title: The Jam

text: After the Jam split, Weller and Foxton reportedly did not speak to one another for 20 years. However, in June 2006, it was reported that Weller and Foxton met backstage at The Who's Hyde Park concert, and a ten-minute conversation ended with an embrace. Foxton claimed that the two became friends again in 2009 and this led to them collaborating for two tracks on Weller's solo album "Wake Up the Nation" in early 2010. In May 2010, Weller and Foxton appeared together on stage for the first time in 28 years at The Albert Hall in London, performing three songs together. However, Foxton ruled out a Jam reunion.


title: The Jam

text: In 2006, Rick Buckler, who had not been playing for several years after Sharp quit, formed a band named "The Gift" playing material from "The Jam" with musicians Russell Hastings and David Moore. Russell Hastings, who spent many years as a local musician including a couple of years in a Jam tribute band, took on guitar and lead vocal duties. In 2006, Bruce Foxton performed on stage with The Gift at their concerts in Chichester, Brighton and Birmingham, which rekindled rumours of a full or partial reunion of the Jam in 2007, for the 30th anniversary of the band's signing.


title: The Jam

text: Bruce Foxton stayed on as bassist with the Gift, with David Moore moving to second guitar and keyboards. At this point the group changed its name to From the Jam. In a 2007 official press release, Foxton and Buckler announced they were working on a new album and UK tour. The tour sold out in ten days. Weller did not take part, and has publicly expressed his lack of interest in any type of reformation. In a 2006 interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Weller stated a reunion of the Jam would "never, ever happen", and that reformations are "sad". He said: "Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I'd even consider that, and I don't think that'll happen anyway ... The Jam's music still means something to people and a lot of that's because we stopped at the right time, it didn't go on and become embarrassing."


title: The Jam

text: From the Jam toured the UK in late 2007, finishing with a concert at Brighton Centre on 21 December 2007 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Jam's final show. In February 2008, they toured the United States and Canada, selling out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago and New York. In March 2008, they toured Australia and New Zealand – a first for Foxton and Buckler.


title: The Jam

text: A complete concert, recorded at the London Astoria in December 2007, was released on DVD through London-based indie label Invisible Hands Music in November 2008. David Moore left the band in early 2009, releasing an album with Matt Douglass in April the following year on Invisible Hands Music, under the name The Squire Circle. Rick Buckler announced his departure from the band in late 2009.


title: The Jam

text: In 2012, a new album, "Back in the Room", was released under Bruce Foxton's name to generally favourable reviews. The band featured Bruce Foxton (bass/vocals) and Russell Hastings (guitar/vocals) with Mark Brzezicki of Big Country on drums. Released on Bass Tone Records, the album was recorded at Paul Weller's Black Barn studios, with Weller himself appearing on several tracks, including the lead single "Number Six". Other special guests on the album include Steve Cropper (Booker T and the M.G.'s) and Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet). A second single from the album, "Don't Waste My Time", was released on 28 April 2013. The follow-up album, "Smash the Clock", once again recorded at Black Barn studios, featuring Wilko Johnson and other guests, was released on 18 March 2016.


title: The Jam

text: From 26 June 2015, through 31 August 2015, an exhibition entitled "The Jam: About the Young Idea" ran at Somerset House in London, as announced on 13 April 2015. For the very first time, all three members of the band, the Weller family and music archivist Den Davis have opened up their archives, especially for the show. Despite Foxton's reported hopes that the opening would bring all three together on stage for the first time since their 1982 split, Buckler did not attend. "NME" reported at the time that, while Foxton and Weller apparently reconciled no later than 2010, "Weller and Buckler are said to have not been in the same room since their band’s demise." The exhibition proved to be very popular and was extended until 27 September 2015. The exhibition was curated by Tory Turk, Nicky Weller (Paul's sister) and Russell Reader.


title: The Jam

text: In September 2015, "The Jam: About The Young Idea", the documentary film, directed by Bob Smeaton, was broadcast on Sky Arts, and packaged with a live 1980 Rockpalast DVD.


title: The Jam

text: "About The Young Idea" at the Cunard Building in Liverpool was a much larger interactive experience, which picked up on the overwhelming success of the exhibition held at Somerset House. Drummer Rick Buckler was there on 1 July 2016 to open the exhibition, due to run until 25 September, but extended until 6 October due to popular demand.


title: The Jam

text: Curators, Paul Weller's sister Nicky, Den Davies and Russell Reader, drew together a wide range of memorabilia including records, badges, gold discs, stage suits, original instruments, and down to more personal items provided by the band members. A free app allowed visitors to engage with the exhibits by scanning VCodes as well as letting music lovers save five of their favourite exhibits from the show to a mobile device to enjoy in their own time.


title: The Jam

text: "This is the Modern World" opened in Valley Gardens Brighton. Curated by Nicky Weller, it was the biggest ever collection of previously unseen Jam & Style Council memorabilia and ran from 1 August to 29 August 2022.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as "Air Force One", the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: Only two examples of this aircraft type are in service; they are highly modified Boeing 747-200Bs, designated VC-25A and having tail numbers 28000 and 29000. Although technically the "Air Force One" designation applies to the aircraft only while the president is on board, the term is commonly used to refer to the VC-25 in general. The two aircraft often operate in conjunction with "Marine One" helicopters, which ferry the president to airports whenever a vehicle motorcade would be inappropriate. Two new aircraft, designated VC-25B and based on the Boeing 747-8, have been ordered by the USAF to replace the aging VC-25As.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: By 1985, the pair of Boeing 707-based VC-137s used as the presidential aircraft had been in service for 23 and 13 years respectively, and the USAF began searching for an eventual replacement. The Request for Proposal issued stated that the aircraft to be selected should have at least three engines and an unrefueled range of at least . Both Boeing with its 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 were in competition to be selected, with the Boeing entry the eventual winner. The fabrication of the current 747s began during the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981–1989).


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25s were completed in 1986 and first flew in 1987. The interior designs were created by First Lady Nancy Reagan, who used designs reminiscent of the American Southwest. Problems with interior wiring for communication systems delayed delivery of the two aircraft until 1990, during the administration of George H. W. Bush.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25 is capable of flying 7,800 miles (12,600 km)—roughly one-third the distance around the world—without refueling. The VC-25A can accommodate more than 70 passengers. Each VC-25A cost approximately $325 million. While the VC-25 has two main decks and a cargo area, like a regular Boeing 747, its 4,000 square feet (370 m) of floor space has been reconfigured for presidential duties. Its lowest level is mostly cargo space, carrying luggage and the onboard food supply.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The main passenger area is on the second floor or main deck. There are three entrances on board, two on the main and one on the lower deck. Typically the president boards and disembarks from the front, main deck entrance via an airstair, while journalists and other passengers enter at the rear door of the main deck. Facilities for the press and other passengers are configured like an ordinary airliner's first-class cabin.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The front section of the aircraft is informally called the "White House", a reference to the president's official residence in Washington, D.C. The president's executive suite includes sleeping quarters with two couches that can be converted into beds, lavatory and shower, vanity, double sink, and a private office, or the president's "Oval Office aboard Air Force One". If necessary, the president can address the nation from the office. This capability was added after the September 11 attacks, during which the aircraft had to land at Barksdale Air Force Base for President George W. Bush to address the nation. These offices, including the president's suite, are mostly located on the starboard (right) side, and a long corridor runs along the port (left) side. The aircraft also contains a conference room, originally designed as a situation room, but now used for meeting with staff while traveling. This room includes a 50-inch plasma screen television which can be used for teleconferencing. The aircraft has fully equipped office areas with telecommunication systems (including 87 telephones and 19 televisions).


title: Boeing VC-25

text: On board the VC-25 is a medical annex, which includes a fold-out operating table, emergency medical supplies, and a well-stocked pharmacy. George W. Bush had a treadmill added to Air Force One during his term in office. Every flight is staffed by a doctor and nurse. The aircraft is self-sufficient, such as carrying all the food it will need. Meals are prepared in two galleys, which together are equipped to feed up to 100 people at a time. The president gets a personal menu. An area where guests sit is near the center of the aircraft, outside the "White House".


title: Boeing VC-25

text: There are separate quarters for guests, senior staff, Secret Service and security personnel, and the news media located in the aft area of the main deck. Protocol states that one may wander aft of one's assigned seat, but not forward of it. Communications equipment and the cockpit are on the upper deck. There are also secure and non-secure voice, fax and data communications facilities. While the aircraft's luggage capacity is adequate to carry the belongings of the passengers, the logistics train of the president means that the aircraft must fly preceded by an aerial convoy of several cargo transports, which carry the helicopters, motorcade vehicles, and other equipment required by the presidential entourage.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25A replaced the VC-137C (a military version of the Boeing 707) as the mainstay of the "Air Force One" fleet. On some occasions, the VC-25s serve as transport for the US vice president, for which service they use the "Air Force Two" call sign. The VC-25A aircraft are maintained and operated as military operations by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, based at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Maryland.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The aircraft can also be operated as a military command center in the event of an incident such as a nuclear attack. Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability and countermeasures against anti-aircraft missiles. The electronics on board are connected with approximately 238 miles (383 km) of wiring, twice that of a regular 747. All wiring is covered with heavy shielding for protection from a nuclear electromagnetic pulse in the event of a nuclear attack. The aircraft also has electronic countermeasures (ECMs) to jam enemy radar, flares to avoid heat-seeking missiles, and chaff to avoid radar-guided missiles. All small arms and ammunition stores not in the physical possession of the Secret Service on board the VC-25s are stowed and secured by the Secret Service in separate locked compartments, each with a different locking mechanism for added security. Many of the VC-25's other capabilities are classified for security reasons.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: After a presidential inauguration resulting in a change in office, the outgoing president is provided transport on a VC-25 aircraft to their home destination. The aircraft for this flight does not use the Air Force One call sign because it is not carrying the president in office. For both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the flight was known as "Special Air Mission 28000", where the number represents the aircraft's tail number.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25As have also been used to transport deceased former presidents, as the guest area aft of "the White House" has chairs and tables that can be removed and the casket laid in their place. The bodies of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush were transported to Washington for their state funerals, and then on to their final resting places. Colonel Mark Tillman, pilot for President George W. Bush, said, "We'll take care of the president from basically when he's in office to when he lays in state." For the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in 2004, Tillman said that the crew converted the front of the aircraft to look the way it would have appeared when Reagan was president; President and Nancy Reagan's Air Force One jackets were placed on the chairs to "make them feel at home". A specially designed hydraulic lifter (similar to the type used by airline catering) with the presidential seal affixed to the sides lifts the casket up to the portside aft door to enter the VC-25A. The tradition of placing the caskets in the passenger cabin dates back to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, when the crew did not want the president's body placed in the cargo hold, and again during the state funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson. The two VC-25As are slated for retirement by the end of 2025.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25A aircraft are aging and have become less cost-effective to operate. The USAF Air Mobility Command investigated possible replacements, with early press coverage suggesting that the USAF would consider the Boeing 747-8 and the Airbus A380. On 7 January 2009, Air Force Materiel Command issued a new Sources Sought notice for a replacement aircraft to enter service by 2017 with an additional two aircraft to follow in 2019 and 2021. On 28 January 2009, EADS North America representing EADS and its Airbus division confirmed it would not respond to the US Air Force notice, as assembling only three airplanes in the US would not make financial sense. This made Boeing the only aircraft manufacturer interested in supplying the replacement aircraft, and was reported to be exploring a 787 option also. On 28 January 2015, the Air Force announced the selection of the Boeing 747-8 to replace the aging VC-25A for presidential transport.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: On 10 May 2016, the Air Force posted online an amendment to its Air Force One contract authorizing Boeing to begin preliminary design activities. This version of the contract synopsis confirmed that the government will buy two modified 747-8 aircraft. Boeing was awarded a contract in January 2016 to identify cost reduction opportunities in areas including maintenance, aerial refueling and communications. On 15 July 2016, Boeing received another contract for pre-engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) risk-reduction to address "system specification, the environmental control system, the aircraft interior, the electrical and power system and sustainment and maintenance approaches" to reduce development risks and life-cycle costs.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: On 1 August 2017, "Defense One" reported that in an effort to pay less for the replacement program, the USAF entered into a contract to purchase two 747-8 Intercontinentals from Boeing, which had originally been ordered by Transaero, a Russian airline, in 2011. Before they could be delivered, the company filed for bankruptcy and was closed down, with the two aircraft stored at Southern California Logistics Airport in the Mojave desert to prevent corrosion. On 27 February 2018, the White House announced a US$3.9 billion agreement with Boeing to modify the two unsold 747-8s to replace the current VC-25As. The new aircraft will be designated VC-25B. These aircraft are to be retrofitted with telecommunications and security equipment to bring them to the required security level for the presidential aircraft, and are due to be delivered by 2024. Once the new aircraft are delivered, the VC-25As will be retired and placed in museums.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: In June 2019, President Trump announced his plans to revamp the VC-25's livery from the traditional white and ultramarine shades to one of red, white, and blue. This would be the first deviation from the Raymond Loewy livery scheme since it was introduced in 1962 on the VC-137C which was first used as Air Force One during the Kennedy administration. The Biden administration later abandoned the new design, citing "additional engineering, as well as increased time and cost."


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The 747s begun undergoing modification work at the Boeing's San Antonio facility in 2020. According to "The Wall Street Journal", the development process has been hit by multiple "production mishaps", including the discovery of empty tequila mini-bottles on one of the aircraft, and the use of jacks that were not rated to support the weight of the aircraft. While the jacking did not result in damage to the planes, "the Pentagon's contractor-management agency formally requested Boeing improve its operations." While the initial delivery date was set to 2024, the Pentagon expects the jets to be two to three years late.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: In April 2022, Boeing's CEO Dave Calhoun revealed that he expects the company to have a loss of $660 million on the VC-25B program, after the contract was renegotiated by President Trump.


title: Boeing VC-25

text: The VC-25 "Air Force One" is a prominent symbol of the U.S. presidency and its powers; with the White House and presidential seal, it is among the most recognized presidential symbols. Air Force One has often appeared in popular culture and fiction, including the setting of the 1997 action movie "Air Force One" where the aircraft had an escape pod and a parachute ramp, unlike the actual presidential aircraft.


title: CarryMinati

text: Ajey Nagar (; born 12 June 1999), popularly known as CarryMinati, is an Indian YouTuber and streamer from Faridabad, India. He is known for his roasting videos, comedic skits and reactions to various online topics on his channel "CarryMinati". His other channel "CarryisLive" is dedicated to gaming and live streams.


title: CarryMinati

text: In May 2020, his roast video titled "YouTube vs TikTok - The End" caused controversy on YouTube India. The video was removed by YouTube for violations against the platform's terms of service, citing reasons such as cyberbullying and harassment.


title: CarryMinati

text: Ajey Nagar is based in Faridabad, a city near India's national capital New Delhi. Popularly referred to as "CarryMinati", Nagar is mainly involved in creating Hindi-language roasting and comedy videos, diss songs, satirical parodies, apart from live gaming. Nagar and his team produce videos out of his home in Faridabad.


title: CarryMinati

text: Nagar began posting videos on YouTube at the age of 10. His main YouTube channel has been active since 2014. In 2014, the channel's name was "AddictedA1" and Nagar would upload recorded video game footage along with his reactions to the game. In 2015, he changed the channel's name to "CarryDeol", uploading gameplay footage of "" while mimicking Sunny Deol. The channel was subsequently renamed to "CarryMinati". In May 2021, Nagar released a statement saying that the channel had more than 30 million subscribers.


title: CarryMinati

text: In early 2017, Nagar created an additional YouTube channel called "CarryIsLive", where he live-streams himself playing video games. He has hosted live-streams on this channel, raising funds for victims of cyclone Fani in Odisha in 2019, and the flooding in Assam and Bihar in 2020.


title: CarryMinati

text: In 2019, Nagar was listed at the 10th position in the Next Generation Leaders' 2019 by "Time" magazine, which is an annual list of ten young people who construct innovative careers. In April 2020 he was part of "Forbes" 30 Under 30 Asia


title: CarryMinati

text: In May 2020, Nagar published a controversial YouTube video titled "YouTube Vs TikTok–The End", in response to a video shared on Instagram by TikTok user Amir Siddiqui who berated YouTube creators for roasting TikTok users. It was taken down by YouTube citing violations of its terms of service, based on multiple complaints of harassment and cyberbullying. A large number reports had been made by LGBTQ+ activists, on account of homophobic or transphobic abusive language in the video. Many of Nagar's fans were critical of YouTube's actions, and the removal led to several new trending hashtags mentioning his name. As a result, the video received several million views, and there was a concerted effort to review bomb TikTok at Google Play Store. Other fans of Nagar spoke out in favor of YouTube's decision to remove the video. In June 2020, Nagar uploaded the music video "Yalgaar" as a further response, with renewed criticism of Siddiqui.


title: SPECTRE

text: SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) is a fictional organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, as well as the films and video games based on those novels. Led by criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the international organisation first formally appeared in the novel "Thunderball" (1961) and in the film "Dr. No" (1962). SPECTRE is not aligned with any nation or political ideology, enabling the later Bond books and Bond films to be regarded as somewhat apolitical. The presence of former Gestapo members in the organisation though can be considered as a sign of Fleming's warnings about Nazi fugitives after the Second World War, as first detailed in the novel "Moonraker" (1954). In the novels, SPECTRE begins as a small group of criminals but in the films, it is depicted as a vast international organisation with its own SPECTRE Island training base capable of replacing the Soviet SMERSH.


title: SPECTRE

text: In the novels, SPECTRE, is a commercial enterprise led by Blofeld. The top level of the organisation is made up of twenty-one individuals, eighteen of whom handle day-to-day affairs. Members are drawn in groups of three from six of the world's most notorious organisations—the Nazi German Gestapo, the Soviet SMERSH, Yugoslav Marshal Josip Broz Tito's OZNA, the Italian Mafia, the French-Corsican Unione Corse, and KRYSTAL, a massive Turkish heroin-smuggling operation. Coincidentally, the three from KRYSTAL are all formerly of RAHIR, an intelligence agency previously run by Blofeld. The remaining three members are Blofeld himself and two scientific/technical experts who make their debut in the ninth Bond novel, "Thunderball" (1961). When Fleming was writing the novel in 1959, he believed that the Cold War might end during the two years it would take to produce the film, and came to the conclusion that the inclusion of a contemporary political villain would leave the film looking dated. Therefore, he thought it better to create a politically neutral enemy for Bond. Fleming's SPECTRE has elements inspired by mafia syndicates and organised crime rings that were actively hunted by law enforcement in the 1950s. The strict codes of loyalty and silence, and the hard retributions that followed violations, were hallmarks of American gangster rings, the Italian Mafia, the Unione Corse, the Chinese Tongs and Triads, and the Japanese Yakuza and Black Dragon Society. During the events of "Thunderball", SPECTRE successfully hijacked two nuclear warheads for ransom.


title: SPECTRE

text: The organisation is next mentioned in the tenth novel, "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1962), when Bond describes investigating their activities in Toronto before the story begins, though they play no part in the story itself. The organisation's third appearance is in the eleventh novel, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1963) where Blofeld, hired by an unnamed country or party—though the Soviet Union is implied—is executing a plan to ruin British agriculture with biological warfare. Blofeld, with a weakened SPECTRE, would appear for the final time in the twelfth novel, "You Only Live Twice" (1964). By this point, the organisation has largely been shut down, and what remains is focused on maintaining Blofeld's alias as Dr. Guntram von Shatterhand and his compound in Japan.


title: SPECTRE

text: In the films, the organisation often acts as a third party in the ongoing Cold War. Their objectives have ranged from supporting Dr. Julius No in sabotaging American rocket launches, holding the world to ransom, and demanding clemency from governments for their previous crimes. The goal of world domination was only ever stated in "You Only Live Twice" when SPECTRE was working on behalf of an unnamed Asian government. This is strongly implied to be Red China, who earlier backed Auric Goldfinger in the film of the same name.


title: SPECTRE

text: Its long-term strategy, however, is illustrated by the analogy of the three Siamese fighting fish Blofeld keeps in an aquarium aboard SPECTRE's yacht in the film version of "From Russia with Love". Blofeld notes that one fish is refraining from fighting two others until their fight is concluded. Then, that cunning fish attacks the weakened victor and kills it easily. Thus SPECTRE's main strategy is to instigate conflict between two powerful enemies, namely the superpowers, hoping that they will exhaust themselves and be vulnerable when it seizes power. SPECTRE thus works with, and against, both sides of the Cold War. For example, in the film "Thunderball", it simultaneously blackmails a Japanese double agent, distributes Red Chinese narcotics in the United States, kills a defector to the USSR on behalf of the French Foreign Ministry, and threatens NATO with stolen nuclear weapons, while continuing ordinary criminal operations such as advising on the British Great Train Robbery.


title: SPECTRE

text: In both the film and the novel "Thunderball", the physical headquarters of the organisation are in Paris, operating behind a front organisation aiding refugees named "Firco" ("Fraternité Internationale de la Résistance Contre l’Oppression") in the novels and "International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons" in the films). Organisational discipline is notoriously draconian, with the penalty for disobedience or failure being death. To heighten the impact of executions, Blofeld had been known to focus attention on an innocent member, making it appear his death is imminent, only to suddenly strike down the actual target when that person is off guard.


title: SPECTRE

text: SPECTRE is headed by the criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld who usually appears accompanied by a Chinchilla Silver Persian cat in the films, but not in the books. In both the films and the novels, Emilio Largo is the second in command. It is stated in the novel that if something were to happen to Blofeld, Largo would assume command. Largo appears in the 1961 novel "Thunderball", the 1965 film version and its 1983 remake, "Never Say Never Again", where he is renamed Maximilian Largo and is said to be Romanian rather than Italian.


title: SPECTRE

text: The SPECTRE cabinet had a total of twenty-one members. Blofeld was the chairman and leader because he founded the organisation and Largo was elected by the cabinet to be second in command. A physicist named Kotze (who later defected) and an electronics expert named Maslov were also included in the group for their expertise on scientific and technical matters.


title: SPECTRE

text: Members are typically referred to by number rather than by name. In the novels, the numbers were initially assigned at random and then rotated up by two digits on a once-a-month basis to prevent detection; for example, if a SPECTRE operative is titled 'Number 1' in the present month, the security system will designate them 'Number 3' in the next month, 'Number 5' in the following month and so forth. However, in the EON films the number indicates rank within the organisation: Blofeld is always referred to as 'Number 1' and Emilio Largo, in "Thunderball", is 'Number 2'. This particular example of numbering is perhaps deliberately borrowed from revolutionary organisations, where members exist in cells, and are numerically defined to prevent identification and cross-betrayal of aims. By deliberately drawing attention away from the true leader of the organisation, he is protected by masquerading as a target of lower importance, and the structure of the organisation is also obscured from intelligence services.


title: SPECTRE

text: Members who fail missions are immediately executed, usually in gory and spectacular ways. In the novel, Blofeld electrocutes one member in his chair for sexually molesting a girl who had been kidnapped by the organization; he had previously strangled a second to death with a garrote and shot a third through the heart with a compressed-air pistol. In the film, Number 9 is electrocuted for embezzlement at the "Thunderball" meeting where he and Number 11 report on the proceeds from a narcotics-related operation; the execution terrifies other high-ranking SPECTRE agents. The merciless killing of assistant Helga Brandt in "You Only Live Twice", for failing to kill James Bond, similarly horrifies visiting Red Chinese agents; she is thrown into Blofeld's Piranha pool and dies in terror as she gets eaten. Previously, in "From Russia with Love," Kronsteen was killed with a poisoned shoe knife in front of Rose Klebb to motivate Klebb to complete her mission with no further delays. As an added layer of terror, Blofeld prefers to threaten an "innocent" operative only to execute his true victim at the last possible moment, making the execution even more terrifying to witnesses and emphasizing his demands for loyalty and efficiency.


title: SPECTRE

text: In the original Bond novel series, SPECTRE's first and last appearance as a worldwide power is in the novel "Thunderball". In it, SPECTRE attempts to conduct nuclear blackmail against NATO. Apparently disbanded afterwards, SPECTRE is said to be active again in the next book, "The Spy Who Loved Me", although the organisation is not involved in the plot. In "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", the second chapter of what is known as the "Blofeld Trilogy", Blofeld has revived SPECTRE where he attempts to carry out biological warfare against the United Kingdom. Blofeld's final appearance is in "You Only Live Twice", where SPECTRE has largely disbanded.


title: SPECTRE

text: Later, the John Gardner Bond novel, "For Special Services" introduces a revived SPECTRE led by Blofeld's daughter, Nena Bismaquer. Although Bond ultimately prevents SPECTRE from reforming, the organization continues under the leadership of Tamil Rahani to play a part in "Role of Honour" and "Nobody Lives for Ever". The next Bond novelist, Raymond Benson, reintroduces Irma Bunt, Blofeld's assistant, in his short story "Blast From the Past", which is a sequel to "You Only Live Twice".


title: SPECTRE

text: In the EON Productions's James Bond series, which began in 1962 with "Dr. No", SPECTRE plays a more prominent role. The organisation is mentioned as being affiliated with Dr. No, although the main organisation in the movie is No's personal army. In the novel, Dr. No worked for the USSR. In the films, SPECTRE usually replaced SMERSH as the main villain, although there is a brief reference to SMERSH in the second EON Bond film, "From Russia with Love" (1963). The film adaptation of "From Russia with Love" also features the first on-screen appearance of Blofeld, although he is only identified by name in the closing credits of the film and his face is not seen at all. SPECTRE also serves as the primary antagonist of the film, orchestrating a plan to humiliate and kill James Bond as revenge for the death of Dr. No.


title: SPECTRE

text: After being absent from the third film, "Goldfinger" (1964), SPECTRE returns in the fourth film, "Thunderball" (1965), which closely mirrors the events of the novel, and subsequently is featured in the following films. During the events of the fifth film, "You Only Live Twice" (1967), they attempt to incite a war between the United States and Soviet Union. In film number six, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969), Blofeld develops a biological warfare program and plans to demand clemency and recognition of a claimed title of nobility. SPECTRE's final appearance is in the seventh film, "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), where they attempt to forcibly disarm the Cold War powers. SPECTRE was dismantled for good after "Diamonds Are Forever". Following "Diamonds Are Forever", SPECTRE and Blofeld were retired from the EON Films series, except for a cameo by a character implied to be Blofeld in "For Your Eyes Only" (1981) in which said character is killed. Partly owing to a copyright dispute between rival Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Kevin McClory, the character is never referred to by name and is credited as "Wheelchair Villain", though the closed captions for the film later refer to him as Blofeld.


title: SPECTRE

text: The organisation returns in the rebooted Daniel Craig series of Bond films, which are set in an entirely separate universe to the earlier movies. In the 2015 film "Spectre", the eponymous committee is simply referred to by that title. In the film, Bond is posthumously sent by Judi Dench's M to assassinate Marco Sciarra, which in turn leads him on the trail of the organisation. It is revealed throughout the course of the film that SPECTRE, and in turn Ernst Stavro Blofeld, have been the power behind the previous Craig villains; the Quantum organisation from "Casino Royale" and 2008's "Quantum of Solace" is revealed to be a subsidiary of SPECTRE, while Raoul Silva from "Skyfall" is shown to be affiliated with the organisation as well. In addition to Silva, Le Chiffre, Mr. White, and Dominic Greene are all revealed to have a direct connection to SPECTRE.


title: SPECTRE

text: Using SPECTRE, Blofeld attempts to gain control of a global surveillance program called Nine Eyes. Bond, M, and Q manage to stop them and Blofeld is captured by MI6 and sent to prison for his crimes. It's revealed Bond was adopted by Blofeld's father after Bond was orphaned at a young age, making Blofeld resent him as he believed he was stealing his family's love and replacing him. After killing his father, Blofeld faked his death and went into hiding, helping build the SPECTRE organization that would extend into crime and political manipulation to fuel his desire to become better than Bond, even taking credit in helping destroy his life before and during the films, though how much of this is true is unknown.


title: SPECTRE

text: This iteration of SPECTRE, returns in the 2021 film "No Time to Die", where they remain at large despite Blofeld's imprisonment and attempt to assassinate James Bond in Matera. Five years later, the organization kidnaps Russian-turned-MI6 scientist Valdo Obruchev and the nanobot-bioweapon codenamed "Project Heracles", a superweapon meant to kill targets through their DNA by physical interaction of those infected with the nanobots. Every high- and mid-level ranking SPECTRE member meets in Cuba, and it is revealed that Blofeld is still in control of the organization by a mechanical eye, despite being imprisoned in Britain. James Bond sneaks in to the meeting and is ordered to be killed by the nanobots by Blofeld, but Obruchev secretly had the DNA changed from Bond to every SPECTRE member and anyone related to them, killing every SPECTRE member at the meeting. The main antagonist of the film, Lyutsifer Safin, is a victim of SPECTRE who seeks revenge against the organization after they brought about the death of his family, who served SPECTRE as poison specialists. As the bioweapon kills SPECTRE members and their relatives around the world, the organization is dismantled and destroyed. With Blofeld as the last surviving member of the organization, Safin blackmails Madeleine Swann into infecting Blofeld with Heracles. Swann backs out after she unintentionally infects Bond, but the mission is a success when Bond attacks Blofeld, who is infected and dies. Though Safin's revenge is successful in wiping out the entirety of SPECTRE's leadership, low-level agents are implied to still to be at large, and he even welcomes one low-level member, Primo, to join his cause. Despite this, SPECTRE is no longer a threat to the world due to the loss of their political power and leadership.


title: SPECTRE

text: In 1983 Warner Bros. released "Never Say Never Again" starring Sean Connery, based on the same original source material as "Thunderball". The film retells the basic story of "Thunderball", albeit with some new characters and in an updated setting. It also reintroduces both SPECTRE and Blofeld. Though the film was not made by EON Productions (the production company for all other James Bond movies), it nevertheless makes every attempt to fit into the continuity already established in the EON series and there is no suggestion that the Blofeld and SPECTRE in this film are in any way separate or different from the SPECTRE long established by earlier Sean Connery films. The film is essentially another chapter in the continuing series.


title: SPECTRE

text: SPECTRE is shown but never mentioned by name,in the game "". Instead, it is referred to as a "powerful criminal organisation." It is depicted as being much more powerful than it was in any of the films or books, possessing a massive undersea black market known as "The Octopus", a large lair built into an extinct volcano and resembling Karl Stromberg's Atlantis lair from "The Spy Who Loved Me". There are also the personal structures of its members such as Auric Goldfinger's Auric Enterprises facility and casino and Dr. No's Crab Key. SPECTRE also possesses extremely advanced technology, such as virtual reality and energy generators in its volcano lair.


title: SPECTRE

text: Although the "From Russia with Love" video game mirrors much of the plot of the eponymous film, it uses an organisation called OCTOPUS rather than SPECTRE to avoid copyright issues.


title: SPECTRE

text: A version of SPECTRE similar to the novels was featured in the comic strips published in the "Daily Express" newspaper between 1958 and 1983. The organisation however didn't appear in the comic books until "Eidolon", a miniseries published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2016, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Jason Masters. In this comic, SPECTRE has a World War II organisation that is mostly defunct. Loyalists endured as plants and sleeper agents in the aftermath of a Warsaw Pact surge, waiting for the right moment for SPECTRE to have a reformation and resurgence.


title: SPECTRE

text: SPECTRE and its characters were at the centre of long-standing litigation between Kevin McClory and Ian Fleming over the film rights to "Thunderball" and the ownership of the organisation and its characters. In 1963, Fleming settled out of court with McClory, giving him the film rights to "Thunderball;" the literary rights stayed with Fleming and thus allowed continuation author John Gardner to use SPECTRE in a number of his novels.


title: SPECTRE

text: In 1963, EON Productions producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman made an agreement with McClory to adapt the novel into the fourth James Bond film, also stipulating that McClory would not be allowed to make further adaptations of "Thunderball" for at least ten years after the release. Although SPECTRE and Blofeld were used in a number of films before and after "Thunderball", the issue over the copyright of "Thunderball" prevented SPECTRE and Blofeld from becoming the main villains in 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me". In 1983, McClory released a film based on his Bond rights entitled "Never Say Never Again".


title: SPECTRE

text: In 1998, MGM/UA took legal action against Sony and McClory in the United States to prevent "Warhead 2000 AD" from going into production. MGM/UA abandoned the claim after settling with Sony. McClory's Bond rights, including his rights in SPECTRE, were unaffected.


title: SPECTRE

text: On 15 November 2013, MGM and the McClory estate announced that they had formally settled the issue with Danjaq, LLC and MGM had acquired the full copyright to the characters and concepts of Blofeld and SPECTRE. Having lost its mantle of acronym, now simply called Spectre, the organisation and Blofeld were the main antagonists in the first Bond film released after the settlement, "Spectre".


title: SPECTRE

text: This is only a brief description of the numbers of each member. In the first book to include SPECTRE, "Thunderball", it is stated that the numbers of each member changes periodically (it "advances round a rota by two digits at midnight on the first of every month") to avoid detection and Blofeld is in fact "Number 2".


title: SPECTRE

text: SPECTRE is often parodied in films, video games, and novels. Well known examples are THRUSH and KAOS from "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Get Smart". The most obvious is the "Austin Powers" series of films. In this, a man named Dr. Evil (a parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld) is the leader of a villainous organisation called Virtucon. Dr. Evil's second in command, known only as "Number Two", is a parody of Emilio Largo, Blofeld's second in command.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 (August 1962).


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash Thompson is a star high school football player, who mercilessly bullies his high school classmate Peter Parker, but greatly admires Spider-Man, an irony in which the superhero takes some gratification. In time, they become close friends in college after Flash matures and he later discovers Peter is Spider-Man.


title: Flash Thompson

text: After graduation, he joins the United States Army, but becomes haunted by his combat experiences, leading to alcoholism. After losing both of his legs in the war, Flash Thompson turns into the superhero Agent Venom after being bound to the Venom symbiote, which he controls via drugs. Eventually during an argument between him and Eddie Brock regarding the Venom symbiote, he became the new host of the Anti-Venom symbiote.


title: Flash Thompson

text: The character has appeared in several other media adaptations, usually in his earlier bullying incarnation. In film, he was portrayed by Joe Manganiello in the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy, Chris Zylka in "The Amazing Spider-Man", and Tony Revolori in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Flash Thompson incarnation of Spider-Man will make his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film "", depicted as a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Forces.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Flash Thompson first appeared in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 (August 1962), the same issue Spider-Man first appeared in. He was a regular character in "The Amazing Spider-Man" series for its first four years, leaving the cast in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #47 (April 1967) to serve in the Vietnam War. Though he reappeared in the comic a few times while on leave, he did not return to the regular cast until issue #105 (Feb. 1972).


title: Flash Thompson

text: Though the relationship between Flash Thompson and Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker gradually became more cordial over the years, the major turning point towards their becoming friends was in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #138 (Nov. 1974), in which Thompson lets Parker room with him after all his other friends and acquaintances turned him away.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Thompson's childhood is explored in "The Spectacular Spider-Man" #-1 (July 1997), titled "That Thompson Boy". Writer J. M. DeMatteis commented, "Despite our human tendency to want to fit people into convenient pigeonholes, no one is any one thing all the time. The main point of 'That Thompson Boy' was to show that there were other sides to Flash, to look behind the curtain and see the vulnerability, and depth, that was there. 'Flash' is a mask. Eugene is a complex, wounded human being. I think the character's history, even going back to Stan [Lee]'s stories, is a constant battle between the two, a seeking to find balance."


title: Flash Thompson

text: The character made his first appearance as the new incarnation of Venom in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #654 (February 2011). A second volume of "Venom" started in May 2011 with Flash Thompson as the titular character. As Venom, he appeared as a regular character in the 2010–2013 "Secret Avengers" series, from issue #23 (April 2012) through its final issue, #37 (March 2013). As Venom, he appears in the 2012 "Red Hulk's Thunderbolts" series by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. After the Superior Spider-Man event, Agent Venom is seen in space in "The Guardians of the Galaxy" vol. 3, #14. He was eventually spun off into his own solo series, "Venom: Space Knight", written by Robbie Thompson and drawn by Ariel Olivetti. It was canceled after 13 issues. In the premier issue of "Venom" volume 3, Flash Thompson is seen without the symbiote.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Eugene "Flash" Thompson is the nephew of actress Lea Thompson and a bully of high school classmate Peter Parker. Flash was physically abused by his alcoholic father Harrison Thompson, leading to Flash's own violent, bullying nature. Thompson dubs Peter with the derogatory nickname "Puny Parker" and humiliates Parker daily at school. Not knowing that Parker is Spider-Man, he forms the first "Spider-Man Fan Club" and vocally supports his idol, even criticizing J. Jonah Jameson in person for the "Daily Bugle"s anti-Spider-Man editorials. When Spider-Man is seen committing robberies, Flash is one of the few to stand up for him claiming that he could still be innocent. When it is revealed that Spider-Man was framed by Mysterio, Flash boasts about how he is always right. Peter, who openly states that he would not "trust [Spider-Man] any further than I can throw him", takes some secret pleasure in that Flash supported his alter-ego.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In a very early issue, Flash and Peter squared off for a boxing match in the school gym. Initially expecting an easy victory, Flash was astonished to discover that he simply could not lay a hand on Peter (due to his opponent's enhanced speed and reflexes), and a single tap from Parker's fist knocked him clear out of the ring. After this episode, Flash's bullying was restricted mostly to verbal harassment. Over the next few years, as the two became rivals for Liz Allan's affections, Flash was willing to confront Peter only when backed up by his friends. Peter began to laugh off his threats with good-natured comebacks (much to Flash's annoyance as well as bewilderment). This subtle reversal of their positions was typical of Lee-Ditko character developments in the title.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Towards the end of Ditko's run on the title, Flash was employed mainly as comic relief, more a local buffoon than a serious threat. Major changes in his personality took place subsequently to "'The Amazing Spider-Man" #39, when John Romita, Sr. took over as artist for "The Amazing Spider-Man". Following Romita's take in place, Flash was made into a more sympathetic character and his clean-cut image was similarly emphasized to give him an "All-American" persona.


title: Flash Thompson

text: After Flash Thompson entered Empire State University, his relationship with Peter Parker became progressively less hostile. While the two still traded the occasional insult, Flash had grown to respect Peter's intelligence and was surprised by his popularity with women, particularly Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. Both Flash and Peter were friends with the wealthy Harry Osborn. Harry's presence served to defuse the tension between the former rivals.


title: Flash Thompson

text: While in university, Flash joined the United States Army and serves in the Vietnam War (although this was later retconned to unspecified overseas conflict due to Marvel's floating timeline). Unlike many students of the time, Flash was never conscripted—instead, he volunteers for service of his own free will. Although Flash was absent from the strip for months at a time, his frequent stateside visits kept him familiar with the readers. He returned from the war a decorated hero. Flash's tour of duty profoundly changed him from a reckless and immature youth to a tormented and conflicted man. Finding no comfort in his military decorations, Flash turned to alcohol for years.


title: Flash Thompson

text: While in Vietnam, Flash's unit bombed an ancient temple whose acolytes had earlier sheltered Flash when he was wounded. Flash tried and failed to stop them. When he returned to America, he dropped his antagonism toward Peter. Peter, in turn, began to respect Flash's newfound maturity and the two became close. However, Flash soon finds himself tailed by mysterious assassins, former acolytes of the temple who thought that Flash had betrayed them. Spider-Man held off the assassins long enough for Flash to explain his side of the story. Sha Shan, the leader of the assassins, forgave Flash and even dated him for a while, but left him when she found out he was cheating on her. When Sha Shan was attacked by the Hobgoblin, Flash made the mistake of insulting the villain on television. Hobgoblin took revenge by abducting Flash and framing him as Hobgoblin's true identity. Spider-Man was aghast that his old friend was a villain, but Flash was legally exonerated when Hobgoblin's true identity was revealed. It was around this period that Flash Thompson would serve as best man at the wedding of Parker and Mary Jane.


title: Flash Thompson

text: After a bout of severe depression, Flash went drunk-driving and was badly injured in a car crash. Soon afterward Norman Osborn offered him a job at Oscorp as his personal aide in order to annoy Peter. Not knowing the reasons behind this, Flash became loyal to Norman for giving him a second chance and turning his life around. During this time, Flash met the hero Prodigy, not realizing he was also Spider-Man in disguise. Later, as part of a plan of driving Spider-Man to murderous violence by attacking his family and friends, Osborn kidnapped Flash (under the pretense of picking him up from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting), force-feeds him whiskey and has him crash a truck into Midtown High School, where Peter works. Flash survived, thanks to his excellent physical condition, but he suffered severe brain damage that left him in a coma. Liz, although widowed and raising her son Normie all on her own, became Flash's caretaker, and hired a full-time nurse to care for him. May Parker had come up with the idea to have Flash moved into Peter's apartment building so he could be among friends in the hopes it would aid in his recovery. Peter, blaming himself for what happened to Flash, was eager to help and started spending his free time with him, lending emotional support and companionship. Although Flash remained in a largely unresponsive state after coming out of the coma, Peter's constant companionship led to his condition slowly improving over time.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash awakens from his coma during "" story arc. Flash takes a job as the physical education teacher at Midtown High School, where Peter teaches science. However, Flash suffers from severe memory gaps and again treats Peter like a nerd and picks on him, as he did in their high school days. Flash also flirts with Miss Arrow, unaware that she is a villain there to attack Peter. When Peter unmasks himself as Spider-Man, Flash dismisses it as a trick. But after witnessing Peter fighting with Daniel Berkhart and Francis Klum, Flash's memories come back to him and he re-establishes his friendship with Peter. Flash briefly appeared at the beginning of the "" story arc, attending a welcome home party for Harry. Flash and the rest of the world's population no longer remembers that Peter is Spider-Man, due to the of the demon Mephisto.


title: Flash Thompson

text: After the events of "", Flash Thompson willingly leaves his place as a P.E. instructor to rejoin the Army and fight in the Iraq War out of patriotic zeal, inspired by the selfless life of his lifelong idol Spider-Man. He is still in a close friendship with Peter Parker, as he is seen, lying in his hospital camp bed, with a greeting card by his best friend, and an iPod loaded by Peter himself with "Christmas in Fallujah".


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash's platoon is ambushed, and Flash suffers several bullet wounds in both legs but continues on in an attempt to save his superior officer from danger. He willingly endangers himself, reasoning that Spider-Man had often committed the same sacrifices for everyone else, and glad to have had the opportunity to imitate him. His actions further damage his legs. This results in the need for them to be amputated below the knees. Flash's sacrifice is enough to earn him a recommendation for the Medal of Honor. He returns to New York, only to shock Peter with the loss of his legs. He reveals to Peter that Spider-Man was his inspiration in Iraq. Harry rents a condo just for Flash, in order to help him out. He later competes in a paraplegic sporting event at the local YMCA, managing to come in first place.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash later accepts an offer to join Mayor Jameson's office of veteran's affairs. He attends the wedding of May Parker. When the Chameleon (disguised as Peter) meets Flash at the subsequent press conference, he cruelly mocks him, calling him "puny Flash". Flash is seen going through the so-called "stages of grief" backwards, even so far as to use dangerous experimental procedures to regain his legs, but seems to come to terms with his condition, thanks to the support of his friends, family, and his new rehabilitation trainer Sha Shan.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In a January 2011 interview with Newsarama, Flash Thompson was revealed "by accident" as the new host of Venom. Marvel confirmed Flash was to have his own comic using a military style version of Venom. Despite previously seeming to come to terms with the loss of his legs, Flash jumps at the dangerous offer of being bonded to the Venom symbiote, as the alien will be able to replace his legs with its own bio-mass, allowing him to walk again. He was written as a hero working for the military, and encountered many heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. He made his premiere as Agent Venom in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #654 (Feb. 2011), and continues in his own "Agent Venom" ongoing series following the special "The Amazing Spider-Man" #654.1.


title: Flash Thompson

text: He cannot stay bonded to the Venom symbiote for more than 48 hours at a time, or the symbiote may gain complete control over him. The consequences of this are first seen when the suit causes Flash to go berserk and brutally slaughter a group of enemy operatives during his second mission, and again during a brawl with the Jack O'Lantern, ending with the suit putting a grenade in Jack O'Lantern's mouth. While on a mission in the Savage Land, Flash finds himself being hunted by Kraven the Hunter who mistakes him for Spider-Man.


title: Flash Thompson

text: During the 2011 "Spider-Island" storyline, Agent Venom is sent in to capture the Spider-King that is fighting Firestar and Gravity. Agent Venom manages to capture the Spider-King who he later discovers is Steve Rogers enslaved. Flash disguises himself as the Spider-King in order to track the infestation to its source. The Queen and the Jackal send him to kill Anti-Venom because he is curing people who have gained spider-powers, but his superiors order him to take him to Reed Richards to help develop a cure. Flash and the Venom symbiote fight each other because Flash wants to bring Anti-Venom to Richards and the symbiote wants to kill Anti-Venom for previously rejecting it. This leads to Venom and Anti-Venom fighting. Venom wins the fight and delivers Anti-Venom to Richards. Venom teams up with Red Hulk, X-23, Ghost Rider, and Johnny Blaze to fight Blackheart.


title: Flash Thompson

text: He joins the "Secret Avengers" as Agent Venom. As an Avenger, Flash apprehends the Human Fly, but the Human Fly escapes via a prisoner transport to the Raft when the new Hobgoblin attacks the transport trying to kill the Human Fly for stealing money from the Kingpin. Flash tries to assassinate the third Crime Master for threatening his family, but Eddie Brock attacks him as he is about to fire. This causes the Crime Master to have his new Savage Six attack Flash and Betty Brant. While trying to protect Betty from Jack O'Lantern he reveals his identity to her. Thunderbolt Ross recruits Venom to be part of his Thunderbolts team.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash relocates to Philadelphia after fighting the U-Foes there. While trying to capture a serial killer infected with some of the alien technology the U-Foes were trying to sell, so Beast could try to cure the man, he is attacked by Toxin. While in Philadelphia, he adopts a protege in his teenage neighbor Andrea "Andi" Benton, who upon bonding to a duplicate of the symbiote becomes the antiheroine Mania.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash returns to New York when Betty Brant contacts him with information that the Crime Master has resurfaced. Flash infiltrates and attacks Crime Master and his men until the Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius's mind in Spider-Man's body) and his Spiderlings intervene. Crime Master then reveals himself to be a small-time hood who had purchased the name and mask from Hobgoblin and turns himself in. Superior Spider-Man then turns his attention to Agent Venom with the intent on destroying him. Flash escapes in a puff of smoke and hides in a hospital before going to Peter's apartment. Seizing opportunity, "Peter Parker" invites Flash to his company to give Flash prosthetic legs. After doing so, Superior Spider-Man detains the symbiote in a cage from which it soon breaks free and bonds to Superior Spider-Man to be the Superior Venom. The symbiote tries to flee back to Flash, but Superior Spider-Man keeps it for himself, even going as far as to injure Cardiac when Cardiac tries to separate them. Iron Man arrives to Parker Industries to assist both Cardiac and Flash in order to take him to the battle-zone and reunite him with the symbiote. The Avengers are starting to fall against the power of Superior Venom who boasts about his superiority until Iron Man arrives to distract him allowing Flash (wearing Iron Man's armor) attack from behind and attempt to retake the symbiote. With the unexpected assistance from Spider-Man's conscience, the Venom symbiote finally leaves Superior Spider-Man's body and reunites with Flash, bonding together again. The Avengers are still in disbelief about Superior Spider-Man's argument until they ask Flash to check his mind-link with the symbiote to see anything wrong about Superior Spider-Man's motives. Flash replies that he sees "two different radio stations playing in the same frequency".


title: Flash Thompson

text: Following the conclusion of "The Superior Spider-Man" and the return of Peter Parker as Spider-Man, the latter learns that his friend Flash is Venom and became angry at the Avengers that they did not tell him. The Avengers confess that because Flash was a good soldier and the secret identities in the Avengers' rules goes both ways.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Seeking to maintain a connection with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers placed Venom on said team as their new envoy. At a point the Symbiote began to act strangely considering anyone as an enemy as something was tapping into its mind signalling it. Flash became extremely worried and, since he was left behind when the other Guardians were captured, he began to try to find a way back to Earth which the Symbiote encouraged. However, in its fear it killed people if they refused. Eventually Gamora found them but they attacked her thinking her as an enemy. Star-Lord manages to subdue the Symbiote but Flash goes into a coma. The Symbiote breaks out on the ship and takes the ship to its planet of origin. The planet of Symbiotes explains to the Guardians their origins of the Klyntar. However, Flash and the Venom Symbiote have created the perfect savior the Symbiotes want. This heals the Symbiote and allows Flash to tap into the full potential of the Symbiote.


title: Flash Thompson

text: During the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline, Flash is called back to Earth along with the other Guardians, during which he comes into conflict with Spider-Man, and repeatedly subdues him for not being the Spider-Man he knows. Prompting Miles to electrocute him with the Venom Blast, which blasted him into the open. Andrea, who is host to the Mania symbiote, becomes more ruthless in her actions to the point of killing everyone she encountered. Venom manages to separate the symbiote from Mania, and absorb it into the Venom symbiote, though Andrea is corrupted by a demonic sigil called the Hell-Mark. Flash resolves to remain on Earth to care for Andi until he can find a way to remove the Hell-Mark permanently.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Venom is later shown to have been somehow separated from Flash and it finds a new host in Lee Price. It is eventually revealed that Flash was separated from Venom during a fight with an FBI agent outfitted with high-tech battle suit. The agent used a special weapon that agitated the Symbiote and sent it into a crazed state, which led to it fleeing into the city, where it eventually encountered Price, then reunites with Eddie Brock.


title: Flash Thompson

text: During the "Venom Inc." arc, Flash talks to Mania through her crimefighting, before she is taken down by Lee Price and a gang of thugs. Price is making good on his promise to re-take the Venom symbiote as he forcibly separates Mania from her symbiote and takes it himself. Meanwhile, Brock struggles to cope with the symbiote which has become increasingly violent and difficult to control. He turns to Alchemax to make a serum to help him out, but the medicine being created there is still experimental and may have some side effects. As Flash attempts to find Brock and get the symbiote back, Spider-Man is attempting to get rid of the symbiote once and for all, bringing the three together in a fantastic showdown as both Brock and Flash attempt to convince the symbiote to bond to them. As they struggle, Spider-Man chooses to douse them both with a vat of the Anti-Venom Serum. Instead of destroying the symbiotes, a new Anti-Venom arises: Flash Thompson. After Flash, Mania, Spider-Man, Black Cat, and Venom defeat Price, Flash entrusts the Venom symbiote to Eddie and goes back to heroics as Agent Anti-Venom.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In the "Go Down Swinging" storyline, Norman Osborn returns with the Carnage symbiote bonded to him, making him the Red Goblin. He attacks New York City, and Silk, Clash, Spider-Man, Human Torch and Agent Anti-Venom tried to stop him. Flash uses his Anti-Venom to heal any of Peter's friends and family that were infected by the Carnage symbiote, and discovers Spider-Man's secret identity in the process. Norman critically wounds Flash, who can no longer heal due to using the Anti-Venom to save the others. Peter offers to use the Venom symbiote to heal him, but Flash refuses, worrying that it would die with him and knows Peter needs an edge over Norman's new powers. He dies in Peter's arms and is honored by Peter and his friends at his funeral.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Maker later obtains a piece of the symbiote taken from Flash's time as Agent Venom, which contains a copy of his consciousness. The sample is dubbed as a codex by the Maker. The brain dead symbiote absorbs the sample during Venom's escape from Project Oversight, and with Eddie Brock's permission the copy takes control and transforms into Agent Venom. Flash's consciousness burns out shortly after.


title: Flash Thompson

text: It was later revealed however, that Flash still existed within the Symbiote hive-mind. He joined Rex Strickland's army of former symbiote hosts when the dark symbiote god Knull started invading Earth, recovering his Anti-Venom symbiote replica. When Eddie Brock died and joined Rex's army, Flash was there to greet him. When Eddie's son Dylan and Thor began freeing hosts from their symbiotes and fighting Knull, a red gash appeared - formed from the dissolved symbiotes of the recently freed hosts - and Flash followed Eddie and Rex through it into the core of the Hive-Mind, the place where they were before having been a "purgatory" for codices. The three of them noticed that the symbiotes freed from Knull's control were being imprisoned and formulated a plan to bond to them the way Flash once had the Venom symbiote. Despite Eddie's protests, Flash volunteered to free the imprisoned symbiotes and "download" himself into one of them, acknowledging this was his mission from the beginning and that Eddie was a hero too. Their plan worked, and Flash was incarnated in the world of the living as a symbiote dragon resembling his Anti-Venom symbiote. Informed by Eddie of what had happened when Cletus Kasady's corpse had bonded to a symbiote-dragon, Flash flew to the cemetery where his body had been buried and reanimated himself, bursting from his grave in a recreation of his human form.


title: Flash Thompson

text: The Venom symbiote grows a pair of legs for him while he has on the suit. Due to his military training and former boxing career, Flash is an experienced hand-to-hand fighter and a trained marksman. After later gaining the power of the Anti-Venom symbiote, Flash inherits the healing abilities of this suit as well, along with the ability to heal others' physical injuries, and the original Anti-Venom's cleansing powers.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In the Amalgam Comics universe, Flash is a member of the New York Special Crimes Unit. He is also highly distrustful of Spider-Boy, believing him to be in league with the villains he fights.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In the "Heroes Reborn" event, a change in the timeline results in a continuity in which the Squadron Supreme are Earth's mightiest heroes while the Avengers never came to be. In this continuity, Flash unintentionally stops Peter from becoming Spider-Man by pushing him out of the way of the radioactive spider right before it bites him. After attending Capitol University, he ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, but lost to Kyle Richmond. While attending the University, he fell in love with Gwen Stacy. His obsession with her drove him mentally unstable, leading him to kill her stalker, Miles Warren, and succeed him as the new Jackal. He eventually deduced that Gwen was the vigilante Nightbird and began killing people connected to her. Gwen eventually defeated him and had him committed to Ravencroft Asylum, where no one believed him when he claimed that Gwen was Nightbird.


title: Flash Thompson

text: During the 2005 House of M storyline, Flash is a commentator for the program "Sapien Deathmatch" in which sentient beings fight violent battles for the entertainment of the mutant ruling class. In his first noted performance, Flash narrates a battle between a robotic Sentinel and the human Tony Stark.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In the MC2 continuity (the alternate future of Spider-Girl), Flash Thompson is now on the faculty of his old high school. He is the coach of the girls' basketball team. He married Felicia Hardy, but they later divorced after they had two children (Felicity and Eugene Jr.). He still is unaware of the fact that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and is similarly unaware that Peter's daughter is Spider-Girl. Felicity, on the other hand, is aware of all of this and briefly assumed the Scarlet Spider identity in attempt to partner with Spider-Girl.


title: Flash Thompson

text: "Spider-Man: Life Story" features an alternate continuity where the characters age naturally, with the story beginning with Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man in 1962. In 1966, Flash volunteers to serve as a soldier in the Vietnam War. When Peter asks him why he'd be willing to go after the effects the previous war had on his father, Flash says that he believes it's what Spider-Man would do. Flash is later killed in action in 1974, leading Peter to question if he could have saved Flash by volunteering as well.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane", Flash is the star football quarterback at Midtown High. Flash bullies Peter and refers to him as Puny Parker. Flash recently started dating Liz Allan again; this ended after she dumped him at homecoming for declaring his love to Mary Jane in front of the whole school.


title: Flash Thompson

text: Flash Thompson (as Agent Venom) is the main protagonist in this Secret Wars Warzone version of "Spider Island". He leads the resistance after most of the heroes and citizens have been mutated into spider monsters by the Spider Queen. Inspired by the sacrifice of Spider-Man, he leads the resistance (consisting of Werewolf by Night, Jessica Drew, and Vision) into stopping the Queen. His plans to release some heroes from the Spider Queen's control by mutating them into other monsters (such as Curt Connors' Lizard formula and Morbius' vampire formula) succeed and he is able to get monstrous versions of Captain America, Captain Marvel, the Hulk, and Iron Man on his side. When they go get Stegron to help in the cause, they discover Spider-Man's alive and Flash finds out he's Peter Parker. They rescue both to help in their cause. Flash eventually leads the rebellion to successfully stop the Spider Queen, but at the cost of his own life (due to requiring the symbiote to possess the Spider Queen to take her down). Peter becomes the new baron of the place and plans to honor Flash's memory.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In the "Marvel Adventures" continuity, Jack Russel's family home is in Queens, New York. This brings Werewolf into conflict with Spider-Man after he reluctantly turns the somewhat innocent Flash Thompson into a werewolf. Fortunately Dr. Strange's knowledge of Romanian lycanthropy saves Flash.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In Venomverse a version of Agent Venom is part of the Venoms army gathered by a Venomized Doctor Strange to fight the Poisons. He tries to calm down both Eddie (from the main universe) and Spider-Man (from a universe who didn't get rid of the symbiote), but they're attacked by the Poisons and he himself is killed by a Poison Hulk.


title: Flash Thompson

text: The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character is Fredrick "Fred" Thompson, a high school jock who bullies Peter Parker and is friends with fellow student Kenny "Kong" McFarlane. Unlike most versions, he does not idolize Spider-Man (something that Kenny does instead) and is generally portrayed unsympathetically. When Flash challenges Peter to a fight, Peter merely blocks a punch from Flash and manages to break his hand. When Peter joins the basketball team, Flash's attitude changes, on account of his tendency towards loyalty to his teammates. When Flash suddenly wants to talk to Peter alone for a moment on at least two occasions, Peter turns him down rather furiously, believing he just wanted to bully in private. After Gwen Stacy's death, it is revealed that Flash had a crush on Gwen and was actually trying to ask Peter for help in approaching Gwen for a date. During Silver Sable's hunt of Spider-Man, Flash is kidnapped after being mistaken by the Wild Pack for Spider-Man, having only moments before disappeared into an alley Flash happened to be standing in. After realizing their mistake, the group considers killing him but Flash is able to escape. This experience gives Flash a new level of popularity within the school, especially after a TV movie is made about his ordeal. After Peter's apparent death as Spider-Man, Flash realizes that he is the only one who did not know that his former bullying victim and the young hero are the same person.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In "What if the Radioactive Spider Had Bitten Someone Else?", Flash is one of three characters bitten by the radioactive spider which is behind the Spider powers; the other two are Betty Leeds and John Jameson. After inadvertently killing the wrestler Crusher Hogan in the ring due to his underestimation of his new strength, Flash begins to fight crime under the name Captain Spider, but his career comes to a brutal stop when he fights the Vulture, is knocked out of the sky. Without any web-shooters to save him, he falls to his death. Only Peter bears witness to his demise.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In "What if Peter Parker Had to Destroy Spider-Man?" a darker twist to the "Captain Spider" story is depicted, with Flash still possessing his aggressive, selfish bully attitude from his early appearances. As Peter witnessed the spider-bite, he becomes Flash's confidant, and Flash pressures Peter to make Flash a costume and weapons. Not wanting Flash to harm anyone permanently, and motivated by his concern for innocents after Mary Jane Watson is killed in a botched burglary, Peter devises the web-shooters, but Flash uses his powers to become a super-criminal called The Spider. A pep talk from Aunt May and Uncle Ben inspires Peter to do something, using his scientific genius to create a robotic exo-skeleton (similar to Doctor Octopus's tentacles after managing to save Otto Octavius from the accident behind Doc Ock in canon) and other methods which let him counter Flash's powers and incapacitate him. Later, Mister Fantastic removes Flash's powers (noted to only be possible because Flash was captured early enough that the changes weren't infused into his DNA) and remarks that Peter has a bright future ahead, using technology rather than biological powers.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In "What if J. Jonah Jameson Adopted Spider-Man?", JJJ adopts Peter after Chameleon's attempt to hijack a NASA shuttle resulted in the deaths of Aunt May, John Jameson, and Chameleon himself. Jameson hires Flash to be Peter's bodyguard, writing off their antagonism as youthful energy. Because Jameson remains convinced that Spider-Man is to blame for the shuttle accident, he hires Spencer Smythe to create the Spider-Slayers, only for Peter to sabotage them in secret. At the demonstration, Flash notices that Smythe has also created the Scorpion suit and takes it for himself, hoping to protect Spidey and possibly become a hero in his own right. However, the serum affects Flash's mind, causing him to go berserk, and Peter (now maskless) goes to try to bring him down. Blinded by rage and addled by the serum, Flash refuses to believe that "Puny Parker" could be Spider-Man and attacks, nearly killing Peter until Jameson intervenes using a remote-controlled Spider-Slayer robot and shoots Flash with an antidote dart.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In "What if Flash Thompson became Spider-Man?", the Unseen depicts another example of a timeline in which Flash Thompson is Spider-Man. In this timeline, just as Peter did, Flash starts out in wrestling before taking on a 'heroic' role when he stops the burglar who would have killed Ben Parker, with J. Jonah Jameson finding solace in praising Spider-Man as a hero after the existing system fails to save his son from the shuttle accident that Peter would have saved him from in canon. Flash eventually drops out of school to act full-time as Spider-Man, living in a trailer park with no apparent official income. Peter still becomes Spider-Man's photographer through more conventional methods, but when May Parker suffers serious complications and requires a rare drug to treat her disease, Peter tracks down Flash to ask for his help, only for Flash to accidentally kill Peter when he throws him into the wall of his trailer in a rage in the blind belief that Peter was making him look bad out of jealousy due to their history. Forced to face the fact that he is actually a brutal criminal rather than his perceived role as a hero after seeing the error of his ways, Flash takes action to confront Doctor Octopus and acquire the medicine for May, but subsequently turns himself in for Peter's death.


title: Flash Thompson

text: In James Cameron's aborted script treatment for "Spider-Man", "Flash" is named Nathan McCreery, instead of Eugene Thompson.


title: Flash Thompson

text: The Flash Thompson incarnation of Spider-Man (introduced in "What If…?") will make his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film "", depicted as a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Forces.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English (AJE; , , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is owned by the monarchy government of Qatar. It is the first English-language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. Instead of being run centrally, news management rotates between broadcasting centres in Doha and London.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel was launched on 15 November 2006, at 12:00 PM GMT. It had aimed to begin broadcasting in June 2006 but had to postpone its launch because its HDTV technology was not yet ready. The channel was due to be called "Al Jazeera International", but the name was changed nine months before the launch because one of the channel's backers argued that the original Arabic-language channel already had an international scope.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel was anticipated to reach around 40 million households, but it far exceeded that launch target, reaching 80 million homes. By 2009, the service could be viewed in every major European market and was available to 130 million homes in over 100 countries via cable and satellite, according to a spokeswoman for the network in Washington.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel, however, has poor penetration in the American market, where it has been carried by only one satellite service and a small number of cable networks. Al Jazeera English later began a campaign to enter the North American market, including a dedicated website. It became available to some cable subscribers in New York in August 2011, having previously been available as an option for some viewers in Washington, D.C., Ohio and Los Angeles. The channel primarily reaches the United States via its live online streaming. It is readily available on most major Canadian television providers including Rogers and Bell Satellite TV after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the channel for distribution in Canada on 26 November 2009.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English and Iran's state-run Press TV were the only international English-language television broadcasters with journalists reporting from inside both Gaza and Israel during the 2008–2009 Israel-Gaza conflict. Foreign press access to Gaza has been limited via either Egypt or Israel. However, Al Jazeera's reporters Ayman Mohyeldin and Sherine Tadros were already inside Gaza when the conflict began and the network's coverage was often compared to CNN's initial coverage from inside Baghdad in the early days of the 1991 Gulf War.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel may also be viewed online. It recommends online viewing at its own website or at its channel on YouTube. Al Jazeera English HD launched in the United Kingdom on Freeview on 26 November 2013, and began streaming in HD on YouTube in 2015.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 1 January 2020, Al Jazeera English debuted a new major graphics package for the first time since the channel launched to coincide with remodeled main Doha studio, the last main studio of the channel's three in Doha, London, and Washington D.C. to receive an upgrade since the channel's launch in 2006.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 3 January 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network announced that it had purchased Current TV in the United States and would be launching an American news channel. 60% of the channel's programming would be produced in America while 40% would be from Al Jazeera English. That was later changed at the request of pay-television providers to almost 100% American programing. Regardless, Al Jazeera America maintained a close working relationship with Al Jazeera English. The channel aired "Newshour" in the morning and midday hours and cut to live Al Jazeera English coverage of large breaking international news stories outside of that. Al Jazeera English programmes "Witness", "Earthrise", "The Listening Post", "Talk To Al Jazeera," "Al Jazeera Correspondent" and "101 East" along with "Al Jazeera Investigates" regularly aired on Al Jazeera America.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 13 January 2016, Al Jazeera America announced that the network would be terminated on 12 April 2016, citing the "economic landscape".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In 2014, Al Jazeera moved its UK London operations including its newsroom, studios and shows from Knightsbridge to its new space on floor 16 of The Shard. The last day of broadcasting from the Knightsbridge studios was September, 12th 2014. The space was officially opened on 3 November 2014, with the first Newshour broadcast on 10 October 2014. The new facility is capable of running an entire channel, independently of the Doha hub.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In 2013 Al Jazeera Media Network began planning a new channel called "Al Jazeera UK". If launched, the British channel would broadcast for five hours during prime time as cut-in UK content aired on Al Jazeera English.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In addition to those listed below, Al Jazeera English runs various programmes that are either entirely non-recurrent or consist of just a limited number of parts (miniseries format known as Special Series). All self-owned programmes, including former shows are shown in their entirety on Al Jazeera's website and YouTube.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Licensed documentaries are available only on the website for a limited period of time, however. Currently running programmes on the channel are:


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In addition to its two main broadcast centres, Al Jazeera English itself has 21 bureaux around the world that gather and produce news. It also shares resources with its Arabic-language sister channel's 42 bureaux, Al Jazeera Balkan's bureaux and Al Jazeera Turk's bureaux for 70 bureaux. This is a significant difference from the present trend:


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera presenter may also alternate between broadcast centres. All channels also share English-speaking correspondents with Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera Turk and Al Jazeera Balkans and vice versa.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Anchors: Dareen Abughaida, Richelle Carey, Jane Dutton, Adrian Finighan, Martine Dennis, Darren Jordon, Laura Kyle, Raheela Mahomed, Rob Matheson, Sohail Rahman, Folly Bah Thibault<br>


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Correspondents & Reporters: Stan Grant (Principal Presenter); Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Zeina Khodr (Lebanon), Imran Khan (Palestine), Jamal Elshayyal, Clayton Swisher<br>


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Correspondents & Reporters: Neave Barker, Natacha Butler (Paris), Paul Brennan, Rory Challands (Moscow), David Chater, Dominic Kane (Berlin), Robin Forestier-Walker (former CIS), Sonia Gallego, Emma Hayward, Laurence Lee (UK), Barnaby Phillips, John Psaropoulos (Greece), Jacky Rowland<br>


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Programme Hosts: Femi Oke & Malika Bilal; Marc Lamont Hill; and Josh Rushing, Sebastian Walker & Wab Kinew<br>


title: Al Jazeera English

text: "North America:" James Bays, Gabriel Elizondo, Alan Fisher, Kimberly Halkett, Daniel Lak, Shihab Rattansi, Rob Reynolds, Kristen Saloomey, Casey Kauffman<br>


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Correspondents & Reporters: Jamela Alindogan (Philippines), Katrina Yu (China), Steve Chao, Rob McBride (Korea & Japan), Jennifer Glasse (Afghanistan), Divya Gopalan (Hong Kong), Wayne Hay, Kamal Hyder (Pakistan), Florence Looi (Malaysia), Jessica Washington (Indonesia), Shamim Chowdhury


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English uses a combination of full-time 'staffers' and local freelancers. So long as the journalists are appearing – or are providing credited commentaries – regularly on-air, no distinction has been made as to their contractual arrangements. However, those who have received a recent on-air profile and whose names therefore appear in bold, may well be assumed to be on the staff.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The late veteran British broadcaster David Frost joined Al Jazeera English in 2005 to host his show "Frost Over the World".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Former BBC and CNN anchor Riz Khan, who previously had been the host of the CNN talk show "Q&A", also joined. He hosts his shows "Riz Khan" and "Riz Khan's One on One".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Former U.S. Marine Josh Rushing joined Al Jazeera in September 2005. He had been the press officer for the United States Central Command during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, and in that role had been featured in the documentary "Control Room". When subsequently joining Al Jazeera, Rushing commented that "In a time when American media has become so nationalized, I'm excited about joining an organization that truly wants to be a source of global information..." Rushing worked from the Washington DC broadcasting centre until the formation of Al Jazeera America, he now works from AJAM's San Francisco hub.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Former CNN and BBC news anchorwoman and award-winning journalist Veronica Pedrosa also joined the team, along with CNN producer James Wright, and Kieran Baker, a former editor and producer for CNN, who had been acting general manager, Communications and Public Participation for ICANN. On 2 December 2005, Stephen Cole, a senior anchor on BBC World and "Click Online" presenter, announced he was joining Al Jazeera International.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The network announced on 12 January 2006 that former "Nightline" correspondent Dave Marash would be the co-anchor from their Washington studio. Marash described his new position as "the most interesting job on Earth".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 6 February 2006, it was announced that the former BBC reporter Rageh Omaar would host the weeknight documentary series, "Witness".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The managing director for Al Jazeera English was previously Tony Burman, who replaced Nigel Parsons in May 2008. The current managing director is Al Anstey.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In mid 2014 Al Jazeera English froze employment of both permanent and freelance staff for its Qatar network and cut freelance pay rates by 30-40% without warning, while at the same time Al Jazeera lodged a $150 million claim for compensation against Egypt, arguing that by arresting and attacking Al Jazeera journalists, seizing the broadcaster's property and jamming its signal, the Egyptian government has violated its rights as a foreign investor in the country and put the $90 million it has invested in Egypt since 2001 at risk.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Formed in 2010, in its own words: "the role of Al Jazeera Investigations is not to report the news, but to make the news".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The Unit, is based at the Network headquarters in Doha, but also has representation in London and Washington, DC. The unit is an Al Jazeera Media Network asset and its reports appear equally on the other channels, tailored appropriately for the relevant language and audience. The documentaries are presented as specials under their own strand: "Al Jazeera Investigates".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The Unit's investigations have included the documentary "What Killed Arafat?" which explains how Yasser Arafat died. This film won a CINE Golden Eagle Award and was nominated for a BAFTA. In 2013, Al Jazeera released a follow-up named "Killing Arafat" which revealed findings of scientific analysis of the exhumed remains of the Palestinian leader that discovered traces of polonium in his bones. The Arafat findings led news agendas globally.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The current manager of Investigative Journalism for the Al Jazeera Media Network is Phil Rees. Before that, it was Clayton Swisher. Other leading figures include: Peter Charley, Will Thorne, Deborah Davies, Will Jordan, Simon Boazman, David Harrison, Kevin Hirten, James Kleinfeld and Jason Gwynne.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel is available in many countries, mostly via satellite, sometimes via cable. The channel is also available online. Al Jazeera English provides a free HD stream on its website for unlimited viewing. It is available free worldwide. They also provide a free stream on their YouTube page. Previously, before Al Jazeera provided an official stream, a low quality RealVideo stream was available for viewing. Al Jazeera news segments are frequently included on the American public television program Worldfocus. Al Jazeera can also be streamed on any iOS or Android device with an internet connection using a free application.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English is also available on connected TV and OTT streaming services like Pluto TV and Haystack News.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Along with a free unlimited high-quality stream on the official Al Jazeera English website, Online subscriptions allowing unlimited viewing may be purchased from Jump TV, RealPlayer, and VDC. Headlines from Al Jazeera English are available on Twitter.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English's website also contains news reports and full episodes of their programs that can be viewed for free on their website. The videos are hosted by YouTube, where viewers can also go to find the videos.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English is available in the UK and Ireland on Freeview channel 235, Sky channels 513 and 880, Freesat channel 203 and Virgin Media channel 622.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: The channel initially began test streaming Al Jazeera English (then called "Al Jazeera International") in March 2006 on Hot Bird, Astra 1E, Hispasat, AsiaSat3S, Eutelsat 28A and Panamsat PAS 10. Telenors Thor, Türksat and Eutelsat 25A were added to the satellites carrying it. Eutelsat 28A carried the test stream on frequency 11.681 under the name "AJI".


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English is available in Sub Saharan Africa mainly via DStv and StarTimes' satellite and terrestrial TV platforms.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In Northern Africa, Al Jazeera English is available on telcos like Etisalat. It is also available via satellite, on Badr°26E and various local cable operators.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In New Zealand, Al Jazeera English is available 24 hours a day on Freeview (New Zealand) channel 16 and Sky (New Zealand) channel 90. From October 2013, Freeview (New Zealand) broadcast on the Kordia operated free-to-air DVB-T terrestrial network. Prior to the December 2012 analog switchoff Triangle TV re-broadcast various Al Jazeera programmes in Auckland on its free-to-air UHF channel. TV One was going to replace BBC World with this service during their off-air hours of 01:30 to 06:00 from 1 April 2013, however opted to run infomercials instead.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In April 2010, Al Jazeera English was taken off air in Singapore Singtel TV with unspecified reasons, according to the official Al Jazeera English website.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 7 December 2010, Al Jazeera said its English language service has got a downlink license to broadcast in India. Satellite and cable companies would therefore be allowed to broadcast Al Jazeera in the country. The channel launched on Dish TV in November 2011, and is considering a Hindi-language channel. Tata Play satellite service broadcasts this on Channel 637 (SD) in India.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 26 November 2009, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved "a request to add Al Jazeera English (AJE) to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis and amends the lists of eligible satellite services accordingly". Al Jazeera English became available on Rogers Cable, Videotron and Bell Satellite TV on 4 May 2010.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Al Jazeera English is available via satellite across all of North America free to air via Globecast on Galaxy 19 on the Ku band in DVB format. As of 2011, only a small number of Americans were able to watch the channel on their televisions. Among the markets where it was available were Bristol County, Rhode Island, Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio, Burlington, Vermont, Houston, Texas, and Washington, DC. Industry giant Comcast originally planned to carry Al Jazeera English in 2007, but reversed its decision shortly before the channel's launch, citing "the already-saturated television market". The two major American satellite providers, DirecTV and Dish Network, had similar plans but also changed their minds, with speculation that the decision may have been influenced by allegations by the Bush administration of "anti-American bias" in the channel.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: With Al Jazeera's coverage of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the channel drew acclaim and received renewed attention. "The New York Times" reported on 1 February 2011 that 1.6 million U.S. viewers had tuned in via Internet stream, and stated that new discussions were underway with carriers. The following month, it was announced that Al Jazeera entered carriage negotiations with Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Salon.com described the channel's English-language coverage as "mandatory viewing for anyone interested in the world-changing events currently happening in Egypt", while "Huffington Post" contributor Jeff Jarvis claimed it was "un-American" for operators to not carry the network. When Al Jazeera covered the Libyan Civil War, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted an increasing American audience for the network, saying that "viewership of Al Jazeera is going up in the United States because it's real news. You may not agree with it, but you feel like you're getting real news around the clock instead of a million commercials and—you know—arguments between talking heads and the kind of stuff that we do on our news which—you know—is not particularly informative to us, let alone foreigners."


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 1 February 2011, Internet appliance Roku posted on its Facebook page that the English-language Al Jazeera Live would be streaming on Roku devices through a private channel called Newscaster and also through the BBC channel. It permitted the announcement following unrest in Egypt so American viewers can watch the latest events going on in the Middle East. A Roku user must add the private channel Newscaster from the Roku website.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 1 August 2011, Al Jazeera English began airing 23 hours a day in New York City as part of a sublet agreement with cable channel RISE, a former Spanish-language network, which is carried on WRNN-TV's DT2 subchannel (the other hours were used to meet FCC E/I and local programming guidelines). The network aired on Time Warner Cable on channel 92 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 481.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: On 2 January 2013, Al Jazeera announced that it had acquired the U.S.-based cable TV channel Current TV for a reported $500 million. With this acquisition, Al Jazeera launched a new channel, called Al Jazeera America, with a heavy dose of U.S. domestic news along with Al Jazeera English programming and news, to an estimated 40 million U.S. households—putting it in direct competition with CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: Due to contracts with U.S. cable and satellite carriers for Al Jazeera America the official Al Jazeera English live stream was geo-blocked in the United States on 18 August 2013. With the launch of Al Jazeera America, Al Jazeera English was excluded from all US services carrying or providing the channel, including YouTube, with Al Jazeera America material replacing all Al Jazeera English video content and live streams. Most Al Jazeera English video content was no longer officially available in the United States.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In April 2014 the Al Jazeera English show "Empire" wasn't geo-blocked in the United States. Shortly after the programs "Indian Hospital", "Viewfinder", "Lifelines: The Quest for Global Health" and "Head to Head" were available also. These programs were the only AJE shows officially non-geoblocked for American viewing during the time that Al Jazeera America was in existence.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: With the closure of Al Jazeera America in April 2016 it was expected that the official live stream of Al Jazeera English and access to its programmes would eventually be restored to the United States. The online live stream of Al Jazeera English was made available to viewers in the United States once again in September 2016.


title: Al Jazeera English

text: In December 2013, three Al Jazeera English journalists (Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed) were arrested in their Cairo Marriott hotel rooms and detained on charges of delivering "false news" and "aiding a terrorist organization" in Egypt following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. Al Jazeera was one of several websites to which the Egyptian government blocked access after accusing the network of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was removed from power during the 2013 coup. Egypt has been accused of limiting freedom of expression in an attempt to suppress opposition to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.