title: Number theory

text: Very little is known about Diophantus of Alexandria; he probably lived in the third century AD, that is, about five hundred years after Euclid. Six out of the thirteen books of Diophantus's "Arithmetica" survive in the original Greek and four more survive in an Arabic translation. The "Arithmetica" is a collection of worked-out problems where the task is invariably to find rational solutions to a system of polynomial equations, usually of the form formula_8 or formula_9. Thus, nowadays, we speak of "Diophantine equations" when we speak of polynomial equations to which rational or integer solutions must be found.


title: Number theory

text: One may say that Diophantus was studying rational points, that is, points whose coordinates are rational—on curves and algebraic varieties; however, unlike the Greeks of the Classical period, who did what we would now call basic algebra in geometrical terms, Diophantus did what we would now call basic algebraic geometry in purely algebraic terms. In modern language, what Diophantus did was to find rational parametrizations of varieties; that is, given an equation of the form (say)


title: Number theory

text: formula_10, his aim was to find (in essence) three rational functions formula_11 such that, for all values of formula_12 and formula_13, setting


title: Number theory

text: Diophantus also studied the equations of some non-rational curves, for which no rational parametrisation is possible. He managed to find some rational points on these curves (elliptic curves, as it happens, in what seems to be their first known occurrence) by means of what amounts to a tangent construction: translated into coordinate geometry


title: Number theory

text: While Diophantus was concerned largely with rational solutions, he assumed some results on integer numbers, in particular that every integer is the sum of four squares (though he never stated as much explicitly).


title: Number theory

text: While Greek astronomy probably influenced Indian learning, to the point of introducing trigonometry, it seems to be the case that Indian mathematics is otherwise an indigenous tradition; in particular, there is no evidence that Euclid's Elements reached India before the 18th century.


title: Number theory

text: Āryabhaṭa (476–550 AD) showed that pairs of simultaneous congruences formula_17, formula_18 could be solved by a method he called "kuṭṭaka", or "pulveriser"; this is a procedure close to (a generalisation of) the Euclidean algorithm, which was probably discovered independently in India. Āryabhaṭa seems to have had in mind applications to astronomical calculations.


title: Number theory

text: Brahmagupta (628 AD) started the systematic study of indefinite quadratic equations—in particular, the misnamed Pell equation, in which Archimedes may have first been interested, and which did not start to be solved in the West until the time of Fermat and Euler. Later Sanskrit authors would follow, using Brahmagupta's technical terminology. A general procedure (the chakravala, or "cyclic method") for solving Pell's equation was finally found by Jayadeva (cited in the eleventh century; his work is otherwise lost); the earliest surviving exposition appears in Bhāskara II's Bīja-gaṇita (twelfth century).


title: Number theory

text: Indian mathematics remained largely unknown in Europe until the late eighteenth century; Brahmagupta and Bhāskara's work was translated into English in 1817 by Henry Colebrooke.


title: Number theory

text: In the early ninth century, the caliph Al-Ma'mun ordered translations of many Greek mathematical works and at least one Sanskrit work (the "Sindhind",


title: Number theory

text: Part of the treatise "al-Fakhri" (by al-Karajī, 953 – ca. 1029) builds on it to some extent. According to Rashed Roshdi, Al-Karajī's contemporary Ibn al-Haytham knew what would later be called Wilson's theorem.


title: Number theory

text: Other than a treatise on squares in arithmetic progression by Fibonacci—who traveled and studied in north Africa and Constantinople—no number theory to speak of was done in western Europe during the Middle Ages. Matters started to change in Europe in the late Renaissance, thanks to a renewed study of the works of Greek antiquity. A catalyst was the textual emendation and translation into Latin of Diophantus' "Arithmetica".


title: Number theory

text: Pierre de Fermat (1607–1665) never published his writings; in particular, his work on number theory is contained almost entirely in letters to mathematicians and in private marginal notes. In his notes and letters, he scarcely wrote any proofs - he had no models in the area.


title: Number theory

text: The interest of Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) in number theory was first spurred in 1729, when a friend of his, the amateur Goldbach, pointed him towards some of Fermat's work on the subject. This has been called the "rebirth" of modern number theory, after Fermat's relative lack of success in getting his contemporaries' attention for the subject. Euler's work on number theory includes the following:


title: Number theory

text: Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736–1813) was the first to give full proofs of some of Fermat's and Euler's work and observations—for instance, the four-square theorem and the basic theory of the misnamed "Pell's equation" (for which an algorithmic solution was found by Fermat and his contemporaries, and also by Jayadeva and Bhaskara II before them.) He also studied quadratic forms in full generality (as opposed to formula_31)—defining their equivalence relation, showing how to put them in reduced form, etc.


title: Number theory

text: conjectured what amounts to the prime number theorem and Dirichlet's theorem on arithmetic progressions. He gave a full treatment of the equation formula_32 and worked on quadratic forms along the lines later developed fully by Gauss. In his old age, he was the first to prove Fermat's Last Theorem for formula_33 (completing work by Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, and crediting both him and Sophie Germain).


title: Number theory

text: In his "Disquisitiones Arithmeticae" (1798), Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) proved the law of quadratic reciprocity and developed the theory of quadratic forms (in particular, defining their composition). He also introduced some basic notation (congruences) and devoted a section to computational matters, including primality tests. The last section of the "Disquisitiones" established a link between roots of unity and number theory:


title: Number theory

text: In this way, Gauss arguably made a first foray towards both Évariste Galois's work and algebraic number theory.


title: Number theory

text: Algebraic number theory may be said to start with the study of reciprocity and cyclotomy, but truly came into its own with the development of abstract algebra and early ideal theory and valuation theory; see below. A conventional starting point for analytic number theory is Dirichlet's theorem on arithmetic progressions (1837), whose proof introduced L-functions and involved some asymptotic analysis and a limiting process on a real variable. The first use of analytic ideas in number theory actually


title: Number theory

text: goes back to Euler (1730s), who used formal power series and non-rigorous (or implicit) limiting arguments. The use of "complex" analysis in number theory comes later: the work of Bernhard Riemann (1859) on the zeta function is the canonical starting point; Jacobi's four-square theorem (1839), which predates it, belongs to an initially different strand that has by now taken a leading role in analytic number theory (modular forms).


title: Number theory

text: The history of each subfield is briefly addressed in its own section below; see the main article of each subfield for fuller treatments. Many of the most interesting questions in each area remain open and are being actively worked on.


title: Number theory

text: The term "elementary" generally denotes a method that does not use complex analysis. For example, the prime number theorem was first proven using complex analysis in 1896, but an elementary proof was found only in 1949 by Erdős and Selberg. The term is somewhat ambiguous: for example, proofs based on complex Tauberian theorems (for example, Wiener–Ikehara) are often seen as quite enlightening but not elementary, in spite of using Fourier analysis, rather than complex analysis as such. Here as elsewhere, an "elementary" proof may be longer and more difficult for most readers than a non-elementary one.


title: Number theory

text: Number theory has the reputation of being a field many of whose results can be stated to the layperson. At the same time, the proofs of these results are not particularly accessible, in part because the range of tools they use is, if anything, unusually broad within mathematics.


title: Number theory

text: Some subjects generally considered to be part of analytic number theory, for example, sieve theory, are better covered by the second rather than the first definition: some of sieve theory, for instance, uses little analysis, yet it does belong to analytic number theory.


title: Number theory

text: The following are examples of problems in analytic number theory: the prime number theorem, the Goldbach conjecture (or the twin prime conjecture, or the Hardy–Littlewood conjectures), the Waring problem and the Riemann hypothesis. Some of the most important tools of analytic number theory are the circle method, sieve methods and L-functions (or, rather, the study of their properties). The theory of modular forms (and, more generally, automorphic forms) also occupies an increasingly central place in the toolbox of analytic number theory.


title: Number theory

text: One may ask analytic questions about algebraic numbers, and use analytic means to answer such questions; it is thus that algebraic and analytic number theory intersect. For example, one may define prime ideals (generalizations of prime numbers in the field of algebraic numbers) and ask how many prime ideals there are up to a certain size. This question can be answered by means of an examination of Dedekind zeta functions, which are generalizations of the Riemann zeta function, a key analytic object at the roots of the subject. This is an example of a general procedure in analytic number theory: deriving information about the distribution of a sequence (here, prime ideals or prime numbers) from the analytic behavior of an appropriately constructed complex-valued function.


title: Number theory

text: An "algebraic number" is any complex number that is a solution to some polynomial equation formula_34 with rational coefficients; for example, every solution formula_35 of formula_36 (say) is an algebraic number. Fields of algebraic numbers are also called "algebraic number fields", or shortly "number fields". Algebraic number theory studies algebraic number fields. Thus, analytic and algebraic number theory can and do overlap: the former is defined by its methods, the latter by its objects of study.


title: Number theory

text: It could be argued that the simplest kind of number fields (viz., quadratic fields) were already studied by Gauss, as the discussion of quadratic forms in "Disquisitiones arithmeticae" can be restated in terms of ideals and


title: Number theory

text: For that matter, the 11th-century chakravala method amounts—in modern terms—to an algorithm for finding the units of a real quadratic number field. However, neither Bhāskara nor Gauss knew of number fields as such.


title: Number theory

text: The grounds of the subject as we know it were set in the late nineteenth century, when "ideal numbers", the "theory of ideals" and "valuation theory" were developed; these are three complementary ways of dealing with the lack of unique factorisation in algebraic number fields. (For example, in the field generated by the rationals


title: Number theory

text: are irreducible, and thus, in a naïve sense, analogous to primes among the integers.) The initial impetus for the development of ideal numbers (by Kummer) seems to have come from the study of higher reciprocity laws, that is, generalisations of quadratic reciprocity.


title: Number theory

text: Number fields are often studied as extensions of smaller number fields: a field "L" is said to be an "extension" of a field "K" if "L" contains "K".


title: Number theory

text: Classifying the possible extensions of a given number field is a difficult and partially open problem. Abelian extensions—that is, extensions "L" of "K" such that the Galois group Gal("L"/"K") of "L" over "K" is an abelian group—are relatively well understood.


title: Number theory

text: Their classification was the object of the programme of class field theory, which was initiated in the late 19th century (partly by Kronecker and Eisenstein) and carried out largely in 1900–1950.


title: Number theory

text: An example of an active area of research in algebraic number theory is Iwasawa theory. The Langlands program, one of the main current large-scale research plans in mathematics, is sometimes described as an attempt to generalise class field theory to non-abelian extensions of number fields.


title: Number theory

text: The central problem of "Diophantine geometry" is to determine when a Diophantine equation has solutions, and if it does, how many. The approach taken is to think of the solutions of an equation as a geometric object.


title: Number theory

text: For example, an equation in two variables defines a curve in the plane. More generally, an equation, or system of equations, in two or more variables defines a curve, a surface or some other such object in "n"-dimensional space. In Diophantine geometry, one asks whether there are any "rational points" (points all of whose coordinates are rationals) or


title: Number theory

text: "integral points" (points all of whose coordinates are integers) on the curve or surface. If there are any such points, the next step is to ask how many there are and how they are distributed. A basic question in this direction is if there are finitely


title: Number theory

text: The rephrasing of questions on equations in terms of points on curves turns out to be felicitous. The finiteness or not of the number of rational or integer points on an algebraic curve—that is, rational or integer solutions to an equation formula_55, where formula_56 is a polynomial in two variables—turns out to depend crucially on the "genus" of the curve. The "genus" can be defined as follows: allow the variables in formula_55 to be complex numbers; then formula_55 defines a 2-dimensional surface in (projective) 4-dimensional space (since two complex variables can be decomposed into four real variables, that is, four dimensions). If we count the number of (doughnut) holes in the surface; we call this number the "genus" of formula_55. Other geometrical notions turn out to be just as crucial.


title: Number theory

text: There is also the closely linked area of Diophantine approximations: given a number formula_35, then finding how well can it be approximated by rationals. (We are looking for approximations that are good relative to the amount of space that it takes to write the rational: call formula_61 (with formula_62) a good approximation to formula_35 if formula_64, where formula_65 is large.) This question is of special interest if formula_35 is an algebraic number. If formula_35 cannot be well approximated, then some equations do not have integer or rational solutions. Moreover, several concepts (especially that of height) turn out to be critical both in Diophantine geometry and in the study of Diophantine approximations. This question is also of special interest in transcendental number theory: if a number can be better approximated than any algebraic number, then it is a transcendental number. It is by this argument that and e have been shown to be transcendental.


title: Number theory

text: Diophantine geometry should not be confused with the geometry of numbers, which is a collection of graphical methods for answering certain questions in algebraic number theory. "Arithmetic geometry", however, is a contemporary term


title: Number theory

text: for much the same domain as that covered by the term "Diophantine geometry". The term "arithmetic geometry" is arguably used


title: Number theory

text: most often when one wishes to emphasise the connections to modern algebraic geometry (as in, for instance, Faltings's theorem) rather than to techniques in Diophantine approximations.


title: Number theory

text: The areas below date from no earlier than the mid-twentieth century, even if they are based on older material. For example, as is explained below, the matter of algorithms in number theory is very old, in some sense older than the concept of proof; at the same time, the modern study of computability dates only from the 1930s and 1940s, and computational complexity theory from the 1970s.


title: Number theory

text: Much of probabilistic number theory can be seen as an important special case of the study of variables that are almost, but not quite, mutually independent. For example, the event that a random integer between one and a million be divisible by two and the event that it be divisible by three are almost independent, but not quite.


title: Number theory

text: It is sometimes said that probabilistic combinatorics uses the fact that whatever happens with probability greater than formula_68 must happen sometimes; one may say with equal justice that many applications of probabilistic number theory hinge on the fact that whatever is unusual must be rare. If certain algebraic objects (say, rational or integer solutions to certain equations) can be shown to be in the tail of certain sensibly defined distributions, it follows that there must be few of them; this is a very concrete non-probabilistic statement following from a probabilistic one.


title: Number theory

text: At times, a non-rigorous, probabilistic approach leads to a number of heuristic algorithms and open problems, notably Cramér's conjecture.


title: Number theory

text: If we begin from a fairly "thick" infinite set formula_69, does it contain many elements in arithmetic progression: formula_38,


title: Number theory

text: These questions are characteristic of "arithmetic combinatorics". This is a presently coalescing field; it subsumes "additive number theory" (which concerns itself with certain very specific sets formula_69 of arithmetic significance, such as the primes or the squares) and, arguably, some of the "geometry of numbers",


title: Number theory

text: together with some rapidly developing new material. Its focus on issues of growth and distribution accounts in part for its developing links with ergodic theory, finite group theory, model theory, and other fields. The term "additive combinatorics" is also used; however, the sets formula_69 being studied need not be sets of integers, but rather subsets of non-commutative groups, for which the multiplication symbol, not the addition symbol, is traditionally used; they can also be subsets of rings, in which case the growth of formula_75 and formula_69·formula_69 may be


title: Number theory

text: While the word "algorithm" goes back only to certain readers of al-Khwārizmī, careful descriptions of methods of solution are older than proofs: such methods (that is, algorithms) are as old as any recognisable mathematics—ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Vedic, Chinese—whereas proofs appeared only with the Greeks of the classical period.


title: Number theory

text: An early case is that of what we now call the Euclidean algorithm. In its basic form (namely, as an algorithm for computing the greatest common divisor) it appears as Proposition 2 of Book VII in "Elements", together with a proof of correctness. However, in the form that is often used in number theory (namely, as an algorithm for finding integer solutions to an equation formula_78,


title: Number theory

text: or, what is the same, for finding the quantities whose existence is assured by the Chinese remainder theorem) it first appears in the works of Āryabhaṭa (5th–6th century CE) as an algorithm called


title: Number theory

text: There are two main questions: "Can we compute this?" and "Can we compute it rapidly?" Anyone can test whether a number is prime or, if it is not, split it into prime factors; doing so rapidly is another matter. We now know fast algorithms for testing primality, but, in spite of much work (both theoretical and practical), no truly fast algorithm for factoring.


title: Number theory

text: The difficulty of a computation can be useful: modern protocols for encrypting messages (for example, RSA) depend on functions that are known to all, but whose inverses are known only to a chosen few, and would take one too long a time to figure out on one's own. For example, these functions can be such that their inverses can be computed only if certain large integers are factorized. While many difficult computational problems outside number theory are known, most working encryption protocols nowadays are based on the difficulty of a few number-theoretical problems.


title: Number theory

text: Some things may not be computable at all; in fact, this can be proven in some instances. For instance, in 1970, it was proven, as a solution to Hilbert's 10th problem, that there is no Turing machine which can solve all Diophantine equations. In particular, this means that, given a computably enumerable set of axioms, there are Diophantine equations for which there is no proof, starting from the axioms, of whether the set of equations has or does not have integer solutions. (We would necessarily be speaking of Diophantine equations for which there are no integer solutions, since, given a Diophantine equation with at least one solution, the solution itself provides a proof of the fact that a solution exists. We cannot prove that a particular Diophantine equation is of this kind, since this would imply that it has no solutions.)


title: Number theory

text: The number-theorist Leonard Dickson (1874–1954) said "Thank God that number theory is unsullied by any application". Such a view is no longer applicable to number theory. In 1974, Donald Knuth said "...virtually every theorem in elementary number theory arises in a natural, motivated way in connection with the problem of making computers do high-speed numerical calculations".


title: Number theory

text: Elementary number theory is taught in discrete mathematics courses for computer scientists; on the other hand, number theory also has applications to the continuous in numerical analysis. As well as the well-known applications to cryptography, there are also applications to many other areas of mathematics.


title: Number theory

text: The American Mathematical Society awards the "Cole Prize in Number Theory". Moreover, number theory is one of the three mathematical subdisciplines rewarded by the "Fermat Prize".


title: Number theory

text: Hardy and Wright's book is a comprehensive classic, though its clarity sometimes suffers due to the authors' insistence on elementary methods (Apostol n.d.).


title: Number theory

text: Vinogradov's main attraction consists in its set of problems, which quickly lead to Vinogradov's own research interests; the text itself is very basic and close to minimal. Other popular first introductions are:


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The national flag of the Netherlands () is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue "Prinsenvlag" ("Prince's Flag"), evolving in the early 17th century as the red-white-blue "Statenvlag" ("States Flag"), the naval flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic, making the Dutch flag perhaps the oldest tricolour flag in continuous use.As a flag that symbolises the transformation from monarchy to republic, it has inspired both the derivative Russian flag, and after the French Revolution in 1789 the vertically striped French tricolour, both flags in turn influenced many other tricolours.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: During the economic crisis of the 1930s, the old Prince's Flag with the colour orange gained some popularity among some people. To end the confusion, the colours red, white and blue and its official status as the national flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were reaffirmed by royal decree on 19 February 1937.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The national flag of the Netherlands is a tricolour flag. The horizontal fesses are bands of equal size in the colours from top to bottom, red (officially described as a "bright vermilion"), white (silver), and blue ("cobalt blue"). The flag proportions (width:length) are 2:3. The color parameters were defined in November 1958 by the NEN (former HCNN) in as the following:


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: In this definition, the colors are defined using CIE-1931 colour space and Standard illuminant C at a 45° angle.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The Dutch flag is almost identical to that of Luxembourg, except that it is shorter and its red and blue stripes are a darker shade. The similarity of the two flags has given rise to a national debate to change the flag of Luxembourg, initiated by Michel Wolter in 2006.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Each band of color in the Dutch flag holds some symbolism for the country. The red band symbolizes bravery, strength, valor, and hardiness; the white band, peace and honesty; and the blue band represents vigilance, truth, loyalty, perseverance, and justice.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Another theory as to why the Dutch flag has these colours is because some researchers claim that they used to be a symbol of society: red symbolises the people, white the church and blue the nobility.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: At the end of the 15th century, when the majority of the Netherlands provinces were united under the Duke of Burgundy, the Cross of Burgundy flag of the Duke of Burgundy was used for joint expeditions, which consisted of a red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned (knotted) branches, on a white field. Under the later House of Habsburg this flag remained in use.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: In 1568 provinces of the Low Countries rose in revolt against King Philip II of Spain, and Prince William of Orange (1533–1584) placed himself at the head of the rebels. The etymology of the House of Orange is unrelated to the name of the fruit or the colour. Usage of the colours orange, white and blue (Dutch: "Oranje, Wit, Blauw", from French "Orange, Blanc, Bleu") was based on the livery of William and was first recorded in the siege of Leiden in 1574, when Dutch officers wore orange-white-blue brassards. The first known full color depiction of the flag appeared in 1575 (see image). In Ghent in 1577, William was welcomed with a number of theatrical allegories represented by a young girl wearing orange, blue and white. The first explicit reference to a naval flag in these colours is found in the ordonnances of the Admiralty of Zeeland, dated 1587, i.e. shortly after William's death.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The colour combination of orange, white, and blue is commonly considered the first Dutch flag. The 400th anniversary of the introduction of the Dutch flag was commemorated in the Netherlands by the issue of a postage stamp in 1972. That was based on the fact that in 1572 the "Watergeuzen" ("Gueux de mer", "Sea Beggars"), the pro-Dutch privateers, captured Den Briel in name of William, Prince of Orange. However, it is uncertain whether they took an orange-white-blue flag with them on the event, although they certainly started using an orange-white-blue tricolour somewhat later in the 1570s. It became later known as the Prinsenvlag ("Prince's flag") and served as the basis for the former South African flag, the flags of New York City and the Flag of Albany, New York, all three former dominions of the Dutch Republic.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Red as replacement for orange appeared as early as 1596, but more often after about 1630, as indicated by paintings of that time. Red gradually replaced orange (1630-60) as a sign of political change and growing dissociation of the Republic from the House of Orange. It appears that prior to 1664, the red-white-blue tricolour was commonly known as the "Flag of Holland" ("Hollandsche Vlag"); named after one of the revolting provinces. In 1664, the States of Zeeland, one of the other revolting provinces, complained about this, and a resolution of the States-General introduced the name "States Flag" ("Statenvlag"), which the red, white and blue tricolor will be known hereafter. The Dutch navy between 1588 and 1630 had always displayed the Prince's Flag, and after 1663 always the States Flag, with both flag variants being in use during the period of 1630–1662.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The red-white-blue triband flag as used in the 17th century is said to have influenced the designs of both the seminal Russian flag and the French flag. In turn, these two flags would later influence many others.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: With the Batavian Revolution in the Netherlands in the last decade of the 18th century, and the subsequent conquest by the French, the name "Prince's Flag" was forbidden and the red-white-blue of the Statenvlag was the only flag allowed, analogous as it was to France's own tricolour, chosen just a few months earlier, ironically influenced by that same Statenvlag. In 1796 the red division of the flag was embellished with the figure of a Netherlands maiden, with a lion at her feet, in the upper left corner. In one hand she bore a shield with the Roman fasces and in the other a lance crowned with the cap of liberty. This flag had a life as short as that of the Batavian Republic for which it was created.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Louis Bonaparte, made king of Holland by his brother the Emperor Napoleon, wished to pursue a purely Dutch policy and to respect national sentiments as much as possible. He removed the maiden of freedom from the flag and restored the old tricolour. His pro-Dutch policies led to conflicts with his brother, however, and the Netherlands were incorporated into the French Empire. In 1810 its flag was replaced by the imperial emblems.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: In 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence and the Prince of Orange returned from exile and contemporary newspapers report that the red-white-blue flag was flown decorated with an orange Pennon/pennant and solid‐coloured orange flags were displayed in many places in the country as a sign of allegiance of the people to the House of Orange.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Just before the outbreak of World War II, the Prince's flag resurfaced again. Some people were convinced that orange, white, and blue were the true colours of the Dutch flag, particularly members of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands. To end the discussion, a royal decree established the colours of the Dutch flag as: 'The colours of the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are red, white and blue' (Dutch: "De kleuren van de vlag van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden zijn rood, wit en blauw"). It became the shortest decree in history, and was issued by Queen Wilhelmina on 19 February 1937.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: It was only on 16 August 1949 that the exact colour parameters were defined by the Ministry of the Navy as bright vermilion (red), white and cobalt blue. The pennant is usually added on King's Day (Dutch: "Koningsdag", 27 April) or other festive occasions related to the Royal Family.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag is customarily flown at government buildings and military bases in the Netherlands and abroad all year round. Private use is more uncommon. Only on national holidays is there widespread private use. At the birthdays or weddings of specific members of the Royal House, an orange pennant is added to the flag. There are special non-holiday festivities or remembrance occasions when the flag is flown, such as at the homes of students who have just graduated. The flag is then often accompanied by the graduate's school bag hung from the tip of the flagpole. The flag can also be displayed at times of sadness at half-mast (or a black pennant is added to the flag when hanging at half-mast is not possible) as a sign of respect or national mourning.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: There are a number of flag flying days in the Netherlands. The holidays on which flags are put out by the government, according to the flag instruction, are:


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The dates mentioned in parentheses are the dates when the flags are put out, should the original scheduled flag day fall on a Sunday, when possible. Exceptions are Remembrance of the Dead and Liberation Day, should one of them fall on a Sunday, the flags are put out anyway.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The prime minister of the Netherlands is responsible for announcing updates to the flag instruction (last given in 2013 when Queen's Day on 30 April became King's Day on 27 April), announcing one-off flag days (last given on 19 March 2019 to remember the Utrecht tram shooting), and announcing one-off modifications to the current flag days (last given in 2020 when the flags were put out at half-mast on 4 May the whole day instead of from 18:00, due to the 75-year anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and the COVID-19 pandemic).


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: When a member of the Dutch Royal House is born, the flag instruction will be determined some weeks before the child is expected. In the most recent occasions – in 2003, 2005 and 2007, when Princess Máxima was expecting Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane respectively, it was announced that immediately upon announcement of the birth, the flags would be put out with the orange pennant. However, because Amalia and Ariane were born while darkness already fell (and Amalia was born on a Sunday), the flag day was postponed until the next day.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The national flag of Aruba was officially adopted on 18 March 1976. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, peace, hope, Aruba's future and its ties to the past. The two narrow stripes "suggest the movement toward status aparte". One represents "the flow of tourists to sun-drenched Aruba, enriching the island as well as vacationers", the other "industry, all the minerals (gold and phosphates in the past, petroleum in the early 20th century)". In addition to sun, gold, and abundance, the yellow is also said to represent wanglo flowers. The star has particularly complex symbolism. It is vexillologically unusual in having four points, representing the four cardinal directions. These refer in turn to the many countries of origin of the people of Aruba. They also represent the four main languages of Aruba: Papiamento, Spanish, English, and Dutch. The star also represents the island itself: a land of often red soil bordered by white beaches in a blue sea. The red also represents blood shed by Arubans during war, past Indian inhabitants, patriotic love, and Brazil wood. The white also represents purity and honesty.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag of Curaçao is a blue field with a horizontal yellow stripe slightly below the midline and two white, five-pointed stars in the canton. The blue symbolises the sea and sky (the bottom and top blue sections, respectively) divided by a yellow stroke representing the bright sun which bathes the island. The two stars represent Curaçao and Klein Curaçao, but also 'Love & Happiness'. The five points on each star symbolise the five continents from which Curaçao's people come.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag of Sint Maarten is the national flag of the Dutch part of Saint Martin island, which is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was adopted on 13 June 1985. It resembles the war flag of the Philippines.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The pre-independence flag of Suriname consisted of five coloured stars (from top left clockwise: white, black, brown, yellow, and red) connected by an ellipse. The coloured stars represent the major ethnic groups that comprise the Surinamese population: the original Amerindians, the colonising Europeans, the Africans brought in as slaves to work in plantations and the Indians, Javanese and Chinese who came as indentured workers to replace the Africans who escaped slavery and settled in the hinterland. The ellipse represents the harmonious relationship amongst the groups.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: Within the flag of the Netherlands Antilles there were five stars that symbolise the five islands that made up the country. While the colours red, white and blue refer to the flag of the Netherlands. A six-star version was used until 1986 when Aruba became its own country within the Kingdom. This original version was adopted on 19 November 1959.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The islands of Sint Maarten and Curaçao obtained their separate country status within the Kingdom and the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are now overseas entities of the Netherlands.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag of New Holland, also known as the flag of Dutch Brazil, was the flag used by the Dutch West India Company for the territories that were under its control in Brazil from 1630 until 1654.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag consists of three horizontal stripes in the colours of the flag of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (red, white and blue) and it displays a monogram on the central stripe and a crown on the upper stripe, both gold-coloured. The origin of the monogram as well as its initials and its meaning is not known.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: For the majority of the existence of the Netherlands East Indies the flag of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (English: Dutch East India Company) was used. When the VOC became bankrupt and was formally dissolved in 1800. its possessions and debt were taken over by the government of the Batavian Republic. The VOC's territories became the Netherlands East Indies and were expanded over the course of the 19th century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago. As such the flag of the Batavian Republic and Kingdom of the Netherlands were used.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flag of the Netherlands has been said to be the origin of the Indonesian flag. To symbolise the intention of forcing out the Dutch, the Indonesian nationalists would rip apart the Dutch flag. They tore off the bottom third of the flag, and separated the red and white colours from the blue colour.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The Morning Star flag () represented the Netherlands New Guinea from 1 December 1961 until 1 October 1962 when the territory came under administration of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). The flag is commonly used by the West Papuan population including OPM (; Free Papua Movement) supporters to rally self-determination human rights support and is popularly flown on 1 December each year in defiance of Indonesian domestic laws. The flag consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the center. The flag was first raised on 1 December 1961 and used until the United Nations became the territory's administrator on 1 October 1962.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The flags below are influenced by the Dutch flag in colour use and design as a result of a shared history (as flags of former colonies) or economic relations, which is the case for the Russian flag.


title: Flag of the Netherlands

text: The Russian flag in turn is believed to have influenced many flags of other Slavic countries, resulting in many red-white-blue styled tribands in other parts of Europe. Peter the Great of Russia was building a new Russian Navy mostly on Dutch standards; therefore the Russian merchant flag at sea would be the inverted colours of the Dutch flag.


title: William Hanna

text: William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of "Tom and Jerry" as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera.


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 and steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as "Captain and the Kids". In 1937, while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Hanna met Joseph Barbera. In 1957, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, creating or producing programs such as "The Flintstones", "The Huckleberry Hound Show", "The Jetsons", "Scooby-Doo", "The Smurfs", and "Yogi Bear". In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991. At that time, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.


title: William Hanna

text: "Tom and Jerry" won seven Academy Awards, while Hanna and Barbera were nominated for two others and won eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoons have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys. Hanna-Barbera's shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in their 1960s heyday, and have been translated into more than 28 languages.


title: William Hanna

text: William Hanna was born to William John (1873–1949) and Avice Joyce (Denby) Hanna (1882–1956) on July 14, 1910, in Melrose, New Mexico Territory. He was the third of seven children. Hanna described his family as "a red-blooded, Irish-American family". His father was a construction superintendent for railroads as well as water and sewer systems throughout the western regions of America, requiring the family to move frequently.


title: William Hanna

text: When Hanna was three years old, the family moved to Baker City, Oregon, where his father worked on the Balm Creek Dam. It was there that Hanna would develop his love of the outdoors. The family moved to Logan, Utah, before moving to San Pedro, California, in 1917. During the next two years they moved several times before eventually settling in Watts, California, in 1919.


title: William Hanna

text: In 1922, while living in Watts, he joined the Boy Scouts. He attended Compton High School from 1925 through 1928, where he played the saxophone in a dance band. His passion for music carried over into his career; he helped write songs for his cartoons, including the theme for "The Flintstones". Hanna became an Eagle Scout as a youth and remained active in Scouting throughout his life. As an adult, he served as a Scoutmaster and was recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with their Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1985. Despite his numerous career-related awards, Hanna was most proud of this Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. His interests also included sailing and singing in a barbershop quartet. Hanna studied both journalism and structural engineering at Compton City College, but had to drop out of college with the onset of the Great Depression.


title: William Hanna

text: On August 7, 1936, Hanna married Violet Blanch Wogatzke (July 23, 1913 – July 10, 2014), and they had a marriage lasting over 64 years, until his death. The marriage produced two children, David William and Bonnie Jean, and seven grandchildren. In 1996, Hanna, with assistance from Los Angeles writer Tom Ito, published his autobiography—Joe Barbera had published his own two years earlier.


title: William Hanna

text: After dropping out of college, Hanna worked briefly as a construction engineer and helped build the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. He lost that job during the Great Depression and found another at a car wash. His sister's boyfriend encouraged him to apply for a job at Pacific Title and Art, which produced title cards for motion pictures. While working there, Hanna's talent for drawing became evident, and in 1930 he joined the Harman and Ising animation studio, which had created the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series. Despite a lack of formal training, Hanna soon became head of their ink and paint department. Besides inking and painting, Hanna also wrote songs and lyrics. For the first several years of Hanna's employment, the studio partnered with Pacific Title and Art's Leon Schlesinger, who released the Harman-Ising output through Warner Bros. When Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising chose to break with Schlesinger and begin producing cartoons independently for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1933, Hanna was one of the employees who followed them.


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna was given the opportunity to direct his first cartoon in 1936; the result was "To Spring", part of the Harman-Ising "Happy Harmonies" series. The following year, MGM decided to terminate their partnership with Harman-Ising and bring production in-house. Hanna was among the first people MGM hired away from Harman-Ising to their new cartoon studio. During 1938–1939, he served as a senior director on MGM's "Captain and the Kids" series, based upon the comic strip of the same name (an alternate version of the "Katzenjammer Kids" that had resulted from a 1914 lawsuit). The series did not do well; consequently, Hanna was demoted to a story man and the series was canceled. Hanna's desk at MGM was opposite that of Joseph Barbera, who had previously worked at Terrytoons. The two quickly realized they would make a good team. By 1939 they had solidified a partnership that would last over 60 years. Hanna and Barbera worked alongside animation director Tex Avery, who had created Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny for Warner Bros. and directed "Droopy" cartoons at MGM.


title: William Hanna

text: In 1940, Hanna and Barbera jointly directed "Puss Gets the Boot", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best (Cartoon) Short Subject. The studio wanted a diversified cartoon portfolio, so despite the success of "Puss Gets the Boot", Hanna and Barbera's supervisor, Fred Quimby, did not want to produce more cat and mouse cartoons. Surprised by the success of "Puss Gets the Boot", Hanna and Barbera ignored Quimby's resistance and continued developing the cat-and-mouse theme. By this time, however, Hanna wanted to return to working for Ising, to whom he felt very loyal. Hanna and Barbera met with Quimby, who discovered that although Ising had taken sole credit for producing "Puss Gets the Boot", he never actually worked on it. Quimby, who had wanted to start a new animation unit independent of Ising, then gave Hanna and Barbera permission to pursue their cat-and-mouse idea. The result was their most famous creation, "Tom and Jerry".


title: William Hanna

text: Modeled after the "Puss Gets the Boot" characters with slight differences, the series followed Jerry, the rodent who continually outwitted his feline foe, Tom. Hanna said they settled on the cat and mouse theme for this cartoon because: "We knew we needed two characters. We thought we needed conflict, and chase and action. And a cat after a mouse seemed like a good, basic thought." The revamped characters first appeared in 1941's "The Midnight Snack". Over the next 17 years Hanna and Barbera worked almost exclusively on "Tom and Jerry", directing more than 114 highly popular cartoon shorts. During World War II they also made animated training films. "Tom and Jerry" relied mostly on motion instead of dialog. Despite its popularity, "Tom and Jerry" has often been criticized as excessively violent. Nonetheless, the series won its first Academy Award for the 11th short, "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" (1943)—a war-time adventure. "Tom and Jerry" was ultimately nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning 7. No other character-based theatrical animated series has won more awards, nor has any other series featuring the same characters. Tom and Jerry also made guest appearances in several of MGM's live-action films, including "Anchors Aweigh" (1945) and "Invitation to the Dance" (1956) with Gene Kelly, and "Dangerous When Wet" (1953) with Esther Williams.


title: William Hanna

text: Quimby accepted each Academy Award for "Tom and Jerry" without inviting Hanna and Barbera onstage. The cartoons were also released with Quimby listed as the sole producer, following the same practice for which he had condemned Ising. When Quimby retired in late 1955, Hanna and Barbera were placed in charge of MGM's animation division. As the studio began to lose more revenue due to television, MGM soon realized that re-releasing old cartoons was far more profitable than producing new ones. In 1957, MGM ordered Hanna and Barbera's business manager to close the cartoon division and lay off everyone by a phone call. Hanna and Barbera found the no-notice closure puzzling because "Tom and Jerry" had been so successful.


title: William Hanna

text: During his last year at MGM, Hanna branched out into television, forming the short-lived company Shield Productions with fellow animator Jay Ward, who had created the series "Crusader Rabbit". Their partnership soon ended, and in 1957 Hanna reteamed with Joseph Barbera to produce cartoons for television and theatrical release. The two brought different skills to the company; Barbera was a skilled gag writer and sketch artist, while Hanna had a gift for timing, story construction, and recruiting top artists. Major business decisions would be made together, though each year the title of president alternated between them. A coin toss determined that Hanna would have precedence in the naming of the new company, first called H-B Enterprises but soon changed to Hanna-Barbera Productions. Barbera and Hanna's MGM colleague George Sidney, the director of "Anchors Aweigh", became the third partner and business manager in the company, and arranged a deal for distribution and working capital with , the television division of Columbia Pictures, who took part ownership of the new studio.


title: William Hanna

text: The first offering from the new company was "The Ruff & Reddy Show", a series which detailed the friendship between a dog and cat. Despite a lukewarm response for their first theatrical venture, "Loopy De Loop", Hanna-Barbera soon established themselves with two successful television series: "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show". A 1960 survey showed that half of the viewers of "Huckleberry Hound" were adults. This prompted the company to create a new animated series, "The Flintstones". A parody of "The Honeymooners", the new show followed a typical Stone Age family with home appliances, talking animals, and celebrity guests. With an audience of both children and adults, "The Flintstones" became the first animated prime-time show to be a hit. Fred Flintstone's signature exclamation ""yabba dabba doo"" soon entered everyday usage, and the show boosted the studio to the top of the TV cartoon field. The company later produced a space-age version of "The Flintstones", known as "The Jetsons". Although both shows reappeared in the 1970s and 1980s, "The Flintstones" was far more popular.


title: William Hanna

text: By the late 1960s, Hanna-Barbera Productions was the most successful television animation studio in the business. The Hanna-Barbera studio produced over 3,000 animated half-hour television shows. Among the more than 100 cartoon series and specials they produced were: "Atom Ant", "Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy" (an imitation of the earlier "Spike and Tyke" MGM cartoons), "Jonny Quest", "Josie and the Pussycats", "Magilla Gorilla", "Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks", "Quick Draw McGraw", and "Top Cat". "Top Cat" was based on Phil Silvers's character Sgt. Bilko, though it has been erroneously reported that Sgt. Bilko was the basis for Yogi Bear. The Hanna-Barbera studio also produced "Scooby-Doo" (1969–91) and "The Smurfs" (1981–89). The company also produced animated specials based on Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cyrano de Bergerac, as well as the feature-length film "Charlotte's Web" (1973).


title: William Hanna

text: As popular as their cartoons were with 1960s audiences, they were disliked by artists. Television programs had lower budgets than theatrical animation, and this economic reality caused many animation studios to go out of business in the 1950s and 1960s, putting many people in the industry out of work. Hanna-Barbera was key in the development of limited animation, which allowed television animation to be more cost-effective, but also reduced quality. Hanna and Barbera had first experimented with these techniques in the early days of "Tom and Jerry". To reduce the cost of each episode, shows often focused more on character dialogue than detailed animation. The number of drawings for a seven-minute cartoon decreased from 14,000 to nearly 2,000, and the company implemented innovative techniques such as rapid background changes to improve viewing. Reviewers criticized the change from vivid, detailed animation to repetitive movements by two-dimensional characters. Barbera once said that their choice was to adapt to the television budgets or change careers. The new style did not limit the success of their animated shows, enabling Hanna–Barbera to stay in business, providing employment to many who would otherwise have been out of work. Limited animation became the standard for television animation, and continues to be used today in television programs such as "The Simpsons" and "South Park".


title: William Hanna

text: In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting (renamed Great American Communications in 1987) for $12 million. Hanna and Barbera remained at the head of the company until 1991. At that point, the company was sold to the Turner Broadcasting System for an estimated , which itself merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., in 1996. This began a close association with the Cartoon Network. Hanna and Barbera continued to advise their former company and periodically worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows, including "The Cartoon Cartoon Show" series and hit silver screen versions of "The Flintstones" (1994) and "Scooby-Doo" (2002).


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna died of esophageal cancer at his home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on March 22, 2001, at the age of 90. After his death, Cartoon Network aired a 20-second segment with black dots tracing Hanna's portrait with the words "We'll miss you – Cartoon Network" fading in on the right-hand side. This same type of tribute happened for Chuck Jones in 2002 and Hanna's partner, Joseph Barbera in 2006, when each of them died. However, Barbera, unlike the other two, had an audio clip of his voice playing in his Cartoon Network promotional tribute. Hanna is buried at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California.


title: William Hanna

text: Most of the cartoons Hanna and Barbera created revolved around close friendship or partnership; this theme is evident with Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, Ruff and Reddy, "The Jetsons" family, and the friends in "Scooby-Doo". These may have been a reflection of the close business friendship and partnership that Hanna and Barbera shared for almost 60 years. Professionally, they balanced each other's strengths and weaknesses very well, but Hanna and Barbera traveled in completely different social circles. Hanna's personal friends primarily included other animators; Barbera tended to socialize with Hollywood celebrities. Their division of work roles complemented each other but they rarely talked outside of work since Hanna was interested in the outdoors and Barbera liked beaches, good food and drink. Nevertheless, in their long partnership, in which they worked with over 2,000 animated characters, Hanna and Barbera rarely exchanged a cross word. Barbera said: "We understood each other perfectly, and each of us had deep respect for the other's work."


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna is considered one of the all-time great animators and on a par with Tex Avery. Hanna and Barbera were among the most successful animators on the cinema screen and successfully adapted to the change television brought to the industry. Leonard Maltin says the Hanna–Barbera team "[may] hold a record for producing consistently superior cartoons using the same characters year after year—without a break or change in routine. Their characters are not only animated superstars, but also a very beloved part of American pop culture". They are often considered as Walt Disney's only rivals as cartoonists.


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna and Barbera had a lasting impact on television animation. Cartoons they created often make "greatest" lists. Many of their characters have appeared in film, books, toys, and other media. During the 1960s their TV shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people and have since been translated into more than 20 languages. The works of Hanna and Barbera also have been recognized for their music, such as "The Cat Concerto" (1946) and "Johann Mouse" (1952), called "masterpieces of animation" in part due to their use of classical music.


title: William Hanna

text: In all, the Hanna–Barbera team won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards, including the 1960 award for "The Huckleberry Hound Show", which was the first Emmy awarded to an animated series. They also won these awards: Golden Globe for Television Achievement (1960), Golden IKE Award—Pacific Pioneers in Broadcasting (1983), Pioneer Award—Broadcast Music Incorporated (1987), Iris Award—NATPE Men of the Year (1988), Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association Award for Lifetime Achievement (1988), Governors Award of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (1988), Jackie Coogan Award for Outstanding Contribution to Youth through Entertainment Youth in Film (1988), Frederic W. Ziv Award for Outstanding Achievement in Telecommunications—Broadcasting Division College—Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati (1989), stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1976), several Annie Awards, several environmental awards, and were recipients of numerous other accolades prior to their induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1994. In March 2005 the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Warner Bros. Animation dedicated a wall sculpture at the Television Academy's Hall of Fame Plaza in North Hollywood to Hanna and Barbera.


title: William Hanna

text: Hanna's audio of Tom Cat's screams and various vocal effects he provided for the cat and mouse from the original "Tom and Jerry" cartoons over at MGM back in the 1940s and 1950s were reused in the 2006 direct-to-video film, "", "Tom and Jerry Tales" (2006-2008 TV series, several season 1 episodes), "The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)", "Tom & Jerry (2021 film)", "Tom and Jerry Special Shorts (2021 series)", "Tom and Jerry in New York (2021 series)", the upcoming educational TV series, "Tom and Jerry Time (previously known as Tom and Jerry Junior) (2022 series)", the recent direct-to-video film, " (2022 film)", the upcoming Holiday direct-to-video film, "" (2022 film) and the upcoming video game, "MultiVersus" (2022 video game). Outside of Tom and Jerry, his screams were modified for the Critters in Critters 2 and Critters 3, it also was used in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only and for the caveman in the game "Prehistorik Man".


title: Marc Gasol

text: Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, and won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.


title: Marc Gasol

text: Gasol was drafted 48th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA draft. After having his rights traded to Memphis in February 2008 in a deal that sent his older brother Pau Gasol to the Lakers, he signed with the Grizzlies and remained with the franchise until being traded to Toronto in 2019. He rejoined the Lakers in 2020 for one season.


title: Marc Gasol

text: Gasol has been a regular member of the Spain national team since 2006. He has won two Olympic silver medals and two FIBA Basketball World Cup titles. In the EuroBasket, he has won two titles, a silver medal, and two bronze medals.


title: Marc Gasol

text: Gasol was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. In 2001, he moved as a teenager with his parents to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee, after his older brother Pau joined the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol played high school basketball at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis. Nicknamed "The Big Burrito," he was named Division 2's Mr. Basketball in 2003 following a senior season in which he averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game. In 2008, Lausanne retired Gasol's number 33 jersey.


title: Marc Gasol

text: After graduating from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB for FC Barcelona.


title: Marc Gasol

text: After three seasons with Barcelona, Gasol signed with Girona in 2006. In 2008, he was named the ACB Most Valuable Player.


title: Marc Gasol

text: Gasol was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. On February 1, 2008, his draft rights were traded by the Lakers to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a trade package that included his older brother, Pau, who was sent from the Grizzlies to the Lakers. On July 9, 2008, he signed with the Grizzlies. He set a franchise rookie record for field goal percentage in a season with 53 percent. The previous record was held by Pau with 51.8 percent in 2001–02. He subsequently earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. After averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds as a rookie, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2009–10 with a career-best .581 field goal percentage.


title: Marc Gasol

text: The 2010–11 season saw Gasol average 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, a career-high 2.5 assists and 1.68 blocks in 81 games (all starts). He then posted 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.15 blocks in helping lead the Grizzlies through a 13-game run in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Memphis, which had never even won a playoff game before 2011, defeated the Western Conference's top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the opening round, then went to a deciding seventh game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gasol led the Grizzlies in field goal accuracy and blocked shots in each of his first three NBA seasons.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On December 14, 2011, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies to a four-year, $58 million contract. On January 23, 2012, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 16–22. On February 9, 2012, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time, earning a place on the Western Conference roster as a reserve for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.


title: Marc Gasol

text: In 2012–13, Gasol was one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks (1.7 bpg) and 1.0 steals (1.0 spg). He led a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 points per game during the regular season. His +5.4 score differential ranked second among NBA centers; additionally, Memphis enjoyed a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was on the court compared with -3.9 when he was on the bench. In April 2013, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Grizzlies history to earn the honour, the first Spanish man to win, and the first European to win. ESPN lauded the Grizzlies' ability to force turnovers with Gasol on the court anchoring the defense. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team. Despite winning Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team due to a different voting system.


title: Marc Gasol

text: In 2013–14, Gasol played a career-low 59 games. A left MCL sprain suffered on November 22 against the San Antonio Spurs sidelined him for 23 games from November 25 to January 12.


title: Marc Gasol

text: The 2014–15 season saw Gasol earn his second NBA All-Star selection, earning his first All-Star start, and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time. He averaged a career-best 17.4 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the 55-win Grizzlies. He scored 30-plus points five times after doing so just once in his first six seasons. He set career-highs in field goals made and attempted, as well as free throws made and attempted. He was the only player in the league with at least 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, and 300 assists.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On July 13, 2015, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies on a five-year maximum contract worth an estimated $110 million. On November 20, he recorded his first career triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 96–84 win over the Houston Rockets, marking the first triple-double for Memphis since 2007 when his brother Pau recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Gasol set a new career low for games played with 52 after missing the second half of the season with a broken right foot.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On December 5, 2016, Gasol recorded his second career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 110–108 double-overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On December 12, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played December 5–11. It marked his second career Player of the Week award and the ninth time a Grizzlies player has won the weekly accolade. On January 25, 2017, he scored a career-high 42 points in a 101–99 win over the Toronto Raptors. A day later, he was named an NBA All-Star for the third time in his career. On March 16, 2017, he recorded his third career triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 103–91 win over the Atlanta Hawks.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On December 2, 2017, Gasol passed 10,000 career points with 27 points in a 116–111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 26, 2018, Gasol recorded his fourth career triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 109–100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. In February 2018, Gasol played his 700th career NBA game and made his 689th start, surpassing Mike Conley Jr. for the most games started in franchise history.


title: Marc Gasol

text: In November 2018, Gasol passed Zach Randolph (5,612) to become the Grizzlies' all-time career rebound leader. In December, Gasol made at least one 3-pointer in 13 consecutive games, which tied a career-high. He set a new record in the first game of January, making a 3-pointer in his 14th straight game on January 2 against the Detroit Pistons. The streak ended at 15 games. On January 23, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 118–107 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On February 7, 2019, Gasol was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for C. J. Miles, Jonas Valančiūnas, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round draft pick. He made his debut for the Raptors two days later, recording seven points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench in a 104–99 win over the New York Knicks. Gasol soon stepped into the starting center role in Toronto, and his pass-first offensive approach helped the Raptors become the NBA's top 3-point shooting team over the second half of the season. He helped the Raptors reach the 2019 NBA Finals. In his first ever NBA Finals game, Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a win. After defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games, Marc joins his brother Pau, and his two championships in 2009 and 2010, as the first set of brothers to win NBA titles.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On June 26, 2019, Gasol opted in with the Toronto Raptors by exercising his $25.6 million player option for the 2019–20 season. On November 25, 2019, despite only scoring 3 points, Gasol had his best game of the season with 6 rebounds and 9 assists while holding Joel Embiid scoreless for the first time in his career in a 101–96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On November 24, 2020, Gasol signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 22, he made his Lakers debut, going scoreless while putting up one rebound and one assist in a 116–109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Gasol missed nine games mid-season when he contracted COVID-19. He was moved to the bench after the team acquired Andre Drummond. On April 6, 2021, Gasol had 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks in a Lakers 110–101 win over the Toronto Raptors. He started 42 games during the regular season but missed 20 others. In 19.1 minutes per game, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds while attempting 2.3 three-pointer per game, making 41.0%. In the postseason, the Lakers were up 2–1 in the first round against the Phoenix Suns, before losing three straight games and exiting the playoffs in six games. Trying to stave off elimination, the Lakers moved Gasol back into the starting lineup in Game 6, where he was scoreless but finished with seven assists in 18 minutes. During the offseason, the Lakers signed centers Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On September 10, 2021, Gasol was traded back to the Memphis Grizzlies along with a 2024 second round pick in exchange for the draft rights to Wang Zhelin, saving the Lakers over $10 million in luxury-tax penalties. However, he was waived five days later by the Grizzlies.


title: Marc Gasol

text: On November 25, 2021, Gasol announced that he would play for Bàsquet Girona of the LEB Oro, the club that he founded, until the end of the 2021–22 season. He helped the team get promoted to the Liga ACB for the first time, after Girona beat Estudiantes 66–60 in the final of the promotion playoffs. Gasol added 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in the decisive final game. Over the season, he averaged 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 25 appearances for Girona.


title: Marc Gasol

text: In 2006, Gasol was named to the Spain national team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan as a replacement for NBA-draftee Fran Vázquez. Spain went on to win the gold medal in Japan, as well as at the EuroBasket 2009. He also won silver medals at the EuroBasket 2007, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He won his second world championship title with the Spanish team at the 2019 FIBA World Championship in China.


title: Marc Gasol

text: He also won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2009, and bronze medals at the EuroBasket 2013 and the EuroBasket 2017.


title: Marc Gasol

text: At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Gasol won his second World Cup title. Gasol scored 33 points in the semi-final to defeat Australia. He scored 14 points, had a team-high 7 assists, had 2 steals, and blocked 3 shots in the Final against Argentina. He was named to the World Cup All-Star Team along with teammate Ricky Rubio. Gasol became the second player in history to win an NBA championship and a World Cup in the same year, and the first non-American to win an NBA or WNBA title and either a World Cup or Olympic gold medal in the same year.


title: Marc Gasol

text: After that the Spanish Basketball Team falls before to the United States men's national basketball team for 81–95 in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, Marc and his brother Pau Gasol announced they leave the national basket team ending by part of Marc, 20 years of career defending to their country.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: From the end of February 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in major cities across the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the success of Euromaidan in ousting then-President Viktor Yanukovych. The unrest, supported by Russia in the midst of the Russo-Ukrainian War, has been referred to in Russia as the "Russian Spring" (, ).


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: During its first phase in February–March 2014, the Ukrainian territory of Crimea was invaded and subsequently annexed by Russia following an internationally unrecognized referendum, with the United Nations General Assembly voting in favor of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Concurrently, protests by anti-Maidan and pro-Russian groups took place across other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Local separatists, some directed and financed by the Russian security services, took advantage of the situation and occupied government buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts in early March 2014. The Ukrainian government was able to quickly quell this unrest, and removed the separatists by 10 March.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: In the second phase from April 2014, armed Russian-backed groups seized government buildings across Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, together known as the Donbas, and launched a separatist insurgency in the region. To suppress this insurgency, the Ukrainian government began what it called an "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO), sending in the armed forces to quell the unrest. Unrest in Kharkiv and Odesa oblasts did not escalate into full-scale armed conflict, although dozens of mostly pro-Russian protestors were killed. Order was restored in these regions with the co-operation of the local civil authorities, though pro-Russian disturbances, such as bombings, continued throughout the year.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: After the Orange Revolution in 2004, Russia launched a decade-long effort to restore its political influence in Ukraine, by playing on existing domestic fault lines and undermining the central government.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Despite a crack down on political opposition in 2011-12 including arresting and imprisoning two of the most popular pro-Euro leaders, and a tightening of other freedoms the Rada in early 2013 agreed to actively work toward meeting the requirements as stipulated by European Union, including changing its laws, improving human rights, releasing political prisoner etc to join this union at the earliest opportunity. In repsonse in mid-August 2013 Russia started applying pressure customs regulations on imports from Ukraine such that on 14 August 2013, the Russian Custom Service stopped all goods coming from Ukraine and prompted politicians and sources to view the move as the start of a trade war against Ukraine to prevent Ukraine from signing a trade agreement with the European Union.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Ukraine became gripped by unrest when President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union on 21 November 2013. An organized political movement known as 'Euromaidan' demanded closer ties with the European Union, and the ousting of Yanukovych. This movement was ultimately successful, culminating in the February 2014 revolution, which removed Yanukovych and his government. However, some people in largely Russophone eastern and southern Ukraine, the traditional bases of support for Yanukovych and his Party of the Regions, did not approve of the revolution, and began to protest in favour of closer ties with Russia.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: The attendees of the pro-Russian protests included Russian citizens from across the border who came to support the efforts of pro-Russian activists in Ukraine. Donetsk oblast governor Serhiy Taruta said that rallies in Donetsk included ex-convicts and others who travelled from Crimea. Ukraine's police and border guards denied entry to more than 8,200 Russians between 4 and 25 March. On 27 March, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Andriy Parubiy said that between 500 and 700 Russians were being denied entry daily.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Russia suspected that Ukraine's 2014 unrest had American backing because, they said, former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, overturned IMF reforms tabled by the International Monetary Fund and USAID, and the National Endowment for Democracy fomented the anti government opinion.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: A poll conducted by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from 8–18 February 2014 assessed support for union with Russia throughout Ukraine. It found that, overall, 12% of those polled favoured union with Russia. 68.0% of those from the four regions surveyed agreed that Ukraine should remain independent, with friendly relations maintained between Russia and Ukraine.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: An April 2014 Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll of all of the oblasts of southern and eastern Ukraine other than Crimea (which was already annexed by Russia by that point) found majority opposition to secession from Ukraine and annexation by Russia in all of these oblasts–albeit only slight majority in opposition to this in the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts).


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Opposition to secession from Ukraine and annexation by Russia (the combined percentage for the people opting for the options of "Rather, no" and "Certainly, no, I don't") had these percentages in various southern and eastern Ukrainian oblasts:


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: In an opinion poll conducted from 14 to 26 March by the International Republican Institute, 26–27% of those polled in southern and eastern Ukraine viewed the Euromaidan protests as a coup d'état. Only 5% of respondents in eastern Ukraine felt that Russian-speakers were 'definitely' under pressure or threat. 43% of ethnic Russians ('definitely' or 'rather') supported the decision of the Russian Federation to send its military to protect Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: In the poll, 22% of those in southern Ukraine, and 26% of those in eastern Ukraine, supported the idea of federalization for the country; 69% of southerners and 53% of easterners supported Ukraine remaining as a unitary state; and only 2% of southerners and 4% of easterners supported separatism. 59% of those polled in eastern Ukraine would have liked to join the Russian-led customs union, while only 22% were in favour of joining the European Union. 37% of southerners preferred to join this customs union, while 29% were in favour of joining the EU. 90% of those polled in western Ukraine wanted to enter an economic union with EU, while only 4% favoured the customs union led by Russia. Among all the Ukrainians polled overall, 34% favoured joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, while 44% were against joining it. In eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine, only 14% and 11% of the respondents respectively favour joining NATO, while 67% in eastern Ukraine and 52% in southern Ukraine oppose joining it. 72% of people polled in eastern Ukraine thought that the country was going in the wrong direction, compared with only 36% in western Ukraine.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: A poll conducted by the Institute of Social Research and Policy Analysis analysed the identities of Donetsk inhabitants. While support for separatism was low, just over a third of polled Donetsk inhabitants identified themselves as "citizens of Ukraine". More preferred "Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine" or "residents of Donbas". The same poll determined that 66% of Donetsk residents that were polled supported remaining in a unified Ukraine, while 18.2% supported joining Russia, and 4.7% supported independence. A second poll conducted from 26 to 29 March showed that 77% of residents condemned the takeover of administrative buildings, while 16% supported such actions. Furthermore, 40.8% of Donetsk citizens supported rallies for Ukraine's unity, while 26.5% supported pro-Russian rallies.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: In another research poll conducted 8–16 April by KIIS, a vast majority disapproved of the seizure of administrative buildings by protesters. Over 50% of those polled in southern and eastern Ukraine considered acting President Oleksandr Turchynov to be illegitimate. Most of those polled in southern and eastern Ukraine believed that the disarmament and disbandment of illegal radical groups is crucial to preserving national unity. 19.1% of those polled in southern and eastern Ukraine believed that Ukraine should be an independent state, 45.2% were for an independent state but with decentralization of the power to the regions, but most felt Russia and Ukraine should share open borders without visa restrictions; 8.4% were in favour of Ukraine and Russia uniting into a single state. 15.4% said they favoured secession of their region to join the Russian Federation, and 24.8% favoured Ukraine becoming a federation. Most of those polled said they found nothing attractive about Russia, but those who did, did so for economic, and not cultural reasons. Those polled in southern and eastern Ukraine were generally split on the legitimacy of the present government and parliament, but a majority in all regions agreed that deposed president Viktor Yanukovych was not the legal president of the country. In all regions but the Donbas, pro-Euromaidan oligarch Petro Poroshenko dominated preliminary election polls.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: A comprehensive poll released on 8 May by the Pew Research Centre surveyed opinions in Ukraine and Crimea on the subject of the unrest. The poll was taken after the annexation of Crimea, but prior to the clashes in Odesa on 2 May. 93% of westerners and 70% of easterners polled said that they wanted Ukraine to remain united. Despite international criticism of 16 March referendum on Crimean status, 91% of those Crimeans polled thought that the vote was free and fair, and 88% said that the Ukrainian government should recognize the results.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: During the Euromaidan revolution there were widespread reports that pro-Yanukovych and pro-Russian 'anti-Maidan' protesters were paid for their support. Oleksiy Haran, a political scientist at Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Kyiv has stated that: "People at anti-Maidan stand for money only. The government uses these hirelings to provoke resistance. They won't be sacrificing anything". Russian leader of the extremist Eurasian Youth Union Oleg Bakhtiyarov was arrested for, in part, recruiting rioters for 500 US dollars each to assist in the storming of government buildings. On 13 April, the Internal Affairs Ministry stated that recruiters were found to be paying 500 US dollars to take part in the attacks, and roughly 40 US dollars to occupy buildings.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Reports of paid protesters were supported by Party of Regions member Volodymyr Landik, the First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema, journalist Serhiy Leshchenko, and a report released by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Russian and Ukrainian sources differed greatly in the way they portrayed the demonstrators. Militants who took over government buildings in Donetsk Oblast were consistently labeled as "separatists" and "terrorists" by the Ukrainian government and the western media, whilst Russian media and officials referred to as "supporters of federalization". Russian media and the militants themselves referred to the Ukrainian transitional government in Kyiv as the "Bandera junta", referencing the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, and also as "fascist", and "nationalist". In the Ukrainian media, "Colorado beetle" () was used as a derogatory word for the pro-Russian demonstrators and militants, in reference to the Ribbon of St George they wore. Starting in the Russian media, the wave of unrest came to be referred to as the "Russian Spring", a reference to both the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Arab Spring of 2010–2011.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Following the removal of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February 2014, various protests and counter-protests were held in Crimea, including by anti-Maidan Russian nationalists who sought the peninsula's annexation by Russia and by Crimean Tatars who supported Ukrainian unity, leading to a crisis in the region.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Beginning on 26 February, unidentified militants, subsequently confirmed to be Russian troops by Vladimir Putin, began to gradually take control of the Crimean Peninsula. During this time, the question of joining the Russian Federation was put to a referendum, which had an official turnout of 83 per cent and resulted in a 96% affirmative vote but has been condemned by European Union, American, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar officials as a violation of the Ukrainian constitution and international law. On 17 March, the Crimean Parliament declared independence from Ukraine and asked to join the Russian Federation. On 18 March, Russia and Crimea signed a treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation. On 21 March, the accession treaty was ratified and the establishment of two new constituent entities in the Russian Federation was marked by a 30 gun salute under an executive order of the Russian President. The U.N. General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution that declared that the referendum was invalid, and the incorporation of Crimea into Russia was illegal.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Around 3,000 people had fled Crimea by April 1, and 80% of them were Crimean Tatars. Teams from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and Chernivtsi Oblast assisted internally displaced persons who have resettled in western Ukraine from Crimea. Numbers of refugees, primarily Crimean Tatars, continued to rise, and by 20 May the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that about 10,000 people had been displaced.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Pro-Russian protesters occupied the Donetsk regional state administration (RSA) building from 1 to 6 March, before being removed by the Security Service of Ukraine.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: 13 March was marked by violent clashes between pro-Maidan and anti-Maidan protesters in Donetsk. A large group of anti-Maidan protesters broke through a police cordon and began to attack a smaller pro-Maidan demonstration. In interviews with OSCE monitors, bystanders described how a group of around thirty pro-Maidan protesters "were forced to seek shelter in a police bus that became surrounded by anti-Maidan attackers". The windows of the bus "were smashed, and irritant gas was dispersed inside, forcing the group to exit the bus, where they were then subjected to beatings and verbal abuse". A pro-Ukrainian protester was stabbed to death during the violence. A report by the OSCE said that "police forces" failed "to take adequate measure to protect the pro-Maidan assembly", and "could be observed treating the anti-Maidan protesters in a favourable manner". After this day of violence, interviewees told the OSCE that residents of Donetsk had decided not to organize more peaceful pro-Maidan demonstrations, "out of fear for their safety".


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: On Sunday, 6 April, pro-Russian protesters held a rally in Donetsk pushing for a referendum on independence. A group of 1,000 protestors broke away from the crowd and stormed the RSA building, with the police offering little resistance. They then occupied the building and raised the Russian flag over it while the people outside chanted "Russia, Russia". 100 people proceeded to barricade themselves in the building.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: The separatists declared that if an extraordinary session was not held by officials, announcing a referendum to join Russia, they would declare unilateral control by forming a "People's Mandate" at noon on 7 April, and dismiss all elected council members and MPs. The people who voted within the RSA were not elected to the positions they assumed. According to the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia, the declaration was voted on by some regional legislators, however other reports say that neither the Donetsk city administration nor local district councils in city neighbourhoods delegated any representatives to the session. According to the Ukrainian government, the seizure of RSA buildings by pro-Russian forces was part of "a script" which was "written in the Russian Federation" to destabilize Ukraine, carried out by "about 1,500 radicals in each region who spoke with clear Russian accents".


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: On 6 April, the leaders of the separatist group Donetsk Republic announced that a referendum, on whether Donetsk Oblast should "join the Russian Federation", would take place "no later than 11 May 2014." Additionally, the group's leaders have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to send Russian peacekeeping forces to the region. The group has been banned in Ukraine since 2007. The group's leader, Andrei Purgin, had been arrested weeks prior on charges of separatism. The political leader of the state was the self-declared People's Governor Pavel Gubarev, a former member of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, who was also under arrest on charges of separatism.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: In response to these actions, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov vowed to launch a major counter-terrorism operation against separatist movements in the country's eastern regions. Later that day, the SBU office in Donetsk was retaken by SBU Alpha Group. The Ukrainian special forces unit led by the Ukrainian vice prime minister for law enforcement, Vitaliy Yarema, that was supposed to restore control over the Donetsk RSA building, however, refused to storm it and remove the separatists. Turchynov offered amnesty to the separatists if they laid down their arms and surrendered, and also offered concessions that included devolution of power to regions, and the protection of the Russian language in law. Many in Donetsk expressed disapproval toward the actions of the separatists.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: On 12 April, a group of masked militants, formed in Crimea and led by former officer of Russian security services Igor Girkin, captured the executive committee building, the police department and SBU office in Sloviansk, a city in the northern part of the Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov labelled the gunmen "terrorists", and swore to use the Ukrainian special forces to retake the building.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Seizures of police stations and other government buildings by armed separatist groups also occurred in other cities in Donetsk Oblast, including Donetsk City proper, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Horlivka, Mariupol and Yenakiieve. Ukrainian transitional president Oleksandr Turchynov launched a full-scale 'anti-terror' military operation to reclaim the buildings.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Vitaly Yarema said that Russian Special Forces units, including the 45th Parachute Guards Regiment usually stationed near Moscow, were operating on Ukrainian territory in the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. On 16 April, the number of Russian special forces troops was said to be 450.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: By 16 April, the 'anti-terror' operation being conducted by the Ukrainian government in Donetsk Oblast had hit some stumbling blocks. Protesters seized Ukrainian armoured vehicles in Kramatorsk, and sent soldiers away in Sloviansk. During the night of 16 April, about 300 pro-Russian protesters attacked a Ukrainian military unit in Mariupol, throwing petrol bombs. Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov said that troops were forced to open fire, resulting in the killing of three of the attackers.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: The Geneva Statement of 17 April did not result in the end of the government building occupations in Donetsk Oblast. Two pro-Russian groups in Mariupol said that they 'felt betrayed' by the action taken in Geneva. A truce declared for Easter Sunday was broken by an attack upon a separatist checkpoint in Sloviansk, further inflaming tensions.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: The situation remained tense on 23 April, with occupation of government buildings ongoing throughout the region. OSCE monitors observed that the city administration building, SBU building, and police station in Sloviansk remained heavily fortified by armed groups of men with masks and automatic weapons. The city remained quiet, with no protests occurring. However, the monitors believed that the city remained under heavy surveillance, both by people in uniforms and masks, but also by many persons in civilian clothing. One resident said that people in Sloviansk were afraid to discuss their opinions of the occupiers.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: On 24 April, Ukrainian forces made a series of 'probing attacks' into Sloviansk against the insurgents. The self-proclaimed separatist mayor of the city, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, declared in response that 'We will make Stalingrad out of this town'. The Ukrainian government then stated on 25 April that it would 'fully blockade the city of Sloviansk', and continue with the 'anti-terror' operation. Amid the increasing tensions, separatists in Sloviansk detained seven international monitors on an OSCE military verification mission in Ukraine, who had been travelling into the city on a bus, along with the bus driver and five accompanying Ukrainian soldiers. The journalists were being held at the occupied SBU building. Access to the city remained unrestricted despite the supposed Ukrainian army blockade, with separatist barricades manned by fewer people then on previous days. Local residents said that the separatist administration in Sloviansk provided no administrative services to citizens.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Leaflets released by the Donetsk People's Republic were distributed on 26 April, notifying citizens of a referendum on the question of whether or not they supported the proclamation of "state sovereignty" by the Republic to be held on 11 May. In the morning on the next day, two members of the OSCE special monitoring mission were held by a group of unarmed men from the Donbas People's Militia in Yenakiieve. They were taken to the occupied city hall, questioned, and then released after a letter sent by the mission's office in Kyiv confirmed the credentials of the monitors. A large pro-government rally in Donetsk city marched in protest against the violence in Donetsk Oblast, and the attempted assassination of Kharkiv mayor Hennadiy Kernes on 28 April. The rally was swiftly and violently broken up by separatists armed with baseball bats, iron rods, firecrackers and shields.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: A new counter-offensive by government forces on Sloviansk during the early morning of 2 May resulted in the downing of two government helicopters, and casualties on both sides. As a result, Ukrainian forces gained control of all separatist checkpoints, and of half the city. President Oleksandr Turchynov said that many separatists were "killed, injured and arrested". In the early morning on the next day, the counter-offensive then targeted to Kramatorsk, and . Serious fighting resulted in the recapture of the occupied buildings in Kramatorsk by government forces, and at least ten separatists were said to have been killed in Andriivka.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: All of the international military monitors who had been held in Sloviansk were released by Vyacheslav Ponomaryov on 3 May. On the same day, protesters in the city of Donetsk stormed and occupied the chairman of the regional government's private business office and the SBU building, smashing windows and ransacking files as an act of revenge for the clashes in Odesa.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Kramatorsk was reoccupied by militants on 4 May, and Sloviansk saw renewed fighting on 5 May, resulting in the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers. Fierce fighting took place in Mariupol starting 5 May. Posters plastered on the occupied city administration building read "OSCE get out" or "OSCE you cheat". As part of the counter-offensive, government forces recaptured the building on 7 May, but then left it, allowing the separatists to quickly re-occupy it.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: Occupied buildings in Donetsk had been heavily fortified by 6 May, and Donetsk International Airport was closed to all traffic. The regional television broadcasting centre remained occupied by about thirty camouflaged insurgents with AK-47s. A BTR-70 was parked outside building, along with barricades made of sandbags and tyres. A similar presence was observed at the RSA building.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: On 7 May, Russian president Vladimir Putin asked the separatists to delay the planned 11 May referendum on the status of Donetsk. Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, refused. In response, Ukrainian transitional prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk referred to Putin's words "hot air", and vowed that the counter-offensive in Donetsk would continue.


title: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

text: A large skirmish erupted in Mariupol on 9 May, when government troops launched an attack on a police station in the city, resulting in the killing of at least twenty people. These were described by the Ukrainian government as "militants" and "terrorists", though some local residents said that they were unarmed protestors.