title: Linear motor

text: They have been considered for use as weapons, since current armour-piercing ammunition tends to consist of small rounds with very high kinetic energy, for which just such motors are suitable. Many amusement park launched roller coasters now use linear induction motors to propel the train at a high speed, as an alternative to using a lift hill. The United States Navy is also using linear induction motors in the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System that will replace traditional steam catapults on future aircraft carriers. They have also been suggested for use in spacecraft propulsion. In this context they are usually called mass drivers. The simplest way to use mass drivers for spacecraft propulsion would be to build a large mass driver that can accelerate cargo up to escape velocity, though RLV launch assist like StarTram to low Earth orbit has also been investigated.


title: Linear motor

text: High-acceleration linear motors are difficult to design for a number of reasons. They require large amounts of energy in very short periods of time. One rocket launcher design calls for 300 GJ for each launch in the space of less than a second. Normal electrical generators are not designed for this kind of load, but short-term electrical energy storage methods can be used. Capacitors are bulky and expensive but can supply large amounts of energy quickly. Homopolar generators can be used to convert the kinetic energy of a flywheel into electric energy very rapidly. High-acceleration linear motors also require very strong magnetic fields; in fact, the magnetic fields are often too strong to permit the use of superconductors. However, with careful design, this need not be a major problem.


title: Linear motor

text: Two different basic designs have been invented for high-acceleration linear motors: railguns and coilguns.


title: Linear motor

text: Linear motors are commonly used for actuating high performance industrial automation equipment. Their advantage, unlike any other commonly used actuator, such as ball screw, timing belt, or rack and pinion, is that they provide any combination of high precision, high velocity, high force and long travel.


title: Linear motor

text: Linear motors are widely used. One of the major uses of linear motors is for propelling the shuttle in looms.


title: Linear motor

text: Linear motors have been used for sliding doors and various similar actuators. Also, they have been used for baggage handing and even large-scale bulk materials transport.


title: Linear motor

text: Linear motors are sometimes used to create rotary motion, for example, they have been used at observatories to deal with the large radius of curvature.


title: Linear motor

text: Linear motors may also be used as an alternative to conventional chain-run lift hills for roller coasters. The coaster Maverick at Cedar Point uses one such linear motor in place of a chain lift.


title: Linear motor

text: The combination of high precision, high velocity, high force, and long travel makes brushless linear motors attractive for driving industrial automations equipment. They serve industries and applications such as semiconductor steppers, electronics surface-mount technology, automotive cartesian coordinate robots, aerospace chemical milling, optics electron microscope, healthcare laboratory automation, food and beverage pick and place.


title: Linear motor

text: Synchronous linear motor actuators, used in machine tools, provide high force, high velocity, high precision and high dynamic stiffness, resulting in high smoothness of motion and low settling time. They may reach velocities of 2 m/s and micron-level accuracies, at short cycle times and a smooth surface finish.


title: Linear motor

text: All of the following applications are in rapid transit and have the active part of the motor in the cars.


title: Linear motor

text: Originally developed in the late 1970s by UTDC in Canada as the Intermediate Capacity Transit System (ICTS). A test track was constructed in Millhaven, Ontario, for extensive testing of prototype cars, after which three lines were constructed:


title: Linear motor

text: ICTS was sold to Bombardier Transportation in 1991 and later known as Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) before adopting its current branding in 2011. Since then, several more installations have been made:


title: Linear motor

text: One of the biggest challenges faced by Japanese railway engineers in the 1970s to the 1980s was the ever increasing construction costs of subways. In response, the Japan Subway Association began studying on the feasibility of the "mini-metro" for meeting urban traffic demand in 1979. In 1981, the Japan Railway Engineering Association studied on the use of linear induction motors for such small-profile subways and by 1984 was investigating on the practical applications of linear motors for urban rail with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In 1988, a successful demonstration was made with the Limtrain at Saitama and influenced the eventual adoption of the linear motor for the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line in Osaka and Toei Line 12 (present-day Toei Oedo Line) in Tokyo.


title: Linear motor

text: To date, the following subway lines in Japan use linear motors and use overhead lines for power collection:


title: Linear motor

text: In addition, Kawasaki Heavy Industries has also exported the Linear Metro to the Guangzhou Metro in China; all of the Linear Metro lines in Guangzhou use third rail electrification:


title: Linear motor

text: There are many roller coasters throughout the world that use LIMs to accelerate the ride vehicles. The first being "Flight of Fear" at Kings Island and Kings Dominion, both opening in 1996. Battlestar Galctica: Human VS Cylon & Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Singapore opened in 2010. They both use LIMs to accelerate from certain point in the rides.


title: Linear motor

text: Revenge of the Mummy also is located at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida. The Incredible Hulk Coaster and VelociCoaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure also uses linear motors. At Walt Disney World, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at Epcot both use LSM to launch their ride vehicles into their indoor ride enclosures.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Star Wars Kid is a viral video made in 2002 by Ghyslain Raza in which he wields a golf ball retriever in imitation of Darth Maul's lightsaber moves from the film "". At the time, Raza was a 15-year-old high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. He had not intended for the video to become public, but its subsequent release led to ridicule, during which Raza chose to distance himself from the video. Raza since has affirmed his identity and has used the video to help to speak on the effects of bullying and harassment.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Raza's family filed a lawsuit against the families of four of his schoolmates, blaming them for the "harassment and derision from his high-school mates and the public at large". The lawsuit had been scheduled to begin trial on April 10, 2006 but on April 7, Raza and his parents reached an out-of-court settlement with the defendants.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: On November 4, 2002, Raza made a video of himself swinging a golf ball retriever around as a mock weapon. The video was filmed at his high school studio, and he accidentally left the tape in a basement. It was taped over a portion of a basketball game (as seen extremely briefly at the end of the clip). The video was discovered by a schoolmate, whose friend created a computer file from the video tape. The video was distributed among the school's students. A student (Cory Homertziem) uploaded it to the Internet with the title "Jackass_starwars_funny.wmv". The video eventually became a viral Internet meme through P2P services. According to court transcripts, the video first appeared on the Internet on the evening of April 14, 2003. One of those that first uploaded the video was blogger Andy Baio who was credited with naming the video "Star Wars Kid".


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Raza states he was a victim of cyberbullying, as online commenters responded with critical or bullying messages. In a 2013 interview, Raza states, "What I saw was mean. It was violent. People were telling me to commit suicide." Among the comments online, one commenter called him "a pox on humanity." He was bullied in person at his school, and he left the campus to pursue private tutoring. He said he lost friends because of the ordeal. He returned to high school for his senior year and went on to finish schooling as a law graduate.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In July 2003, Raza's family filed a C$250,000 lawsuit against the families of four of his schoolmates. The lawsuit stated in part that he "had to endure, and still endures today, harassment and derision from his high-school mates and the public at large" and "will be under psychiatric care for an indefinite amount of time". Legal proceedings against one family were quickly dropped. The lawsuit had been scheduled to begin trial on April 10, 2006, but on April 7, Raza and his parents reached an out-of-court settlement with the defendants.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Until May 2013, Raza had taken steps to avoid connecting himself with the video, although his identity was discovered through other means. Raza recounted to "L'actualité" that he had received numerous invitations from various late night and talk shows, but he assumed they only wanted to turn him into a "circus act".


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In the 10 years following the propagation of the meme, Raza had become the president of the Patrimoine Trois-Rivières heritage society. Raza decided to come forward to assert his identity as the Star Wars Kid to help bring to light the type of bullying and negative attention that children might receive in similar incidents with the rise of social media.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In 2022, Raza participated in the documentary "Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows", released by the National Film Board of Canada. As part of the footage, Baio apologized to Raza for uploading the video, having no idea of the impact it would have, and saying "I have enormous regret about posting the video." Raza accepted the apology, recognizing at the time Baio was an empathetic person that made a bad judgement call at the time.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: The leaked video attracted a number of fans. A petition was started by fans to include Raza in "". The petition reached more than 140,000 signatures, but he was not offered a cameo appearance.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Other fans set up a fundraiser for Raza to show support and as a token of appreciation, garnering donations from more than 400 people online.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: Several fans related to Raza. "That's why his video become so popular: It was funny and awkward but ultimately we connected to him. That made us feel more comfortable with our own awkwardness and dreams of being a Jedi," said one group of "Star Wars" enthusiasts. A fan stated in a 2003 "USA Today" article, "Contrary to popular belief, I think it is not the Jedi kid's awkwardness that keeps him in people's hearts but his undeniable enthusiasm for what he is doing."


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In 2005, CNET listed the Star Wars Kid as #8 on its Top 10 Web Fads list. In 2007, the G4 TV show "Attack of the Show" rated it the number 1 viral video of all time. It was ranked #2 on VH1's "Top 40 Internet Celebrities", right behind Gary Brolsma (The Numa Numa Guy). The case raised privacy issues and was extensively reported in mainstream news media worldwide.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: An edited version of the video was created with "Star Wars" music, texts, and lightsaber lights and sounds. The Viral Factory estimated that by November 27, 2006, the video had been viewed over 900 million times.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: The video and its subsequent popularity spawned many spoofs and references on various television programs, including episodes of "American Dad!" episode "All About Steve"; George Michael parodies the video in multiple episodes of "Arrested Development", beginning with "The Immaculate Election"; "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide"; "Cory in the House"; "The Office" episode "Finale"; and the "South Park" episode "Canada on Strike". The character of Henchman 21 in "The Venture Bros." was originally created as a Star Wars Kid reference, and was eventually promoted to main cast.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert initiated a contest, the Green Screen Challenge. He presented a video of himself standing in front of a green screen, using a toy lightsaber to dramatically fight off imaginary foes in the fashion of the Star Wars Kid. Viewers were then invited to edit and enhance in their own way. Viewers would then send their own videos into the show, on which the best would be featured. The contest culminated with an appearance by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who presented his elaborate version of the video, enhanced by Industrial Light and Magic.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In "Weird Al" Yankovic's "White and Nerdy" Yankovic is seen at one point as Star Wars Kid, flailing a lightsaber.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In Kevin Smith's movie "Tusk", Wallace goes to Canada to try to meet Kill Bill Kid, a parody of Star Wars Kid.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In the episode "The Sky Guy" of the animated series "Wander Over Yonder", the wizard character Neckbeard makes moves with a bo staff similarly to the Star Wars Kid.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: In the episode "The Joy" of the animated series "The Amazing World of Gumball", the character Principal Brown videotapes himself in his office swinging a mop around, spoofing the Star Wars Kid - even telling another character to not let the tape get on the internet because "people's lives have been ruined by things like that", referencing the subsequent bullying.


title: Star Wars Kid

text: The Star Wars Kid is featured as an easter egg in the Boston level of "Tony Hawk's Underground 2". Upon finding him after jumping up into an apartment, he can be seen showing off his Jedi moves.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the late 20th and early 21st centuries in Iran, women's rights have been severely restricted, compared with those in most developed nations. The World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Iran 140, out of 144 countries, for gender parity. In 2017, in Iran, females comprised just 19% of the paid workforce, with seven percent growth since 1990. In 2017, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index ranked Iran in the bottom tercile of 153 countries. Compared to other South Asian regions, women in Iran have a better access to financial accounts, education, and cellphones. Iran was ranked 116, out of the 153 countries, in terms of legal discrimination against women.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, women's rights have changed according to the form of government ruling the country, and attitudes towards women's rights to freedom and self-determination have changed frequently. With the rise of each government, a series of mandates for women's rights have affected a broad range of issues, from voting rights to dress code.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The rights and legal status of Iranian women have changed since the early 20th century, especially during the past three systems of government. During the Qajar dynasty that ruled Iran from the late 1800s to the early 20th century, women were isolated; they were not engaged in politics, and their economic contribution was limited to household work. These conditions changed during the Pahlavi dynasty that ruled the country from 1925 to 1979; women won much more freedom. Women's rights and freedoms were established through the leader's wishes for Iran to become a more modern, European-style country, although that was mostly applicable on the country's elites, disregarding the majority of the population. These freedoms were retracted after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Human Rights Watch said in 2015, "Women's rights are severely restricted in Iran". Under Ebrahim Raisi's tenure, Iranian authorities have increased policing of women's dress code, leading to decline in women rights.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The new global Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.-based Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index, which partners with the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), ranked Iran in the bottom tercile of 153 countries.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to the 2017–2018 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index, Iran ranked 116 out of 153 countries in terms of legal discrimination. The World Bank's database, "Women, Business, and the Law", lists 23 restrictions in Iranian law on married women; this includes "applying for a passport, traveling outside the country, choosing where to live, and being head of the household. Women cannot get a job or pursue a profession in the same way a man can; they cannot be ensured of equal pay for equal work, and there are no laws to restrain gender discrimination in hiring." The WPS report also states there:are no laws that penalize or prevent the dismissal of pregnant women from work, nor are there laws that provide rights for paternity or parental leave or tax-deductible payments for childcare. The Iranian Civil Code confers power on a husband to prevent his wife from taking any job found to be incompatible with the family interest or the dignity of the husband or his wife. Women have no legal protection against domestic violence or sexual harassment by anyone, and the constitution has no non-discrimination clause with gender as a protected category.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On 7 March 2019 a Grand Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani criticized the parliament for debating a law that equalizes the "blood money" for accident victims, regardless of their sex. On 2 July, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs announced the equalization of the "blood money" for both sexes is legal and all of the courts must observe it.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to the 2017–2018 WPS Index, 90% of women in Iran use cellphones and have "access to financial accounts". In other South Asian regions, fewer than 40% have this access and a similar percentage women using cellphones.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The "per capita" income of women in Iran is lower in comparison with that of women in other South Asian regions according to the WPS Index. According to a 2018 World Bank report, the female labor force participation rate has reached 19.8%, a marked improvement despite a wide gender gap.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iran's history is commonly divided into three segments; pre-Islamic, post-Islamic, and the modern era. Though little is known about Iran's pre-Islamic history, its recorded history starts with the Achaemenid Empire in 550 B.C.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the rule of the Achaemenids, Greek historical accounts state women were able to participate in civic affairs; this participation, however, was limited and considered unusual by the general population. Greek historian Herodotus, after his visit to the Achaemenian Empire, said Persian men and women worked together to manage the affairs of the states and participated in public ceremonies together.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the Qajar and at the beginning of the Iranian Revolution:most women in Persian were second-class citizens with limited if any, rights such as to inheritance or to obtain a basic education. For example, tribal and nomadic groups (like the Kurds, Bakhtiari, Qashqai) allowed their women to interact with men to a certain extent, and even some considered polygamy and Mu'ta (Shia temporary marriage) as undesirable.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iranian women played a significant role in the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905–11. They participated in large numbers in public affairs, and held important positions in journalism and in schools and associations that flourished from 1911 to 1924. Prominent Iranian women who played a vital part in the revolution include Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, Noor-ol-Hoda Mangeneh, Mohtaram Eskandari, Sediqeh Dowlatabadi, and Qamar ol-Molouk Vaziri.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: At the turn of the 20th century, many educated Persian women were attracted to journalism and writing. "Danesh" (1907) was the first specialized journal focusing on women's issues. Later, "Shokoufeh", "Nameie Banovan", "Alam e Nesvan", and "Nesvan e Vatan Khah" were published in Tehran. Moreover, "Nesvan e Shargh" in Bandar Anzali, "Jahan e Zanan" in Mashhad, "Dokhtaran e Iran" in Shiraz, and "Peik e saadat" in Rasht addressed women's issues throughout Iran. Although the defeat of the constitutionalists (1921–25) and the consolidation of power by Reza Shah (1925–41) destroyed the women's journals and groups, the state implemented social reforms such as mass education and paid employment for women during this period. Reza Shah also began his controversial policy of "Kashf-e-Hijab", which banned the wearing of the Islamic hijab in public. Like other sectors of society during Reza Shah's rule, however, women lost the right to express themselves and dissent was repressed.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 1925, the military commander Reza Khan overthrew the Qajar dynasty. In the same year, he was declared the Shah of Iran, which marked the beginning of the Pahlavi dynasty era.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Women's first strides were in education: in 1928, they were provided with financial support to study abroad; in 1935 they were admitted to Tehran University, and in 1944 education became compulsory. In 1936, Reza Shah Pahlavi broke gender segregation by setting the mandatory unveiling of women known as Kashf-e hijab—a highly controversial policy which caused many conservative women to stay inside the house rather than go out in a veil and be subjected to harassment from the police, but also caused desegregation in some sectors of society. The reform was supported by many of the leading women's rights activists, who campaigned for it via the women's organisation Kanoun-e-Banovan.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iran's societal structure and the status of women began to improve after the Shah visited Turkey in 1936. The Shah was inspired by the Westernization that was taking place there by the Turkish leader, Atatürk. In a speech he gave upon his return from Turkey, the Shah said: "I am extremely delighted that women have become aware of their rights and entitlement … Now women are on their way to gain other rights in addition to the great privilege of motherhood." The Shah's White Revolution helped to increase the legal rights of women.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: When the Iranian Revolution started in 1977, many women in metropolitan cities marched in protest and wore chadors. Women played a significant role in the success of the revolution. Their role was both praised and encouraged by the revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who in a speech stated: "We must not forget the activities which women performed, notably confrontations. Iranian women were able to turn into a revolutionary, political, conscious fighting element through their conscious faith ... Truly, women never lagged behind in any area or on any battleground".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Because the first Pahlavi Shah banned the use of the hijab, many women decided to show their favor of Khomeini by wearing a chador, thinking this would be the best way to show their support without being vocal. Women took part in the Iranian revolution by participating in protests. Organizations supportive of the Islamic Revolution, such as Mujahideen, welcomed women into their organization and gave them essential tasks. Khomeini also encouraged women to take part in the protest against the Shah.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: With the rise of Khomeini, women's roles were limited; they were encouraged to raise large families and tend to household duties. Khomeini believed this to be the most important role women could pursue. Khomeini's belief led to the closing of women's centres, childcare centers and the abolition of family planning initiatives. Women were restricted to certain fields of work, such as midwifery and teaching.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Instead of being forced to remove their veil, women were now subjected to the reversed ban against unveiling, and the veil were now forced upon all women. The non-conservative women, who had worn the veil as a symbol of opposition during the revolution, had not expected veiling to become mandatory, and when the veil was first made mandatory in February 1979 it was met with protests and demonstrations by liberal and leftist women, and thousands of women participated in a women's march on International Women's Day, 8 March 1979, in protest against mandatory veiling. The protests resulted in the temporary retraction of mandatory veiling. When the left and the liberals were eliminated and the conservatives secured solitary control, however, veiling was enforced on all women. This began with the 'Islamification of offices' in July 1980, when unveiled women were refused entry to government offices and public buildings, and banned from appearing unveiled at their work places under the risk of being fired. On the streets, unveiled women were attacked by revolutionaries, and two slogans of the revolution were: "Wear a veil, or we will punch your head" and "Death to the unveiled". In July 1981, an edict of mandatory veiling in public was introduced, which was followed in 1983 by an Islamic Punishment Law, introducing a punishment of 74 lashes on unveiled women. The law was enforced by members of the Islamic Revolution Committees patrolling the streets, and later by the Guidance Patrols, also called the Morality Police.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: After Khomeini's death, women put pressure on the government to grant more rights to women. Ali Khamenei, who followed Khomeini, took a more liberal approach and enabled women's advancement by reopening the women's centers and restoring many of the laws that were repealed after the revocation of Family Protection Laws.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In the May 1997 Iranian presidential election, the overwhelming majority of women voted for Mohammad Khatami, a reformist cleric who promised more political freedoms. His election brought a period during which women became increasingly bold in expressing ideas, demands, and criticisms. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights and women's rights activist, further emboldened women's rights activists in Iran and fixed their relationships with Iranian feminists abroad.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the Sixth Parliament, some of Iran's strongest advocates of women's rights emerged. Almost all of the 11 female lawmakers of the then-270-seat Majlis tried to change some of Iran's more conservative laws. During the elections for the Seventh Majlis, however, the all-male Council of Guardians banned the 11 women from running for office and only conservative females were allowed to run. The Seventh Majlis reversed many of the laws passed by the reformist Sixth Majlis.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In mid-November 2018 United Nations General Assembly's Human Rights Committee approved a resolution against Iranian government's continuous discrimination against women and limitation of freedom of thought.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In late November 2018, a group of UN human rights experts including Javid Rehman U.N. Special rapporteur on human rights in Iran and four other experts raised concerns about Farhad Meysami, who has been on hunger strike since August. He is in jail for opposing the compulsory wearing of the hijab.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On October 2, 2019, the Iranian Guardian Council approved an amendment to the nationality law, in which women married to men with a foreign nationality can confer nationality to their children, following an approval first passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in May 2019.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The Information Technology Organisation (ITO) as the first Iranian government agency publishes banning guidelines described as "forbidden conduct" including sexual harassment, verbal and physical threats, aggressive behavior, defamation, and intimidation, among other offenses. The guidelines have been adjusted with "Iranian and Islamic values".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The Islamic Republic in Iran has strict laws about women's clothing and dancing with men in public (that are not family members). "The use of headscarf in public is mandatory for women while dancing is prohibited." Several women producing videos of themselves dancing have been arrested and forced to confess for "breaking moral norms" on state TV (which "The Guardian" says is "a tactic often used by Iranian authorities"). Maedeh Hojabri posted videos on Instagram of her dancing. Her Instagram account was then blocked and she was arrested. Hojabri's arrest "led to an outcry of support from ordinary Iranians". In response to protest the Hojabri's arrest, Iranian women have posted videos of themselves dancing. Rights activists said that Hojabri's TV confession was a "forced confession of wrongdoing".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Women are banned from singing in Iran because Shia Muslim clerics believe that "a woman's singing voice can be erotic". Women in Iran have been jailed for "singing in public, or publishing their work on social media".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to Amnesty International women in Iran face "discrimination in law and practice in relation to marriage and divorce, inheritance, child custody, nationality and international travel".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In December 2022, Iran was expelled from membership of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, following the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent crackdown against women's rights protesters in Iran. This was the first time a member had been expelled over its treatment of women in the history of the commission.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Most initiatives concerning women's rights during the Pahlavi dynasty began with the White Revolution in 1962, which led to the enfranchisement of women by the Prime Minister Asadollah Alam. A law that gave women limited voting rights, allowing them to vote in local elections, was passed. Khomeini believed this right was state propaganda to hide its dictatorial and fascist nature with democracy and liberalism. According to Khomeini, this law "serves only to mislead the uninformed masses and to cover its crimes". Khomeini also believed that such power for women was comparable to prostitution. Khomeini led protests about women's voting rights that resulted in the repeal of the law.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Since the women's voting rights law was repealed, women were forbidden to participate in a referendum held during the White Revolution. The Minister of Agriculture, however, suggested women's movement leaders set up a voting booth to voice their suggestions. Though their votes did not count, the high number of women voting persuaded Mohammad Reza Shah to grant women voting rights soon after the referendum. Six women were elected to the parliament in the September 1963 parliamentary election and the Shah appointed two women to serve in the Senate.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: After the 1979 Islamic revolution, Khomeini said, "Women have the right to intervene in politics. It is their duty, Islam is a political religion".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The hijab is a veil worn by many Muslim women when interacting with males outside of their immediate families. Before the foundation of the Islamic Republic, women were not required to wear a veil. In 1935, Reza Shah mandated that women should no longer be veiled in public; because of that, a significant number of conservative women became isolated in their houses because they felt going outside without hijab was equivalent to being naked. Conservative women's dependency grew during this period because they relied on others to run errands.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Compulsory wearing of the hijab was reinstated for Iranian state employees after the 1979 revolution; this was followed by a law requiring the wearing of the hijab in all public spaces in 1983.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Non-conservative women, who had worn the veil as a symbol of opposition during the revolution, had not expected veiling to become mandatory, and when the veil was first made mandatory in February 1979 it was met with protests and demonstrations by liberal and leftist women, and thousands of women participated in a women's march on International Women's Day, 8 March 1979, in protest against mandatory veiling. The protest resulted in the temporary retraction of mandatory veiling. When the left and the liberals were eliminated and the conservatives secured solitary control, however, veiling was enforced on all women, with an edict of mandatory veiling in 1981, followed by an Islamic Punishment Law in 1983, introducing a punishment of 74 lashes on unveiled women.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The Guidance Patrol, an undercover law enforcement squad also known as "Morality Police" (Persian: گشت ارشاد "Gašt-e Eršād)", surveys women in public for dress-code violations. Wearing a headscarf has been strictly enforced in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Women who did not wear a hijab or were deemed to be wearing "bad hijab" by having some of their hair showing faced punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment. In December 2017, the Iranian government announced women would no longer be arrested for wearing a "bad hijab" in public, but those not wearing one would have to attend Islam education classes. Though the announcement was viewed as a moderate improvement, the police still targeted activists campaigning against compulsory hijab-wearing.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On November 26, 2018, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human-rights lawyer and political prisoner being held at Tehran's Evin Prison, began a hunger strike demanding the release of Farhad Meysami, a doctor who is in jail for protesting compulsory wearing of the hijab. In late 2018 the US State Department condemned the arbitrary arrest of Meisami, who had been on hunger strike since August. In April 2019, Sotoudeh was sentenced to 148 lashes and 38 years in prison for defending opposition activists and women's rights for not wearing hijabs in public. According to the judge presiding over Sotoudeh's case, she was punished for "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security" and "insulting the supreme leader".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In August 2019, Iranian civil rights activist Saba Kord Afshari was sentenced to 24 years in prison, including a 15-year term for taking off her hijab in public, which Iranian authorities say promoted "corruption and prostitution".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iranian activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh was arrested three times and imprisoned twice for defying Iran's laws about compulsory hijab. She encouraged men and women to "post images on social media of themselves either wearing white or no headscarf to protest being forced to wear the hijab." She later fled Iran.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2019 three women arrested for "disrespecting compulsory hijab" were sentenced to a total of 55 years and six months by a "Revolutionary Court" in Iran.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In July 2022, Sepideh Rashnu, a writer and artist, was arrested after her video of being harassed on a bus for "improper clothing" was circulated online. She was taken to hospital due to internal bleeding after her arrest, possibly due to torture. Her forced confession was played on local television after the visit to hospital. Dozens of women were arrested after 12 July 2022 for not wearing Hijab.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On 15 August 2022, Iran introduced new restrictions on women's dress code. The new rules state that the female government employees will be fired if they post their pictures on social media which do not conform to Islamic laws and women publishing their pictures without a hijab on the Internet will be excluded from some social rights for upto an year. President Ebrahim Raisi announced the use of facial recognition technology in public transport to impose new hijab laws. A few days later, a woman died in police custody after being arrested for not wearing the hijab properly, sparking a series of protests.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: As part of the White Revolution, Mohammad Reza Shah enacted the Family Protection Laws, a series of laws that included women's rights to divorce. The laws also raised the minimum marriage age for all and curtailed the custom of polygamy, mandating spousal consent before lawfully marrying a second wife. Under these laws, the right of divorce for women was granted by allowing women to end a marriage if they were unhappy. The law also gave women the right to keep custody of their children and the right to an abortion under certain circumstances, such as rape and risk to the woman's life.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2008, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration introduced a "family support bill" that would have allowed men to marry a second wife without his first wife's permission and put a tax on "Mariyeh"—which is seen by many women "as a financial safety net in the event a husband leaves the marriage and is not forced to pay alimony". In September 2008, Iran's judiciary returned the tax bill to the legislative council with complaints about the polygamy and tax articles, which removed from the bill.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Marriage laws in Iran continue to be difficult to change permanently due to the role family plays in Islamic societies. Tradition is key in Islamic society; to attempt to change a tradition and keep the change applicable, it must occur many times.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Divorce law in Iran was initially based upon the general rule in Shari'a law that gives men the sole right to end a marriage at any time. This is based on Article 1133 of the previous Civil Code (1928) that states: "A man can divorce his wife whenever he wishes to do so". This law was modified in 1967 by the Family Protection Act that granted women more rights in divorce and made private divorces illegal. The 1967 Act included the right to apply for a divorce under specific conditions; Article 1130 of the Civil Code gave courts more power to grant a judicial divorce requested by a woman and in circumstances in which the wife could attain power of attorney and expedite the divorce process.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In modern-day Iran, divorce can be obtained by both men and women, and the custody of children is given to the parent determined by a judge.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iran's civil law system can be seen as very gender distinct, with numerous laws that favor men over women and few, if any, laws favoring women. Iran follows Islamic laws. Under Iranian civil laws, when children reach puberty, they also gain penal responsibility and can legally be tried as an adult. This can be seen as disadvantageous towards girls, who reach puberty around the age of ten whereas boys reach it around the age of fourteen. This means girls as young as ten can be prosecuted criminally. Punishments can vary from prison sentences to lashes and the death penalty.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On November 13, 2018, Entekhab, Iran's official news agency, published a statement by the hiking board of the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi that requires Iranian women to have permission from their husbands or fathers if they want to go hiking.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The writer and activist Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi founded the first school for Persian girls in 1907. In this school, Iranian women could study subjects including history, geography, law, calculus, religion, and cooking. The enrollment of 12 women into Tehran University in 1936 marked the entry of women into university education in Iran.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Since in 1960s and 1970s a lot of educational infrastructure was built in Iran, specially many young universities, which are the best up to today, the women education started to increase in 1960s and in 1970s there were many female students more than 50 percent. This new trend continued due to availability of young generation of well-trained professors despite the restrictions imposed after 1979 Iranian Revolution by Islamic government. Although for five years the universities were shut done completely for imposing new laws of Islamic state on universities. Despite change in quality and new restrictions on women in some topics, the existing infrastructure significantly helped in the continuation of this trend. Though the quality of research work significantly decreased which caused to significant brain drain. The trend continues and more than 60% of all university students in Iran are women. In 1994, Ali Khamenei, Supreme leader of Iran, declared the percentage of female university was 33% before the Revolution but after that in 2012 it was 60%. As of 2006, women account comprise over half of the university students in Iran, and 70% of Iran's science and engineering students. These education and social trends are increasingly viewed with alarm by the Iranian conservatives groups. A report by the Research Center of the Majlis (controlled by conservatives) warned the large female enrollment could cause "social disparity and economic and cultural imbalances between men and women".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Despite the advancement in higher education for women, there have been many setbacks. On August 6, 2012, the Mehr News Agency "posted a bulletin that 36 universities in the country had excluded women from 77 fields of study" as part of an effort by parliament to put a quota on women's participation in higher education. According to Radio Farda in 2018 there were less than 35% of university-educated young women in Qazvin and Hormozgan provinces as the lowest unemployment rate in Iran.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iranian women rights activists determined education is a key for the country's women and society; they argued giving women education was best for Iran because mothers would raise better sons for their country. Many Iranian women, including Jaleh Amouzgar, Eliz Sanasarian, Janet Afary, and Alenush Terian have been influential in the sciences. Maryam Mirzakhani won gold medals in the 1994 and 1995 International Mathematical Olympiads, and in 2014 her work on dynamics made her the first woman in the world to win the Fields medal, which is widely considered to be the most prestigious award in mathematics.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2001, Allameh Tabatabaii University, Tarbiat Modares University and Azzahra University initiated a women's studies academic field at the Master of Arts level and shortly after, Tehran University organized a similar program.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the rule of Mohammad Khatami, Iran's president between 1997 and 2005, educational opportunities for women grew. Khatami, who thought women's place was in the home, did not seek to exclude females from public life. Noting more women were participating in higher education, Khatami said the increase was concerning but did not wish to reduce it. Khatami called for the creation of specialisms and majors for women in universities and for the quota system that was introduced after the 1979 revolution.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: When Khatami's presidency began, more than 95 percent of Iranian girls went to primary school In 1997–98, 38.2 percent of Iranian women enrolled in higher education. but had fallen to 47.2 percent by 2000. As female enrollment in schools grew, the sexual segregation in academic specialization remained until the late the 1990s. In 1998–99, males comprised 58 percent in mathematics, physics, and technical fields with 71 percent of secondary school students. Women comprised 61 percent of students enrolled in the humanities and the experimental sciences. The divide of the sexes continued at university level where most females studied arts, basic sciences, and medicine, while mostly males studied engineering, humanities, agriculture, and veterinary science. The decade saw a three-fold growth in female enrollment in higher education.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The Khatami presidency saw the slow rise of women's participation in education. Women pursuing teaching positions in higher education also made gains during this period; at universities, women held nearly half of the assistant professorships—almost twice the number held ten years before. The percentage of females accepted into tenure-track and full-time professorships in 2001–02 was 17.3%.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to Iran's 2007 census, 10% of women were actively contributing to the economy and that over 60% of men were economically active. Compared with men, women have one-third of the chances of gaining managerial positions. According to a 2017 Human Rights Watch report, this inequality is caused by domestic laws discriminating against women's access to employment. The types of professions available to women are restricted and benefits are often denied. Husbands have the right to prevent wives from working in particular occupations and some positions require the husband's written consent.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: As of 2006, women's labor-force participation rates was at 12.6% in rural areas with a national rate of 12.5% whereas the rate for men is 66.1%. Women's engagement in informal and private sectors are not included in the data. The World Bank estimates women's participation in all sectors is 32% and 75% for men. In 2006, the estimated percentage for women's leadership roles was 3.4%.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: During the first three parliaments after the 1979 revolution, three of the 268 seats—1.5%—were held by women. Today, there are 17 women among the 271 individuals in parliament. Since then, women's presence in parliament has doubled to 3.3% of the seats. The women in parliament have ratified 35 bills concerning women's issues.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to the "Financial Tribune", Women constitute less than 10% of parliament members in Iran, even though "women have been overshadowing men in higher education for years."


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, men usually ask women to get a virginity test before marriage. The practice exists in many countries despite WHO's denouncement of virginity testing as unethical and lacking any scientific merit.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to the report of the Kurdistan human rights network, on November 28, 2018, guards in Khoy women prison in the northwest of Iran attacked inmate Zeynab Jalalian and confiscated her belongings. She was arrested in February 2007 and was sentenced to death on account of "armed actions against Islamic Republic of Iran and membership in PJAK in addition to possessing and carrying illegal weapons while engaging in acts of propaganda warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran" in December 2008.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to Iran-HRM, in late November 2018, a prison warden in Qarchak women prison in Varamin near Tehran attacked and bit three Dervish religious minority prisoners when they demanded the return of confiscated belongings back.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iranian female human rights activist Bahareh Hedayat was arrested on 10 February 2020 by Tehran University security police. She was later taken to Qarchak prison where she is now on hunger strike. Bahareh's colleagues say she was beaten by the police when she was arrested.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On 7 October 2020, after Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist, was freed after a long-term prison sentence, the United Nations High Commissioner for Rights (UNHRC) called for the release of other activists from Iran's jails.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, women participate in numerous sports and have represented the country in sporting events such as the Asian Games, Olympic Games and World Cups.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: On 12 January 2020, Kimia Alizadeh, Iranian Olympic medalist has moved to Germany and wants to compete for Germany in the 2020 Olympic Games. Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics, said she can't compete for her own country because of the Iranian regime's "injustice" and "hypocrisy". She says Iranian government manipulates athletes as "tools" for political propaganda.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, women are not allowed to ride bicycles pursuant to an Islamic fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the Muslim clerics, if a man sees a woman riding a bicycle, it will lead to crimes including sexual offenses, financial crimes, spiritual infidelity, and religious disobedience.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Until recently women were not allowed to enter stadiums in Iran and so could not attend men's volleyball and football/soccer matches. Women have been banned from Tehran's Azadi soccer stadium since 1981.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The ban on women caused much upset, but lawmakers argued it was women's duty to raise children and not to attend sporting games. Women often wore men's clothes, painted on mustaches, and flattened their breasts to attend spectator sports. In 2006, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lifted the ban, stating the presence of women would "promote chastity" but the supreme leader overturned this decision a month later. In 2012, the ban on women was extended to volleyball.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2018 thirty-five women gathered outside a match between two Tehran football/soccer clubs and demanded to be let in, and in on November 9 of that year Fatma Samoura Secretary General of International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) said she would ask the Iranian government to end the ban on a woman's entry to sport stadiums. According to the order of World football's governing body in November 2019, women were allowed to attend stadiums "without restrictions and in numbers determined by demand for tickets".


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2019, a female football fan, Sahar Khodayari, was arrested for "appearing in public without a hijab" after she attempting to sneak into a football/soccer match dressed as a man. On 2 September 2019, she set herself on fire outside a Tehran court in protest. The Iranian government conceded to FIFA shortly thereafter and on 10 October 2019, more than 3,500 women attended a World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Azadi Stadium, although they were confined to a roped off area. (Women are still barred from attending matches where one of the teams is not Iranian.)


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2022 videos surfaced showing security guards in Iran pepper-spraying women during a football match despite them holding tickets.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2005, the Iranian parliament approved abortions that were carried out before four months' gestation if the woman's life was at risk or if the fetus was nonviable or growing abnormally. With technical support from the United Nations Population Fund, the government undertook literacy and family planning initiatives.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: A fund called Americans for UNFPA contributed to the Literacy Movement Organization of Iran, providing training more than 7,000 teachers, developing a nine-episode television series on women's health issues including family planning, and procuring computers and other equipment.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The average life expectancy for Iranian women has increased from 44.2 years in 1960 to 75.7 years in 2012 and the maternal mortality rate decreased from 83 to 23 per 100,000 between 1990 and 2013. In the 20th century, female social activists, health workers, and non-governmental organizations promoted the health of women by stressing the importance of regular check-ups, Pap smears, mammography, and blood tests. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation and hormone replacement therapy were emphasized with the intent of preventing osteoporosis. In 2011, depression in Iranian women was ranked first among diseases; it was ranked second in 2003. The prevalence of criminality by women has increased in recent years, as have crimes related to drugs and violence.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In August 2014, permanent methods of contraception were banned by Iran's parliament. Khamenei called for a ban on vasectomies and tubal ligation in an effort to increase population growth. Amnesty International reported that in 2018, access to affordable and modern contraception for Iranian women was limited.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, women's pursuit of equal rights to men date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. According to Nayereh Tohidi, women's movements in Iran can be divided into eight periods.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1905–1925: this period was during the constitutional revolution, which marked the end of the Qajar dynasty. Women's efforts were mostly secretive, and their goals were to improve literacy, women's health, and prevent polygamy and domestic violence.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1925–1940s: This era marked the beginning of the Pahlavi dynasty and the reign of Reza Shah. In this period, women were not required to veil themselves and gained access to universities.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1940s–1950s: this was the era of nationalization of Iran's oil industry and brought women further access to education and some political activism to some extent. Except for the Family Protection Law that failed and was repealed, no major reforms were made during this era.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1960s–1970s: During the era of the White Revolution and modernization, women saw greater legal reforms in voting rights and family protection laws, as well as an increased participation in the economy.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1979–1997: The 1979 revolution saw the closure of women's centers and the decline of women's contributions to the economy.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 1997–2005: During Khatami's rule, reforms gave women more access to the feminist press and free press.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 2005–2013: The Ahmadinejad era of neo-conservativism saw the increase of repression and the rise of unemployment.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: 2013–present: The era of moderation under Rouhani's rule has not seen any major reforms to the status of women because hardliners already repealed most of them.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In the mid-19th century, Tahereh was the first Iranian woman to appear in public without wearing a veil; she is known as the mother of the women's rights movements in Iran. Others followed her to raise the status of women. Among these was Safiya Yazdi, the wife of a leading clergyman Muhammad Husain Yazdi. Safiya Yazdi, with the support of her husband, opened Iffatiyah Girls School in 1910 and gained praise for her outspoken lectures on women's issues.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Women in Iran are becoming more informed about current trends within global feminism. They are also becoming more engaged, especially with the mechanisms and tools created through the U.N. gender projects and conventions, such as Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Due to the vetting power of the conservative Guardian Council, however, attempts made by the reformist deputies in the sixth Majlis to ratify CEDAW did not succeed. Most women activists both Islamic and secular have been framing their demands within the CEDAW framework.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In recent years, the Iranian government has invested in women's organizations and activist initiatives that seek to empower women to learn skills that give women more independence. The state, however, continues to restrict the movement of women's rights activists traveling abroad. Activist and photographer Alieh Motalebzadeh was sentenced to three years in prison for attending a workshop for women's empowerment in Georgia.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: The women's rights movement in Iran continues to attempt to institute reforms, particularly with the One Million Signatures Campaign to End Discrimination Against Women.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Iranian intellectual Farah Karimi wrote a book titled "Slagveld Afghanistan" that criticizes Dutch military policies in Afghanistan; in 2006, she was appointed as the representative of the United Nations in Afghanistan affairs.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2003, Sima Bina, the voice of Khorasan—a region in northeastern Iran—performed secular threnodies at the "Théâtre du Soleil" for the benefit of the "Afghanistan: one child one book" project created by the organization Open Asia.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2004, the World Bank funded a "network of Persian women" to promote the welfare of women in Persian-speaking lands.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In 2006 Anousheh Ansari, a woman whose family fled the country after the 1979 revolution, became the first Iranian woman in space. The feat, undertaken in Kazakhstan, was reportedly an inspiration to many Iranian women.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Despite the Iranian government anti-feminist stance, many observers have said there is an emerging feminist generation of educated young women in Iran. Some suggest the Iranian women's movement must accept help from western feminists, whose progress has been recognized within western society, to be recognized. This perspective suggests western feminism can offer freedom and opportunity to Iranian women that are not afforded by their own religious society. Advocates of this view say whatever the Iranian women's movement achieves within Iranian society, the status of individual women within this society will always be less than the achievements of western feminists. Others suggest parochial movements of women will never be successful and that until a global sisterhood from all nations and religions has been established, feminism has not truly arrived. A third perspective suggests a global women's movement will ignore and undermine the unique elements of indigenous Iranian feminism that have arisen as a result of their history and religion.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to Howland, signing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations, has not improved women's situation much.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: According to some reports, hundreds of Iranian women are killed each year in honor killings. A 2019 report concluded that "nearly 30 percent of all murder cases in Iran were honor killings of women and girls."


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: In Iran, some studies estimate the Type I and II female genital mutilation (FGM) among Iraqi migrants and Kurdish minority groups ranges from 40% to 85%. In 2019, The United Nations criticized Iran's human rights record and suggested improvements to women's rights there.


title: Women's rights in Iran

text: Hundreds of women that work in the film industry in Iran say there is "systematic" violence against women within the industry.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: The battle of Volnovakha was a military engagement which lasted from 25 February 2022 until 12 March 2022, as part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian and DPR forces engaged Ukrainian forces at the small city of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast, which is located close to the Ukrainian-DPR border.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: The battle was spearheaded by DPR forces and led to the widespread destruction of the town and heavy casualties on both sides.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 25 February, the second day of the invasion, Russian forces shelled Volnovakha, hitting civilian areas. "The Guardian" wrote that Russian bombing of Volnovakha resembled tactics that Russia had previously used on civilian targets in Syria. On February 25, DPR forces captured the nearby town of Mykolaivka according to Russian media. Ukrainian officials reported that Volnovakha was on the verge of humanitarian crisis by February 28, and was almost destroyed by March 1, with nearly 90% of its buildings either damaged or destroyed. The city was also cut off from food, water, and electricity. Following the bombardment, bodies laid uncollected in the streets, according to local MP Dmytro Lubinets.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 4 March, a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 was shot down over Volnovakha. A Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter was later shot down as it approached the wreck of the Su-25.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 5 March, DPR authorities announced that Colonel Vladimir Zhoga, the commander of Sparta Battalion and a close confidant of Arsen Pavlov, had been killed in action at Volnovakha. Denis Pushilin, the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, posthumously awarded Zhoga with the award Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic, while Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, posthumously awarded him the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. Artem Zhoga, his father and chief of staff, succeeded him as commander of Sparta Battalion.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 7 March, Ukrainian and Russian forces agreed to the establishment of a demilitarized humanitarian corridor through Volnovakha and the nearby city of Mariupol, which had been under siege since 24 February, in order to evacuate civilians from the two cities; however, Russian forces allegedly violated the demilitarization zone.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 11 March, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that DPR forces had captured Volnovakha. Videos later posted on social media showed Russian soldiers and vehicles stationed in the city, as well as abandoned Ukrainian tanks.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 12 March, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, stated that Russian forces had completely destroyed Volnovakha and that the city had "effectively ceased to exist", but that fighting continued. The Associated Press confirmed that the city had been captured by pro-Russian separatists and much of it had been destroyed in the fighting. Later, Ukrainian officials reported that Captain , the commander of the Ukrainian 503rd Naval Infantry Battalion, had been killed in battle.


title: Battle of Volnovakha

text: On 14 March, a Ukrainian Su-25 was shot down by Russian forces near Volnovakha. The pilot, Roman Vasyliuk, captured by Russian forces was later released on 24 April, by a Russo-Ukrainian prisoner swap.


title: 13th National People's Congress

text: The 13th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China was elected from October 2017 to February 2018 and will be in session in the five-year period from 2018 to 2023. It is scheduled to hold five sessions in this period, occurring around early March every year until before 2023, when the 14th National People's Congress will first convene.


title: 13th National People's Congress

text: The first session opened on 5 March 2018 and closed on 20 March 2018. All major state positions were elected in this session, including President, Vice President, Premier, and Congress Chairman.


title: 13th National People's Congress

text: The third session was scheduled for March 5, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time such a postponement had happened in decades. After the announcement of the date in April, the session was held from May 22 to May 28, 2020.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Alfa Romeo Giulia () is the name of three not directly related models by the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. The first is a line of sporty four-door compact executive cars (Type 105) produced from 1962 to 1978, the second is an updated, mainly up-engined Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giuliettas, and the third Giulia is a compact executive car (type 952) unveiled in 2015.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Alfa Romeo was one of the first mainstream manufacturers to put a powerful engine in a light-weight four-door car for mass production. The Type 105 Giulia was equipped with a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine similar to that of the earlier Giulietta (750/101) range, available in 1.3-litre (1,290 cc) and 1.6-litre (1,570 cc) versions. Various configurations of carburetors and tuning produced power outputs from about 80 to about 110 bhp (55 to 75 kW), coupled in most cases to 5-speed manual transmission.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Giulia sedans were noted for lively handling and impressive acceleration among small European four-door sedans of their era, especially considering modest engine sizes offered. The popular Super version with the twin carburettor 1.6 litre engine had a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph) and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in about 12 seconds, better than many sports cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When leaving the factory all variations of the Giulia originally fitted either Pirelli Cinturato 165HR14 or 155HR15 tyres (CA67).


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The styling of the boxy four-door notchback saloon was somewhat wanting. The engine bay, cabin and boot were all square shaped, buffered somewhat by details on the grill, roofline, bonnet and boot. Use of a wind tunnel during development led to a very aerodynamic shape that produced a , particularly low for a saloon of the era.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: "Note: chassis and engine type numbers displayed in italic for each model are sourced from Fusi 1978, pages 841–848."


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Unveiled on 27 June 1962 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI was the very first of the Giulia family of cars to be introduced. Its 1,570 cc Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine was fitted with a single Solex 33 PAIA 7 twin-choke down-draft carburettor, and produced or at 6,200 rpm. The "TI" nomenclature referred to a class of Italian saloon car racing known as "Turismo Internazionale", and had previously been applied to higher-performance versions of the 1900 and Giulietta saloons in the 1950s. However, for the Giulia saloon, the TI was at first the only version available, and later, with the introduction of the TI Super and Super, the TI became the base version in the 1.6-litre engine class. A distinguishing feature of the original Giulia were drum brakes on all corners, the front ones of the three-shoe type like on late Giuliettas; four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes and a brake servo were phased in during August 1963, after 22–23 thousand cars had been built. The car was marketed as a six-seater, thanks to a standard column-mounted shifter and a split bench front seat—though Italian car magazine Quattroruote found it rather a comfortable four-seater. Other notable interior features of the early models were mottled cloth and vinyl upholstery, a grey, trapezoid instrument panel including a strip speedometer, and a black steering wheel with two ivory-coloured spokes and a chrome half horn ring.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In May 1964 a floor shifter became available (chassis "tipo 105.08"), to be ordered solely in conjunction with the newly introduced separate front seats. Around the same time a right hand drive model variant entered production ("tipo 105.09"), with floor shifter only.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In February 1966 several changes were made. The floor shifter became standard; the interior received new seats, a new dashboard with triple round instruments (two large ones and the smaller fuel gauge in the centre) in place of the strip speedometer, and new door cards. From outside these later TIs can be recognized by L-shaped chrome strips around the tail lights which supplanted the previous C-shaped ones.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Production of the Giulia TI ceased during 1967; it was replaced by the Giulia 1600 S as the entry-level 1.6-litre model.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super was a special road-going sports model produced in limited numbers, fitted with a more powerful engine and a number of weight saving components, and intended for racing use. It was introduced to the press at the Monza race track on 24 April 1963.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: On 2 May 1964 the TI Super received international FIA and Italian CSAI homologation for racing, and was then extensively campaigned in the European Touring Car Challenge.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The TI Super's 1,570 cc engine was the same installed on the Giulia Sprint Speciale coupé—though bearing a different type code. It was fitted with two twin-choke horizontal Weber carburettors and, as on the Sprint Speciale, produced or at 6,500 rpm, pushing top speed to over .


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Dry weight was compared to of the standard Giulia TI. Parts contributing to the weight reduction were mesh grilles replacing the inner pair of head lamps, bumpers without overriders, fixed front quarter windows, Plexiglas rear windows, and magnesium alloy wheels with hubcaps, very similar in appearance to the standard steel wheels of the TI. Braking was by discs all around, although the first cars used drums. Cars built from August 1964 used the bodyshell of the TI with mounting points for the brake servo, but were never fitted with one.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: On the inside both the gear shifter and the handbrake lever were moved to the floor. The TI's instrument cluster with its strip speedometer was replaced by a three-instrument binnacle comprising speedometer, tachometer and a multi-gauge instrument (fuel level, water temperature, oil temperature and oil pressure). The steering wheel was a three-spoke aluminium lightweight item with centre horn button. Front racing-type bucket seats and safety belts were standard, while the heater, door armrests, the grab handle in front of the passenger, the glove box lid, and ashtrays were deleted.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Visually the Giulia TI Super was made immediately recognizable by green "quadrifoglios" (four-leaf clovers) on the front wings and tail panel, and "Giulia TI Super" scripts on the engine bonnet and tail. All cars produced were painted white, save for two examples—one red and one grey.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Contrary to popular belief, the Giulias used by the Italian police forces (the "Pantere" of the Polizia di Stato and "Gazzelle" of the Carabinieri) were not tuned TI Supers but rather standard models; early ones were fitted with mesh in place of the inner headlights like the TI Super simply to make the siren mounted behind sound louder. Only two TI Supers were actually owned by the Polizia, and used at the police schools of Nettuno and Cesena.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia 1300 marked the Giulia's entry in the then crowded 1.3-litre class, and featured simplified trim and equipment. It was introduced on 11 May 1964 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and produced until 1971, in left hand drive only.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: At first the Giulia 1300 was sold alongside the slightly cheaper Giulietta TI, the last of the outgoing 101-series Giulietta saloons, in its last year of production.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In fact the Giulia used a twin cam engine derived from the Giulietta TI's. Equipped with a single Solex 32 PAIA 7 down-draft twin-choke carburettor, this updated 1,290 cc four-cylinder produced or at 6,000 rpm. Top speed was . A four-speed gearbox with floor change fitted as standard; the 1300 would remain the only Giulia model not fitted with a five-speed gearbox. Braking was by discs all around, without a servo at first, later with a servo.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Visually the 1300 was distinguished by a new grille design housing single instead of twin head lamps, rectangular side repeaters without ornamentation, and all-metal hubcaps. It also did without bumper over-riders, most pieces of exterior chrome trim, and rear back-up lamps. Inside dashboard and steering wheel came from the TI (though the latter was all-black), there were rubber mats instead of carpets, and several convenience features such as the passenger grab handle and rear ashtrays were omitted.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In September 1967 the Giulia 1300 was updated, adopting a black mesh grille with three horizontal chrome bars, the vertical louvres at the base of the windshield first seen on the Giulia Super, the second series Giulia TI three round instrument dashboard, and the 1300 ti's three-spoke steering wheel.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Tipo 105.26 was introduced at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show. It transferred the technology from the racing TI Super to a road car, to make the most successful Giulia saloon. 1,570 cc engine with two double-choke Weber 40DCOE carburettors for a milder, but torquier tune than the TI Super - at 5500 rpm. New dashboard with two large round instruments (speedo and tacho) and clock. Sportier steering wheel with three aluminium spokes and centre horn push, similar to that of the Ti Super, later changed for one with the horn pushes in the spokes. All-around disc brakes with servo were fitted as standard from the outset. The serpent crest of the Sforza family appears in a badge on the C-pillar and is a distinguishing feature of the Super saloon. For 1968, there was a suspension update, including revised geometry and a rear anti-roll bar. The wheels were changed in size from 5J x 15 to 5J x 14, and tires from 155/15 Pirelli Cinturato to 165/14 Pirelli Cinturato. For 1970, updates included dual-circuit brakes, centre-mounted handbrake lever to replace under-dash "umbrella handle", larger external door handles, and top-hinged pedals (the latter in left hand drive models only; right hand drive continued with bottom-hinged pedals to the end of production). In 1972, Tipo 105.26 was rationalised into the Giulia 1.3 - Giulia 1.6 range (see below).


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Tipo 105.39 was built from 1965 to 1972. Right hand drive model replaced in 1970 by the 1300 Super (see below). It mounted a 1,290 cc engine with single down-draft carburettor for at 6000 rpm. Unlike the re-deployed 101-series Giulietta engine of the austerity-model 1300, the 1300 ti motor was a 105 series engine, basically that of the sportier GT1300 Junior coupe with different camshaft timing (but the same camshafts) and induction system. Other features were the five-speed gearbox, a three-spoke bakelite steering wheel with plastic horn push covering the centre and spokes, and the dashboard initially with strip speedo like that of the TI. For 1968, updates included a dashboard based on that of the Super, but with a simpler instrument binnacle, still featuring two large round instruments (speedo and tacho) and a separate fuel gauge, and the same suspension, wheel and tire updates applied to the Giulia Super in the same year. 1970 updates included dual-circuit brakes, centre handbrake, larger external doorhandles and top-hinged pedals (on left hand drive cars only), again as applied to the Super for that year.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Tipo 105.85 was basically a Giulia TI re-introduced in 1968 as a lower-level model to come between the 1300 and 1300 ti on one hand, and the Super on the other. It had a re-interpretation of the 1,570 cc single-carburettor engine for at 5500 rpm and similar trim to the 1300 ti. Replaced in 1970 by the 1300 Super (see below) which offered similar performance in a lower tax bracket. The last cars from 1970 featured the top-hinged pedals, centre handbrake and dual-circuit brakes as for the Super and 1300 ti.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Tipo 115.09 was introduced in 1970. It was basically a 1300 ti fitted with the engine from the GT 1300 Junior coupe that featured two double-choke horizontal carburettors; the engine actually had the GT 1300 Junior type number. This model was rationalised into the Giulia Super 1.3 - Giulia Super 1.6 range in 1972.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In 1972 a rationalisation of the Giulia range saw the Super 1300 (Tipo 115.09) and the Super (Tipo 105.26) re-released as the Super 1.3 and Super 1.6. The two models featured the same equipment, interior and exterior trim, differing only in engine size (1,290 cc and 1,570 cc) and final drive ratio. The 1300 ti was dropped. A small Alfa Romeo badge on the C-pillar is a distinguishing feature, as are hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In December 1972 Alfa-Romeo South Africa released the 1600 Rallye. This locally developed more powerful 1600 cc version of the 1300 Super, using the 1300s single-headlight body shell. The car was largely ready for competition and was only planned to be built in limited numbers, and was fitted with racing-style rear-view mirrors, rally lamps, fully adjustable seats, and a limited-slip differential. Claimed power was SAE.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia Super range was re-released in 1974 as the Nuova Super range, including the Giulia Nuova Super 1300 and 1600 This and featured a new black plastic front grille and a flat boot (trunk) lid without the characteristic centre spine. Otherwise the cars differed little from their Giulia Super predecessors and bore the same Tipo numbers with an S suffix. Production ceased in 1977.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Introduced in June 1976, the Giulia Nuova Super Diesel became the first ever diesel engined Alfa Romeo passenger car. It was fitted with a naturally aspirated Perkins type "4.108" 1,760 cc four cylinder, the same engine used on the Alfa Romeo F12 van. With an output of at 4,000 rpm and a top speed, the diesel version was the slowest of all Giulias. In total 6,537 examples made up to 1977. The diesels were not quite in line with Alfa Romeo's sporting image, but Alfa's president stated that Italy's fiscal legislation so favoured diesels that the company was simply forced to offer such an option.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Spider, Sprint and Sprint Speciale Giulias introduced together with the Giulia sedan in 1962 were rebadged and updated versions of earlier Giulietta models (series 101), now with a 1.6 litre instead of a 1.3 litre engine. Easiest to distinguish from a Giulietta is the Spider ("tipo" 101.23), which featured a bonnet bulge to clear the slightly taller engine. The Giulia Sprint 1600 ("tipo" 101.12) arrived in June 1962. The Sprint coupé was also available for a short time with the 1.3 litre engine as the Sprint 1300 - essentially a Giulietta Sprint with a different name. This version carries a small "1300" script on the lower bootlid, while Giulia 1600 Sprints have a "1600" badge just behind the rear wheel. Most models were discontinued in 1964, although the Sprint Speciale continued until 1966. The Spider was complemented by a Spider Veloce in 1964 ("tipo" 101.18), using the engine seen in the Giulia Sprint Speciale and Giulia TI Super, producing . The Giulia Spider continued to be available until the mid-1966 introduction of the Spider 1600 Duetto.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: In 1963 the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT ("tipo" 105) was first shown. This coupé (and rare convertible sister, the Giulia GTC) proceeded to be developed through numerous series with engines from 1.3 up to 2 liters. Production ended in 1976. There was also a range of competition models called the GTA as well as a Zagato-bodied iteration called the Junior Z.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia (952) compact executive car was unveiled on 24 June 2015 at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese. The all-new model is the first product of the company's revival plan, which will see the brand return to a rear wheel drive platform with the option of all wheel drive. The new model was shown in the high-performance "Quadrifoglio" specification.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: Following the success of the Giulia, Alfa Romeo unveiled the Stelvio - Alfa Romeo's first ever SUV - at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. Production started at the Cassino Plant end of 2016, attaining top-Alfa sales by 2018.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia Quadrifoglio has been highly praised by the motoring press when compared against its nearest rivals, including the highly specified later generations of BMW M3, it has gone on to be voted "Best Super Saloon" 4 years running deposing BMW of the prime position between 2016 and 2020 (UK - Autocar Magazine)


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia Quadrifoglio uses a 2.9 Litre 90 degree Twin Turbo V6 producing 503bhp, and an 8 speed ZF Auto box / or 6sp Manual. This gives the car a maximum quoted speed of 191mph and 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The engine is rumoured to have derived from the Ferrari California with 2 cylinders removed, the car as a whole was very much designed by several Ferrari engineers and the aerodynamics were honed in the Ferrari Wind tunnel.


title: Alfa Romeo Giulia

text: The Giulia Quadrifoglio is not currently offered with 4wd, but 4wd is available on other models in the range.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: Naser Jason Abdo (born April 1, 1990) is an American former US Army Private First Class who was arrested July 28, 2011, near Fort Hood, Texas, and was held without bond for possession of an unregistered firearm and allegedly planning to attack a restaurant frequented by soldiers from the base. He was convicted in federal court on May 24, 2012, of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of federal employees, and weapons charges. He was sentenced on August 10, 2012, to two consecutive life terms, plus 60 years.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: After Abdo applied for conscientious objector status in the spring of 2010 pending his deployment to Afghanistan, the Army approved his discharge. While processing him, officials found child pornography on his government-issued computer and in June 2010, the Army recommended that he be court-martialed. Abdo denied the charges, and went AWOL from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, over the July 4th weekend.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: Abdo is alleged to have planned the bombing because of his opposition as a Muslim to the U.S. War in Afghanistan. However, the US Attorney in the case, Robert Pitman, compared the plot to the 2012 mass murders by two other American men: the shootings at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee. He said that Abdo had planned to use violence "to advance [his] twisted agenda."


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: Abdo was born to Carlisa Morlan and Jamal Rateb Abdo in Garland, Texas, north of Dallas. His mother is an American Christian, and his father is a Palestinian-Jordanian Muslim. When Naser was 3, his parents divorced, and he lived most of his childhood with his father. In Garland, the boy attended Richardson Terrace Elementary School, South Garland High School and Berkner High School. According to Abdo's 2010 statement to the Army, at the age of 17, he began practicing Islam. The following year, he took classes in mass communication at the American University in Dubai.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: His father lived for about 25 years in the United States. After being convicted in 2006 of soliciting a minor over the Internet, the senior Abdo served three years of a five-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The US government deported him back to Jordan in 2010.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: With no job prospects, soon before his 19th birthday, Abdo joined the United States Army in March 2009. At the time of the Fort Hood shootings later that year, he condemned the actions of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was arrested and charged in the case.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: Abdo's brigade from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2010. Abdo stayed behind to continue authorized studies in language school to learn Pashto, one of the predominant languages in the area where US troops are deployed in the country. He was due to deploy to Afghanistan in June 2010, but applied that spring for conscientious objector status. He said the prospect of deployment had forced him to examine his beliefs, and as a Muslim he could not serve in Afghanistan against Muslim peoples. In an interview with Al-Jazeera TV, which aired on August 21, 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), Abdo said, "I don't believe I can involve myself in an army that wages war against Muslims. I don't believe I could sleep at night if I take part, in any way, in the killing of a Muslim." The Army approved his discharge, but it was put on hold when Army officials discovered child pornography on his government-issued computer while processing him out.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: At a June 15 hearing, Army officials recommended that Abdo be court-martialed. After being charged with possessing child pornography, which he denied, Abdo went AWOL from Fort Campbell during the July 4 weekend in 2011.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: In the spring, two anti-war groups, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Courage to Resist, had initially supported Abdo's conscientious objector bid. In a statement for Iraq Veterans Against the War, Abdo had written, "Only when the military and America can disassociate Muslims from terror can we move onto a brighter future of religious collaboration and dialogue that defines America and makes me proud to be an American." After Abdo's arrest, a spokesman for Iraq Veterans condemned the planned attack, saying it was utterly against their principles. Upon learning of Abdo's arrest on the pornography charges in June 2010, Courage to Resist, which had contributed to Abdo's legal fees in the conscientious objector case, said in a statement that it had removed the private's profile from its website and no longer supported him.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: On July 27, 2011, the staff of the Guns Galore gunstore in Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood noted that Abdo bought an unusually large amount of smokeless gunpowder, three boxes of shotgun ammunition, and a magazine for a pistol. A clerk notified the Killeen Police Department, who tracked Abdo to the Best Value Inn and Suites. Coincidentally, Guns Galore was the store in which Nidal Malik Hasan bought the FN Five-seven pistol used in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, as well as the store where the killer in the 2014 Fort Hood shooting allegedly bought his pistol.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: At Abdo's hotel room, Killeen police found a handgun and the ingredients for an explosive device, including gunpowder, shrapnel, and pressure cookers. Also in the room was an article entitled, "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom," from "Inspire" magazine, the English-language publication of Al Qaeda. According to Daniel Pipes of "The Washington Times," the "materials in Pfc. Abdo's possession corresponded precisely to the "ingredients" listed in the "Inspire" magazine article on bomb-making." Abdo had bought a uniform with Fort Hood patches from a military surplus store to fit in with local soldiers.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: In a court hearing on July 29, 2011, Abdo was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device. He did not enter a plea at that time. He was ordered held without bond. While leaving the courtroom, Abdo shouted: "Nidal Hasan — Ft. Hood 2009" in reference to the Army major Hasan charged with the Fort Hood shooting. Abdo also invoked the name of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, a 14-year-old girl raped and murdered by United States Army soldiers in Iraq. (Five current or former soldiers were charged and convicted in the case.)


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: According to court papers, Abdo "admitted that he planned to assemble two bombs in the hotel room using gun powder and shrapnel packed into pressure cookers" to explode at a restaurant popular with soldiers. After hearing testimony from the FBI in February 2012, the federal judge stated that Abdo could be indicted on additional charges. He represented himself in court and again denied that he had possessed child pornography.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: On May 24, 2012, Abdo was found guilty in federal court of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of federal employees, possession of a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence. On August 10, 2012, he was sentenced to two life terms plus 60 years in prison.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: Abdo is the third American Muslim soldier since the United States (US) started warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq to be charged with actions related to attacks on fellow US soldiers. He was charged for a bomb plot, not terrorism, as he acted alone and was not part of a terrorist organization.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: In 2003 at the start of the Iraq War, Sgt. Hasan Karim Akbar killed two officers and wounded 14 soldiers of the 101st Airborne in a fragging: a grenade and shooting attack at their base in Kuwait. Such incidents were rare in the Iraq War but frequent by aggrieved troops during the Vietnam War. The November 2009 shooting incident at Fort Hood, by the US Army psychiatrist, Nidal Malik Hasan, has been characterized by the Department of Defense as "workplace violence" pending the major's court-martial.


title: Naser Jason Abdo

text: The U.S. Attorney in the Abdo case, Robert Pitman, compared the AWOL soldier's plot to mass murders in 2012 by two other American men: shootings "at a movie theatre near Denver and a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee. 'In the wake of the tragic events in Colorado and Wisconsin, this is yet another reminder that there are those among us who would use or plan to use violence to advance their twisted agenda,' Pitman said."


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Adam Dalgliesh (pronounced "dal-gleash") is a fictional character who is the protagonist of fourteen mystery novels by P. D. James; the first being James's 1962 novel "Cover Her Face". He also appears in the two novels featuring James's other detective, Cordelia Gray.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: In the first novel, Dalgliesh is a Detective Chief Inspector. He eventually reaches the rank of Commander in the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard, London. He is an intensely cerebral and private person. He writes poetry, a fact about which his colleagues are fond of reminding him. Several volumes of his poetry have been published. Dalgliesh lives in a flat above the Thames at Queenhithe in the City of London. In the earlier novels he drives a Cooper Bristol, later a Jaguar. He was described as being "tall, dark and handsome" by some women, alluding to Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice".


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: His father was the rector of a Norfolk country parish. His sole family relation was his aunt, Jane Dalgliesh, whom he held in high esteem. After her death, Dalgliesh inherits, among other bequests, a converted windmill located on the Norfolk coast. In his lengthy career, he has been quite astute and successful and now heads a squad of CID officers working on only the most sensitive cases.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Dalgliesh is a widower. He lost his wife in childbirth 13 years before "A Mind to Murder," and was reluctant to commit himself ever since. His relationship with Deborah Riscoe ended because of this. During his time at St. Anselm's in Suffolk, he meets Cambridge lecturer Emma Lavenham and later asks her to marry him. The wedding takes place at the end of "The Private Patient", published in 2008.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: The character's name was chosen in honour of the author's English teacher at Cambridge High School. Years later, she learnt that Miss Dalgliesh's father had in fact been named Adam.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Detective Sergeant Martin is Dalgliesh's partner in "Cover Her Face" and "A Mind to Murder". (Martin is played in the ITV adaptation by Robert Pugh.) In "Shroud for a Nightingale" he partners with Detective Sergeant Masterson (portrayed by Jeremy Irvine for the Channel 5 series). Dalgliesh's first permanent partner was the moody and arrogant Detective Chief Inspector Massingham (played by John Vine). Detective Inspector Kate Miskin (played for ITV by Penny Downie, Lizzy McInnery and Sarah Winman, for the BBC by Tilly Blackwood and for Channel 5 by Carlyss Peer) serves with Dalgliesh and Massingham in Scotland Yard's Special Investigation Squad. In "The Lighthouse", Miskin takes over running the investigation when Dalgliesh contracts SARS. She is still a member of Dalgliesh's team in "The Private Patient" (2008).


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: DI Daniel Aaron (Tim Dutton) replaces Massingham when Massingham leaves Dalgliesh's squad. Aaron is presumably suspended after the events of "Original Sin"; DI Piers Tarrant (William Beck) is his replacement. When Tarrant is then transferred to Special Branch, DS Francis Benton-Smith replaces him. (Miskin has a short romantic relationship with Piers Tarrant after he leaves the Squad.) Benton-Smith, the ambitious and good-looking son of English and Indian parents, is at first resented by Kate Miskin, but they develop a good working relationship.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Jane Dalgliesh is Adam Dalgiesh's aunt and his sole living relative until her death prior to "Devices and Desires". Introduced in "Unnatural Causes", she is described as a very private and cerebral person, not unlike Dalgliesh himself. She is fond of bird watching and possesses a cottage in Suffolk which she later sells and buys a converted windmill in Norfolk, which Dalgliesh inherits upon her death.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Conrad Ackroyd is one of Dalgliesh's personal friends. He is a member of the "Cadaver Club", a private club of crime enthusiasts featured in "Unnatural Causes" as well as other novels. He is editor and publisher of "The Paternoster Review". Ackroyd's connections in the London establishment are often an asset to Dalgliesh.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Deborah Riscoe (played by Mel Martin) is one of Dalgliesh's romantic interests; they first meet when a murder shakes Riscoe's home in "Cover Her Face"; their relationship develops over the course of "A Mind to Murder". However, because of Dalgliesh's reluctance to commit, Riscoe ends their relationship via a letter at the conclusion of "Unnatural Causes", accepting a transfer to the United States of America.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Emma Lavenham (played by Janie Dee) is a lecturer in literature at Cambridge University. She and Dalgleish meet in "Death in Holy Orders", develop a relationship during "The Murder Room", and, following Dalgliesh's convalescence from SARS on Combe Island (in "The Lighthouse"), decide to marry, which they do at the end of "The Private Patient".


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Dalgliesh makes several small appearances in the two novels in the Cordelia Gray series, "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman" and "The Skull Beneath the Skin". Cordelia Gray is a private detective and runs a detective agency in Kingsly Street. Dalgliesh is asked to look into the death of Sir Ronald Callender in Cambridge and acquits Gray of any charges. Gray and Dalgliesh stayed in contact, as evidenced by the congratulations card Dalgliesh receives from Gray while convalescing after a successful operation at the beginning of "The Black Tower". Gossiping Conrad Ackroyd also remarks on Dalgliesh's being seen dining out with Cordelia in "A Taste for Death".


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: All of James's novels featuring Adam Dalgliesh up to and including "The Murder Room" have been adapted for television, beginning with "Death of an Expert Witness" in 1983. The first ten novels (in the order shown below) were adapted by Anglia Television for transmission on the ITV network and starred Roy Marsden as Dalgliesh. The BBC took over the series in 2003, and Martin Shaw played the role in "Death in Holy Orders" and "The Murder Room". The television adaptations have not always been faithful to the novel they dramatise, partly because they are out of chronological order.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: A series "Dalgliesh" starring Bertie Carvel premiered on Acorn TV and Channel 5 in November 2021. It follows Dalgliesh from the 1970s to the present with "Shroud for a Nightingale", "The Black Tower" and "A Taste for Death" incorporated into the first season.


title: Adam Dalgliesh

text: Five of the Dalgliesh novels have been dramatised by Neville Teller for BBC Radio 4. Robin Ellis played Dalgliesh in "Cover Her Face" (1993; miscredited as "Robert" Ellis by the BBC announcer) and "Devices and Desires" (1998). Phillip Franks played the role in "A Certain Justice" (2005). Dalgliesh was then played by Richard Derrington in "A Taste for Death" (2008) and "The Private Patient" (2010).


title: Another 48 Hrs.

text: Another 48 Hrs. is a 1990 American buddy cop film directed by Walter Hill and starring Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Andrew Divoff, and Ed O'Ross. It is the sequel to the 1982 film "48 Hrs." Nolte reprises his role as San Francisco police officer Jack Cates, who has 48 hours to clear his name from a manslaughter charge. To do so, he again needs the help of Reggie Hammond (Murphy), who is a newly released convict. At the same time, a mastermind known only as the Iceman has hired a biker gang to kill Reggie.