title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: On 9 August 2018, Söyüncü joined English Premier League side Leicester City on a five-year contract. He signed for an apparent £18 million transfer fee, possibly rising to £20 million with add-ons. Söyüncü had his Premier League debut on 27 October 2018 at the King Power Stadium where Leicester shared points with West Ham United following the final score of 1–1.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: Söyüncü scored his first Premier League goal in Leicester's 11th game of the 2019–20 season on 3 November 2019 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, a 2–0 win. On 11 May 2021, he scored the winning goal for Leicester City in a 2–1 away victory over Manchester United, to be their first win at Old Trafford since 1998.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: In November 2015, he was called up to Turkey national football team by coach Fatih Terim, following the injury of central defender Serdar Aziz. Söyüncü is the first Altınordu player called up to Turkey national football team after 78 years, since Sait Altınordu, the iconic player of the club, was selected in 1937. He is also the first player called up to national team from any İzmir-based football clubs since 1997. On 17 November 2015, Söyüncü was a reserve for the friendly game against Greece, but stayed on the bench and did not actually get a chance to play. On 18 March 2016, he was called to national squad for friendly games against Sweden and Austria, to be held on 24 March 2016 in Antalya, Turkey and on 29 March in Austria, respectively.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: Substituting for Ozan Tufan in the dying minutes of a friendly game against Sweden, Söyüncü earned his first senior national team cap on 24 March 2016. Earning his second cap, he was in the starting line-up in the friendly with Russia on 1 September 2016, which ended 0–0.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: On 1 June 2018, Söyüncü scored his first senior international goal on a friendly game against Tunisia, held at Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: Possessing leadership attributes, Söyüncü is good at playmaking, dribbling and timing. Standing at , he is strong in the air. In 2016, he stated that his idol is Spanish defender Carles Puyol and he admires German international Mats Hummels.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: Former English international and current pundit Martin Keown analysed Söyüncü for "BBC Sport" in 2019, describing him "a defender made for the modern game", highlighting his agility, aggressiveness and heading attributes.


title: Çağlar Söyüncü

text: His popularity and uncanny resemblance to the character in the movie “Shrek”, led him to be nicknamed by fans as "Lord Farquaad".


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bonnie O'Farrell was born in Granite City, Illinois, the daughter of a steelworker. When she was young her parents divorced and remarried other spouses. She was raised with an extended family that included four half-and step-siblings. She began singing as a child. When she was five years old, she sang "Beautiful Golden Harbor" at the family church in Granite City. Bonnie started her musical career at the age of fifteen singing around St. Louis. She performed as a backup singer for blues musicians such as Albert King and Little Milton, and R&B singer Fontella Bass.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bonnie was inspired by Tina Turner to pursue a singing career. In her teens, she saw Ike & Tina Turner perform at a club in nearby East St. Louis. Bonnie became the first white Ikette in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. She filled in for Ikette Jessie Smith who had briefly quit after her boyfriend, Sam Rhodes, a bassist in the Kings of Rhythm was fired. Bramlett recalled: "Jessie left when Sam left and they needed an Ikette. I was there so I went with them. For three days. I was 17 and I was white and my mother wouldn't let me stay any longer than that. I could only help them out, she said. So I just put on a dark wig because I'm blonde and Man Tan because I'm white and helped them out."


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Eventually Bramlett moved to Los Angeles to escape abuse by her father and stepfather. In 1967, she met musician Delaney Bramlett (1939–2008), performing at the opening of a bowling alley with the "Shindogs", the house band of the television show "Shindig!". They were married a week later. The duo signed with Stax Records and became known as Delaney & Bonnie. They soon toured Europe with the British rock guitarist Eric Clapton. With frequent drop-in performances by other noted musicians like Duane Allman, George Harrison, and Dave Mason, the group became known as Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Their album "On Tour with Eric Clapton" (1970) reached #29 on the "Billboard" 200. Between 1970 and 1972, the duo had seven songs chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100, including their best-known single "Never Ending Song of Love" which peaked at #13 and a cover of Dave Mason's "Only You Know and I Know" which peaked at #20.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: With Leon Russell, Delaney and Bonnie co-wrote "Superstar", popularized by the Carpenters, and the classic "Let It Rain", which is included on Clapton's eponymous first album. The song '"Superstar'" was originally written by Bonnie Bramlett and Rita Coolidge as detailed in the autobiography 'Delta Lady' by Rita Coolidge and Michael Walker. Eric Clapton added some embellishments to the music.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: In 1969, The Rolling Stones originally asked Bonnie to sing a duet with Mick Jagger on their song "Gimme Shelter", but Delaney refused to let her perform with the Stones. The Stones then asked soul and gospel singer Merry Clayton to sing on the track. It remains the most prominent contribution to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist. According to Bonnie, just before a concert tour in 1970, the duo's band abruptly quit. However, Delaney claims it was Bonnie who didn't show up for the tour.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bonnie and Delaney Bramlett had small roles in the 1971 film "Vanishing Point" and in 1974's "Catch My Soul".


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Their last album together, "D&B Together" (1972) released #133 on the "Billboard" 200. Delaney and Bonnie disbanded, both musically and maritally, in 1972. Bonnie Bramlett continued her career as a solo songwriter and recording artist.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: She released her first solo album "Sweet Bonnie Bramlett" in 1973, recorded with the Average White Band whose name she initially proposed. That album presaged the Disco movement, particularly with the track "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" played heavily in underground dance clubs like the Gallery in New York. The song is featured on Nicky Siano's Legendary The Gallery on Soul Jazz Records. Her second album "It's Time" peaked at #168 on the "Billboard" 200 in 1975.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: In 1973/74, Bramlett toured the United States and Canada, with her band, 'The Entertainers', promoting her new album and herself as a single artist. That musical entourage featured: Michael 'Papabax' Baxter on the keyboards; Little Moe Mosely on drums; Doc Schwebke on bass; Michael Elliot, Donnie Dacus, and Phillip John Diaz on guitars; Larry Williams, Jimmy Reed and Big John Rayford on saxophones; background singers; Carolyn (Brandt) Corlew, Lagatha (Smallwood) Wharton, and Lea Santos..and Bandleader, Gabe Flemings on trumpet.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bramlett continued to contribute vocals to recordings by other artists, including Little Feat and the Allman Brothers Band.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: In 1979, Bramlett travelled to Havana, Cuba, to participate in the historic Havana Jam festival, alongside Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Billy Swan, Weather Report, Mike Finnegan, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge and Billy Joel, plus an array of Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines and Orquesta Aragón. Her performance appears in "Havana Jam '79" a documentary film by Ernesto Juan Castellanos.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: While on tour with Stills in 1979, Bramlett punched Elvis Costello in the face at a hotel bar in Columbus, Ohio, after Costello referred to James Brown as a "jive-ass nigger" and Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant nigger." Costello apologized at a press conference in New York City a few days later, stating he had been drunk and had been trying to be obnoxious in order to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion. According to Costello, "it became necessary for me to outrage these people with about the most obnoxious and offensive remarks that I could muster."


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: After exploring gospel music in the 1980s, Bramlett married Danny Sheridan in 1988 and she changed her professional name to Bonnie Sheridan. He became her manager and produced her next recordings. She fronted their group the Bandaloo Doctors, with their self-proclaimed "revolutionary hard rockin' blues." The group's music attracted the admiration of many Hollywood celebrities. In 1990, Bonnie met Roseanne Barr at a rehab program fund-raiser, and she was soon cast as a semi-regular on the hit ABC series "Roseanne". Bonnie Bramlett (credited as Bonnie Sheridan) played a co-worker and friend (named Bonnie) of Roseanne Barr's character Roseanne Conner, with Danny Sheridan occasionally writing music and appearing as the character Hank the bass player.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bonnie was cast in the 1991 movie "The Doors", playing a bartender. She also appeared in the Andrew Davis film "The Guardian" (2006), starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: In 2002, Bramlett returned to her musical roots, releasing the album "I'm Still the Same". In 2006, she was a backup vocalist for the Southern rock artist Shooter Jennings on his album "Electric Rodeo". She declined to accompany him on his ensuing tour. Bramlett later sang "Proud Mary" on the 2009 tribute album for Ike Turner titled "Rocket 88: Tribute to Ike Turner".


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: In 1967, Bramlett met Delaney Bramlett during a gig performing at the opening of a bowling alley. They were married a week later. Their first daughter, Rebecca, who is now also a singer, was born in 1968. Their marriage was marred by violence due to their cocaine addictions. Bonnie Bramlett told "People" that they had an abusive relationship: "We fought a lot—heavy-duty physical stuff. It wasn't nice to be around, and I'm sure it wasn't fun to watch." In 1972, she divorced Delaney, leaving him and his mother with her own daughters, Suzanne and Rebecca, and the two daughters Delaney had brought to the marriage, Michelle and Mikkol.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bramlett later rebuilt her relationship with her daughters. Rebecca became a singer, professionally known as Bekka Bramlett. She joined Fleetwood Mac in 1993 after the departure of Stevie Nicks, and appeared on their album "Time".


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bramlett began dating musician Danny Sheridan in 1983. They were married in 1988, but later divorced. She credited Danny Sheridan for saving her from her addictions and her friend Roseanne Barr for giving her work on her show.


title: Bonnie Bramlett

text: Bramlett began using cocaine during her marriage to Delaney. After their marriage ended, Bramlett suffered from depression. While visiting her friend Gregg Allman's farmland in Juliette, Georgia, she planned to commit suicide by shooting herself with a shotgun in December 1976. Instead, she thought about her children, shot the gun up in the air, and then called the hospital. She continued to struggle with her addictions to cocaine, pills, and alcohol throughout the decade. In 1982, she underwent more hospital treatment that proved unsuccessful. Eventually, with the help of Danny Sheridan she joined a 12-step recovery program.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch line to the cities of Kalaburagi and Vijayapura in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. Solapur International Airport is under construction.


title: Solapur

text: It is classified as A1 Tier and B-1 class city by House Rent Allowance (HRA) classification by the Government of India. It is the seventh biggest Metropolis Urban Agglomeration and 11th most populated city in Maharashtra as well as 43rd largest urban agglomeration and 49th most populous city in India.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur leads Maharashtra in production of beedi. Solapuri Chadars and towels are famous not only in India but also at a global level, however there has been a significant decline in their exports due to quality issues. "Solapuri chadars" are the famous and first product in Maharashtra to get a Geographical Indication tag It has been a leading centre for cotton mills and power looms in Maharashtra. Solapur had the world's second-largest and Asia's largest spinning mill. The National Research Centre on Pomegranate (NRCP) of India is located in Solapur. and pomegranate farming is done on a large scale in Solapur District. The Science Centre in Kegaon (Solapur) is the third largest and prominent scientific association in Maharashtra. The Raichur-Solapur Power Transmission line of 765 kV power capacity suffices the power grid accessing need of the southern states of Karanataka and Andhra Pradesh. The first waste-to-energy electricity plant in Maharashtra is situated in Solapur.


title: Solapur

text: The Gramadevata (Chief deity) of the city is Shri Shivyogi Siddheshwar. The "Nandidhwaj" procession on the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti and on account of it an annual fair locally known as "Gadda Yatra" attracts large crowds and is associated with the marriage of Lord Siddheshwar. In 1992, the Solapur Municipal Corporation extended its area up to by merging its suburbs.


title: Solapur

text: The Solapur (anciently called sonnalage) District was ruled by various dynasties such as Andhrabhratyas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas and Bahamanis. 'Solapur' spelled in (Marathi: सोलापूर is believed to be derived from the combination of two words: Sola / सोला in Hindi means "sixteen" and "Pura / पुर" means "village".


title: Solapur

text: The present city of Solapur was considered to be spread over sixteen villages viz. Aadilpur, Ahmedpur, Chapaldev, Fatehpur, Jamdarwadi, Kalajapur, Khadarpur, Khandervkiwadi, Muhammadpur, Ranapur, Sandalpur, Shaikpur, Solapur, Sonallagi, Sonapur and Vaidakwadi and all these villages are now merged with Solapur Municipal Corporation.


title: Solapur

text: It is evident from the inscriptions of Shivayogi Lord Siddheshwar of the time of the Kalachuristis of Kalyani, that the town was called 'Sonnalage', an old Kannada name, which came to be pronounced as 'Sonnalagi'. The town was known as Sonnalagi even up to the times of Yadavas. A Sanskrit inscription dated (Sanskrit:शके १२३८) Śakē 1238, after the downfall of the Yadavas found at Kamati in Mohol shows that the town was known as Sonalipur.


title: Solapur

text: One of the inscriptions found in Solapur fort shows that the town was called Sonalpur while another inscription on the well in the fort shows that it was known as Sandalpur. Subsequently, the British rulers pronounced Solapur as Sholapur and hence the name of the district. The present Solapur district was previously part of Ahmednagar, Pune and Satara districts. In 1838 it became the Sub-district of Ahmednagar. It included Barshi, Mohol, Madha, Karmala, Indi, Hippargi and Muddebihal Sub-divisions. In 1864 this Sub-district was abolished. In 1871 this district was reformed joining the Sub-divisions viz. Solapur, Barshi, Mohol, Madha and Karmala and two Subdivisions of Satara district viz. Pandharpur, Sangola and in 1875 Malshiras Sub-division was also attached. After the State reorganisation in 1956 Solapur was included in Bombay State and it became a full-fledged district of Maharashtra State in 1960.


title: Solapur

text: The municipal corporation building was built by Rao Saheb Mallappa Warad. He was also one of the first to bring the farming tractor to India. It was his wish that the building should be used for some public purpose and thus the building was made the municipal council. The building is also called "Indra Bhawan" which means 'Abode of Indra' (Lord Indra). Mallappa Warad was also one of the ten members of 'Chamber of Merchants' under Queen Victoria.


title: Solapur

text: The Solapur Municipal Council was the first municipal council to hoist the indian national flag on the Municipal Council building in 1930. Taking the spirit of Dandi March from Mahatma Gandhi, the freedom fighters of Solapur hoisted the National Flag on 6 April 1930 on the Municipal Council building. This was the first and the unique incidence of such kind throughout the country.


title: Solapur

text: During the Indian independence movement, the people of Solapur enjoyed full freedom on 9–11 May 1930. However, this resulted in the executions of Mallappa Dhanshetti, Abdul Rasool Qurban Hussein, Jagannath Bhagwan Shinde and Shrikisan Laxminarayan Sarada, who were hanged by the British Government on 12 January 1931, in the prison at Pune. This resulted in the city becoming recognized as "The City of Hutatmas" literally "The City of Martyrs".


title: Solapur

text: The Padmashalis are the one of the largest community in Solapur. The rise of Moghul rule and there after Britishers who came to India for doing cloth business has lot of impact on weaving technology. The cloth manufactured at Brimingham, England can sell at cheaper rate in India and the qualities of their cloth were much better than our hand woven cloths on Gunta Maggam (Pit-loom). Since there is no buyer for our hand woven cloths, the domestic textile industry suffered losses. The Britisher established East India Company at Calcutta and spread their business across the India. They have also ruled our country till 1947. The impact of cloth business compelled Padmashalis to move to different places in India. Maharashtra is adjacent to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh; most of them started moving in search of their livelihood. Earlier days there were no transportation available; people started walking from Telangana and stayed for days together wherever in the en route to Mumbai. In this course some of them even settled in most parts of Maharashtra like Nanded, Jalna, Aurangabad, and Nasik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Pune and even interior parts of the villages. Their


title: Solapur

text: basic occupation was weaving; hence most of them have chosen weaving job in cotton mills. Gradually the strength has increased and it can be witnessed that about 400 to 500 Padmashalis could be seen in each mill in Mumbai. Most of the people in Solapur are started there Textile.


title: Solapur

text: There is also one of the oldest Ganesh temples, Ajoba Ganpati temple, which started celebrating the Ganesh festival in 1885.


title: Solapur

text: The inscriptions of chief deity of Solapur Shivyogi Shri. Siddheshwar of the time of the Kalachuri (Basavakalyan) suggest that the town was called "Sonnalage" which came to be pronounced as "Sonnalagi". A Sanskrit inscription dated Shake 1238, after the downfall of the Yadavas found at Kamati in Mohol shows that the town was known as Sonalipur. One of the inscriptions found in Solapur fort shows that the town was called Sonalpur. It was the main commercial hub of the Devagiri Yadavas and an important trading city. The town was known as Sonnalagi even up to the times of the Yadavas of Devagiri.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur is a city with tri-linguistic blend of Kannada, Marathi and Telugu language multi-cultural features. Most of the People follow Marathi Culture and Tradition. It also has cultural impact of neighbouring states Karnataka and Telangana.


title: Solapur

text: As per 2011 census of Solapur city and as per provisional reports of the Census of India, the population of Solapur in 2011 was 951,118, of whom av were male and 468,924 were female.


title: Solapur

text: At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 73.13% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 9.28% Kannada, 6.47% Hindi, 4.49% Telugu and 3.94% Urdu as their first language.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur's population, with the inclusion of its suburbs, increased to 1,250,000 reorganized in 2012. (http://solapur.gov.in/htmldocs/1977/people_population.html, http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html)


title: Solapur

text: In 2011, the total literates in Solapur city are 710,180 of whom 390,335 are males while 319,845 are females. The average literacy rate of Solapur city is 83.88 percent of which male and female literacy was 91.31 and 76.30 percent respectively.


title: Solapur

text: Hinduism is the majority religion in Solapur city with 75.73% followers. Islam is the second most popular religion, with approximately 20.64% following it. Buddhism 1.62% Jainism by 1.00%, Christianity 0.73%, others, no religion and not stated 0.28%.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 458 metres (1502 feet). It is bordered by Ahmednagar district on the north; Osmanabad district on the north and northeast.


title: Solapur

text: Kalaburagi district on the southeast and Bijapur Districts on the south of Karnataka State, Sangli district on the south and southwest; Satara district on the west, and Pune district on the northwest. It is situated at a distance of from the Maharashtra State Capital of Mumbai by road and train.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur falls under the category of dry (arid and semiarid) climate according to the Köppen climate classification. The city experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from . The warmest months in Solapur are April and May. The typical maximum temperatures being or more. The highest temperature ever recorded is in May 1988. Although summer does not end until May or even the midst of June, the city often receives locally developed heavy thundershowers in May (although humidity remains high). The monsoon lasts from June to the end of September, with moderate rainfall. The city of Solapur receives an average rainfall of per year. Winter begins in November and lasts until the end of February, with the temperatures occasionally dropping below . Solapur lies very close to the seismically active zone around Killari, Latur District, about east of the city.


title: Solapur

text: The civic administration of the city is managed by the Solapur Municipal Corporation, which was established on the Maharashtra Day of 1 May 1964 in the building constructed by Mallappa Warad in 1930. The corporation oversees the engineering works, health, sanitation, water supply, administration and taxation in the city. It is headed by a mayor who is assisted by municipal commissioner and elected representatives. The city is divided into 135 wards and 6 zones. The corporation members also known as corporators are elected by the citizens of Solapur every five years. The corporators, in turn, elect the mayor. Its activities include developing new layouts and roads, town-planning and land-acquisition.


title: Solapur

text: As Solapur is one of the most important city for the transportation towards south and north India, here it's essential for the State and Central Government to develop this District.


title: Solapur

text: Indira Gandhi Stadium in Solapur, formerly known as Park Stadium, hosts Ranji Trophy matches and is the home venue for Maharashtra cricket team.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur is located at an important junction of the north–south railway line which provides good transportation infrastructure for trade and industry. There are a number of medium and small-scale and medium industries found in the district, and it is one of the prime centers of the handloom and powerloom industry, cotton mills and the beedi industry. Rapier Terry Towels is now also an emerging industry in Solapur. Solapur is well known for the bed sheets produced here and has a reputation for the same. Textiles are an important aspect of the economy. As the epic growing part in the industrial sector, Sanghvi Towels are known as the parents of Rapier industries. They introduced the city how to go with the flow of changing demands of the Terry Towels market, following it many business houses have changed to Rapier Industries and now Rapier Chaddar Looms have been also introduced to the weaving sector by Bomdyal Textiles. The city is home to Precision Camshafts Limited one of the largest manufacturers in camshafts in the world. In the agricultural field, the district has a well-established market in oilseeds. The major crops grown in the district include jowar, wheat and sugarcane.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur is one of the most-polluted cities in Maharashtra due to the effluent chemicals produced as the waste products from the textile industries in its region. As many vehicles in the city utilise diesel fuel, it also generates tremendous smog emitted by sugar factories and heavy textiles industries in the city's suburb. Various efforts are being made by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to reduce air pollution and its environmental effects. The city has launched a GO-GREEN scheme by planting trees in the city and developing greenery with the help of various eco-friendly people in the city.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur railway station is the main railway hub within the city. The Solapur Railway Division is an important division connecting South India to Western & North west India. Trains from Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune etc., ply to Southern states (Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala) via Solapur.Government has decided to make solapur railway station as the high tech station in Maharashta.


title: Solapur

text: Hotgi Junction and Kurduvadi Junction are two junction railway stations present in the Solapur district.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur internal city transport is managed by SMT (Solapur Municipal Transport), but the buses operated by SMC are limited to less than 100 buses.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur is well connected by road with major cities of Maharashtra as well as the adjoining State Capital of Hyderabad and important cities in Karnataka by four National Highways – NH 9 highway connecting Pune with Vijaywada via Hyderabad but the Solapur-Omerga stretch of NH65 is a bit uncomfortable as the quality of roads still remains below par/Under construction, Suryapet, NH-52 connecting Solapur to Kaithal, Mangalore, Karnataka and NH-211 connecting Solapur to Dhule. Ratnagiri-Nagpur National highway NH-204 passes through city, connecting Solapur to other important cities in Maharashtra like Nagpur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Nanded. Recently sanctioned National Highways- (Solapur - Kalaburagi) and Ratnagiri-Solapur-Nanded-Yavatmal-Nagpur. (Solapur-Bijapur) Road section in NH-13 is proposed to be improved by its four laning. The Solapur-Aurangabad national highway project is completed recently and the new four laning has reduced the time and cost in travelling from Solapur to Aurangabad.


title: Solapur

text: Solapur Airport (IATA code: SSE) is located to the south of Solapur city. There aren't any scheduled flights operating out of Solapur Airport. Nearest airport is Gulbarga Airport (90 km). The Government of Maharashtra has planned to upgrade the airport but no on ground works has been done till now .


title: Solapur

text: The electrical supply to the city is managed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited and water is supplied from the Ujjani Dam on the Bhima River. CNG will be soon available for vehicle in Solapur as well as piped natural Gas will be available for Domestic, Commercial and industrial use.


title: Solapur

text: In the Solapur, both the official state channel Air Solapur on a frequency of 103.4 FM and commercial stations such as Radio City (91.1 FM), Big FM (92.7 FM) and Radio MY (95 FM) are broadcast. List of radio stations.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) is a gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, the most commonly used biological pesticide worldwide. "B. thuringiensis" also occurs naturally in the gut of caterpillars of various types of moths and butterflies, as well on leaf surfaces, aquatic environments, animal feces, insect-rich environments, and flour mills and grain-storage facilities. It has also been observed to parasitize other moths such as "Cadra calidella"—in laboratory experiments working with "C. calidella", many of the moths were diseased due to this parasite.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: During sporulation, many Bt strains produce crystal proteins (proteinaceous inclusions), called delta endotoxins, that have insecticidal action. This has led to their use as insecticides, and more recently to genetically modified crops using Bt genes, such as Bt corn. Many crystal-producing Bt strains, though, do not have insecticidal properties. The subspecies "israelensis" is commonly used for control of mosquitoes and of fungus gnats.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: As a toxic mechanism, "cry" proteins bind to specific receptors on the membranes of mid-gut (epithelial) cells of the targeted pests, resulting in their rupture. Other organisms (including humans, other animals and non-targeted insects) that lack the appropriate receptors in their gut cannot be affected by the "cry" protein, and therefore are not affected by Bt.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 1902, "B. thuringiensis" was first discovered in silkworms by Japanese sericultural engineer . He named it "B. sotto", using the Japanese word , here referring to bacillary paralysis. In 1911, German microbiologist Ernst Berliner rediscovered it when he isolated it as the cause of a disease called "" in flour moth caterpillars in Thuringia (hence the specific name "thuringiensis", "Thuringian"). "B. sotto" would later be reassigned as "B. thuringiensis" var. "sotto".


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 1976, Robert A. Zakharyan reported the presence of a plasmid in a strain of "B. thuringiensis" and suggested the plasmid's involvement in endospore and crystal formation. "B. thuringiensis" is closely related to "B. cereus", a soil bacterium, and "B. anthracis", the cause of anthrax; the three organisms differ mainly in their plasmids. Like other members of the genus, all three are anaerobes capable of producing endospores.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: "B. thuringiensis" is placed in the "Bacillus cereus" group which is variously defined as: seven closely related species: "B. cereus" "sensu stricto" ("B. cereus"), "B. anthracis", "B. thuringiensis", "B. mycoides", "B. pseudomycoides", and "B. cytotoxicus"; or as six species in a "Bacillus cereus" sensu lato: "B. weihenstephanensis", "B. mycoides", "B. pseudomycoides", "B. cereus", "B. thuringiensis", and "B. anthracis". Within this grouping "B.t." is more closely related to "B.ce." It is more distantly related to "B.w.", "B.m.", "B.p.", and "B.cy."


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: There are several dozen recognized subspecies of "B. thuringiensis". Subspecies commonly used as insecticides include "B. thuringiensis" subspecies "kurstaki" (Btk), subspecies "israelensis" (Bti) and (Bta). Some Bti lineages are clonal.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Some strains are known to carry the same genes that produce enterotoxins in "B. cereus", and so it is possible that the entire "B. cereus" sensu lato group may have the potential to be enteropathogens.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The proteins that "B. thuringiensis" is most known for are encoded by "cry" genes. In most strains of "B. thuringiensis", these genes are located on a plasmid (in other words "cry" is not a chromosomal gene in most strains). If these plasmids are lost it becomes indistinguishable from "B. cereus" as "B. thuringiensis" has no other species characteristics. Plasmid exchange has been observed both naturally and experimentally both within "B.t." and between "B.t." and two congeners, "B. cereus" and "B. mycoides".


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: plcR is an indispensable transcription regulator of most virulence factors, its absence greatly reducing virulence and toxicity. Some strains do naturally complete their life cycle with an inactivated plcR. It is half of a two-gene operon along with the heptapeptide . papR is part of quorum sensing in "B. thuringiensis".


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Various strains including "Btk" ATCC 33679 carry plasmids belonging to the wider pXO1-like family. (The pXO1 family being a "B. cereus"-common family with members of ≈330kb length. They differ from pXO1 by replacement of the pXO1 pathogenicity island.) The insect parasite "Btk" HD73 carries a pXO2-like plasmid (pBT9727) lacking the 35kb pathogenicity island of pXO2 itself, and in fact having no identifiable virulence factors. (The pXO2 family does not have replacement of the pathogenicity island, instead simply lacking that part of pXO2.)


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The genomes of the "B. cereus" group may contain two types of introns, dubbed group I and group II. "B.t" strains have variously 0-5 group Is and 0-13 group IIs.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: There is still insufficient information to determine whether chromosome-plasmid coevolution to enable adaptation to particular environmental niches has occurred or is even possible.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Common with "B. cereus" but so far not found elsewhere - including in other members of the species group - are the efflux pump BC3663, the "N"-acyl--amino-acid amidohydrolase BC3664, and the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein BC5034.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Upon sporulation, "B. thuringiensis" forms crystals of two types of proteinaceous insecticidal delta endotoxins (δ-endotoxins) called crystal proteins or Cry proteins, which are encoded by "cry" genes, and Cyt proteins.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Cry toxins have specific activities against insect species of the orders Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Diptera (flies and mosquitoes), Coleoptera (beetles) and Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants and sawflies), as well as against nematodes. Thus, "B. thuringiensis" serves as an important reservoir of Cry toxins for production of biological insecticides and insect-resistant genetically modified crops. When insects ingest toxin crystals, their alkaline digestive tracts denature the insoluble crystals, making them soluble and thus amenable to being cut with proteases found in the insect gut, which liberate the toxin from the crystal. The Cry toxin is then inserted into the insect gut cell membrane, paralyzing the digestive tract and forming a pore. The insect stops eating and starves to death; live Bt bacteria may also colonize the insect, which can contribute to death. Death occurs within a few hours or weeks. The midgut bacteria of susceptible larvae may be required for "B. thuringiensis" insecticidal activity.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: A "B. thuringiensis" small RNA called BtsR1 can silence the Cry5Ba toxin expression when outside the host by binding to the RBS site of the Cry5Ba toxin transcript to avoid nematode behavioral defenses. The silencing results in an increase of the bacteria ingestion by "C. elegans". The expression of BtsR1 is then reduced after ingestion, resulting in Cry5Ba toxin production and host death.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 1996 another class of insecticidal proteins in Bt was discovered: the vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip; ). Vip proteins do not share sequence homology with Cry proteins, in general do not compete for the same receptors, and some kill different insects than do Cry proteins.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 2000, a novel subgroup of Cry protein, designated parasporin, was discovered from non-insecticidal "B. thuringiensis" isolates. The proteins of parasporin group are defined as "B. thuringiensis" and related bacterial parasporal proteins that are not hemolytic, but capable of preferentially killing cancer cells. As of January 2013, parasporins comprise six subfamilies: PS1 to PS6.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Spores and crystalline insecticidal proteins produced by "B. thuringiensis" have been used to control insect pests since the 1920s and are often applied as liquid sprays. They are now used as specific insecticides under trade names such as DiPel and Thuricide. Because of their specificity, these pesticides are regarded as environmentally friendly, with little or no effect on humans, wildlife, pollinators, and most other beneficial insects, and are used in organic farming; however, the manuals for these products do contain many environmental and human health warnings, and a 2012 European regulatory peer review of five approved strains found, while data exist to support some claims of low toxicity to humans and the environment, the data are insufficient to justify many of these claims.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: New strains of Bt are developed and introduced over time as insects develop resistance to Bt, or the desire occurs to force mutations to modify organism characteristics, or to use homologous recombinant genetic engineering to improve crystal size and increase pesticidal activity, or broaden the host range of Bt and obtain more effective formulations. Each new strain is given a unique number and registered with the U.S. EPA and allowances may be given for genetic modification depending on "its parental strains, the proposed pesticide use pattern, and the manner and extent to which the organism has been genetically modified". Formulations of Bt that are approved for organic farming in the US are listed at the website of the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and several university extension websites offer advice on how to use Bt spore or protein preparations in organic farming.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The Belgian company Plant Genetic Systems (now part of Bayer CropScience) was the first company (in 1985) to develop genetically modified crops (tobacco) with insect tolerance by expressing "cry" genes from "B. thuringiensis"; the resulting crops contain delta endotoxin. The Bt tobacco was never commercialized; tobacco plants are used to test genetic modifications since they are easy to manipulate genetically and are not part of the food supply.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 1985, were approved safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, making it the first human-modified pesticide-producing crop to be approved in the US, though many plants produce pesticides naturally, including tobacco, coffee plants, cocoa, and black walnut. This was the 'New Leaf' potato, and it was removed from the market in 2001 due to lack of interest.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In 1996, was approved, which killed the European corn borer and related species; subsequent Bt genes were introduced that killed corn rootworm larvae.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The Bt genes engineered into crops and approved for release include, singly and stacked: Cry1A.105, CryIAb, CryIF, Cry2Ab, Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1, Cry35Ab1, mCry3A, and VIP, and the engineered crops include corn and cotton.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: In India, by 2014, more than seven million cotton farmers, occupying twenty-six million acres, had adopted .


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Monsanto developed a and the glyphosate-resistance gene for the Brazilian market, which completed the Brazilian regulatory process in 2010.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The use of Bt toxins as plant-incorporated protectants prompted the need for extensive evaluation of their safety for use in foods and potential unintended impacts on the environment.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Concerns over the safety of consumption of genetically modified plant materials that contain Cry proteins have been addressed in extensive dietary risk assessment studies. As a toxic mechanism, "cry" proteins bind to specific receptors on the membranes of mid-gut (epithelial) cells of the targeted pests, resulting in their rupture. While the target pests are exposed to the toxins primarily through leaf and stalk material, Cry proteins are also expressed in other parts of the plant, including trace amounts in maize kernels which are ultimately consumed by both humans and animals. However, other organisms (including humans, other animals and non-targeted insects) that lack the appropriate receptors in their gut cannot be affected by the "cry" protein, and therefore are not affected by Bt.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Animal models have been used to assess human health risk from consumption of products containing Cry proteins. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recognizes mouse acute oral feeding studies where doses as high as 5,000 mg/kg body weight resulted in no observed adverse effects. Research on other known toxic proteins suggests that , further suggesting that Bt toxins are not toxic to mammals. The results of toxicology studies are further strengthened by the lack of observed toxicity from decades of use of "B. thuringiensis" and its crystalline proteins as an insecticidal spray.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Introduction of a new protein raised concerns regarding the potential for allergic responses in sensitive individuals. Bioinformatic analysis of known allergens has indicated there is no concern of allergic reactions as a result of consumption of Bt toxins. Additionally, skin prick testing using purified Bt protein resulted in no detectable production of toxin-specific IgE antibodies, even in atopic patients.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Studies have been conducted to evaluate the fate of Bt toxins that are ingested in foods. Bt toxin proteins have been shown to digest within minutes of exposure to simulated gastric fluids. The instability of the proteins in digestive fluids is an additional indication that Cry proteins are unlikely to be allergenic, since most known food allergens resist degradation and are ultimately absorbed in the small intestine.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Ecological risk assessment aims to ensure there is no unintended impact on non-target organisms and no contamination of natural resources as a result of the use of a new substance, such as the use of Bt in genetically modified crops. The impact of Bt toxins on the environments where transgenic plants are grown has been evaluated to ensure no adverse effects outside of targeted crop pests.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Concerns over possible environmental impact from accumulation of Bt toxins from plant tissues, pollen dispersal, and direct secretion from roots have been investigated. Bt toxins may persist in soil for over 200 days, with half-lives between 1.6 and 22 days. Much of the toxin is initially degraded rapidly by microorganisms in the environment, while some is adsorbed by organic matter and persists longer. Some studies, in contrast, claim that the toxins do not persist in the soil. Bt toxins are less likely to accumulate in bodies of water, but pollen shed or soil runoff may deposit them in an aquatic ecosystem. Fish species are not susceptible to Bt toxins if exposed.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The toxic nature of Bt proteins has an adverse impact on many major crop pests, but ecological risk assessments have been conducted to ensure safety of beneficial non-target organisms that may come into contact with the toxins. Widespread concerns over toxicity in non-target lepidopterans, such as the monarch butterfly, have been disproved through proper exposure characterization, where it was determined that non-target organisms are not exposed to high enough amounts of the Bt toxins to have an adverse effect on the population. Soil-dwelling organisms, potentially exposed to Bt toxins through root exudates, are not impacted by the growth of Bt crops.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Multiple insects have developed a resistance to "B. thuringiensis". In November 2009, Monsanto scientists found the pink bollworm had become resistant to the first-generation Bt cotton in parts of Gujarat, India - that generation expresses one Bt gene, "Cry1Ac". This was the first instance of Bt resistance confirmed by Monsanto anywhere in the world. Monsanto responded by introducing a second-generation cotton with multiple Bt proteins, which was rapidly adopted. Bollworm resistance to first-generation Bt cotton was also identified in Australia, China, Spain, and the United States. Additionally, resistance to Bt was documented in field population of diamondback moth in Hawaii, the continental US, and Asia. Studies in the cabbage looper have suggested that a mutation in the membrane transporter ABCC2 can confer resistance to Bt "Cry1Ac".


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Several studies have documented surges in "sucking pests" (which are not affected by Bt toxins) within a few years of adoption of Bt cotton. In China, the main problem has been with mirids, which have in some cases "completely eroded all benefits from Bt cotton cultivation". The increase in sucking pests depended on local temperature and rainfall conditions and increased in half the villages studied. The increase in insecticide use for the control of these secondary insects was far smaller than the reduction in total insecticide use due to Bt cotton adoption. Another study in five provinces in China found the reduction in pesticide use in Bt cotton cultivars is significantly lower than that reported in research elsewhere, consistent with the hypothesis suggested by recent studies that more pesticide sprayings are needed over time to control emerging secondary pests, such as aphids, spider mites, and lygus bugs.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Similar problems have been reported in India, with both mealy bugs and aphids although a survey of small Indian farms between 2002 and 2008 concluded Bt cotton adoption has led to higher yields and lower pesticide use, decreasing over time.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The controversies surrounding Bt use are among the many genetically modified food controversies more widely.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: The most publicised problem associated with Bt crops is the claim that pollen from Bt maize could kill the monarch butterfly. The paper produced a public uproar and demonstrations against Bt maize; however by 2001 several follow-up studies coordinated by the USDA had asserted that "the most common types of Bt maize pollen are not toxic to monarch larvae in concentrations the insects would encounter in the fields." Similarly, "B. thuringiensis" has been widely used for controlling "Spodoptera littoralis" larvae growth due to their detrimental pest activities in Africa and Southern Europe. However, "S. littoralis" showed resistance to many strains of "B. thuriginesis" and were only effectively controlled by a few strains.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: A study published in "Nature" in 2001 reported Bt-containing maize genes were found in maize in its center of origin, Oaxaca, Mexico. Another "Nature" paper published in 2002 claimed that the previous paper's conclusion was the result of an artifact caused by an inverse polymerase chain reaction and that "the evidence available is not sufficient to justify the publication of the original paper." A significant controversy happened over the paper and "Nature"s unprecedented notice.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: A subsequent large-scale study in 2005 failed to find any evidence of genetic mixing in Oaxaca. A 2007 study found the "transgenic proteins expressed in maize were found in two (0.96%) of 208 samples from farmers' fields, located in two (8%) of 25 sampled communities." Mexico imports a substantial amount of maize from the U.S., and due to formal and informal seed networks among rural farmers, many potential routes are available for transgenic maize to enter into food and feed webs. One study found small-scale (about 1%) introduction of transgenic sequences in sampled fields in Mexico; it did not find evidence for or against this introduced genetic material being inherited by the next generation of plants. That study was immediately criticized, with the reviewer writing, "Genetically, any given plant should be either non-transgenic or transgenic, therefore for leaf tissue of a single transgenic plant, a GMO level close to 100% is expected. In their study, the authors chose to classify leaf samples as transgenic despite GMO levels of about 0.1%. We contend that results such as these are incorrectly interpreted as positive and are more likely to be indicative of contamination in the laboratory."


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: As of 2007, a new phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (CCD) began affecting bee hives all over North America. Initial speculation on possible causes included new parasites, pesticide use, and the use of Bt transgenic crops. The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium found no evidence that pollen from Bt crops is adversely affecting bees. According to the USDA, "Genetically modified (GM) crops, most commonly Bt corn, have been offered up as the cause of CCD. But there is no correlation between where GM crops are planted and the pattern of CCD incidents. Also, GM crops have been widely planted since the late 1990s, but CCD did not appear until 2006. In addition, CCD has been reported in countries that do not allow GM crops to be planted, such as Switzerland. German researchers have noted in one study a possible correlation between exposure to Bt pollen and compromised immunity to "Nosema"." The actual cause of CCD was unknown in 2007, and scientists believe it may have multiple exacerbating causes.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Some isolates of "B. thuringiensis" produce a class of insecticidal small molecules called beta-exotoxin, the common name for which is thuringiensin. A consensus document produced by the OECD says: "Beta-exotoxins are known to be toxic to humans and almost all other forms of life and its presence is prohibited in "B. thuringiensis" microbial products". Thuringiensins are nucleoside analogues. They inhibit RNA polymerase activity, a process common to all forms of life, in rats and bacteria alike.


title: Bacillus thuringiensis

text: Opportunistic pathogen of animals other than insects, causing necrosis, pulmonary infection, and/or food poisoning. How common this is, is unknown, because these are always taken to be "B. cereus" infections and are rarely tested for the "Cry" and "Cyt" proteins that are the only factor distinguishing "B. thuringiensis" from "B. cereus".


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The Clan del Golfo (English: The Gulf Clan), also known as Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) and formerly called Los Urabeños and Clan Úsuga, is a prominent Colombian neo-paramilitary group and currently the country's largest drug cartel. It is based in the Urabá region of Antioquia, and is involved in the Colombian armed conflict. Los Urabeños is one of the organizations that appeared after the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. In late 2011 Los Urabeños declared war on Los Rastrojos over the control of the drug trade in Medellín. Their main source of income is cocaine trafficking as they appear to be the largest distributors of cocaine in all of Colombia. As of late 2021, it is considered the most powerful criminal organization in Colombia, having some 3,000 members in the inner circle of the organization in 2016 with its current numbers unknown. Its rivals include the National Liberation Army. The Gulf Clan has recruited accomplices at the highest level of the military hierarchy, such as generals and colonels.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: One of the many groups made up of former mid-level paramilitary leaders, the Clan have caused homicide rates to skyrocket in Colombia's northern departments. It is currently one of the more ambitious and ruthless of Colombia's drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). The group's power base is currently in the Antioquia, Sucre and Córdoba departments, with a presence in various other departments and regions in the country including major cities such as Medellín and Bogotá. Currently, the Clan is likely the single largest distributor of cocaine in the world having formed direct, highly-lucrative partnerships with drug cartels in Mexico as well as European crime groups such as 'Ndrangheta and the Albanian mafia who split their billions made in profit from the illegal cocaine trade with the Clan.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In June 2020, the Colombian National Police revealed that former Los Rastrojos member Marlon Gregorio Celis Caballero, alias 'Loquillo or Felipe', had become the new leader of the Clan del Golfo by April 2020. At the time of this revelation, the Clan del Golfo reduced its drug trafficking route to the Caribbean region and also named a Ciénaga native with the alias "Diana" as the new head trafficker. However, the Clan del Golfo has also been distracted by a direct conflict with FARC dissidents. On October 23, 2021, the group's leader Dario Antonio Úsuga David, better known as Otoniel, was captured. At the time of his arrest, Otoniel was Colombia's most wanted drug lord. Following the arrest of "Otoniel", President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez described the weakened Clan del Golfo as "over" and claimed that "its days are numbered".


title: Clan del Golfo

text: For the "Clan del Golfo," before named "Los Urabeños" from Urabá, the northwestern region near the Panamanian border is highly prized by drug traffickers as it offers access to the Caribbean and Pacific coast, from the departments of Antioquia and Chocó. However, the origins of the group can be traced elsewhere, in Colombia's Eastern Plains, where Daniel Rendón Herrera, better known as ‘Don Mario,’ once handled finances for the paramilitary group Bloque Centauros.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: Cocaine traffickers had long competed with the FARC for territory and influence in the Eastern Plains. In 1997, top paramilitary commanders Carlos and Vicente Castaño began sending troops to the area to co-opt the drug business from the guerrillas. In 2001, the Castaños sold one of their armed groups, later known as Bloque Centauros, to another warlord, Miguel Arroyave, allegedly for US$7 million. It was Arroyave who convinced Rendón Herrera to come work for him. Under Rendón's supervision, the Centauros became one of the wealthiest factions within the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombian (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC). The Centauros trafficked cocaine, propped up local politicians, extorted ranchers and farmers, and collected security taxes for products ranging from alcohol to petroleum.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: But the Centauros soon began clashing with a rival paramilitary group, the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Casanare (Autodefensas Campesinas del Casanare – ACC). The ACC is one of the oldest vigilante groups in Colombia, headed by Héctor Germán Buitrago Parada, alias ‘Martín Llanos’. It was allegedly ACC fighters who first began calling the Centauros "those from Urabá," "Paisas," or "Urabeños," all references to the Antioquia region where many of the paramilitaries hailed from.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: By 2004, the fierce war between the ACC and the Centauros had left an estimated 3,000 people dead. Rendón fled the Eastern Plains in June after a falling out with Arroyave. Rendón then found refuge in the Urabá region, where his brother Freddy, alias ‘El Aleman,’ headed his own paramilitary group, the Bloque Elmer Cardenas. Shortly afterward, Arroyave was ambushed and killed by his former allies, including Pedro Oliveiro Guerrero, alias ‘Cuchillo.’


title: Clan del Golfo

text: When Freddy Rendón chose to demobilize in 2006, his brother ‘Don Mario’ seized the opportunity to expand his drug trafficking operations in the Urabá gulf. He recruited many of the fighters once under Freddy's command, as well as ex-members from the defunct AUC. From Urabá, the DTO deployed go-fast boats loaded with cocaine to Central America or the Caribbean, with some estimates putting it at 10 to 20 boats per week. By 2008, Rendón Herrera was one of the richest and most-wanted traffickers in Colombia.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: As the AUC blocs were officially demobilized, this new paramilitary groups called themselves "Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces" or "Don Mario's Black Eagles" in an attempt to legitimize their actions.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: Rendón attempted to expand his empire, moving into southern Córdoba, the Lower Cauca region in northern Antioquia and even venturing into Medellin, long controlled by the feared Oficina de Envigado. Rendón's men soon began clashing with the Paisas, then a rural, armed wing of the Oficina. Police blamed Rendón's organization for at least 3,000 homicides between 2007 and 2009. On April 15, 2009, a team of 200 police commandos captured Rendón on a farm in rural Urabá.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: Since Rendón's capture, the remnants of his organization had fallen under the control of the "Usuga-David brothers", Juan de Dios and Dario Antonio, two former mid-ranking paramilitaries believed to have worked with Rendón since the 1990s. The two started with an estimated 250 men following Rendón's arrest, and have since managed to grow exponentially.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On January 1, 2012, Juan de Dios Usuga-David, alias "Giovany," was killed in a police raid on a ranch in the Chocó department. Three Clan del Golfo members with him were injured and arrested during the shootout with the police as well. In a surprising display of strength, the Gulf Clan organized a series of coordinated strikes protesting his deaths in northern Antioquia, handing out fliers which referred to the group's former name, the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces. The Gulf Clan also signaled their intention to respond aggressively to their leader's death when they publicly offered a $1,000 reward for each police officer killed in Antioquia, a public relations strategy best associated with kingpin Pablo Escobar. His brother Dario Antonio Úsuga David alias "Otoniel", afterward succeeded him as head of the cartel. On October 23, 2021, Otoniel was apprehended by Colombian military forces.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: According to a November 2021 InsightCrime report, the Clan reportedly has a strong presence in the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Córdoba and Sucre, a moderate presence in the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Chocó, Nariño, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Norte de Santander and a low or minimal presence in the departments of Cesar, Santander, Boyacá, La Guajira, Risaralda, Casanare, Meta and Vichada.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The Gulf Clan rely on at least 1,200 members in their top level of command. Their base is near and around the Urabá gulf, including the Tierralta and Valencia municipalities in Cordoba and the eleven municipalities in the Urabá sub-region in Antioquia. The arrest of Urabá regional leader Eduardo Ortiz Tuberquia, alias "El Indio," in May 2017 and the deaths of second-in-command, Roberto Vargas Gutiérrez, alias "Gavilán," in September 2017 and military boss Luis Orlando Padierma, alias "Inglaterra," in November 2017 gave overall leader Dario Antonio Úsuga David, alias "Otoniel", tenuous authority over the Gulf Clan, with regional leaders gaining more direct authority over their territories.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The top command deploys teams of trained, armed men to rural areas vital for drug-trafficking operations. These include zones with natural seaports along the Caribbean coast, or areas where coca base must be bought, like Caucasia or Tarazá in Antioquia (InSight has also heard reports of an Urabeño cell in Medellín). These cells then attempt to recruit local informants, especially collaborators who can inform them of the actions of the security forces.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The Gulf Clan are also known to contract local street gangs who help with the retail and mid-level distribution of cocaine, extortion and select assassination. By "sponsoring" other low-level gangs, this group has been able to maintain small, select cells of highly disciplined men in the field, responsible for ever-larger swathes of territory. There are also indications that the group has been successful enough in terms of recruitment to move into other key territories like Barrancabermeja, Santander, one of Colombia's oil towns long prized by the Rastrojos.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: When it comes to drug trafficking, the Gulf Clan are similar to rival DTOS like the Rastrojos or the Paisas in that they are uninterested in controlling the entire chain of drug production. But they have not proved as adept as the Rastrojos when it comes to brokering key alliances with other major players in the drug trade. The Gulf Clan will buy coca base from the FARC, but the two groups will not collaborate much further than that. What is helping the Clan compete so far is their military discipline: so far they have proved immune to the kind of infighting tearing apart the Paisas or the Oficina. The Gulf Clan may yet prove themselves capable of expanding their operations beyond the Caribbean coast and northern Colombia if they are not derailed by their war with the Rastrojos.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The organization has emerged from paramilitarism and continues to specifically target political parties, unions and leftist associations. It is one of the main perpetrators of selective assassinations of community and social leaders, leftist political activists and forced displacement of people. In October 2017, it published a pamphlet entitled "Pistol Plan against the Patriotic Union" in which it threatened members of this political party or NGOs with death.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On September 1, 2017, the second-in-command of the Gulf Clan (alias Gavilán ) was killed during a shootout with police. Inglaterra, who was the group's fifth in command, was injured during this shootout as well and later died in November 2017. The three remaining leaders remained free (alias Otoniel, Carlos Moreno, alias Nicolás and Aristides Meza, alias El Indio). However, Meza, who served as third-in-command, was during a shootout with police on March 28, 2018. A successor who used the alias "Samuel" was later arrested on May 21, 2018, while Nicolás was arrested on August 6, 2018. In October 2018, it was reported that as a result of the deaths and arrests of these three senior leaders within a year of either each other, the Gulf Clan saw a major reorganization in its leadership, with Giovanis Ávila Villadiego, alias "Chiquito Malo," reportedly the main person in charge of maritime trafficking routes to the United States and Europe; Nelson Darío Hurtado Simanca, alias "Marihuano," in command of the Central Urabá Bloc (Bloque Central Urabá) and some 700 men in the Caribbean sub-region; and other commanders of regional blocs.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In August 2019, the cartel's chief financier Carlos Mario Úsuga, also known as "Cuarentano," was arrested. He is a brother of Otenial and was reported to have taken over the cartel's financial operations following the arrest of their sister Nini Johana in December 2013. Two other brothers of Otoniel, Angel Eusebio and Fernando Umbeiro Úsuga, were arrested in 2018 as well. Cuarentano was also revealed to have been in charge of the cartel's trafficking routes and oversaw Chiquito Malo's trafficking as well. It was also reported that rather than Chiquito Malo, fellow Cuarentano-employed trafficker Darío Úsuga Torres, alias "Pueblo," was named by Colombian police as Cuarentano's most likely successor. Both Pueblo, who is an Úsuga family relative, and Ciquito Malo were high ranking on the declining list of potential successors to Cuarentano. However, by the time she was re-arrested on March 17, 2021, Nini Johana was once again managing the Clan del Golfo's illicit finances resulting from narco-trafficking and money laundering.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: Between January and August 2019, Colombian police reported 339 captures and nine members killed in Public Force operations, in addition, the seizure of 12.6 tons of cocaine hydrochloride which, according to the authorities, leads to close the fence over the heir to a structure that spread throughout the country. Members of Clan del Golfo who served as liaisons with other Colombian drug cartels were among those arrested. The cartel was also estimated to have been reduced to having only 1,500 armed men. By August 2019, 16 members of the Úsuga family had also been arrested in less than a six-year period. In December 2019, senior Clan del Gulfo drug trafficker and money launderer Joaquin Guillermo David-Usuga was extradited from Colombia to the U.S city of Houston, Texas.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In March 2020, Marihuano was revealed to be living in the Darién Jungle in cabins he built himself. His police record was also made public, which revealed that he had court documentation despite still being wanted. It was also suggested that his role in the cartel was exaggerated a little and that while he was heavily involved in the cartel, and serving as the cartel's No. 2, he was more of a regional leader in the Colombian areas of Riosucio, Juradó, Unguía and Acandí than an international trafficker, extending only as far as the Panama border, and is the leader of close to 1,000 members of the cartel's Colombian armed forces. He is wanted for not only drug trafficking, but also numerous atrocities in the departments of Córdoba, Antioquia and Chocó and has a bounty of up to 580 million pesos for his capture. On April 25, 2020, cartel leader Gustavo Adolfo Álvarez Téllez, who was one of Colombia's most wanted drug lords and also had a bounty of up to 580 million pesos for his capture, was arrested at his lavish estate in Cereté while holding a party under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Álvarez was described as the "brain" of the cartel, and by this point was reported to have taken charge of the cartel's Caribbean operations.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On May 4, 2020, leader of the cartel's violent Jorge Iván Arboleda Garcés’ fraction Aureliano Pérez Caballero, alias Dávinson, was arraigned in court following his arrest the previous day. On May 27, 2020, the leader of the cartel's Carlos Vazquez fraction, identified as "Fabian," and seven of his associates were arrested. On May 29, 2020, the Carlos Vazquez fraction's weapons supplier Jhon Olmedo Ramirez, alias "Guajiro," was captured along with 9,000 rifle cartridges, a van, 10 suppliers of long-range weapons and 2 cell phones. On May 28, 2020, notorious Gulf Clan hitman Yelson Andres Mes Perez, alias "Yeisito," and also the woman arrested with him were jailed.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On June 8, 2020, three Gulf Clan members who were planning to kill civilians in Chocó were arrested. On June 12, 2020, Urabá police arrested alleged Clan del Golfo member Alexander Asprilla, alias "Perea." Perea was suspected of being involved in selective killings in the municipalities of Bahía Solano, Nuquí, Juradó, as well as other townships and villages of the area. On June 13, 2020, it was revealed that 26 Clan del Golfo members were arrested in Santa Marta. Among those detained were local leaders thought to be responsible for a recent wave of violence. It was also revealed that 48 Clan del Golfo members, including 5 local leaders, had been detained in Santa Marta since the beginning of 2020.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On June 23, 2020, the Colombian National Police revealed in a national radio broadcast that shortly before the arrest of Téllez, a former member of the rival Los Rastrojos criminal group Marlon Gregorio Celis Caballero, alias 'Loquillo' or 'Felipe', was named "as the new leader of the Gulf Clan." An operative from Ciénaga with the alias "Diana" was also named as head of the cartel's financial operations, money laundering and drug trafficking operations. Under Loquillo's leadership, the Clan del Golfo concentrates its criminal actions on the Caribbean Trunk, especially in Santa Marta and the surrounding municipalities of the Magdalena department, using new platforms large cocaine shipments through boats that dock near the municipalities of Magdalena in Puebloviejo and Ciénaga. On June 26, 2020, it was revealed that the Clan del Golfo had started a direct conflict with FARC dissidents called "Operation Mil" and dispatched 1,000 of its paramilitaries from Urabá, southern Córdoba and Chocó to remove FARC dissents from northern Antioquia and control the entire municipality of Ituango.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On September 19, 2020, The Economist described the Clan del Golfo as now a group "composed of demobilized right-wing paramilitaries." On October 8, 2020, it was revealed that "El Soldado" was killed in the course of military operations in the Antioquia region of Lower Cacua. Prior to his death El Soldado was serving as the leader of the Julio César Vargas substructure of the Clan del Golfo. In addition to the Colombian military killing El Soldado, the Colombian National Police confirmed the arrests of 13 members of Clan del Golfo's "Héroes del Caribe", which serves a cell of the cartel's Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, in Cartagena. Among those arrested included regional Clan del Golfo leader Edwin Enrique Caballero Santander, known under the alias of "El Brother". At this time, it was also revealed that military operations which had been carried out in the Colombian regions of Antioquia, Atlántico, Córdoba and Sucre had significantly diminished the influence of the Clan del Golfo.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On October 8, 2020, imprisoned former Clan del Golfo leader Jhony Fidel Cuello-Petro, alias "Mocho", arrived in Houston after being extradited from Colombia. Colombian authorities took Mocho into custody in November 2018. On October 15, 2020, one of two Clan del Golfo members who killed a man at a car wash located in the Yalí department in Antioquia was killed by the members of the Colombian National Army, while the other was captured. On October 16, 2020, Colombian National Police announced that a senior Clan del Golfo financier who served leader of cartel's "Edwin Román Velázquez Valle" substructure was among four "Edwin Román Velázquez Valle" members who were arrested in the Antioquia municipalities of Buriticá, Saznta Fe and Livorina. According to National Police officer Colonel William Castaño, head of the National Unit against Illegal Mining and Antiterrorism, the senior Clan Del Golfo financier, identified as "Diego," "was in charge of the extortion of merchants and people dedicated to the extraction of minerals in this part of the country."


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On October 28, 2020, it was reported that the Colombian and Panamanian security forces seized more than two tons of cocaine hydrochloride belonging to the Clan del Golfo. This resulted in the cartel losing $70 million. Four Colombians and one Honduran on the submarine which contained the cocaine hydrochloride were arrested as well. On November 17, 2020, alleged financier and route coordinator of the Clan del Golfo Jorge Eliécer Castaño Toro, alias "Plástico," and his deputy Darwin Abad Sierra, alias "number 17," were arrested by Colombian National Police.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: Between December 30, 2020, and January 2, 2021, 181 Clan del Golfo members were successfully targeted in "Operation Agamemnon," with the Colombia Presidency and Colombian National releasing a joint statement revealing that "The mission was structured in 38 operations with 117 search procedures and raids, which resulted in 177 arrests and four neutralizations." Among those arrested was John Fredy Zapata Garzón, alias Messi or Candado, and seven of his closest collaborators. Colombian National Police Major General Fernando Murillo Orrego, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (DIJIN), "Zapata Garzón ran a narco-trafficking and money laundering organization associated with the Clan del Golfo" The DIJIN also released a statement revealing that Zapata Garzón shared routes for drug trafficking to Europe and the United States with the Clan del Golfo, through shell companies, investments, and real estate and personal properties in 17 Departments of Colombia. In December 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Zapata Garzón "for materially assisting the international narcotics trafficking activities of the Clan del Golfo." The joint federal statement, which was released on January 4, 2021, also revealed that the number of Clan del Golfo members arrested during the phase of "Operation Agamemnon" that started on December 30, 2020, had by then grown to 198.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In March 2021, the Clan del Golfo's structures suffered major blows with arrests of 25 more members. According to the Colombian Navy, those arrested are alleged to have been responsible for smuggling more than 13 tons of cocaine into Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama during 19 drug trafficking operations. Nini Jhoana Úsuga, alias "La Negra", would be recaptured during these arrests. Main Clan del Golfo leader Rubén D. Meléndez, alias "Porrón", and Clan del Golfo weapons supplier and alleged FARC associate Martín Boyaco were among those arrested as well. "Porrón" was arrested on March 13, 2021, while Boyaco, who was believed to have provide financing to the Clan del Golfo by supplying weapons to FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco, was arrested on March 11, 2021. On August 18, 2021, Colombia security forces arrested Luis Daniel Santan Hernández, alias " Machete". "Machete", who was wanted by the Colombian government since 2017 and who was captured shortly before he was scheduled to get married, was not only the coordinator of security, logistics and criminal activities of other Clan del Golfo leaders stationed in western Antioquia but was also regarded as "leader of the largest criminal gang in Colombia."


title: Clan del Golfo

text: On January 5, 2012, the organization launched an armed strike in much of northern Colombia to protest the killing of their leader 'Giovanni'. The strike completely paralyzed several Colombian departments as shopkeepers and travellers were told to stay at home or face 'consequences'.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In 2012 the Gulf Clan also got into conflict with The Office of Envigado over the drug trade in Medellín.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In 2017 the Gulf Clan begun a "pistol plan" against the police officers because one of their leaders was killed.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: In April and May of 2022, the Gulf Clan held an armed strike in much of rural Northern Colombia after their leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga was extradited to the United States.


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The Clan del Golfo has, as of recently, been featured and discussed in several documentary programs such as the series by Vice titled "Criminal Planet" (2021) as well as the British television program called "Cocaine: Living with the Cartels" (2019).


title: Clan del Golfo

text: The program by Vice attempted to expose the strong connection and extremely lucrative partnership the Clan reportedly shares with the Albanian mafia in their massive cocaine pipeline to the markets in Europe, particularly in London. The British program "Living with the Cartels" takes four admitted middle class cocaine users from the U.K. to Colombia where they meet low-ranking members of the Clan to witness the purported origins of "where their cocaine comes from".


title: The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Prince song)

text: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a song by American musician Prince, released in various forms on the 1994 remixes EP "The Beautiful Experience" and later on his seventeenth album, "The Gold Experience" (1995). In his singles chronology, it was his third major release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable "" (also known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince). In his albums chronology, it along with the EP was his second release after changing his name. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros. Records, the song was released by NPG Records in North America and Edel Music in the rest of the world and independently distributed by Bellmark Records in the USA, under the control and guidance of Music of Life, as a one-off single, topping five different charts. It also remains Prince's only number one single on the UK Singles Chart, and was shortly followed by the release of "The Beautiful Experience" that also charted on No. 18 in the UK. The version that was released on "The Gold Experience" is a different mix of the song.


text: The original track is a slow-grooving ballad that serenades a beautiful woman, his soon-to-be fiancée, Mayte Garcia. The song was played during the Miss USA pageant in 1994, but not in full. It was widely advertised in news and trade magazines that a new song from Prince would be premiered at the pageant. The ads had Prince sitting in a chair with a hat pulled down over his face, and Garcia standing next to his chair. The song was officially released on February 24, 1994. It later appeared on "The Gold Experience".


text: The version on "The Gold Experience" is remixed. The drums are more crisp in the mix, and there are slight instrumental changes. There are also added sound effects and instrumental breaks in the second version. The spoken word bridge is slightly more robust as well. The song is still based in light guitar, keyboards and live drums. Although most of the song is sung in falsetto with Prince reaching some extremely high notes, the spoken word bridge has him using his regular voice as well as a lower baritone range in one small segment. This version was performed live during the 1994 World Music Awards ceremony.


text: The song was a worldwide hit and established Prince's ability to succeed commercially under his new name, peaking at No. 3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies domestically. However, the song was his last top 10 hit on the "Billboard" Hot 100 during his lifetime.


text: The outstanding success of the single released in the UK on 1994 March 28th via Grapevine Distribution, is solely based on the sales and marketing campaign put together by the late Mr. Nigel Reveler. It became his first and only UK No. 1 single under any name as a performer. He did have two other UK number ones as a songwriter: the 1984 hit single "I Feel for You" covered by Chaka Khan and Sinéad O'Connor's 1990 cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U". Prince danced to his own song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" after the World Music Awards at an after show event with Kylie Minogue in 1994.


text: Andy Healy from Albumism noted the song's "lush, rich serving of '70s soul and '90s pop." He stated that "everything about this song is well crafted perfection", noting that it "easily seduces the listener, it's at once romantic and passionate, and manages to just swirl around you, sweeping you away with its beauty." AllMusic editor Daniel Browne called it a "dreamy slice of soul-pop" in the style of Delfonics mastermind Thom Bell. Another editor, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the song has a "more immediate" melody, describing it as a "Philly soul tribute". Troy J. Augusto from "Cashbox" commented, "Never one to sit idly by. Prince returns after a short sabbatical with this new funky single, released through a new deal with Al Bell's Bellmark Records". He also noted, "Already making waves at urban and top-40 radio, this keyboard-heavy, lushly produced track breaks no new ground for Prince, but looks like a sure bet for chart success. Expect to hear this song of female worship at the junior prom come June." Greg Sandow from "Entertainment Weekly" called it "buoyant". Tom Ewing of "Freaky Trigger" described it as a "high, heady, perfume-drunk ballad drawing from the well of Thom Bell's work with the Delfonics and Stylistics." He added further, "Prince disciplines himself, staying almost throughout at the absolute top of his register, a high-wire act he pulls off without a hitch but also without any moment which completely sells the decision. The music is opulent boudoir funk, the best line – "How can I get through days when I can't get through hours?" – is very good, and there's a casual classiness to the record."


text: Lars Nielsen from "Gaffa" declared it as a "pop-pearl". Caroline Sullivan from "The Guardian" complimented it as "rather wonderful". She added further, "The glossy, propulsive funk beat and falsetto vocal are the infectious mainspring of an unusually romantic celebration of femalekind. Delectable." Another editor, Alexis Petridis viewed it as "a deft homage to the super-soft 70s soul of the Delfonics and the Stylistics". Music writer James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, that this "gorgeous ballad" is "probably his most MOR recording since Diamonds and Pearls [and] proving that behind all the raunch and funk lies a soul talent that is second to none." Mark Carlson from "The Michigan Daily" picked the song as one of the "highlights" from the album and described it as "super-sappy (yet somehow wonderful)". Alan Jones from "Music Week" gave it five out of five, picking it as Pick of the Week. He added that it "is his most direct and accessible in ages. A love song which he renders in his prettiest falsetto, it's all over radio already, and is likely to make a huge impact on the main chart, as well as topping the indie listings." John Kilgo from "The Network Forty" stated that it "may be Prince's strongest" since "Cream". A reviewer from "Perthshire Advertiser" called it a "stunning tune and a massive hit too!" "Porcys" listed it at number five in their ranking of "100 Singles 1990-1999" in 2012. "Rolling Stone" wrote that "the gorgeous falsetto-steeped ballad has clean funk guitar touches and keyboards, but Prince lets his gift for melody do most of the work." Tim Marsh from "Select" noted that the song "displayed a confident touch".


text: The accompanying music video for "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" was directed by Prince and American film director and producer Antoine Fuqua on 29 January 1994. It depicts a collage of girls and women, that are reminiscing about their past while watching their personal footage mixed with Prince performing the song for them in a special room. The video was filmed at Paisley Park Studios and debuted on Valentine's Day 1994. In December 1993, Prince had an ad placed in US, British, a Dutch and Spanish publication reading: “Eligible bachelor seeks the most beautiful girl in the world to spend the holidays with” and encouraged all interested to send videos and/or pictures to Paisley Park Studios. The material sent in response to the advertisement (reportedly, over 50,000 girls responded) was utilized for the video. Seven finalists were chosen to appear in the video while 30 semi-finalists were featured on the sleeve of the record.


text: At first the video's story was going to be a competition for the "title" of most beautiful woman in the world. Later, the story was reworked to be a celebration of every type of woman. Originally scheduled to be shot in Los Angeles City Hall on January 23rd, it was rescheduled to place in Minneapolis 6 days later, due to an earthquake in California. American educator Marva Collins makes a cameo appearance, as an elderly woman watching a black woman becoming the 43rd president of the United States. Also Nona Gaye and Vanessa Marcil have cameo appearances in the video. Actress Rita Worlock plays a comedian with a red wig, watching herself doing a Joan Rivers type of thing. Other women appearing in the video are: a bride watching herself getting married, a curvy woman viewing her fantasy of having a singing career, a female swimmer watching herself getting a medal, a mom reliving giving birth to her child, and a girl with dreads and top hat watching herself as a director on a set.


text: There has been a long running copyright dispute since 1995 and a court in Italy ruled that Prince had plagiarized the song, giving writing credit to those other than Prince. The outcome of this dispute resulted in the removal of the song from all digital storefronts and streaming platforms. Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino co-wrote the song "Takin' Me to Paradise", published in 1983 by Chappell & Co., now known as Warner Chappell Music. The session vocalist was Raynard J., the pseudonym of Jay Rolandi. The song appeared on a number of compilations which were internationally distributed. An Italian court ruled in 2003 that Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" had plagiarized the song by the two Italian writers. Bergonzi and Vicino won on appeal in 2007. The third and final sentence, by the Court of Cassation of Rome, was given in May 2015. Italian collecting society SIAE recognizes Bergonzi and Vicino as the authors of the song's music.


text: The album "The Gold Experience", which contains this song, was not rereleased in complete, including "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", until 2022. Earlier, when the album became available digitally, had this song disabled from playing.


text: Mayte Garcia later recorded her own version called "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World". The song appears on her album "Child of the Sun". It has the same instrumental backing track with extra reverb, and her vocals, with a few slight ad-lib changes. It was released by NPG Records.


title: Talk to Her

text: Talk to Her () is a 2002 Spanish drama written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores. The film follows two men who form an unlikely friendship as they care for two women who are both in comas.


title: Talk to Her

text: The film was a critical and commercial success, winning the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film while Almodóvar won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It is generally regarded as one of the best films of the 2000s.


title: Talk to Her

text: The story unfolds in flashbacks, giving details of two separate relationships that become intertwined.


title: Talk to Her

text: At a performance of "Café Müller", a dance-theatre piece by Pina Bausch, Benigno Martín and Marco Zuluaga are seated next to each other. They are strangers, but Benigno notices the tears on Marco's face at one point during the performance.


title: Talk to Her

text: Marco is a journalist and travel writer who sees a TV interview with Lydia González, a famous matador. He thinks that an article about her would be interesting and contacts her in a bar, where she asks him to take her home. The news that she has broken up with her boyfriend "el Niño de Valencia", another matador, has been all over the tabloids. When Marco confesses that he is a journalist who knows nothing about bullfighting, she becomes angry and abruptly exits his car outside her house. He starts to drive off but stops when he hears a scream from inside her house. Lydia rushes out and gets into his car. Marco goes inside to kill the snake, an act that leaves him weeping. Having shared some vulnerability, they become friends and, later on, lovers. Marco attends a wedding and is surprised to see Lydia there, since she had said that she did not want to go. The wedding is that of Marco's former fiancée, Ángela, who had the same phobia of snakes as Lydia; Marco had been very much in love with Ángela and had difficulty getting over her, which was why he wept over things he could not share with her. Lydia says that she has something important to say, but she prefers to wait until after the bullfight that afternoon, during which she is gored and becomes comatose. Marco remains by her side at the hospital and befriends Benigno, who recognizes him from the theatre performance. A doctor tells Marco that, while there are miracle-stories of people who have come out of comas, there is no reason for him to remain hopeful about Lydia.


title: Talk to Her

text: Benigno is obsessed with Alicia Roncero, a beautiful dancer whom he watches practicing in the studio that he can see into from the apartment where he lives with his invalid mother. To care for her, he became a nurse and a beautician. After his mother dies, he finds the courage to talk to Alicia when she drops her wallet on the street. As they walk to her house, she talks about dancing and her enjoyment of silent black and white films. When she enters her building, Benigno notices that it is also the office of Dr. Roncero, a psychiatrist. As a ruse to gain access to Alicia's apartment, Benigno makes an appointment to see the doctor. In response to the doctor's questions, Benigno talks about the years he cared for his mother and says that he is lonely and a virgin. Afterward, a shocked Alicia sees him leaving her room, from which he has taken a hair clip. That night she is struck by a car and becomes comatose. In the hospital, where Benigno is assigned to care for Alicia, he talks to her as if she were awake and brings her dancing and silent film mementos. He tells Marco that he should talk to Lydia because, even when in a coma, women understand men's problems. In response to Dr. Roncero's questioning, Benigno says that he is gay, presumably so that the doctor will not be suspicious of his intimate care of Alicia.


title: Talk to Her

text: "El Niño de Valencia," whom Marco finds in Lydia's room one day, tells Marco that Lydia and he had reconciled, that before the goring incident she intended to tell Marco that. He also says that, now that he has recovered from his own injuries, he should be the one attending to Lydia. Marco goes into Alicia's room and starts opening his heart to her. When Benigno appears, he tells Marco that he always thought Marco and Lydia would separate. A nurse expresses concern that Alicia has not had a period in two months and appears bloated. In the hospital parking lot, Benigno tells Marco of his desire to marry Alicia. Marco is taken aback, pointing out that Alicia cannot express her will in any way. Benigno remains unpersuaded.


title: Talk to Her

text: The hospital staff discover that Alicia is pregnant because she was raped. Further investigation reveals that her chart does not indicate her missed period. Benigno admits to falsifying the chart and claims that he did this so as not to alarm anyone, as other comatose patients have also missed their periods. Another orderly reports having overheard Benigno's conversation with Marco about wanting to marry Alicia.


title: Talk to Her

text: Unaware of Alicia's pregnancy, Marco leaves for Jordan to write a travel book. Months later, he reads in a newspaper that Lydia has died without awakening from her coma. When he calls the hospital to talk to Benigno, a nurse tells him that Benigno is in prison for Alicia's rape and urges him to return for Benigno’s sake because “he has no one.” Benigno, who has been denied information about Alicia since his imprisonment, asks Marco to find out what has happened to her. Marco stays in Benigno's apartment, from which he sees Alicia in the dance studio doing rehab exercises with her teacher, Katrina. From Benigno's lawyer, Marco learns that Alicia had a stillborn baby. The lawyer urges him not to tell Benigno about the baby or Alicia's recovery.


title: Talk to Her

text: Marco, who adheres to this request, receives a voicemail from Benigno saying that he cannot live without Alicia and has decided to "take off.” Marco rushes to the prison, where Benigno has left him a farewell letter. Benigno had written that he hopes to take only enough pills to leave him in a comatose state in which he can join Alicia. He asks Marco to talk to him and tell him everything. Marco visits Benigno's grave and tells him about the stillbirth and Alicia’s recovery.


title: Talk to Her

text: The film ends in the theatre where it began, with Alicia and Katrina sitting a few rows behind Marco at the dance performance. During intermission, Alicia asks a distraught-looking Marco if he is alright. When the performance continues, Marco is seen turning back to look at a smiling Alicia and, echoing a caption that had appeared for the couples "Marco y Lydia" and "Benigno y Alicia," the words “Marco y Alicia” appear on the screen.


title: Talk to Her

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 91% based on reviews from 136 critics, and an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's consensus states: "Another masterful, compassionate work from Pedro Almodóvar". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Talk to Her

text: Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 4 out of 4 and wrote: "Combines improbable melodrama (gored bullfighters, comatose ballerinas) with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements, and yet at the end, we are undeniably touched." A.O. Scott of the New York Times named "Talk to Her" "The best film of the year".


title: Talk to Her

text: The film grossed $9,285,469 in the United States and $41,716,081 internationally for a worldwide total of $51,001,550.


title: Talk to Her

text: "Talk to Her" wasn't submitted as Spain's pick for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. "Mondays in the Sun" was selected instead.


title: Talk to Her

text: In 2005, "Time" magazine film critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel included "Talk to Her" in their list of the All-TIME 100 Greatest Movies. Paul Schrader placed the film at #46 on his canon of the 60 greatest films. "Sight & Sound" magazine included the film in its list of "30 great films of the 2000s". In a 2016 BBC poll, critics voted the film the 28th greatest since 2000.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: Bojangles OpCo, LLC., doing business as Bojangles (known as Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits until 2020), is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in cajun-seasoned fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits that primarily serves the Southeastern United States. The company was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977 by Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: At various times, Bojangles has had franchised restaurants in Grand Cayman Island, Jamaica, Honduras, Mexico, Ireland and China. , restaurants are in 15 U.S. states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) with planned expansions into Texas, Ohio and New Jersey. Its home state of North Carolina has the largest number of locations.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: The first Bojangles location opened in 1977 in Charlotte. In the following year, the first franchised restaurant began operations.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: Bojangles received fame in 1989 because its restaurants remained open when Hurricane Hugo struck the Carolinas when most other fast-food restaurants had closed.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: During Horn and Hardart's ownership, the chain grew rapidly and expanded to 335 restaurants including 100 in Florida. Part of this growth was fueled by acquisitions including the Florida-based Biscuits chain.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: In 1990, Horn and Hardart sold most of its interest to Sienna Partners and Interwest Partners. The company was then headed by the former KFC executive, Dick Campbell. In 1994, the company attempted a public offering. Campbell was subsequently replaced by CEO Jim Peterson. The company was sold to a group of investors headed by the former Wendy's executive Joe Drury and financed by FMAC in 1998.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: Bojangles expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with the 300th location opened in 2003. The restaurant started its first college campus location on the grounds of Central Piedmont Community College in 2005. The company also purchased naming rights to the original Charlotte Coliseum on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: Bojangles was purchased again in 2007 by Falfurrias Capital Partners, a private equity firm. The first airport location was opened in 2008 at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. In August 2011, Falfurrias sold Bojangles to Boston-based Advent International, another private equity firm, after a competitive bidding process with other investors.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: In 2012, Bojangles' began sponsoring the NASCAR race Bojangles' Southern 500, and opened another college campus restaurant at UNC Greensboro.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: The company's 600th restaurant opened on July 8, 2014, on Galleria Road in Charlotte with Charlotte mayor Dan Clodfelter cutting the celebratory ribbon.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: In April 2015, the company filed with the US regulator for an initial public offering of its common stock, expecting to raise $372 million.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: In January 2019, Randy Kibler was replaced by Jose Armario as the chief executive officer and brought with him Brian Unger as the chief operating officer. Both were past employees of McDonald's.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: On January 28, 2019, Bojangles was acquired by the Jordan Company and Durational Capital Management (making it a privately held company) with Bojangles shareholders receiving $16.10 a share after their approval on January 14, 2019.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: In December 2019, Bojangles and Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores came to an agreement to add 40 Bojangles locations at Love's Travel Stops in Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi – all new states for Bojangles – over the following ten years.


title: Bojangles (restaurant)

text: On August 3, 2020, the company released a statement saying that it was dropping the apostrophe from its name. On the same day, Bojangles released a video announcing a partnership with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the first celebrity to say the words, "It's Bo Time."