title: Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)

text:
The Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) began on 4 June 2014, when the Islamic State began a major offensive from its territory in Syria into Iraq against Iraqi and Kurdish forces, following earlier clashes that had begun in December 2013 involving guerillas.

The Islamic State and its allies captured several cities and surrounding territory, beginning with an attack on Samarra on 4 June, followed by the seizure of Mosul on 10 June, and Tikrit on 11 June. As Iraqi government forces fled south on 13 June, Kurdistan Regional Government forces took control of the oil hub of Kirkuk, part of the disputed territories of Northern Iraq.

The Islamic State called the battles of Mosul and Saladin Governorate "the Battle of the Lion of God al-Bilawi" (), in honor of Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi.

A former commander of the Iraqi ground forces, Ali Ghaidan, accused Former Prime Minister of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki of being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city of Mosul.

By late June, the Iraqi government had lost control of its borders with both Jordan and Syria. Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki called for a national state of emergency on 10 June following the attack on Mosul, which had been seized overnight. However, despite the security crisis, Iraq's parliament did not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many Sunni Arab and Kurdish legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers.

Background

Since December 2013, clashes involving tribal militias, Iraqi security forces, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had been occurring throughout western Iraq. In early January 2014, ISIL militia successfully took control of Fallujah and Ramadi, bringing much of Al Anbar Governorate under their control. Afterwards, the Iraqi Army began conducting an offensive against the Anbar region, the stronghold of ISIL, with the stated goal of bringing the region under government control. Prior to conducting this counter offensive, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave a controversial speech in which he charactized the military campaign as a continuation of the ancient sectarian war between "the followers of Hussein and the followers of Yazid", a reference to a 7th-century defining battle for Shi'ites, thereby alienating the Sunnis of Anbar who had prior collaborated with the Iraqi government.

The advances ISIL made in neighboring Syria—a source of their weapons—substantially strengthened their position. In early June, insurgents began to advance up over to central and northern part of Iraqi land following the Iraqi Army's capture in the Anbar industrial zone. At that point, they were still in control of most of Fallujah and Garmah, as well as parts of Haditha, Jurf Al Sakhar, Anah, Abu Ghraib and several smaller settlements in Al Anbar Governorate.

On 29 June 2014, ISIL announced a change of name to Islamic State, and declared a 'Caliphate' that includes Syria and Iraq. They then declared Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the Caliph and leader of all Muslims.

Possible causes
Some trace the beginnings of the offensive to the Syrian civil war which gave ISIL and other Sunni jihadi groups a cause and a battlefield when it looked like their campaign in Iraq was in decline while critics of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 believe the root of these events should trace back to unsuccessful nation-building as well as sectarian and ethnic division in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's removal from power.  U.S. Foreign policy on Iraq under the Barack Obama administration had shifted, and there had been a withrawal of U.S. troops and military presence.  Anne-Marie Slaughter wrote that had Obama forcibly intervened in the Syrian civil war, it "could have stopped the carnage spreading today in Syria and in Iraq," while Fareed Zakaria, editor of Time and former Middle Eastern policy advisor for the Bush administration, alleged that counterproductive western intervention in Iraq and Syria served to accelerate sectarian infighting in both countries and empowered radicals on all sides. The Financial Times described the conflicts spanning Iraq and Syria as religious wars akin to Europe's Thirty Years' War.

According to the Iraq's government critics, the pro-Shia policies of al-Maliki have been considered one of the main reasons of alienation Sunni Arabs and Kurds, which has played a significant role in the deterioration of security and the reemergence of Sunni extremists. Conversely, al-Maliki has accused Saudi Arabia of backing the militants of ISIL, who want to carve out a Sunni caliphate in the heart of the Middle East. This view was supported by writers in Foreign Policy magazine and The Daily Beast who asserted that the Saudi government, viewing the political ascendancy of Iraq's Shia populace as a threat, elected to provide the Sunni opposition with arms. Michael Weiss traces the origins of ISIL to Ansar al-Islam's infiltration of Iraqi Kurdistan through Iran prior to the invasion of Iraq, and further cites a variety of evidence to claim that Syrian officials intentionally abetted the rise of ISIL to damage the reputation of moderate Syrian rebels.

The Iraqi army which took responsibility for holding northern Iraq, collapsed when militants including ISIL and its allies, with less than 1,000 militants, attacked and seized Mosul and Tikrit easily. The Iraqi army ceded control of Kirkuk to the Kurdish Peshmerga. There are different reasons offered for this event. According to The Guardian, one scenario is that the three Iraqi generals responsible for Mosul, Tikrit, and Kirkuk didn't want to fight for a state that wasn't working. According to The Daily Telegraph, the other view is that the generals in the military headquarters of these cities had shared the same Ba'athist ideology and were the first to flee. Another scenario is that the Iraqi troops quickly realized they were no match for battle-hardened and ideologically motivated jihadis heading their way. A third theory is that the Kurds had long ago lost faith in prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's ability to serve either their interests or those of Iraq.

Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyst Michael Knights noted that mutual opposition to the Shia-led government allowed for an alliance between the hitherto ideologically opposed ISIL and secular Ba'ath influenced insurgents such as the Naqshbandi order. Coordination between both groups granted ISIL the assistance of underground networks of former military, insurgents, Sunni officials and tribal groups sympathetic to the Ba'ath era government, thereby allowing a relatively small number of militants to execute a "coup" in Sunni regions where the banned Ba'ath party still retains a degree of support. The presence of Naqshbandi, MCIR and other secular Sunni insurgent groups has therefore led to tribes and some Awakening Councils opposed to ISIL supporting the insurrection. Additionally, Knights reported that in the years preceding the insurrection, the Naqshbandi led by Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri aggressively forged ties to elements of Sunni civil society opposed to the Maliki government, encouraged the establishment of protest camps at sites including Hawija and attempted to co-opt Sunni militia. The arrival of ISIS militants from Syria ultimately serving as the final catalyst behind a broader revolt.

Offensive

Assault on Samarra

On 4 and 5 June 2014, ISIL militants attacked and captured parts of the city of Samarra. The ISIL operatives blew up a police station south of Samara overnight, killing several policemen, before they advanced on the city in pick-up trucks, raiding checkpoints along the way. They entered the city from the east and west and quickly captured the municipality building, university and the two largest mosques. The insurgents had reached to within  from the Al-Askari Mosque, which was defended by three security belts. Militants targeted command centres near the shrine. Soon, government reinforcements were sent from Baghdad and the military managed to regain control of the city, pushing militant forces out of Samarra. 12 policemen and several civilians were killed in the fighting, while an army official claimed 80 militants also died.

Fall of Mosul and push into Kirkuk

On 6 June, ISIL attacked Mosul from the northwest and quickly entered the western part of the city. The ISIL forces numbered approximately 1,500, while there were at least 15 times more Iraqi forces. The assault started at 02:30 in the morning when ISIL convoys of pickup trucks advancing from the west shot their way through the two-man checkpoints into the city. By 03:30, street fighting was raging in Mosul. In southern Mosul, five suicide bombers attacked an arms depot killing 11 soldiers. Two suicide bombers also killed six people in the village of Muaffakiya, near Mosul. Heavy fighting continued in the city the next day. Over the two days, 61 militants, 41 government troops and seven civilians were killed.

As the militants advanced they seized military vehicles and weapons and reportedly hanged soldiers and lit them ablaze, crucified them, and torched them on the hoods of Humvees. On the western edge of Tamoz 17 neighbourhood, police from the Fourth Battalion made a stand against the insurgents as government forces were order to form a defensive line to cordon off the besieged western Mosul neighbourhoods from the Tigris River.

While fighting raged in Mosul, on 8 June, a double bomb attack, including a suicide bomber, against the Kurdish PUK party office in the town of Jalawla left 18 people dead, most of them members of the Kurdish security forces. At the same time, ISIL advanced to the east of Mosul, capturing the Hawija, Al Zab, Riyadh, and Abbasi areas west of the city of Kirkuk, and Rashad and Yankaja to its south after government forces retreated.

By this time, insurgents surged into Mosul, sleeper cells hiding in the city had been activated and neighbourhoods rallied to them. The insurgents bombed a police station in the al-Uraybi neighbourhood and charged into the area around the Mosul Hotel, on the western bank of the Tigris, where a battle post was set up for 30 police SWAT members.

The next day, ISIL forces executed 15 security forces members captured near Kirkuk. Four days later, on 13 June, in the eastern part of the province, Kurdish military forces (Peshmerga) advanced and took the city of Kirkuk, after government forces abandoned their posts in the face of the ISIL offensive, expanding the Kurdish zone of control in Northern Iraq. Kurdish forces then awaited further orders before moving towards the areas controlled by ISIL. A Peshmerga spokesman said, "The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of Peshmerga, no Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now." Ten tanks and dozens of Humvee vehicles that had been abandoned by the Army were seized by Kurdish forces.

By the afternoon of 9 June on Mosul's front, some 40 members of the Fourth Police Battalion were among the last local police fighting to hold back the jihadists in western Mosul. The rest had either defected or deserted. At 04:30 in the afternoon, a military water tanker, rigged with explosives, raced towards the Mosul Hotel where the policemen were stationed. The subsequent explosion wounded the battalion's commander, Colonel Dhiyab Ahmed al-Assi al-Obeidi, whose leg was ripped open by the blast. Other police officers then transported him by boat across the river. This attack broke the defensive line in the west of the city.

That night, generals Aboud Qanbar and Ali Ghaidan decided to withdraw across the river, leaving Lieutenant General Mahdi Gharawi, the operational commander of Nineveh Governorate, at his command post without any orders. Ghaidan and Qanbar's retreating convoy created the impression that Iraq's security forces were deserting and so Iraqi Army soldiers started to flee Mosul. The 2nd Division had deserted the city within a few hours and both Ghaidan and Qanbar arrived in Kurdistan the next day.

On the morning of 10 June, Gharawi and 26 of his men, who were still at the operation command centre in the western part of the city, decided to fight their way across a bridge to eastern Mosul. On the east bank, their five vehicles were set ablaze and after coming under heavy fire, during which three of the soldiers were killed, it was every man for himself, as Gharawi said. In the east, Gharawi and three of his men commandeered an armoured vehicle with flat tires and headed north to safety. The militants were in control of much of the city by midday on 10 June. The militants seized numerous facilities, including Mosul International Airport, which had served as a hub for the U.S. military in the region. It was thought all aircraft located there had been captured, including helicopters and jet fighters. The militants also claimed to had released at least 2,400 prisoners, after seizing police stations and prisons across the city. However, after the takeover of Badush prison near Mosul, ISIL separated and removed the Sunni inmates, while the remaining 670 prisoners were executed. At the end of 10 June, ISIL was considered to be in control of Mosul.

On 11 June, ISIL members seized the Turkish consulate in Mosul and kidnapped 48 Turkish citizens including the consul general, three children and several members of the Turkish Special Forces. Reports suggested the abductees were taken to a nearby militant base and were unharmed. An unnamed Turkish official confirmed the government was in contact with the insurgents, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an emergency meeting with members of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay to discuss the situation. The daring assault came a day after 28 Turkish truck drivers were abducted by militants while delivering fuel to a power plant in Mosul. Earlier that day, the governor of Ninawa Governate, Atheel al-Nujaifi, accused the military commanders that were in Mosul of abandoning the battlefield and fleeing from the city. The governor demanded that they be tried in a military court. He also stated that it was not just ISIL that captured Mosul but that other small militias had provided support in capturing the city. On 20 September 2014 the hostages captured on 11 June 2014 from the Turkish consulate in Mosul were released.

ISIL seized large quantities of US-supplied military equipment. It also freed thousands of prisoners, many of whom are likely to join the insurgency.

There were conflicting reports about the east bank of Mosul, which has a significant population of Assyrians, Kurds, Turkmens, Shabaks and Armenians, with some suggesting it was controlled by Kurdish Peshmergas while according to others it was ISIL-controlled.

Sources within the Iraq government allege that in the months preceding the assault, Ba'ath loyalists led by al-Douri had been in contact with disaffected Sunni officers who either defected or withdrew upon the ISIL-Ba'ath attack. While speaking to the charity Aid to the Church in Need, Chaldean Catholic Church Archbishop of Mosul Amel Nona stated "Mosul's last remaining Christians had left now a city which until 2003 was home to 35,000 faithful."

Conquest of Baiji and Tikrit
On 11 June, insurgents advanced into the oil refinery town of Baiji, seizing the main court house and police station and setting them on fire. The militants, who were travelling in a group of around 60 vehicles, also took control of the Baiji prison and freed all the inmates. Local residents told members of the media that ISIL sent a group of local tribal chiefs ahead of them to convince the 250 guards at the oil plant to withdraw, while soldiers and police had been warned to leave as well. Later in the day, militants reportedly retreated from Baiji, either due to persuasion from local tribal leaders or due to reinforcements from the Iraqi Army's Fourth Armored Division arriving in the city. However, the next day it was confirmed ISIL was still in control of the town, except the refinery which was surrounded.

Continuing their offensive, on the evening of 11 June, insurgents took full control of the city of Tikrit, the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein and the second provincial capital to fall in two days. Local officials reported that checkpoints had been set up around the city, while at least 300 inmates had been freed from the city's prisons, many of them serving sentences under terrorism charges. Two police stations were burned down and a military base was captured. ISIL forces had also reached Samarra and were fighting government troops at the city's northwest entrance.

At this point, Iraqi government officials described the situation as a "strategic disaster" for the Iraqi government and army.

Advance towards Baghdad and into Diyala
On 12 June, ISIL continued their advance towards Baghdad, the capital and largest city of Iraq, moving into towns just an hour's drive from the city. It controlled parts of the small town of Udhaim, 90 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, after most of the army troops left their positions and withdrew towards the nearby town of Al Khalis in Diyala Governorate. ISIL also captured ten towns in Saladin Governorate, but not Tuz Khurmatu, Dujail, Balad, Samarra or Amirli. Samarra had reportedly become surrounded by ISIL forces.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi Border Patrol battalion stationed along the Syrian border in the western Anbar Governorate abandoned its positions in the face of advancing ISIL forces to break out to the relative safety of the Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar in Nineveh. However, the convoy of 60 trucks and hundreds of border police were thrown into disarray and panic when a small force of ISIL vehicles attacked them en route. By the time Kurdish forces arrived, the police force had been completely routed, with an unknown number of killed and captured, while others fled into the desert, leaving all their vehicles behind. Only two policemen managed to arrive at Sinjar on foot.

In the early hours of 13 June, ISIL seized two towns in Diyala Governorate, after security forces abandoned their posts in Sadiyah and Jalawla. Several villages around the Hamrin Mountains were also captured. At the same time, Kurdish forces entered Jalawla to secure offices of Kurdish parties in the town.

Government counter-attack

On 13 June 2014, Iraqi forces supported by elements of the Quds Force and Iranian Revolutionary Guards had gathered in the town of Samarra and claimed to have regained control of parts of Saladin Governorate, namely the town of Dhuluiyah. Journalists from Al-Monitor embedded in Mosul and Tikrit reported that repeated airstrikes by the government made ISIL militants depart from conspicuous positions within the cities. In their place, militants associated with the Naqshbandi Army and other anti-government groups led by former Ba'ath officers assumed the visible role of patrolling and administration. Militants were reported to have appointed former Ba'ath generals Azhar al-Obeidi and Ahmed Abdul Rashid as the governors of Mosul and Tikrit. Sunni militants remained in control of Tikrit and its strategically significant COB Speicher military base and air field. Insurgents in Tikrit were reported to be mining the roads leading into the city and positioning artillery to resist an anticipated siege.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the call to arms by the highest Shia authority in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, on 13 June mobilized in less than one day around a division of militiamen who, unlike the military, would not run from a fight with the insurgents.

On 14 June, Al-Maliki went to Samarra and declared "Samarra will be the starting point, the gathering station of our troops to cleanse every inch that was desecrated by footsteps of those traitors." There were conflicting reports about the situation of al-Dhuluiya, outside of Samarra. Government officials and state TV claimed that Iraqi security forces had taken control of the town, but security officials in Samarra and witnesses there told CNN the town was still under ISIL control.

The same day, the Iraqi military attacked ISIL forces in al-Mutasim,  south-east of Samarra, driving militants out into the surrounding desert. Meanwhile, the bodies of 128 Iraqi soldiers and policemen killed in clashes with ISIL were received by medical staff in Mosul.

Also, it was reported that the Iraqi Army had killed seven Kurdish security forces in an airstrike in Diyala. Jabbar Yawar, the secretary general of the Peshmerga, said talks with Iraqi authorities were under way to ascertain what had happened. The next day, the military recaptured Ishaqi where the burned bodies of 12 policemen were found.

On 28 June, Iraqi forces launched an attack against the city of Tikrit.

Renewed ISIL advance

Late on 15 June, after repeated assaults, an insurgent assault, primarily led by the Naqshbandi Army and former Ba'athists, captured Tal Afar and its nearby airbase The defenders, composed largely of Shia Turkmen and soldiers retreating from Mosul, escaped to Kurdish-controlled territory. During the fighting for Tal Afar, 18 militants died, and ten people were killed in the insurgent shelling of the town. The local security garrison suffered heavy casualties, but the number was unknown. It was also claimed that Major General Abu Al-Waleed was captured at Tal Afar, but he allegedly later denied this on state TV. During that day, rebels made claims of executing 1,000–1,800 captured soldiers, while the military claimed the Air Force had killed 279 militants in the previous 24 hours. Analysis of execution videos by military experts managed to confirm the killing of at least 170 soldiers.

On 15 June, ISIL also advanced further into Diyala Governorate gaining control of two villages in ʿAdhaim, northeast of Baghdad. The next day, 28–29 Iraqi Shiite volunteer militiamen were killed in an ambush of their convoy south of Samarra by ISIL. Meanwhile, the military claimed to have killed 56 insurgents in areas of western and southern Baghdad, while fighting in Diyala Governorate left 29 militants and eight soldiers dead. A number of soldiers were also captured. The first Iranian soldier was also killed. In addition, Tal Afar fell on 16 June to ISIL forces led by Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi.

West of Baghdad, ISIL captured Saqlawiyah where army helicopters were hovering over the town to provide cover for retreating troops. During the fighting a helicopter was shot down. In the evening, police executed 44 Sunni prisoners at a police station in Baqubah before retreating due to an advance by ISIL forces which captured several neighborhoods in the city. Conflicting information has been presented regarding the number killed and the identity of those responsible, as the Washington Post reported that the prisoners were either killed during a battle with ISIL or "preemptively" by security forces. The situation regarding the killing of a Sunni imam in Baghdad is also unclear.

On 17 June, according to BBC the Army had retaken the captured districts of Baqubah. Elsewhere, security forces withdrew from the Al-Qa'im border crossing as rebels from the Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra Front crossed the border and took hold of it. Also, east of Samarra, the bodies of 18 executed security force members were discovered.

On 18 June, ISIL attacked Iraq's largest oil refinery in Baiji with mortars and machine guns. An official from inside the refinery stated the militants had captured 75 percent of the facility, while a military spokesman claimed the attack had been repelled with 40 insurgents being killed. Meanwhile, rebels overran three villages in Salaheddin Governorate following fighting that left some 20 civilians dead. Also, India said that 40 of its nationals, who were working for a Turkish construction company in Mosul, had been abducted by militants. At the same time, Rauf Rashid Abd al-Rahman, the presiding judge during the trial of Saddam Hussein, was reportedly captured and executed by insurgents, though that was later denied by family members and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

On 19 June, government forces claimed to have regained full control of the Baiji oil refinery, after heavy fighting with ISIL fighters that left 100 militants dead. An Iraqi witness who drove past the Baiji refinery told the Associated Press that ISIL had hung their banners from the watch towers and created checkpoints surrounding the facility, despite government claims of control. By the evening, the two sides held different parts of the refinery. The same day, ISIL captured the Al Muthanna Chemical Weapons Facility near Lake Tharthar, 45 miles northwest of Baghdad, in an area which was firmly come under rebel control by this point.

On 20 June, the oil refinery was still surrounded by ISIL forces and had once again come under attack. By the evening, US officials had told ABC News that the 270 Iraqi troops trapped in the refinery were outnumbered and outgunned. And, with ISIL in control of the roads to and from Baiji, there was little chance of their resources being replenished. The militants planned to wait until the troops ran out of food and ammunition. On the same day, ISIL claimed to have captured most of the Tal Afar airport. Kurdish forces, who were accompanied by a BBC news crew, became surrounded by ISIL on three sides in Jalula and later it was confirmed the control of the town was divided between the Kurds and ISIL.

On 21 June, militants captured the Baiji oil refinery after overnight clashes with government forces. On the same day, Iraqi Shia militias rallied all over Iraq to show their strength. The largest rally was in Baghdad in which thousands of members of Shia militia Promised Day Brigades participated. Also, ISIL clashed with allied Sunni militants, leaving 17 dead in Hawija.

On 23 June, insurgents captured the Tal Afar airport and secured the town itself. Iraqi security sources confirmed for the first time the Baiji oil refinery had been seized by militants, after being attacked for several days. 400 soldiers of the 37th Brigade, including its officers, deserted from the refinery following an agreement reached with tribal leaders per which the troops had free passage to leave for 24 hours. 50–75 police commandos, who refused to desert, attempted to prevent the Brigade's desertion at gunpoint but were outnumbered by the soldiers and backed down. This left the insurgents in control of virtually the entire facility, except one compound where the refinery's operating systems are located due to the SWAT members barricading themselves in the building. A standoff ensued as the insurgents didn't want to risk a direct assault for fear of damaging the facilities systems. Instead, ISIL decided to slowly starve out the commandos if they refused to surrender, since no reinforcements could be flown in to the SWAT unit due to the heavy insurgent anti-aircraft fire around the refinery. The siege of the building continued as of mid-July.

By this point, sources reported that a combination of desertions, casualties and loss of equipment crippled the regular Iraqi military, forcing the government to increasingly rely on volunteers drawn from Shia militias. Iraqi officials also conceded they had essentially given up on the north of the country to the insurgent forces.

On 24 June, the Syrian Arab Republic launched its first airstrikes in Iraqi territory after previously targeting Syrian-Iraqi border crossings controlled by ISIL. Syria launched new strikes the next day when at least 50 people were killed and 132 others wounded, including civilians, after missiles launched by Syrian fighters hit a municipal building, a market, and a bank in Al Rutba. It was unclear whether the Syrian fighters actually entered Iraqi territory when they made the airstrikes.

On 25 June, anonymous American officials reported that Iran set up a special control center at Al-Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad and was flying a "small fleet" of Ababil drones over Iraq, and an Iranian signals intelligence unit had also been deployed at the airfield to intercept electronic communications between ISIL fighters and commanders. 10 divisions of Iranian and Quds Force troops were massed on the Iran–Iraq border and about two dozen Iranian aircraft had been stationed in western Iran. Meanwhile, insurgents overran the Ajeel oil site, east of Tikrit, after the nearby town of al-Alam was seized by the militants and insurgents surrounded on three sides the massive Balad air base, also known as Joint Base Balad and "Camp Anaconda" under U.S. occupation, and struck it with mortars.

Aftermath

Army Tikrit counter-offensive

On 26 June, government forces launched an airborne assault on Tikrit and an all-out ground offensive two days later in an attempt to recapture the city. However, by 30 June the assault had stalled and government troops pulled back from Tikrit to the south, after meeting stiff resistance, in an attempt to regroup.

Also during this time, on the morning of 26 June, militants captured the town of Mansouriyat al-Jabal, which is the home to four natural gas fields, although government forces managed to recapture the town the next day. They also reportedly recaptured al-Alam.

On 4 July, the ISIL published a video claiming its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivered a sermon for half an hour during Friday prayers at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri Mosul, Iraq. "Iraqi agencies are still investigating the video and comparing it with its intelligence," Iraq's military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Qassim Atta, said on 7 July. On the other hand, the United States "has no reason to doubt" the authenticity of a video that purports to show ISIL leader.

On 15 July, the military launched a new assault on Tikrit from Awja. However, by the next day, government troops had been repelled and once again retreated. Several security force's vehicles were seen abandoned, with at least one of them burnt out.

On 17 July, insurgents launched an assault on Camp Speicher, near Tikrit, in an attempt to capture the air base. However, by 21 July, the attack had reportedly been repelled.

August ISIL offensive

In early August 2014, ISIL launched a new offensive against Kurdish-held territory in northern Iraq and within days captured the town of Sinjar, displacing its Yazidi population. ISIL had also advanced to within 40 kilometers from the Kurdish capital of Erbil. This prompted the United States to start launching air-strikes on advancing ISIL forces.

Consequences

Proclamation of a Caliphate
On 29 June 2014, ISIL or ISIS announced its name change to the Islamic State and announced the formation of a 'Caliphate', which would include Iraq and Syria, and in theory covers the global Muslim population. They called upon Muslims all over the world to pledge allegiance to their Caliph, Ibrahim Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISIL claimed to have a plan to take over the city of Arar in Saudi Arabia, which is very close to the Iraqi border.

In July NBC news reported that disagreements had erupted between ISIL and two large Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq, the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order and 1920 Revolution Brigade, leading to skirmishes between the allies on July. NBC quoted an unnamed senior U.S. counterterrorism official claiming that "the tribal groups do not necessarily follow strict Islamic law the way ISIS does, which naturally leads to conflict".

Kurdish referendum for independence

Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Region expressed on 3 July his will to organize a referendum to push forward the area's independence from Iraq. The Kurdish forces indeed control an important area in northern Iraq, outside of ISIL's control, and now away from the Iraqi government's influence. Israel's prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu declared in June 2014 that his government would support an independent Kurdistan.

Massacre of minorities

Reports tell that thousands of Assyrians, Yazidis, Kurds and other ethnic minorities were massacred by ISIL fighters. After the capture of Qaraqosh, the Iraqi city with largest Assyrian population, on 7 August, thousands fled their homes from the city and Mosul as they were given an ultimatum by the insurgents. The Assyrians, Yazidis, Kurds and other minorities were massacred. They were buried alive, burnt alive, shot down, the women of these groups were raped and killed or married to ISIL fighters.

Many Kurds were frightened that ISIL would make another Anfal Genocide.

"Qaraqosh, Tal Kayf, Bartella and Karamlesh have been emptied of their original population and are now under the control of militants", Joseph Thomas, the Arch Bishop of the Iraqi cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah, told AFP. Qaraqosh has an estimated Christian population of about 50,000.

Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako said the ISIL advance into Iraq created a 'humanitarian disaster' and that more than 100,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes. "The churches are occupied and crosses taken down", and more than 1,500 documents had been destroyed, he said.

Around Sinjar, the withdrawal of Peshmerga from the area without effectively communicating it to the Yazidis, prompted the locals to flee to Kurdistan Region after brief clashes between the locals and ISIS. NGOs have also accused the Peshmerga of confiscating weapons from the Yazidis.

Reactions

Domestic
Despite the security crisis, Iraq's Parliament was not convened and did not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many Sunni and Kurdish legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers.

Most Iraqis view the conflict as a partial Sunni uprising, rather than as a simple lunge for power by ISIL.

Shia
On 13 June 2014, the highest religious authority for the Shia in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, asked people to fight the Islamic State. According to one of his representatives, Sheikh Abdulmehdi al-Karbalai, he asked for "people who are capable of carrying arms and fighting the terrorists in defense of their country... (to) volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal".

In late June, powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr vowed to "shake the ground" under the feet of the militants, days after fighters loyal to him paraded with weapons in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, vowing to fight the militant offensive.

Sunni
Fugitive Iraq Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni who described the fall of Mosul as a "Revolution of the oppressed, downtrodden and marginalized people in Mosul", denied ISIL played a leading role amongst the government's opponents and alleged the militancy against the central government was led by Sunni tribes and disenfranchised Sunnis.

Another prominent Sunni, Ali Hatem al-Suleiman (emir of the large Dulaim tribe), claimed "It is the tribal rebels who are in control of the situation in Mosul. It is not reasonable to say that a group like ISIL, which has a small number of men and vehicles, could be in control of a large city like Mosul. Therefore, it is clear that this is a tribal revolution, but the government is trying to force us all to wear the robe of the terrorists and ISIS."

A member of insurgent held Mosul's governing council, a former colonel in the Ba'ath era military alleged that the opposition to the government was composed of multiple Sunni Arab factions, most of which are led by officers from the disbanded military. The former officer claimed that the various opposition factions were working to minimize ISIL influence and appoint officials capable of restoring services in insurgent held areas.

Kurdish
Kurdish parliamentarian Shoresh Haji stated "I hope that the Kurdish leadership will not miss this golden opportunity to bring Kurdish lands in the disputed territories back under Kurdish control".

International reactions
International bodies
  – On 12 June, Arab League Secretary-General, Nabil al-Arabi condemned what he described as the "criminal activities" committed by ISIL group in Mosul. He emphasized on the necessity of "national consensus in Iraq at this critical time, which threatens Iraq's security and political stability."
  – On 10 June, the United Nations' Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, asked all political leaders in Iraq to show national unity against the ISIL offensive, expressed grave concern about the "serious deterioration", and condemned the recent attacks that have left scores dead and wounded in Iraq's northern and eastern provinces. He recalled that all UN Member States have an obligation to implement and enforce the targeted financial sanctions, arms embargo and travel ban imposed on ISIS under the sanctions regime pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999) and Security Council Resolution 1989 (2011). It also evacuated its 60 staff members from Baghdad to neighboring Jordan. After ISIL released graphic photographs of its fighters shooting scores of young men, the United Nations said on 16 June, cold blooded "executions" said to have been carried out by militants in northern Iraq almost certainly amount to war crimes.

 U.N. member states
  – On 16 June, Indian External Affairs Ministry condemned the takeover of Iraqi cities like Mosul and Tikrit by ISIL and reiterated its support to the government and the people of Iraq in their fight against international terrorism. It also set up a 24-hour helpline at Indian embassy in Baghdad for assistance of Indian nationals stranded in these cities. It has been reported that 46 Indian nurses were abducted from the Iraqi town of Mosul who were later freed and flown back to India.
  – On 12 June, the Iranian president, Hasan Rouhani, stated: "For our part, as the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ... we will combat violence, extremism and terrorism in the region and the world." On 11 June, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had condemned the "murder of Iraqi citizens" as he offered Iraq's government support against terrorism. However, Iranian officials have not explained how Iran will help Iraq's government. Iran dispatched Revolutionary Guard forces to help Iraq's government recapture Tikrit. Iran sent three battalions of the special operations Quds Force and has sent a total of 2000 men between 12 and 14 June. According to Washington Post, any support from Iran will be subtler, confined to military planning and strategy rather than manpower.
  - Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed "full support" to the Iraqi government. Eight days later, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced that "Russia will not stand idle toward attempts by terrorist groups to spread terrorism in regional states" and urged Europe and the United States to take action against ISIL. On 29 June, Russia delivered Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft to the Iraqi Air Force, days after a request by the Iraqi government. Unconfirmed reports suggest that six Sukhoi Su-30 multirole aircraft are to be delivered as well. Photos have appears on Iraqi social media depicting Russian-made rocket artillery TOS-1 arriving in Baghdad.
  – On 11 June, Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned recent acts of militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant on the territory of Iraq. It also expressed support and solidarity to the Iraqi government in its fight against the armed terrorist groups in Iraq. On 15 June, the Syrian Air Force was carrying out airstrikes on ISIL bases in coordination with Iraq. Airstrikes were carried out against ISIL bases in Raqqa and Al-Hasakah inside Syria, and headquarters in Shaddadi, a town close to the border with Iraq.
  – The Saudi Arabia government said that the tensions there were due to sectarian policies which threatened its stability and sovereignty, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. It warned against foreign intervention and urged Iraqis to form a national unity government.
  – ISIL captured Ankara's consul general in Mosul and detained 49 Turkish citizens including the Consul-General, Öztürk Yılmaz. It also took hostage 31 Turkish truck drivers. Some reports suggest that the hostages have been moved to the residence of the ISIL-sponsored Mosul governor, in possible preparation for their release. Turkey has called an emergency NATO meeting.
The hostages were freed in mid September 2014. Turkey denied paying ransom  but prisoner swaps were hinted at. It was later revealed that Turkish authorities had initially paid a certain amount of money to ISIL officials and the hostages were later swapped for 180 militants who had been apprehended or undergoing medical treatment in Turkey.
  – On 17 June, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would be reopening the British Embassy in Iran in an effort to rebuild the nations' diplomatic relationship to help combat the recent event in Iraq. On 18 June, PM Cameron said that he believed ISIL was planning a terror attack on the UK.
  – On 12 June, U.S. President Barack Obama said he was exploring all options to save Iraq's security forces from collapse, and U.S. companies evacuated hundreds from a major air base. "Our national security team is looking at all the options... I don't rule out anything," he declared. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham warned an ISIL takeover in both Iraq and Syria would create a "hell on earth" and called for the urgent deployment of U.S. air power to "change the battlefield equation".
On 13 June, Obama said the United States "will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq," but that he would be reviewing a range of other options in coming days. He called on Iraq's neighbors to help out, too, and told the only guarantee of success involved political reforms by al-Maliki that promoted cooperation with Sunnis.
On 15 June, US government announced that it was drawing down staff at its embassy in Baghdad. Referring to the "ongoing instability and violence in certain areas," a State Department statement said the embassy will also increase the number of security personnel deployed at the heavily guarded mission. A separate Pentagon statement said "a small number" of Defense Department personnel were being sent to augment security at the facility.
On 16 June, President Obama notified Congress that a total of 275 U.S. soldiers and Marines could be deployed to Iraq to provide security for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and other U.S. personnel in Iraq. About 160 troops were already in the country and 100 will be stationed as reserve forces in a nearby country to be deployed if needed. The special forces team would operate under the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad and would be barred from engaging in ground combat.
The Guardian reported on 18 June that Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and John McCain thought Maliki's government should step down. White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "we will aggressively attempt to impress upon that leader the absolute necessity of rejecting sectarian governance". The Secretary of State, John Kerry, stated that Washington was not focused Maliki, but on the Iraqi people. A spokesman for the Nouri al-Malik said he will not stand down.
As of 19 June, reports emerged suggesting that if the United States carries out airstrikes over Iraq, as requested by the Iraqi government, that Obama may act without congressional approval. Also on 19 June, Barack Obama announced he is sending up to 300 military advisers to Iraq, and could down the road authorize targeted military action, if necessary. According to CNN, one aircraft carrier and five warships are already positioned in the Persian Gulf, U.S. drones are flying intelligence missions over Iraq and a list of ISIL targets has been compiled.
On 23 June, John Kerry met with Nouri al-Malik, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari, and Sunni and Shia leaders in Baghdad. The purpose was to affirm the US commitment to Iraq during the crisis and to discuss the formation of a new government. These meetings occur as ISIL proceeded to capture more territory north and west of the capital. Kerry also rejected al-Maliki's request for prompt American airstrikes on the militants' positions in Iraq and Syria, saying that care must be taken before such attacks are launched to avoid giving the impression that the Americans are targeting Sunnis.
On 8 August 2014, President Obama authorized airstrikes and humanitarian aid to civilians trapped in the mountains, who didn't have access to food or water. He said the move for airstrikes was to stop the advancement of the IS convoys into Erbil. He strongly asserted that the minorities, including the Christians and the Yazidis must be protected from the 'genocide'.

Others
On 14 June, Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, described the event as a "national revolution" He said the insurgency "could not have been led by one Islamist party," a reference to ISIL, instead describing it as a "all-out Sunni revolution" (or "Overwhelming revolution for Sunnah" ) and warned against sectarian war. Calling for the formation of a "national unity government", he said that "this is not a revolution against the Shias".

According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, "The Kurds, seeing the Iraqi central regime's weakness, will take all the necessary measures to protect their autonomy and expand their influence to neighboring Syrian Kurdistan. The Kurds understand very well that they could be the next target after the Assyrians and accordingly will preempt any attempt by the jihadists to set foot in their areas. The fall of Mosul could become the beginning of Kurdish quest for independence."

Tirana Hassan, of the Human Rights Watch, reports that Khorasani Brigade, a Shia militia, has ethnically cleansed the village of Yengija, 50 miles south of Kirkuk. The Sunni population was driven from the village and their homes were razed.

See also

 2012–14 Iraqi protests
 2014 Eastern Syria offensive
 Spillover of the Syrian Civil War

References

External links
 Iraq updates – Institute for the Study of War

Conflicts in 2014
2014 in Iraqi Kurdistan
Military operations of the Iraqi Civil War in 2014
Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Peshmerga
Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the United States
Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving Hezbollah
Battles involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraqi Kurdistan
Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the PKK


title: Al-Sadiqoun Bloc

text:
Al-Sadiqoun Bloc () or just Al-Sadiqoun is a Shia political / electoral coalition in Iraq led by Adnan Fihan Moussa Cheri.

History
Al-Sadiqoun (literally the speakers of the truth in Arabic) is a political wing of the Shia Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH; Arabic: عصائب أهل الحق ‘Aṣayib Ahl al-Haq, "League of the Righteous"), a Shia anti-American grouping with alleged Iranian patronage.

Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali declared the intention of his group of taking part in the 2014 Iraqi Parliamentary elections as a political bloc under the name of Al-Sadiqoun Bloc. Adnan Fihan Moussa Cheri was named leader of the bloc. Al-Sadiqoun Bloc offered its candidates under electoral listing #218.

However an electoral meeting of estimated 10,000 supporters of Al-Sadiqoun was marred by violence as a series of bombs exploded at the campaign rally held at the Industrial Stadium in eastern Baghdad killing at least 37 people and wounding scores of others, according to Iraqi police. The Shia group organizers had planned to announce at the rally the names of its candidates for the parliamentary election.

The Al-Sadiqoun Bloc ended up winning just one seat out of the total 328 seats in the Iraqi Parliament in 2014 with its successful candidate elected from the Baghdad Governorate.

References

Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
Islamic political parties in Iraq
Shia Islamic political parties


title: Aeroport (Metrovalencia)

text:
Aeroport is a metro station of Metrovalencia network situated west of Valencia, Spain. The station is located at Valencia Manises Airport, near Avinguda d'els Arcs and the adjacent bus terminal, making it a major access point towards the Valencia city center and Valencia port.

In the first 10 years since the station's opening, line 5 of Metrovalencia between Aeroport and Marítim-Serrería stations was used by 186.6 million passengers.

The metro stop opened in April 2007 as part of a ten-station extension which cost over 200 million euro. Originally, it formed part of metro zone B; however, in September 2012, it was moved to metro zone D, in order to maximise revenue. After the number of metro zones was reduced in 2022 Aeroport is the sole station in metro zone C.

References

Metrovalencia stations
Airport railway stations in Spain
Railway stations in Spain opened in 2007


title: Swarovski Kristallwelten

text:
Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) is an experience attraction created by André Heller for the crystal glass manufacturer Swarovski, consisting of a park, art museum, retail area, and restaurant. It opened in 1995 and is located in the Austrian Tyrol, in the town of Wattens, Innsbruck-Land District, where the company was founded and still has its headquarters today. Kristallwelten, together with the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store in Innsbruck and Vienna, form D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH.

History
The Swarovski company was founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895. One century later, multimedia artist Andre Heller was commissioned to design the museum with 14 chambers of wonder in the form of a giant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of D. Swarovski KG. After the initial opening in 1995, further expansion and renovation projects followed in 1998, 2003, and 2007.

Expansion in 2014/15

In October 2014, the renovation and expansion of Swarovski Kristallwelten began, at a cost of around 34 million euros, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Swarovski company, and the 20th anniversary of Swarovski Kristallwelten itself. It reopened on April 30, 2015. The overall area of the attraction was extended from 3.5 hectares to 7.5 hectares. New features added to the garden during this expansion included the "Crystal Cloud" made up of 800,000 crystals, a playtower, and the restaurant, Daniels Kristallwelten.

Chambers of Wonder
Inside the Giant there are exhibition spaces, based on the concept of the historic chambers of art and curiosities favored by aristocratic families in the 16th century. In the Chambers of Wonder at Swarovski Kristallwelten, internationally and nationally recognized artists, designers, and architects, such as Brian Eno, Tord Boontje, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jim Whiting, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, and Yayoi Kusama, have interpreted crystal in their own ways. 18 show rooms were created, each of which has a different thematic focus.

Attractions

 18 Chambers of Wonder
 One of the largest Swarovski Stores in the world
 Garden landscape
 Crystal Cloud with 800,000 hand-mounted crystals
 Playtower and open-air playground
 Carousel
 Daniels Kristallwelten restaurant

The Garden

The garden of the Giant contains contemporary art as well as ancient history and unique pleasures. Working in collaboration with artists from throughout the globe and internationally renowned architects, a park landscape emerged on 7.5 hectares of land surrounding the iconic Giant, with unparalleled art installations and new structures.

Carousel
Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has designed a striking black-and-white carousel to juxtapose with the greenery of the Garden within Kristallwelten. The contemporary design reimagines the traditional carousel while retaining its nostalgic appeal.

The monochrome design is made of 15 million Swarovski crystals across 12 ceiling panels and 16 wall panels and is illuminated with warm lighting.

Roman Artifacts

Swarovski Kristallwelten (Swarovski Crystal Worlds) has acquired a new historical asset: Starting right now, the Roman Excavations are open to the public, allowing visitors to literally open a window on the past. In the course of the extensive reconstruction work carried out in 2014, wall remains dating back to Roman times were discovered, together with an important cache of coins.

In the view of the archaeologists who made the discovery, the wall remains were from a Roman country estate or a small settlement on the Roman road leading through the Lower Inn Valley. Particularly remarkable was, in addition, the discovery of a treasure consisting of 702 Roman silver coins, known as “Antoninians”. Just like the masonry, they resurfaced after almost two thousand years under the ground.

Crystal Cloud

The crowning piece of the new garden is the Crystal Cloud, created by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. With a surface of around 1,400 square meters, this mystical masterpiece is the largest work of its kind in the world. The Crystal Cloud consists of around 800,000 hand-mounted Swarovski crystals.  This monumental installation drifts above the black Mirror Pool.

Play Tower
The playtower fosters the widest range of play experiences on four different levels arranged on top of each other. The levels are connected by a unique vertical net that can be climbed up to a height of just over 14 meters. It offers the most varied activities from climbing, rocking, and swinging to sliding and even to what looks like floating. The facades of the tower, designed by architecture firm Snøhetta, consist of 160 crystalline facets, though no two are exactly alike.

Labyrinth
One of the most beautiful parts of the park landscape is the green labyrinth in the form of a hand by André Heller that invites the visitor to explore and play hide-and-seek.

Events
In 2019, "Music in the Giant" – a festival of chamber music under the artistic direction of Thomas Larcher – took place for the 15th time. Other events include family days, workshops for children and young people, and culinary events.

Visitors
In 2011, Swarovski Kristallwelten was ranked eighth amongst the most popular tourist attractions in Austria, with 680,000 visitors, ahead of locations such as the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg, and the Albertina art gallery in Vienna.
Analyzed by country of origin, in 2009 the majority of visitors came from Germany (26%), followed by Austria (13%), Italy (11%), India (8%), and China (5%).
In 2019, the total number of visitors to Swarovski Kristallwelten reached 15 million.

References

External links

Museums in Tyrol (state)
Glass museums and galleries
Museums established in 1995
Art museums and galleries in Austria
Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in Europe
Innsbruck-Land District


title: Wilton Town Hall

text:
Wilton Town Hall is located at 42 Main Street in downtown Wilton, New Hampshire. Built in 1886, the red brick building is a prominent local example of civic Queen Anne style architecture. In a common style of the day, it includes a theater space which was used for dramatic presentations, silent films, and vaudeville productions, before being converted to its present use as a movie theater. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Description and history
Wilton Town Hall occupies a prominent setting in the center of the town, on the east side of Main Street. It occupies a steeply sloping triangular lot bounded on the north by Maple Street. Its basement side is completely exposed on the Main Street side, and is composed of rustically cut Milford granite. The rest of the building is built out of load-bearing red brick, and is covered by a slate roof with a complex roofline. Windows in the upper levels are generally set in rounded-arch openings, and the roof is punctuated by several brick chimneys and a square clock tower. The clock is original to the building, made by George Milton Stevens of Boston, Massachusetts. The interior of the building is divided into civic offices and a theater. Its finishes are largely original, including fine woodwork on the main staircases, floors, and wainscoting.

The town hall was completed in 1886, and has housed town offices since then. It was the first building in the town dedicated to housing all of the town functions, including town clerk, police, and selectmen's offices. It was built in the aftermath of fires in 1874 and 1881 that destroyed much of what is now downtown Wilton. Its construction further cemented the importance of Wilton's East Village as the town's main village center. The hall was designed by Merrill & Cutler of Lowell, Massachusetts, and its design was featured in an architectural publication in 1884.

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

References

External links
Wilton Town Hall Theatre
Town of Wilton

City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Queen Anne architecture in New Hampshire
Buildings and structures completed in 1884
Buildings and structures in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
City and town halls in New Hampshire
Cinemas and movie theaters in New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Wilton, New Hampshire


title: Nelson Russell

text:
Brigadier Nelson Russell,  (b. 7 July 1897 − 20 October 1971) was a British Army officer who served in both world wars. Russell represented Ireland at both cricket and field hockey. He also played for Lisburn Cricket Club and  Lisnagarvey Hockey Club.

Early life and family
Russell's father was Nelson Russell of Lisburn. He was educated at Campbell College, Belfast. In 1926, he married Edith, also from Lisburn; the couple had no children.

Military career
In April 1914, Russell was mobilised as a reservist and joined the Royal Irish Fusiliers as a second lieutenant. He was attached to the 1st Battalion for service in France and Belgium between July 1915 and July 1916 – winning the Military Cross – and subsequently became adjutant at 10 Brigade Bombing School.

After the end of the First World War, Russell was commissioned into The Royal Irish Fusiliers as a second lieutenant. During the inter-war period, he served in Egypt, India, Sudan, and Palestine. In 1937, he was promoted to major and served as a brigade major, until the end of March 1940. After briefly commanding the 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers and an appointment as a staff officer (GSO2), he was promoted to the acting rank of brigadier on 1 July 1942 and took command of the 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade, commanding it in Britain, North Africa, Sicily, and Italy from July 1942 until February 1944. That month saw Russell being declared unfit to continue to command the brigade, relinquishing control to Brigadier Thomas "Pat" Scott, also of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. During the period in North Africa from 1942 to 1943, he also took command of the ad hoc Y Division during the fighting in North Africa. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1943, during the Tunisian campaign, and was subsequently mentioned in despatches whilst in Sicily and Italy.

For a short period after the war, Russell was commander, Belfast Sub-Area, and then commander of the Belfast Garrison. He was then appointed commander of the Ulster Independent Infantry Brigade Group from 1947 to 1950. He was promoted to brigadier (previously an acting or temporary rank) in 1950, shortly before his retirement on 4 August 1950.

He was Serjeant-at-Arms to the Parliament of Northern Ireland between 1951 and 1959.

Awards and decorations
 Companion of the Order of the Bath (9 June 1949)
 Distinguished Service Order (5 August 1943)
 Military Cross (16 May 1916)
 Mentioned in Despatches twice (23 March 1944 and 24 August 1944)
 1914–15 Star
 British War Medal 1914-1920
 Victory Medal
 General Service Medal with "Palestine" clasp for 1936–39

Citation for Military Cross:
For conspicuous gallantry during a raid on the enemy's trenches. He was the first man into the trench, where he shot an officer, and finally skilfully withdrew after doing all the damage possible.

References

Bibliography

External links
British Army Officers 1939−1945
Generals of World War II

1897 births
1971 deaths
Military personnel from Lisburn
People educated at Campbell College
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Recipients of the Military Cross
Royal Irish Fusiliers officers
Lisburn Cricket Club players
Male field hockey players from Northern Ireland
Irish male field hockey players
British male field hockey players
Lisnagarvey Hockey Club players
Field hockey players from County Antrim
Ireland international men's field hockey players
British Army personnel of World War I
British Army brigadiers of World War II


title: Nicolas Vauquelin des Yveteaux

text:
Nicolas Vauquelin des Yveteaux (1567–1649) was a French libertine poet, the son of Jean Vauquelin de la Fresnaye.

References

External links

French poets
16th-century French writers
16th-century male writers
17th-century French writers
17th-century French male writers
Writers from Normandy
1567 births
1649 deaths
French male poets


The 2013 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Keszthely, Hungary from July 1 to July 7. This was the 7th edition of this competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC).

Medal winners

Medal count table

References

2013 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
International boxing competitions hosted by Hungary
European
July 2013 sports events in Europe


The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 () is an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015 that would provide funding for the United States Department of Agriculture and related agencies. The bill would appropriate $20.9 billion.

The bill was introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress.

Background

An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities. Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 is an example of a regular appropriations bill.

Appropriations bills are one part of a larger United States budget and spending process. They are preceded in that process by the president's budget proposal, congressional budget resolutions, and the 302(b) allocation. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, section 9, clause 7) states that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law..." This is what gives Congress the power to make these appropriations. The President, however, still has the power to veto appropriations bills.

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 falls under the jurisdiction of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. The bill covers appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, as well as for a variety of related agencies. The House and Senate currently consider appropriations bills simultaneously, although originally the House went first. The House Committee on Appropriations usually reports the appropriations bills in May and June and the Senate in June. Any differences between appropriations bills passed by the House and the Senate are resolved in the fall.

In 2013, Congress was unable to pass all twelve appropriations bills (for fiscal year 2014) before October 1, 2013, when the new fiscal year. This led to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013. The shutdown lasted for 16 days. Finally, late in the evening of October 16, 2013, Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, and the President signed it shortly after midnight on October 17, ending the government shutdown and suspending the debt limit until February 7, 2014. In reaction to this situation, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers has stated that his goal is to pass all twelve regular appropriations bills for 2015 before Congress has a recess in August because he wants to avoid a similar situation.

Congressional Research Service report
This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 - Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates FY2015 funds for the following United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary); (2) Office of the Chief Economist; (3) National Appeals Division; (4) Office of Budget and Program Analysis; (5) Office of the Chief Information Officer; (6) Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (7) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; (8) Office of Civil Rights; (9) agriculture buildings and facilities; (10) hazardous materials management; (11) Office of Inspector General; (12) Office of the General Counsel; (13) Office of Ethics; (14) Office of the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics; (15) Economic Research Service; (16) National Agricultural Statistics Service; (17) Agricultural Research Service; (18) National Institute of Food and Agriculture; (19) Native American Institutions Endowment Fund; (20) extension and integrated activities; (21) Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; (22) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; (23) Agricultural Marketing Service; (24) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; (25) Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety; (26) Food Safety and Inspection Service; (27) Office of the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; (28) Farm Service Agency; (29) Risk Management Agency; (30) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund; and (31) Commodity Credit Corporation Fund.

Title II: Conservation Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, and (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Title III: Rural Development Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development, (2) Rural Housing Service, (3) Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and (4) Rural Utilities Service.

Title IV: Domestic Food Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; and (2) Food and Nutrition Service.

Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) the Foreign Agricultural Service, (2) Food for Peace Act (P.L. 480) program title I and title II grants, (3) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) export loan credit guarantee program, and (4) the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

Title VI: Related Agencies and Food and Drug Administration - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and (2) Farm Credit Administration (FCA).

Title VII: General Provisions - Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act.

(Sec. 702) Authorizes the Secretary to transfer unobligated balances to the Working Capital Fund for plant and capital equipment acquisition, which shall remain available until expended.

(Sec. 703) Prohibits appropriations under this Act from remaining available for obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless expressly provided for.

(Sec. 704) Limits negotiated indirect costs on cooperative agreements between USDA and nonprofit organizations to 10%.

(Sec. 705) Makes USDA appropriations for direct and guaranteed loans available for: (1) the Rural Development Loan Fund program account, (2) the Rural Electrification and Telecommunication Loans program account, and (3) the Rural Housing Insurance Fund program account.

(Sec. 706) Prohibits funds made available to USDA under this Act from being used to acquire new information technology systems or significant upgrades without the approval of the Chief Information Officer and the concurrence of the Executive Information Technology Investment Review Board.

(Sec. 707) Makes funds available in the current fiscal year for agricultural management assistance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act and for specified conservation programs under the Food Security Act of 1985 until expended for current fiscal year obligations.

(Sec. 708) Makes eligible for economic development and job creation assistance under the Rural Electrification Act in the same manner as a borrower under such Act any former Rural Utilities Service borrower that has repaid or prepaid an insured, direct, or guaranteed loan under such Act, or any not-for-profit utility that is eligible to receive an insured or direct loan under such Act.

(Sec. 709) Rescinds specified funds from unobligated balances for the tree assistance program.

(Sec. 710) Makes unobligated balances for salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency and the Rural Development mission area under this Act available for information technology expenses through September 30, 2016.

(Sec. 711) Authorizes the Secretary to permit a state agency to use funds provided in this Act to exceed a specified maximum amount of liquid infant formula when issuing liquid infant formula to participants.

(Sec. 712) Prohibits first-class travel by employees of agencies funded under this Act.

(Sec. 713) States that with regard to certain programs established or amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014 to be carried out using CCC funds: (1) such funds shall be available for salaries and administrative expenses without regard to certain allotment and fund transfer limits, and (2) the use of such funds shall not be considered to be a fund transfer or allotment for purposes of applying such limits.

(Sec. 714) Limits funds made available in FY2015 or preceding fiscal years under P.L. 480 to reimburse the CCC for the release of certain commodities under the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act.

(Sec. 715) Limits funds available for USDA advisory committees, panels, commissions, and task forces.

(Sec. 716) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to pay indirect costs charged against any agricultural research, education, or extension grant awards issued by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture that exceed 30% of total federal funds provided under each award.

(Sec. 717) Limits the use of funds for the:

watershed rehabilitation program;
environmental quality incentives program;
agricultural conservation easement program;
conservation stewardship program;
biomass crop assistance program;
rural energy for America program; and
biorefinery, renewable chemical and biobased product manufacturing assistance program.

(Sec. 718) Limits FY2015 funds for the following domestic food assistance categories: (1) child nutrition program entitlement commodities, (2) state option contracts, and (3) defective commodity removal.

Limits funds for the fresh fruit and vegetable program until October 1, 2015.

Rescinds specified unobligated balances available in FY2015 for domestic food assistance.

(Sec. 719) Prohibits the use of funds for user fee proposals that fail to provide certain budget impact information.

(Sec. 720) Prohibits, without congressional notification, funds available under this Act or under previous appropriations Acts from being used through a reprogramming of funds to: (1) eliminate or create a new program, (2) relocate or reorganize an office or employees, (3) privatize federal employee functions, or (4) increase funds or personnel for any project for which funds have been denied or restricted.

Prohibits, without congressional notification, funds available under this Act or under previous appropriations Acts from being used through a reprogramming of funds in excess of $500,000 or 10%, whichever is less: (1) to augment an existing program, (2) to reduce by 10% funding or personnel for any existing program, or (3) that results from a reduction in personnel which would result in a change in existing programs.

(Sec. 721) Authorizes the Secretary to assess a one-time fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan that does not exceed 3% of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.

(Sec. 722) Prohibits USDA or FDA funds from being used to transmit to any non-USDA or non-United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employee questions or responses to questions that are a result of information requested for the appropriations hearing process.

(Sec. 723) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by any executive branch entity to produce a prepackaged news story for U.S. broadcast or distribution unless it contains audio or text notice that it was produced or funded by such executive entity.

(Sec. 724) Requires USDA agencies to reimburse each other for employees detailed for longer than 30 days.

(Sec. 725) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to provide nonrecourse marketing assistance loans for mohair.

(Sec. 726) Directs the Secretary, the FDA Commissioner, and the FCA Chairman to submit to Congress a spending plan by program, project, and activity for the funds made available under this Act.

(Sec. 727) Makes specified funds available for assistance to recipient nations only if adequate controls are in place to ensure that emergency food aid is received by the intended beneficiaries and not otherwise diverted.

(Sec. 728) Directs the Secretary to: (1) continue the pilot program in effect for FY2013 for packaging direct loans for single family rural housing, and (2) enter into additional agreements that increase the number of participating intermediary organizations to at least 10.

(Sec. 729) Authorizes the Secretary to increase by up to 25% the program level for certain loans and loan guarantees that do not require budget authority.

(Sec. 730) Prohibits the use of funds to write, prepare, or publish a final or interim rule in furtherance of the proposed USDA rule "Implementation of Regulations Required Under Title XI, of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008; Conduct in Violation of the Act" unless the combined annual cost to the economy of such rule does not exceed $100 million.

(Sec. 731) Declares that certain credit card refunds or rebates transferred to the Working Capital Fund: (1) shall not be made available for obligation without congressional notification and approval; but (2) shall be available for obligation only for the acquisition of plant and capital equipment necessary for the delivery of financial, administrative, and information technology services of primary benefit to USDA agencies.

(Sec. 732) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used for a project or program named for an individual serving as a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of the U.S. House of Representatives.

(Sec. 733) Provides that beginning with FY2014, losses under the supplemental agricultural disaster assistance program shall not be considered the "same loss" for purposes of the noninsured crop assistance program and the crop insurance program. (Thus making a loss eligible for benefits under the supplemental agricultural assistance program and the other programs.)

(Sec. 734) Provides that: (1) certain funds for the FDA shall not be available for obligation until the FDA finalizes a specified draft guidance; and (2) if the FDA fails to finalize such guidance by June 30, 2015, the funds shall be made available to assist federal, state, and local agencies combat the diversion and illegal sales of controlled substances.

(Sec. 735) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to enter into specified transactions with, or provide a grant, loan or loan guarantee to, a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and determined that such action is not necessary to protect the government's interests.

(Sec. 736) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act to enter into specified transactions with, or provide a grant, loan, or loan guarantee to, any corporation with any unpaid federal tax liability, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner, where the awarding agency is aware of this unpaid tax liability.

Waives this prohibition if the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and determined that such an action is not necessary to protect the government's interests.

(Sec. 737) Limits funds available for repair or replacement of bulk fuel storage tanks in Alaska that are not in compliance with applicable federal or state law.

(Sec. 738) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to exclude or restrict the eligibility of any variety of fresh, whole, or cut vegetables, except for vegetables with added sugars, fats, or oils, from being provided as supplemental foods under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC).

(Sec. 739) Directs the Secretary to establish a process by which a state shall grant a compliance waiver for certain USDA regulations regarding nutrition standards in the national school lunch and school breakfast programs for the 2014–2015 school year to any school food authority located in a state that verifies a food service program net loss for a period of at least six months beginning on or after July 1, 2013.

(Sec. 740) Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress:

celebrates May 8, 2014, as the 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act and recognizes the significance of the establishment of a nationwide Cooperative Extension System;
honors the university faculty and local educators who help people, families, youth, businesses, and communities solve problems, develop skills, and build a better future;
thanks the volunteers who promote excellence for 4-H clubs, the master gardeners program, the family and consumer sciences program, and other Cooperative Extension System programs; and
encourages collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to assure Cooperative Extension System sustainability.

(Sec. 741) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to inspect horses for slaughter purposes.

(Sec. 742) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to procure processed poultry products from China for the school lunch program, the child and adult food care program, the summer food service program for children, or the school breakfast program.

(Sec. 743) States that the amount by which the applicable allocation of new budget authority made by the House Committee on Appropriations (under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974) exceeds the amount of proposed new budget authority is $0.

Procedural history
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on June 4, 2014, by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL). The bill was reported by the United States House Committee on Appropriations. The accompanying committee report was Report 113-468. The bill was considered by the House on June 11, 2014, under an open rule which meant that House members were allowed to offer as many amendments to the bill as they wanted.

Debate and discussion
One provision of the bill would waive the requirement that schools follow certain nutritional requirements in their school lunches, requirements that first lady Michelle Obama has been a strong supporter of.

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) announced his intention to add an amendment to the bill that would stop the FDA from interfering with artisan cheese-makers who use wooden boards and shelves to age their cheese. According to Welch, the FDA's crackdown is "without evidence" and an example of "overreach."

An amendment offered by Rep Barbara Lee (D-CA) was accepted by voice vote. The amendment moves $8.1 million of funding from the Secretary of Agriculture's administrative budget to provide additional funding (now a total of $35 million) for a grant program to schools allowing them to buy equipment for making and serving breakfast to students. Lee argued that "the bottom line is breakfasts are very, very important to the growth, health and welfare and the development of our children."

See also
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress
2015 United States federal appropriations

References

External links

Library of Congress - Thomas H.R. 4800
beta.congress.gov H.R. 4800
GovTrack.us H.R. 4800
OpenCongress.org H.R. 4800
WashingtonWatch.com H.R. 4800
House Republican Conference's legislative digest on H.R. 4800
Report 113-468 on H.R. 4800

Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress
United States federal appropriations in the 113th Congress


title: No Fools, No Fun

text:
No Fools, No Fun is the debut full-length album by Brooklyn-based alt-country trio Puss n Boots, released on July 15, 2014, through Blue Note Records. It is a collection of five original and seven cover songs originally performed by artists including Johnny Cash, Wilco and Neil Young. The album, which contains both studio and live recordings, is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. The album's title comes from lyrics in the Johnny Cash song, "Bull Rider", which is covered by the band on the album.

Background and recording
About six months prior to the album's release the band decided to make a full-length album. The standard-edition release contains three live recordings, while a fourth is included as one of two bonus tracks on the Amazon deluxe edition. The live tracks were recorded live at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY on June 27, 2013. The studio tracks on the album were recorded in just three days at Studio G in Brooklyn.

Release

Singles
The lead single from No Fools, No Fun, titled "Down By The River (Live From The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY / 2013)",  was released on June 3, 2014. The song is a cover written and originally performed by Neil Young.

Album
No Fools, No Fun was released on July 15, 2014, through Blue Note Records. Amazon released an exclusive edition on CD and digital download that contains two bonus tracks.

Promotion
In support of the album, Puss n Boots toured during the summer and fall of 2014. Along with clubs, the band performed at numerous festivals including the Clearwater Festival, Green River Festival and the Newport Folk Festival.

On July 12, 2014, Puss n Boots was featured on SiriusXM's Outlaw Country channel, promoting the album and playing songs from it over an hour-long program.

Prior to the album's release the band performed at The Wall Street Journal cafe and inside the "Soundcheck studio" at WNYC.

On July 16, 2014, Puss n Boots performed "Don't Know What It Means" on The Tonight Show.

On August 16, 2014, Puss n Boots appeared on the Saturday edition of the television show CBS This Morning.

On October 2, 2014 Puss n Boots appeared inside the performance studio at a Live Lunch presentation from WTMD 89.7 in Towson/Baltimore MD.

Critical reception

No Fools, No Fun received mostly positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, they assign a "weighted average" rating out of 100 to selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, and the album has received an Metascore of a 66, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five, calling it "an appealing listen," and that it is "never rowdy -- the closest it comes is the train-track beat of Jones' original "Don't Know What It Means"—but there's an earthiness to the trio's chemistry that signals how deeply the group knows each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Rating the album three stars out of five, Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter states that its "difficult to dislike something that feels as genuine and unaffected as these dozen tracks played by talented friends clearly relishing each other’s company."

Writing for Rolling Stone and rating the album three stars out of five, Will Hermes expressed, "Most bar bands don't manage trio harmonies near this gorgeous, but the song selection is uneven."

Frederick Marfil of M Magazine called No Fools, No Fun "This summer’s all-purpose soundtrack ... (it) sounds as good at parties as it does in your headphones."

Chart performance
No Fools, No Fun debuted at No. 83 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also debuted at No. 7 on the Folk Albums chart and No. 28 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Track listing

Personnel

Puss n Boots
 Norah Jones – vocals, electric guitar, fiddle
 Sasha Dobson – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, drums
 Catherine Popper – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar

Technical personnel
 Joel Hamilton – engineering, mixing (at Studio G in Brooklyn, NY)
 Greg Calbi – mastering (at Sterling Sound in New York City)
 Matt Labozza – assistant engineering
 Mike Jinno – assistant engineering
 Francisco Botero – assistant engineering
 Nicole Frantz – creative direction
 Frank Harkins – art direction, design
 Richard Ballard – photography

Release history

References

2014 debut albums
Blue Note Records albums
Puss n Boots albums


title: 2014 Abruzzo regional election

text:
The Abruzzo regional election of 2014 took place on 25 May 2014.

The Democratic candidate Luciano D'Alfonso, a former Christian Democrat who had been mayor of Pescara in 2003–2009, defeated incumbent President Giovanni Chiodi of Forza Italia by a wide margin.

Results

References

Elections in Abruzzo
2014 elections in Italy
May 2014 events in Italy


title: John Tarleton (MP)

text:
John Tarleton (26 October 1755 – 19 September 1841) was an English ship-owner, slave-trader and politician.

He was a son of John Tarleton, a West Indies merchant and slave trader, from Aigburth near Liverpool, and brother of Banastre Tarleton.

The younger John also became a West India merchant, in partnership with his brothers Thomas and Clayton, and Daniel Backhouse. Between 1786 and 1804 he invested in 39 Liverpool-registered ships.

At the 1790 general election he unsuccessfully contested the borough of Seaford, but an election petition resulted in him being awarded the seat in 1792. In Parliament, he opposed measures to abolish or regulate the slave trade.

At the 1796 general election, he did not contest Seaford but stood against his brother Banastre in Liverpool, but failed to win a seat.

Tarleton married Isabella Collingwood (c.1770–c.1850), who was heir of Alexander Collingwood of Unthank and Little Ryle, near Alnham. Their four children were all born between 1792 and 1806 in Liverpool. Tarleton went on to inherit the Collingwood estates in Northumberland, and also owned property in Gloucester Place, London.

John Tarleton died on 20 September 1841 at 14 Grove Terrace, London, and was buried at St Pancras.

References

1755 births
1841 deaths
British businesspeople in shipping
People from Aigburth
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1790–1796
British slave traders
Businesspeople from Liverpool


title: Corringham railway station

text:
Corringham railway station served the villages of Corringham and Fobbing  in Essex, England, between 1901 and 1952.

History
The station was the terminus of the Corringham Light Railway. As opened, it had a cycle shed, male and female lavatories and an open-fronted shelter. There was also a small loading bank beyond the passenger platform. The buildings and platform were in red brick. Initially, the platform's length was 150 ft. During the First World War, the platform was lengthened to 340 ft, owing to the increased number of workers travelling to the explosive factories at Kynochtown. The platform remained this length until closure. In later years, the station became very dilapidated and run-down, and suffered a sharp fall in passenger numbers after the introduction of buses to the area in the 1920s. The loading bank was cut back and was out of use by the mid-1930s. The station closed in 1952 when the Vacuum Oil Company bought up the Coryton refinery and discontinued the passenger services.

After closure
The station was demolished almost immediately after closure and the whole branch was lifted at about the same time.  Despite this, the remainder of the railway remains in use as a goods line. The section between Thames Haven and Coryton was relaid at about the same time the Corringham branch was removed.

References

Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1901
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1952
Disused railway stations in Essex


title: San Diego County Administration Center

text:
The San Diego County Administration Center is a historic Beaux-Arts/Spanish Revival-style building in San Diego, California. It houses the offices of the Government of San Diego County. It was completed in 1938 and was primarily funded by the Works Progress Administration. It was previously known as the San Diego Civic Center and as the City and County Administration Building. Because of its notable architecture and its location fronting San Diego Bay, it is nicknamed the Jewel on the Bay. Architects were Samuel Wood Hamill, William Templeton Johnson, Richard Requa and Louis John Gill.  The building used innovative construction techniques to guard against earthquakes, and the project was considered to be "a prototype of American civic center architecture". The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 1988.

History
In order to consolidate city and county government offices which were scattered across downtown San Diego, city planner John Nolen was engaged to plan a civic center. Voters rejected the first draft plan (1908) which would have placed the civic center downtown. In 1926 Nolen completed a plan which placed the civic center on newly dredged tidelands. This plan was approved in a March 1927 election. There was considerable opposition to building on the tidelands, in part because it was felt such a building would be unstable in an earthquake, but it was stabilized by 30-foot-long steel pilings driven in the ground and other measures. Some of the steel pilings were alternated in a manner designed to bear lateral stress; this was a novel design and was considered to be "on the cutting edge of engineering developments." Engineering issues and the Great Depression delayed the start of construction until 1935, when $1 million of Works Progress Administration funds were assigned to the project (combined with $750,000 of local funds). President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the building on July 16, 1938 before a crowd estimated as 25,000 people.

In 1964 the city moved its offices to a new downtown Community Concourse, and since then the building has held county offices only. Today many county offices are housed in a County Operations Center at 5500-5600 Overland Avenue, and the county maintains several branch offices to serve the public. The historic County Administration Center is still the home of the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Administrative Officer, the Assessor, the County Clerk, the Treasurer/Tax Collector, and many forms of public records.

In 2014 a waterfront park was opened on the former site of the building's parking lots.

Architecture
The design was intended to complement structures in Balboa Park, a mix of Spanish Revival and Beaux-Arts architecture. Southwestern touches include "a red Mission tile roof, glazed Franciscan inlaid pottery tile, and arched door and window openings." The design of the central office tower included so-called P.W.A. Moderne.  The structure also features the detail of Zigzag moderne through the use of a large amount of ornamentation, "recessed windows in vertical patterns," and "smooth-surfaced columns."
The county's art collection shown inside the building includes works by Charles Reiffel, Charles Fries, and a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Donald Armand Luscomb.

Artwork
A sculpture fountain, Guardian of Water (1939), by Donal Hord, stands on the harbor side of the building. Murals inside the building are by Arthur Ames and Jean Goodwin; they are painted with egg tempera, a popular water medium used in Italy in the 13th-15th centuries.

Waterfront Park
In May 2014, the  County Administration Center Waterfront Park opened on both the north and south sides of the building, formerly surface parking lots. The Waterfront Park, more than a decade in the making, contains open grassy areas, gardens planted with drought-tolerant flowers on the north side, and picnic areas, a playground with colorful swings and slides, and an interactive water fountain on the south side.

Gallery

References

Country Administration Center
Government buildings completed in 1938
Parks in San Diego
National Register of Historic Places in San Diego
1930s architecture in the United States
Beaux-Arts architecture in California
Mission Revival architecture in California
Moderne architecture in California
PWA Moderne architecture in California
Spanish Revival architecture in California
Streamline Moderne architecture in California
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California
County government buildings in California


title: Vladimir Bogolyubov

text:
Vladimir Bogolyubov (; born 6 October 1954) is a former pair skater who represented the Soviet Union with Marina Leonidova. Coached by Tamara Moskvina and Tatiana Tarasova, they were three-time Prize of Moscow News bronze medalists and two-time Soviet national bronze medalists. The pair placed fourth at the 1975 European Championships in Copenhagen and fifth at the 1975 World Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They also competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and finished ninth.

Bogolyubov later moved to the United States. He is a figure skating coach in Voorhees Township, New Jersey.

Competitive highlights
(with Leonidova)

1974 Spartakiada results were used for Soviet Nationals results

References

1954 births
Soviet male pair skaters
Soviet emigrants to the United States
Living people
Figure skaters at the 1976 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters for the Soviet Union


title: Covasna inclined plane

text:
Covasna's inclined plane (also called Șiclău) is a unique standard gauge railway system used to carry logs by using gravity, without any other source of energy.

History

Covasna's inclined plane (Șiclăul, as it is known locally), was designed by engineer Emil Lux in 1886, at the initiative of lumber mill owner David Horn  near the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Romania. The railway's main purpose was to increase wood supply and timber transportation. A narrow gauge railway (760 mm) Comandău -  Covasna was built between 1889 and 1891.

After two years Horn transferred the concession to  forestry company Ardeleana, formerly Erdelyi Erdoipar RT. Ardeleana was founded in 1890 and was owned by Groedel brothers. This company built nine railway systems covering a total of 118.3 km. To enable the connection between Valea Zânelor (Fairy's Valley) and Șiclău, the Inclined Plane was inaugurated in 1890. The components were manufactured by Viennese firm Obach. The Inclined Plane was used every day for over a century (1892-1995). It transported approximately 30 cars daily, each having the capacity of 10m3 of wood.

In 1995, only a few years after celebrating its centenary, the Inclined Plane underwent a series of unfortunate events when a powerful storm toppled almost all the nearby trees. In addition, in 1997 the top control station was destroyed by fire. A drastic reduction in wood volumes ended the Inclined Plane on 1 October 1999 (along with 32 km of railway that formed the last remains of the forestry railways system from Comandău).

Operation
The train operated by allowing the weight of a loaded train to pull a lighter, empty train up the slope. A metal cable connected the two trains. Operation was controlled from the control room located in the top station. Trains ran on a normal track gauge (1435 mm). In the middle of the route a branch allowed the simultaneous passage of the wagons.

References

External links

 How a unique technical gem is disappearing
 The story of a unique technical monument in Europe

Rail infrastructure in Romania
Forest railways
Heritage railways in Romania
Tourist attractions in Covasna County
Funicular railways in Romania
760 mm gauge railways in Romania
Railway inclines
Defunct funicular railways


title: Direct clustering algorithm

text:
Direct clustering algorithm (DCA) is a methodology for identification of cellular manufacturing structure within an existing manufacturing shop. The DCA was introduced in 1982 by H.M. Chan and D.A. Milner  The algorithm restructures the existing machine / component (product) matrix of a shop by switching the rows and columns in such a way that a resulting matrix shows component families (groups) with corresponding machine groups. See Group technology. The algorithm is executable in manual way but was already suitable for computer use of the time.

Procedure
The cellular manufacturing structure consists of several machine groups (production cells) where corresponding product groups (products with similar technology) are being exclusively manufactured. In aim of identification of possible cellular manufacturing structure within an existing manufacturing shop the DCA methodology roughly provides following procedure:

 Setting up a matrix where one dimension represents machines, the other products. All intersections where a product requires a machine is filled with "1", all others are filled with "0".
 The position of the columns and order of the rows is than changed. The algorithm provides the rules for column changing and row changing in aim of concentration of matrix cells containing "1" in several groups.
 The resulting matrix shows groups of products with corresponding machines aligned by the matrix diagonal.

The experience
The DCA methodology would give a perfect result in an ideal case where there are no overlapping machines or products between the groups. The overlapping in most real cases represents further challenge for the methodology users. The "Formation of Machine Cells/ Part Families in Cellular Manufacturing Systems Using an ART-Modified Single Linkage Clustering Approach – A Comparative Study" by M. Murugan and V. Selladurai shows the comparison of DCA to some other methodologies of the same purpose.

References

External links
Saving Time With Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM)

Lean manufacturing