Church. In his notes on the Book of Revelation (chapter 13), he commented: "The whole succession of Popes from Gregory VII are undoubtedly Antichrists. Yet this hinders not, but that the last Pope in this succession will be more eminently the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, adding to that of his predecessors a peculiar degree of wickedness from the bottomless pit."


title: Antichrist

text: The identification of the Pope with the Antichrist was so ingrained in the Reformation Era, that Luther himself stated it repeatedly:


title: Antichrist

text: The identification of the Roman Catholic Church as the apostate power written of in the Bible as the Antichrist became evident to many as the Reformation began, including John Wycliffe, who was well known throughout Europe for his opposition to the doctrine and practices of the Catholic Church, which he believed had clearly deviated from the original teachings of the early Church and to be contrary to the Bible. Wycliffe himself tells ("Sermones", III. 199) how he concluded that there was a great contrast between what the Church was and what it ought to be, and saw the necessity for reform. Along with John Hus, they had started the inclination toward ecclesiastical reforms of the Catholic Church.


title: Antichrist

text: When the Swiss Reformer Huldrych Zwingli became the pastor of the Grossmünster in Zurich (1518) he began to preach ideas on reforming the Catholic Church. Zwingli, who was a Catholic priest before he became a Reformer, often referred to the Pope as the Antichrist. He wrote: "I know that in it works the might and power of the Devil, that is, of the Antichrist".


title: Antichrist

text: The English Reformer William Tyndale held that while the Roman Catholic realms of that age were the empire of Antichrist, any religious organization that distorted the doctrine of the Old and New Testaments also showed the work of Antichrist. In his treatise "The Parable of the Wicked Mammon", he expressly rejected the established Church teaching that looked to the future for an Antichrist to rise up, and he taught that Antichrist is a present spiritual force that will be with us until the end of the age under different religious disguises from time to time. Tyndale's translation of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, concerning the "Man of Lawlessness" reflected his understanding, but was significantly amended by later revisers, including the King James Bible committee, which followed the Vulgate more closely.


title: Antichrist

text: In 1973, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the USA National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation in the official Catholic–Lutheran dialogue officially signed an agreement on "Papal Primacy and the Universal Church," including this passage:


title: Antichrist

text: In 1988 Ian Paisley, Evangelical minister and founder of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, made headlines in an infamous manner by accusing Pope John Paul II as the Antichrist during one of the pope's speeches before the European Parliament, which at the time Paisley was member of. His accusation, and the reactions of both Pope John Paul II and other members of the European Parliament, was recorded on video.


title: Antichrist

text: Currently, many Protestant and Restorationist denominations still officially maintain that the Papacy is the Antichrist, such as the conservative Lutheran Churches and the Seventh-day Adventists.


title: Antichrist

text: In the Counter-Reformation, the views of Preterism and Futurism were advanced by Catholic Jesuits beginning in the 16th century in response to the identification of the Papacy as Antichrist. These were rival methods of prophetic interpretation: the futurist and the preterist systems both are in conflict with the historicist method of interpretation.


title: Antichrist

text: Historically, preterists and non-preterists have agreed that the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar (1554–1613) wrote the first systematic preterist exposition of prophecy—"Vestigatio arcani sensus in Apocalypsi" (published in 1614)—during the Counter-Reformation.


title: Antichrist

text: From the Fifth Council of the Lateran, the Catholic Church teaches that priests may not "preach or declare a fixed time for...the coming of antichrist..." The church also teaches that it must undergo trials before the Second Coming, and that the church's ultimate trial will be the mystery of iniquity. In Judaism, iniquity is a sin done out of moral failing. The mystery of iniquity, according to the church, will be a religious deception: Christians receiving alleged solutions to their problems at the cost of apostasy. The supreme religious deception, according to the church, will be the Antichrist's messianism: mankind glorifying himself rather than God and Jesus. The church teaches that this supreme deception is committed by people who claim to fulfill Israel's messianic hopes, such as millenarianism and secular messianicism.


title: Antichrist

text: Pope Pius IX in the encyclical "Quartus Supra", quoting Cyprian, said Satan disguises the Antichrist with the title of Christ. Pope Pius X in the encyclical "E Supremi" said that the distinguishing mark of the Antichrist is claiming to be God and taking his place. Pope John Paul II, in his August 18, 1985 address on his apostolic journey to Africa, said 1 John 4:3 ("Every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist") evokes the danger of theology divorced from holiness and theological culture divorced from serving Christ. Pope Benedict XVI said in the Sunday Angelus of March 11, 2012 that violence is the tool of the Antichrist. In the General Audience of November 12, 2008, Benedict XVI said Christian tradition had come to identify the son of perdition as the Antichrist. Pope Francis, in his morning meditation of February 2, 2014, said that Christian faith is not an ideology, but that "the Apostle James says that ideologues of the faith are the Antichrist." In his morning meditation of September 19, 2014, Francis said the Antichrist must come before the final resurrection. In his morning meditation of January 7, 2016, he said the evil spirit spoken of in 1 John 4:6 is the Antichrist. In his morning meditation on November 11, 2016, Francis said whoever says the criteria of Christian love is not the Incarnation is the Antichrist.


title: Antichrist

text: The "Prophecy of the Popes" claims Rome will be destroyed during the pontificate of the last Pope, implying a connection to the Antichrist.


title: Antichrist

text: Throughout history, various ecclesiastics of the Eastern Orthodox Church have identified the office of the Roman Catholic papacy with the antichrist. Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky, in explaining the necessity of rebaptism for Roman Catholics, Protestants and Nestorians, declared:


title: Antichrist

text: In a Christmas 2018 interview on Russian state television, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow warned that "The Antichrist is the person that will be at the head of the world wide web controlling all of humanity. That means that the structure itself poses a danger. There shouldn't be a single centre, at least not in the foreseeable future, if we don't want to bring on the apocalypse." He exhorted listeners not to "fall into slavery to what's in your hands"..."You should remain free inside and not fall under any addiction, not to alcohol, not to narcotics, not to gadgets."


title: Antichrist

text: After Patriarch Nikon of Moscow reformed the Russian Orthodox Church during the second half of the 17th century, a large number of Old Believers held that Peter the Great, the Tsar of the Russian Empire until his death in 1725, was the Antichrist because of his treatment of the Orthodox Church, namely subordinating the church to the state, requiring clergymen to conform to the standards of all Russian civilians (shaved beards, being fluent in French), and requiring them to pay state taxes.


title: Antichrist

text: There are two conceptions of the Antichrist among the Old Believers: the spiritual Antichrist and the sensual Antichrist. The sensual means a particular person who will rule at the end of times for literal 3,5 years. The priested Old believers mostly adhere to this conception. The spiritual Antichrist is said to rule in the heretical church and state as a spirit through many people - since 1000 in the West and since 1666 in Russia. The true priesthood is considered to be lacking in the world due to 'abomination of desolation', which is synonimous with the rule of Antichrist. Most non-priested Old believers adhere to this conception (except the so called "Chasovennye").


title: Antichrist

text: Bernard McGinn noted that complete denial of the Antichrist was rare until the Age of Enlightenment. Following frequent use of "Antichrist" laden rhetoric during religious controversies in the 17th century, the use of the concept declined during the 18th century due to the rule of enlightened absolutists, who as European rulers of the time wielded significant influence over official state churches. These efforts to cleanse Christianity of "legendary" or "folk" accretions effectively removed the Antichrist from discussion in mainstream Western churches.


title: Antichrist

text: In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the "Antichrist" is anyone or anything that counterfeits the true gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly is set up in opposition to Christ. The great antichrist is Lucifer, but he has many assistants both as spirit beings and as mortals." Latter-day Saints use the New Testament scriptures, 1 John 2:18, 22; 1 John 4:3–6; 2 John 1:7 and the Book of Mormon, Jacob 7:1–23, Alma 1:2–16, Alma 30:6–60, in their exegesis or interpretation of the Antichrist.


title: Antichrist

text: Seventh-day Adventists teach that the "Little Horn Power", which (as predicted in the Book of Daniel) rose after the break-up of the Roman Empire, is the Papacy. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century. In 533, Justinian I, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (which historians have labelled the Byzantine Empire), legally recognized the bishop (pope) of Rome as the head of all the Christian churches.


title: Antichrist

text: Because of the Arian domination of some of the Roman Empire by barbarian tribes, the bishop of Rome could not fully exercise such authority. In 538, Belisarius, one of Justinian's generals, succeeded in withstanding a siege of the city of Rome by Arian Ostrogoth besiegers, and the bishop of Rome could begin establishing universal civil authority. So, by the military intervention of the Eastern Roman Empire, the bishop of Rome became all-powerful throughout the area of the old Roman Empire. The Ostrogoths promptly re-captured the city of Rome eight years later in 546, and again in 550.


title: Antichrist

text: Seventh-day Adventists understand the 1260 years as lasting AD 538 to 1798 as the (supposed) duration of the papacy's domination over Rome. This period is seen as starting from one of the defeats of the Ostrogoths by the general Belisarius and as ending with the successes of French general Napoleon Bonaparte, specifically, with the capture of Pope Pius VI by general Louis Alexandre Berthier in 1798.


title: Antichrist

text: Like many Reformation-era Protestant leaders, the Adventist pioneer Ellen G. White (1827–1915) spoke of the Catholic Church as a fallen church in preparation for its nefarious eschatological role as the antagonist against God's true church; she saw the pope as the Antichrist. Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther, John Knox, William Tyndale and others held similar beliefs about the Catholic Church and the papacy when they broke away from the Catholic Church during the Reformation.


title: Antichrist

text: Seventh-day Adventists view the length of time the apostate church's unbridled power was permitted to rule as shown in Daniel 7:25: "The little horn would rule a time and times and half a time" - or 1,260 years. They regard papal rule as supreme in Europe from 538 (when the Arian Ostrogoths retreated from Rome into temporary oblivion) until 1798 (when the French general Louis-Alexandre Berthier took Pope Pius VI captive)—a period of 1,260 years - including the 67 years of the Avignon Captivity (1309-1376).


title: Antichrist

text: The devout Christian and political theorist Martin Wight, writing immediately after World War II, favoured the revival of the Antichrist doctrine not as a person, but as a recurrent situation featuring "demonic concentrations of power."


title: Antichrist

text: The Antichrist has been equated with the "man of lawlessness" or "lawless one" of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, though commentaries on the identity of the "man of lawlessness" greatly vary. The "man of lawlessness" has been identified with Caligula, Nero, and the end times Antichrist. Some scholars believe that the passage contains no genuine prediction, but represents a speculation of the apostle's own, based on contemporary ideas of the Antichrist.


title: Antichrist

text: Several American evangelical and fundamentalist theologians, including Cyrus Scofield, have identified the Antichrist as being in league with (or the same as) several figures in the Book of Revelation including the Dragon (or Serpent), the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Whore of Babylon.


title: Antichrist

text: Bernard McGinn described multiple traditions detailing the relationship between the Antichrist and Satan. In the dualist approach, Satan will become incarnate in the Antichrist, just as God became incarnate in Jesus. However, in orthodox Christian thought, this view was problematic because it was too similar to Christ's incarnation and suggested dualism. Instead, the "indwelling" view became more accepted. It stipulates that the Antichrist is a human figure inhabited by Satan, since the latter's power is not to be seen as equivalent to God's. Luca Signorelli's fresco, "The Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist" (see above), depicts the indwelling view. Satan whispers in the ear of this Christlike figure and his left arm is slipped through the Antichrist's garment as if he is manipulating him.


title: Antichrist

text: An anti-Messiah figure known as Armilus, said to be the offspring of Satan and a virgin, appears in some schools of Jewish eschatology, such as the 7th century CE Sefer Zerubbabel and 11th century CE Midrash Vayosha. He is stated to be the God and Messiah of the Christians, making him identical to Jesus Christ. He is described as "a monstrosity, bald-headed, with one large and one small eye, deaf in the right ear and maimed in the right arm, while the left arm is two and one-half ells long." Being considered similar to, or even identical with Gog, his believed destruction by a "Messiah ben Joseph" (Messiah, of the tribe of Joseph) symbolizes the ultimate victory of the Jewish Messiah in the Messianic Age.


title: Antichrist

text: Al-Masih ad-Dajjal () is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology, who will appear after the coming of the Mahdi. The Dajjal is never mentioned in the Quran but he is mentioned and described in the "ḥadīth" literature. Like in Christianity, the Dajjal is said to emerge out in the east, although the specific location varies among the various sources. He will imitate the miracles performed by ʿĪsā (Jesus), such as healing the sick and raising the dead, the latter done with the aid of demons ("Shayāṭīn"). He will deceive many people, such as weavers, magicians, half-castes, children of prostitutes, and non believers but the majority of his followers will be Jews. According to the Islamic eschatological narrative, the events related to the final battle before the Day of Judgment will proceed in the following order:


title: Antichrist

text: Imam Mahdi (, meaning "the rightly guided one") is the redeemer according to Islam. Just like the Dajjal, the Mahdi is never mentioned in the Quran but his description can be found in the "ḥadīth" literature; according to the Islamic eschatological narrative, he will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. At the time of the Second Coming of Christ, the prophet ʿĪsā shall return to defeat and kill al-Masih ad-Dajjal. Muslims believe that both ʿĪsā and the Mahdi will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice, and tyranny, ensuring peace and tranquility. Eventually, the Dajjal will be killed by theʿĪsā at the gate of Lud, who upon seeing Dajjal will cause him to slowly dissolve (like salt in water).


title: Antichrist

text: Prophecies concerning the emergence of the Antichrist ("Al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl") are interpreted in Ahmadiyya teachings as designating a specific group of nations centred upon a false theology (or Christology) instead of an individual, with the reference to the Antichrist as an individual indicating its unity as a class or system rather than its personal individuality. As such, Ahmadis identify the Antichrist collectively with the missionary expansion and colonial dominance of European Christianity throughout the world that was propelled by the Industrial Revolution. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote extensively on this topic, identifying the Antichrist principally with colonial missionaries who, according to him, were to be countered through argumentation rather than by physical warfare and whose power and influence was to gradually disintegrate, ultimately allowing for the recognition and worship of God along Islamic ideals to prevail throughout the world in a period similar to the period of time it took for nascent Christianity to rise through the Roman Empire. The teaching that Jesus was a mortal man who survived crucifixion and died a natural death, as propounded by Ghulam Ahmad, has been seen by some scholars in this regard as a move to neutralise Christian soteriologies of Jesus and to project the superior rationality of Islam.


title: Antichrist

text: The Antichrist is considered to subvert the religion of God from the inner reality of man as 'Abdu'l-Baha narrates: "Christ was a divine Center of unity and love. Whenever discord prevails instead of unity, wherever hatred and antagonism take the place of love and spiritual fellowship, Antichrist reigns instead of Christ."


title: Antichrist

text: In February 1900, the Christian Russian philosopher and mystic Vladimir Solovyov published the apocalyptic "A Short Tale of the Antichrist", showing his prophetic vision about the oncoming 20th century and the end of the human history. It is prophesied that the antichrist will present himself to the whole humanity like a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist, "will convoke an ecumenical council and will seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions, granting something to each one."


title: Antichrist

text: The enthronement of the Antichrist is associated with conspiracy theories and particularly a Satanic plot to destroy the Christian faith in St. Nicholas.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" novels.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jacksonville, Florida, the younger of two children of Michele (), who works for an insurance company, and Joe Greene Sr., a former U.S. Marine who now owns a concrete construction business. She has a brother, Joe. She grew up between Middleburg and Jacksonville. She went to University Christian School before transferring to Samuel W. Wolfson High School when she was in tenth grade. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career.


title: Ashley Greene

text: She initially planned to become a model, but was told that she was not tall enough at to be a fashion model and should instead focus on acting in commercials. After taking commercial and acting class, she fell in love with acting and realized that she preferred it over modeling. Greene graduated from high school early and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Early in her career, she appeared as a guest on such television programs, as "Punk'd" and "Crossing Jordan". Greene's big break came in 2008, when she was cast as Alice Cullen in "The Twilight Saga" series of films, based on the novel series of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. The series consists of the films "Twilight", "", "", "", and "", which were respectively released in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Greene portrayed Michelle Burkham in the drama film "Skateland", which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.


title: Ashley Greene

text: She reunited with her "Twilight" co-star Kellan Lutz in the movie "A Warrior's Heart" (2011), and also starred in thriller film "Summer's Blood" (2009) and the Dark Castle Entertainment horror film "The Apparition" (2012).


title: Ashley Greene

text: In 2013, Greene starred in the historical film "CBGB" about the former Manhattan music club with the same name.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Greene became engaged to Australian television personality Paul Khoury in December 2016. They were married on July 6, 2018 in San Jose, California. In March 2022, Greene announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child. Their daughter was born in September 2022.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Greene is a friend of her "Twilight" co-stars, Kellan Lutz and Jackson Rathbone, whom she knew before filming of the series began. She has stated that she grew up watching football and is a Florida Gators fan. She was also seen attending a Green Bay Packers game against the New York Giants with then-boyfriend Joe Jonas and Jessica Szohr at Lambeau Field in 2010. In 2009, nude self-portraits of Greene were leaked onto the internet. Her attorneys threatened to sue various websites that published the pictures.


title: Ashley Greene

text: Appearing nude in a bodypainted bikini, Greene posed for SoBe advertisements that ran in the 2010 issue of the "Sports Illustrated" Swimsuit Edition. In 2010, she received "The Style Icon Award" at "Hollywood Life"s Young Hollywood Awards, as well as an award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for representing Avon and their no testing on animals policy.


The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Article 3 of the ISO Statutes.


title: International Organization for Standardization

text: ISO was founded on 23 February 1947, and (as of November 2022) it has published over 24,500 international standards covering almost all aspects of technology and manufacturing. It has 809 Technical committees and sub committees to take care of standards development. The organization develops and publishes standardization in all technical and nontechnical fields other than electrical and electronic engineering. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and works in 167 countries . The three official languages of the ISO are English, French, and Russian.


text: The International Organization for Standardization is an independent, non-governmental organization, whose membership consists of different national standards bodies. , there are 167 members representing ISO in their country, with each country having only one member.


text: The organization develops and publishes international standards in all technical and nontechnical fields other than electrical and electronic engineering, which are the responsibility of the International Electrotechnical Commission. , the ISO has developed over 24,261 standards, covering everything from manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture, and healthcare.


text: The letters "ISO" do not represent an acronym or initialism. The organization provides this explanation of the name:Because 'International Organization for Standardization' would have different acronyms in different languages (IOS in English, OIN in French), our founders decided to give it the short form "ISO". "ISO" is derived from the Greek word "" (, meaning "equal"). Whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of our name is always "ISO".During the founding meetings of the new organization, however, the Greek word explanation was not invoked, so this meaning may be a false etymology.


text: The organization that is known today as ISO began in 1926 as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA), which primarily focused on mechanical engineering. The ISA was suspended in 1942 during World War II but, after the war, the ISA was approached by the recently-formed United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) with a proposal to form a new global standards body.


text: In October 1946, ISA and UNSCC delegates from 25 countries met in London and agreed to join forces to create the International Organization for Standardization. The organization officially began operations in 23 February 1947.


text: ISO is a voluntary organization whose members are recognized authorities on standards, each one representing one country. Members meet annually at a General Assembly to discuss the strategic objectives of ISO. The organization is coordinated by a central secretariat based in Geneva.


text: A council with a rotating membership of 20 member bodies provides guidance and governance, including setting the annual budget of the central secretariat.


text: The technical management board is responsible for more than 250 technical committees, who develop the ISO standards.


text: ISO has a joint technical committee (JTC) with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to develop standards relating to information technology (IT). Known as JTC 1 and entitled "Information technology", it was created in 1987 and its mission is "to develop worldwide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) standards for business and consumer applications."


text: There was previously also a JTC 2 that was created in 2009 for a joint project to establish common terminology for "standardization in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources". It was later disbanded.


text: , there are 167 national members representing ISO in their country, with each country having only one member.


text: Participating members are called "P" members, as opposed to observing members, who are called "O" members.


text: International standards are the main products of ISO. It also publishes technical reports, technical specifications, publicly available specifications, technical corrigenda, and guides.


text: ISO documents have strict copyright restrictions and ISO charges for most copies. , the typical cost of a copy of an ISO standard is about or more (and electronic copies typically have a single-user license, so they cannot be shared among groups of people). Some standards by ISO and its official U.S. representative (and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission) are made freely available.


text: A standard published by ISO/IEC is the last stage of a long process that commonly starts with the proposal of new work within a committee. Some abbreviations used for marking a standard with its status are:


text: International Standards are developed by ISO technical committees (TC) and subcommittees (SC) by a process with six steps:


text: The TC/SC may set up working groups (WG) of experts for the preparation of a working drafts. Subcommittees may have several working groups, which may have several Sub Groups (SG).


text: It is possible to omit certain stages, if there is a document with a certain degree of maturity at the start of a standardization project, for example, a standard developed by another organization. ISO/IEC directives also allow the so-called "Fast-track procedure". In this procedure a document is submitted directly for approval as a draft International Standard (DIS) to the ISO member bodies or as a final draft International Standard (FDIS), if the document was developed by an international standardizing body recognized by the ISO Council.


text: The first step—a proposal of work (New Proposal) is approved at the relevant subcommittee or technical committee (e.g., SC29 and JTC1 respectively in the case of Moving Picture Experts Group – ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11). A working group (WG) of experts is set up by the TC/SC for the preparation of a working draft. When the scope of a new work is sufficiently clarified, some of the working groups (e.g., MPEG) usually make open request for proposals—known as a "call for proposals". The first document that is produced, for example, for audio and video coding standards is called a verification model (VM) (previously also called a "simulation and test model"). When a sufficient confidence in the stability of the standard under development is reached, a working draft (WD) is produced. This is in the form of a standard, but is kept internal to working group for revision. When a working draft is sufficiently solid and the working group is satisfied that it has developed the best technical solution to the problem being addressed, it becomes a committee draft (CD). If it is required, it is then sent to the P-members of the TC/SC (national bodies) for ballot.


text: The committee draft becomes final committee draft (FCD) if the number of positive votes exceeds the quorum. Successive committee drafts may be considered until consensus is reached on the technical content. When consensus is reached, the text is finalized for submission as a draft International Standard (DIS). Then the text is submitted to national bodies for voting and comment within a period of five months. It is approved for submission as a final draft International Standard (FDIS) if a two-thirds majority of the P-members of the TC/SC are in favour and if not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative. ISO will then hold a ballot with National Bodies where no technical changes are allowed (yes/no ballot), within a period of two months. It is approved as an International Standard (IS) if a two-thirds majority of the P-members of the TC/SC is in favour and not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative. After approval, only minor editorial changes are introduced into the final text. The final text is sent to the ISO central secretariat, which publishes it as the International Standard.


text: International Workshop Agreements (IWAs) follow a slightly different process outside the usual committee system but overseen by the ISO, allowing "key industry players to negotiate in an open workshop environment" in order to shape the IWA standard.


text: On occasion, the fact that many of the ISO-created standards are ubiquitous has led to common use of "ISO" to describe the product that conforms to a standard. Some examples of this are:


text: With the exception of a small number of isolated standards, normally ISO standards are not available free of charge, but for a purchase fee, which has been seen by some as unaffordable for small open-source projects.


text: The ISO/IEC JTC 1 fast-track procedures ("Fast-track" as used by OOXML and "PAS" as used by OpenDocument) have garnered criticism in relation to the standardization of Office Open XML (ISO/IEC 29500). Martin Bryan, outgoing convenor of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 WG1, is quoted as saying:


text: I would recommend my successor that it is perhaps time to pass WG1’s outstanding standards over to OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards), where they can get approval in less than a year and then do a PAS submission to ISO, which will get a lot more attention and be approved much faster than standards currently can be within WG1.


text: The disparity of rules for PAS, Fast-Track and ISO committee generated standards is fast making ISO a laughing stock in IT circles. The days of open standards development are fast disappearing. Instead we are getting "standardization by corporation".


text: The computer security entrepreneur and Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth, commented on the Standardization of Office Open XML process by saying: "I think it de-values the confidence people have in the standards setting process", and alleged that ISO did not carry out its responsibility. He also noted that Microsoft had intensely lobbied many countries that traditionally had not participated in ISO and stacked technical committees with Microsoft employees, solution providers, and resellers sympathetic to Office Open XML:


text: When you have a process built on trust and when that trust is abused, ISO should halt the process... ISO is an engineering old boys club and these things are boring so you have to have a lot of passion ... then suddenly you have an investment of a lot of money and lobbying and you get artificial results. The process is not set up to deal with intensive corporate lobbying and so you end up with something being a standard that is not clear.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: The Vande Bharat Express, previously known as Train 18, is a semi-high-speed, electric multiple unit train operated by Indian Railways. It was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. The first train was manufactured in 18 months at the cost of ₹97 crore. The service was named 'Vande Bharat Express' on 27 January 2019. The train was launched on 15 February 2019.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: Vande Bharat Express has a maximum commercial speed of 160 km/h. It exceeded 180 km/h during testing, but its tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds; thus the train is operated at a maximum speed of and Chennai - Mysuru is even slower which will be increased (view the train service table below). In this context, it can be said that the Gatimaan Express is the fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of during the Tughlakabad to Agra part of its route; and that the Habibganj–New Delhi Shatabdi Express is the second fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of 150 kmph during the Tughlakabad to Agra Cant part of its route.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: Acceleration and declaration of Vande Bharat Express are famous. It has the highest acceleration on Indian rail network. Its acceleration is comparable with bullet trains as its second version has achieved 0 kmph to 100 kmph speed in just 52 seconds during trial . As per two Facebook posts on a page with verified tags to inform that the page belongs to Western Railway on 30 September 2022: The first and second versions achieve 0-100 mph (0-160 Kmph) in 145 sec and 129 secs respectively. The second version achieves 0-100 Kmph in just 52 seconds. The Designated Residual Acceleration of the first version is 0.05 m/s, and of the second version is 0.11 m/s.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: India had long since planned to introduce a high-speed rail network. Safety and cost were the primary concerns for the Indian railways. Indian Railways aimed at increasing its maximum speed of to .


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: Indian Railways went on to achieve speeds of 99 mph by the mid-2010s after the introduction of Gatimaan Express in 2016, which is still the fastest operating train to date. The next logical step for Indian Railways was to build a modern higher-speed rail. When the Indian railways had floated a tender in June 2015, they found none of the bids to be viable and hence decided to move ahead to build it completely in India. In early 2017, it was planned that the indigenous (EMU) semi-high-speed train, with modern facilities onboard, would run at a speed of . Two new train sets were announced to be manufactured in ICF and were named 'Train-2018' since the manufacturing of these semi-high-speed services were targeted for completion in the year 2018.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: The manufacturing of 'Train-2018' was completed in October 2018. It was planned to replace the then-existing 30-year-old Shatabdi Express, which takes 15% more time to complete the same journey. During test runs, the train achieved an operational speed of 180 km/h and India conducted a trial run at this speed for the first time by a train with LHB coaches in 2000 (as per many speed certificates of LHB coach trains on RDSO website ) but the Vande Bharat Express has higher acceleration.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: The train's first trial run occurred on 29 October 2018 in Chennai, focusing on crew orientation and brake testing, with further testing scheduled in Delhi on 7 November and later in Kota, Rajasthan. An Indian Railways official reported that "some fuses went off" during the trial in Chennai, but that the issue was minor and quickly fixed. The train ended up leaving for Delhi later than expected, on 11 November, and arrived on 13 November. Testing was set to commence along a section of track between Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 November, but the location was subsequently changed to the stretch of rail between Moradabad and Rampur due to unspecified issues with the initial section of track. The MoradabadRampur testing occurred at low speeds ranging from . After the lower-speed testing, the train was moved to a section of track between Kota and Sawai Madhopur to be tested at operating speed. A team put together by India's Research Design and Standards Organisation will supervise the testing and give the go-ahead for the final speed test.


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: During its trials, Train 18 reached speeds of , the highest speed any train in India has reached. However, due to the speed limits of routes used by the Vande Bharat Express, the actual top operating speed is restricted to . The train is capable of a speed of up to .


title: Vande Bharat Express

text: On 20 December 2018, one of the train's windows was smashed by a thrown stone during its trial run from Delhi to Agra. The ICF's general manager, Sudhanshu Mani tweeted that a vandal pelted a stone which broke the glass and hoped to nab him soon.