Defeat of the German-Italian attempt to entrench an Axis state in Iraq.
Deterioration of relations between the UK and Vichy France, culminating in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign.
However, following 1937, no British troops were left in Iraq and the Iraqi government had become solely responsible for the internal security of the country. In accordance with the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) had been allowed to retain two bases; RAF Shaibah, near Basra, and RAF Habbaniya, between Ramadi and Fallujah. Air Vice-Marshal H. G. Smart was the commander of RAF Habbaniya and Air Officer Commanding of all RAF forces in Iraq. The bases in Iraq had a dual role: protecting Britain's petroleum interests and maintaining a link in the air route between Egypt and India. In addition RAF Habbaniya was also a training base and was protected by a small detachment of RAF ground forces and locally raised Iraqi troops.
With the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the Iraqi Government broke off diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany. In March 1940, the nationalist and anti-British Rashid Ali replaced Nuri as-Said as Prime Minister of Iraq. Rashid Ali made covert contacts with German representatives in Ankara and Berlin, though he was not yet an openly pro-Axis supporter.
In June 1940, when Fascist Italy joined the war on the side of Germany, the Iraqi government did not break off diplomatic relations, as they had done with Germany. Thus the Italian Legation in Baghdad became the chief centre for Axis propaganda and for fomenting anti-British feeling. In this they were aided by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The Grand Mufti had fled from Palestine shortly before the outbreak of war and later received asylum in Baghdad.
In January 1941, there was a political crisis within Iraq and the threat of civil war was looming. Rashid Ali resigned as Prime Minister of Iraq and was replaced by Taha al-Hashimi. Public opinion started to change in Iraq as the Italians suffered a series of setbacks in the African and Mediterranean theatre.
On 31 March, the Regent of Iraq, Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, learnt of a plot to arrest him and he fled Baghdad for RAF Habbaniya. From Habbaniya he was flown to Basra and given refuge on the gunboat HMS Cockchafer.
On 1 April, Rashid Ali, along with four top level Army and Air Force officers; known as the "Golden Square", seized power via a coup d'état and Rashid Ali proclaimed himself Chief of the "National Defence Government." The Golden Square deposed Prime Minister Taha al-Hashimi and Rashid Ali once again became Prime Minister of Iraq. Rashid Ali did not move to overthrow the monarchy and named a new Regent to King Faisal II, Sherif Sharaf. Faisal and his family took refuge in the home of Mulla Effendi. The leaders of the "National Defence Government" proceeded to arrest many pro-British citizens and politicians. However, a good number of those sought managed to escape by various means through Amman in Transjordan.
The immediate plans of Iraq's new leaders were to refuse further concessions to the United Kingdom, to retain diplomatic links with Fascist Italy, and to expel most prominent pro-British politicians from the country. The plotters of the coup considered the United Kingdom to be weak and believed that its government would negotiate with their new government regardless of its legality. On 17 April, Rashid Ali, on behalf of the "National Defence Government", asked Germany for military assistance in the event of war with the British. Ultimately, Rashid Ali attempted to restrict British rights guaranteed under Article 5 of the 1930 treaty when he insisted that newly arrived British troops be quickly transported through Iraq and to Palestine.
The RIrAF had a total of 116 aircraft in 7 squadrons and a training school. Between 50 and 60 Iraqi aircraft were in serviceable condition. Most Iraqi fighter and bomber aircraft were located at the newly renamed "Rashid Airfield" in Baghdad (formerly RAF Hinaidi) or in Mosul. Four squadrons and the Flying Training School were based in Baghdad. Two squadrons with close co-operation and general purpose aircraft were based in Mosul. The Iraqis flew an assortment of aircraft types that included Gladiator biplane fighters, Breda 65 fighter bombers, Savoia SM79 medium bombers, Northrop/Douglas 8A fighter bombers, Hawker Nisr biplane close co-operation aircraft, Vickers Vincent biplane light bombers, de Havilland Dragon biplane general purpose aircraft, de Havilland Dragonfly biplane general purpose aircraft, and Tiger Moth biplane trainers. In addition to the 116 aircraft, the Iraqi Air Force had another 9 aircraft not allocated to specific squadrons and 19 aircraft available in reserve.
Ground forces available to Smart included Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF and six companies of Assyrian Levies, composed of indigenous Eastern Aramaic speaking Christian Assyrians. The armoured car company comprised 18 ancient Rolls Royce armoured cars of World War I vintage. The Assyrian Levies totalled almost 2,000 officers and other ranks raised from the Assyrian population of northern Iraq, under the command of about 20 British officers.
At RAF Habbaniah, the 4th Service Flying Training School had a wide variety of obsolescent bombers, fighters and trainers. However, many of the 84 aircraft available could not be flown or were not appropriate for offensive use. In addition, at the start of battle, there were about 1000 RAF personnel but only 39 pilots. All told, on 1 April, the British had 3 old Gladiator biplane fighters, 30 Hawker Audax biplane close co-operation aircraft, 7 Fairey Gordon biplane bombers, 27 twin-engine Oxford trainers, 28 Hawker Hart biplane light bombers (the "bomber" version of the Hawker Audax), 20 Hart trainers, and 1 Bristol Blenheim Mk1 bomber. The Gladiators were used as officers' runabouts. The Hawker Audaxes could carry eight 20 lb bombs (12 Audaxes were modified to carry two 250 lb bombs). The Fairy Gordons could each carry two 250 lb bombs. The Oxfords were converted from carrying smoke bombs to carrying eight 20 lb bombs. The Hawker Harts could carry two 250 lb bombs. The Hawker trainers had no weaponry. The Blenheim left for good on 3 May. There was also an "RAF Iraq Communications Flight" at Habbaniya with 3 Vickers Valentia flying boats.
On 6 April, AVM Smart requested reinforcements, but his request was rejected by Air Officer Commanding in the Middle East Sir Arthur Longmore. At this point in the war, the situation developing in Iraq did not figure highly in British priorities. Churchill wrote, "Libya counts first, withdrawal of troops from Greece second. Tobruk shipping, unless indispensable to victory, must be fitted in as convenient. Iraq can be ignored and Crete worked up later."
The British Chiefs-of-Staff, with the vocal support of the Commander-in-Chief, India General Claude Auchinleck, were in favour of armed intervention. However, the three Commander-in-Chiefs, of the British armed forces in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean area,[nb 7] already heavily committed with fighting in Libya, in East Africa, and in Greece, suggested the only forces they would be able to use against Iraq was a single battalion of infantry, based within Palestine, and the aircraft already based within Iraq. The Government of India had a long-standing commitment to prepare one infantry division in case it should be needed to protect the Anglo-Iranian oilfields and in July 1940 the leading brigade of this division, the 5th Indian Infantry Division, was ordered to be dispatched to Iraq. However, in August the division was placed under the command of Middle East Command and was diverted to the Sudan. Since then, India Command had been investigating the move of troops by air from India to RAF Shaibah.
On 10 April, Major-General William Fraser assumed control over Iraqforce, the land forces from India headed for Basra.[nb 8] Fraser was given the following instructions: (i) "The object of his force was to occupy the Basra-Shabai area in order to ensure the safe disembarkation of further reinforcements and to enable a base to be established in that area. (ii) The attitude of the Iraqi Army and local authorities was still uncertain and it was possible that attempts might be made to oppose the disembarkation of his force. In framing his plan for disembarkation, he was, therefore, to act in the closest concert with the officer commanding the Naval Forces. (iii) Should the disembarkation be opposed, he was to overcome the Iraqi forces by force and occupy suitable defensive positions ashore as quickly as possible. (iv) The greatest care was to be taken not to infringe on the neutrality of Iran."
On 20 April, Churchill had written to Anthony Eden, the Foreign Secretary, and indicated that it should be made clear to Ambassador Cornwallis that the chief interest in sending troops to Iraq was the covering and establishment of a great assembly base near Basra. It was to be understood that what happened "up country", with the exception of Habbaniya, was at that time on an "altogether lower priority." Churchill went on to indicate that the treaty rights were invoked to cover the disembarkation, but that force would have been used if it had been required. Cornwallis was directed not to make agreements with an Iraqi government which had usurped its power. In addition, he was directed to avoid entangling himself with explanations to the Iraqis.
On 29 April, having sailed from Bombay, the remaining elements of the 20th Infantry Brigade arrived at Basra on the three transports of Convoy BN1. On 30 April, when Rashid Ali was informed that ships containing additional British forces had arrived, he refused permission for troops to disembark from them and began organising for an armed demonstration at RAF Habbaniya. He did this while fully anticipating German assistance would be forthcoming in the guise of aircraft and airborne troops. Rashid Ali decided against opposing the landings at Basra.
By 1 May, the Iraqi forces surrounding Habbaniya had swelled to an infantry brigade, two mechanised battalions, a mechanised artillery brigade with 12 3.7-inch howitzers, a field artillery brigade with 12 18-pounder cannons and four 4.5-inch howitzers, 12 Crossley six-wheeled armoured cars, a number of Fiat light tanks, a mechanised machine gun company, a mechanised signal company, and a mixed battery of anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns. This totalled 9,000 regular troops along with an undetermined number of tribal irregulars and about 50 guns.
At 06:00 hours, an Iraqi envoy presented a message to the Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal H. G. Smart, stating that the plateau had been occupied for a training exercise. The envoy also informed Smart that all flying should cease immediately and demanded that no movements, either ground or air, take place from the base. Smart replied that any interference with the normal training carried out at the base would be treated as an act of war. Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, the British Ambassador located at the British Embassy in Baghdad and in contact with RAF Habbaniya via wireless, fully supported this action.
During the morning, Smart and Roberts surveyed the situation, they determined that they were exposed to attack on two sides and dominated by Iraqi artillery; a single hit from an Iraqi gun might destroy the water tower or power station and, as a result, cripple resistance at Habbaniya in one blow – the base seemed at the mercy of the Iraqi rebels. The garrison did not have enough small arms and, apart from a few mortars, no artillery support.
Air Vice-Marshal Smart controlled a base with a population of around 9,000 civilians that was indefensible with the force of roughly 2,500 men currently available. The 2,500 men included air crew and Assyrian Levies, who were prized by the British for their loyalty, discipline and fighting qualities. There was also the possibility that the Iraqi rebels were waiting for dark before attacking. As a result, Air Vice-Marshal Smart decided to accept the tactical risks and stick to Middle East Command's policy of avoiding aggravation in Iraq by, for the moment, not launching a pre-emptive strike.
Most combat operations of the Anglo–Iraqi War centred on the Habbaniya area. Starting early on 2 May, British airstrikes were launched against the Iraqis from RAF Habbaniya. While the largest number of British troops were ultimately assembled in the Basra area, an advance from Basra was not immediately practicable and did not get under way until after Rashid Ali's government was already collapsing.
Initially, the Iraqi siege of RAF Habbaniya and the ability of the besieged British force there to withstand the siege was the primary focus of the conflict. Air Vice-Marshal Sharp's decision to strike at the Iraqi positions with air power not only allowed his force to withstand the siege, but to neutralise much of Iraq's air power. While the relief force from Palestine arrived in Habbaniya after the siege was over, it did allow an immediate change over to the offensive.
Air Vice-Marshal Smart's tactics to defend Habbaniya was to mount continuous bombing and strafing attacks with as many aircraft as possible. At 05:00 on 2 May, 33 aircraft from Habbaniya, out of the 56 operational aircraft based there, and eight Wellington bombers, from Shaibah, began their attack. Within minutes the Iraqis on the escarpment replied by shelling the base, damaging some planes on the ground. The Royal Iraqi Air Force (RIrAF) also joined in the fray over Habbaniya. RAF attacks were also made against Iraqi air fields near Baghdad, which resulted in 22 aircraft being destroyed on the ground; further attacks were made against the railway and Iraqi positions near Shaibah, with the loss of two planes. Throughout the day the pilots, from Habbaniya, flew 193 sorties and claimed direct hits on Iraqi transports, armoured cars and artillery pieces; however five aircraft had been destroyed and several others had been put out of service. On the base 13 people had lost their lives and a further 29 wounded, including nine civilians.
The British attack on 2 May took the Iraqis completely by surprise. While the Iraqis on the escarpment carried live ammunition, many Iraqi soldiers were under the impression that they were on a training exercise. Rashid Ali and the members of the Golden Square were shocked by the fact that the British defenders at RAF Habbaniya were prepared to fight rather than negotiate a peaceful surrender. To compound the surprise and shock, many members of the Muslim Iraqi army were preparing for morning prayers when the attack was launched. When the news reached the Grand Mufti in Baghdad, he immediately declared a jihad against the United Kingdom. In addition, the flow of Iraq Petroleum Company oil to Haifa was completely severed.
On 3 May, the British bombing of the Iraqis continued; troop and gun positions on the plateau were targeted as well as the supply line to Baghdad. The RIrAF base at Rashid was also attacked and an Iraqi Savoia SM 79 bomber was intercepted and shot down heading for Habbaniya. The following day further air attacks were carried out on RIrA troop positions and the RIrAF. A bombing raid was conducted by eight Wellington bombers on Rashid, which was briefly engaged by Iraqi fighters but no losses were suffered. Bristol Blenheims, escorted by Hurricanes, also conducted strafing attacks against airfields at Baghdad, Rashid and Mosul.
On 5 May, due to a car accident, Air Vice-Marshal Smart was evacuated to Basra and then onward to India. Colonel Roberts assumed de facto command of the land operations at RAF Habbaniya after the departure of Smart. Air Vice-Marshal John D'Albiac, from Greece, was to take command over aerial forces at Habbaniya and of all RAF forces in Iraq. Further aerial attacks were conducted against the plateau during the day and following nightfall Colonel Roberts ordered a sortie by the King's Own Royal Regiment (1st KORR) against the Iraqi positions on the plateau. The attack was supported by the Assyrian levies, some RAF armoured cars and two First World War-era 4.5-inch howitzers. The 4.5 in howitzers had been put in working order by some British gunners but had previously been decorating the entrance of the base's officers' mess.
The investment of Habbaniya, by Iraqi forces, had come to an end. The British garrison had suffered 13 men killed, 21 badly wounded, and four men were suffering battle fatigue. The garrison had inflicted between 500–1000 casualties on the besieging force and numerous more men had been taken prisoner. On 6 May alone, 408 Iraqi troops were captured. The Chiefs-of-Staff now ordered that it was essential to continue to hit the Iraqi armed forces hard by every means available but avoiding direct attacks on the civilian population. The British objective was to safeguard British interests from Axis intervention in Iraq, to defeat the rebels and discredit Rashid's government.
Meanwhile, Iraqi reinforcements were approaching Habbaniya. RAF armoured cars, reconnoitring ahead, soon discovered the village of Sin el Dhibban, on the Fallujah road, occupied by Iraqi troops. The 1st KORR and the Assyrian levies, supported by the RAF armoured cars, assaulted the position driving the Iraqis out and taking over 300 prisoners. The Iraqi force retreating from Habbaniya met with an Iraqi column moving towards Habbaniya from Fallujah in the afternoon. The two Iraqi forces met around Script error: No such module "convert". east of Habbaniya on the Fallujah road. The reinforcing Iraqi column was soon spotted and 40 aircraft from RAF Habbaniya arrived to attack; the two Iraqi columns were paralysed and within two hours, more than 1,000 Iraqi casualties were inflicted and further prisoners were taken. Later in the afternoon Iraqi aircraft carried out three raids on the airbase and inflicted some damage.
Your vigourous and splendid action has largely restored the situation. We are all watching the grand fight you are making. All possible aid will be sent. Keep it up!
During the time leading up to the coup d'état, Rashid Ali's supporters had been informed that Germany was willing to recognise the independence of Iraq from the British Empire. There had also been discussions on war material being sent to support the Iraqis and other Arab factions in fighting the British.
On 11 May, the first three Luftwaffe planes arrived at Mosul via Syria. On 15 May, an aircraft carrying Major Axel von Blomberg flew from Mosul to Baghdad. Axel von Blomberg was part of the military mission to Iraq which had the cover name "Special Staff F" (Sonderstab F) commanded by General Hellmuth Felmy. Axel von Blomberg was tasked with heading up a Brandenburgers Commando reconnaissance group in Iraq that was to precede Fliegerführer Irak. Axel von Blomberg was also tasked with integrating Fliegerführer Irak with Iraqi forces in operations against the British. On its approach to Baghdad, the aircraft was engaged by Iraqi ground fire. As a result, von Blomberg was shot and was found to be dead when the aircraft landed.
During this time, Germany and the Soviet Union were still allies (due to the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939) and this was reflected in Soviet actions regarding Iraq. On 12 May, according to Time magazine, the Soviet Union recognised Rashid Ali's "National Defence Government." On 18 May, the New York Times indicated that an Iraqi-Soviet exchange of notes at Ankara established diplomatic relations between the two governments.
On 14 May, according to Winston Churchill, the RAF was authorised to act against German aircraft in Syria and on Vichy French airfields. On the same day, two over-laden Heinkel 111 bombers were left in Palmyra in central Syria because they had damaged rear wheels. British fighters entered French air space and strafed and disabled the damaged Heinkels.
On 27 May, after being invited by Germany, 12 Italian Fiat CR.42s of the 155a Squadriglia (renamed Squadriglia speciale Irak) of the Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana) arrived at Mosul to operate under German command. By 29 May, Italian aircraft were reported in the skies over Baghdad. According to Churchill, the Italian aircraft accomplished nothing. However, it was reported that on 29 May near Khan Nuqta the Italians intercepted a flight of Hawker Audaxes escorted by Gloster Gladiators of No. 94 Squadron. In the resulting combat, two Gladiators were lost for one CR.42 shot down by Wing Commander Wightman. This was the final aerial battle of the Anglo-Iraqi War.
On 2 May, the day AVM Sharp launched his airstrikes, Wavell continued to urge for further diplomatic action to be taken with the Iraqi government to end the current situation and accept the Turkish government's offer of mediation. He was informed by the Defence Committee that there would be no accepting the Turkish offer and that the situation in Iraq had to be restored.
Before Sharp launched his airstrikes on 2 May, members of the Iraqi Desert Police had seized the fort at Rutbah for the "National Defence Government." On 1 May, the police opened fire on British workers in Rutbah. The police were reportedly joined by the Arab guerilla leader Fawzi al-Qawuqji and his irregulars. In response to these Iraqi actions, Major-General Clark had ordered the mechanised squadron of the Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF), which was based at H4 pumping station, to seize the fort for the British. When the members of the TJFF refused, they were marched back to H3 and disarmed.
By the end of the first day of airstrikes, there had been reports that elements of the Royal Iraqi Army (RIrA) were advancing on the town of Rutbah. C Company of the 1st Battalion The Essex Regiment were ordered to travel from Palestine to H4, between Haifa and Iraq; from here the company would join a detachment of RAF armoured cars and defend the position from the Iraqi rebels.
On 4 May, Churchill ordered Wavell to dispatch a force from Palestine. On 5 May, Wavell was placed in command of operations in northern Iraq and General Henry Maitland Wilson was called back from Greece to take command of forces in Palestine and Transjordan. The Defence Committee and Chiefs-of-Staff rationale for taking military action against the Iraqi rebels was that they needed to secure the country from Axis intervention and considered Rashid Ali to have been conspiring with the Axis powers. The Chiefs-of-Staff accepted full responsibility for the dispatch of troops to Iraq.
On 8 May, the fort at Rutbah was still occupied by the Iraqi Desert Police and by Fawzi al-Qawuqji's irregulars. But, by this date, the fort was invested by the Arab Legion. On 9 May, H4-based Blenheims of 203 Squadron bombed the Iraqis in the fort. However, even with the bombing, the Iraqis maintained control of the fort and the Arab Legion was unable to take it by force of arms. The Legionnaires returned to H3 to replenish water and ammunition supplies. On 10 May, the Iraqis abandoned the fort, and Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion returned and occupied it.
The force put together in Palestine by Wavell was codenamed Habforce, short for Habbaniya Force. The force was placed under the command of Major-General George Clark. Clark was already the commander of the 1st Cavalry Division which included the 4th Cavalry Brigade, the 5th Cavalry Brigade, and the 6th Cavalry Brigade. After Wavell complained that using any of the force stationed in Palestine for service in Iraq would put Palestine and Egypt at risk, Churchill wrote Hastings Ismay, Secretary of the Chiefs-of-Staff Committee, and asked: "Why would the force mentioned, which seems considerable, be deemed insufficient to deal with the Iraq Army?" Concerning the 1st Cavalry Division specifically, he wrote: "Fancy having kept the cavalry division in Palestine all this time without having the rudiments of a mobile column organised!" On balance, Wavell wrote that the 1st Cavalry Division in Palestine had been stripped of its artillery, its Engineers, its Signals, and its transport to provide for the needs of other formations in Greece, North Africa, and East Africa. While one motorised cavalry brigade could be provided, this was only possible by pooling the whole of the divisional motor transport.
It was after the TJFF refused to enter Iraq that Clark decided to divide Habforce into two columns. The first column was a flying column codenamed Kingcol. Kingcol was named after its commanding officer, Brigadier James Kingstone, and was composed of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, two companies of the 1st battalion The Essex Regiment, the Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF, and a battery of 25 pounder howitzers from the 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. The second column, the Habforce main force, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. S. Nichols, was composed of the remaining elements of the 1st battalion The Essex Regiment, the remainder of the 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, one anti-tank battery, and ancillary services. In addition to Kingcol and the Habforce main force, there was available to Major-General Clark a 400-man strong detachment of the Arab Legion (al-Jaysh al-Arabī) in the Emirate of Transjordan. The Arab Legion consisted of three mechanised squadrons transported in a mixture of civilian Ford trucks and equipped with home-made armoured cars. Unlike the TJFF, the Arab Legion was not part of the British Army. Instead, the Arab Legion was the regular Army of Transjordan and it was commanded by Lieutenant-General John Bagot Glubb, also known as "Glubb Pasha."
On 15 May, the first contact was made with the Iraqi military when a Blenheim bomber strafed the column and dropped a bomb[nb 15]; however, no damage was inflicted and no casualties were sustained. On 16 May, further bombing attacks were made against the column when it was attacked by the Luftwaffe, again no damage was sustained however there were a few casualties.
During the night of the 17–18 May, elements of the Gurkha battalion, a company of RAF Assyrian Levies, RAF Armoured Cars and some captured Iraqi howitzers crossed the Euphrates using improvised cable ferries.[nb 16] They crossed the river at Sin el Dhibban and approached Falluja from the village of Saqlawiyah. During the early hours of the day, one company of the 1st battalion KORR were air transported by 4 Valentias and landed on the Baghdad road beyond the town near Notch Fall. A company of RAF Assyrian Levies, supported by artillery from Kingcol, was ordered to secure the bridge across the river. Throughout the day the RAF bombed positions in the town and along the Baghdad road, avoiding a general bombardment of the town because of the civilian population. On 19 May 57 aircraft began bombarding Iraqi positions within and around Fallujah before dropping leaflets requesting the garrison to surrender; no response was given and further bombing operations took place. The RAF dropped ten tons of bombs on Fallujah in 134 sorties. During the afternoon a ten-minute bombardment of Iraqi trenches near the bridge was made before the Assyrian Levies advanced, covered by artillery fire. Facing little opposition they captured the bridge within 30 minutes, they were then met by an Iraqi envoy who offered the surrender of the garrison and the town. 300 prisoners were taken and no casualties had been sustained by the British force. The Luftwaffe responded to the British capture of the city by attacking the H airfield, destroying and damaging several aircraft and inflicting a number of casualties.
On 22 May, the Iraqi 6th Infantry Brigade, of the Iraqi 3rd Infantry Division, conducted a counterattack against the British forces within Fallujah. The Iraqi attack started at 02:30 hours supported by a number of Italian-built L3/35 light tanks. By 03:00 the Iraqis reached the north-eastern outskirts of the town. Two light tanks, which had penetrated into the town, were quickly destroyed. By dawn British counterattacks had pushed the Iraqis out of north-eastern Fallujah. The Iraqis now switched their attack to the south-eastern edge of the town. But this attack met stiff resistance from the start and made no progress. By 10:00 Kingstone arrived with reinforcements, from Habbaniya, who were immediately thrown into battle. The newly arrived infantry companies, of the Essex Regiment, methodically cleared the Iraqi positions house-by-house. By 18:00 the remaining Iraqis had fled or were taken prisoner, sniper fire was silenced, six Iraqi light tanks were captured, and the town was secure.
On 23 May, aircraft of Fliegerführer Irak made a belated appearance. British positions at Fallujah were strafed on three separate occasions. But, while a nuisance, the attacks by the Luftwaffe accomplished little. Only one day earlier an air assault coordinated with Iraqi ground forces might have changed the outcome of the counterattack.
In response to the initial Iraqi moves, the 10th Indian Infantry Division, under Major-General Fraser, occupied Basra airport, the city's docks, and the power station. Elements of the 20th Indian Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Powell, were used to occupy these sites. Between 18 and 29 April, two convoys had landed this brigade in the Basra area. 2nd battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles guarded the RAF airfield at Shabaih, 3rd battalion 11th Sikh Regiment secured the Maqil docks, and 2nd battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles were held in reserve. Otherwise, no major operations took place in the Basra area. The principal difficulty was that there were insufficient troops to take over Maqil, Ashar, and Basra City concurrently. While the Iraqi troops in Basra agreed to withdraw on 2 May, they failed to do so.
Starting on 7 May and ending 8 May, elements of the 20th Indian Infantry Brigade and the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade captured Ashar, near Basra. Ashar was well defended and the Iraqi defenders inflicted a number of casualties on the British attackers. The British units involved were A, B, C, and D companies of 2nd battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles and a half section of Rolls Royce armoured cars from 4th battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles. 2nd battalion 4th Gurkha Rifles were held in reserve. As a result of the successful action against Ashar, Basra City was secured without a fight. However, armed resistance from Iraqi police and Army units continued until 17 May. While the Basra area was now secured, it was flood season in Iraq and the difficulty of northward movement from Basra by rail, road, or river towards Baghdad stifled further operations. In addition, Iraqi forces occupied points along the Tigris and along the railway to further discourage northward movement.
General Wavell (right) and Lieutenant-General Quinan, April 1941.
On 8 May, operations in Iraq were passed, from under the control of Auchinleck's India Command, to the command of Wavell's Middle East Command. Lieutenant-General Edward Quinan arrived from India to replace Fraser as commander of Iraqforce. Quinan's immediate task was to secure Basra as a base. He was ordered by Wavell not to advance north until the co-operation of the local tribes was fully assured. Quinan could also not contemplate any move north for three months on account of the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates. Directives were issued to Quinan prior to his assuming command. On 2 May, he had been directed as follows: "(a) Develop and organise the port of Basra to any extent necessary to enable such forces, our own or Allied, as might be required to operate in the Middle East including Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, to be maintained. (b) Secure control of all means of communication, including all aerodromes and landing grounds in Iraq, and develop these to the extent requisite to enable the Port of Basra to function to its fullest capacity." Quinan was further instructed to "begin at once to plan a system of defences to protect the Basra Base against attack by armoured forces supported by strong air forces, and also to be ready to take special measures to protect: (i) Royal Air Force installations and personnel at Habbaniya and Shaiba. (ii) The lives of British subjects in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. (iii) The Kirkuk oilfields and the pipe line to Haifa." Lastly, Quinan was directed "to make plans to protect the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company's installations and its British employees in South West Iran if necessary." Quinan was informed that "it was the intention to increase his force up to three infantry divisions and possibly also an armoured division, as soon as these troops could be despatched from India."
On 27 May, the forces from Basra started to advance northwards. In Operation Regulta, the 20th Indian Infantry Brigade, known as the "Euphrates Brigade", advanced along the Euphrates by boat and by road. In Operation Regatta, the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade, known as the "Tigris Brigade", advanced up the Tigris by boat to Kut.
On 30 May, the 10th Indian Infantry Division's third brigade, 25th Indian Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Ronald Mountain, arrived and disembarked at Basra. The 25th Indian Infantry Brigade included 3rd battalion 9th Jat Regiment, 2nd battalion 11th Royal Sikh Regiment, and 1st battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry.
The British forces from Habbaniya pressed on to Baghdad after successfully defending Fallujah. Major-General Clark decided to maintain the momentum because he expected that the Iraqis did not appreciate just how small and just how vulnerable his forces actually were. Clark had a total of about 1,450 men to attack at least 20,000 Iraqi defenders. However, Clark did enjoy an advantage in the air.
On the night of 27 May, the British advance on Baghdad began. The advance made slow progress and was hindered by extensive inundations and by the many destroyed bridges over the irrigation waterways which had to be crossed. Faced with Clark's advance, the government of Rashid Ali collapsed. On 29 May, Rashid Ali, the Grand Mufti, and many members of the "National Defence Government" fled to Persia. After Persia, they went on to Germany.
On the morning of 31 May, the Mayor of Baghdad and a delegation approached British forces at the Washash Bridge. With the Mayor was Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, the British Ambassador, who had been confined to the British Embassy in Baghdad for the past four weeks. Terms were quickly reached and an armistice was signed. The Iraqi armed forces in the vicinity of Baghdad still greatly outnumbered the British and the British decided not to occupy Baghdad immediately. This was done partly to disguise the weakness of British forces outside the city. On 1 June, Prince 'Abd al-Ilah returned to Baghdad as the Regent and the monarchy and a pro-British government were put back in place. On 2 June, Jamil al-Midfai was named Prime Minister.
In the immediate aftermath of the fall of Rashid Ali's "National Defence Government" and the armistice, Baghdad was torn apart by rioting and looting. Much of the violence was channelled towards the city's Jewish Quarter. Some 120 Jewish residents lost their lives and about 850 were injured before the Iraqi police were ordered to restore order with live ammunition.
After the Anglo-Iraq War, elements of Iraqforce (known as Iraq Command from 21 June) were used to attack the Vichy French-held Mandate of Syria during the Syria-Lebanon campaign, which started 8 June and ended 14 July. Iraq Command (known as Persia and Iraq Force (Paiforce from 1 September) was also used to attack Persia during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, which took place in August to September 1941. Forward defences against a possible German invasion from the north through the Caucasus were created in 1942, and the strength of Paiforce peaked at the equivalent of over 10 brigades before the Russians halted the German threat at the Battle of Stalingrad. After 1942, Iraq and Persia were used to transit war material to the Soviet Union and the British military presence became mainly lines of communication troops.
On 20 June, Churchill told Wavell that he was to be replaced by Auchinleck. Of Wavell, Auchinleck wrote: "In no sense do I wish to infer that I found an unsatisfactory situation on my arrival – far from it. Not only was I greatly impressed by the solid foundations laid by my predecessor, but I was also able the better to appreciate the vastness of the problems with which he had been confronted and the greatness of his achievements, in a command in which some 40 different languages are spoken by the British and Allied Forces."
While Rashid Ali and his supporters were in alliance with the Nazi regime in Germany, the war demonstrated that Iraq's independence was at best conditional on British approval of the government's actions. Rashid Ali and the Mufti of Jerusalem fled to Persia, then to Turkey, then to Italy, and finally to Berlin, Germany, where Ali was welcomed by Hitler as head of the Iraqi government-in-exile.
^ On 30 May Rashid Ali and his supporters fled to Persia. At 4 am on 31 May, the Mayor of Baghdad signed an armistice on a bridge across the Washash Canal.
^ Playfair states this force was made up initially of 14 Messerschmitt 110 and seven Heinkel 111s. Lyman states it was 12 Heinkel 111s and 12 Messerschmitt 110s, while Mackenzie states the force consisted of 15 Heinkel 111s and 14 Messerschmitt 110s.
^ The cable ferry was fashioned by a section of the Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners flown in from Basra. Loaded barges were hooked onto a fixed wire cable they had stretched taught across the river, which was Script error: No such module "convert". wide at the point of crossing.
^ Patterson, David (2010). A Genealogy of Evil: Anti-Semitism from Nazism to Islamic Jihad. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-521-13261-9.
^ "RAF Museum British Military Aviation in 1941 – Part 2 entry for 30 April". RAF Museum.
^ a b "RAF Valley No 4 Flying Training School". Royal Air Force.
^ Kiwarkis. "Assyrian R.A.F. Levies: 1941 Habbanyia, Battle for Habbaniya – 1941 War Diary".
Ammentorp, Steen. "Major-General George Guy Waterhouse.". Generals of World War II website. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
Auchinleck, Claude (1946). Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 5th July, 1941 to 31st October 1941. London: War Office. in The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37695. pp. 4215–4230. 20 August 1946. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
Wavell, Archibald (1946). Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 7th February, 1941 to 15th July 1941. London: War Office. in The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37638. pp. 3423–3444. 3 July 1946. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
Wavell, Archibald (1946). Despatch on Operations in Iraq, East Syria and Iran from 10th April, 1941 to 12th January, 1942. London: War Office. in The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37685. pp. 4093–4102. 13 August 1946. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
Wilson, Maitland (1946). Despatch on the Persia and Iraq Command Covering the Period from 21st August, 1942, to 17th February, 1943. London: War Office. in The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37703. pp. 4333–4340. 28 August 1946. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
"Archibald Wavell's Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 7th February, 1941 to 15th July 1941." (PDF). Supplement to the London Gazette, Number 37638. 3 July 1946. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
"Archibald Wavell's Despatch on Operations in Iraq, East Syria, and Iran From 10th April, 1941 to 12th January 1942." (PDF). Supplement to the London Gazette, Number 37685. 13 August 1946. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
"Claude Auchinleck's Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 5th July, 1941 to 31st October 1941.". Supplement to the London Gazette, Number 37695. 20 August 1946. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
"Maitland Wilson's Despatch on the Persia and Iraq Command Covering the Period from 21st August, 1942, to 17th February, 1943." (PDF). Supplement to the London Gazette, Number 37703. 28 August 1946. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
New York Times (18 May 1941). "RUSSIA SIGNS PACT WITH IRAQI REGIME; Exchanges Notes on Diplomatic and Trade Ties.". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
"Norweigen site, Om irakiske militsenheder i engelsk tjeneste, 1915–1955.". Retrieved 16 October 2009.
Rainbow, John and Pollington, John. "RAF Habbaniya, the Plateau Airfield & Lake".
"Royal Air Force History: The Battle for Habbaniya – The Forgotten War". Retrieved 30 January 2010.
"Trouble in Paradise.". Time. 21 April 1941. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
"Holy Skirmish.". Time. 12 May 1941. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
"Turkey: Door to Dreamland.". Time. 18 May 1941. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
"With Roosevelt in Iraq.". Time. 2 June 1941. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
"May 12—U.S.S.R. recognises pro-Nazi Government of Iraq.". Time. 30 June 1941. Retrieved 5 July 2009.


text:
Word family noun agreement ≠ disagreement adjective agreeable ≠ disagreeable agreed verb agree ≠ disagree adverb agreeably ≠ disagreeably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishagreea‧gree /əˈɡriː/ ●●● S1 W1 verb 1 same opinion [intransitive, transitive]AGREE to have or express the same opinion about something as someone else OPP disagree Teenagers and their parents rarely agree.agree with If she felt he was right, she would agree with him.agree that Most people nowadays would agree that a good pub is one of our best traditions.agree on/about We don't agree on everything, of course.I quite agree/I couldn't agree more (=I agree completely) 'We have to talk.' 'Absolutely, ' Meredith replied. 'I couldn't agree more.'2 say yes [intransitive, transitive]AGREE to say yes to an idea, plan, suggestion etc OPP refuse I suggested we go somewhere for the weekend and she agreed at once.agree to do something No one really knows why he agreed to do the film.agree to My sister won't agree to our mother going into a nursing home.3 decide together [intransitive, transitive]AGREE to make a decision with someone after a discussion with themagree to do something We agreed to meet again the following Monday.agree on They managed to agree on a date for the wedding.agree that We agreed that elections would be held in May.agree a price/plan/strategy etc We agreed a new four-year contract.GrammarIn more formal English, you say it was agreed that when saying what people agreed: It was agreed that the post would be advertised.4 be the same [intransitive]SAME if two pieces of information agree with each other, they match or are the sameagree with Your story doesn't agree with what the police have told us.5 → agree to differ/disagree → agree with somethingGrammarReciprocal verbsAgree is a reciprocal verb. This type of verb is used when saying that two or more people or groups do something that involves both or all of them: Our parties agree on this. You can also say: Our parties agree with each other on this.My party agrees with yours on this.Prepositions with agreeagree with somebody/something• You agree with someone: I agree with Tanya. ✗Don't say: I agree Tanya.• You agree with an opinion or statement: He agrees with this view. ✗Don't say: He agrees this view. agree on/about something• People agree on or about a subject: My wife and I agree on most things.agree to something• You agree to a plan or suggestion: They agreed to all our proposals. ✗Don't say: They agreed all our proposals.Using the progressiveAgree is not used in the progressive. You say: I agree completely. ✗Don't say: I am agreeing completely.THESAURUSto say yesagree to say that you think that someone's plan or suggestion is a good idea and you think it should happenCharles suggested going for a picnic, and we all agreed.The Council of Ministers would never agree to such a plan.Few people expect the rebels to agree to the peace plan.When I proposed that in future we should hold our meetings in the bar, the others agreed wholeheartedly.say yes especially spoken to agree to do what someone has askedThey asked if I would give a talk, and I stupidly said yes.approve to officially agree to a plan or proposalCongress approved the plan by a large majority.give your consent to say that you agree to something that will affect you, your family, or your property, when you have the legal right to say 'no'Her parents have given their consent to the marriage.go along with something to agree with someone else's plan or suggestion even though you are not sure if it is the right thing to doHe wasn't very happy with the idea, but he decided to go along with it.to have the same opinionagree to have the same opinion as someone, or to think that a statement is correctI totally agree with what you've just said.I completely agree with Chomsky when he says that humans are born with a special ability to learn language.Most experts agree that dieting needs to be accompanied by regular exercise.be in agreement formal if people are in agreement, they agree with each other, especially after discussing somethingThe brothers are in agreement over the future of their company.The world's scientists are in agreement that global warming is a problem that needs to be addressed.share somebody's view/be of the same opinion formal to have the same opinion as someone, especially about an important issueA lot of people share his view that tourism will have a negative impact on the island.Professor Dawkins is of the same opinion as Dr Jones.They share the view that nuclear energy can play an important role in meeting global demands for energy.All three specialists were of the same opinion about the cause of her illness.concur /kənˈkɜː $ -ˈkɜːr/ formal to agree with someone or about something – a very formal word which is used especially in official contextsThe committee concurred with this view.She asked her colleague, and she concurred.Was it his aggression which set him apart from his rivals? 'Possibly, ' he concurred.As most biblical scholars concur, the letter could not have been written by any contemporary of Jesus.see eye to eye [not in progressive] to agree with someone about something – used especially in negative sentencesWe don't always see eye to eye, but we do respect each other's opinions.agree up to a point to partly agree with someoneI agree with you up to a point, but surely the situation is more complex than that? → See Verb table
agree• I think it's too expensive. Do you agree?• Right then, are we all agreed?• The project can't go ahead until the finance committee agrees.• Charles suggested going for a picnic, and we all agreed.• I'll have to check these calculations again -- the totals don't agree.• I suggested we move to Chicago and she agreed.• After a few minutes' discussion we had agreed a price and the car was mine.• Ultimately the two sides could not agree, and negotiations were abandoned.• "I wish it was time to go home." "I couldn't agree more."• The one thing all the parties agreed on was the need for fair elections.• Most experts agree that drugs like heroin can cause permanent brain damage.• It was agreed that the price should be fixed at $200.• Finally, after some tough negotiating, it was agreed that the workforce would be reduced by 10%.• If Brian agrees to buy the car, then changes his mind, can he withdraw his acceptance?• They agreed to meet up later in the week.• The Council of Ministers would never agree to such a plan.• Plant managers and the union agreed to take the Quality of Work Life effort plant-wide.• Few people expect the rebels to agree to the peace plan.• "Yes, I'm sure you're right, " agreed Tony.• Mr Johnson thinks it's too risky, and I tend to agree with him.• Lee agreed with Jackson that more opportunities should be created for minorities in film.• I also agree with Scott L.J.'s observations about the form of order that would be proper to be made.• Mr and Mrs Davenport accepted and agreed with the results of the psychological evaluation.• I agree with you about the color -- it looks awful.agree on/about• Morrison Knudsen and lenders agree on a plan to avoid a cash shortage.• The Government had failed to agree on a programme: Baldwin was for protection.• It is much easier to form a coalition against something than to agree on alternatives.• Federal and state ministers have met 20 times since the earlier massacres and failed to agree on change.• Neither side can agree on doctors or medical institutes to carry out tests.• Mike and I certainly don't agree on everything.• They could not agree on the Gulf conflict and seem to have no agreed middle east policy.• But, if the supporters are agreed on the principle of rotation, they disagree over the detail.• Most of us, I think, can agree on this.agree to• The rebels finally agreed to a ban on terrorist activity.• Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire.• Then, in an extraordinary move, five jurors and three alternates agreed to a news conference in the Santa Monica courthouse.• McCaskill left the California Angels on Saturday and agreed to a three-year contract with the Chicago White Sox worth over $6 million.• Friday, Corrections Department spokeswoman Gloria Isaac said the agency had agreed to cover the costs.• The conservatives surprised everyone by agreeing to defy the government and overspend by almost as much ... ten million.• They agreed to do nothing; self-winding up was inconceivable.• He agreed to restore the money once a testing bill he supported reached his desk.• After 17 years of failed development plans, the owner agreed to sell the site for community use.• In other words, Dounreay has agreed to store the spent fuel from research reactors for four years.• More schools in the area have agreed to support the Hamper Appeal.agree a price/plan/strategy etc• When people employ a builder to repair their house, they will probably want to agree a price beforehand.• That is, it may be easier to agree a price for a contract for clinical services than to assess cost or cost-effectiveness.• The two parties may agree a price for the land or ask an agent to act on their behalf.• Get your team around the table and agree a plan of action to give even more attention to detail.• The Link group acts as a forum for the major environmental issues and agrees strategies to combat existing problems.From Longman Business Dictionaryagreea‧gree /əˈgriː/ verb [intransitive, transitive]1to make a decision with someone after a discussion with themThey have agreed a price for the land.He has agreed a new two-year contract.agree to do somethingThe company agreed in principle to sell the paper mill to local managers.agree onThe companies agreed on the broad terms of a settlement.2to have or express the same opinion about something as someone elseThe management and the unions rarely seem to agree.agree withActually, I agree with Mike on this point.agree thatHe agreed that we need more time and resources. —agreed adjectiveThey are no longer prepared to pay the agreed price.an agreed code of conduct→ See Verb tableOrigin agree (1300-1400) Old French agréer, from gré "will, pleasure", from Latin gratus "pleasing"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Get Installation Folder Path string in VB2010 Setup Project How can I get the installation folder path and put in a variable using VBScript?

My VBScript put files to certain folders and I want to do it dynamically.

A: The answer is that you can't because Visual Studio setups don't have that capability. All custom actions, vbscripts, C++, C# or whatever all run after the files have been installed. There is no capability to run code before or during that UI sequence. If you want to get the location from somewhere on the system, setup projects have a search that might work to get the default value.

A: I did an alternative to this problem. I used Shell.BrowseForFolder method to browse for a folder and returned its path:
function fnShellBrowseForFolderVB()
        dim objShell
        dim ssfWINDOWS
        dim objFolder

        ssfWINDOWS = 36
        set objShell = CreateObject("shell.application")
            set objFolder = objShell.BrowseForFolder(0, "Example", 0, ssfWINDOWS)
                if (not objFolder is nothing) then
                    'Add code here.
                end if
            set objFolder = nothing
        set objShell = nothing
    end function

Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb774065(v=vs.85).aspx?cs-save-lang=1&cs-lang=vb#code-snippet-1
Hope this helps everyone.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


NaNoWriMo: It's National Novel Writing Month. Are you participating?
Have you noticed that your favorite coffee shop is a little bit busier than usual, or that your writer friend hasn't been picking up her phone or answering any of your emails? This may be because November is National Novel Writing Month, more affectionately called "NaNoWriMo." NaNoWriMo urges its participants to complete a 50,000-word novel (or write 50,000 words towards a larger work) between midnight, Nov. 1 and 11:59 p.m., Nov. 30.
Many NaNoWriMo participants begin planning for the event weeks in advance: meticulously creating plot outlines and detailed character sketches. Prepare all you want; the only rule is that you cannot actually begin writing the novel until the official start of NaNoWriMo.
The program is a springboard for the would-be novelist — he'll either sink or swim, and if he's lucky, he'll come out on the other side of November with a workable manuscript. A workable manuscript, mind you, not a polished one. The key to NaNoWriMo success is to put pen to page and speed away as fast as you can. It's much more challenging to complete the target 50,000 words if one is sidetracked by typos, spelling errors or gaping plot holes. You should ultimately shine that manuscript until it sparkles, but it would be wise to leave your buffer kit packed away until Dec. 1.
The beauty of NaNoWriMo is that it sets an achievable, albeit ambitious, goal and provides a supportive, understanding community. Many authors' and publishers' blogs provide helpful tips throughout the month, urging the fatigued writer, first time and repeat alike, to keep going. The program site itself features forums, articles, writing exercises and even encouraging daily emails. At the end of the month, participants upload their fresh, new novels to the site, subjecting it to the auto word count machine (there is also a word scrambler for the more paranoid — err, cautious — writer). Those who meet the 50k word goal receive an impressive certificate of completion and an enormous sense of satisfaction.
NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community, and miracles are bound to happen… The other reason we do NaNoWriMo is because the glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you read. And changes, a little bit, your sense of self. We like that.
What do you think? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Have you done it in years past? Do you have any tricks that keep you going despite having writers' cramp, brain fog, and a lack of Zs? Is one month enough time to write a salvageable first draft of a novel? Take the poll, and then leave a comment.
I just hit 4820 words. This is the best start of the four years. I love #nanowrimo. It gives my writing a charge each year. Nice post.


Sequence is finite since it is a subsequence of a finite sequence (A071062).
This is complete: there are only 14 terms in the sequence.
449 is in this sequence because it's prime and none of the numbers 4, 9, 44, 49, 94, 494 and 944 is prime.
Cf. A320726 (the same for composite numbers).


The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Wednesday in a closely watched case in which the eight justices will consider whether to impose limits on prosecutors contemplating insider trading charges against hedge fund managers and other traders.
The justices will hear arguments in the case of Bassam Salman, an Illinois man who prosecutors said made nearly $1.2 million trading on inside information from his brother-in-law about deals involving clients of Citigroup Inc, where the brother-in-law worked.
At issue is whether prosecutors in insider trading cases must prove that an alleged source of corporate secrets, like the brother-in-law, received a tangible benefit such as cash in exchange for any tips.
Prosecutors have said requiring such proof would make pursuing insider trading cases tougher, potentially preventing charges against executives who tip friends or relatives without receiving a tangible benefit in return.
Salman is asking the Supreme Court to throw out his 2013 conviction on conspiracy and securities fraud charges arising from insider trading. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
The Supreme Court in January agreed to hear Salman's appeal amid seemingly conflicting rulings by federal appeals courts in San Francisco, where his case was heard, and New York, where a wave of insider trading prosecutions has been pursued by federal prosecutors recently.
The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014 overturned the conviction of two hedge fund managers, Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson, and narrowed prosecutors' ability to pursue such cases in the process.
That court held that to be convicted, a trader must know that the source received a benefit in exchange, and that such a benefit was "at least a potential gain of a pecuniary (money) or similarly valuable nature."
The ruling forced prosecutors under Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to drop charges against 12 other defendants, out of 107 people charged since 2009.
Salman sought to seize upon that ruling to try to overturn his conviction. He argued he could not be convicted because no proof existed that his brother-in-law, in tipping a family member who in turn tipped Salman, received anything beneficial in exchange.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument, saying that requiring such proof would allow insiders to tip their relatives so long as they got nothing in exchange.


There are many marketing tactics that can take your business to new heights of progress, however, when you enter the online realm you need to be aware of the fact that the playing field gets leveled off and therefore, you not only need to be smart about your content but also about your SEO strategy. For a long time now SEO specialists have been emphasizing on the quality of the content and good, researched keywords to get you the traffic that you need, which will eventually turn into profitable conversions. All the same, with Google's strict and constant updates on its algorithms, these SEO strategies are bound to stay dynamic and rightly so. With the latest Google algorithm that will be effective come April 21st 2015, you may have to rework your SEO strategy if your website hasn't been optimized for mobile devices.
The new algorithm by Google will give more preference to websites that are mobile friendly, thereby giving them an upper hand over those whose websites may not perform the same function. Therefore, from April 21 onward, if you notice a significant drop in your rankings and website statistics, you know exactly what area you need to look into to have the error rectified and get your website the exposure that it deserves. You need to realize a simple fact that in this day and age, where a majority of the world has gone mobile and spends a major part of their time on mobile devices, taking the plunge to get your website optimized for these devices will not only make you a hit with your clients, but with Google as well.
Over 30 % of the audiences from all over the world prefer accessing the internet through their mobile devices and this number increases exponentially every year. The fact that mobile devices do not confine people to use the internet only when they are at home or in an office environment gives users an immense amount of flexibility and is all thanks to their mobile devices like the smartphones and tablets. This is reason enough for you to look into this matter as most of your conversions could happen while the consumer is on his way to school or work.
When you have a functional mobile friendly website, visitors tend to find it extremely credible, thus strengthening your brand. When a visitor tries to access a website that has not been optimized for mobile, you will find that he / she will give up and look at competitor sites since such websites take an immense amount of time to load the content and requires the visitor to constantly zoom in an out on the web pages so that the content can be viewed clearly. This can play a negative role in building a connection with the brand and therefore, a consistent and fully functional mobile optimized website will leave a good impression in the minds of the visitors.
Local businesses that have their websites optimized for mobile devices tend to rank a lot higher in Google's search engine results' page, as opposed to local businesses that don't. As a local business, you may not want to go the extra mile as you already have a host of dedicated and loyal customers who come to you, you need to realize that word of mouth marketing too has its own limitations. A global platform can easily skyrocket your local business into a global one in due time and all you need to reach those heights is hard work along with a simple change of transforming your online presence in a way that will be feasible for the mobile audiences.
A mobile friendly website is the most convenient way to give visitors quick access and information about your company, the business that you do and the ethics that you follow. Therefore, just having your mobile website, optimized for mobile devices will do you absolutely no good. What you need to look into in addition to having the website optimized is to optimize the content as well. Therefore, eliminating fluff and having crisp, concise content is important.
Google is constantly updating its algorithms to make sure that only the highest quality of content is delivered to the audiences and therefore, its latest algorithm focuses on ranking only those websites that have a mobile friendly feature.
Google's new algorithm is set to change the dynamics of website viewing and therefore, if you wish to be on the top of the search engine results page, it is important to visit the Webmaster page (https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ ) that gives you the analytics of your website telling you if your website is mobile friendly or not and what steps you can take to do so. Besides, you can also visit http://www.mobilephoneemulator.com/ to see what your website would look like on different mobile devices.
Did you ever wonder what makes a site truly successful on the internet? The truth is that having a successful website is a fine balancing act between pleasing two opposing parties. In order to get the most traffic and the best conversion rates for your company, you will need to make sure that your website is optimized for search engine crawlers, but still make it user friendly enough for the people who actually click on the links and visit the site. We have already gone over why it's important to have a site that has been optimized for search engines (read article here), but we haven't gone over why it's important to strive for a more human balance. This section will explain why in detail.
In many cases, especially when you use old school SEO techniques, it's easy to please search engine crawlers and get loads of hits…at the expense of your users' experience. Common SEO tactics can cause a site to be overclogged with walls of text filled with keywords, too many links, and too many updates on social media.
This can easily overwhelm users who just want to look for simple information on your company's home page. Too many links, or a confusing site layout that is built for SEO crawlers instead of actual people, can detract from a user's experience. Similarly, a site that has too many SEO widgets installed might end up loading very slowly, which in turn, may aggravate users. Working to get crawlers to pay attention to your site and promote it at the cost of user experience, will likely lead to loads of little problems with the site's usability.
Get returning visitors to your website!
These little things may seem like minor issues at first glance, but as the old saying goes, everything counts in large amounts. Site users who have negative experiences with a particular website are less likely to visit it in the future, and way less likely to recommend it to a friend. Poor quality sites will almost always be overtaken by sites that focus on a more human-oriented approach to site optimization. Moreover, having a low quality site that doesn't really cater to human visitors is also linked to having lower sales conversion rates, and a generally poor internet presence. Worse still, having a poor online presence will also influence buyers to buy from competitor stores, even if the sale is done face-to-face. Is having a (temporarily) highly ranked site really worth sacrificing your own customers? We don't believe so.
Along with the fact that people will not likely enjoy your site if it's optimized only for crawlers and not for human beings, there are many, many indicators that suggest that the internet search engines are going to increase their focus on user experience as the years continue to pass. Much of this trend can be seen in Google's recent overhaul of its entire search engine algorithm. By scrapping the heavy emphasis on keywords, and promoting the importance of social media, Google clearly made a stance that they are looking for quality content for users instead of quality content for crawlers.
The future of search engine algorithms will be one which is driven by content quality and popularity among people – not the number of keywords that are jammed into a company's main home page. Even with the trend just emerging, it has had a profound effect on a multitude of well known sites. Many major sites have taken a huge hit in search engine rankings with the new overhaul, so one can only imagine what the wrong focus can do to a budding website.
However, as important as a human focus is to any website, it's also still important to incorporate SEO into your site's development. After all, if you don't get crawlers to examine your site, you will not likely end up getting any visitors to marvel at how wonderful your site is.
The vast majority of traffic that any site receives is gotten through search engines. After all, when you're searching for a local business or looking for a question, don't you simply search the internet most of the time? Making an impression on search engine indexers, therefore, is still a priority that needs to be addressed by any webmaster with aspirations of having a popular site.
The bottom line is that you do have to walk a very fine line between pleasing people and pleasing search engines. Instead of the heavy handed approach to SEO that site owners were once expected to have, it's now much more advisable to have it be a very gentle, very subtle push in many respects. And, since algorithms have changed to make it a much more user-friendly world out there, it's easy enough to have a decent balance between the two without upsetting engine crawlers too much.


Come shopping with me to Home Sense, The Range & Next for all my Christmas decorations in preparation for decorating the Christmas tree! THE DECEMBER DANI DIARIES ARE HERE - WHO'S EXCITED"! ?Next video will be up this Friday :) My lashes: https://danibeauty.com/index.php/product/selfie/ My coat: https://shopstyle.it/l/WmaW DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE GIVEAWAY ON @danimansutti ? Social Media ? ? Instagram: @danimansutti ? Fitness Instagram: @fitsutti ? Facebook: @danimansuttiyoutube ? Twitter: @danimansuttii ? Shop: http://danibeauty.com/ ? Business Enquiries ? [email protected] --- This video is not sponsored.


text:
Stoke-on-Trent Business Live Awards
Keeping it local - the companies backing Stoke-on-Trent's future award winners
Meet the sponsors supporting the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards 2022
Rachel RutherfordCommercial Writer
Clockwise from left: Jon Dudley of Dains, Fiona Hawkins of PlinkFizz, Mark Inskip of Brewin Dolphin, Council Leader Simon Tagg of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Ross Edwards of Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld and Geoff Riley of Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BusinessLive - West Midlands - articles, insight and analysis straight to your inbox every morningInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Most will be hoping for a different forecast from the past two as we approach the new year; leaving the 'new normal' and 'unprecedented times' in 2020 and 2021.
But what businesses can take into their future endeavours is the ingenuity, resilience and astonishing tenacity which has truly thrived throughout the uncertainty.
So why not start 2022 with the chance to see all of your success recognised?
The Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards 2022, headline sponsored by Staffordshire University, are rewarding the hard work put in by local entrepreneurs and companies, reuniting the community for a night of positivity and celebration.
Following the entry deadline of Monday, January 10 and an intense judging process by our panel of distinguished experts, the winners will be announced at the grand black-tie ceremony on Thursday, April 28, 2022. For more information click here.
There has been a revolution of supporting local throughout the pandemic, whether it was simply down to logistics in lockdown or that brilliant sense of community which got us through.
Continuing this, local businesses have stepped forward to support this year's Stoke-on-Trent Business Awards, helping to showcase the brilliance of the city.
Find out more about them below...
Entries open for the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards
Headline sponsor Staffordshire University is a civic university which is committed to improving the regional economy, quality of life and development of higher level skills in local industries and businesses.
Associate Dean of Employer Partnerships and Enterprise, Marek Hornak said: "We have sponsored this event over a number of years and see it as a brilliant opportunity to recognise the achievements of new and established businesses. This is central to our commitment as a civic university and it's important we are engaging with our wider business community at every level.
"I'd encourage all our local companies to put themselves forward for these awards and achieve recognition for how they're innovating and doing business differently.
"Innovation and enterprise are key to the nation's recovery from Covid and business growth in our region. Our Innovation Enterprise Zone offers opportunities for businesses involved in advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, sustainable transport and digital sectors."
The results of the StokeonTrentLive Business Awards 2021
Innovation in Business
The Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre is a vital key to the success of the region. It encourages and promotes innovation within Staffordshire by helping individuals and companies with their innovations, providing advice and funding as part of a European network.
Geoff Riley, CEO, said: "We are delighted to be a part of the Stoke business awards once again. Innovation is at the forefront of what we do and we are pleased to see companies in Stoke-on-Trent continuing to develop innovative new products or services."
From left: Geoff Riley of Staffordshire Business Innovation Centre, Jon Dudley of Dains and Ross Edwards of Erwin Hymer Travelworld Centre
Growth Award
Dains is firmly entrenched in the local business community, with offices across the Midlands and the commitment to working with small companies ambitious for growth, alongside multinational clients.
Jon Dudley, audit partner, said: "Dains is delighted to be supporting the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards 2022; we have a rich and longstanding history with the awards.
"The Growth category, which we have sponsored for many years, gives an insight into some of the truly entrepreneurial businesses locally, where critically, the category does not differentiate by headline revenue. It highlights those businesses experiencing strong and positive growth and, in our experience, this trend is propelled by the underlying drive and vision of the management and commitment of the team.
Shine a spotlight on your most notable achievements by entering online today.
Entries close on Monday, January 10, 2022.
"North Staffordshire has had its fair share of well-known businesses that have enjoyed exceptional growth over the past few years and from our experience, it is incredibly exciting as well as being a privilege to be part of this journey.
"The Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards are a highlight of our calendar each year and we eagerly await the nominees for the awards in spring 2022. We wish all the nominees the best of luck and hope to meet with you very soon."
Entrepreneur of the Year
Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld and the Edwards family have been serving the motorhome community in the UK since 1964. Located just off junction 14 of the M6, the showroom provides the opportunity for a lifetime of adventures.
Ross Edwards, managing director Travelworld, said: "Succeeding in these difficult times has required entrepreneurial spirit, something that my team has shown in spades.
"It's for that reason that we are proud to be backing the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards 2022, and particularly the Entrepreneur of the Year category, to recognise those in our region who have quickly adapted to the changing landscape to grow business, turn profit and provide jobs to the local community.
"I am looking forward to the awards and hearing some amazing success stories."
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Family-run Rydale Roofing was established in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1993 and has developed a reputation of honesty, reliability and top workmanship.
Julie Mirowski, director at Rydale Roofing, said: "We've decided to sponsor the Business in the Community award. We know companies in the area covered by the Sentinel are generous with their time and we're looking forward to reading about what business leaders are doing.
"Social responsibility in business is part of our ethos and we believe that putting back in to the community is a business essential and that local companies should be embedded in their communities."
High-Performing Team of the Year
Fiona Hawkins, managing director of PlinkFizz, is passionate about the category which the marketing agency is sponsoring. PlinkFizz's team of 15 specialists use their expertise and passion to create strong relationships with clients to help them achieve their goals.
Fiona said: "We're looking for businesses that have delivered innovation through effective teamworking and have embraced the opportunity that the last 12 months has provided, particularly in the use of new processes, systems and digital channels.
"We believe that with the right culture, this can be achieved by businesses of any size, from start-ups to corporates and every business size in between."
From left: Fiona Hawkins of PlinkFlizz, Mark Inskip of Brewin Dolphin and Council Leader Simon Tagg of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Business of the Year
Brewin Dolphin has more than 30 offices across Britain and Ireland, offering the technical skill and personal understanding necessary to unlock successful wealth management.
Mark Inskip, divisional director and senior financial planner, said: "Brewin Dolphin has been involved with the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards for many years because we believe that there are fantastic businesses in our area that need to be recognised for their success and celebrated.
"We have chosen to sponsor the business of the year as enables us to highlight the very best of these business and give them the recognition they deserve."
Small Business of the Year
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is proud to be associated with the Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards.
Council Leader Simon Tagg said: "We're delighted to sponsor the Small Business of the Year category. We provide a lot of support to local businesses and want to help shout their fantastic achievements from the rooftops, especially as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.
"Small businesses are an important part of our local economy. They also bring some much-needed diversity to a high street and are starting to thrive again, something which is really evident in Newcastle-under-Lyme as we embark upon an ambitious, once-in-a-lifetime regeneration programme.
"As well as a variety of established names, including traders based on our growing market, we're seeing a number of new venues opening up which is a clear sign of increased confidence in the town centre. I'm sure our category is going to attract a lot of competition, not only from the borough but the wider area as well."
Sponsoring drinks this year for all attendees to enjoy will be Stoke-on-Trent City BID, with We Are Staffordshire as brochure sponsors.
BusinessLive and Stoke-on-TrentLive thanks all of the sponsors this year for their support.
The Stoke-on-Trent BusinessLive Awards 2022 are open for entries until January 10, 2022, with the grand ceremony taking place on Thursday, April 28, 2022. To enter or find out more information click here.
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This paper introduces the compelled certificate creation attack, in which government agencies may compel a certificate authority to issue false SSL certificates that can be used by intelligence agencies to covertly intercept and hijack individuals' secure Web-based communications. Although we do not have direct evidence that this form of active surveillance is taking place in the wild, we show how products already on the market are geared and marketed towards this kind of use---suggesting such attacks may occur in the future, if they are not already occurring. Finally, we introduce a lightweight browser add-on that detects and thwarts such attacks.


On March 15, 2017, Bill 51, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act, received first reading in the New Brunswick legislature, and second reading the next day. The goal of the changes is to modernize the legislation and increase its efficiency. Indeed, this has been the first extensive review of the legislation in 25 years. These changes come on the 50th anniversary of the Human Rights Act. The ultimate goal of the review was to evolve with society and ensure that values are protected. Bill 51 aims to do just this.
In Garrie v. Janus Joan Inc., the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal severely criticized an employer that was paying an employee with a developmental disability $1.25 an hour and it ordered a significant loss of wages and damage award against it.


For over 20 years I've had thrice-weekly dates with a syringe, due to being one of the two million people in the world with multiple sclerosis. Later this year I will mark the 25th anniversary of my MS diagnosis, and I'm still not sure how it will affect my life.
My MS story began in 1994 when, at 46, I woke up one morning stretched and ran my hands down my body only to notice that my belly felt strangely numb. I went to my job as a high school English teacher, but over the next few days the numbness spread upward and downward. My hands became so clumsy that I couldn't pass out papers. My primary care doctor suspected MS right away. The diagnosis was confirmed by a neurologist with the help of an MRI of the brain, which showed multiple instances of scar tissue (sclerosis).
At 46, I woke up one morning stretched and ran my hands down my body only to notice that my belly felt strangely numb.
A few weeks after my diagnosis, my numbness receded and disappeared. I was left with mostly benign symptoms. Sometimes when I went to bed at night my body would be a symphony of buzzing and tingling, and sometimes I would wake with exquisitely painful muscle spasms in my legs. My fatigue often left me praying for the moment when I could crawl into my bed.
Still, 20 years in, I felt lucky. I didn't need a cane. I took no medication except for my injections.
I should have known better than to get complacent. MS is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse over time.


Union Square Music is one of the UK's leading catalogue music companies. The Design Corp have worked closely with them for many years on many of their most successful brands.
Consistently striving to create new and fresh ideas we use our skills of beautiful typography and illustration to create brands with true value. These include the Greatest Ever Collection, Casa Paradiso, Simply and The Intro Collection.


Calling all investors!! Estate sale, Owner selling "as is" and will do no repairs. Small amount of water from Harvey. Great investment property in a quiet neighborhood with easy access to I-59 and Hwy 1960. Two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Front of unit faces wooded area that provides privacy. 2-car carport leads to fenced patio. Property ready for your remodel and personal touch.


Wallethub, the financial services site, recently ranked states in terms of which were the best places to give birth. How did the Garden State rank? A dismal 37th.
The primary reason for the low grade was cost; New Jersey ranked 48th in terms of "budget," ahead of only Alaska and Connecticut. The state was among the most expensive when it came to both Cesarean and conventional deliveries. It did a bit better for healthcare rank (18th) and baby-friendly environment (13th).


text:
Lamphun (în ) este o provincie (changwat) din Thailanda. Situată în regiunea de Nord, provincia Lamphun are în componența sa 8 districte (amphoe), 51 de sub-districte (tambon) și 551 de sate (muban).
Cu o populație de 405.803 de locuitori și o suprafață totală de 4.505,9 km2, Lamphun este a 62-a provincie din Thailanda ca mărime după numărul populației și a 49-a după mărimea suprafeței.

Referințe

Lamphun

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia