title: Secretarybird

text: In 1779 the English illustrator John Frederick Miller included a coloured plate of the secretarybird in his "Icones animalium et plantarum" and coined the binomial name "Falco serpentarius". As the oldest published specific name, "serpentarius" has priority over later scientific names. The species was assigned to its own genus "Sagittarius" in 1783 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann in his "Tabula affinitatum animalium". The generic name "Sagittarius" is Latin for "archer", and the specific epithet "serpentarius" is from Latin "serpens" meaning "serpent" or "snake". A second edition of Miller's plates was published in 1796 as "Cimelia physica", with added text by English naturalist George Shaw, who named it "Vultur serpentarius". The French naturalist Georges Cuvier erected the genus "Serpentarius" in 1798, and the German naturalist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger erected the (now synonymous) genus "Gypogeranus" from the Ancient Greek words "gyps" "vulture" and "geranos" "crane" in 1811.


title: Secretarybird

text: In 1835 the Irish naturalist William Ogilby spoke at a meeting of the Zoological Society of London and proposed three species of secretarybird, distinguishing those from Senegambia as having broader crest feathers than those from South Africa, and reporting a distinct species from the Philippines based on the writings of Pierre Sonnerat in his "Voyage à la Nouvelle-Guinée". There is no other evidence this taxon existed. Despite its large range, the secretarybird is considered monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.


title: Secretarybird

text: The evolutionary relationship of the secretarybird to other raptors had long puzzled ornithologists. The species was usually placed in its own family Sagittariidae within the order Falconiformes. A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found that the secretarybird was sister to a clade containing the ospreys in the family Pandionidae and the kites, hawks and eagles in the family Accipitridae. The same study found that the falcons in the order Falconiformes were only distantly related to the other diurnal birds of prey. The families Cathartidae, Sagittariidae, Pandionidae and Accipitridae were therefore moved from Falconiformes to the resurrected Accipitriformes. A later molecular phylogenetic study published in 2015 confirmed these relationships.


title: Secretarybird

text: The fossil record of the secretarybird may be affected by the pull of the recent, which through over-sampling of younger records might lead to faulty conclusions about older or ancestral forms. Recent fossils which include the secretarybird’s direct ancestors are not known, possibly due to the less resilient skeletons of birds compared to other vertebrates, or a more localized geographic history in the last 5 million years.


title: Secretarybird

text: The earliest fossils associated with the family are two species from the genus "Pelargopappus". The two species, from the Oligocene and Miocene respectively, were discovered in France. The feet in these fossils are more like those of the Accipitridae; it is suggested that these characteristics are primitive features within the family. In spite of their age, the two species are not thought to be ancestral to the secretarybird. Though strongly convergent with the modern secretarybird, the extinct raptor "Apatosagittarius" is thought to be an accipitrid.


title: Secretarybird

text: The International Ornithologists' Union has designated "secretarybird" the official common name for the species. In 1780 the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon suggested that the name secretary/secrétaire had been chosen because of the long quill-like feathers at the top of the bird's neck, reminiscent of a quill pen behind the ear of an ancient scribe. In 1977, C. Hilary Fry of Aberdeen University suggested that "secretary" is from the French "secrétaire", a corruption of the Arabic "saqr et-tair" meaning either "hawk of the semi-desert" or "hawk that flies". Glenn has dismissed this etymology on the grounds that there is no evidence that the name came through French, instead supporting Buffon's etymology; namely, that the word comes from the Dutch "secretaris" "secretary", used by settlers in South Africa.


title: Secretarybird

text: The secretarybird is instantly recognisable as a very large terrestrial bird with an eagle-like head and body on crane-like legs. It stands about tall. It has a length of between and a wingspan of between . The weight ranges from , with a mean of . The averages and the tail is : both factor into making it both taller and longer than any other species of raptor. The neck is not especially long, and can only be lowered down to the intertarsal joint, so birds must stoop to reach down to the ground.


title: Secretarybird

text: During flight, two elongated central feathers of the tail extend beyond the feet, and the neck stretches out like a stork. The plumage of the crown, upperparts, and lesser and median wing coverts is blue-grey, and the underparts and underwing coverts are lighter grey to grey-white. The crest is made up of long black feathers arising from the nape. The scapulars, primary and secondary flight feathers, rump and thighs are black, while the uppertail coverts are white, though barred with black in some individuals. The tail is wedge-shaped with white tipping, marbled grey and black colouring at the base, and two broad black bands, one at the base and the other at the end.


title: Secretarybird

text: Sexes resemble one another, although the male tends to have longer tail feathers, more head plumes, a shorter head and more blue-grey plumage. Adults have a featherless red-orange face with pale brown irises and a yellow cere. The legs and feet are pinkish grey, the upper legs clad in black feathers. The toes are short—around 20% of the length of those of an eagle of the same size—and stout, so that the bird is unable to grasp objects with its feet. The rear toe is small and the three forward facing toes are connected at the base by a small web. Immature birds have yellow rather than orange bare skin on their faces, more brownish plumage, shorter tail feathers and greyish rather than brown irises.


title: Secretarybird

text: Adults are normally silent but can utter a deep guttural croaking noise in nuptial displays or at nests. Secretarybirds make this sound when greeting their mates or in a threat display or fight against other birds, sometimes throwing their head backwards at the same time. When alarmed, the secretarybird may emit a high-pitched croak. Mated pairs at the nest make soft clucking or whistling calls. Chicks make a sharp sound heard as "chee-uk-chee-uk-chee-uk" for their first 30 days.


title: Secretarybird

text: The secretarybird is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and is generally non-migratory, though it may be locally nomadic as it follows rainfall and the resulting abundance of prey. Its range extends from Senegal to Somalia and south to Western Cape, South Africa.


title: Secretarybird

text: The species is also found at a variety of elevations, from the coastal plains to the highlands. The secretarybird prefers open grasslands, savannas and shrubland (Karoo) rather than forests and dense shrubbery that may impede its cursorial existence. More specifically, it prefers areas with grass under high and avoids those with grass over high. It is rarer in grasslands in northern parts of its range that otherwise appear similar to areas in southern Africa where it is abundant, suggesting it may avoid hotter regions. It also avoids deserts.


title: Secretarybird

text: Secretarybirds are not generally gregarious aside from pairs and their offspring. They usually roost in trees of the genus "Acacia" or "Balanites", or even introduced pine trees in South Africa. They set off 1–2 hours after dawn, generally after spending some time preening. Mated pairs roost together but may forage separately, though often remaining in sight of one another. They pace around at a speed of , taking 120 steps per minute on average. After spending much of the day on the ground, secretarybirds return at dusk, moving downwind before flying in upwind. Birds encountered singly are often unattached males, their territories generally in less suitable areas. Conversely, larger groups of up to 50 individuals may be present at an area with a localised resource such as a waterhole in a dry area or an irruption of rodents or locusts fleeing a fire.


title: Secretarybird

text: Secretarybirds soar with their primary feathers splayed to manage turbulence. Their wings can flap, though in a slow laborious manner and requiring uplift to be sustained; otherwise they may become exhausted. In the heat of the day, they use thermals to rise up to above the ground.


title: Secretarybird

text: The lifespan is thought to be 10 to 15 years in the wild, with the oldest confirmed by banding to be 5 years from a nestling banded on 23 July 2011 in Bloemfontein and recovered away in Mpumalanga on 7 June 2016, and up to 19 years in captivity. Secretarybirds, like all birds, have haematozoan blood parasites that include "Leucocytozoon beaurepairei" Dias 1954 recorded from Mozambique. Wild birds from Tanzania have been found to have "Hepatozoon ellisgreineri", a genus that is unique among avian haematozoa in maturing within granulocytes, mainly heterophils. Ectoparasites include the lice "Neocolpocephalum cucullare" (Giebel) and "Falcolipeurus secretarius" (Giebel).


title: Secretarybird

text: Secretarybirds form monogamous pairs and defend a large territory of around . They can breed at any time of the year, more frequently in the late dry season. During courtship, they exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns and calling with guttural croaking. Males and females can also perform a ground display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, which is also the way they defend their territory. They mate either on the ground or in trees.


title: Secretarybird

text: The nest is built by both sexes at the top of a dense thorny tree, often an "Acacia", at a height of between above the ground. The nest is constructed as a relatively flat platform of sticks across with a depth . The shallow depression is lined with grass and the occasional piece of dung.


title: Secretarybird

text: Eggs are laid at 2- to 3-day intervals until the clutch of 1–3 eggs is complete. The elongated chalky bluish green or white eggs average and weigh . Both parents incubate the eggs, starting as soon as the first egg is laid, but it is usually the female that remains on the nest overnight. The incubating parent greets its partner when it returns with a display of bowing and bobbing its head with neck extended. The tail is held upright with feathers fanned out, and the chest feathers are puffed out.


title: Secretarybird

text: The eggs hatch after around 45 days at intervals of 2–3 days. Both parents feed the young. The adults regurgitate food onto the floor of the nest and then pick up items and pass them to the chicks. For the first 2 or 3 weeks after the eggs hatch the parents take turns to stay at the nest with the young. Despite the difference in nestling size due to the asynchronous hatching, little sibling aggression has been observed. Under favourable conditions all chicks from a clutch of three eggs fledge, but if food is scarce one or more of the chicks will die from starvation. The young may be preyed upon by crows, ravens, hornbills, and large owls.


title: Secretarybird

text: The young are born covered in grey-white down that becomes darker grey after two weeks. Their bare facial skin and legs are yellow. Crest feathers appear at 21 days, and flight feathers by 28 days. They can stand up and feed autonomously after 40 days, although the parents still feed the nestlings after that time. At 60 days, the now fully-feathered young start to flap their wings. Their weight gain over this period changes from at hatching, to at 20 days, at 30 days, at 40 days, at 50 days, at 60 days, and at 70 days. The time they leave the nest can be anywhere between 65 and 106 days of age, although it most typically occurs between 75 and 80 days of age. Fledging is accomplished by jumping out of the nest or using a semi-controlled glide to the ground.


title: Secretarybird

text: Juveniles remain in their natal range before dispersing when they are between 4 and 7 months of age. The usual age at which they first breed is uncertain but there is a record of a male bird breeding successfully at an age of 2 years and 9 months, which is young for a large raptor.


title: Secretarybird

text: Unlike most birds of prey, the secretarybird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides. Prey may consist of insects such as locusts, other grasshoppers, wasps, and beetles, mammals ranging in size from mice and rats to hares, hedgehogs, and mongoose, crabs, spiders, scorpions, millipedes, amphibians, lizards, snakes, tortoises, small birds, bird eggs, and sometimes dead animals killed in grass or bush fires. Larger herbivores are not generally hunted, although there are some reports of secretarybirds killing young gazelles and cheetah cubs. The importance of snakes in the diet has been exaggerated in the past, although they can be locally important and venomous species such as adders and cobras are regularly among the types of snake preyed upon. Secretarybirds do not eat carrion.


title: Secretarybird

text: The birds often flush prey from tall grass by stomping on the surrounding vegetation. Their crest feathers may raise during a hunt, which may serve to help scare the target and provide shade for the face. A bird will chase after prey with the wings spread and kill by striking with swift blows of the feet. Only with small prey items such as wasps will the bird use its bill to pick them directly. There are some reports that, when capturing snakes, a secretarybird will take flight with their prey and then drop them to their death, although this has not been verified. Even with larger prey, food is generally swallowed whole through the birds' considerable gape. Occasionally, like other raptors, they will hold down a food item with their feet while tearing it apart with their bill.


title: Secretarybird

text: Food that cannot be digested is regurgitated as pellets in diameter and in length. These are dropped on the ground usually near the roost or nest trees. The secretarybird has a relatively short digestive tract in comparison to large African birds with more mixed diets, such as the kori bustard. The foregut is specialised for the consumption of large amounts of meat and there is little need for the mechanical breakdown of food. The crop is dilated and the gizzard is nonmuscular, as in other carnivorous birds. The large intestine has a pair of vestigial ceca as there is no requirement for the fermentative digestion of plant material.


title: Secretarybird

text: Secretarybirds specialise in stomping their prey until it is killed or immobilised. This method of hunting is commonly applied to lizards or snakes. An adult male trained to strike at a rubber snake on a force plate was found to hit with a force equal to five times its own body weight, with a contact period of only 10–15 milliseconds. This short time of contact suggests that the secretarybird relies on superior visual targeting to determine the precise location of the prey's head. Although little is known about its visual field, it is assumed that it is large, frontal and binocular. Secretarybirds have unusually long legs (nearly twice as long as other ground birds of the same body mass), which is thought to be an adaptation for the bird's unique stomping and striking hunting method. However, these long limbs appear to also lower its running efficiency. Ecophysiologist Steve Portugal and colleagues have hypothesised that the extinct Phorusrhacidae (terror birds) may have employed a similar hunting technique to secretarybirds because they are anatomically similar, although they are not closely related.


title: Secretarybird

text: Secretarybirds rarely encounter other predators, except in the case of tawny eagles, which will steal their kills. Eagles mainly steal larger prey and will attack secretarybirds both singly or in pairs. Secretarybird pairs are sometimes successful in driving the eagles away and may even knock them down and pin them to the ground.


title: Secretarybird

text: The secretarybird is depicted on an ivory knife handle recovered from Abu Zaidan in Upper Egypt, dating to the Naqada III culture (c. 3,200 BC). This and other knife handles indicate the secretarybird most likely occurred historically further north along the Nile.


title: Secretarybird

text: The secretarybird has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and ability to deal with pests and snakes. As such it has often not been disturbed, although this is changing as traditional observances have declined. It is a prominent feature on the coat of arms of South Africa, which was adopted in 2000. With its wings outstretched, it represents growth, and its penchant for killing snakes is symbolic as the protector of the South African state against enemies. It is on the emblem of Sudan, adopted in 1969. It is featured on the Sudanese presidential flag and presidential seal. The secretarybird has been a common motif for African countries on postage stamps: over a hundred stamps from 37 issuers are known, including some from stamp-issuing entities such as Ajman, Manama, and the Maldives, regions where the bird does not exist, as well as the United Nations.


title: Secretarybird

text: The Maasai people call it "ol-enbai nabo", or "one arrow", referring to its crest feathers. They have used parts of the bird in traditional medicine: its feathers could be burnt and the resulting smoke inhaled to treat epilepsy, its egg could be consumed with tea twice daily to treat headaches, and its fat could be boiled and drunk for child growth or livestock health. The Xhosa people call the bird "inxhanxhosi" and attribute great intelligence to it in folklore. The Zulus call it "intungunono".


title: Secretarybird

text: The German biologist Ragnar Kinzelbach proposed in 2008 that the secretarybird was recorded in the 13th-century work "De arte venandi cum avibus" by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Described as "bistarda deserti", it was mistaken for a bustard. Frederick most likely gained knowledge of the bird from sources in Egypt. The 16th-century French priest and traveller André Thevet also wrote a description of a mysterious bird in 1558 that has been likened by Kinzelbach to this species.


title: Secretarybird

text: In the Disney film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", one of the residents of Naboombu, the assistant to King Leonidas, is a secretarybird. Both the secretarybird and the king are voiced by Lennie Weinrib.


title: Secretarybird

text: In 1968 the species became protected under the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the secretarybird in 2016 as a vulnerable species and as Endangered in 2020, due to a recent rapid decline across its entire range. Although widespread, the species is thinly distributed across its range; its population has been estimated in 2016 to be anywhere between 6,700 and 67,000 individuals. Long term monitoring across South Africa between 1987 and 2013 has shown that populations have declined across the country, even in protected areas such as Kruger National Park due to bush encroachment, an increase in the tall vegetation cover, resulting in loss of open habitat that the species prefers.


title: Secretarybird

text: As a population, the secretarybird is mainly threatened by loss of habitat due to fragmentation by roads and development and overgrazing of grasslands by livestock. Some adaptation to altered areas has been recorded but the trend is for decline.


title: Secretarybird

text: The first successful rearing of a secretarybird in captivity occurred in 1986 at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Although secretarybirds normally build their nests in the trees in the wild, the captive birds at the zoo built theirs on the ground, which left them open to depredation by local wild mammals. Therefore, the zoo staff removed the eggs from the nest each time they were laid so that they could be incubated and hatched at a safer location. The species has also been bred and reared in captivity at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.


United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM. Its core capabilities are direct action, special reconnaissance and foreign internal defense. MARSOC has also been directed to conduct counter-terrorism and information operations.


title: United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command

text: Its creation was announced on 23 November 2005 by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, following a meeting between him, the SOCOM commander General Bryan D. Brown, and the Marine Corps Commandant General Michael Hagee on 28 October 2005. MARSOC was officially activated on 24 February 2006 with ceremonies at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.


text: The potential participation of the Marine Corps in SOCOM has been controversial since SOCOM was formed in 1986. At the time, Marine Corps leaders felt that their Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) units were best kept in the Marine Corps' Marine Air-Ground Task Force command structure and that the detachment of an elite Marine special operations unit would be to the detriment of the Marine Corps as a whole. A re-evaluation following the September 11 attacks and the Global War on Terrorism, along with new policy established by Secretary Rumsfeld and Commandant General James L. Jones at The Pentagon, caused the Marine Corps to work towards integration with SOCOM. The establishment of MARSOC represented the most significant step towards that goal and followed the establishment of Detachment One (Det One), a small Marine Corps detachment formed as a pilot program to test Marine Corps integration into SOCOM. It was made up of mostly Marines from 1st and 2nd Force Reconnaissance Batalions along with other hand-picked support men and served with Navy SEALs under Naval Special Warfare Group One. Det One conducted a multitude of special operations in Iraq alongside their special operations brothers of the sister services. SOCOM conducted a study of the unit's deployment, which clearly indicated success and strong performance. Det One was disbanded in 2006 soon after the creation of MARSOC. The first of many Marine Special Operations Companies stood up in June 2006.


text: MARSOC's initial deployment to Afghanistan in 2007 was mired in controversy when its Fox Company was sent back to the United States and its commander relieved from duty after a shooting incident. The incident that resulted in as many as 19 civilians killed involved a complex ambush by insurgents that included a suicide car bomb and small arms fire. Allegations later arose that the MARSOC operators killed the civilians while suppressing enemy fire, but these allegations proved false. MARSOC Marines also took part in Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines.


text: Following U.S. Army General David Petraeus' assumption of command in Afghanistan in 2010, in support of the ALP/VSO program (Afghan Local Police/Village Stability Operations), special forces in Afghanistan were task-organized into battalion level SOTF (Special Operations Task Forces), each with a geographic area of responsibility—for MARSOC, this was western Afghanistan and Helmand Province. In March 2012, MARSOC teams suffered several casualties to Green on Blue attacks. In July 2012, a patrol of Afghan Army commandos was ambushed by insurgents from several buildings in Badghis Province and three Afghans were wounded by small arms fire. Gunnery Sergeants Jonathan Gifford and Daniel Price raced forward on an ATV to retrieve the wounded under direct fire from the enemy. After evacuating the wounded to an emergency helicopter landing zone, they returned and assaulted the enemy positions in a fierce close-quarter battle. While throwing grenades down the chimney of an insurgent-occupied building, they were struck and killed by PKM fire; for his actions that day Price was awarded the Silver Star.


text: On 6 August 2014, MARSOC claimed and officially bestowed the prestigious Marine Raider moniker upon their subordinate combat units (Marine Special Operations Regiment) in commemoration of the fabled and elite amphibious light infantry unit that operated during World War II. "Marine Corps Times" reported that in 2017, Marine Raiders assisted in the liberation of Marawi from ISIS militants. In February 2019, "Marine Corps Times" reported that since the formation of MARSOC 13 years before, it had conducted 300 operational deployments across 13 countries, awarded more than 300 valor awards and that 43 Raiders (including two military dogs) had been killed in training and combat operations.


text: Since MARSOC's first deployment, it has become a strong partner in SOCOM and proven itself able to conduct full-spectrum special operations. They have successfully conducted both long-term counterinsurgency under the VSO program and carried out complex direct action tasks.


text: The base unit of MARSOC is a fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT), commanded by a captain as team commander, assisted by a master sergeant as team chief. Each team has two identical squads, or tactical elements, each led by a gunnery sergeant as element leader. MARSOC is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and is split into three subordinate commands:


text: All Marines are screened to ensure that the Marines joining MARSOC meet the established prerequisites for duty within the command.


text: Selection of the right personnel begins with a rigorous screening process designed to identify the right Marines for the right billet within MARSOC. Operational billets are open to females as of 2016. Screening takes place in 3 stages: record screening, physical screening, and a psychological and medical evaluation.


text: The Special Operations Training Course (SOTC) is six weeks of unhindered, realistic, challenging basic and intermediate Special Operations Forces (SOF) warfighting skills training. During STC, the Special Operations Capabilities Specialists will also attend Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training along with a MARSOF Level 1 Course specific to their MOS: Explosive Ordnance Disposal (6 weeks), Communications (12 weeks), Intelligence (14–17 weeks), Joint Terminal Attack Controller (4 weeks), Multi-Purpose Canine (10 weeks).


text: Critical Skills Operators (CSOs) are the primary special operations Marines within MARSOC. They are trained to execute a variety of missions. Specialized training also provides capabilities in language fluency necessary for crossing cultural barriers, allowing CSOs to connect with the local forces as well as civilians. Marines designated CSOs are awarded MOS code 0372. CSOs are assigned to Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOT), Companies (MSOC), and Battalions (MSOB).


text: Special Operations Officers (SOOs) are Marine Corps officers awarded the MOS code 0370. Officer candidates trying to obtain this MOS have to be rank of first lieutenant or higher and must go through similar training and more compared to enlistees. SOO candidates will attend Assessment & Selection (A&S) Phase 1 and 2 together with their enlisted counterparts. Upon successful A&S Phase 1 and 2 completion, Marines selected for assignment as CSOs or SOOs attend Individual Training Course (ITC). Officers attending ITC will also attend MARSOC Team Commander's Course (MTCC), which coincides with ITC. Once all training has been completed, SOOs will be sent to their Marine Special Operations Teams, Companies, and Battalions.


text: Special Operations Combat Service Specialists (SOCS-Ss) are combat service support Marines who serve one standard tour with MARSOC in their primary MOS. Their training includes core skills for joint and interagency work as well as enhanced SOF combat skills training to enable their successful integration and survivability in special operations environments.


text: Special Operations Capabilities Specialists (SOCSs) are combat support Marines who are able to join MARSOC based upon their MOS skill. They receive advanced special operations forces training and certification. SOCSs are operational and tactical force multipliers and frequently deploy alongside CSOs. SOCS billet fields include intelligence, communications, explosive ordnance disposal, dog handlers, and fire-control specialists. SOCSs are awarded the MOS of 8071 and return to the operating forces after an extended tour of service with MARSOC.


text: In August 2016, the Marine Corps approved a new Marine Special Operator Insignia for wear by graduates of the five-phase Individual Training Course (ITC). The pin device will first be issued to the next ITC graduating class of critical skills operators. Critical skills operators and special operations officers already in the field will receive their pins later.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega Nord (Northern League) party since December 2013 and an Italian senator since March 2018. Salvini represented Northwestern Italy in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2018.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini has been considered a hardline Eurosceptic politician, holding a starkly critical view of the European Union, especially of the euro. He opposes illegal immigration into Italy and the EU as well as the EU's management of asylum seekers. He is also considered one of the main leaders of the populist wave which shook Europe during the 2010s and a member of the neo-nationalist movement, which is a rightist ideology that emphasizes de-globalization, nativist and protectionist stances.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: During his time serving as Deputy Prime Minister, many international political commentators and newspapers, such as "The Guardian", "The New York Times", the "Financial Times", "The Economist", and "The Huffington Post", characterized him as a strongman and the most influential politician in Italy after the 2018 elections. Salvini condemned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was previously a strong supporter of Russia's president Vladimir Putin, describing Putin as "the best politician and statesman in the world".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Matteo Salvini was born in Milan in 1973, the son of a business executive father and a homemaker mother. In 1985, at the age of 12, he took part in game show "Doppio slalom" (the Italian version of "Blockbusters"), hosted by Corrado Tedeschi on Canale 5 and in 1993, at the age of 20, he participated on "Il pranzo è servito", hosted by Davide Mengacci, which was broadcast by Rete 4.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini studied at the Classical Lyceum "Alessandro Manzoni" in Milan. He later attended the University of Milan where he first studied political science before switching to history. However, he interrupted his studies to start his political career and never graduated.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini has sometimes claimed that, as a teenager, he used to visit the left-wing self-managed social centre Leoncavallo. However, in his autobiography, he writes: "I went to the Leoncavallo just one time. For a concert. When I wasn't even interested in politics". An investigation by "Jacobin" magazine found that according to some witnesses, Salvini in that occasion was already a sympathizer of The League, the same party that was trying to close down the center, and that the narrative of Salvini at Leoncavallo serves the purpose of depicting him as beyond left and right.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 1990, Salvini became a member of the Lega Nord, the regionalist and separatist movement founded by Umberto Bossi in 1989. He was an active member of Young Padanians Movement, LN's youth faction, of which he became city coordinator for Milan in 1992 and city secretary in 1997. In the same year, he started working as journalist for "La Padania", the official newspaper of Lega Nord. In 1999 he also worked on Lega's radio broadcaster "Radio Padania Libera" and since July 2003 he has been registered as a journalist on the list of Italian professional journalists.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 1993 he was elected in the City Council of Milan, a post that he would hold until 2012. While in 1997 he participated in the Padanian elections and was elected within the list "Comunisti Padani" (Padanian Communists), which gained 5 seats out of 210. In the following year, he was elected provincial secretary of the League for Milan.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 1999, during an official visit of Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in Milan, Salvini refused to shake his hand, stating that Ciampi did not represent him.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini was elected with 14,000 votes a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the North-West region in 2004 and participated in the European Parliament as a part of the Non-Inscrits. During the legislature he selected Franco Bossi, brother of the party's secretary Umberto, as his parliamentary assistant.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 2006, he lost his office as member of the European Parliament and was replaced by Gian Paolo Gobbo. Salvini was then re-elected city councilor in Milan, in the municipal election of that year, with over 3,000 votes. In the same year, he became deputy secretary of the Lombard League, along with Marco Reguzzoni, and the party leader in the city council.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: He sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, and was a substitute for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and a member of the delegation to the EU–Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee. He stood down from the European Parliament in November 2006.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini ran in the 2008 general election and was elected in the Chamber of Deputies for the constituency Lombardy 1. However he resigned on 13 July 2009, after being elected once again in the European Parliament in the June election. In the Parliament, he sat in the Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: After he was re-elected in 2009 as an MEP, he sat on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and was a member of the delegation for relations with India, and the delegation for relations with the Korean peninsula. He was a substitute on the Committee on International Trade and the delegation for relations with South Africa.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 2 June 2012, Salvini became the federal secretary of the Lombard League, defeating Cesarino Monti with 403 votes against 129. Following the election, on 12 October he decided to leave the office of group leader and city councilor after 19 years. Salvini was later elected deputy in the 2013 general election, but he renounced his mandate on the first day of the legislature, and was replaced by Marco Rondini; Salvini maintained the position of MEP.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: After the 2014 European election, in which he was re-elected, he returned to the Non-Inscrits. In June 2015, he was part of the creation of a new group, the Europe of Nations and Freedom, which also included parties such as the French National Front and the Dutch Party for Freedom; he was also the vice-president of the Italian delegation.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In September 2013, Roberto Maroni, secretary of LN and Salvini's mentor, announced he would soon leave the party's leadership. After a few weeks, Salvini announced his candidacy for the first Lega's leadership election. A congress was scheduled for mid-December and in accordance with the new rules set for the election five candidates filed their bid to become secretary: Umberto Bossi, Giacomo Stucchi, Manes Bernardini, Roberto Stefanazzi and Salvini. Of these, only Bossi and Salvini gathered the 1,000 necessary signatures by party members to take part in the internal "primary", and Salvini collected four times the signatures gathered by Bossi.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 7 December 2013, Salvini, who counted on the support of Roberto Maroni and most of the party's senior figures (including Flavio Tosi, who had renounced a bid of his own), defeated Umberto Bossi with 82% of the vote in the "primary". A week later, his election was ratified by the party's federal congress in Turin. Under Salvini, the party embraced a strongly critical view of the European Union, especially of the euro, which he described a "crime against humanity". Ahead of the 2014 European Parliament election, Salvini started to cooperate with Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front, and Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom. These moves were criticised by Bossi, who called attention to Salvini's left-wing roots, and Tosi, who represented the party's pro-European wing and defended the euro.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In April 2014, Salvini presented the party's logo for the European Parliament election, with "Basta Euro" ("No more Euro") replacing "Padania", to emphasize the party's Euroscepticism and desire to exit from the Eurozone. The party included in its slates candidates from other anti-euro and/or autonomist movements (hence "Autonomie", meanining "Autonomies"), notably comprising The Freedomites, a right-wing populist and separatist party active in South Tyrol (whose symbol was also included).


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In the European Parliament election, the party obtained 6.2% of the vote and 5 MEPs. The result was far worse than the previous EP election in 2009 (a fall of 4.0%), but better than that of the 2013 general election (a gain of 2.1%). The LN were third with 15.2% in Veneto (although Tosi obtained many more votes than Salvini, a fact that demonstrated Tosi's popular support and that the party was far from united on the anti-euro stance), ahead of Forza Italia (FI) and the other parties having emerged from the defunct People of Freedom, and fourth in Lombardy with 14.6%. Despite the party having lost Piedmont to the Democrats, after Roberto Cota had been forced to resign, Salvini was triumphant, with the success of Massimo Bitonci in being elected mayor of Padua, a Democratic stronghold, adding to the successes.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: The party's federal congress, summoned in Padua in July, approved Salvini's political stance, especially a plan for the introduction of a flat tax and the creation of a sister party in central-southern Italy and the Isles. In November the Emilia-Romagna regional election represented a major step for Salvini's "national project": the Lega Nord, which won 19.4% of the vote, was the region's second-largest party, and far ahead of Forza Italia, helping paving the way for the Lega Nord to become the dominant centre-right party. In December the sister party for southern Italy, Us with Salvini (NcS), was launched.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: The party's growing popularity among voters was reflected also in a constant rise in opinion polls. A December 2014 Ipsos poll showed that Salvini's approval rating had increased by from 28% to 33%, "cementing his position as a rising political force in Italy".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In March 2015, after a long struggle between the two main Venetian party's leaders Flavio Tosi and Luca Zaia, backed by Salvini, over the formation of the slates for the upcoming regional election in Veneto, Tosi was removed as national secretary of Liga Veneta and ejected from the federal party altogether. Despite this in-fighting, the 2015 regional elections were another success for the LN, especially in Veneto, where Luca Zaia was re-elected with 50.1% of the vote and the combined score of the party's and Zaia's personal lists was 40.9%. The party also came second in Liguria with 22.3%, second in Tuscany with 16.2%, third in the Marche with 13.0% and third in Umbria with 14.0%. The LN had never polled so high in those five regions before.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: After the 2016 local elections, in which the party ran below expectations in Lombardy (while doing well in Veneto—thanks to Zaia—as well as Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany) and the NcS performed badly, Salvini's political stance came under pressure from Bossi, Maroni, and especially the recently elected leader of Lega Lombarda, Paolo Grimoldi, who criticized the party's right-wing turn and its focus on the South, while reclaiming the federalist and autonomist identity of the LN.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In the run-up of the 2017 leadership election, Salvini focused on becoming the leader of the centre-right and, possibly, changing the Northern League's name by ditching "Northern". Paolo Grimoldi, leader of Lega Lombarda, chose not to run against Salvini (and Maroni maintained his neutrality), but Gianni Fava, Lombard regional minister of Agriculture in the old social-democratic tradition, announced his bid aiming at representing the federalist / autonomist / separatist wings of the party. Fava, who was anti-prohibition of drugs, pro-civil unions for same-sex couples and, like Bossi, anti-National Front ("[it] is one of the most centralist and conservative blocs in Europe, what does it have to do with us?"), recalled an old activist saying "let's hurry up in making Padania, then I want to return voting the left" and added "this was the League and it has to be like this anew".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 21 December 2017, Salvini presented the new electoral logo of the Northern League for the 2018 general election; for the first time since its foundation the party ran in all the constituencies of the country, using a logo without the word "Northern".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: The League obtained a resounding success, becoming the third largest party in Italy with 17.4% of the vote. The ticket won most of its votes in the North (including 32.2% in Veneto, 28.0% in Lombardy, 26.7% in Trentino, 25.8% in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and 22.6% in Piedmont), but also made inroads in the rest of the country, especially in Central Italy (notably 20.2% in Umbria), the upper part of the South (13.8% in Abruzzo) and Sardinia (10.8%). The League became the party with the most votes in the centre-right coalition and thus Salvini was "de facto" chosen as coalition's leader; the centre-right won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate; however, no political group or party won an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: After the election's results were known, both Salvini and the head of the Five Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, stated that they deserved to receive from President Sergio Mattarella the mandate to form a new cabinet, because they led, respectively, the largest party and the largest coalition. On 6 March, Salvini repeated his campaign message that his party would refuse any coalition with the Five Star Movement.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 24 March, the centre-right coalition and the Five Star Movement agreed on the election of presidents of the Houses of Parliament, Roberto Fico of M5S for the Chamber and Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati of Forza Italia for the Senate.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 7 May, President Mattarella held a third round of government formation talks, after which he formally confirmed the lack of any possible majority. The Five Star Movement was rejecting an alliance with the entire centre-right coalition, the Democratic Party was rejecting an alliance with both the Five Star Movement and the centre-right coalition, and the League refusing to enter a government with the Five Star Movement without Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party (yet whose presence in the government was explicitly vetoed by Luigi Di Maio).


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Consequently, Mattarella announced his intention to soon appoint a "neutral government" (irrespective of M5S and League's refusal to support such an option). This would take over from the Gentiloni Cabinet, which was considered unable to lead Italy into a second consecutive election as it was representing a majority from a past legislature, and offering an early election in July (on what would be the first ever summer general election in Italy) as a realistic option to take into consideration due to the deadlock situation. The Lega and M5S agreed to hold new elections on 8 July, an option that was however rejected by all other parties.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 9 May, after a day of rumours, both Salvini and Di Maio officially requested that President Mattarella give them 24 more hours to strike a government agreement between the two parties. That evening, Silvio Berlusconi publicly announced Forza Italia would not support a Five Star Movement – League government on a vote of confidence, but he would still maintain the centre-right alliance nonetheless, thus opening the door to a possible majority government between the two parties.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 13 May, the Five Star Movement and the League reached an agreement in principle on a government programme, likely clearing the way for the formation of a governing coalition between the two parties, but could not find an agreement regarding the members of a government cabinet, most importantly the prime minister. Five Star Movement and League leaders met with Mattarella on 14 May to guide the formation of a new government. On their meeting with President Mattarella, both parties asked for an additional week of negotiations to agree on a detailed government programme and a prime minister to lead the joint government. Both M5S and the League announced their intention to ask their respective members to vote on the government agreement by the weekend.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 21 May 2018, Di Maio and Salvini proposed the professor of private law Giuseppe Conte for the role of Prime Minister in the 2018 Italian government, despite reports in the Italian press suggesting that President Mattarella still had significant reservations about the direction of the new government. On 23 May 2018, Conte was invited to the Quirinal Palace to receive the presidential mandate to form a new cabinet. In the traditional statement after the appointment, Conte said that he would be the "defense lawyer of the Italian people".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: However, on 27 May, Conte renounced his office, due to conflicts between Salvini and President Mattarella. In fact, Salvini proposed the university professor Paolo Savona as Minister of Economy and Finances, but Mattarella strongly opposed him. In his speech after Conte's resignation, Mattarella declared that the two parties wanted to bring Italy out of the Eurozone, and as the guarantor of the Italian Constitution and the country's interest and stability he could not allow this. Moreover, in the same speech he affirmed that a possible abandonment of the euro had never been declared during the electoral campaign.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On the following day, Mattarella gave Carlo Cottarelli, a former director of the International Monetary Fund, the task of forming a new government. On 28 May 2018, the Democratic Party (PD) announced that it would abstain from voting for Cottarelli, while the Five Star Movement and the center-right parties Forza Italia (FI), Brothers of Italy (FdI) and the League announced their vote against.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Cottarelli was expected to submit his list of ministers for approval to President Mattarella on 29 May. However, on 29 and 30 May he held only informal consultations with the President, waiting for the formation of a "political government". Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio announced their willingness to restart the negotiations to form a political government; Giorgia Meloni, leader of FdI, gave her support to the initiative. On 31 May, the Five Star Movement and the Lega Nord reached an agreement on the new government, without Paolo Savona as finance minister (who would become Minister of European Affairs instead), and with Giuseppe Conte at its head.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Along with the membership recruitment of the League in the Centre-North, in 2018 the party launched a parallel membership recruitment in the Centre-South under the name of "League for Salvini Premier" (LSP), practically supplanting the Us with Salvini movement. The LSP, whose platform had been published in the "Gazzetta Ufficiale" in December 2017 and had been described as a "parallel party", might eventually replace both the LN and NcS, which would be merged into one. In the meantime, the parties' joint parliamentary groups were named "League–Salvini Premier" in the Chamber and "League–Salvini Premier–Sardinian Action Party" in the Senate. According to news sources, all this is closely related to the seizure by the judiciary of the bank accounts of the LN, after the conviction of Bossi and Belsito for fraud (see Lega Nord#From Bossi to Maroni). If the seizure is confirmed, extended to the bank accounts of the party's national sections or even involves any political entity featuring "Lega" in its name, Salvini might launch a brand-new party and absorb most of the centre-right parties into it.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 22 February 2019, the Italian magazine "L'espresso" published an investigation revealing a 3 million euro funding scheme, paid for by Kremlin-linked entities and disguised as a diesel sale. The scheme involved the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft selling 3 million dollars worth of diesel to an Italian company. Allegedly, the money was to be transferred from Rosneft to the League through a Russian subsidy of the Italian bank Banca Intesa, in which League's federal council member Andrea Mascetti is a board member. The money was supposed to fund the coming European election campaign. Italian authorities are currently investigating the matter.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: The case obtained renewed attention in July 2019 when BuzzFeed made public the voice recordings and full transcripts of the meeting at the base of the investigation previously published by "L'Espresso". The recordings show Salvini's public relations officer Gianluca Savoini meeting with Russian agents close to Vladimir Putin in Moscow, at the same time when Salvini was also in Moscow on an official trip. The meeting centered around providing the Lega with $65 million of illegal funding by the Russian state. The matter was made part of a larger investigation by Italian authorities into the League's finances. The League has an official cooperation deal with Russia's governing party United Russia.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In August 2019, in yet another funding scandal unrelated to the previously mentioned Russia investigations, Italy's highest court sentenced Salvini's party to pay back 49 million euros ($54.83 million) of illegally acquired taxpayer funding to the Italian state. Additionally, Belsito was given prison sentences.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In the summer of 2019, Salvini visited several public beaches to campaign, something unusual for an Italian politician.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In September 2022, numerous League committees expressed their desire to call for a Federal Congress and replace Salvini as Secretary. In October, the party founder Umberto Bossi announced the creation of the "Northern Committee" to re-gain trust from voters. Many politicians within the party joined this faction, which is openly challenging Salvini.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Leading up to the 2019 European Parliament election, Salvini worked to create a pan-European alliance of nationalist political parties, and he continued these efforts after the election. He founded the European Alliance of Peoples and Nations on 8 April 2019. In the European elections in Italy, the League won a plurality of votes for the first time in a nationwide election, gaining more than 34% of votes, something which strengthened Salvini's position in Italy. Overall, the European coalition Identity and Democracy, which the Lega is part of, became the fifth-largest group in the newly elected European Parliament.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 1 June 2018, Matteo Salvini was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. He immediately stated that his main aim was to drastically reduce the number of illegal immigrants to Italy. Early in his tenure, numerous media outlets noted that despite Salvini's junior status in the governing coalition, he placed himself in a role even more dominant than Conte and appeared to set Italy's agenda. The media also noted Salvini's "savvy social media presence."


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Days after taking his oath, the new Interior Minister created a diplomatic incident with Tunisia, stating that the country sent Italy only convicts who came to Europe with the sole aim of committing crimes. The Tunisian government expressed "profound amazement at the remarks of the Italian interior minister regarding immigration."


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 10 June 2018, Salvini announced the closure of Italian ports, stating that "Everyone in Europe is doing their own business, now Italy is also raising its head. Let's stop the business of illegal immigration." The vessel "Aquarius", which is operated jointly by "Médecins Sans Frontières" and "SOS Méditerranée" and carried more than 600 migrants, was refused a port of disembarkation by the Italian authorities despite having been told to rescue the migrants by the same co-ordination centre. The Italian authority told the vessel to ask Malta to provide a disembarkation port, but Malta has also refused. On the following day, the new Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accepted the disputed migrant ship.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 16 June 2018, Matteo Salvini said, "These people should know that Italy no longer wants to be any part of this business of clandestine immigration and they will have to look for other ports to go to", adding "As minister and as a father, I take this action for the benefit of all".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 18 June 2018, Salvini announced the government would conduct a census of Romani people in Italy for the purpose of deporting all who are not in the country legally. However, this measure was criticized as unconstitutional and was opposed by all the opposition parties and also by some members of the M5S.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 19 June 2018, Salvini announced his intention to conduct a compulsive racial census of Italians to register Roma people, while stating that Roma who are Italians could "unfortunately" not be deported. This caused an outcry in Italy since racial registration is forbidden by the Italian constitution. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte forced Salvini to drop the proposal. The opposition leader Matteo Orfini reacted by suggesting Salvini should rather do a "census of racists and fascists".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 24 September 2018, the Council of Ministers approved the so-called "Salvini Decree", which contained a series of hardline measures that abolished key forms of protection for migrants and made it easier for them to be deported. The decree also suspended the refugee application process of those who were considered "socially dangerous" or who had been convicted of a crime.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 12 June 2019, the "Sea Watch 3" ship picked up 53 migrants in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast. "Sea Watch 3" rejected an offer to dock at Tripoli, which is considered unsafe by humanitarian organizations, and headed toward Lampedusa. According to a report by the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and NGOs this was the nearest safe harbor per maritime law. On 14 June, Italy closed its ports to migrant rescue ships. Salvini refused to allow the ship to dock until other European nations had agreed to take the migrants. Ten of the migrants, including children, pregnant women, and those who were ill, were allowed to disembark. On 29 June, without authorization, ship's captain Carola Rackete decided to dock. The motivation for this was that according to her the passengers were exhausted. Rackete was arrested by the Italian authorities after docking. Matteo Salvini accused Rackete of trying to sink an Italian patrol boat that was attempting to intercept her, calling the incident an act of war and demanding the Netherlands government intervention. However, on 2 July, Rackete was released from house arrest after a court ruling that she had broken no laws and acted to protect passengers' safety.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In August 2019, Salvini announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Conte, after growing tensions within the majority. Many political analysts saw the no confidence motion as a move by Salvini to force a call for snap elections where he could become the next Prime Minister of Italy. On 20 August, following the parliamentary debate in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who "had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest", the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella. Salvini's alleged gambit failed, as Conte successfully negotiated the formation of a new cabinet with centre-left Democratic Party.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: After the formation of the Conte II Cabinet, Salvini often criticized the new government for its views on immigration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he criticized Conte's plans to use the European Stability Mechanism to boost the economy.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In February 2021, Salvini supported the League joining the national unity government of former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, together with the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, Forza Italia and other minor centre and centre-left parties. This came despite Draghi's vocally pro-Europe stance. The right-wing party Brothers of Italy led by Giorgia Meloni, a partner of Salvini's League in the centre-right coalition, did not give its support to the Draghi government, making it the major opposition party.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 22 October 2021, Salvini was recorded during a closed-door meeting saying that Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party "should remain the opposition without breaking our balls". He also admitted defeat in the 2021 Italian local elections, saying that "when you lose disgracefully, lagging by 30 points in some big cities, there is little to celebrate. The centre-right's split in two or three pieces certainly doesn't help." Salvini later claimed to have laughed about the recording in a WhatsApp exchange with Meloni.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 22 October 2022, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy party, was sworn in as Italy's first female prime minister. Lega leader Matteo Salvini became deputy prime minister in her government. The new government, Italy's most right-wing since World War II, included also centre-right party of ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In February 2020, the Senate formally authorized a trial against Salvini over the "Gregoretti" Italian coastguard ship case, in which – as Interior Minister at the time – he was accused of kidnapping the rescued migrants by forbidding the ship from docking the port of Augusta, Sicily. A judge in Catania dismissed the case in May 2021, saying that no crime had been committed, the incident was not a kidnapping, and that Salvini's six-day block to allow for other EU countries to resettle the migrants was permissible by international law.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On 30 July 2020, the Senate authorized (by 149 votes against 141) a second trial against Salvini over the Open Arms case, where he also stands accused of kidnapping migrants after disposing the stop of the NGO's rescue ship off the coast of Sicily in August 2019. Salvini defended the claims, and said his actions only went as far as protecting Italy. "Defending Italy is not a crime. I am proud of it, I would do it again, and I will do it again," Salvini was quoted as saying.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In May 2021, a preliminary investigations judge dismissed a charge of instigation against Salvini. He had been accused of urging violence against Carola Rackete for calling her a criminal. The investigation found that he was not responsible for her receiving death threats from others.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Also in May 2021, Salvini sued media magnate Carlo De Benedetti for defamation in Cuneo, Piedmont. De Benedetti, who is Jewish, had called Salvini an antisemite.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In October 2021, Salvini's second trial on migrant kidnapping charges began in Palermo, Sicily. The American actor Richard Gere was called upon as a witness by Open Arms, since he had gone on board of their rescue boat in an act of solidarity with the crew and passengers.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini has been described as hard Eurosceptic, holding a starkly critical view of the European Union (EU), especially of the euro, which he once described as a "crime against humanity". Though in October 2012, he said he supported euro for Northern Italy, whilst Southern Italy should not use it: "I in Milan want it, because here we are in Europe. The South, on the other hand, is like Greece and needs another currency. The euro cannot afford it." Salvini is also opposed to illegal immigration into Italy and the EU and the EU's management of asylum seekers. In September 2018, he said: "I'm paid by citizens to help our young people start having children again the way they did a few years ago, and not to uproot the best of the African youth to replace Europeans who are not having children anymore". His political views have been described as on the far-right, espousing policies such as, among others, collecting census data on and expelling members of the Roma community living illegally in Italy.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On economic issues, he supports a flat tax, tax cuts, fiscal federalism, protectionism, and, to some extent, agrarianism.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: On social issues, Salvini opposes same-sex marriage, civil unions and adoption as well as anti-discrimination laws, while he supports the legalisation of brothels. He supports looser gun laws and has pushed that issue as interior minister. Salvini has criticized mandatory vaccination laws.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 2016, a retweet posted from Salvini's Twitter account called for the shooting of "communist judges". Salvini disowned the retweet, claiming it was posted by a staffer by mistake.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In foreign policy he opposed Turkey's accession to the European Union, criticized Saudi Arabia for its treatment of women, opposed the international embargo against Russia of 2014, and supported an economic opening to North Korea.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini accused France of "stealing wealth" from former African colonies and generating mass migration to Europe. He also said that "In Libya France has no interest in stabilising the situation because it has oil interests opposite to those of Italy." In the wake of the MV "Enrica Lexie" case, Salvini called for the expulsion of the Indian Ambassador to Italy and a military operation to extract the two detained Italian marines accused by India of the shooting. Although he advocated for Italy purchasing Indian COVID-19 vaccines in March 2021, the following month he expressed support for closer ties with Pakistan and vowed to raise India's human rights record in Kashmir within EU forums.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini supported the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar prior to taking office on the grounds that Qatar funded terrorism. Upon becoming Deputy Prime Minister, he also praised Saudi Arabia as "an element of stability and reliability both in bilateral relations and as an actor in the more general Middle Eastern chessboard", and pledged to expand security, economic, commercial and cultural ties with the Kingdom. However, he later reversed his stance, praising Qatar for its "balance" as opposed to Saudi Arabian "extremism" and encouraged Qatari investment in Italy, while opposing Saudi investment proposals in Italy and condemning the decision to host the Supercoppa Italiana final in Saudi Arabia as "disgusting". Salvini has called for stronger Italian ties with Morocco, describing it as "the most stable country in the entire Mediterranean", and criticising an EU resolution that accused Morocco of using migration as political pressure towards Spain.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini has been critical of Iranian policy towards Israel, and expressed scepticism towards the Iran nuclear deal. However, he prefers dialogue over new sanctions. He considers Hezbollah a terrorist organisation, contradicting the official stance of the Italian government. He supported recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and in January 2020, he stated his support for moving Italy's embassy in Israel to the city. On 12 December 2018, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed him as a "great friend of Israel".


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini also endorsed the Republican candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump, whom he met in April 2016 in Philadelphia. Multiple news agencies have compared him and his views to those of Trump. In September 2018, Salvini pledged his support for The Movement, a European populist group founded by Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: Salvini condemned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and said he wanted to help Ukrainian refugees and support the countries that accepted them. In the past, however, he praised Russian president Vladimir Putin, and took a picture of himself wearing a T-shirt with Putin's face in Moscow. In response to the criticism, he said he preferred Putin to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He was confronted for his past support of Putin by Wojciech Bakun, the mayor of a Polish town Przemyśl, while visiting its refugee center during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In September 2018, Salvini endorsed conservative nationalist candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential election that year. In May 2021, he spoke at the congress of the Portuguese nationalist party Chega, saying that he wanted to unite Europe's populists, conservatives and identitarians against socialists and communists.


title: Matteo Salvini

text: In 2001 Matteo Salvini married Fabrizia Ieluzzi, a journalist who worked for a private radio station, by whom he had one child Federico in 2003. After his divorce he had a daughter, Mirta, by his domestic partner Giulia Martinelli in 2012. He later became engaged to Elisa Isoardi, a popular TV host. After a relationship of nearly three years, Isoardi announced their split in November 2018 via an Instagram post. As of March 2019, Salvini is engaged to Francesca Verdini, daughter of the politician Denis Verdini.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Tyson Jay Ritter (born April 24, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and model. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, pianist, and songwriter of the multi-platinum selling American alternative rock band The All-American Rejects. As an actor, Ritter appeared as Dane on Amazon Video's "Betas", recurred as rock musician Oliver Rome on NBC's "Parenthood", and has had supporting roles in films, including "The House Bunny" (2008) and "Miss You Already" (2015). In 2018, Ritter played recurring characters on two television series on AMC, "Preacher" and "Lodge 49". Ritter joined the main cast of "Preacher" for its final season in 2019.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter was born on April 24, 1984 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Tracy Jean Rains (née Lyons; born to Edwina Janora Lyons Sherman and Tony Eugene Lyons) and Tim Jay Ritter (born to Peggy Earline Ritter Sharpton and Steve Delano Ritter). His mother is an employee at Stillwater Public Schools. He has an older brother, Dr. Zack S. Ritter, DDS, who is an endodontist, and a younger sister, Bailey Ritter. He and his siblings graduated from Stillwater High School.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter met his bandmates while he was at a party in high school. After Jesse Tabish quit the band, and with the additions of Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor, The All-American Rejects were picked up by Doghouse Records, and later DreamWorks Records, and finally signed with the major label Interscope Records. In early 2018, the band left Interscope. As of July 2019, they are signed to Epitaph Records. The All-American Rejects have released four albums to date, and have sold over 10 million albums worldwide and 4 million singles.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter has appeared in television series and films such as "House" (2007), "The House Bunny" (2008), "Betas" (2013–14), and "Parenthood" (2013–15). On November 5, 2013, Ritter released the song "Air" as a solo song to help "ride between the Rejects' next record", which was featured on "Parenthood".


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Shortly after the release of "Air" Tyson wrote the song "Collide", which was also featured on "Parenthood". The song was never released on the market but is still available on sites like YouTube.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter's next projects included a role in the John Cusack film "Love and Mercy" (2014). He had also been cast in the lead role of singer Gregg Allman in the biopic "Midnight Rider", directed by Randall Miller, but the film was halted in production, and ultimately cancelled, due to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones. The following year, Ritter had a supporting role in the comedy-drama film "Miss You Already", which starred Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: On August 6 2021, Ritter released was featured on the Lil Huddy single "Don't Freak Out", additionally featuring Iann Dior and Travis Barker, co-written by All American Rejects bandmate Nick Wheeler.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter stars in the 2022 family drama film "Prisoner's Daughter" opposite Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: In October 2022, Ritter formed the band Now More Than Ever with guitarist Izzy Fontaine and keyboardist Scott Chesak. Their debut album, Creatrix, is set to be released in March 2023.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter and actress Elena Satine were engaged in April 2013 and married on New Year's Eve that year. Ritter and Satine welcomed a son in 2020.


title: Tyson Ritter

text: Ritter likes to use Fender bass guitars. He had previously used Epiphone Flying V or Epiphone Explorer basses during the era of "The All-American Rejects", until he started to favor a Fender Precision Bass and started using them more often in his songs. Ritter was also seen using a Gibson Thunderbird bass on their early tours for "Move Along" and also with a rare Jackson Guitars V Bass. He then later used Fender Jaguar Bass guitars for later tours before switching back to Fender Precision Basses.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev (), often abbreviated as DKDM, is a series based on the Hindu god, Shiva, also known as Mahadev. It premiered on 18 December 2011, airing Monday to Friday nights on Life OK. The series concluded on 14 December 2014, having completed a total of 820 episodes. The entire series has been made available on Disney+ Hotstar and Hulu.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: The show's plot revolves around the story of Shiva, which follows his journey from being an ascetic to a family man.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: During the creation of the world by Brahma, Adi Shakti leaves Shiva from his Ardhanarishvara form. In order to shape the universe, she takes various births to marry Shiva but fails 106 times due to which Shiva becomes an ascetic. Hence Lord Brahma suggests his mind-born son Prajapati Daksh to please Adi Shakti and request her to incarnate as his daughter.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Adi Shakti is born as Daksh's daughter Sati. Meanwhile, Shiva cuts off Brahma's fifth head making Daksh hate him. Sati falls for Shiva and finally marries him, much to Daksh's dismay. Hence, Daksh humiliates Shiva in front of Sati in his yagna. Unable to tolerate her husband's insult, Sati sacrifices her life once again. An infuriated Shiva orders Virabhadra to behead Daksh. Later, he revives him at Prasuti's request and goes into deep meditation for centuries.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Adi Shakti then incarnates as Parvati, daughter of Himavan and his wife Menavati. She is aware of her divinity as are her parents, and grows up in Dadichi's hermitage. Since her early age, she starts addressing Mahadev/Shiva as her husband which Menavati, as a concerned mother, dislikes strongly.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: When she grows up, Parvati tries to make Mahadev realize that she is none other than his wife Sati reincarnated. But he rejects her and in the process, turns Kamadev into ashes. As a result, Kama's distraught wife, Rati curses Parvati.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Parvati then agrees to marry as per her mother, Menavati's wish. However eventually Parvati and Himavan make Menavati realise who Parvati is, after which she gives in. Parvati goes on to meditate for 3000 years to please Mahadev to marry her. And finally, Mahadev and Parvati are married. Later, Mahadev imparts some tantric knowledge to Parvati that helps her to take various forms like Nav Durga; Mahavidyas (Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Tripura Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala) and Matrikas to destroy Raktabeej, Shumbha Nishumbha, Chanda Munda, Durgmasura, Arunasura, Banasura, etc. Later, Shiva and Parvati extend their family to Karthikeya, Ganesha and Ashok Sundari.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: 90 people were working under the graphic department of the series. An episode of the series cost ₹14 Lakhs for production.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: In April 2014, a fire broke out on one of the show's sets in Mumbai. However, none were injured with only minor damages to property.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Sonarika Bhadoria was replaced by Puja Bannerjee as Parvati in July 2013. However, in June 2014 Bannerjee quit citing health issues and was replaced by Suhasi Dhami. Mouni Roy who quit the series with the end of her role in 2012 returned as Sati in 2014.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: The series is available to stream in its entirety on Star India's SVOD platform, Hotstar, having also released on DVD in 2014.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: The series started with a viewership rating of 0.7 TVR. Following which in initial six months, it ranged between 2 and 3 TVR. Later, the episode of 9 September 2012, featuring Kali killing the demon Raktabija rated the show its highest viewership with an 8.2 TVR being the highest TVR of Hindi television program during the year.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: In week 3 of 2013, it garnered an average rating of 3 TVR. In week 7, it was one of the top ten watched Hindi GEC program with 3.6 TVR.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Amar Ujala claimed that some events mentioned in the series were distorted and not mentioned in any Puranas and Shastra.


title: Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev

text: Mohit Raina featured in "Limca Book of Records" for portrayal of about 52 characters in the series with his main role being Shiva.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Samrat Prithviraj is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language historical action drama film directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and produced by Yash Raj Films. The film is based on "Prithviraj Raso", a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a Rajput king from the Chahamana dynasty. It features Akshay Kumar as the titular character, while Manushi Chhillar makes her Hindi film debut playing the role of Sanyogita. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, Manav Vij, Ashutosh Rana and Sakshi Tanwar in other pivotal roles.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: An official motion poster of the film was released by Yash Raj Films on 9 September 2019, revealing its release in cinemas on Diwali 2020. Principal photography began in Jaipur on 15 November 2019, but was suspended in March 2020 owing to COVID-19 pandemic in India, due to which the film was indefinitely postponed. The film's shoot resumed in October 2020 at YRF Studios. Originally titled "Prithviraj," the film was renamed as "Samrat Prithviraj" following a court litigation a week ahead of its scheduled release. The film was released on 3 June 2022.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The film received mixed reviews from critics. It was made on a reported budget between – , and amassed a worldwide gross collection of , led to a box office failure.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: In 1192 CE in Ghazni, Afghanistan Prithviraj is captured by Muhammad Ghori where he forces him to fight against three lions. A blinded Prithviraj is able to kill all of them but faints due to weakness.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The story then shifts back a few years before in Kannauj where princess Sanyogita, Jayachand's daughter is in love with Prithviraj Chauhan who is ruling Ajmer. In Ajmer, Prithviraj is approached by Mir Hossain who is the brother of Ghori. Ghori and Hossain were brothers, but a rift occurred between them because Hossain ran with Chitralekha, a dancer in Ghori's kingdom, as both loved each other. Prithviraj ensures Hossain that he will help him and takes him in his kingdom. This act angers Ghori and he decides to attack Ajmer if Prithviraj does not send Hossain back to him. Ghori sends Qutb al-Din Aibak to Ajmer. Prithviraj rejects Ghori's demand. As Aibak warns him, Prithviraj accepts the demand for a war. This results in the First Battle of Tarain where Prithviraj along with Kaka Kanha, Chand Bardai and his men are able to defeat Ghori 's army, but Mir Hossain is killed in the battle. Meanwhile, Ghori is captured by Prithviraj, but after few days he is released.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Prithviraj Chauhan is selected as ruler of Delhi. This angers Jayachand. He warns that the consequences of this act will not be good. Jayachand decides to organize a Svayamvara for Sanyogita and Rajasuya Yagya to increase his empire. He also sends an invitation to Prithviraj, asking 50 per cent control on Delhi, which Prithviraj rejects. Jayachand decides to make a statue of Prithviraj on the doorway of his empire, as he had rejected the invitation and as per the rituals if someone rejects the invitation a statue can fill the position of that person. As the svayamvara starts, Sanyogita decides to put the varmala on Prithviraj's statue. This angers Jayachand. He decides to punish his daughter, but soon Prithviraj approaches with his army and takes Sanyogita as she had chosen Prithviraj as her husband. A furious Jayachand decides to attack Prithviraj but is stopped by his advisors. Soon Prithviraj and Sanyogita get married according to the rituals. After a few days, Jayachand sends his army to attack other forts under Prithviraj. Soon his army captures Gaudpur Fort. While Prithviraj, Sanyogita, Chand Bardai and others are outside, Kaka Kanha along with Prithviraj's army decide to recapture Gaudpur fort. They are successful in recapturing the fort, but Kaka Kanha and many other men of Chauhan are killed in the battle. Prithviraj decides to attack Jayachand, but soon reverses the decision, as Kaka Kanha's last wish for Prithviraj was to forgive Jayachand. Later, Prithviraj decides to give equal position to Sanyogita in his darbar. This decision is opposed by other darbar members, but soon Prithviraj manages to get their approval by telling them about the importance of women in society.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Jayachand decides to contact Muhammad Ghori through a merchant and asks him to capture Prithviraj. In exchange, he will handover anything Ghori wants. Ghori sends Aibak to Delhi. Aibak asks Prithviraj to work under Ghori's rule or he should prepare for another war. Prithviraj accepts the offer of war with Ghori. This results in the Second battle of Tarain. As the battle continues, Ghori's army decreases. Ghori then decides to attack Prithviraj during night when his army is sleeping. Ghori's army is successful in defeating Prithviraj's army and captures Prithviraj, taking him back to Ghazni. As Ghori's army is approaching to Delhi, Sanyogita and other Rajput women perform jauhar (mass suicide by immolation). Ghori refuses to give Prithviraj to Jayachand, thus leaving him in pain and awe for the loss of Ajmer and his daughter.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Delhi is now ruled by Ghori's men. As Prithviraj was captured by Ghori, Ghori asks his men to remove Prithviraj's eyes thus making him blind. Prithviraj is forced to fight with lions, but soon defeats them. He then asks Ghori that if anyone wants to attack him he should first call his name to attack and Chand Bardai should be allowed to help him through his words and poems. Soon Prithviraj faints. The next day, the blind Prithviraj is given 7 chances to save his life along with his army's. Ghori's men conclude that Prithviraj will be given 7 arrows along with a bow and if he is able to kill one men out of a group 7 then he will be released. Prithviraj rejects the offer and asks Ghori that he should be given only one chance, with one arrow and Ghori himself should come face to face to kill him. Ghori accepts the condition and faces Prithviraj on the battlefield. As Ghori was approaching, Chand Bardai recites a poem to Prithviraj. Inspired through the poem Prithviraj then shoots an arrow into the neck of Muhammad Ghori, instantly killing him. Chand Bardai jumps to Prithviraj to hug him, but both are killed by arrows shot by Ghori's men. Prithviraj's men are released from the prison as per the condition. Prithviraj's men take the dead bodies of Chauhan and Bardai to perform the final rites.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The film ends with a note informing that Prithviraj Chauhan was the last Hindu ruler of Delhi before the Islamic Conquest on Hindustan. As India became independent in 1947, Prithviraj Chauhan's death was justified through freedom.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: "Samrat Prithviraj" is primarily based on "Prithviraj Raso", a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a king from the Chahamana dynasty. and his first choice for Prithviraj's role was Sunny Deol, However, due to Deol's date issues and no production house interest, he left the project and it was almost shelved, but Dwivedi wanted to still make "Prithviraj" and after struggling for many years in finding a producer to come on board for him, Yash Raj Films offered to produce the film in 2018, thus reviving the film.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: In March 2019, Akshay Kumar confirmed that he had been persuaded to star as Prithviraj. The film's official announcement was made on Kumar's 52nd birthday (9 September 2019), with a motion poster released on social media.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: It was rumoured in the media before the announcement of the film that Sanjay Dutt would be joining in a film with Akshay Kumar. In September 2019, after the announcement of the film was made, Dutt confirmed that he would be joining "Prithviraj". Manav Vij has been cast for the role Mohammed Ghori. In November 2019, Manushi Chhillar was confirmed to play the role of Sanyogita, Prithviraj's love interest, making her Bollywood debut Later, Sonu Sood and Sakshi Tanwar also joined the cast. It also stars Lalit Tiwari, Ajoy Chakraborty and Govind Pandey in supporting roles.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Principal photography commenced on 15 November 2019 with a "puja" ceremony at Jamwaramgarh, Jaipur, Rajasthan, and a song was shot in January 2020, but the filming was stopped in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus lockdown in India ordered by Indian government owing to COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Ahead of the 2020 monsoon season, in May 2020, sets were taken down because the cost of maintaining them during the coronavirus lockdown was too high. With no filming expected to take place before the monsoon season, the two sets erected in Dahisar – one of a palace and one of an arena made for an action sequence – were destroyed. Instead, an indoor set was decided to be set up for resumption of filming.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: After 6 months, shooting was resumed at YRF Studios in October 2020. Kumar was spotted at the sets on 10 October 2020, while Sood and Chhillar were a part of this schedule too. Filming wrapped up in February 2021.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The Indian censor board gave the film U/A certificate. Films certified U/A contain moderate adult themes, that is not strong in nature and can be watched by a child below 12 years of age under parental guidance. The censor board demanded five cuts and adjustments. The committee examining the film asked a disclaimer to clarify that the people associated with the film did not support or promote "Johar" (Jauhar), "Sati" or any other similar activity. Some of the words in the dialogues were changed. The Hindi word "haran" (translation: abduct) was replaced with "waran" (select); "Nana" with "sage"; "kabza" (occupation) with "hamla" (attack); and "antim" (last) with "mahaan" (great).


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: In February 2022, the Delhi High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Rashtriya Pravasi Parishad, after the petitioner asked for a withdrawal. The petitioner sought to change the name of the film from "Prithviraj" to "Great Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan", claiming that using Prithviraj Chauhan's name without prefixes is disrespectful.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: In March 2022, the organization Karni Sena started protesting against the film, seeking assurance from the makers that the film would not tamper the historic facts. On 27 May 2022, the title of the film was changed from "Prithviraj" to "Samrat Prithviraj" due to PIL issued by Karni Sena.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: "Gurjar Samaj Sarv Sangthan Sabha Ekta Samanya Samiti", a Gurjar organisation, sued the film makers in the Delhi High Court and alleged that the film depicted Prithviraj as a Rajput king, and claimed that he was rather a Gurjar king. The petitioners said that the film is based on "Prithviraj Raso", which states Chauhan as a Gurjar king. The petitioners also submitted Wikipedia article about the movie, among others, as an evidence. They claimed that Prithviraj's portrayal as a Rajput would hurt the sentiments of Gurjar community. The film makers responded that the film is caste neutral and does not depict Chauhan as a Gurjar or a Rajput; but portrays him as an Indian warrior and king. The petitioners stated that their grievance was resolved if the film is caste neutral. The court said that the filmmakers were bound by their statement in the court and then disposed off the plea.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The film was earlier announced for cinema release on 13 November 2020, coinciding with Diwali. However, it was postponed due to production halt between March to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was scheduled to release in theatres on 21 January 2022 in 2D and IMAX, but postponed due to spread of Omicron variant. Finally, film was theatrically released on 3 June 2022 in Hindi and dubbed versions of Tamil and Telugu languages only.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Prior to the release, the film was declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Shubhra Gupta of "The Indian Express" rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "As befits its simplistic, shorn-of-nuance tone, this Akshay Kumar-Manushi Chhillar film is larger-than-life and stays completely faithful to its stated intent". Saibal Chatterjee of "NDTV" rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "A historical drama of this magnitude needed more than just a big budget. It required a sharper eye, a larger vision and a greater degree of integrity, none of which is within its grasp". Anuj Kumar reviewing for "The Hindu" wrote "Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s film seeks to revive cultural nationalism, but doesn’t serve the purpose of those who wish to reap the past for a political harvest". He further said that Akshay Kumar has disappointed in the lead role and that the film "neither does justice to its source nor its subject". Tanul Thakur of "The Wire" in his review said, "There's absolutely no sense of character or plot progression throughout – people seem like tacky mission statements; subplots are heaps of propagandistic infomercials. There's no sense of intrigue or discovery, turning the entire film into an insufferable road trip".


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Tatsam Mukherjee of "Firstpost" rated the film 1 out of 5 stars and wrote "Samrat Prithviraj unfolds like a straightforward sequence of Wikipedia entries: early childhood, first battle, marriage, second battle, death, legacy". A critic for "Pinkvilla" rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Samrat Prithviraj is strictly an average affair, with a rather flat screenplay. The historical is primarily watchable due to three strong sequences:The opening act, the intermission block, and the finale, but the brave Indian warrior deserved a better film. Nairita Mukherjee of "India Today" rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "If Bollywood's fate rests on Samrat Prithviraj, the future is blank".


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Rachana Dubey of "The Times of India" rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Samrat Prithviraj is a well-performed and well-directed family drama. It doesn’t have the opulence that we have seen in other historical dramas". Devesh Sharma of "Filmfare" rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "It’s fondly trying to recreate a time when everything was just and honourable, while also showing that it"s our own disunity which allowed the invaders to step in". A critic for "Bollywood Hungama" rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The Akshay Kumar film Samrat Prithviraj is an inspiring and entertaining saga of one of the greatest kings of Indian history". Bohni Bandyopadhyay of "News 18" rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chhillar starrer evokes sentiments of patriotism and Rajput valour, trying to recreate the dramatic love story of Samrat Prithviraj and princess Sanyogita". Deepa Gahlot of "Rediff" rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Akshay Kumar plays the part with enthusiasm, like he was just waiting to get into the costume of a historical hero".


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: Geeta Pandey of BBC wrote that the film is riddled with historical inaccuracies. Some criticised the movie being made under the BJP government to paint India's Muslim minorities as outsiders and cruel invaders.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: "Samrat Prithviraj" was released in 5,000 theaters worldwide. It earned at the domestic box office on its opening day. This earning was less than the expected earning of for first day. The opening weekend was expected to recover the earnings; however it fell short of expectation with an earnings of and on Saturday and Sunday respectively.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The film faced heavy competition from "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2". On Monday, the fourth day after the release of the movie, the earnings have collapsed amounting to about , less than 50% compared to the opening day. The morning shows of the film started getting cancelled due to zero occupancy in theaters. The shows that were not cancelled had single-digit occupancy. "The Indian Express" reported the film having a downward trend and turned out to be a box office flop. The reduction and cancellations of the shows was attributed to the an abundance of screens forcing the occupancy to be low.


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: After the poor performance in theaters, the production company YRF planned to recover some of the production cost by releasing the film early on Over-the-top media service (OTT).


title: Samrat Prithviraj

text: The film's soundtrack consists of five songs, four of which are composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy while the film score was composed by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is a remastered version of the 2007 game "", and was initially released as part of the special edition bundles of "" in November 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. A standalone version was released for these platforms in mid-2017. The game's story follows the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Special Air Service (SAS), who take on missions to fight against a separatist group in the Middle East and an ultranationalist group in Russia.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: Development began after an online petition requesting a "Modern Warfare" remaster began circulation. Activision enlisted Raven Software—who had assisted in the development of past "Call of Duty" games—to develop "Modern Warfare Remastered", while original developer Infinity Ward supervised. "Modern Warfare Remastered" features extensive graphical enhancements, updated animations, and revised original sound effects as well as new ones. It retains the original core gameplay, with small adjustments. New multiplayer content, and additional single-player achievements and cheats are included.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: Critics lauded "Modern Warfare Remastered" for its enhanced graphics, revised sound, and range of other modifications. They praised the gameplay for what was considered a challenging and innovative single-player campaign when compared to later games in the series. The multiplayer mode was complimented for its simplicity and freshness. Criticism focused on the multiplayer mode for balancing issues and the single-player mode for its pacing and artificial intelligence. "Modern Warfare Remastered" became the subject of controversy following Activision's decisions to initially release it only as part of a bundle, include microtransactions, and—in the eyes of players—overcharge for both the downloadable content (DLC) and standalone version of the game.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered" features the same core gameplay as the original version: it is a first-person shooter in which the player controls several characters during the single-player campaign, alternating from one to another between missions. It includes some modifications consisting of adjusted timing to existing gameplay animations, while remaining nearly identical to their original counterparts. In the prone position, the player character's arms and equipped weapon are visible. In the multiplayer mode, players can perform a taunt, by allowing them to inspect the exterior of their gun for example, intended to humiliate a defeated opponent.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: The single-player campaign is almost identical to the original. It retains the same collectibles and cheats while adding several more of the latter. The game offers full PlayStation Network trophy and Xbox Live achievement support—trophies were absent from "Modern Warfare" because the game was released before they were introduced—by including several new challenges.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: "Modern Warfare Remastered" features an updated version of the multiplayer mode that shares similarities with those featured in later "Call of Duty" games. It includes the same weapons, killstreaks—rewards gained that allows the player to locate opponents or call in military aircraft to attack them—perks, and game modes as "Modern Warfare". Existing modes present in other installments are included such as "Gun Game", in which the player receives a new weapon each time they kill an opponent, and "Hardpoint", involving players attempting to secure and defend a designated area from the opposing team. New modes like "Prop Hunt", where players hide as inanimate objects from the opposition, are also introduced. Medals is another incorporated feature present in previous games. These are awarded to players if specific circumstances are met when killing an opponent. The multiplayer mode offers a larger variety of customization options for profile personalization, guns, and characters. The game also added weapons. All new content can be unlocked through completing challenges, crafting, or buying in-game currency through microtransactions.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered" features the same plot as the original game. The player mainly controls British Special Air Service (SAS) recruit Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish, starting with his enrollment in the 22nd SAS Regiment. The player also controls United States Marine Corps (USMC) member Sergeant Paul Jackson during five of the levels of Act 1. SAS officer Captain John Price is playable in two flashback missions from 1996 when he was a lieutenant. The player further assumes the role of an American thermal-imaging TV operator aboard a Lockheed AC-130 gunship during one level, and a British operative infiltrating a hijacked airliner to save a VIP in another. Finally, the player controls Yasir Al-Fulani, the president of an unnamed Middle Eastern country before he is executed, although he has no freedom of action beyond turning his head.


title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

text: While the United States invades a small, oil-rich Middle Eastern country following a coup d'état by the extremist Khaled Al-Asad, a British SAS squad infiltrates a cargo ship found to be carrying a nuclear device. Enemy jets sink the ship, but the SAS team escapes with its manifest and heads to Russia to rescue their informant, codenamed "Nikolai", from the Ultranationalist party. Intelligence from these operations indicates Al-Asad has a Russian nuclear device. The U.S. military launches an assault on his palace, but the nuclear device is detonated, wiping out most of the city and everyone in it.