text:
\section{Introduction}

\label{intro}
Quantum Chromodynamics predicts that at sufficiently high energy density partons can no longer be confined inside the nucleons. Indeed, a new state of matter with deconfined partons, called Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP), is formed in ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions~\cite{Shuryak,Busza}. The QGP undergoes a collective expansion which can be described by relativistic hydrodynamics. The initial geometry of the colliding nuclei creates anisotropic pressure gradients in the transverse plane perpendicular to the beam direction. As a consequence, such initial spatial anisotropy is converted into momentum anisotropy observable in the final state as a preferential emission of particles in a certain azimuthal direction. The anisotropic flow can be studied by Fourier decomposition of the emitted hadron yield distribution in azimuthal angle $\phi$~\cite{Ollitrault:1993ba,Voloshin:1994mz,Poskanzer:1998yz}
\begin{equation}
\label{F1}
\frac{dN}{d\phi} \propto 1+2\sum_{n}v_{n}\cos[n(\phi - \Phi_{n})].
\end{equation}
Here, Fourier coefficient $v_{n}$ represents the magnitude of the azimuthal anisotropy measured with respect to the n-th order harmonic plane angle $\Phi_{n}$. The angle $\Phi_{n}$ can be reconstructed from the emitted particle distribution itself. The elliptic flow $v_{2}$ is the most studied anisotropy. The $\Phi_{2}$ which corresponds to the $v_{2}$ is correlated with the participant plane spanned by the beam direction and the shorter axis of the roughly lenticular shape of the nuclear overlap region. The initial-state fluctuations in the positions of nucleons induce higher-order deformations, and thus higher order Fourier harmonics ($v_{n}$, $n \ge $3 in Eq.~(\ref{F1})) are present. Higher-order Fourier harmonics are measured with respect to the corresponding harmonic plane angles $\Phi_{n}$~\cite{Alver:2010gr}. The collective behavior of the QGP has been studied using the azimuthal anisotropy of emitted particles detected in experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)~\cite{Back:2002gz,Ackermann:2000tr,Adcox:2002ms} and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)~\cite{Aamodt:2010pa,ALICE:2011ab,Abelev:2014pua,Adam:2016izf,ATLAS:2011ah,ATLAS:2012at,Aad:2013xma,Chatrchyan:2012wg,Chatrchyan:2012ta,Chatrchyan:2013kba,CMS:2013bza,Khachatryan:2015oea}.

One of the experimental methods used to determine the $v_{n}$ coefficients is based on two-particle azimuthal correlations~\cite{Wang:1991qh}. These correlations can also be Fourier decomposed into
\begin{equation}
\label{F2}
\frac{dN^{pair}}{d\Delta\phi} \propto 1+2\sum_{n}V_{n\Delta}\cos(n\Delta\phi),
\end{equation}
where $\Delta\phi$ is the relative azimuthal angle of the particle pair. Assuming the factorization,
 the two-particle Fourier coefficient $V_{n\Delta}$ is a product of the single-particle anisotropies of the particle pair. The $v_{n}$ anisotropy can then be extracted by
\begin{equation}
\label{v_n}
 v_{n} = \sqrt{V_{n\Delta}},
\end{equation}
with the two particles in the pair correlation belonging to the same particle group. For each event from a given centrality\footnote{The centrality of a nucleus-nucleus collision is defined as a fraction of the total inelastic nucleus-nucleus cross section, with 0\% denoting the most central collisions.} class a two-dimensional two-particle correlation is constructed as a function of $\Delta\phi$ and relative pseudorapidity $\Delta\eta$. Typically, particles with 0.5 $< p_{T} <$ 2~GeV/c and $|\eta| <$~2.5 are used as we adopt in this study. In order to remove short range correlations only pairs with $|\Delta\eta| \ge$ 2 are taken into account. One-dimensional correlation function in $\Delta\phi$ is built by projecting the two-dimensional correlation function onto the $\Delta\phi$ axis and then decomposed using the Eq.~(\ref{F2}).

This paper is organized as follows. The basic features of the HYDJET++ model~\cite{Lokhtin:2008xi} and the AMPT model~\cite{Lin:2004en} are described in Sect.~2. Approximately 1M PbPb collision events at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}=2.76$~TeV each are simulated using the HYDJET++ (version 2.3) and AMPT (version 1.25-2.25) models. The results and discussions are given in Sect.~3. The results are presented over a wide range of centralities going from ultra central (0-5\% centrality) to peripheral (65-70\% centrality) PbPb collisions. A summary is given in Sect.~4.

\section{HYDJET++ and AMPT model}
\label{HYDJET}
The Monte Carlo HYDJET++ and AMPT models simulate relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. HYDJET++ consists of two components which simulate soft and hard processes. The soft part governs the ideal hydrodynamical evolution of the system while the hard part provides multiparton fragmentation. The hard part of the HYDJET++ consists of PYTHIA~\cite{Sjostrand:2006za} and PYQUEN~\cite{Lokhtin:2005px} event generators which simulate initial parton-parton collisions, radiative energy loss of partons and parton hadronization. It also takes into account jet quenching effects within the formed medium. The minimum transverse momentum transfer $p^{min}_{T}$ of a parton-parton scattering determines whether it contributes to the soft or the hard part. In the soft part of the HYDJET++ model, the elliptic flow magnitude is governed by the spatial anisotropy $\epsilon(b)$ which, at a given impact parameter $b$, represents the elliptic anisotropy of the hydrodynamics hypersurface at the freeze-out, and by the momentum anisotropy $\delta(b)$ which is the modulation of flow velocity profile (see Eq.~(34) in~\cite{Lokhtin:2008xi}). In the low-$p_{T}$ range ($\le$~2 GeV/c), the elliptic flow is mainly determined by the internal pressure gradients developed within the expanding fireball during the initial phase of the collision, and is sensitive to the $\epsilon$ and $\delta$ parameters. As each fluid cell carries a certain momentum, at the freeze-out the spatial anisotropy is transformed into the momentum anisotropy. In order to extend the HYDJET++ model to the triangular $v_{3}$ flow, additionally the third-order spatial ($\epsilon_{3}(b)$) and momentum ($\rho(b)$) anisotropy parameters are introduced. Simulation of the events can be performed under several configurations. The most realistic one, 'flow+quenched jets', which includes both hydrodynamics expansion and quenched jets is used in this analysis. The details of the model can be found in the HYDJET++ manual~\cite{Lokhtin:2008xi}.

A multi-phase transport (AMPT) model~\cite{Lin:2004en} consists of several parts: the HIJING model~\cite{Wang:1991hta} which generates semi-hard minijet partons and soft strings; string melting which converts strings into partons; Zhang's parton cascade (ZPC)~\cite{Zhang:1997ej} which simulates the interactions among partons; the Lund string fragmentation~\cite{Lund,Anderson} as implemented in JET-SET/PYTHIA~\cite{Sjostrand} to convert the excited strings into hadrons or a simple quark coalescence model to convert partons into hadrons in the case of string melting; interactions among hadrons are described by the extended relativistic transport model. In this analysis, the default value of the parton cross section of 3~mb is used in ZPC. The running coupling $\alpha_{s}$ and the screen mass $\mu$ values of 0.4714 and 3.2264~fm$^{-1}$ are used, respectively~\cite{Wei:2018xpm}. This, together with the assumed initial temperature of 468~MeV, gives an effective specific shear viscosity $\eta/s$ of 0.137 based on Eq.(4) in~\cite{Wei:2018xpm}. Within the model, the anisotropies of different orders are developed due to the initial state eccentricities. It was shown in~\cite{Zhou:2015eya} that in peripheral collisions the efficiency of converting the initial eccentricities into final momentum anisotropies decreases because of the reduced amount of interactions in the small system. More details about the AMPT model can be found in~\cite{Lin:2004en}.

\section{Results}
\label{Res}
Centrality dependencies of the Fourier harmonics $v_{2}$, $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ from PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}=2.76$~TeV simulated by the HYDJET++ and AMPT models are shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1} together with the experimental data from the ATLAS Collaboration~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. In both models, the elliptic $v_{2}$ harmonic exhibits a strong centrality dependence, while the $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ have a weak centrality dependence. The $v_{2}$ in the HYDJET++ model continuously increases up to 70\% centrality, while in the AMPT model it reaches its maximum at 50--60\% centrality and than starts to decrease similarly to the experimental data. Except the most central collisions where predictions from both models agree with the experimentally measured $v_{2}$, the models predict smaller elliptic flow than the data for centralities up to 50\%. For centralities above 50\%, the $v_{2}$ from the HYDJET++ model continues to increase and becomes greater than the expermental one. The $v_{3}$ extracted from both models is, up to 50\% centrality, in a mutual agreement and in a good agreement with the experimentally measured $v_{3}$. For centralities above 50\%, both models give $v_{3}$ greater than the experimentally measured one. The AMPT model prediction for $v_{4}$ Fourier harmonic is in a very good agreement with the experimentally measured $v_{4}$ for practically the whole centrality range, while the corresponding prediction from the HYDJET++ model disagrees with the experimental data. We note that the fourth-order spatial and momentum anisotropies are not implemented in the HYDJET++ model so the failure of the model in $v_{4}$ is expected. Based on these calculations, the correlations between Fourier harmonics of different orders are presented in the rest of the paper.

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{./vn_cent.pdf}
  \caption{\label{fig:1} (Color online) The centrality dependence of the $v_{2}$ (upper panel), $v_{3}$ (middle panel) and $v_{4}$ (bottom panel) from the 0.5 $< p_{T} <$ 2~GeV/c interval in PbPb collisions at 2.76~TeV~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. The experimental data from ATLAS are shown by the closed circles. The results simulated by AMPT and HYDJET++ models are shown by the open red triangles and blue squares, respectively. The shadow boxes represent the systematic uncertainties of the experimental data, while the statistical uncertainties are smaller than the symbol size.}
\end{figure}

The correlation between the average $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$ Fourier harmonics, where each point represents one centrality class, is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:2}. In contrast to the $v_2$, higher order Fourier harmonics $v_{n}$ ($n=3,4$) have a weak centrality dependence and in peripheral collisions they decrease faster than in central collisions as measured by ATLAS~~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. This introduces the appearance of a boomerang-like structure. The ideal hydrodynamics in the HYDJET++ model predicts nearly linear centrality dependence of the $v_{n}$ harmonics, and thus does not produce the boomerang structure. The same behavior has been found in~\cite{Qian:2016pau} with specific shear viscosity $\eta/s$ = 0, while in the viscous hydrodynamics with positive $\eta/s$ values, the $v_{n}$ harmonics reach maxima and then decrease going to peripheral collisions. As a consequence, the boomerang-like shape appears in $v_{n}$--$v_{m}$ correlations. The slopes of the $v_{2}$--$v_{3}$ dependence agree between the experimental data and the HYDJET++ model up to about 50\% centrality. Going to more peripheral collisions, the difference starts to increase and show qualitatively different behavior. Up to 50\% centrality, the magnitudes of the $v_{2}$ coefficients in the experimental data are greater than the ones predicted in the HYDJET++ model. For centralities above 50\%, HYDJET++ predicts further increases of the $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$ coefficients, while the experimental data show a decrease.

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{./v2v3_zoom.pdf}
  \caption{\label{fig:2} (Color online) The correlation between $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$ from the 0.5 $< p_{T} <$ 2~GeV/c interval for fourteen 5\%-wide centrality classes over the centrality range 0--70\% in PbPb collisions at 2.76~TeV~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. The results simulated by the AMPT and HYDJET++ models are shown by the open red triangles and blue squares, respectively. The shadow boxes represent the systematic uncertainties of the experimental data, while the statistical uncertainties are smaller than the symbol size.}
\end{figure}

Unlike HYDJET++, the AMPT model predicts the slope as well as the boomerang-like shape of the correlation. However, the boomerang turn is much sharper than the one seen in the ATLAS data~\cite{Aad:2015lwa} (see the zoomed plot in the Fig.~\ref{fig:2}). The experimental data from peripheral collisions shows a much faster decrease of the $v_{3}$ coefficient than the AMPT prediction where the decrease of the $v_{3}$ coefficient going to the peripheral collisions is the same as the decrease going to central collisions. For centralities above 35\%, the $v_{3}$ coefficients from the AMPT model are greater than the ones measured by ATLAS, while for centralities below 20\% the model results are somewhat smaller than the data. The relatively small partonic cross section used for this analysis of the AMPT model induces a significant effective specific shear viscosity~\cite{Zhou:2016eiz}, which produces maxima in the $v_{n}$ distributions and then a decrease of the $v_{n}$ going towards peripheral collisions.

Fig.~\ref{fig:3} shows centrality dependence of the correlation between $v_{2}$ and $v_{4}$ harmonics. Again, the experimental data~\cite{Aad:2015lwa} for very peripheral collisions show a boomerang shape, while the HYDJET++ model does not predict it. The HYDJET++ model predicts a much stronger slope than the one seen in the experimental data. Also, in central collisions, the HYDJET++ model predicts smaller $v_{4}$ values, while in peripheral collisions HYDJET++ gives greater $v_{4}$ values than the ones seen in the experimental data. Experimental $v_{2}$ values are greater than those extracted from the HYDJET++ simulation except for centralities above 50\% where $v_{2}$ values continue to increase, while experimental ones start to decrease. In contrast to the $v_{3}$ anisotropy, the $v_{4}$ anisotropy is not introduced in the model via the corresponding eccentricity. Appearance of the higher order harmonics $v_{n}$ ($n > $3) is a consequence of the interference of the $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$ harmonics~\cite{Bravina:2013xla}. As there is a larger disagreement between HYDJET++ $v_{4}$ predictions and the data, this model does not describe the data well also in the $v_{2}$--$v_{4}$ correlation analysis.

Fig.~\ref{fig:3} also shows prediction of the AMPT model. The AMPT model reproduces the slope and the boomerang-like shape of the $v_{2}$--$v_{4}$ correlation (see the zoomed plot in the Fig.~\ref{fig:3}). In contrast to the $v_{2}$--$v_{3}$ correlation, the AMPT model predicts the experimentally observed slope of the $v_{2}$--$v_{4}$ correlation even for peripheral collisions. The model reproduces rather well the experimentally measured $v_{4}$ values, while the $v_{2}$ values from AMPT are smaller than the measured ones except for the most central 0--5\% collisions.

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{./v2v4_zoom.pdf}
\caption{\label{fig:3} (Color online) The correlation between $v_{2}$ and $v_{4}$ from the 0.5 $< p_{T} <$ 2~GeV/c interval for thirteen (fourteen) 5\%-wide centrality classes over the centrality ranges 0--65\% (0--70\%) in PbPb collisions at 2.76~TeV~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. The results simulated by the AMPT and HYDJET++ models are shown by the open red triangles and blue squares, respectively. The error bars represent the statistical uncertainties. The shadow boxes represent the systematic uncertainties of the experimental data.}
\end{figure}

The correlation between $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ Fourier harmonics is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:4}. Again, due to a larger disagreement between HYDJET++ $v_{4}$ predictions and the data, the HYDJET++ model predicts a steeper slope of $v_{3}$--$v_{4}$ correlation than the experimental data~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. Similarly to the case of the $v_{2}$--$v_{4}$ correlation, the AMPT model reproduces the $v_{3}$--$v_{4}$ correlation observed in the experiment. For the peripheral collisions the AMPT model predicts the boomerang-like shape of the correlations with an opening angle similar to the one seen in the experimental data. However, it is worthwhile to note that there seems a subtle difference, namely, the data show a boomerang-like shape with a left turn, while the AMPT model predicts a right turn. Except for the most peripheral collisions, the AMPT model reproduces the magnitudes of the $v_{4}$ Fourier harmonic very well. For central collisions, the $v_{3}$ magnitudes are somewhat smaller than the experimentally  measured ones, while for peripheral collisions the situation is opposite.

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{./v3v4_zoom.pdf}
  \caption{\label{fig:4} (Color online) The correlation between $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ from the 0.5 $< p_{T} <$ 2~GeV/c interval for thirteen (fourteen) 5\%-wide centrality classes over the centrality range 0--65\% (0--70\%) in PbPb collisions at 2.76~TeV~\cite{Aad:2015lwa}. The results simulated by the AMPT and HYDJET++ are shown by the open red triangles and blue squares, respectively. The error bars represent the statistical uncertainties. The shadow boxes represent the systematic uncertainties of the experimental data.}
\end{figure}

\section{Summary}
\label{sec:conc}
Centrality dependence of the correlations between $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$, $v_{2}$ and $v_{4}$, and $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ are studied using two-particle correlation technique within 0.5~$< p_{T} <$~2.0~GeV/c and $|\eta| <$~2.5 in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}=2.76$~TeV simulated by the HYDJET++ and AMPT models. The results are compared to the corresponding experimental measurements obtained by the ATLAS Collaboration. In general, both models reproduce rather well the experimentally measured magnitudes of the Fourier harmonics $v_{n}$ in central collisions. Going to more peripheral collisions, discrepancy between data and models becomes more pronounced. In the case of the correlations between $v_{2}$ and $v_{3}$, both the HYDJET++ and AMPT models reproduce rather well the slope. Because of a weak centrality dependence of the higher-order $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ Fourier harmonics, and a faster decrease of their magnitudes in peripheral than in central collisions, the experimental data exhibit a boomerang-like shape. This structure is not observed in the HYDJET++ model, but is reproduced by the AMPT model. Due to the disagreement between HYDJET++ $v_{4}$ predictions and the data, the HYDJET++ model does not reproduce the slopes in the correlations between $v_{2}$ and $v_{4}$ and between $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$, while the AMPT model reproduces them well. In conclusion, the AMPT model reproduces the experimentally observed features of the correlations between Fourier harmonics of different orders better than the HYDJET++ model.

\begin{acknowledgments}
The authors acknowledge the support of the Bilateral Cooperation
between Republic of Serbia and People's Republic of China 451-03-478/2018-09/04 ''Phenomenology in high energy physics''. This work was supported in part by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant No.~171019), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.~11847315) and the U.S.~Department of Energy (Grant No.~de-sc0012910).
\end{acknowledgments}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Emery: No dispute between PSG and Brazil over injured Neymar
Associated PressMar 2, 2018, 1:59 PM EST
PARIS (AP) Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil national team officials are on the same page regarding Neymar's injury, the French club's coach said Friday.
Neymar, who was signed by PSG for a world record 222 million euros ($260 million) from Barcelona last year, is set to undergo surgery on his injured right foot.
PSG initially said the Brazil forward would not go under the knife, before announcing a day later that he would. The club then let Neymar travel back to his home country.
Neymar's injury has ruled him out of Tuesday's Champions League return leg against Real Madrid, with PSG trailing 3-1. But according Brazil's national team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, Neymar's absence could last up to three months.
Asked Friday whether the club had lost control of Neymar, PSG coach Unai Emery said both sides are working hand-in-hand.
"Internally, we speak with much clarity," Emery said. "We first listened to our doctor's diagnosis. Then we've heard Brazil's national team doctor. Since we learned about his injury, we have been seeking the best for both the player and the team in our decision making."
Neymar was injured Sunday in Paris Saint-Germain's 3-0 win over Marseille in the French league. After a battery of tests, PSG announced that Neymar had a cracked the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, along with an ankle injury.
That diagnosis was contested by Lasmar, who said it was not a simple fissure, but "a meaningful fracture in a toe in the middle of his foot."
PSG and Brazil have competing interests in Neymar's case. If the French league club manages to turn things around against Madrid and reaches the Champions League quarterfinals, it might be tempted to rush Neymar's return to competition in order to have him available.
Brazil, however, will be concentrating more on the World Cup, which starts on June 14 in Russia. Brazil is scheduled to play its first match against Switzerland on June 17.
After seeing Neymar's X-rays, Emery repeated that his injury had been well diagnosed by PSG.
"I can't tell whether there is a fracture or not," Emery said. "But I clearly saw a crack on the fifth metatarsal. I've suffered this type of injury, and I know how to recover. For us, it remains an ankle sprain and a crack in the fifth metatarsal."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tracks: Three Myths; No Inadequate Words; Colonial Sketch No. 1; Happy Go Lucky Country; Ballad In Search of a Title; Third Generation.


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text:
Apex-Phoenix
Apex-Phoenix Transmission Line Project
A growing technology sector, excellent schools, and rich cultural and recreational opportunities make Ann Arbor a desirable place to live and work. This makes high-quality, reliable power increasingly important as homes and businesses are filled with sensitive electronics that can be affected by costly and inconvenient power outages.
To support electric reliability and increase capacity in the Ann Arbor area, ITC Michigan, through its ITCTransmission subsidiary, constructed approximately three miles of underground transmission line to connect a new DTE Energy substation named Apex, located near the intersection of Huron Parkway and Hubbard Road, to an existing substation named Phoenix, located just north of Dhu Varren Road.
The Apex - Phoenix project is an example of ITC's ongoing commitment to the operational efficiency and reliability of Michigan's high-voltage transmission grid. The company has invested more than $4.7 billion in capital project maintenance and transmission infrastructure improvements in Michigan since 2003. These investments are improving the reliability and safety of the transmission infrastructure while ensuring its ability to meet new energy demands.
ITC recognizes the critical role that local residents, landowners and communities play in reviewing and hosting new electric transmission lines. ITC is committed to open, honest and frequent communications with landowners. We work respectfully with landowners throughout the design and construction process to identify possible routes for the project that minimize impacts to their properties.
Why is this project necessary?
As in much of the United States, the electric infrastructure serving the Ann Arbor area was constructed decades ago and was not built to support modern-day demands. This can lead to inconvenient, and sometimes costly, power outages. The electric system improvements will enhance the reliability of electric service to Ann Arbor residents and businesses, and create additional capacity to support growth throughout the region.
Where will the project be located?
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When will this project start, and how long will it take?
Construction was conducted in two phases:
Phase 1: From Dec. 4, 2017 – Jan. 6, 2018, ITC constructed approx. 1,100 feet of underground duct bank, which holds the transmission cables, along the southwest portion of the Dhu Varren – Nixon roundabout.
Phase 2 & 3: From April 2018 – June 2019, ITC constructed approximately 2.5 miles of the underground duct bank and manhole system along Dhu Varren, Nixon and Huron Pkwy. The duct bank was constructed eastward along Dhu Varren, southward along Nixon, then northward along Huron Pkwy.


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text: 357 The first prototype under construction at Prestwick; it is now very nearly complete, with the outer wings and engines in place. TWIN PIONEER Large Loads from Small Fields SCOTLAND'S importance in aviation is greater than thesize of her aeronautical payroll suggests. The chiefwholly Scottish firm, Scottish Aviation, Ltd., of Prest- wick Airport, Ayrshire, has, in a region where such skills had to be learned from scratch, firmly established itself as a com- pany which can undertake design and construction, as well as overhaul and conversion work. Now, with the versatile air- craft described here—a design which seems so well to match the Scottish scene—the name is likely to be carried to many areas around the world which look to aviation for improved communications. Scottish Aviation's first original design was a high-wing mono-plane, powered by a Gipsy Queen 34 engine, designed to meet the difficult specification A.4/45. The prototype of this machineflew on November 5th, 1947, but a Government economy drive caused the contract to be cancelled. Following extensiveBoscombe Down testing, this machine was returned to Prestwick at the end of 1949 for the installation of an Alvis Leonides engineof approximately double the power, and was then flown for nearly 300 hours in various forms of test flying before being deliveredfor active service. In October 1953, this prototype and three production aircraft(with the designation Pioneer C.C.I) were sent to Malaya, where their slow-flying qualities and ability to use small, inaccessiblestrips have been found better than that of any other fixed-wing aircraft. So valuable have they proved that a repeat order wasplaced and the type has also been requested by various local R.A.F. commanders. At least 18 Pioneers are now on order forthe R.A.F. and a larger number are being manufactured. Logical development of the Pioneer has now resulted in theTwin Pioneer, which incorporates outer-wing panels and power units almost identical with those used in the single-cnginedmachine. It has, however, a much more capacious fuselage and will be able to carry up to 16 passengers or well over a ton offreight, while retaining a short-field performance almost as out- standing as that of the smaller aircraft. The Twin Pioneer design is now highly developed and, asoutlined at the end of this account, the company have made plans to manufacture a large number. Owing to its unique combina-tion of desirable qualities, and to the fact that there is no comparable type of aircraft even in the project stage with anyother company, Scottish Aviation do not seem to be taking any undue risk in anticipating a considerable demand for this air-craft. A full description of the Twin Pioneer prototype now follows, concluded by an outline of the capabilities of, andprospects for, the Twin Pioneer and of the company's plans for its production. The Twin Pioneer airframe is a thoroughly simple and straight-forward stressed-skin, light-alloy structure. It is built up almost entirely from sheet, strip and plate, without the use of a stretch-press, the ruling gauges being 20, 22 and thinner. All riveted joints are made by mushroom-head rivets, which, to ease fieldrepair, are all to the purple L.69 specification which do not require heat treatment. The fuselage is of basically square section. Transverse framesare designated according to their location in inches from the nose, and the fuselage is built in two portions riveted together at a trans-port joint at frame 158. Forward of this joint is the nose and cockpit and aft is the parallel portion of the cabin.The two fuselage sections are built in jigs which, like those for other components, are all welded rolled-steel angle section.Along the lower centre-line of each jig is a massive keel-member, upon which are located the fuselage frames. These frames aremade in left and right halves of channel section, butt-jointed by reinforcing plates at top and bottom. Around the outside ofthese frames, and joined to them by gusset pieces, pass longi- tudinal stringers of lipped Z-section, which are broken only atthe two main frames in line with the wing spars. These frames, Nos. 185.5 and 249.6, are relatively massive H-sections, built upentirely from plate laminations. The top of the fuselage is cut away to receive the wing, a pairof heavier longerons forming the upper edge of the cut-out and extending back to behind the main door. There are also twostrong roof longerons which mate with a pair of centre-section wing ribs and assist in carrying tail loads. The fuselage is skinnedin 22- and 24-gauge sheet, lap-jointed and joggled. The floor is of Jin ply held by bolts and anchor nuts to transverse pressed-sheet frames. Standard equipment includes Vickers seat rails, with attachments at lin pitch. The forward fuselage, incorporating the cockpit, is cantileveredforward from frame 158. The extreme nose is skinned with hand-beaten sheet, and the whole upper half of the nose isarranged to hinge upwards to provide access to the rear of the instrument panel, controls, electric batteries and other equip-ment. The nose is held in the open position by a strut on either side and is locked shut by a fastener at the front. The lay-out of the transparent areas can be clearly seen in the illustrations; single-glaze Perspex is employed, carried in Claytonrite rubbermouldings held in a framework built up from sheet and strip. The large side window on each side slides to the rear. Station90 is the pilot's bulkhead at the rear of the cockpit, and the fuselage is reinforced at this location for jacking and tre'sding.Ahead of this bulkhead, and extending right forward under the cockpit floor, is a baggage hold with a capacity of 30 cubic ft.This hold has a smooth metal interior skin fitted with lashing shackles, and access to the hold is gained through a large down-ward-hinging door on the port side. The main entrance door is on the port side aft of the wing.Hinged at the front, it measures 62in X 47in, and is cut away at the upper rear corner to enable it to clear the port inner flap whenthe latter is in the fully down position. The door can be jetti- soned from the inside by pulling a quick-release toggle. On thestarboard side, roughly opposite the main door, is an emergency exit 30inx20in, arranged to be released outward from eitherinside or outside the aircraft. There is a third emergency exit situated in the roof forward of the wing; this is a door hingedalong its right-hand side and mounted in a strong box-like peri- phery. The main passenger cabin has five windows along eachside and similar windows are provided in the main and emergency doors. Each window is a single Perspex sheet locked in Clayton-rite rubber mouldings held in simple pressed frames. The wing is made as a centre section and two outer panels. Allthree sections have two spars and pressed sheet ribs; apart from f'i


Ultimul haka, pentru Jonah Lomu!
Former All Black captain Buck Shelford has led a group of ex-All Blacks in a moving haka for Jonah Lomu at his public memorial service at Eden Park in Auckland.
Former teammates and coaches paid tribute to the star, with friend and Rugby Sevens' teammate Eric Rush giving a typically humorous tribute.
"I'm gonna tell a few stories about the big fella and hope he doesn't sit up," Rush warned.
New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key also spoke via a video message, saying the rugby legend "proved you can come from any background and make it to the very top".
As Lomu's casket was carried away, Shelford led fellow former All Blacks, including Tana Umaga, Olo Brown and Jeff Wilson in an emotional haka.
The huge winger died last week at the age of 40, having suffered from a rare kidney disorder for the second half of his life.
Pacat! Mare pierdere pentru omenire. Un om atat de puternic a cazut in fata unei boli nemiloase. Ultimul Haka executat de fostii sai coechipieri din nationala Noii Zeelande este extrem de emotionant. R.I.P Jonah Lomu.
Jonah Lomu farewelled off Eden Park for the very last time. Masses of Jonah Lomu's former All Blacks teammates, rugby and league friends performed a breathtaking haka on the field of Eden Park.


Which are the key ports in your jurisdiction and what sort of facilities do they comprise? What is the primary purpose of the ports?
The key public ports in Croatia are the ports of Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče and Dubrovnik.
a passenger and ferry terminal.
containers (to a limited extent).
The port of Zadar (Central Adriatic) primarily operates as passenger port and continues to develop in that direction, with a focus on large cruise liners, ferry traffic and ro-ro traffic. The port also has the facilities to handle liquid, bulk and general cargo, and is well connected to the hinterland with direct highway and railway connections.
The development plans envisage the specialisation of the port for boutique ships and mega yachts (private vessels more than 24 metres long, also known as 'super yachts').
The town of Dubrovnik, at the southernmost part of Croatia, is a world-renowned tourist location and is predominantly a cruise ship port. In addition to mega cruisers, the port receives passenger ferries on regular routes between Croatian and Italian ports.
Describe any port reform that has been undertaken over the past few decades and the principal port model or models in your jurisdiction.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Croatian government initiated a number of steps to reform port operations, including adopting a new seaports law, creating landlord port authorities and initiating port concessions.
The port enterprises that, during the socialist era, were 'socially owned' and in charge of the overall port business (management, investments and operations), have been mostly transformed into state-owned companies and, to some extent, companies owned by a number of small shareholders (mostly employees). These companies were granted the priority concessions; that is master concessions to operate the ports. Some of the priority concessions are still in force. Meanwhile, the privatisation process continues through the sale of shares of port operators and their subsidiary companies, as well as by announcing open tenders upon the elapse of priority concessions.
The principal port model in Croatia continues to be the landlord model.
Is there an overall state policy for the development of ports in your jurisdiction?
According to the Strategy, the result of specialisation and further development of the ports would be measured through the increase of cargo traffic by up to 30 million tonnes by 2020 (compared to the present 19 million tonnes). This is expected to create a framework to achieve the self-sustainability of the port system, reducing the participation of the state budget in co-financing the construction of the port infrastructure in Croatian key ports.
Another measure explicitly mentioned in the Strategy, aimed at reduction of the state's share, is the co-financing of port infrastructure projects, providing more favourable conditions for private capital investment in the construction of port infrastructure and specialised port terminals (the development of public-private partnerships).
What 'green port' principles are proposed or required for ports and terminals in your jurisdiction?
Croatian port authorities are strongly committed to the protection of the Croatian marine environment. They are introducing environmental management systems according to internationally developed standards, and they participate in numerous international organisations promoting 'eco' and 'green' ports, trying to establish uniform ecological and environmentally friendly standards.
Regarding ship operations in ports, the 2013 Amendments to the Croatian Maritime Code transposed into Croatian national law Directive 2000/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2000 on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues. The Maritime Code obliges port authorities and special port concessionaires to adequately equip the ports and provide a system of reception and waste management from ships, in accordance with international and European standards.
Is there a legislative framework for port development or operations in your jurisdiction?
Currently, the ports are arranged pursuant to the requirements of the Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act.
Late in 2014, the Croatian parliament passed the Law on Strategic Investment Projects, with a view to facilitating the preparation and implementation of investment projects (private, public or public-private) that have been proclaimed as projects of national interest. Two large port projects are currently on the list of strategic projects: the development of the Zagreb Pier Container Terminal and the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal - both within Rijeka port.
As of 24 March 2019, Croatia, as an EU member state, shall apply Regulation (EU) 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2017 establishing a framework for the provision of port services and common rules on the financial transparency of ports.
Is there a regulatory authority for each port or for all ports in your jurisdiction?
The regulatory powers for all Croatian ports are mainly vested in the central authority, which is the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, seated in Zagreb.
In addition, each of the above-mentioned key ports has its own port authority, established by the Croatian government.
Local port authorities, which are mostly founded on a regional level, are in charge of smaller ports.
What are the key competences and powers of the port regulatory authority in your jurisdiction?
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure is in charge of the overall national transport policy.
other activities envisaged by the law.
How is a harbourmaster for a port in your jurisdiction appointed?
establishing the level of proficiency for professionals employed in maritime transport.
Are ports in your jurisdiction subject to specific national competition rules?
Competition rules are not specific to the port sector. General national laws apply.
Are there regulations in relation to the tariffs that are imposed on ports and terminals users in your jurisdictions and how are tariffs collected?
In Croatia, the term 'port tariffs' is a general term that entails both port dues and port charges that the operators collect from port service customers.
Port dues are determined and collected by the port authority and include quay dues, wharfage and berthage.
With regard to port charges, the operators are free to determine the prices for their services provided that they do not exceed the maximum level set and published by the relevant port authority. In practice, the operators usually pay due regard to other formally published port charges in competing ports along the Adriatic coast, including ports in nearby countries.
Are there restrictions relating to the currency applied to the tariffs or to any fees that are payable by a port operator to the government or port authority? Are any specific currency conditions imposed on port operators more generally?
There are no restrictions relating to the currency applied to the tariffs. However, the concession fees payable by a port operator to the port authority have to be paid in the local currency (Croatian kuna).
There are no other specific currency conditions imposed on port operators.
Does the state have any public service obligations in relation to port access or services? Can it satisfy these obligations through a contract with a private party?
There are certain public service obligations (eg, fire fighting services, video surveillance and dredging), and they can be satisfied through a contract with a private party.
Can a state entity enter into a joint venture with a port operator for the development or operation of a port in your jurisdiction? Is the state's stake in the venture subject to any percentage threshold?
Yes, a state entity can enter into a joint venture with a port operator for the development or operation of a port, and there is no percentage threshold for the state's stake.
A perfect example can be found in Croatia's largest port - Rijeka. Until recently, the state was the majority owner of the joint stock company Luka Rijeka dd (the Port of Rijeka jsc), which was the owner of all the shares in its subsidiary, Adriatic Gate Container Terminal (AGCT). In 2011, the predominantly state-owned Luka Rijeka dd sold 51 per cent of its stake in AGCT to International Container Terminal Services Inc of the Philippines. AGCT now operates Brajdica Container Terminal pursuant to the direct long-term concession contract with the Port of Rijeka Authority.
Are there restrictions on foreign participation in port projects?
There are no restrictions on foreign participation in port projects. Foreign investments are generally very welcome.
Is the legislation governing procurement and PPP general or specific?
In Croatia the legal term 'public-private partnership' (PPP) is restricted to arrangements where the majority of the private partner's revenue comes, under the contractual arrangement, from government payments.
PPPs, in the strict sense explained above, are not typical for the Croatian port sector. This is because the port authorities are, in principle, responsible for constructing the port and terminal infrastructure, and transfer of the public construction obligation is rare.
As for the port services, the port authorities only have a right to grant concessions to the same, and the vast majority of port services are not provided to the general public, but to the benefit of a limited group of users (shipping lines transport companies, marine service providers), which cannot be considered as final beneficiaries.
For all these reasons, the Croatian PPP Act, passed in 2012 and revised in 2014, has had little practical impact on seaports and terminals so far. It may gain importance in build-operate-transfer projects, which are envisaged in some port development plans.
The term 'PPP' is sometimes used in a broader sense to describe the cooperation of a public authority and a private partner, which, when ports and terminals are concerned, is almost exclusively arranged as a concession relationship.
Concessions are seen as long-term contracts where the majority of the partner's revenue comes from the final users of the service. In a concession relationship, the government does not make any regular payments to the private partner, or such payments account only for the minority of the private partner's revenue.
The main piece of legislation which is relevant for regulation of the arrangements between the public authority and a port or terminal operator is the Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act (2003, as amended), which is a specific legal text supplemented by general laws, that is to say the Concession Act (enacted in July 2017) and the Public Procurement Act (enacted in December 2016).
Unlike the Concessions Act and the Public Procurement Act, the Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act has not yet been harmonised with acquis communautaire. This has caused a lot of practical problems in drafting proper tender documents for new projects that would satisfy both the national law and the principles that Croatia has accepted by joining the EU in 2013. Unfortunately, owing to the frequent political changes in the recent period, the process of enactment of the new Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act is not yet complete.
May the government or relevant port authority consider proposals for port privatisation/PPP other than as part of a formal tender?
Present concessions for port activities and related activities that require the use or construction of new infrastructure, superstructure or other objects may be granted only through the public tender procedure.
However, port concessions for port activities and related activities that do not require the use or construction of new infrastructure or superstructure can be granted upon request - in other words, without tender.
Other models of privatisation (eg, change of operators ownership structure) need to involve a public element as well (eg, public offering of shares).
What criteria are considered when awarding award port concessions and port joint venture agreements?
financial performances in preceding years.
As this is a typical, but not mandatory, list, one might expect other evaluation criteria, such as terminal usage efficiency or guaranteed level of port traffic.
As for port joint venture agreements, they are not in common use. Under the present circumstances, a joint venture agreement might be suitable to regulate relations among the partners, which would together assume the role of the port operator. Eventually, the concession agreement would be needed again to regulate the relations between the operator (consisting of two or more joint venture partners) and the port authority, so that the above listed evaluation criteria would apply again.
Is there a model PPP agreement that is used for port projects? To what extent can the public body deviate from its terms?
There is no model PPP, concession agreement or joint venture agreement for port and terminal projects.
What government approvals are required for the implementation of a port PPP agreement in your jurisdiction? Must any specific law be passed in your jurisdiction for this?
The decision to grant a concession in a port is within the competence of a port authority. Concessions that are intended to last more than 30 years must be approved by the Croatian government, and those over 50 years must be approved by the Croatian parliament.
PPPs, in the strict sense of the term (not including concessions), need to be approved by the Croatian Investment and Competitiveness Agency.
The passing of a specific law is not required.
On what basis are port projects in your jurisdiction typically implemented?
Port projects are typically implemented on the basis of a concession contract.
Is there a minimum or maximum term for port PPPs in your jurisdiction? What is the average term?
In Croatia, the arrangement between the port authority and a port or terminal operator is (almost exclusively) based on a concession contract.
(iv) a concession for the performance of secondary port activities that requires use of the existing or construction of new infrastructure, superstructure or other objects.
The term of the aforementioned concessions may be up to 99 years. The concessions under (i) and (ii) may be granted by a competent port authority for a term of up to 10 years, and concessions under (iii) and (iv) may be granted by a port authority for up to 99 years, whereas the government of Croatia must give prior consent to concessions from 30 to 50 years, and the parliament of Croatia must give prior consent to concessions of longer than 50 years.
Concessions under (iii) and (iv) are typically granted for 30 years.
On what basis can the term be extended?
The Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act allows, on an exceptional basis, for the prolongation of concessions for the performance of port activities and secondary port activities which require use of the existing or construction of new infrastructure, superstructure or other objects, in case of force majeure or new investment which makes approval of an extension economically justifiable. The extension must be approved by the Croatian government and the total duration of the concession must not exceed 50 years.
Another two exceptions are provided by the Concession Act: when the concession grantor has initiated the concession award procedure for public services in good time and such procedure has not been completed successfully owing to justifiable reasons, the concession grantor may extend the existing concession for a period not longer than six months, provided that certain legal conditions are fulfilled. Also, the term for which the concession is awarded may be extended if it is owing to changes of the concession agreement in accordance with the Concession Act.
What fee structures are used in your jurisdiction? Are they subject to indexation?
Croatia applies concession fees that consist of fixed and variable parts. The fixed part is usually calculated based on the surface area occupied by the concessionaire, and the variable part as a percentage of the revenue realised by the operator. The concession fee may be subject to indexation.
Does the government provide guarantees in relation to port PPPs or grant the port operator exclusivity?
Government guarantees are not typical. Exclusivity is generally not provided except in cases where, as a matter of fact, the type of concession involves exclusive use of a certain port area or facility.
Does the government or the port authority provide any other incentives to investors in ports?
uniform regional development of the Republic of Croatia.
The investment incentives prescribed by the IPA include tax incentives (a reduction in the corporate income tax rate), and also some other incentives (such as a grace period and cofinancing).
In addition, the Free Zones Act provides for certain incentives for the operators and users of free zones in Croatia (and major Croatian ports mostly enjoy a free zone status). The major tax benefits of free zones relate to possible exemption from paying VAT or customs duties in the case of the export and import of goods.
What government approvals are required for a port operator to commence construction at the relevant port? How long does it typically take to obtain approvals?
Construction may start pursuant to a construction permit. The process of obtaining the permit lasts from two months to one year, depending on the complexity of the project. One of the prerequisites for obtaining the construction permit is preparation of the appropriate design documents, which can be a time-consuming process and usually lasts for several months. Additionally, to commence with the construction works, the port operator requires the consent of the port authority.
Does the government or relevant port authority typically undertake any part of the port construction?
Port authorities typically undertake port construction (quay wall construction, breakwaters, access channels, dredging). In fact, this is one of their main activities.
Does the port operator have to adhere to any specific construction standards, and may it engage any contractor it wishes?
Contracts for concessions that involve any construction works within the port area usually specify that the operator is obliged to obtain prior consent of the port authority regarding the proposed technical solution or design documentation, for which consent would not be unreasonably withheld.
The operators, their designers and contractors are obliged to adhere to the material and construction standards generally applicable in Croatia.
As for the freedom in election of the contractor, the answer depends on whether the port operator is the contracting authority in the sense of the Public Procurement Act or not.
What remedies are available for delays and defects in the construction of the port?
An entity other than the port authority may be allowed to construct an object of port infrastructure or superstructure only based on the concession contract. Therefore, delays and defects in the construction of a port facility could be seen as a violation of the concession contract, in which case the port authority could claim contractual penalties (if stipulated) and compensation of damages, and could ultimately revoke the concession from the concessionaire. Present contracts usually envisage security instruments in favour of the port authority to provide additional protection in the event of contractual breaches by the concessionaire.
The use of legal remedies by the port authority would, of course, depend of the nature and cause of the delay or defect, and the extent of responsibility of the concessionaire.
What government approvals are required in your jurisdiction for a port operator to commence operations following construction? How long does it typically take to obtain approvals?
Given that port authorities have constructed most of the infrastructure in Croatian ports, it is difficult to make any general statements from the operators' perspective. The principal prerequisite for commencing any operations in a newly built facility, regardless of who has constructed it, is the operation permit that is issued by the Ministry of Construction and Physical Planning. If the construction works are executed properly, the operation permit could be obtained within two months following the completion of the construction works.
What services does a port operator and what services does the port authority typically provide in your jurisdiction? Do the port authorities typically charge the port operator for any services?
In principle, Croatian port authorities, as landlord port authorities, cannot perform port activities themselves. They can engage directly only when a certain public service needs to be provided or there is no market interest for the appropriate concession.
various commercial activities incidental to the aforementioned port activities (supply of ships, services to passengers, piloting, towing, agency, custom services, quality control, etc).
Does the government or relevant port authority typically give any commitments in relation to access to the hinterland? To what extent does it require the operator to finance development of access routes or interconnections?
The development of access routes and interconnections has so far been within the competence of the government, and operators have not been required to invest in hinterland connections. However, there are no legal obstacles to the consideration of that sort of arrangement.
How do port authorities in your jurisdiction oversee terminal operations and in what circumstances may a port authority require the operator to suspend them?
Port authorities monitor compliance by a concessionaire with the terms and conditions of the concession and Port Order Regulations. Additionally, terminal operations fall into the competence of other authorities, such as the harbourmaster's office and state inspections (safety at work, environment). Those inspection authorities are entitled to order the immediate suspension of a dangerous or improper activity.
In what circumstances may the port authorities in your jurisdiction access the port area or take over port operations?
Generally, the port authorities may access the port area at any (reasonable) time, taking care not to disturb the port operator's business operations unduly. The port authorities may take over only a minor segment of port operations, and only in exceptional cases. The port authorities are neither intended nor equipped to take over the operations of a certain terminal or entire port.
What remedies are available to the port authority or government against a port operator that fails to operate and maintain the port as agreed?
The answer to this question depends on the contents of the concession agreement. Available remedies include contractual penalties, compensation for damages and, as an ultimate consequence, termination of the concession.
According to the Concessions Act (2017), prior to the conclusion or the entry into force of the concession contract, the concession grantor has a duty to collect, from the most advantageous tenderer or the applicant for the concession, the necessary guarantees or security of payment instruments for the concession fee and compensation of potential damages incurred owing to the non-fulfilment of obligations under the concession contract (debentures, bank guarantees, personal guarantees, bills of exchange, escrow account, etc), in accordance with the estimated concession value. Such guarantees need to be collected not only from new concessionaires, but also from existing ones.
What assets must port operators transfer to the relevant port authority on termination of a concession? Must port authorities pay any compensation for transferred assets?
A distinction must be made between immovable and movable assets.
According to the current Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act, if a concessionaire has constructed any part of a port infrastructure or superstructure, that property would become (once the concession is terminated) an integral part of the maritime demesne. The concessionaire is free to remove and take away only those objects that are easily detachable or that can be removed without destroying or inflicting damage to the maritime demesne.
The rights and duties of the parties with regard to movable assets that the operator brought to the site (eg, the operator's equipment) depend on how they regulated this issue in the concession agreement. As far as the legislative framework is concerned, there is no generally prescribed obligation of a port operator to transfer any of its movable assets to the port authority once the concession is terminated. A reasonable concession grantor would, however, make sure that the concession agreement properly addresses this issue, providing appropriate legal tools to allow the continuity of the port's or terminal's operation to industry best practices upon the expiry or termination of any current concession agreement.
The law does not provide for compensation for any immovable assets that were constructed by the operator and transferred to the port authority upon termination of the concession. An exception is the situation where the concession agreement is prematurely terminated in the national interest, determined by the Croatian parliament. Even in such a case, the amount of compensation could not exceed the value of the constructed object at the time of transfer, decreased for the depreciation.
Potential investors in port infrastructure see these provisions as rather restrictive. In practice, the problem is resolved by allowing long-term concessions, enabling full depreciation of the newly built objects. Notwithstanding this, a more flexible legal framework could attract more interest in new port projects, especially those involving the construction of new port infrastructure.
Is a port operator that is to construct or operate a port in your jurisdiction permitted (or required) to do so via a special purpose vehicle (SPV)? Must it be incorporated in your jurisdiction?
The construction of port infrastructure has so far been mostly in the competence of the port authorities, and there have not been many cases of the introduction of new port operators. Therefore, it is not currently possible to make general statements. Considering the legal framework that is in force, and depending on the terms of the tender for a new port concession, the prospective port operator might be allowed to establish a Croatian SPV as this could significantly facilitate its daily operations during the construction or operation of the port. In that case, one should expect a detailed set of rules aimed to protect the concession grantor's interests (eg, prescribing a minimal amount of the share capital and restrictions on free transfer of ownership interests).
Are ownership interests in the port operator freely transferable?
The ownership interests in the port operators are generally freely transferable, but it is (theoretically) possible to introduce restrictions by, for example, the concession agreement, or internally, by the operator's statute.
Can the port operator grant security over its rights under the PPP agreement to its project financing banks? Does a port authority in your jurisdiction typically agree to enter into direct agreements with the project financing banks and, if so, what are the key terms?
According to the applicable laws, the transfer of the concession may be stipulated in the concession contract, in favour of financial institutions issuing loans to the concessionaire, for the purposes of the concession contract execution, or in the case of the concessionaire's breach of concession contract, which may result in contract termination. In such cases, financial institutions may be authorised to transfer the concession contract to a third party, provided that such party fulfils the suitability criteria of a concessionaire set out in tender documents and in the notice of intent to award the concession.
In addition, the port operator can grant security over the entire concession by setting up a lien in favour of a financial institution, providing a loan for the purpose of performing the concession. The lien provides the financial institution, upon default, with the right to transfer the concession to a qualifying third party.
In practice, such and similar arrangements are exceptionally rare.
In what circumstances may agreements to construct or operate a port facility be varied or terminated?
failing to maintain and protect the maritime demesne in the manner determined by the concession contract.
If the concession is revoked pursuant to the above provisions, the concessionaire (ie, the operator) shall not be entitled to any compensation for early termination of the contract. In the vast majority of cases of contractual breaches, the concession is not revoked automatically - the concessionaires are generally allowed additional reasonable time for remedial actions, depending on the severity of the breach and the overall circumstances that caused it.
Regrettably, the above termination provisions make any terminal concession unbankable. No bank will grant credit to a terminal operator that might be terminated for any reason without compensation. Therefore, the legislative framework is indeed still rather restrictive.
It is to be mentioned that the new Concession Act (2017) provides for a substantially different concept concerning termination of the concession. While the Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act elaborates the reasons for which the concession may be revoked, the Concession Act provides for a list of reasons for unilateral termination of the concession agreement and the steps that need to be undertaken before such termination. Until the Maritime Demesne and Seaports Act is harmonised with the Concession Act and the Public Procurement Act, one may reasonably expect that the solutions applied in practice would be various and inconsistent.
Variations to the concession contract during its term can be allowed, by proposal of the concession grantor (port authority) or concessionaire (port operator), only when conditions and possibilities of change were foreseen in the tender documents and concession contract in a clear, unambiguous and precise way, and in several other specific circumstances.
reasons specified in special laws.
Other than that, substantial changes to the concession contract during its term shall require the implementation of a new concession award procedure and the conclusion of new concession contract. The law sets precise criteria for what is considered a substantial change of the concession agreement. Among other circumstances, change of the concessionaire is also considered to be a substantial change that, by way of exception, can be permitted when it is the result of corporative restructuring of the concessionaire or when the concession contract is transferred to financial institutions. If the scope of the change may be expressed in currency, such a change shall not be deemed substantial if the value of the change does not exceed the threshold prescribed by the Concession Act.
The concession contract cannot be changed when the change is aimed at eliminating the defects in the concessionaire's performance or consequences of improper performance or, when the change is aimed at compensating the risk of price increase, where such price increase is the result of market price fluctuations, which could have a significant impact on the performance of the concession contract and from which the concessionaire has secured itself by risk hedging instruments.
What remedies are available to a government or port authority for contractual breach by a port operator?
Must all port PPP agreements be governed by the laws of your jurisdiction?
Yes, all port PPP arrangements must be governed by the laws of Croatia.
How are disputes between the government or port authority and the port operator customarily settled?
The concession contracts that the port authorities typically enter into with the port operators envisage settlement of disputes in ordinary judicial procedure (administered by Croatian commercial courts) or arbitration.
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StrongVPN Android Setup Guide
You can download the StrongVPN Android app directly from Google Play or visit their site first. If starting on StrongVPN.com, click on "Setup" from the site main menu and then on the "StrongVPN for Android" button on the screen that follows. This will take you to the Google Play store where you can download the app and install it. The client setup page also has manual setup guides to configure various Android versions to use their service with L2TP, PPTP, and OpenVPN.
The procedure for installing the app on your Android device is illustrated above. Once you are at the Google Play store, tap on the "Install" button to begin the process. Accept the access message which appears by tapping the "Accept" button and wait. The client is compatible with Android 6 and below. Once the client is downloaded to your device, the normal procedure to open it will be to tap on the StrongVPN application icon. However, the first time you open it, just tap on the "Open" button like that shown in the first screen of the image below. This will then bring up the client authentication screen which is shown in the middle image.
On the authentication screen, enter in your email address and password that you used when you created your account. These can also be found in your welcoming email that you received from StrongVPN when you subscribed. Tap the "Save Credentials" toggle so that the app will store your information, else you will have to type it in every time you connect to the StrongVPN network. Once you have correctly completed the aforementioned steps, then tap on the "Login" button. You will now see the StrongVPN client window like the one shown in the images below.
The first screen shows the client in its disconnected state. The main client screen has the following components in this state:
StrongVPN Logo – Company branding.
Server Name and Number – Shows the server name and server number.
Optional settings icon – This is the horizontal lines in a circle icon to the right of the server name. Tapping this will display the main settings screen which will then show screens for the individual settings. We will examine these later in this section.
The connection switch – This is currently dark indicating that it is off.
Location – The currently chosen connection location (Atlanta, United States), followed by a red warning light.
Connection status – This says "Disconnected" in red to warn you that your Internet is not secure.
Social Media Links – Tapping these icons will connect to the Facebook and Twitter page for StrongVPN respectively.
The Get Support Link – Tapping this will load the StrongVPN support page from their website. This page has their support and billing FAQs, links to their VPN setup guides, and you can also fill out and send a support ticket from here.
Titles – Titles of StrongVPN's latest blogs.
Tapping on the switch will start the connection process to the Atlanta server. This is shown in the middle image below where the switch now has a yellow warning tint and the status is shown as "Connecting" in yellow. During this time, you will see messages at the top of your Android device saying authenticating, configuring the VPN server, a dark StrongVPN logo, and others. Also note, the optional settings icon does not appear on this screen.
The last screen in the image above shows the client when it is connected to the Atlanta VPN server. The optional settings icon is back. The light next to the location is now green, the switch has a green tint, and the status now says "Protected" in green. Also the StrongVPN logo in the messaging menu is shaded blue with the word "Connected" by it. Connected is then replaced by a key indicating that we are secure. By color coding the screen components, StrongVPN has made it easy to see the status of your connection with just a glance.
Everytime you connect to the StrongVPN network after you login, you will see a warning message like that shown in the second image below. This is what happened before you received the connection screen in the image above. This is normal. Android is just letting you know that you are connecting to a VPN service and making sure that you trust the source. To continue, you must trust StrongVPN and tap "OK" as we have done in the last image below.
This will then allow you to complete your connection to the Atlanta server as is shown in the first screen of the image below. Tapping on either the location near the top center of this connection screen or the settings icon (horizontal lines with dots within a circle) will bring up the connection settings which is shown in the second screen below. Tapping on location on this screen will bring up a list of locations that you can connect to using OpenVPN.
Scrolling down the list and tapping on New York, United States will start the process to switch between the Atlanta and New York servers. This is illustrated in the images below. As you can see the app updates the location in the connection settings as is shown in the last two screens below.
Once the location has been updated, then press the back button on your device which will return you to the main connection screen shown in the first image below. Notice that the app is automatically trying to connect to the new server since it was connected to the Atlanta one before you started your switch to New York. The last image below shows that you have successfully switched between the two servers. Changing servers in this way shortens the time you are not on the VPN while switching servers. Alternately, you could disconnect from your current server, select a different city, and then connect to the new location.
We have looked at how to connect and switch servers using the StrongVPN Android app. Now let us see how to disconnect. Disconnecting is easy, simply tap the connection switch. You will then be prompted with a cancel confirmation message like the one shown in the first screen in the image below. Tap "OK" and you will be disconnected from your current VPN server.
It you have trouble disconnecting, want to cancel a connection before it finishes, or need another way to disconnect, you can tap and drag down on the StrongVPN shield icon in the running apps messaging area at the top of your device screen. Once this screen is opened as shown in the second image below, tap on the "VPN is activated by StrongVPN" area which will bring up the session information screen shown below on the right. Tap disconnect on this screen to complete the process.
The last thing we want to examine in the Android app is the settings that you can change. You have already learned how to use the location menu to change VPN servers. The first screen in the image below shows the settings menu so you can see some of the other connection options that you can control. These include the following:
Account – This shows your account IDs and is mainly for legacy accounts.
Location – As you have already learned, this will let you switch servers.
Protocol – OpenVPN is the only VPN protocol supported by the Android app but you can change how it is implemented as is shown in the second image below.
UDP – This is the OpenVPN User Datagram Protocol and does not include the overhead of TCP and thus is faster and is the StrongVPN Android app default.
TCP – This is the Transfer Control Protocol and is good for high latency connections and those which cannot tolerate packet loss. It provides error checking for packet order and loss and resends packets to correct. This is usually slower because of the extra overhead involved in this process. This will not be ideal for streaming.
Proxy – This is mainly used in countries like China and Iran to help with connection issues and censorship but could be useful for streaming as well.
Scramble – This is the technology which adds another layer of complexity to the VPN connection between the OpenVPN client and OpenVPN server, making it more likely for the VPN to pass through the network unimpeded. This can help stop deep packet inspection techniques used for censorship by countries like China. It can be implemented in five different ways as is shown in the third screen of the image below.
Disabled – Do not scramble the data.
Password – A string (word) is used to perform a simple XOR operation on the packet payload.
Xorptrpos – This performs an XOR operation, using the current position in the packet payload for the operation.
Reverse – This reverses all the packet data.
Obfuscate – This uses a blend of all three methods above and is the most secure.
Remote Port – This is a remote port that is available for the VPN to use if it needs to. It defaults to Port 8293: a very underused port.
Battery & Connectivity – This is a slider which you can adjust between better connectivity and longer battery life as is shown in the last screen in the image below.
The last option that you as a user have for the Android app is to set it so that it automatically reconnects when your phone reboots.
The Android app from StrongVPN only supports the OpenVPN protocol which is ok since it is probably the best protocol choice for most users anyway. The app defaults to UDP but you can change it to TCP for longer latency connections or more rural areas. It can also be set to a proxy setting. The app has an advanced feature to scramble your data and help avoid deep packet inspection employed by those who practice censorship of the Internet. More to the point, it makes it easy for you to connect to their VPN network from your favorite Android device. Just a few taps on the screen will have you connected to your chosen VPN server location.


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Don't pass up the Greece Mainland
I've been thinking about Greece a lot lately. Perhaps because I'm so close. Perhaps because somehow yesterday in Berlin I ended up hanging out with a bunch of Greeks and then I went to an excellent Greek restaurant where the owners were relentless with their ouzo pouring. It's been over a year and I still miss the peculiar cadence of Greek language and the smell of the sea. (Especially the smell of the sea – I should probably get myself to the Baltic Sea soon.)
Before my year is up in Europe I'd like to get back to the Balkans for two-three months of travelling, including hitting up some of the islands I missed. Greece seems like a small country on the map, but its size is overwhelming. I spend three months there, and still feel like I barely scratched the surface.
Most people pass up the Mainland for the idyllic islands. Can't say I blame them; the FOMO is real. But like all touristy destinations, often some of the best experiences aren't where you'd expect to find them. Like the Greek Mainland.
This part of Greece has seen its fair share of insane history over the past thousands of years. It's where most of the Ancient Greece's warfare took place, after all. And it's hella beautiful.
If you're making your way up through the Balkans via Athens (or to Athens via the Balkans), consider making some Mainland Greece stops on your journey.
Alright, well this is an obvious one. Most people coming through Greece will at least spend a little time in Athens…but not MUCH time. I urge you to reconsider. There's an Athens-shaped hole in my heart that Berlin's been occupying in the meantime. Gritty, real, fun, graffiti-laden cities are my fave. And Athens is no exception…and of course there's that whole Acropolis thing.
I won't get into the details (as it'd take years), so here's a blog post I wrote about why I love Athens so much.
CAPE SOUNION AND THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON
Just beyond Athens are some of the best beaches I found the entire time I was in Greece. But even more impressive is the Temple of Poseidon, sitting on Cape Sounion. Its construction began in 444 BC, and catching a sunset here is easily one of the best things you'll do in Greece. No matter how many people are around, a hush will fall over the area and you won't be able to tear your eyes from the sunbeams shooting through ancient columns. You might cry. I did; can't help it.
Back in the ancient world, sailors coming home from a long hiatus at sea would have seen the temple as a welcomed homecoming symbol. It's so poetic it hurts.
Yep, you can ski in Greece. Not that I did or anything – I'm a bad Canadian. I merely breezed through the area, but it's stunning anyway. Mount Parnassus is a limestone mountain looming over Delphi. There are two ski centres here: the Parnassus Ski Centre and the smaller Gerontovrahos centre. But even if you're here in the summer, the views are worth it.
Olympia is where the first ever Olympic Games were held in classical times. It was held every four years, from 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Located on the Peloponnese Peninsula, you can visit here to see all the ancient ruins, including the Temple of Hera, the Gymnasion, Greek Baths, the Stadium, and so much more.
Meteora's pretty famous. It's home to those antiquated monasteries perched atop limestone pillars, looking for all the world like they might collapse at any moment. There are several different monasteries for you to visit, and really, none of them are disappointing. The drive to the top is exhilarating itself; keep an eye out for rock climbers making their way up those wind-beaten pillars or standing atop them like majestic rock climbing gods.
Going inside the monasteries are a test of patience. Being with a guide is a nice experience, as they'll point out all the interesting things you might overlook, like the insanely terrifying baskets used back in the day to hoist goods and monks thousands of feet into the air to reach the monasteries. There's also a crypt where you'll get to see skulls and stuff, which yeah, is pretty creepy.
But the test of patience comes when dealing with other tourists. Man, it's hard. Not only do you find people obstructing every bend in the road for pouty-lipped selfies, you also have to deal with blatant disrespect as tourists strike mocking poses next to sacred statues, etc. I wanted to poke some eyes out, believe me.
THE ORACLE AT DELPHI
I remember sitting under the shade of an olive tree at the Oracle at Delphi, listening to a historian recount the history behind the area. Delphi was an important trade city – a modern day multicultural hub where people came to do business and mingle in the process. Many believed it was the centre of the world.
People came from all over to hear their questions about the future answered by Pythia (who in all likelihood inhaled a lot of fumes and spoke gibberish). But this was a widely respected and spiritual place, and like all spiritual places, there's a certain vibe here that's instantly enveloping. Like a big warm hug from the ancient Greeks.
There are many ruins here, including a beautiful theatre, a temple to Delphi, and a stadium where the Pythian Games were held. Delphi is also settled into Mount Parnassus.
No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to spell that name on first shot. Or pronounce it, for that matter.
I didn't know anything about Ioannina before rolling into the town on my Med Experience trip. It's an incredibly cool city, and I wish I had spent more time there. Being a big university town, you get that whole upbeat, not-yet-defeated-by-the-world vibe from the students. There's a Byzantine castle built in 528 AD, and plenty of cafes and bars. But the true masterpiece is the Lake Pamvotida, around which the town centres. It's seriously a stunning lake, and its surface is usually without a ripple. You can take boat trips out onto the lake and get lost in all the beauties poked around the hillsides.
Thessaloniki is the second biggest city in Greece. It's been a huge commercial, business, and transportation hub in northern Greece for centuries, and is hands down one of the best secrets that Greece has to offer. It also has a large student population.
All you have to do is walk around Aristotle Square or along the Beach Promenade to fall in love. The White Tower is a popular centrepiece.
Anything to add? Let me know in the comments below.
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Am just myself getting into my Greek travels!!! Literally working on a post about driving through Mt. Olympus!!
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Jimmy Baloukas
Thank you so much for the info. I'm going to Greece next year and wanted to visit several places that you mentioned.
You'll love it! Greece does not disappoint!
Himanshi
Great work done. Greece is just a heaven all i would say.
Nomadic Foot
you have shown a really unknown side of Greece. Everybody writes about only like Santorini, Maykonos n all.
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I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
About 40 minutes drive northwest of Ioannina you will be in the Zagori region with epic mountain scenery, wild rivers and forests and stunning stone villages unlike anything else in Greece. You will pinch yourself over and over wondering if such a place can really exist and that you never heard about it before! But lets keep it our secret so it stays unspoilt for a long time to come?
You are so right! As a Greek living in Berlin, I always encourage my German friends to visit the mainland. Sure, the islands are wonderful but the mainland of Greece has some really wonderful spots. Thanks for pointing that out :)
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Silence around Intimate Partner Violence in Trinidad and Tobago
by Amanda Chin Pang
In Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), when women, men, and children are killed in intimate partner violence (IPV) or gang-related warfare, this gets immediate attention. However, immediately, the cries of victims and survivors go silent and perpetrators merely put forward trite alibis about their violence, leaving an impending doom of perpetual abuse.
In Trinidad and Tobago, there has been a long-standing silence when women, men and children are killed in intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender-based violence situations. The death of one woman, Andrea Bharatt, is a hopeful catalyst that unmuffles cries of victims and survivors of abuse and violence.
A culture of violence
Since the call for COVID-19 "stay-at-home" measures, there has been an increase in the cases of domestic violence - domestic violence is sometimes used synonymously with IPV - and many of these cases described as domestic violence are in fact between adult intimate partners.
Victims' silence and lack of opportunities to escape persistent violence leads me to think about a culture of violence that is deeply rooted in Trinbagonians. Muzzles cover the mouths of friends and relatives, aware of these situations. I call for a break in the silence on violence that has deep colonial roots. Bergner (1995) in "Who Is That Masked Woman? Or, the Role of Gender in Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks" highlights this historical context, of not only systemic racism, but also the disadvantaged position of women as subjects to men. The lack of direct policies and research on IPV, despite its grave impact on intimate partners and their dependents, leads me to think that some Caribbean people are too comfortable with this pattern of violence. I call this a "culture of violence," as described by Brereton (2010) in "The Historical Background to the Culture of Violence in Trinidad and Tobago," because it is normalized in the country.
The normalization of violence
We may ponder various questions surrounding this issue. Violence in intimate partner relationships has manifested as normalized in Caribbean interaction. What is causing violence to be normalized within a small twin island republic like Trinidad and Tobago? Could it be inability to cope with relationship difficulties, or is it that this violence is acceptable to intimate partners, or both? What is it about T&T culture that seems to facilitate and condone this violence, with little or no public protest? Is IPV considered a private issue within relationships? Are men and women afraid?
On a global scale, IPV is prevalent among many couples. Referring to statistics from the WHO Violence Against Women factsheet, one in three women will experience IPV in an intimate relationship and 38% of murders of women worldwide are committed by a male intimate partner (WHO, 2017). While these statistics reflect male violence against female intimate partners, there has also been intimate partner violence by women against men, as well as IPV within same-sex relationships. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence of the USA (NCADV, 2020) states that one in nine men have experienced some form of IPV, sexual contact violence, and stalking. Furthermore, according to this report, male rape victims and male victims of unwanted sexual contact have reported predominantly male perpetrators. This reflects a similar situation in Trinidad and Tobago. Le Franc et al. (2008) in "Interpersonal violence in three Caribbean countries: Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago" provide evidence on reporting of physical and sexual violence in Trinidad and Tobago, finding that 47.7% of men experienced physical violence within relationships and 52.5% of men experienced sexual coercion within relationships.
Interestingly, masculinity is learnt through power, reinforced by family socialization across generations, religion, school, media, and friends, according to Wiltshire (2012) in "Youth Masculinities and Violence in the Caribbean." Moreover, Wiltshire notes that manliness is expressed through acts of violence and aggression and some men think that women sometimes need to be disciplined by their male partners. While both men and women are perpetrators of intimate partner violence, news reports in T&T are flooded with incidents of women being killed by their intimate partners. This is because there is a larger proportion of men who perpetrate IPV against women compared to the proportion of women who perpetrate these acts on men.
Notions of masculinity and femininity shared by men and women reflect the inevitability of male violence in intimate relationships and the acceptance and silence on the issue. Furthermore, this abuse is legitimated by labelling women as "not respectable" when they transgress the limits of expectations of Caribbean respectability. However, men's thoughts on women's expression of their sexuality and femininity are certainly no excuse to abuse.
Silence as a barrier to addressing IPV
It is noteworthy that there are efforts being made to break the silence and give victims a voice. The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC) Domestic Violence in the Workplace Policy (2018) and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Gender-Based Violence Unit are policies addressing issues of IPV. The UN's Spotlight Initiative is highlighting increased instances of domestic violence due to COVID-19. Despite these initiatives, the culture of violence and notions of masculinity and femininity in T&T reflect a general acceptance of a culture of violence in the country.
Empowering and encouraging IPV survivors through safety and support mechanisms, therapeutic options for couples and for perpetrators not in denial, promoting mental health for men and women, and calling on men to reach out for help can positively change a culture of silence on violence to a culture that speaks out against and publicly disapproves violence.
Furthermore, a resocialization of males and females in their expression of sexuality and gender roles is necessary. I believe the shame and fear associated with IPV for the victim and even for the perpetrator, and a survivor's false sense of responsibility for their victimhood, leads to this silence on violence. Hence, a main barrier to reporting domestic violence to the police, for male and female victims, was embarrassment/shame, according to Wallace (2019) in "Domestic Violence: Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Non-Reporting to the Police in Trinidad and Tobago." Despite the reason, the response is silence, which often ends in murder.
Making it a norm to speak out against violence and perceive violence as unacceptable and anomalous in expressions of self and within relationships will break the silence and ultimately change intimate partner relations for the better.
Amanda Chin Pang, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago <amandalall91@gmail.com>
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This week has been fraught with emotional ups and downs. Coming down from the Writers Retreat last weekend, high high high point of the year. Many ah ha moments.
Lightening did not strike me on Thursday. I have a heart but it won't be golden this year.
It caused me to think about resources for writers. I'm not really thinking of self help type books but more resources that helped you along the way. No not really the big book of paranormal creatures that's on my shelf. I can research on the internet. No not an alphabetical listing of all the big "R" little "r" rules to remember.
What are your resources as a writer?
Mine are the FCRW chapter I belong to. Also the couple of yahoo groups I maintain membership in.
My FB friends are great. Danica and I have had fun bracketing the week with me sponsoring Fantasy Man Monday and she offering Fantasy Man Friday. Friday's are hotter.
Ink Plots, the live critique group I'm a member of helps. My Critique Partner is my life line.
I just received the Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines; Sixteen Master Archetypes. Great resource book by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. It is outstanding.
Does anyone have that book on plot archetypes? I saw it on amazon.
What are your resources that help you both in the actual mechanics of writing and surviving the tough times?
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged authors, Beginning Writers, creative writing, Critique Partners, Eden Glenn, Golden Heart, journey in writing, new writers, writers, writing, Writing contests, writing craft, Writing Workshops. Bookmark the permalink.
It's great to have a critique group that you can bounce ideas off of. Something that sounds so fantastic to me may not be the gem I think it is. Just talking about my problems out loud – or typing them to someone – helps me, too.