title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The Jerusalem Post is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as "The Palestine Post". In 1950, it changed its name to "The Jerusalem Post". In 2004, the paper was bought by Mirkaei Tikshoret, a diversified Israeli media firm controlled by investor Eli Azur. In April 2014, Azur acquired the newspaper "Maariv". The newspaper is published in English and previously also printed a French edition.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: Originally a left-wing newspaper, it underwent a noticeable shift to the political right in the late 1980s. From 2004 editor David Horovitz moved the paper to the center, and his successor in 2011, Steve Linde, pledged to provide balanced coverage of the news along with views from across the political spectrum. In April 2016, Linde stepped down as editor-in-chief and was replaced by Yaakov Katz, a former military reporter for the paper who previously served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The paper professes to be in the Israeli political center, yet is considered to be on the political right; its editorial line is critical of political corruption, and supportive of the separation of religion and state in Israel. It is also a strong proponent of greater investment by the State of Israel in World Jewry and educational programs for the Jewish diaspora.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The first attempt to establish an English-language newspaper in Jerusalem was "The Jerusalem News", established in 1919 under the auspices of the Christian Science movement, but this had no relationship to "The Jerusalem Post". The direct journalistic ancestry of "The Jerusalem Post" can be traced to "The Palestine Bulletin", which was founded in January 1925 by Jacob Landau of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. It was owned by the Palestine Telegraphic Agency, which was in practice part of the JTA even though it was legally separate. On 1 November 1931, editorship of the "Bulletin" was taken over by Gershon Agronsky (later Agron), a Jewish journalist who had immigrated to Palestine from the United States. In March 1932, a dispute arose between Landau and Agronsky, which Agronsky resolved to settle by establishing an independent newspaper. However, Landau and Agronsky instead came to an agreement to transform the "Bulletin" into a new, jointly owned newspaper. Accordingly, the "Palestine Bulletin" published its last issue on 30 November 1932 and "The Palestine Post Incorporating The Palestine Bulletin" appeared the following day, 1 December 1932. On 25 April 1933, the masthead was reduced to just "The Palestine Post", although the newspaper continued to state its founding year as 1925 for at least a year afterwards.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: During its time as "The Palestine Post", the publication supported the struggle for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and openly opposed British policy restricting Jewish immigration during the Mandate period. According to one commentator, "Zionist institutions considered the newspaper one of the most effective means of exerting influence on the British authorities."


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: On the evening of 1 February 1948, a stolen British police car loaded with half a ton of TNT pulled up in front of the Jerusalem office of the "Palestine Post"; the driver of a second car arrived a few minutes later, lit the fuse and drove off. The building also contained other newspaper offices, the British press censor, the Jewish settlement police, and a Haganah post with a cache of weapons. Arab leader Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni claimed responsibility for the bombing, but historian Uri Milstein reported that the bomb had been prepared by the Nazi-trained Fawzi el-Kutub, known as "the engineer", with the involvement of two British army deserters, Cpl. Peter Mersden and Capt. Eddie Brown. Three persons died in the bombing, a newspaper typesetter and two people who lived in a nearby block of flats. Dozens of others were injured and the printing press was destroyed. The morning paper came out in a reduced format of two pages, printed at a small print shop nearby.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: In 1950, two years after the State of Israel was declared, the paper was renamed "The Jerusalem Post."


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The broadsheet newspaper is published from Sunday to Friday, with no edition appearing on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath) and Jewish religious holidays. Regular opinion columnists write on subjects such as religion, foreign affairs and economics. the owner of the paper is Eli Azur, editor-in-chief is Yaakov Katz and the managing editor is David Brinn.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: In January 2008, the paper announced a new partnership with "The Wall Street Journal", including joint marketing and exclusive publication in Israel of "The Wall Street Journal Europe".


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: "The Jerusalem Post" also publishes a monthly magazine, "IVRIT," edited by Dr. Sarit Yalov. Its target audience is people learning the Hebrew language and it is described as "an easy-Hebrew" publication, meant for improving basic Hebrew reading skills. It uses the vowel notation system to make comprehension of the Hebrew abjad simpler. "The Jerusalem Report", now edited by Steve Linde, is a fortnightly print and online glossy newsmagazine.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: In 2020, Reuters reported that "The" "Jerusalem Post," along with Algemeiner, The Times of Israel and Arutz Sheva, had published op-eds written by non-existent people. In 2020, "The Daily Beast" identified a network of false personas used to sneak opinion pieces aligned with UAE government policy to media outlets such as "The Jerusalem Post". Twitter suspended some of the accounts of these fake persons on its own platform.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: In January 2022, "The Jerusalem Post's" website was hacked by pro-Iranian actors. The "JPost.com" website homepage was replaced with an image depicting a bullet shot from a red ring on a finger (likely in reference to the ring worn by the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani) and the caption "we are close to you where you do not think about it". The hack occurred on the second anniversary of the Assassination of Qasem Soleimani and is largely seen as a threat towards Israel.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: Until 1989, the paper supported the Labor Party. In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc., owned by Conrad Black. A number of journalists resigned from the Post after Black's takeover and founded "The Jerusalem Report", a weekly magazine eventually sold to the "Post".


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: Under editor-in-chief David Makovsky, from 1999 to 2000, the paper took a centrist position on defense, but began to reject socialism. In 2002, Hollinger hired the politically conservative Bret Stephens of "The Wall Street Journal" as editor-in-chief. David Horovitz took over as editor-in-chief on 1 October 2004. On 16 November 2004, Hollinger sold the paper to Mirkaei Tikshoret Limited, a Tel Aviv-based publisher of Israeli newspapers. CanWest Global Communications, Canada's biggest media concern, had announced an agreement to take a 50 percent stake in "The Jerusalem Post" after Mirkaei bought the property, but the deal soured. The two sides went to arbitration, and CanWest lost.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: In 2011, Horovitz was succeeded by the paper's managing editor, Steve Linde, who professed to maintain political moderation and balance. Yaakov Katz, the paper's former military analyst and a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, succeeded Linde in April 2016.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: "JPost.com" was launched in December 1996. Its current version also contains an ePaper version of the daily newspaper, a range of magazines and other web versions of the Group's products.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The site is an entity separate from the daily newspaper. While sharing reporters, it is managed by different teams. Its staff is based in Tel Aviv, while the newspaper offices are located in Jerusalem.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: The site contains archives that go back to 1989, and the default search on the site sends users to archive listings, powered by ProQuest, where articles can be purchased. Free blurbs of the article are available as well, and full articles are available when linked to directly from navigation within JPost.com or from a search engine.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: JPost.com includes the "Premium Zone", a pay-wall protected area, containing additional Jerusalem Post articles and special features. The site, which was given a graphic facelift in September 2014, recently relaunched its mobile and tablet applications, as well as its special edition for mobile viewing.


title: The Jerusalem Post

text: Gershon Agron founded the newspaper and served as its editor until he went into public service. One of his early reporters was his nephew Martin Agronsky, who would later become a famous American political journalist. Agronsky left the paper after only a year; he felt he had been hired out of nepotism and didn't like this, wanting to earn his jobs. Agron's son Dani Agron also worked for the newspaper, serving as its business manager in the 1970s, while his wife Ethel wrote for "Hadassah Magazine". Martin Agronsky's son Jonathan Agronsky also became a journalist in the United States.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: Panzer Dragoon is a series of video games by Sega. The first three games were developed in the 1990s by Sega's Team Andromeda for the Sega Saturn. The fourth, "Panzer Dragoon Orta" (2002), was developed by Sega's Smilebit team for the Xbox. A spin-off, "Panzer Dragoon Mini", was released for the handheld Game Gear in Japan in 1996.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The "Panzer Dragoon" games are rail shooters, except "Panzer Dragoon Saga" (1998), a role-playing game. The games follow a protagonist fighting an empire in a post-apocalyptic world while riding a dragon.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The "Panzer Dragoon" games have received positive reviews; "Panzer Dragoon Saga" is the most acclaimed Saturn game, and has appeared in several "greatest games of all time" lists. In 2018, Sega announced that remakes of "Panzer Dragoon" and "Panzer Dragoon II Zwei" were in development. The first remake was released in 2020.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The "Panzer Dragoon" series takes place on a post-apocalyptic planet where the people compete for land, resources, and the technology of the Ancients. The ‘Ancients’ is the generic name given to the people that once controlled a world-spanning, hyper-advanced civilization thousands of years before the start of the "Panzer Dragoon" series of games. The Ancients were able to create monsters either for war use or practical uses.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: These creatures survived the downfall of the Ancients and are one of the main enemies in the series. A mysterious cataclysm, hinted at as a terrible war during the course of the series, would spell the downfall of this civilization and nearly destroy the world, leaving the survivors to eke out a bleak existence among the blasted remains in the ensuing millennia. Eventually, the Ancients and their works would gain a sort of 'godlike' respect, and a horrific regard, among some people as they passed into legend.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The remnants of these technologies are used in the development of much of humanity's own machinery, weaponry and vehicles, such as the unusual floating ships which are a staple of the series. A faction called "The Empire" have collected and used weapons from the Ancient Age to gain dominance of the continent.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The first "Panzer Dragoon" was released on the Sega Saturn in 1995. It follows the story of Keil Fluge, a member of a hunter party who encounters a fight between two dragons, coloured black and blue. The rider of the blue dragon is mortally wounded in the battle and entrusts his mission, as well as his dragon, the Solo Wing, to Keil. Keil must stop the Dark Dragon reactivating an ancient ruin.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: This chapter introduced the basic features of the traditional gameplay that the "Panzer Dragoon" series would be known by, starting out as a rail shooter giving the player a choice of two main attacks: a lock-on laser weapon, and a rapid fire gun weapon, as well as the ability to swing the cameras around to shoot the enemies coming from all directions.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon" was one of the few games available at the Sega Saturn's North American launch. The game was ported to Windows, is included as a bonus game in "Panzer Dragoon Orta" for Xbox and in 2006 adapted slightly for Sega's Japanese PlayStation 2 "AGES 2500" series.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: A remake of "Panzer Dragoon" developed by MegaPixel Studio was released for Nintendo Switch, Stadia, Windows, PlayStation 4, Amazon Luna, and Xbox One in 2020.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon R-Zone" was released for the portable Tiger R-Zone system. It was one of the few launch titles licensed by Sega, being released just a few months after the original "Panzer Dragoon". It was the first game in the series that was not developed by Team Andromeda. There is no plot, simply a nameless character on an armored dragon attempting to keep a dark dragon from reaching a tower while shooting and dodging robots.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon II Zwei" was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996. A prequel to "Panzer Dragoon," it follows the story of Jean-Luc Lundi who discovers a mutant , whom he names Lagi, who has a green glow at its throat, and is growing wings. Lundi refuses to kill Lagi, defying his villages custom that mutant be killed. Together, Lundi and Lagi ride towards the horizon, chasing after a great airship called the Shelcoof, which is responsible for destroying Lundi's village while he was away.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Zwei" introduced the berserk ability, where the player builds up a bar and then can unleash a powerful attack. It also introduced multiple routes through levels, and the dragon's capacity to change shape when the player performed well in a level.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon Mini" is a spin-off released for the Game Gear handheld in Japan in 1996. Due to the technical limitations of the Game Gear, the camera cannot be controlled and instead rotates automatically; also, for the first and — so far — only time in the series' history, the dragon does not have a rider. The game is markedly different from others in the series due to lack of a story and the dragon's super deformed appearance. Most of the levels and enemies are modeled after those of "Panzer Dragoon Zwei".


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon Saga" (titled "Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG" in Japan) is a role-playing game (RPG) released for Saturn in 1998. It is the only "Panzer Dragoon" game that is not a rail shooter, combining traditional role-playing elements such as random encounters with the 3D shooting elements of previous games. The player controls Edge, a young mercenary who battles the empire on a flying dragon and encounters a mysterious girl from a vanished civilization. Unlike the other "Panzer Dragoon" games, movement is not on rails and some areas are explored on foot. The battle system mixes real-time and turn-based elements, with the player circling enemies on the dragon to expose weak spots and escape dangerous positions.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: Development of "Panzer Dragoon Saga" began around the same time as "Panzer Dragoon II Zwei". According to director Yukio Futatsugi, the need to blend the series' shooting elements into an RPG with full 3D and voice acting - both unusual for RPGs at the time - made it the most difficult "Panzer Dragoon" game to develop. Two staff members died during its two-year development, which Futatsugi attributed to the stressful working conditions of the video game industry.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: According to GameRankings, "Panzer Dragoon Saga" is the most acclaimed Saturn game, winning praise for its story, graphics, music, and unusual battle system. It has appeared in several "greatest games of all time" lists. As Sega had shifted its focus to its next console, the Dreamcast, the game had a limited release outside Japan, attracting a cult following. It has not been re-released and is now a rare collector's item. After its release, Sega disbanded Team Andromeda; Futatsugi left Sega and joined Konami, while other staff moved to Sega teams including Smilebit.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon Orta" is an Xbox game released in late 2002 in Japan and in early 2003 in America and Europe. It was developed by Smilebit which had been founded by former members of Team Andromeda.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Panzer Dragoon Orta" follows the story of Orta, a teenage girl being held captive in a town. When the town is attacked by the Empire, Orta is rescued by a Dragon, and encounters a drone named Abadd. While tracking the drone, she discovers the truth behind her own origins, and helps to free the world from the tyranny of the Empire. This game introduced several updated features, such as the ability to morph the dragon at will, and maneuvering abilities from "Panzer Dragoon Saga".


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: This game had large amounts of unlockable content to be gained after completing the main story. These include a group of sub-missions, one series of which is devoted to the backstory of Iva Demilcol. The "Box Game" is a bonus mode first introduced in "Zwei" where the player can select different dragons, riders, and various cheats. The PC version of the first "Panzer Dragoon" is included in its entirety.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: The game also possesses a vast in-game dictionary that updates as the player progress, detailing the "Panzer" world, and full-motion video from the game itself is unlocked for casual viewing, as well as the intro and ending videos from "Panzer Dragoon", "Panzer Dragoon Zwei" and "Panzer Dragoon Saga".


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: Soundtrack CDs were released in Japan for all the games, with "Panzer Dragoon Orta"'s being bundled with the game itself. Tokyopop released the "Panzer Dragoon Orta" soundtrack in the USA. An anime adaptation of the first game was released, with the story being slightly altered to include a female heroine whom Keil ('Kyle' in the anime) is trying to save when she becomes bonded to the Black Dragon. The English version was released by ADV Films. An artbook from the second game, "Die Welt Von Panzer Dragoon Zwei" ("The World of Panzer Dragoon Zwei") was also released.


title: Panzer Dragoon

text: "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" features a racetrack based on "Panzer Dragoon". Additionally, the "Worlds Unite" crossover between the "Sonic the Hedgehog" and the "Mega Man" comic lines from Archie Comics features "Panzer Dragoon" characters and concepts.


title: 47 (number)

text: Forty-seven is the fifteenth prime number, a safe prime, the thirteenth supersingular prime, the fourth isolated prime, and the sixth Lucas prime. Forty-seven is a highly cototient number. It is an Eisenstein prime with no imaginary part and real part of the form .


title: 47 (number)

text: It is a Lucas number. It is also a Keith number because its digits appear as successive terms earlier in the series of Lucas numbers: 2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 18, 29, 47, ...


title: 47 (number)

text: Its representation in binary being 101111, 47 is a prime Thabit number, and as such is related to the pair of amicable numbers {17296, 18416}.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: The 2011–12 season was Arsenal's 20th season in the Premier League, and also marked the club's 125th anniversary. In the Premier League, Arsenal struggled to recover from a poor start to the season. Though they did finish the season in the final qualification berth for the next season's UEFA Champions League. Arsenal's UEFA Champions League campaign once again proved unsuccessful, falling at the first hurdle in the knockout stage, with a 4–0 defeat at Milan ultimately proving fatal. Exiting the FA Cup at the fifth round stage at the hands of Sunderland, and the League Cup in the quarter-finals against Manchester City, the two domestic cups were also out of Arsenal's reach.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal finished the season in third place after winning their last league match 3–2 against West Bromwich Albion on 13 May 2012. It was the first season since the invincibles in 2003–04 which Arsenal finished the top London club in the league, or in which Arsenal finished ahead of Chelsea.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's pre-season transfer activity was once again dominated by media speculation regarding the future of club captain Cesc Fàbregas, whose return to boyhood club Barcelona was widely expected, although not officially confirmed until the middle of August when an initial fee in the region of £30 million was agreed between the two clubs. Prior to this, the Gunners' first signing came in the form of young English-Finnish right-back Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic on 8 June for an initial fee of around £1 million, while the first major signing did not come until 11 July with the signing of Gervinho from French champions Lille for more than £10 million. The only notable exits in July came in goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who retired for the second time, having come out of his first retirement in March to solve an injury crisis that left Arsenal with just one match-fit goalkeeper, while Gaël Clichy joined Manchester City. It was August before the club's transfer activity increased, with promising young striker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joining from Southampton for a reported £12 million, before the departures of Fàbregas to Barcelona, the long-serving Emmanuel Eboué to Turkish side Galatasaray, and Samir Nasri to Manchester City for a fee of £25 million. Left-back Armand Traoré's departure to newly promoted Queens Park Rangers on the penultimate day of the transfer window completed the departures from the first team, before Arsène Wenger, under increasing criticism for the lack of arrivals so far, went on something of a spending spree in the final 48 hours of the window. South Korea captain Park Chu-young joined from Monaco, before left-back André Santos, centre back Per Mertesacker and midfielder Mikel Arteta all joined in the dying hours of the window, from Fenerbahçe, Werder Bremen and Everton respectively. Yossi Benayoun also joined the club on a season long loan from Chelsea, whilst striker Nicklas Bendtner was loaned to Sunderland for the same period, following fellow first-team members Denílson and Carlos Vela, who had joined São Paulo and Real Sociedad on loan earlier in the window. At the close of the window, Arsenal had spent an estimated £51.2 million, compared to an income of nearly £75 million.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Away from the transfer window, Robin van Persie was chosen to replace the departing Fàbregas as club captain, having stood in on several previous occasions when Fàbregas was not playing. Pre-season saw Arsenal hold their first ever Asian tour, commencing against a Malaysian League XI in Kuala Lumpur where goals from Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela and Tomáš Rosický earned the Gunners a 4–0 win. Chinese side Hangzhou Greentown proved a tougher test in Arsenal's next match, where after falling behind in the 16th minute, Vela scored to achieve a 1–1 draw. Arsenal travelled next to Germany to face 1. FC Köln where new signing Gervinho scored twice in eight minutes on his debut to put the side two goals ahead, before fellow newcomer Carl Jenkinson put the ball through Arsenal's own net, to result in a 2–1 victory for the Gunners. Arsenal's only home pre-season matches came in the annual Emirates Cup tournament, where Boca Juniors, the New York Red Bulls and Paris Saint-Germain were welcomed to London. Arsenal's matches both ended in draws, first surrendering a Van Persie and Aaron Ramsey created two-goal lead against Boca Juniors, before conceding an 84th-minute own goal from Kyle Bartley against the New York Red Bulls the next day, cancelling out a Van Persie opener. Arsenal's run of pre-season fixtures concluded with a loss to Portuguese team Benfica in the Eusébio Cup, once again surrendering a one-goal advantage courtesy of Van Persie to end up losing 2–1 in Lisbon.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's fixtures in the Premier League started at Newcastle United, where, despite surrendering a four-goal lead last season, they played out a 0–0 draw this time around. In the match, Gervinho receiving a straight red-card on his competitive debut, whilst Alex Song received a retrospective charge of violent conduct for stamping on Joey Barton. The Gunners faced a two-legged tie against Italian side Udinese to secure qualification to the season's UEFA Champions League competition, with Theo Walcott's fourth-minute goal separating the teams in the first leg at the Emirates, before goals from Walcott and Robin van Persie, as well as a penalty save from Wojciech Szczęsny, saw the Gunners secure victory in the away leg in Udine, and secure their place in the group stage of the competition.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: The two legs were sandwiched between an early Premier League title contender clash at the Emirates against Liverpool, where an own goal from Aaron Ramsey and a last minute strike from new Liverpool signing Luis Suárez saw the team fall to a 0–2 defeat, and fuel the widely held belief that Arsenal would once again fail to prove serious challengers for the league title. Any attempt to dispel such a notion was dealt a huge blow the following week, when Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford to suffer their heaviest ever defeat in the Premier League. A hat-trick from Wayne Rooney, two goals from Ashley Young and goals from Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-sung saw the club slump to an 8–2 hammering at the hands of Manchester United, with Walcott and Van Persie's goals proving no consolation as Arsenal ended the month hovering just one place above the relegation zone, having failed to win any of their opening three league matches.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal eventually secured their first league win of the season at home to newly promoted Swansea City at the start of September, when Andrey Arshavin's goal proved enough to separate the sides, before the team faced the first of their six Champions League group stage fixtures away to German champions Borussia Dortmund. A win looked to be on the cards thanks to Robin van Persie's first half goal, but Dortmund's Ivan Perišić equalised with just two minutes left to play leaving Arsenal to be satisfied with just a single point. Any hope of progress in the Premier League was dashed when the Gunners gave away a 2–1 half-time lead away to Blackburn Rovers, with own goals from both Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny gifting Blackburn a 4–3 victory.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's opening match in the League Cup looked to be a straightforward home tie against League Two outfit Shrewsbury Town, but it was the opposition that opened the scoring, before Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun eventually secured progress to the fourth round. This seemed to spark some life into the team, and they ran out 3–0 winners the following week against Bolton Wanderers in the league thanks to a brace from Robin van Persie and a late goal from Alex Song, before securing their first group stage win in Europe at home to Greek champions Olympiacos with goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain and André Santos.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Any suggestion that the end of September had been the start of an Arsenal turnaround was proved wrong in the North London derby at the start of October. Rafael van der Vaart's opening goal at White Hart Lane was cancelled out by Aaron Ramsey, before Kyle Walker secured the bragging rights for Tottenham Hotspur. Following an international break, the Gunners' home match against Sunderland looked set to be heading for a 1–1 draw until Van Persie scored in the last ten minutes to secure all three points, whilst a late goal also earned an away European victory against Marseille, with Ramsey providing the required firepower.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's season continued to improve with a 3–1 league victory against Stoke City thanks to two goals from Van Persie and a strike from Gervinho, before Arshavin and Park Chu-young saw the team past Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the League Cup. The turnaround was complete when Arsenal beat title-rivals Chelsea 5–3 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from André Santos and Theo Walcott, as well as a hat-trick from Van Persie, a performance that helped the Dutchman to the Premier League player of the month award, and saw the Gunners finish October, seventh in the table.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: November opened with Marseille visiting the Emirates for the return leg of the Champions League fixture, a game that ended in a 0–0 draw. In the Premier League, Arsenal's good form continued with a 3–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion thanks to goals from Van Persie, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Vermaelen, whose return from injury provided further good news for the team. After another international break, Arsenal continued where they left off with a 2–1 win at Norwich City thanks to two more goals from Robin van Persie, making him just the third player since the Premier League's inception after Alan Shearer and former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry to score 30 goals in a calendar year.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: With their Premier League campaign seemingly re-energised, Arsenal's attention turned once more to the Champions League, with Borussia Dortmund being the latest visitors to the Emirates. Arsenal knew a win would be sufficient to secure progression to the knockout phase, but it was Dortmund who made the brighter start until injuries forced two of their key players – Sven Bender and Mario Götze, to be substituted before half time. This allowed Arsenal to capitalise, with man of the moment Van Persie netting two goals in the second half thanks to assists first from Alex Song and then Thomas Vermaelen, before Shinji Kagawa netted the Germans a consolation goal in injury time. The 2–1 victory was not only enough to secure the Gunners' progression, but also top spot in Group F thanks to Olympiacos' victory over second-placed Marseille in the night's other match.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: This Champions League success came at a price, however, with the team appearing off form in their next Premier League game against Fulham, who took the lead in the match thanks to a Thomas Vermaelen own goal. It was only when the Belgian defender was able to convert into the right net in the 82nd minute that the Gunners were able to draw level, and end the match with a 1–1 draw. The impact of the result was only alleviated by results elsewhere, with four of the six teams above Arsenal in the table – Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United all playing out draws in the same weekend.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: November ended on somewhat of a negative note, with the team exiting the League Cup with a fifth round loss to Manchester City, although the Gunners were by no means overwhelmed by the Premier League leaders. Instead, the young and relatively inexperienced side that included the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Park Chu-young, as well as reserve team players Ignasi Miquel and Francis Coquelin, held their own for much of the match, with just a single goal by Sergio Agüero in the 83rd minute being able to separate the two sides.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: A 4–0 win in the Premier League away at Wigan Athletic allowed Arsenal to continue their progression up the league table thanks to goals from Mikel Arteta, Thomas Vermaelen, Gervinho and Robin van Persie, before the team travelled to Athens to face Olympiacos in their final group stage match in the Champions League. With a group topping position already secured, Arsène Wenger chose to field a much weakened side, making ten changes from the team that started at Wigan three days earlier, and this was evident as the team fell to a 3–1 defeat. Łukasz Fabiański was injured in the 25th minute and replaced by Vito Mannone.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: The return of Arsenal's stronger starting 11 in their next Premier League match saw the team return to winning ways, securing a 1–0 victory at home to Everton, before making the trip to the Etihad Stadium a week later to face league leaders Manchester City without both first choice full-backs, Bacary Sagna and André Santos. Despite these absences, the Gunners put up a strong fight, and it was only David Silva's effort early in the second half that was enough to separate the teams at the final whistle. Arsenal entered the Christmas fixtures with a 2–1 victory over Aston Villa, with Van Persie scoring his 34th Premier League goal of 2011, equaling Thierry Henry's club record, before Yossi Benayoun secured his first league goal for Arsenal, along with all three points.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal ended December with two games in four days, and Gervinho's eighth-minute goal looked to have set the Gunners off well against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Steven Fletcher's equaliser later in the first half ended up restricting them to just a single point. The year ended with a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers at the Emirates, with Van Persie's goal being enough to secure him the club record for goals scored in a calendar year, although he did fall a single strike short of equalling Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 36.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's new year seemed set to get off to a good start, with Laurent Koscielny's goal grabbing a lead against Fulham in their opening match, but in what has become something of an Arsenal trait, the team could not strengthen their position, and Fulham seized on this. Late goals from Steve Sidwell and Bobby Zamora undid Arsenal and saw the team fall to a 2–1 defeat. The defeat was, however, somewhat overshadowed by the club's announcement a few days later that the Gunners' record goal-scorer and former Captain Thierry Henry was returning to the Emirates for a short-term loan during the close-season of the North America's Major League Soccer (MLS), in which Henry now plays full-time.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Henry's second debut for the club came as a substitute in the team's first foray in this season's FA Cup, against Leeds United in the Third Round. Given Henry's record of 226 goals in his 370 appearances during his first stint at Arsenal, it came as little surprise when he netted the game's only goal just ten minutes after coming onto the pitch, securing the team's progress to the Fourth Round.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: However, if things were going well in the Cup, the same could not be said for progress in the Premier League. Arsenal first surrendered an early lead against Swansea, before giving away another goal just seconds after grabbing an equaliser in the second half to go down 3–2 in South Wales. The following week, the Gunners hosted Manchester United for the first time since last year's 8–2 humiliation at Old Trafford. Despite United leading at half-time, Van Persie scored his 19th league goal of the season to draw the teams level, before Danny Welbeck took advantage of further defensive lapses to inflict the Arsenal's third defeat in a row, and further hamper the team's quest for qualification to next season's Champions League.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: With the Premier League title now out of reach, Arsenal hosted Aston Villa in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup knowing that it was their last realistic chance of silverware. This chance did little to spur the team on, and goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent in the first half saw the Gunners' facing exit from the competition at half time. However, a spirited Arsenal performance in the opening spell of the second half, including three goals in seven minutes from Van Persie (2) and Theo Walcott, saw the team claim a 3–2 victory and secure a place in the Fifth Round.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal opened February with an emphatic 7–1 victory over struggling Blackburn to halt their poor run of league form. Van Persie brought his goal tally in all competitions to 28 with a hat-trick, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continued his impressive run of form by scoring his first and second Premier League goals. Mikel Arteta also found the net, before Henry scored his first Premier League goal in nearly six years to complete the victory in stoppage time. Henry's talents were required again in Arsenal's next league match, away to Sunderland, who were on a superb run of form under new manager Martin O’Neill. Henry secured all three points for the Gunners in injury time, following Aaron Ramsey's earlier goal that cancelled out James McClean's goal for Sunderland.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Despite an apparent resurgence in the Premier League, Arsenal's cup ambitions took consecutive knocks in mid-February. They first lost the opening leg of their Champions League round of 16 match against Milan 4–0, before being knocked out of the FA Cup by Sunderland just three days later, leaving the team facing yet another season without any silverware.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: These cup exits left Arsenal to focus solely on achieving fourth position in the league, and thus ensuring further Champions League football at the Emirates. This aim would be tested heavily in their next game, the North London derby against age-old rivals Tottenham, who have spent the season so far above Arsenal in the table. It seemed that Arsenal's poor form against their rivals in recent years was likely to continue, falling 2–0 behind through goals from Louis Saha and former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor, before Bacary Sagna and the ever-reliable Van Persie scored in quick succession to bring the teams level at half-time. Arsenal continued to press in the second-half, and were rewarded with a goal from Tomáš Rosický and a brace from Theo Walcott to secure a memorable 5–2 victory that the Gunners would savour, and that saw the team strengthen their challenge for fourth place.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: The North London derby victory spurred Arsenal on to continue their good Premier League form at the start of March. A Robin van Persie brace was enough to come from behind to beat Liverpool at Anfield, before securing a 3–0 home victory against Milan thanks to goals from Laurent Koscielny, Tomáš Rosický and Van Persie. Although not enough to overturn the first leg deficit, the win did allow the Gunners to bow out of European football for the season in excellent style.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's reduced fixture-load soon became evident in results in the Premier League. They first secured an injury time victory against fellow competitors for the European places in the table, Newcastle. Vermaelen scored the winner in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the match, after Van Persie had drawn the teams level early in the first half. It was Vermaelen who again secured all three points in Arsenal's next match, away to Everton, a victory that was also enough to propel Arsenal above Tottenham into third place in the league table.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: A 3–0 victory against Aston Villa, with goals from Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta, took Arsenal's run of form to seven consecutive Premier League victories, a feat the team had not managed since October 2007, as well as strengthening their position in third place. The team, however, fell one game short of going the whole of March unbeaten, falling to a 2–1 defeat away to QPR, where Walcott's strike proved insufficient to secure any points for the Gunners.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: April started well for Arsenal, with back to back victories helping them to maintain their position in the Premier League's Champions League qualifications places. A Mikel Arteta goal in the 87th minute was enough to first secure a 1–0 home victory over championship contenders Manchester City, before Van Persie, Walcott and Benayoun all scored to record a 3–0 victory at struggling Wolves.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal stuttered as April progressed however, falling first to a 2–1 home defeat by Wigan, where Thomas Vermaelen's goal was not enough to overcome two early Wigan goals, before the team played out a goalless draw with fellow European contenders Chelsea. Another draw completed Arsenal's April, sharing the points with Stoke after a 1–1 stalemate, with Van Persie adding another goal to his already impressive tally, pushing him closer to the Premier League's golden boot award, but also cancelling out Peter Crouch's earlier goal for the home side at the Britannia Stadium.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's attempts to secure Champions League qualification continued into their final two matches of the season in May. Yossi Benayoun's opening goal just two minutes into their final home match of the season, against Norwich, seemed to have got them off to a good start, before two goals in twenty minutes gave the visitors an unexpected lead. A Van Persie brace in eight minutes put the Gunners back ahead, and seemingly on the verge of all but securing third place in the table. A Norwich equaliser in the 85th minute, however, shattered that dream, meaning their ongoing battle with Tottenham for guaranteed Champions League football would have to be settled on the final day of the season.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: That final day saw Arsenal travel to face West Brom whilst Tottenham hosted Fulham, with an Arsenal win being enough to guarantee third. Tottenham took the lead in the second minute to take them above Arsenal in the table, but a second goal in as many games from Benayoun saw the Gunners retake the position just two minutes later. However, a brace from West Brom within four minutes saw Arsenal fall behind, and apparently gifting Spurs the last definite English berth in the Champions League, before André Santos was able to draw Arsenal back level before half-time. Arsenal were still outside the Premier League top three, and it fell to Laurent Koscielny to score in the 54th minute to secure victory and the final English group stage place in the next season's Champions League competition. As the season concluded, captain Robin van Persie was confirmed as the winner of the Premier League's Golden Boot award with 30 goals in the season.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: Arsenal's home, away, third and goalkeeper outfits featured an anniversary crest to mark the club's 125th anniversary. The crest featured 15 laurel leaves on the left side of the crest to reflect the detail on the reverse of the sixpence pieces paid by 15 men to establish the Club in Woolwich in 1886. The 15 oak leaves to the right of the crest paid tribute to the founders who would meet in the local Royal Oak pub. Underneath the crest was one of the club's first recorded mottos – "Forward" – with the anniversary dates of 1886 and 2011 either side.


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded monthly to the manager that was chosen by a panel assembled by the Premier League's sponsor"


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best throughout the Premier League season, by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA)."


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best throughout the Premier League season, by the Professional Footballers' Association's (PFA) fans."


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded to the players who are adjudged to have been the best throughout the Premier League season, by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA)."


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best throughout the Premier League season, by the Football Writers' Association (FWA)."


title: 2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season

text: "Awarded to the squad who is adjudged to have been the best throughout the history of the Premier League, by a panel assembled by the Premier League's sponsor."


The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch.


title: National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

text: The RMT is one of Britain's fastest growing trade unions. Membership rose under and following the leadership of Bob Crow, increasing from 57,000 in 2002 to almost 81,500 in 2019.


text: The RMT was formed in 1990 through a merger of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and the National Union of Seamen (NUS) to create a single transport industry trade union.


text: The predecessor unions to the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen were founding members of the original Labour Representation Committee and after its creation the RMT became a prominent voice on the left of the Labour Party. In 2003 some Scottish branches of the RMT voted to donate some of their funds to the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in protest against the policies of Tony Blair and New Labour, such as not renationalising the railways. This led the Labour Party to expel the union in early 2004 for breaching its rules.


text: The RMT announced in 2009 that it would be standing a slate of candidates in the 2009 European Parliament elections under the banner of No to EU – Yes to Democracy, a broad left-wing alter-globalisation coalition which aims to offer an alternative to the "anti-foreigner" and pro-business policies of the UK Independence Party. The RMT then became a founding member of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), a left wing political party which has contested the 2010 and 2015 general elections.


text: The RMT was in favour of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in the 2016 referendum on the subject. However, RMT members Sean Hoyle, Peter Pinkney, Paul McDonnell and John Reid signed a letter in "The Guardian", voicing their opposition to the Electoral Commission choosing Leave.EU, Vote Leave or Grassroots Out as the official group advocating for British withdrawal in the referendum, saying that: We call on the commission not to give taxpayers' money to the Tory and Ukip-dominated Vote Leave, Leave.EU or Grassroots Out campaigns, or any amalgam of them ... We believe there are millions of trade unionists, young people, anti-austerity campaigners and working-class voters, whose opposition to the big business-dominated EU would not be represented by these organisations. ... We call on the Electoral Commission to recognise that a significant proportion of those who will vote against the EU do so because they support basic socialist policies of workers' rights, public ownership, and opposition to austerity and racism.


text: The RMT represents most London Underground staff, as well as many other workers in the London public transport network. The RMT has had a number of disputes with Transport for London and private sector contractors Metronet and Tube Lines over pay, safety, pensions and job security on the Underground. These disputes have often resulted in industrial action, leading to periods of travel disruption in the capital over the last decade.


text: In May 2022, the union began balloting 40,000 members on a strike action that might be joined by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA). Both managers and operators would be affected. Rail insiders have accused the union leaders of balloting prematurely without negotiation. Of primary concern to the unions were the upcoming job cuts at Network Rail and a demand for pay rises to offset the cost of living. Coming out of the pandemic, fewer passengers are currently using railways, however. Rail minister Wendy Morton and rail companies have emphasised the need to modernise the sector and reduce its cost base.


text: Union members backed industrial action overwhelmingly, and 24-hour strikes were scheduled for June 21, 23 and 25. Both the RMT and the TSSA warned of a level of disruption not experienced since the 1926 General Strike. Rail companies began drawing up plans to prioritise freight delivery over passenger services in order to keep supermarkets stocked.


text: The RMT is affiliated to a number of political organisations and trade union confederations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the RMT is affiliated with the TUC, the Scottish Trades Union Congress, the Wales Trades Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Internationally the RMT is affiliated to the European Transport Workers Federation and the International Transport Workers Federation, as well as the World Federation of Trade Unions.


text: Politically the RMT is affiliated with the left wing political party the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), which it co-founded and encourages members to participate in. The RMT is also affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee, a pressure group which aims to promote traditional socialist principles within the Labour Party. Some local branches of the RMT, such as Grimsby, are affiliated to their local Constituency Labour Party.


text: Numerous RMT members, including its president Alex Gordon, secretary Eddie Dempsey and local activist Brendan Kelly have been vocal supporters of Russia and president Vladimir Putin, and applauded Russian actions in war in Syria and war in Ukraine. Dempsey has visited Russian-occupied Donbass and met pro-Russian field commanders there in 2015.


text: RMT Credit Union Limited is a savings and loans co-operative established by the trade union for its members in 2004. It is a member of UKCreditUnions Limited, a national trade association representing smaller credit unions, steering groups and support organisations. The credit union is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA. Ultimately, like the banks and building societies, members' savings are protected against business failure by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Swarup Rani Nehru ("née" Thussu, 1868 – 10 January 1938) was the wife of the barrister and Indian National Congress leader Motilal Nehru and mother of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.She played a prominent role in India's freedom movement in the 1920s–30s as an advocate of civil disobedience against the British Raj and its salt laws, and encouraged women to make salt.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, Swarup Rani came from Lahore, British India, and married Motilal Nehru after his first wife and child died in childbirth. They had three children; Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijayalakshmi and Krishna. During the First World War, Swarup Rani helped knit and gather woollen clothing for soldiers, along with groups of European and Indian ladies.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Until 1920, Swarup Rani resided in relative luxury. She lived with an extended family in a large house then known as Anand Bhavan, in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. In 1920, with Gandhi as the leader of Indian National Congress and with his twofold strategy of non-cooperation with the British and a fight against Indian "social evils" starting with untouchability, the ethos and functioning of the her household transformed. Both her husband and son gave up their legal practices and she joined the Nehru women in stricter self-discipline and the civil disobedience movement. In the 1930s, she became active in advocating for women to make salt in breach of British salt laws and experienced being beaten and injured in a lathi charge during a demonstration.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: She was the mother of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who became the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly, grandmother of India's only woman prime minister Indira Gandhi, and great grandmother of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are her great great grandchildren.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Swarup Rani Nehru was born in 1868 and came from Lahore, British India. Her family were of Kashmiri Brahmin origin. Her eyes were hazel in colour and her hair was chestnut brown. She herself understood English, but did not speak it.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: She was the second wife of Motilal Nehru, who had previously married as a teenager, as was tradition at the time. Both his first wife and their son died in childbirth. Soon after Swarup Rani and Motilal married, they had a son who died in infancy. One legend recounts that they were informed by a yogi that they would never have a son, and ten months after the yogi's death, on 14 November 1889, a boy, Jawaharlal Nehru was born. A few years into their marriage however, Swarup Rani's health deteriorated. For the rest of her life, during recurrent relapses of illness, her elder sister Rajvati took care of her.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Family life before 1920 took place in the mansion then known as Anand Bhavan, Allahabad, in an affluent neighbourhood with mainly British neighbours. The household consisted of an extended family. There was electricity and running water, and the compound included stables, a swimming pool and a tennis court. Many of Swarup Rani's husband's suits were tailored in Saville Row, her son's toys came from England, and the family was the first in Allahabad to own a car.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: On 18 August 1900, Swarup Rani gave birth to a daughter, Sarup Kumari, better known as Vijayalakshmi Pandit.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: On 5 May 1905, Swarup Rani left Bombay and travelled to London with her husband, son and eldest daughter. Motilal's intentions were to place Jawaharlal in a good school, and also, as he noted to his nephew Brij Lal Nehru, who was in Oxford at the time, to "consult some specialists about the proper treatment and the most suitable watering place for [my] wife". Following a tour of Europe, and a farewell to Jawaharlal at Harrow School, they arrived back in Allahabad in November 1905. In the same month, and coincidentally on Jawaharlal's birthday, Swarup Rani gave birth to a third son, who they named Ratan Lal. However, this son died in infancy. On 2 November 1907, Swarup Rani's second daughter and last child, Krishna, was born.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: Swarup Rani's daughters' names were anglicized from 'Nanhi' and 'Beti', to 'Nan' and 'Betty' by their English governesses, and Jawaharlal was tutored in English poetry. Swarup Rani however, was a key influence on him. An early family portrait has Victorian-looking style, and Jawaharlal sits in a sailor suit, however, Swarup Rani and the other Nehru women in the household exerted a traditional Hindu influence on him. Despite becoming increasingly unwell herself, Swarup Rani went to much effort to keep at bay 'the evil eye' from those who were envious or who excessively admired her only surviving son, by applying a black dot on his forehead.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: During the First World War, Swarup Rani helped knit and gather woollen clothing for soldiers, along with groups of European and Indian ladies. Sometime before 1916, Swarup Rani received a letter from her son Jawaharlal, suggesting that he preferred not to have an arranged marriage, and might choose to stay a bachelor. However, Swarup Rani had consulted a trusted pandit, and after having their horoscopes compared, Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Kaul were married on 8 February 1916.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: A swami once recounted that Swarup Rani was "a devout, traditional Hindu whose one regret was that Jawaharlal and Kamala had no living son". On the night of 19 November 1917, Swarup announced "Hua". Unable to say "female", she simply announced that it has happened: a grandchild (later known as Indira Gandhi) had been born while her husband was drinking Haig. She had wanted a grandson. Later, Indira would refer to her grandmother as "Dol Amma", the grandmother who would give her sweets from the "doli", the food cupboard.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: In 1920, with Gandhi as the leader of the Indian National Congress and with his two-fold strategy of non-cooperation with the British and a fight against Indian "social evils" starting with untouchability, the ethos and functioning of the Nehru family household transformed. Both Jawaharlal and Motilal gave up their legal practices. The resulting financial difficulties also led to the sale of the Nehru women's jewellery, including Swarup Rani's. Their daughter Krishna was taken out from school, the twice daily meals merged into one, and stables, staff, the fineries of life including crockery and crystal were reduced. The women subsequently adapted to a house frequently visited by Congress men.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: On 7 December 1921, shortly after the Viceroy gave instructions to the Secretary of State to arrest and prosecute "any person, however prominent" ... considered necessary "for maintenance of law and respect of authority", Motilal and Jawaharlal were arrested and taken to prison. At an interview with Swarup Rani, she "rejoiced in the great privilege of sending my dear husband and my only son to jail" and she added that "Mahatma Gandhi told me once that others in the world have also their only sons". On 26 January 1922, with the aim to recruit women to the Indian Congress party, Swarup Rani presided over a meeting in Idgah where 1000 people attended. Swarup Rani's granddaughter Nayantara Sahgal, later described how Swarup Rani "had in her widowhood taken a soldier's part in the national movement".


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: In 1930, with the launch of the civil disobedience movement and Gandhi's salt march, Motilal gave Anand Bhavan to the Indian Congress Party. In the same year, Swarup Rani, in favour of the movement against the British Raj and its salt laws, endorsed the self manufacturing of salt. She appealed to women to enlist themselves into co-operating for self-rule: "if you are true to your motherland then you should start manufacturing salt in every household". When Motilal died on 6 February 1931, Swarup Rani was at his bedside.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: In 1932, on a visit to Calcutta for Kamala's treatment, Swarup Rani expressed concern over Kamala's strict adherence to self-discipline and refraining from all forms of luxuries, wishing for her to wear at least a "necklace and a pair of bangles". During another incident, a day after visiting her son in prison, Swarup Rani was found by a swami to be sitting in a room in the sweltering heat and without the fan switched on. The swami reported "the mother's heart was touched, and henceforth she refused to enjoy the comfort of an electric fan while her son rotted in the hot prison cell". In the same year, she was beaten and injured in a lathi charge during a demonstration. She wrote to her son "the mother of a brave son is also somewhat like him".


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: In his autobiography, Jawaharlal Nehru writes: "Though my admiration and affection for him (his father) remained as strong as ever, fear formed part of them. Not so with my mother. I had no fear of her, for I knew that she would condone everything I did, and because of her excessive and indiscriminating love for me, I tried to dominate over her a little. I saw much more of her than I did of father."


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: She died on 10 January 1938, with her sister, son Nehru and daughters Sarup and Betty beside her. Her sister died the following day.


title: Swarup Rani Nehru

text: As well as the wife of Indian National Congress leader Motilal Nehru and mother of India's first prime minister Pandit Nehru, Swarup Rani was the mother of Vijayalakshmi Pandit who became the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly, grandmother of India's only ever woman prime minister Indira Gandhi and great grandmother of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Varun Gandhi are her great great grandchildren.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Laurence Edward Alan "Laurie" Lee, MBE (26 June 1914 – 13 May 1997) was an English poet, novelist and screenwriter, who was brought up in the small village of Slad in Gloucestershire.


title: Laurie Lee

text: His most notable work is the autobiographical trilogy "Cider with Rosie" (1959), "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" (1969), and "A Moment of War" (1991). The first volume recounts his childhood in the Slad Valley. The second deals with his leaving home for London and his first visit to Spain in 1935, and the third with his return to Spain in December 1937 to join the Republican International Brigades.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Having been born in Stroud, Gloucestershire on 26 June 1914, Laurie Lee moved with his family to the village of Slad in 1917, the move with which "Cider with Rosie" opens. After fighting in the First World War with the Royal West Kent Regiment, Lee's father, Reginald Joseph Lee, did not return to the family. Lee and his brothers grew up loving the Lights, the family of their mother (Annie Emily Light), and intensely disliking their Lee relations. His sister, Frances Nemariah Joan Lee, died in 1915 aged three when Lawrence Lee was a toddler. He had older siblings from his father's first marriage: Dorothy, Harold, Reggie, Phyllis, and Marjorie, and two brothers from his parents' marriage, Jack and Tony. His brother Jack Lee (born 1913) was to become a film director.


title: Laurie Lee

text: At 12, Lee went to the Central Boys' School in Stroud. In his notebook for 1928, when he was 14, he listed "Concert and Dance Appointments", for at this time he was in demand to play his violin at dances.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee left the Central School at 15 to become an errand boy at a Chartered Accountants in Stroud. In 1931, he first found the Whiteway Colony, two miles from Slad, a colony founded by Tolstoyan anarchists. This gave him his first smattering of politicisation and was where he met the composer Benjamin Frankel and the "Cleo" who appears in "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning". In 1933 he met Sophia Rogers, an "exotically pretty girl with dark curly hair" who had moved to Slad from Buenos Aires, an influence on Lee who said later in life that he only went to Spain because "a girl in Slad from Buenos Aires taught me a few words of Spanish."


title: Laurie Lee

text: At 20, Lee worked as an office clerk and a builder's labourer, and lived in London for a year before leaving for Vigo, in northwest Spain, in the summer of 1935. From there he travelled across Spain as far as Almuñecar on the coast of Andalusia. Walking more often than not, he eked out a living by playing his violin. His first encounter with Spain is the subject of "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" (1969). During this period he met a woman, Wilma Gregory, who supported him financially, and also met Mary Garman and Roy Campbell. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936 Lee was picked up by HMS "Blanche", a British destroyer from Gibraltar that was collecting marooned British subjects on the southern Spanish coast.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee started to study for an art degree but returned to Spain in 1937 as an International Brigade volunteer. His service in the Brigade was cut short by his epilepsy. These experiences were recounted in "A Moment of War" (1991), an austere memoir of his time as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). According to many biographical sources, Lee fought in the Republican army against Franco's Nationalists. After his death there were claims that Lee's involvement in the war was a fantasy; the claims were dismissed as "ludicrous" by his widow.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee met Lorna Wishart (sister of Mary) in Cornwall in 1937, and they had an affair (Lorna was married) lasting until she left him for Lucian Freud in 1943. They had a daughter, Yasmin David, together. Wishart's husband Ernest agreed to raise the girl as his own; she later became an artist.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Before 1951 Lee worked primarily as a journalist and as a scriptwriter. During the Second World War he made documentary films for the GPO Film Unit (1939–40) and the Crown Film Unit (1941–1943). From 1944 to 1946 he worked as the Publications Editor for the Ministry of Information. In 1950 Lee married Catherine Francesca Polge, whose father was Provençal and whose mother was another of the Garman sisters, Helen; they had one daughter, Jessie. From 1950 to 1951 he was caption-writer-in-chief for the Festival of Britain, for which service he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1952.


title: Laurie Lee

text: The success of the autobiographical novel "Cider with Rosie" in 1959 allowed Lee to become a full-time independent writer. It continues to be one of the UK's most popular books, and is often used as a set English literature text for schoolchildren. The work depicts the hardships, pleasures and simplicity of rural life in the time of Lee's youth; readers continue to find the author's portrayal of his early life vivid and evocative. Lee said that the creation of the book took him two years, and that it was written three times. With the proceeds Lee was able to buy a cottage in Slad, the village of his childhood.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee's first love was always poetry, though he was only moderately successful as a poet. Lee's poems had appeared in the "Gloucester Citizen" and the "Birmingham Post", and in October 1934 his poem 'Life' won a prize from, and publication in, the "Sunday Referee", a national paper. Another poem was published in Cyril Connolly's "Horizon" magazine in 1940 and his first volume of poems, "The Sun My Monument," was published in 1944. This was followed by "The Bloom of Candles" (1947) and "My Many-coated Man" (1955). Several poems written in the early 1940s reflect the atmosphere of the war, but also capture the beauty of the English countryside. The poem "Twelfth Night" from "My Many-coated Man" was set for unaccompanied mixed choir by American composer Samuel Barber in 1968.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Other works include "A Rose for Winter," about a trip he made to Andalusia 15 years after the civil war; "Two Women" (1983), a story of Lee's courtship of and marriage to Kathy, daughter of Helen Garman; "The Firstborn" (1964), about the birth and childhood of their daughter Jessy (christened Jesse); and "I Can't Stay Long" (1975), a collection of occasional writing.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee received several awards, including the Atlantic Award (a Canadian literary award (1944), the Society of Authors travelling award (1951), the William Foyle Poetry Prize (1956) and the W. H. Smith and Son Award (1960).


title: Laurie Lee

text: In "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning," Lee writes of his stay in Almuñécar, a Spanish fishing village which he calls "Castillo". In 1988 the citizens of Almuñécar erected a statue in Lee's honour.


title: Laurie Lee

text: In 1993, "A Moment of War" was chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the editors of the New York Times Book Review.


title: Laurie Lee

text: Lee provided a great deal of valuable support to the Brotherhood of Ruralists in their attempts to establish themselves in the 1970s, and he continued to do so until his death; his essay "Understanding the Ruralists" opened the Brotherhood's major 1993 retrospective book. Indeed, it was Lee who is said to have given them the name "Ruralists."


title: Laurie Lee

text: In 2003 the British Library acquired Lee's original manuscripts, letters and diaries. The collection includes two unknown plays and drafts of "Cider with Rosie," which reveal that early titles for the book were "Cider with Poppy," "Cider with Daisy" and "The Abandoned Shade."


title: Laurie Lee

text: In the 1960s, Lee and his wife returned to Slad to live near his childhood home, where they remained for the rest of his life, though for many years he retained a flat in Chelsea, coming to London to work during the week and returning to Slad at weekends. Lee revealed on the BBC1 "Wogan" show in 1985 that he was frequently asked by children visiting Slad as part of their O-Level study of "Cider with Rosie" "where Laurie Lee was buried", assuming that the author was dead.


title: Laurie Lee

text: An archive recording of Lee's voice was used for the narration of the Carlton Television film "Cider with Rosie" (1998), which was first broadcast after his death. The screenplay was written by his friend John Mortimer.


title: Mica Paris

text: Michelle Antoinette Wallen (born 27 April 1969), known professionally as Mica Paris (), is an English singer, presenter and actress.


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris was born in Islington in North London, but moved to Brockley, South London, when she was nine. She released her debut album, "So Good", in 1988, which spawned singles including "My One Temptation" and "Where Is the Love". She has since gone on to release seven further albums; "Contribution" (1990), "Whisper a Prayer" (1993), "Black Angel" (1998), "If You Could Love Me" (2005), "Soul Classics" (2005), "Born Again" (2009) and "Gospel" (2020). In 2020, Paris was cast in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" as Ellie Nixon.


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris grew up singing in her grandparents' church, and by her mid-teens was making regular appearances with the Spirit of Watts gospel choir (with whom she featured on the 1985 EP "Gospel Joy"). At the age of 17, she became a backing vocalist with the UK band Hollywood Beyond. Paris appeared on their album "If" (1985). In 1988, she released her debut and platinum-selling album "So Good" with 4th & Broadway when she was 19 years old. "My One Temptation" was the lead single. This led to a collaboration with American soul singer Will Downing on a cover version of a classic "Where Is the Love", made famous by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack in the early 1970s.


title: Mica Paris

text: The follow up album, "Contribution", was released in 1990. This extended Paris' soul and gospel influences to bring in hip-hop and house music and featured the track "If I Love U 2 Nite", written by Prince and recorded at his Paisley Park studios. With Omar Lye-Fook, a classically trained musician, Paris recorded "I Should've Known Better" in 1990. It was issued on the B-side to "South of the River". Paris also recorded with Anita Baker, Bonnie Raitt and Natalie Cole on the album "" (1990), and provided the title track to Isaac Julien's "Young Soul Rebels" movie soundtrack the following year. She worked with the saxophonist Courtney Pine ("Redemption Song" – 1992), the Stereo MCs ("Don't Let Up" – 1992) and Bobby Womack ("I Wish I'd Never Met You" – 1991).


title: Mica Paris

text: Her third album was "Whisper a Prayer" (1993), which included the singles "I Never Felt Like This Before" and "I Wanna Hold On To You", as well as "You Put a Move on My Heart" which was later recorded by Tamia in 1995 on Quincy Jones's "Q's Jook Joint" album. This followed by more collaboration work on album tracks with Guru on his "Jazzmatazz II" ("Looking Through Darkness" in 1995), Mark Morrison ("Tears For You" – 1996) and Maxwell ("Mantra" – 1996). Paris released the album "Black Angel" on Chrysalis in 1998. It contained a cover version of U2's "One", and a duet with James Ingram. "Black Angel" produced two more Top 20 singles in "Stay" and 'Carefree". More collaborations followed with Omar ("Confection" – 1994), Max Beesley ("High Vibes" – 1994), Dubversive ("Police & Thieves" – 1998), the Mobo "All Stars" compilation album in 1998, Mister Exe ("One Million Smiles" – 1998), Prince ("Just My Imagination" – 2000) and Boy George ("I Could Be Someone" – 2000). A collaboration with David Gilmour and Jools Holland on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' track "I Put A Spell On You" followed in 2001. The trio had regrouped on occasions to perform the hit.


title: Mica Paris

text: Two years later, Paris lent her voice to Walt Disney Pictures (Touchstone Pictures) soundtrack for "High Heels and Low Lifes", which was later included in the Primal Screen soundtrack compilation album (2001). In 2003, Paris released the Moby sampling "Heart" with Seraphim Suite. Paris also joined Omar onstage for his gig at The Shepherds Bush Empire. She also contributed to the track "I Don't Understand" on "Milk & Sugar" album. 2004 saw Paris feature as a guest on The New Inspirational Choir's album "Inspirations" along with Keisha White and Jocelyn Brown. In 2005, Paris released the album "If You Could Love Me" (Wounded Bird Records), featuring backing from the Brecker Brothers on the title track, with executive producer Andreas Neumann and producer Bernard Grobman. Also in 2005, she released the album "Soul Classics", with executive producers Rick Blaskey and Andreas Neumann. Paris collaborated with Lemar on the track "Can't You See" on his album "The Truth About Love" in 2006, and in February 2008, she released the duet "Secret Lovers" with Alexander O'Neal. This was followed by a residency at the Indigo 02.


title: Mica Paris

text: In June 2009, she released her sixth studio album, "Born Again". She embarked on a nationwide tour, which included dates at the Jazz Cafe in February 2009 to showcase the material. The album was produced by Brian Rawling. James Morrison wrote Paris' first single, "Baby Come Back Now". Paris released the second single from "Born Again" on 17 August 2009. The track, "The Hardest Thing", was remixed by Stonebridge, Almighty and 2Darc. Paris performed at various venues prior to the release from the album in March 2010 of the title track "Born Again".


title: Mica Paris

text: On 4 June 2022, Paris performed "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" with Nicola Roberts and Ruby Turner at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.


title: Mica Paris

text: In 2002, Paris hosted a programme on BBC Radio 2, titled "Soul Solutions" and narrated several music documentaries for the station. She also presented the 2002 Channel 4 television documentary "The Gospel of Gospel" which revealed the influence of the black American church tradition on pop music. Produced and directed by David Upshal, it featured contributions from Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes, B. B. King, Al Green, Chaka Khan, Alexander O'Neal, Edwin Hawkins, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Mary Mary. Furthermore, she broadcast a two-part show, "Purple Reign: The Prince Story", on BBC Radio 2 which covered the entirety of the American artist's controversial career and featured interviews with George Clinton, Chaka Khan and Jimmy Jam. She was also a narrator on an award-winning documentary featuring Diana Ross focusing on her European and international success rather than her megastar status in the states.


title: Mica Paris

text: In 2005, she appeared on week three of the ITV reality series "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time", which was won by Carol Decker. The same year she made an appearance in, and was the winner of, week one in the second series of "Come Dine with Me". From 2007, she was a co-host for two seasons of the popular consumer style programme "What Not to Wear" for BBC Television. Other television presenting has followed with Paris being an expert judge on Gok Wan's "Miss Naked Beauty" for Channel 4 and ITV's "CelebAir".


title: Mica Paris

text: In 2007, she played the part of Amelia Walker, a fictitious American jazz singer, in "At Bertram's Hotel", an episode of the ITV series "Marple". During the drama the character gives a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and also sings with Louis Armstrong's band rehearsing in the hotel dining room whilst both were guests at the hotel. On 8 July 2008, Paris, her mother, father and sister appeared as The Paris Brigade on series 4 episode 9 of Gordon Ramsay's "The F Word", as part of the celebrity brigades series. Paris has continued to appear on a variety of television programmes—from Channel 5's news talk show "The Wright Stuff", ITV1's all-female panel talk show "Loose Women", "The Michael Ball Show" and BBC One's "Strictly Come Dancing".


title: Mica Paris

text: During 2013, Paris became a regular guest on the ITV show "This Morning". In February 2017, she stood in for Craig Charles on his Saturday night "House Party", 10 pm to midnight, on BBC Radio 2 for two weeks. She later stood in for Trevor Nelson on his Saturday night "Rhythm Nation", 8 pm to 10  pm, at the same station, in April 2017. In October 2017, she performed a medley of 1980s classics on BBC1's "Children in Need Rocks the 80s". In 2020, Paris was cast in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" as Ellie Nixon. On 27 December 2020, she was on Songs of Praise.


title: Mica Paris

text: In 1993, Paris starred in two West End shows: "Mama I Want to Sing" and "Sweet Lorraine". In October 2004, Paris took part in the UK tour of the stage play "The Vagina Monologues". In the summer of 2015, Paris took part in the UK tour of the musical "Love Me Tender". In 2019, Paris starred in a production of "Fame".


title: Mica Paris

text: While presenting "What Not To Wear", Paris encountered many women whose stories touched her. She began to examine her own life and choices, and was compelled to tell her story in a bid to inspire confidence and self-esteem to those women and others. Her book "Beautiful Within: Finding Happiness and Confidence in Your Own Skin" was published by Simon & Schuster UK; . The paperback was released in August 2008.


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris has designed a pillow-case for ByteNight a charity event organised to raise funds for the NCH and youth homelessness. Mica is the patron for the Space For Music project, the project to renovate Band on the Wall a venue owned and operated by registered charity Inner City Music Ltd. She is also an Ambassador for The Amy Winehouse Foundation and has sung at many special fundraising occasions for the charity including their 2012 Ball. She is also currently supporting the "No Means No" anti-rape and gender equality campaign set up by the largest free local newspaper for English expats in Spain, "Euro weekly news".


title: Mica Paris

text: In 2003, Paris was presented with the Gold Badge Award by the Ivors Academy for her special contribution to the British entertainment industry. In 2004 she was in the Top 10 list of the 100 Great Black Britons, which was compiled to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by the British Black community over the centuries.


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music, entertainment and charity.


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris has previously discussed being teased as a child for having the name "Michelle" due to the popularity of Susan Tully’s portrayal of Michelle Fowler in "EastEnders", causing her to adopt the nickname, and later professional name, "Mica".


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris has two daughters, Monet (b. 1991, with her former husband) and Russia-Mae (b. June 2006, from her previous relationship with German film director Andreas Neumann).


title: Mica Paris

text: Paris' sister, Paula Wallen, was also a pop music singer, and she is the cousin of boxer Chris Eubank. Paris has been an ambassador of the Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident since 2001, when her brother was shot dead while at work.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel lies between the cities of Aachen to the north, Trier to the south and Koblenz to the east. It descends in the northeast along a line from Aachen via Düren to Bonn into the Lower Rhine Bay. In the east and south it is bounded by the valleys of the Rhine and the Moselle. To the west it transitions in Belgium and Luxembourg into the geologically related Ardennes and the Luxembourg Ösling. In the north it is limited by the Jülich-Zülpicher Börde. Within Germany it lies within the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; in the Benelux the area of Eupen, St. Vith and Luxembourg. Its highest point is the volcanic cone of the Hohe Acht (746.9 m). Originally the Carolingian Eifelgau only covered the smaller region roughly around the sources of the rivers Ahr, Kyll, Urft and Erft. Its name was more recently transferred to the entire region.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel belongs to that part of the Rhenish Massif whose rolling plateau is categorised as peneplain highland ("Rumpfhochland"), which was formed by the erosion of the ancient mountains of the Variscan mountain building phase and subsequent further uplifting. Individual mountain chains, up to 700 m, such as the Schneifel and High Fens, run through the western part of the plateau. In the eastern part, in the High Eifel and Volcanic Eifel, individual cinder cones and basalt "kuppen", like the Hohe Acht and the Ernstberg, emerged as a result of volcanicity in the Tertiary and Quaternary periods and rise above the undulating countryside.


title: Eifel

text: The rivers draining into the Moselle, Rhine and Meuse, such as the Our, Kyll, Ahr, Brohlbach and Rur, have cut deep into the edge of the Eifel and formed larger valleys.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel covers an area of 5,300 km² and is geographically divided into the North and South Eifel. It is further divided into several natural regional landscapes, some with further subdivisions.


title: Eifel

text: Since 2004, part of the North Eifel has been designated as the Eifel National Park. From north to the south, there are also four nature parks in the Eifel: Rhineland, High Fens-Eifel, Volcanic Eifel, South Eifel, although the first-named park only extends into the northern foothills of the Eifel.


title: Eifel

text: Since 2004, about 110 km² of the Eifel within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been protected as the Eifel National Park nature reserve.


title: Eifel

text: Up to 1960, the German part of the Eifel, which belonged to the natural region of the Rhenish Massif, was, according to the Handbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany, divided into three major unit (i.e. two-digit) groups and these were subdivided into (three-digit) major natural units. These divisions were subsequently refined in the "individual map sheets" "Trier/Mettendorf", "Cochem" (both 1974) and "Cologne/Aachen" (1978) as follows; for the most detailed natural region divisions in Rhineland-Palatinate, fact files were produced by the state information system of the conservation administration (LANDIS):


title: Eifel

text: Apart from its valleys, the Eifel is a gently rolling plateau from which elongated mountain ridges and individual mountains rise. The majority of these summits do not attain a great height above the surrounding terrain. Several, however, like the Schwarzer Mann in the Schnee-Eifel, stand out from a long way off as long, forested ridges or clearly isolated mountaintops.


title: Eifel

text: The highest mountain in the whole Eifel is the Hohe Acht at 746.9 m. It is the only Eifel summit above 700 m. However, many peaks, mountain ridges and large regions, such as the "Zitterwald" reach heights of over 600 m. These include two dozen peaks with good all-round views, of which many have an observation tower. From north to south they are: the Michelsberg, Häuschen and Teufelsley in the north; the Adert, Hohe Acht and Raßberg in the northeast; the Hochkel, Nerotherkopf, Dietzenley and ruins of the Kasselburg in the central area; the Prümer Kalvarienberg, Hartkopf and Prümer Kopf in the east, the Steineberg and Mäuseberg near Daun, the Hochsimmer and Scheidkopf near Mayen; the Eickelslay and Absberg in the southeast; and the Krautscheid and Hohe Kuppe in the southwest.


title: Eifel

text: The mountains and hills of the Eifel include the following (in order of height in metres above sea level):


title: Eifel

text: For a list of these and other Eifel mountains and hills see the List of mountains and hills of the Eifel.


title: Eifel

text: Many of these prominent points are linked by the Eifel-Ardennes Green Route, which crosses the east and south of the region, the German Volcano Route, the German Wildlife Route and the South Eifel Holiday Route.


title: Eifel

text: Due to its moist and mild Atlantic climate, the Eifel is bisected by numerous streams and small rivers. Impoundment of these streams, especially in the North Eifel has led to the creation of very large reservoir, such as the Rursee, which is the second largest in Germany by volume, and the Urftsee.


title: Eifel

text: A feature of the Eifel are its natural lakes of volcanic origin. The largest, the Laacher See, is a collapsed, water-filled caldera, whilst the many maars are water-filled volcanic eruption bowls. The largest maar lake is the Pulvermaar. The Meerfelder Maar has an even bigger basin, but three-quarters of it has silted up.


title: Eifel

text: The many rivers and streams of the Eifel drain into the North Sea via the great rivers outside of the Eifel: the Rhine (and its tributary, the Moselle) and the Meuse (with its tributaries, the Rur and Ourthe). The rivers and streams within the mountain range, together with their larger tributaries, are as follows:


title: Eifel

text: Despite the interesting geology of the Eifel region, only three comprehensive geological accounts have been produced. In 1822, Johann Steiniger published the first geological map of the area and, in 1853, the "Geognostische Beschreibung der Eifel". In 1915 Otto Follmann published a new account, adding to the extent of scientific understanding at that time, the "Abriss der Geologie der Eifel" ("Abstract of the geology of the Eifel region". In 1986, Wilhelm Meyer finally published the volume, "Geologie der Eifel" ("Geology of the Eifel"), whose fourth, revised, edition is now regarded as the standard work on the geology of the Eifel.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel and its western continuation into Belgium, the Ardennes, are the remains of a Variscan truncated upland, much of it 400 million years old, that is part of the Rhenish Massif ("Rheinisches Schiefergebirge"). In the area of the Stavelot-Venn Saddle (Hohes Venn) are the oldest layers of rock, which originate from the Cambrian and are around 550 million years old. The Eifel is one of the few volcanically active areas of Germany, as is evinced by numerous discharges of carbonic acid, for example into the Laacher See. The last eruptions, which gave rise to the most recent maars, occurred about 11,000  years ago.


title: Eifel

text: The basement in the Eifel, as in the other regions of the Rhenish Massif, consists mainly of Devonian slates, sandstones and limestones, laid down in an ocean south of the Old Red Continent and folded and overthrust in the Variscan orogeny. Only on the northern edge of the Eifel, in the High Fens and its environs, do older rocks from the Cambrian and Ordovician outcrop. Rocks of the Carboniferous, which followed the Devonian, do not occur in the Eifel itself, but lie along its northern boundary in the region of Aachen.


title: Eifel

text: The Devonian rocks were deposited in an oceanic basin, in which erosion debris was washed in from the north from the great north continent of Euramerica ("Laurussia" or the "Old Red Continent") which was formed by Caledonian mountain building during the Silurian. From the end of the Lower Carboniferous the sea basin was caught up in the Variscan mountain building process, pushed together and uplifted, and thus formed part of the Variscan mountain system that, in the Upper Carboniferous and early Permian, covered large areas of Europe.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel geological structures like main folds and overthrusts can be traced in a SW-NE direction far beyond the Rhine valley.


title: Eifel

text: Since that folding, the Eifel has largely remained part of the mainland. During the Permian, after the end of the uplifting, the Variscan mountains were heavily eroded, leaving only a relatively flat, truncated upland. For a short time, and only partially, this was later flooded by the sea.


title: Eifel

text: Depositions from the Triassic and Jurassic periods have survived in the so-called Eifel North-South Zone. This is a region of subsidence, which runs from the Trier Bay in the south to the Lower Rhine Bay in the north. Through this zone existed at one time a sea link between north and south Central Europe. The remains of the sediments laid down at this time have survived to a greater extent in the "Maubach-Mechernich Triassic Triangle" in the north and in the "Oberbettingen Triassic Graben" in the area around Hillesheim and Oberbettingen.


title: Eifel

text: In the Upper Cretaceous and during the Tertiary, the Eifel was inundated mainly from the north. Remains of Cretaceous rocks were discovered on the High Fens. Scattered patches of Oligocene deposits can be found there and in the Western Eifel.


title: Eifel

text: From the Pliocene onwards, the Rhenish Massif, including the Eifel, experienced an uplift. This led to the streams and rivers cutting into the gently rolling landscape resulting in the present appearance of the low mountain range with its flat plateaus and deeply incised valleys.


title: Eifel

text: Due to numerous recent research projects, climate changes since the last ice age can be traced in detail in the Eifel region.


title: Eifel

text: Volcanic activity in the Eifel began 50 millions of years ago and continues into the geological present. It created numerous volcanic structures, lava flows and extensive layers of volcanic ejecta made of tuff and pumice, which have formed the basis of a significant mining activity for the extraction of building materials since Roman times. Some of the hills are volcanic vents. The peculiar circle-shaped lakes (maars) of the volcanic regions formed in volcanic craters.


title: Eifel

text: The first volcanic eruptions took place in the early Tertiary centred in the High Eifel and even before the volcanic activity of the Siebengebirge and Westerwald. Volcanism in the High Eifel came to an end about 15 to 20 million years ago, at the same time as that of the Siebengebirge.


title: Eifel

text: Volcanism in the western and eastern Eifel is, in contrast to that of the High Eifel, much more recent than that of the Siebengebirge and Westerwald. It began in the West Eifel region of Daun, Hillesheim and Gerolstein about 700,000 years ago and created a chain of ash volcanoes, cinder cones, maars and craters running in a chain from northwest to southeast. The youngest maars are only slightly older than 11,000  years.


title: Eifel

text: In the eastern Eifel, volcanism began about 500,000 years ago in the area of today's Laacher See; it extended to the Neuwied Basin to the south, and crossed the Rhine to the east. The quantity of basalt lavas, pumice tuffs and ash tuffs produced by the volcanoes was far greater here than in the western Eifel. East Eifel volcanism came to an end with a huge eruption, as a result of which the magma chamber emptied and collapsed, creating a caldera. Today's Laacher See formed in the caldera. The ashes from the eruption can be detected today in deposits all over Central Europe and as far as Bornholm as a thin layer.


title: Eifel

text: Volcanism is caused by magma, which either rises directly to the earth's surface from the upper regions of the earth's mantle or, in the majority of cases, gathers in a magma chamber, several tens of kilometres deep, at the base of the earth's crust, from which magma rises at irregular intervals and causes volcanic eruptions. Volcanism in the Eifel is thought to be partly caused by the Eifel hotspot, a place where hot material from deep in the mantle rises to the surface, and partly by melt-ascent at deep fractures in the Earth's crust. Research has shown that the volcanism is still active; the Eifel region is rising by 1–2 mm per year and there are escaping gases, for example, carbon dioxide (CO) in the Laacher See.


title: Eifel

text: The Eifel is in the Atlantic climate zone with its relatively high precipitation; winters that are moderately cold and long with periods of snow; and summers that are often humid and cool. The prevailing wind is west/southwest. A relatively dry and milder climate prevails in the wind and rain shadow of the High Eifel. Cold air from Siberia in the higher elevations of the Eifel has less of an impact on weather conditions, as the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean to the Eifel brings milder sea air to the Eifel even in winter.


title: Eifel

text: Looking at the long-term averages, even the Snow Eifel only has snow cover for nine consecutive days in winter, as there are no longer lasting cold spells. However, there is an average of 70 days of full snow cover because the frequency of snow at higher elevations is relatively high (for comparison: Bitburg 35  days, Maifeld 30  days), but the level of snowfall varies from year to year. Snow heights vary on average between 15 cm and 60 cm. The humid Atlantic climate can cause extreme variations though: on 2 March 1987 there was 227 centimetres of snow in the Eifel on the Weißer Stein.


title: Eifel

text: The mean temperature in the coldest month (January) is -1.5 °C at high elevations, +1.5 to 2 °C in the mountain foreland. There is an average of 110 days of frost, with temperatures below 0 °C in the highlands and an average of 30 to 40 'ice days' when temperatures do not rise above 0 °C. The warmest month (July) only has an average temperature of 14 °C in the higher areas. The level of precipitation decreases significantly from west to east as a result of the rain shadow of the highlands. So the Schneifel receives an average of 1,200 mm of precipitation (High Fens: 1,400 mm to 1,500 mm), while in Maifeld the average rainfall is only 600 mm.


title: Eifel

text: The bioclimatic conditions in the Eifel are favourable. Heat stress and air humidity are rarely present in summer. The Eifel has a distinctly stimulating climate; the high elevations being considered as highly stimulating. The Eifel is a clean air area with very low air-chemical pollution. On hot sunny days, there is sometimes an increased concentration of ground-level ozone.


title: Eifel

text: At the time of the Roman Empire the whole mountain range between the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Moselle was called "Arduenna silva" ("high forest"). The oldest record of the name "Eifel" does not occur until the Early Middle Ages. Following the collapse of the West Roman Empire, the Frankish Empire emerged in the territories of present-day France and western Germany. This was divided into "gaue" (Lat.: "pagi"). One of them, the Eifelgau, covered the source regions of the rivers Erft, Urft, Kyll and Ahr, i.e. predominantly the northern and northwestern foothills of the present Eifel in the eastern half of the "Arduenna silva" of the Romans. West of the Eifelgau lay the Ardennengau, whose name was derived from "Arduenna silva".


title: Eifel

text: Following the end of the Frankish Empire the name of the old "gaue" continued to be used in popular language. Over the centuries an ever-larger region was referred to as the Eifel. Today the whole German-speaking part of the range between the Rhine, Meuse and Moselle is called the Eifel (including several areas outside of Germany, see the → Belgian Eifel), while the French-speaking part in Belgium and France is called the Ardennes.


title: Eifel

text: 762 "Eifflensis pagus", 772 "Eiffelnsis pagus", 804 , 838 "Eifla", 845 "Eiflensis pagus", 855 "Eiflinsis pagus", 860–886 "Agflinse", 975 "Aiflensis pagus", 1051 "Eiffila", 1105 "Eifla", 1121 "Eifla"


title: Eifel

text: Müller/Schnetz (1937) believe that an "-n-" has dropped out between the diphthong and the syllable, "-fel". The resulting root form "Anfil" or "Anfali" would then mean an "area that is not so level". "An"- would then be a prefix and "-fali", which is related to the Slavic "polje" ("field"), means "plain" or "heath".


title: Eifel

text: W. Kaspers (1938) deduces from the surviving form the root form "aku-ella, akwella" and points to its development into the name "Eifel" in the following sequence: "aquila" >  > "aifla" > "eifla" > "Eifel". "Akuella" derives from the pre-German and means "land with summits" or "land with peaks".


title: Eifel

text: Both propositions, like several others, are highly contentious. The most convincing proposal is that of Heinrich Dittmaier (1961). Dittmaier initially derives it from the Germanic "Ai-fil". The second component corresponds to "Ville", which is the name of a ridge between the Erft, Swist and Rhine today. The variants "Vele", "Vile" and "Viele" may often be found in place names such as "Veler Weg" or "Veler Pfad". Unlike the modern word "Ville" the fricative consonant is hard in "Eifel". Responsible for that was probably a sound between "ai-" and "-fil", which was assimilated by the "f", possibly "f", "k", "ch", "d", "t". Dittmaier believes the missing sound was a "k" or "ch", whereby "Eifel" originally went back to "Aik-fil". "Aik/Aich" is also a name for oak ("Eiche") and qualifies the root word "ville". On the basis that it was covered by oak trees, the Eifel (= "Eich"-"Ville") could thus be distinguished from the other Ville, a name still used today, on the Erft. However, the original, historical and even current vegetation of the present day "Ville" is dominated by oak mixed forest.


title: Eifel

text: The meaning of "Ville" is also disputed. Dittmaier gives three possible explanations: "marshy region", "plain, heath" and "heathland", which would all bring geology and vegetation into harmony.


title: Eifel

text: Another proposal sees the name as even older and possibly of Celtic origin. Near Cologne, an altar was found, which was dedicated to "Matronae Aufaniae" Celtic goddesses which were honoured by flowing water. The thesis that the name "Eifel" was derived from this source is not conclusive, but it is persuasive; Eifel would then mean "land of water" or "watery mountains".