title: Candiru (fish)

text: In 1999, American marine biologist Stephen Spotte traveled to Brazil to investigate this particular incident in detail. He recounts the events of his investigation in his book "Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes". Spotte met Dr. Samad in person and interviewed him at his practice and home. Samad gave him photos, the original VHS tape of the cystoscopy procedure, and the actual fish's body preserved in formalin as his donation to the INPA. Spotte and his colleague Paulo Petry took these materials and examined them at the INPA, comparing them with Samad's formal paper. While Spotte did not overtly express any conclusions as to the veracity of the incident, he did remark on several observations that were suspicious about the claims of the patient and/or Samad himself.


title: Candiru (fish)

text: When subsequently interviewed, Spotte stated that even if a person were to urinate while "submerged in a stream where candiru live", the odds of that person being attacked by candiru are "(a)bout the same as being struck by lightning while simultaneously being eaten by a shark."


title: Mathew Horne

text: Mathew Frazer Horne (born 6 September 1978) is an English actor, comedian, television presenter and narrator. He is best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably "Gavin & Stacey" (as Gavin Shipman), "The Catherine Tate Show", "Horne & Corden", and "Bad Education".


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne was born on 6 September 1978 in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire. He attended Burton Joyce Primary School. While at school he played in goal for Notts County juniors. He studied A level performing arts at Southwell Minster School in Nottinghamshire, and gained a degree in drama from the University of Manchester. He met Bruce Mackinnon there in the first few weeks of term; they realised they shared a similar sense of humour, but did not write material together until the third year of their studies.


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne began his career as a comedian and became half of comedy duo Mat and MacKinnon, first performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000. He was spotted at the festival by Catherine Tate, who invited him to perform in BBC TV programme "The Catherine Tate Show".


title: Mathew Horne

text: Since then Horne has continued to appear in several Catherine Tate's Nan specials. He reprised his role as Jamie in two festive episodes of Catherine Tate's Nan in 2015.


title: Mathew Horne

text: In 2003, he starred in Channel 4's "20 Things to do Before You're 30" and in the following year he earned the role of Ben, an atheist RE teacher, in Channel 4 series "Teachers". He also appeared in the first series of ITV production "Doc Martin". In 2005, Horne appeared in an episode of "The Smoking Room", playing Dominic, nephew of Janet. The latter was conducting a psychological study of the employees. In 2007 he starred in BBC sitcom "Roman's Empire" and in November appeared in comedy sketches in "The Kylie Show" on ITV1 alongside Kylie Minogue, playing her assistant. Horne was also a guest star in the second series of "Robin Hood". From 2007 to 2010 he starred in double-BAFTA-winning series "Gavin & Stacey" as main character Gavin Shipman, a kind-hearted young man who gets together with a girl he has met through their work phone calls and falls in love with her. The programme ran for three series with a Christmas special and received widespread critical acclaim. He returned to this role for the Christmas special of 2019. In 2008, Horne appeared in a modern adaptation of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" as part of the BBC's "Fairy Tales" season. He also narrated the ITV2 series "The Passions of Girls Aloud".


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne starred in the film "Lesbian Vampire Killers " alongside James Corden and made his stage debut in a 2009 revival of "Entertaining Mr Sloane" at the Trafalgar Studios. On 3 April 2009, it was reported that Horne had collapsed on-stage during a West End performance of the play. He remained on stage until medical assistance arrived, at which point he was taken to hospital. A statement released soon after said he was exhausted after working "flat out" for three months. It was later revealed he was suffering from a virus.


title: Mathew Horne

text: In 2010, Horne appeared in an episode of "Miss Marple", named "The Secret of Chimneys", as Bill Eversleigh. He appeared alongside fellow "Gavin & Stacey" star Ruth Jones.


title: Mathew Horne

text: He played Culture Club drummer Jon Moss in the 2010 BBC TV docudrama "Worried About the Boy", about the teenage years of Boy George.


title: Mathew Horne

text: In 2016, Horne toured British theatres with Catherine Tate in "The Catherine Tate Show Live". He also appeared as a young Mr. Grace in "Are You Being Served?".


title: Mathew Horne

text: He played Private Walker in "Dad's Army: The Missing Episodes", in the 2019 UKTV Original produced series. He starred in all three episodes aired on the TV channel Gold.


title: Mathew Horne

text: In early 2019, an announcement was made that "Catherine Tate's Nan" would be developed into a feature film adaptation. The film was scheduled to be released on 19 June 2020 but was indefinitely postponed due to cinemas being closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trailer and poster for the film were released on 18 February 2022 with Josie Rourke receiving an executive producer credit and no director credited. The film was released on 18 March 2022.


title: Mathew Horne

text: Since working on the BBC sitcom "Gavin & Stacey", Horne has collaborated a number of times with its co-creator James Corden.


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne and Corden presented the "Big Brother" spin-off show "Big Brother's Big Mouth" as guests in 2007 and were then regulars for the run covering E4's "". They presented the NME Shockwaves Awards together in 2008 and a section of Comic Relief in March 2009. In 2008, the pair toured the UK with a stand-up show in preparation for their BBC sketch show "Horne & Corden". The first episode was broadcast on 10 March 2009 on BBC Three. It was presented in front of a live audience, in a style reminiscent of "Morecambe and Wise" or "The Two Ronnies". A variety of pre-filmed sketches and live performances were included.


title: Mathew Horne

text: 2009 also saw the release of "Lesbian Vampire Killers", a comedy horror film. Reviews of the film were largely negative. It holds a 29% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 4/10. James Christopher of "The Times" described it as "profoundly awful", stating that it is an "instantly forgettable lads' mag farce" and an "appalling waste of a perfectly decent title". Allan Hunter of the "Daily Express" called it "badly written and hastily executed" and "takes all the easy options of bad taste, bosoms and body fluids". Anthony Quinn, writing in "The Independent", gave the film 1 star out of 5, describing it as woeful and stating Horne and Corden had "overstretched their appeal" and looked in danger of becoming today's Hale and Pace. Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" described the film as "mostly pretty awful, but there are one or two crass laughs".


title: Mathew Horne

text: Nicholas Yanes of Scifipulse.net found it to be "a great B film" worth becoming a cult classic. In September 2010, whilst on the comedy panel show, "The King is Dead", Corden commented that watching the film would be too harsh a punishment for prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay and that it was "a pile of shit".


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne appeared alongside Corden in the CGI film "Planet 51", with a minor part voicing a soldier, Vesklin.


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne splits his time between East London and Helmsdale in the Scottish Highlands. He is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and has often been seen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Horne is also the narrator of the stadium's multi media tour device.


title: Mathew Horne

text: On 20 December 2018, Horne was struck by a train as he was crossing the railway line near to his parents' home in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire. Horne was said not to have been injured and had been near a dedicated pedestrian crossing across the Nottingham to Newark railway line.


title: Mathew Horne

text: Horne was engaged to actress Evelyn Hoskins until 2018. Horne married set-designer Celina Bassili in September 2021, in Norway. They had been romantically linked since July 2019.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 10 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinema post-World War II, producing some of the country's most acclaimed and financially-successful films of the 1950s and 1960s.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti worked with many of the most important directors of Italian cinema of the era, including Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Vittorio De Sica, as well as many international directors. He helped launch the career of his wife, international film star Sophia Loren. He won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film for "La Strada" (1954) and was nominated for Best Picture for producing "Doctor Zhivago" (1965). In 1996, he was ascended as a Knight Grand Cross to the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti was born in Magenta, Lombardy, where his grandfather had been mayor of the city. Ponti studied law at the University of Milan. He joined his father's law firm in Milan and became involved in the film business through negotiating contracts. Ponti attempted to establish a film industry in Milan in 1940 and produced Mario Soldati's "Piccolo Mondo Antico" there, starring Alida Valli, in her first notable role. The film dealt with the Italian struggle against the Austrians for the inclusion of northeastern Italy into the Kingdom of Italy during the Risorgimento. The film was successful, because it was easy to see "the Austrians as Germans" during World War II. As a result, he was briefly jailed for undermining relations with Nazi Germany.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti accepted an offer from Riccardo Gualino's Lux Film in Rome in 1941, where he produced a series of commercially successful films featuring the comedian Totò. In 1954 he had his greatest artistic success with the production of Federico Fellini's "La strada". However, Fellini denied Ponti's role in its success and said that ""La Strada" was made in spite of Ponti and De Laurentiis". Ponti produced "Boccaccio '70" in 1962, "Marriage Italian Style" in 1964, and "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" in 1965. He produced his most popular and financially successful film, "Doctor Zhivago," in 1965; the movie was directed by David Lean. He subsequently produced three notable films with Michelangelo Antonioni, "Blowup" in 1966, "Zabriskie Point" in 1970 and "The Passenger" in 1974.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: In 1946, he married Giuliana Fiastri with whom he had a daughter, Guendalina, in 1951, and a son, Alex, in 1953. While serving as a judge in a beauty contest in 1951, Ponti met a minor actress named Sofia Lazzaro (real name Sofia Villani Scicolone). He subsequently cast her in films such as "Anna" (1951). In 1952, his friend Goffredo Lombardo, head of production at Titanus, changed Lazzaro's name to Sophia Loren.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Five years later, Ponti obtained a Mexican divorce from his first wife and married Sophia Loren by proxy. Divorce was still forbidden in Italy, and he was informed that were he to return there, he would be charged with bigamy, and Loren would be charged with "concubinage".


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti co-produced several films in Hollywood starring Loren, establishing her fame. In 1960, he and Loren returned to Italy and when summoned to court, denied being married. In 1962, they had the marriage annulled, after which Ponti arranged with his first wife, Giuliana, that the three of them move to France (which at that time allowed divorce) and become French citizens. In 1965, Giuliana Ponti divorced her husband, allowing Ponti to marry Loren in 1966 in a civil wedding in Sèvres. They later became French citizens after their application was approved by then-French President Georges Pompidou.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Two unsuccessful attempts were made to kidnap Ponti in 1975, including one involving an attack on his car with gunfire.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: He was tried "in absentia" in 1979 for smuggling money and works of art abroad, fined 22 billion lire, and sentenced to four years in prison. Ponti did not attend the hearing, as his French nationality made him immune from extradition. He was finally cleared of the charges in 1990.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti owned works by, among others, Picasso, Georges Braque, Renoir, René Magritte (including his "Lumière du pole" from 1927), Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore (including his "Figure" from 1933), Barbara Hepworth, Giorgio de Chirico and Canaletto. His collection was renowned for containing ten works by Francis Bacon. These included examples from his early Van Gogh series, triptychs, self-portraits and pope paintings, which were rarely publicised or lent to public exhibitions. In 1977 the Bacon paintings, then valued at an estimated $6.7 million, were seized and turned over by the Italian government to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan; thirty-three sketches by George Grosz went to a museum in Caserta. When Ponti reached a deal with the Italian government and was cleared of the charges brought against him in 1990, he regained possession of 230 confiscated paintings. At some point, the collection is said to have been split between Ponti and Loren.


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Over the years, several works have been sold privately. In 2006 two Bacon paintings that had previously been in the Ponti collection were exhibited in an exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in London. One, a vertical composition of four self-portraits, had already been sold to the American collector Steven A. Cohen. In 2007 another pope painting by Bacon, sold by Ponti in 1991, was sold in a private deal brokered by Acquavella Galleries in New York for more than £15 million. That same year, "Study for Portrait II" (1956) was consigned by Loren at Christie's; it was auctioned for the record price of £14.2 million ($27.5 million).


title: Carlo Ponti

text: Ponti died in Geneva, Switzerland, from pulmonary complications on 10 January 2007. He was survived by his daughter Guendalina (b. 1951), and his son Alessandro (b. 1953) from his first marriage; and by his second wife, Sophia Loren and their sons Carlo (b. 1968) and Edoardo Ponti (b. 1973).


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The People's Party of Canada (, PPC) is a right-wing populist federal political party in Canada. The party was formed by Maxime Bernier in September 2018, shortly after his resignation from the Conservative Party of Canada. It is placed on the right-wing to far right of the left–right political spectrum.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Bernier, a former candidate for the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election and cabinet minister, was the party's only Member of Parliament (MP) from its founding in 2018 to his defeat in the 2019 Canadian federal election. The PPC formed electoral district associations (EDAs) in 326 ridings, and ran candidates in 315 ridings, of Canada's total 338 ridings, in the 2019 federal election; however, no candidate was elected under its banner and Bernier lost his bid for personal re-election in Beauce. The party ran 312 candidates in the 2021 Canadian federal election; none were elected to parliament, despite it increasing its share of the popular vote to nearly five per cent.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party advocates for reduced immigration to Canada at 150,000 per year, scrapping the "Canadian Multiculturalism Act", withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, ending corporate welfare, and ending supply management. In the 2021 federal election, the PPC also ran in opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, vaccine passports, and compulsory vaccinations. Described as a populist party in the mould of radical-right European parties but with right-leaning economic libertarian, or economic liberal in European context, policies, it has also been variously labelled as classical liberal, conservative, and right-wing populist.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The PPC was formed a few weeks after the resignation of Maxime Bernier, a candidate in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election and former cabinet minister from the Conservative Party of Canada. In his resignation speech, Bernier stated that he was leaving because "I've come to realize... this party is too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed." Bernier also stated that under opposition leader Andrew Scheer, to whom Bernier finished runner-up in the 2017 party leadership election, the Conservative Party had abandoned its principles on issues including political correctness, corporate welfare, equalization payments reform, and supply management. In a "National Post" op-ed, Bernier stated that his motive for forming the party was to reverse the public choice dynamic in the Canadian political system resulting in vote-buying and pandering by political parties. He reiterated his belief that the Conservative Party could not be reformed to end this practice, and that a new political party was required.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Bernier was accused by prominent Conservative politicians such as former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Brian Mulroney of trying to divide the political right. He responded on the CBC Television show "Power & Politics" that he wanted to focus on disaffected voters, and cited the political rise of French president Emmanuel Macron as an example. Bernier later cited the breakthrough of the People's Alliance of New Brunswick in the 2018 New Brunswick general election and the Coalition Avenir Québec win in 2018 Quebec general election as examples of voters' disdain for traditional political parties and expressing a desire for change by voting for new parties.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Prior to his resignation from the Conservative Party, Bernier had begun reestablishing contact with individuals who had supported his 2017 Conservative leadership bid; they believed he had the necessary support to register a party with Elections Canada. "Le Devoir" reported that members of seven Conservative constituency associations defected to the party. A few days after announcing the party name, Libertarian Party of Canada leader Tim Moen, who had previously offered the leadership of that party to Bernier, stated that he was open to the idea of a merger with the People's Party. When asked by "Global News", Bernier indicated he had no interest in a merger. When asked about organizing by the party, he mentioned that he would use tools that did not exist in the past, such as the use of social media.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Bernier planned to run candidates in all of Canada's 338 federal ridings in the 2019 Canadian federal election. The party's registration documents were officially submitted to Elections Canada on October 10, 2018. In addition, he stated that electoral district associations (EDA) would be in place by December 31, 2018, and that the EDAs would start focusing on finding candidates starting in January 2019. On November 1, 2018, the party revealed that it had over 30,000 "founding members". News outlets later revealed that one of the PPC's founding members was a former American white nationalist, and that two others had ties to anti-immigration groups. The former white nationalist was removed from the party on August 29, 2019, after his past came to light. A spokesperson for the party stated that his past didn't come up during the vetting process since he came from the United States. The two other members denied having racist views and the party later told "Le Devoir" that they did not have enough resources to vet them at the beginning of the PPC's formation.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: In November 2018, Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould said that Bernier would qualify for debates hosted by the Leaders' Debates Commission if the party nominated candidates in 90 per cent of ridings. The party held rallies in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa–Gatineau, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Quebec City. In 2019, it held rallies in Hamilton, Saint John, and Halifax. On December 21, 2018, the party established EDAs in all 338 electoral districts.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party received its eligibility status on November 11, 2018. It was registered by Elections Canada on January 19, 2019, after nominating candidates for by-elections in Outremont, York—Simcoe, and Burnaby South which were called for February 25, 2019, and Nanaimo—Ladysmith. In the February 25 by-elections, the party received 10.9 per cent of the vote in Burnaby South and 1.5 per cent in each of York—Simcoe and Outremont.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Bernier told the "National Post" that the party would start candidate nominations for the October general election after the by-elections. On March 25, 2019, Bernier announced in a press conference that the party has opened an online search for candidates until April 23, with candidate selection meetings to follow between May 7 and 13. In an interview on the CTV television show "Power Play", he said that the party planned to have their first convention on June 1 to 2. The party held their conference from August 18 to 19, where "roughly 500 party officials took part in door knocking workshops, traditional media and social media training, debate training and mock debate."


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party has undergone several controversies. In April 2019, Angelo Isidorou, a party executive and the Vancouver Quadra district association president resigned, stating the party was an "utter free-for-all" and had been "hijacked by egomaniacs". Isidorou was one of the earliest individuals to blow the whistle on internal racism within the party. More resignations followed Isidorou and echoed accusations that the party had been infiltrated by "racist, xenophobic, homophobic and downright hateful people". In July 2019, the entire People's Party of Canada board in Elmwood—Transcona publicly sent a resignation letter, claiming that "racists", "anti-Semites" and "conspiracy theorists" had taken over and were promoting "the closure of Canada's "physical and economic borders" and had "spread misinformation through personal and official channels". They cited disillusionment towards the party's increasingly xenophobic nature and lack of focus towards economic discussion as their core reasons for resigning. Steven Fletcher, PPC candidate for Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, rejected the accusation, claiming the action is rooted in vindictiveness against Bernier. The manager of the Elmwood—Transcona Facebook page responded to the criticism by stating: "Our problem is not necessarily with Max [Bernier] himself, but the entire organization has deep-rooted problems." The Winnipeg South Centre EDA argued that it was normal for a party to have "people with crazy ideas and racists" and wanted to know how the party reacted to it. Fletcher disputed their statement, stating that "they'd be kicked out pretty fast" if they held any such viewpoints, and touted the diversity of the PPC's candidates. Fletcher claimed that "some elements of the NDP and the Green Party" have "anti-Semitic viewpoints" and that there was an "anti-Quebec vibe" in online forums from "people supporting [Conservative Party leader] Andrew Scheer." The PPC later told Global News that the removal of the white nationalist was an example of the party taking a stand against racism.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: In the 2019 Canadian federal election, Bernier lost his own seat to a Conservative, and no People's Party candidates were elected. Bernier was the only People's Party candidate to come even close to winning; he won 28.4 per cent of the vote (a 20-point drop from 2015), and no other candidate won more than four per cent of the vote. The party received approximately 1.6 per cent of the popular vote nationwide. According to the Canadian Press, the PPC may have cost the Conservatives some ridings but did not garner enough votes to affect the overall result.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: On February 24, 2020, Elections Canada deregistered 38 of the party's EDAs for failing to comply with reporting requirements. The deregistered EDAs would not be able to accept contributions or issue tax receipts unless they remedy their status with Elections Canada and become re-registered. Two candidates, including Maxime Bernier ran for the Toronto Centre and York Centre by-election, following the resignations of Michael Levitt and Bill Morneau; however, both candidates were unsuccessful in their campaign, garnering less than 3.6 per cent of the popular vote in each riding, and other EDAs have voluntarily deregistered.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The PPC announced it would contest the 2021 federal election with the same platform it used in 2019 and Bernier running in his former riding of Beauce. The PPC also announced its opposition to further COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown measures, vaccine passports, and compulsory vaccinations as part of its campaign.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The PPC gained around 5 per cent of the popular vote, an improvement on its 2019 result and surpassing the Green Party of Canada in terms of vote share, with some PPC candidates finishing a distant second in the ridings they contested, but the party did not see any candidates elected with Bernier again losing to the Conservatives in Beauce. Following the election, some political scientists and commentators debated whether the PPC's slightly stronger performance contributed to the Conservatives under Erin O'Toole losing to the Liberals. This view was endorsed by Mainstreet Research CEO Quito Maggi and University of Toronto political science professor Nelson Wiseman, who posited that the PPC may have cost the Conservatives at least ten ridings. It has also been described as not a simple generalization, as significant amount of PPC support arose from non-Conservative voters.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The PPC organized a rally in Waterloo, Ontario, featuring Bernier and independent MPP Randy Hillier, to support the Freedom Convoy 2022's call to end COVID-19 mandates.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Labels used to describe the party include "classical liberal", "conservative", and both "libertarian" and "populist" within the context of right-wing politics; it is generally seen as being on the right-wing to far-right of the left–right political spectrum. Political scientist Brian Budd has described the party in the mould of other global right-wing populist parties, and stated that the economic liberal (economic libertarian in American English) party's platform and Maxime Bernier's rhetoric is blended with radical-right populism, which is "defined by a commitment to xenophobia."; for Budd, it is "aimed at Canada's far right groups and supporters", and "it appears that subscribers to far right ideas and beliefs may be viewing Bernier and the People's Party of Canada as a viable pathway to mainstreaming their xenophobic and nationalistic beliefs in Canada."


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Bernier stated that his party is "a coalition of people who are disenchanted with traditional politicians who say one thing one day, and another the next". He mentioned that his platform would be based around the principles of freedom, responsibility, fairness, and respect. Bernier has stated that these principles are non-negotiable, but that members would have input on policies as they are refined, and that a candidate questionnaire asks potential candidates about which policies they want in the platform. In addition to these principles, the party would advocate for "smart populism", which Bernier defines as "populism without emotions", speaking for "all Canadians", and not appeasing "special interest groups". Bernier has described the party as a "grassroots party". He has also stated that the party is neither left wing or right wing, preferring the difference between being free and not free. Bernier told Vassy Kapelos that the party would debate discussions that "the leadership and the caucus" did not want to have while he was a Conservative Party member, also stating that people who espouse antisemitic, racist, or xenophobic positions "are not welcome" in the party. A spokesperson has stated that the party does not debate the science of climate change.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: At the time of its formation, the party indicated that its formal platform would be gradually unveiled, but it would generally follow the platform that Bernier ran on during his 2017 Conservative leadership campaign. Bernier stated that the platform "will be built on facts". He said that socially conservative policies such as abortion and gender identity would not be part of the party platform. The party supports removing trade barriers between Canada's provinces.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: Prominent platform planks include ending corporate welfare and phasing out supply management over a number of years to allow farmers to adapt through compensation yet "save Canadians billions of dollars annually" through lower prices. Following the launch of the party, Bernier stated in a TV interview with BNN Bloomberg that the telecom industry deregulation, increasing airline competition, reducing tax brackets and having a discussion about the privatization of Canada Post, which were key components of his original 2017 Conservative leadership platform, are all areas that he has an interest in.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party's platform states that "it is an undisputed fact that the world's climate has always changed and will continue to change" but rejects the scientific consensus on climate change, which it calls "climate change alarmism". The party plans to withdraw from the global warming fight, withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, abolish subsidies for green technology, expand the oil and gas industries, scrap "the Liberal government's carbon tax", but allow the private sector and the provinces to address climate issues, and "invest [in] mitigation strategies" if negative effects result from climate change. The party's main focus would be on "implementing practical solutions to make Canada's air, water and soil cleaner".


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party platform says that foreign policies should be "focused on the security and prosperity of Canadians, not an ideological approach that compromises our interests". It supports multilateralism, non-interventionism, free trade, and humanitarianism; however, it plans to not get involved in foreign conflicts, "unless we have a compelling strategic interest in doing so", to reduce Canada's United Nations (UN) presence "to a minimum", withdraw from UN commitments the party sees as threatening "our sovereignty", to accept free trade agreements that protect Canada's economy "from the threat of potentially hostile foreign investors", and phase out development aid.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party's platform states "it is up to the provinces to implement reforms in line with the more efficient and less costly mixed universal systems of other developed countries. Throwing more federal money at the problem is not the right approach." They plan to replace the Canada Health Transfer with a "transfer of tax points of equivalent value to the provinces and territories" by giving up the goods and services tax (GST) revenue collected by the federal government while creating a temporary program "to compensate poorer provinces" disadvantaged by the replacement. The party claims this would create the conditions for provincial and territorial governments to innovate, while maintaining the Canada Health Act. The party has shown vaccine hesitancy. Bernier and the PPC are opposed to vaccination mandates and support the lifting of pandemic restrictions.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party plans immigration reform, such as limiting immigration to no more than 150,000 people per year, by removing the parents and grandparents class from the family reunification program, focusing on economic immigration through the reform of the immigration point system, making temporary foreign workers noncompetitive with "Canadian workers", and banning birth tourism. They intend that all immigrants would undergo in-person interviews with immigration officials to determine whether their values and ideas accord with Canadian "societal norms". The party would declare the entire border a port of entry to make deportation easier, since new arrivals can be refused at ports of entry. They would build border fences at popular ports of entry crossings for migrants, rely on private sponsorship instead of government support for funding new refugees, but prioritize those "belonging to persecuted groups barred from neighbouring countries" and sexual minorities.


title: People's Party of Canada

text: The party platform advocates for the cultural integration of immigrants, stating that it "enriches" Canadian society; in particular, the party criticized that the government "has pursued a policy of official multiculturalism that encourages immigrants to keep the values and culture they left behind instead of integrating into Canadian society and adopting Canadian values and culture." Some of the examples that they have listed as "distinct values of a contemporary Western civilization" are "equality between men and women", "separation of state and religion", "toleration and pluralism". The party classified Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments referring to Canada as "the first post-national state, with no core identity" as a "cult of diversity". It opposes the "Canadian Multiculturalism Act", remarking that Canada's government should not help immigrants preserve their cultural heritage. The party intends to "repeal the Multiculturalism Act and eliminate all funding to promote multiculturalism."


title: People's Party of Canada

text: On the topic of veterans, the party platform says that "The government of Canada has an obligation to honour the nation's sacred commitment to our military men and women and make sure our veterans receive the support they deserve." It also plans to "enshrine in legislation the country's obligations to our veterans in a Military Covenant", reinstate fair military disability pensions and reemphasize the legislative guarantee of the "benefit of doubt" standard in the Pension Act, review the New Veterans Charter to determine which policies and programs should be retained, simplify the system, and make it easier to navigate.


The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 4, 2014, in the middle of President Barack Obama's second term in office. Elections were held for all 435 seats of the House of Representatives, representing the 50 states. Elections were also held for the non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and four of the five territories. The winners of these elections served in the 114th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2010 United States Census.


title: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections

text: The Republicans won 16 seats from Democrats, while three Republican-held seats turned Democratic. The Republicans achieved their largest majority in the House since 1928 due to a sizeable Republican wave. Combined with the Republican gains made in 2010, the total number of Democratic-held House seats lost under Barack Obama's presidency in midterm elections rose to 77 with these elections. This marked the highest number of House seats lost under a two-term president of the same party since Harry S. Truman. With 36.4% of eligible voters voting, the voter turnout was the lowest since 1942.


text: As of 2022, this is the last congressional election in which Democrats won a House seat in Nebraska, and the last time Republicans won a House seat in New Hampshire.


text: Sixteen Democrats (seventeen, including the delegate from the Virgin Islands) retired from their seats.


text: Eleven Democrats (twelve, including the delegate from American Samoa) lost re-election to Republicans.


title: Salaries of members of the United Kingdom Parliament

text: The basic annual salary of a Member OF Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons is £84,144, as of April 2022. In addition, MPs are able to claim allowances to cover the costs of running an office and employing staff, and maintaining a constituency residence or a residence in London. Additional salary is paid for appointments or additional duties, such as ministerial appointments, being a whip, chairing a select committee or chairing a Public Bill committee.


text: The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was introduced in response to the parliamentary expenses scandal that broke in 2009.


text: Members of parliament were unpaid until 1911, as it was assumed they had independent means, which restricted membership of Parliament to persons well-off. There had been attempts since the late 18th century to provide salaries. The Labour Party pressed for MPs to be paid, allowing men and women from 1918 who could not afford to serve unpaid to become Members of Parliament.


text: The first regular salary was £400 per year, introduced in 1911. For comparison, average annual earnings were £70 in 1908. Some subsequent salary levels were £1,000 in 1946, £3,250 in 1964, £11,750 in 1980, and £26,701 in 1990. The increases in MPs' basic salaries since 1996 have been:


text: In December 2013, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority recommended that pay be increased to £74,000 per annum, linked "to the pay of the people they represent". At the same time, pensions benefits would be reduced, resettlement payments scrapped and expenses tightened. In July 2015, this was implemented (backdated to 8 May 2015, the day after the general election), with annual changes now "linked to changes in average earnings in the public sector".


text: Many MPs (the Prime Minister, ministers, the Speaker, senior opposition leaders, opposition chief whip, etc.) receive a supplementary salary for their specific responsibilities. As of 1 April 2015 these additional entitlements ranged from £15,025 for Select Committee Chairs to £79,990 for the Prime Minister. On 24 May 2015 David Cameron announced that he intended to freeze ministerial pay for the next five years.


text: The Prime Minister does not always claim the total amount entitled to in legislation. The Prime Minister is entitled to other benefits, including use of the Prime Minister's apartment at 10 Downing Street, the country house Chequers, and other official residences, and chauffeur-driven transport.


text: MPs normally receive a pension of either 1/40th or 1/50th of their final pensionable salary for each year of pensionable service depending on the contribution rate they chose. Members who made contributions of 13.75% of their salary gain an accrual rate of 1/40th.


text: If an MP stands down during the course of a Parliament due to ill health, an ill health retirement grant is payable, calculated in the same way as the Resettlement Grant (as well as an immediate pension based on the service the MP would have accrued if they had continued to serve until age 65).


text: The Resettlement Grant is the name given to MPs' severance pay package. It may be claimed to help former MPs with the costs of adjusting to life outside parliament. It is payable to any Member who ceases to be an MP at a general election. The amount is based on age and length of service, and varies between 50% and 100% of the annual salary payable to a Member of Parliament at the time of the dissolution.


text: In the UK the first £30,000 of severance pay is tax-free. As stated above, the amount retiring MPs, or those who lose their seats receive, depends on how old they are and how long they have served in the House. For example, an MP who stays in office for one term (say 5 years) and then leaves office will currently receive tax-free severance pay of 50% of their current salary, or £32,383 at 2009 rates – equivalent to an annual salary increment of over £12,000 at current tax rates and pay scales.


text: From the start of the 2015 Parliament, a "Loss of Office Payment", at double the statutory redundancy payment, was introduced. "For the 'average' MP, who leaves office with 11 years' service, this may lead to a payment of around £14,850."


text: An allowance is available (up to £46,000 as of July 2011) to pay for winding up staff contracts and office rent. An allowance of up to one third of the annual Office Costs Allowance was paid for the reimbursement of the cost of any work on parliamentary business undertaken on behalf of a deceased, defeated or retiring member after the date of cessation of membership. On 5 July 2001 the House agreed to change the allowance to one third of the sum of the staffing provision and Incidental Expenses Allowance in force at the time of cessation of membership.


text: Parliament takes a break of around 45 days for the summer. This is not only for holiday, but so that MPs can spend more time away from Parliament in their constituencies to do work there.


text: In addition to the above benefits, PMs can claim for the reimbursement of expenses incurred as a result of their duties. They are entitled to money


text: MPs are entitled to claim £9,000 a year for postage and stationery (financial year 2015–16). This amount is in addition to any stationery and postage costs which Members may have reimbursed under the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's expenses Scheme.


text: During the COVID-19 pandemic MPs were able to claim additional expenses of up to £10,000 to support the costs of them and their staff working from home.


text: MPs receive allowances towards having somewhere to live in London and in their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.


text: Members of the House of Lords are not salaried. They can opt to receive a £323 per day attendance allowance, plus travel expenses and subsidised restaurant facilities. Peers may also choose to receive a reduced attendance allowance of £162 per day instead.


text: In 2010, following the parliamentary expenses scandal, the payment of MPs' salaries and allowances, and many staff, was moved from the Fees Office, which was effectively self-policing by MPs of their expenses, to a more autonomous body, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. In 2010 the IPSA was also given the responsibility of setting MPs' salary levels. It is accountable to the Speaker's Committee for the IPSA, comprising the Speaker, the Leader of the House, the Chair of the Standards and Privileges Committee and five MPs selected by the Speaker (one of whom is the Shadow Leader of the House).


title: Starkiller

text: Starkiller, born Galen Marek and also known as The Apprentice, is the fictional protagonist of the "" video games and literature, part of the now non-canonical "Star Wars Legends" expanded universe; however, his first appearance was as a guest character, alongside Darth Vader and Yoda, in the fighting video game "Soulcalibur IV". He is voiced by and modeled after actor Sam Witwer, who would go on to voice other characters in "Star Wars" expanded media, most notably Darth Maul and Emperor Palpatine.


title: Starkiller

text: Within the fictional "Star Wars" universe, Galen Marek was born as the son of a fugitive Jedi during the early reign of the Galactic Empire. When his father is tracked down and killed by Darth Vader as part of the Empire's "Great Jedi Purge", the latter discovers Galen and, recognizing his potential as a powerful Force user, takes him to be raised and trained as his secret apprentice, giving him the codename "Starkiller". Years later, Vader uses Starkiller as his personal assassin, sending him on missions to benefit the Empire, as well as his own plans to overthrow Palpatine. Once Starkiller outlives his usefulness for Vader, he is betrayed and left for dead, prompting him to become a Grey Jedi and join the recently-formed Rebel Alliance. Although the first "" game ends with Starkiller sacrificing himself for the Rebellion, the sequel reveals that Vader later cloned him in an attempt to create the perfect, obedient apprentice. "" follows a clone of the original Starkiller who escapes Vader's restraints and goes on to join the Rebellion in the fight against the Empire.


title: Starkiller

text: The first game's downloadable content follows a different incarnation of Starkiller, continuing from the events of the game's non-canonical ending. In this alternate timeline, rather than giving his life for the Rebellion, Starkiller murders Vader and is severely injured during a confrontation with Palpatine. The latter saves his life by putting him in a suit similar to Vader's, but only so that he could serve as his new apprentice. Now known as Lord Starkiller, he becomes instrumental in helping the Empire eliminate the Rebellion over the following years, during alternate depictions of the events from the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Similarly, the second game features an expansion in which an evil Starkiller clone loyal to Vader and dubbed "the Dark Apprentice" hunts down the Rebellion's leaders during an alternate depiction of "Return of the Jedi".


title: Starkiller

text: Starkiller's character was conceived as a powerful Force user, with abilities that far exceed those seen in the "Star Wars" films. His annihilative nature has earned him the description of a "Force wrecking ball". The character's name is taken from Luke Skywalker's original name, "Luke Starkiller". Starkiller has had a mostly positive reception from fans and critics.


title: Starkiller

text: George Lucas motivated the team working on "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" to make a brand-new character. Before deciding on Starkiller's character, other ideas for the main character included a Han Solo-like smuggler, a superheroic Rebel Wookiee, "the last Skywalker" and a gadget-wielding mercenary. The developers used feedback from focus test respondents and executives at LucasArts in order to make Starkiller. The developers consciously decided not to give him a name in the game, but as the novel's author Sean Williams said he needed a name, "Galen Marek" was given in the novel.


title: Starkiller

text: Starkiller was designed as Luke Skywalker's photo-negative, and is named after "Annikin Starkiller" (Luke or Anakin Skywalker's original name in the early "Star Wars" scripts). The developers tried to avoid making Starkiller too rigidly defined while keeping the character developed. The developers also wanted to avoid making Starkiller seem irredeemably evil, and used elements of his backstory and his relationships with other characters to balance it, while trying not to explain too much of his backstory. In order to avoid the character being over emotional, they tried to let short pieces of dialogue and looks carry scenes so that the player could interpret how Starkiller felt. They attempted to make Starkiller feel like he would belong in the classic "Star Wars" trilogy by making his actions faster and more intense. During an interview to Haden Blackman by "The Guardian", he claimed that most of the testing players wanted the character to be ultimately redeemed by the end of the game.


title: Starkiller

text: Starkiller was voiced by and given the likeness of Samuel Witwer. According to Blackman, the staff were very hard on Witwer when casting him, but claimed he was far above the other candidates and that "he was already inhabiting the mind of this character". Starkiller's expressions are based on Witwer's, which Blackman described as "a new approach for LucasArts", noting that it "affected the way we handled casting for "The Force Unleashed"" and comparing it to how people see Bill Nighy as Davy Jones in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Blackman noted that Witwer brought new ideas and a sense of humanity to Starkiller. Sam Witwer has said that Starkiller would be a character he wouldn't mind revisiting.


title: Starkiller

text: During the concept stages of "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II", the developers considered replacing the character with either a new Force wielder or a previously named "Star Wars" character; however, they decided to keep Starkiller as the player character as they were fond of and attached to him. Also, the development team felt that there was more story that he could supply, and that a franchise could be built around him. Blackman commented that after deciding how to have Starkiller return, he felt "it all made sense and fell into place". Developers tried to make "The Force Unleashed" more personal to Starkiller, with the game focusing on Starkiller's search for the truth of his identity.


title: Starkiller

text: Witwer compared him as being "two parts Han Solo, one part Darth Maul, one part Indiana Jones [...] and then one essential part Luke Skywalker", noting that in the character's development "behind it all, there had to be this wide-eyed kid who was trying to figure out what the hell to do". According to Witwer, Starkiller's characteristics and personality depended on who he was talking to and what circumstances he is in. Witwer called him "a really interesting guy, speaking of layered characters". Although acting as a villain in the beginning of the , Blackman has commented how Starkiller is "really just this damaged kid."


title: Starkiller

text: Haden Blackman noted that in the first Starkiller was a hunter, while in the second Starkiller is more a fugitive. Matt Filbrandt, one of the producers of "The Force Unleashed II", said that the Starkiller in the second game is trying to find out "who he is" and "what it means to be human".


title: Starkiller

text: In the "" video game, Darth Vader dispatches Starkiller to kill a number of Jedi who have survived the Great Jedi Purge. Starkiller is initially kept in secret, but he is discovered by Emperor Palpatine, he is seemingly betrayed and killed by Vader. His master later resurrects him, and assigns him a new mission: to find and unite the Galactic Empire's enemies. Vader later betrays Starkiller a second time and attempts to kill those he united, but Starkiller sacrifices himself for the Rebel Alliance, becoming a martyr to inspire the rebels. During the game, he falls in love with Captain Juno Eclipse, an ex-Imperial Shuttle Pilot and his own ship's pilot. If Starkiller chooses to kill Vader rather than the Emperor at the end of the game, Starkiller becomes a minion of the Emperor and is put into a suit similar to Vader's. Starkiller reappears in this suit in the game's "Ultimate Sith Edition", which continues the dark-side path as a "what if" story. However, the light-side ending is the canon ending, and is used in the novel adaption and sequels.


title: Starkiller

text: In the "" video game and comic, as well as the novel, Starkiller is cloned by Darth Vader. Starkiller's clone is haunted by visions of the original Starkiller's life. After escaping Kamino, Starkiller goes on a quest to find out who he is and to find Juno Eclipse who has been kidnapped by Vader. At the end of the game, if the player chooses the light-side ending, Starkiller spares Vader, capturing him, and rescues Juno. But in the dark side ending, Starkiller is stabbed just before he can kill Vader by the Dark Apprentice (another successful clone) trained by Vader. Starkiller's dark side clone reappeared in downloadable content for the video game, which takes place on Endor, during an alternate depiction of "Return of the Jedi". The light side ending is also used in the novel adaptation, though the dark side ending is used as a vision Starkiller sees on Juno's ship, the Salvation.


title: Starkiller

text: After the "Unleashed" franchise was discontinued following Disney's decision to reboot the "Star Wars" canon in favor of producing a sequel trilogy, Sam Witwer, Marek's voice actor, revealed that Dave Filoni, the creator of the "Star Wars Rebels" animated series, considered bringing Marek back into the new canon and having him appear in that series as a member of the Sith Inquisitorius, but ultimately decided against it because he could not find a way to do so without compromising either the new canon's quality or the character's unique distinctions.


title: Starkiller

text: Sean Williams' novelization was released in the United States on 19 August 2008. It spent one week as #1 on both "Publishers Weekly"s and "The New York Times" hardcover fiction bestsellers lists, slipping to #7 and #9, respectively, the following week. It also reached #15 on "USA Today"s bestsellers list.


title: Starkiller

text: Williams took on the writing project in part because of the "catchy description" of "The Force Unleashed" being "Episode 3.5" of the "Star Wars" saga. The novel focuses on the dark side of the Force and its practitioners; Williams found it "interesting" to portray the Jedi as "bad guys." The author most enjoyed developing the character of , exploring the "feminine" side of "The Force Unleashed" in a way the video game does not. Williams also said that while the game allows the player to "do" Starkiller's actions, the novel allows readers to experience Starkiller's thoughts about those actions, adding another dimension to the story.


title: Starkiller

text: Dark Horse's "The Force Unleashed" graphic novel was published 18 August 2008. "Newsarama" called the graphic novel a "solid story" that matches the video game source material in both structure and plot. "IGN" gave the graphic novel a score of 6.9/10 (6.4/10 for art, 7.5/10 for the writing), praising the overall story but faulting inconsistency in the art and questioning whether the comic medium was the best way to convey the story.


title: Starkiller

text: Outside of "Star Wars", Starkiller made his debut as a fighter in "Soulcalibur IV", alongside Darth Vader and Yoda. In this game, he is known as "The Apprentice". After Vader sends him to investigate a dimensional rift that seems to be growing, he passes through to the "Soulcalibur" universe. The Apprentice defeats Algol and returns to Vader without either the Soul Edge or the Soul Calibur, due to perceiving them as worthless. Vader Force Chokes the Apprentice for disobeying him, causing the Apprentice to draw his lightsaber and prepare to fight Vader. Starkiller also appears in "Star Wars: Visions of the Blade", an Infinities comic focusing on the "Soulcalibur" and "Star Wars" crossover. Starkiller was also added as a playable character in Electronic Arts' free-to-play mobile turn-based role-playing game "", along with several other memorable characters from the now non-canon "Star Wars" expanded universe, to celebrate Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary in 2021. He also appears as a secret playable character in "", and can only be obtained by collecting all ten Minikits in the level “Defenders of Peace”. He is classified as a “Classic” character, despite not originating from the "Star Wars" films.


title: Starkiller

text: Various types of merchandising have been released based on Starkiller. Hasbro has made multiple action figures of Starkiller, along with the rest of the characters in "". A Lego version of Starkiller was released as one of the three figures in the "Rogue Shadow" Lego set. At Toy Fair 2007, Hasbro also showed seven figures from their action figure line based on the game. Lego released a model of the main character's ship, the "Rogue Shadow".


title: Starkiller

text: Overall, critics and fans have generally praised the character. "GamesRadar" staff ranked Starkiller 60th place in a list of the 100 best heroes in video games, published in 2013. "UGO Networks" chose the character as the 50th top "Star Wars" Expanded Universe character. "IGN"s Jesse Schedeen called Starkiller's appearance in "Soulcalibur IV" the second best bonus character in the series, complementing his inclusion from a story standpoint as "["Soulcalibur IV"] is about the dichotomy between good and evil, corruption and redemption, [...] Starkiller is a Dark Jedi who finds himself at a crossroads. He can either follow his master and take control of the galaxy, or break away and seek out his own destiny", with Schedeen later including Starkiller in a list of characters that would make up their idea of the ultimate fighting game. Chris Buffa also put the character as the 24th top gaming hunk, saying that "nothing compares to a bad boy". Jesse Schedeen called Starkiller one of the most promising player characters to be released during fall 2008. After the release of "The Force Unleashed", Robert Workman, also from "GameDaily", put the character as one of his favorite "Star Wars" video game characters. Buffa chose Starkiller as one of the top double-crossing characters. Jesse Schedeen of "IGN" has listed Starkiller as one of the best video game entertainers of 2008, commenting that "Starkiller unleashed the Force in ways the movies never showed us". Some publications and critics have labelled Starkiller as "comically" and "ridiculously" overpowered due to his extraordinary prowess as a Force wielder. "TheGamer" wrote how the character was able to achieve "crushing AT-STs into balls like tin foil", while "Polygon" highlighted that he "survives a Vader stab-wound and being hurled into the vacuum of space before pulling a Star Destroyer to the ground with his Force mojo."


title: Starkiller

text: "UGO Networks" listed Sam Witwer's performance as Starkiller as one of their top 11 celebrity voice actors in video games. Chris Buffa put Starkiller as the 19th top anti-hero, commenting that "the thought of cutting through good guys as a Sith filled us with murderous joy", also praising his eventual turn to good. Jesse Schedeen also thought that it would be best if the character was not revisited in the upcoming live-action TV series after the first "The Force Unleashed" as "his story arc was nice and complete". Starkiller was voted the top 10th "Star Wars" character by "IGN"s readers. "IGN" later claimed Starkiller as the 34th top "Star Wars" character. "GameSpot" listed Starkiller, as "The Apprentice", in a vote for the all-time greatest video game character. Starkiller was eliminated in the first round after being put against Niko Bellic, the main character of "Grand Theft Auto IV", with Starkiller garnering 44.9% of the votes. Starkiller was also voted as the 17th top video game character by Game Informer's readers. "Game Informer" listed him sixth on their list of the "Top 10 Dorks", saying "The words "jedi" and "dork" rarely go together, but Starkiller is the Chosen One to unite them".


title: Why Don't We

text: Why Don't We, shortened to WDW, are an American boy band consisting of Jonah Marais, Corbyn Besson, Daniel Seavey, Jack Avery, and Zach Herron. They were formed in 2016 and have released two studio albums and six extended plays.


title: Why Don't We

text: The band originally formed on September 27, 2016, after having all met in Los Angeles, California a year prior. On October 20, 2016, the group released their debut single "Taking You", a track from their debut EP, "Only the Beginning", which was released on November 25 of the same year. They embarked on their first headlining tour, the "Taking You Tour", the next year. Their second EP, "Something Different", was released on April 21, 2017. Following the release of their second EP, they embarked on the Something Different Tour, their second headlining tour. The group's third EP, "Why Don't We Just", was released on June 2, 2017. In September 2017, the band signed with Atlantic Records. That same month, "Invitation", their fourth EP, was released. On November 23, 2017, they released their fifth EP, "A Why Don't We Christmas". In 2018, in support of the "Invitation" EP, they headlined the "Invitation Tour". Additionally the band has appeared in several vlogs of YouTuber Logan Paul.


title: Why Don't We

text: On August 31, 2018, they released their first album, "8 Letters". The record debuted at number nine on the US "Billboard" 200, and was preceded by three singles: "Hooked", "Talk", and "8 Letters". In March 2019, they embarked on the "8 Letters Tour".


title: Why Don't We

text: Why Don't We released a new song each month in 2019. On January 16, they released "Big Plans", and a music video was released three days later. The song received a gold certification from the RIAA in April 2020. On Valentine's Day, the group released "Cold In LA", along with a music video two days later. On March 20, 2019 they released the humorous song "I Don't Belong in This Club" featuring American rapper Macklemore. It was certified gold by the RIAA in August 2020. On April 20, the group released "Don't Change", which was featured on the soundtrack album of the animated film "UglyDolls". In May, the group unveiled their fifth song of the year, "Unbelievable". In June, they released "Come To Brazil", inspired by fans frequently asking them to visit the country. On July 26, the band released the song "I Still Do". On August 23, they released "What Am I", penned by Ed Sheeran, who previously wrote "Trust Fund Baby". The song was certified gold by the RIAA in June of the following year. On October 25, they released "Mad At You". The following month, the group released the Christmas song "With You This Christmas". On December 30, the group released their twelfth and final song of 2019, "Chills". The group then took a nine-month break shortly after the music video release.


title: Why Don't We

text: On September 29, 2020, the band released "Fallin' (Adrenaline)", the lead single from their second album, "The Good Times and the Bad Ones". It debuted at number 37 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, their first ever entry. Their second single from the album, "Lotus Inn", was released on December 4, 2020. They starred in a YouTube documentary titled "30 Days With", which showed the last stages of development and behind the scenes content of their then-upcoming album for 30 days. Their third single from the album, "Slow Down", was released on December 17, 2020. On January 15, 2021, "The Good Times and The Bad Ones" was released. The album is largely self-produced, although it also features the productions of Travis Barker, Skrillex, and Timbaland. The album debuted at number 3 on the "Billboard" 200 albums chart, making this their highest entry on the chart.


title: Why Don't We

text: The band released the single "Love Back" on October 6, 2021. The band then release a cover of Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" in December that same year. In January 2022, they released their next single in collaboration with Jonas Blue: "Don't Wake Me Up", followed by "Let Me Down Easy (Lie)" in April, “Just Friends” on May 13, and “How Do You Love Somebody” on May 31.


title: Why Don't We

text: The band's North American tour, The Good Times Only Tour, was scheduled to commence in June 2022, but was canceled due to the litigation between Why Don't We current manager Randy Phillips and former manager David Loeffler. The band rescheduled the tour with new dates beginning in July. However, on July 6, exactly three weeks before the tour's first show, the band announced that due to ongoing legal battles with their former management, they would be cancelling the tour and going on a hiatus.


title: Why Don't We

text: The band has cited Justin Bieber as their main musical inspiration, in addition to 5 Seconds of Summer, Boyz II Men, The Beatles, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Childish Gambino, Jon Bellion, Post Malone, Frank Ocean and CNCO.


title: Why Don't We

text: Jack Robert Avery (born July 1, 1999) was born in Burbank, California, but raised in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Avery released a solo single called "Liar" in 2016 and was part of the meet-and-greet tour "Impact", which members Zach Herron and Corbyn Besson were also a part of. He also starred in a short film called "Fearless Five". On April 22, 2019, Avery's former girlfriend, Gabriela Gonzalez, gave birth to their daughter.


title: Why Don't We

text: Corbyn Matthew Besson (born November 25, 1998) was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Virginia. Besson went to high school in Centreville, Virginia. Besson's cousins are Dutch girl group O'G3NE. Before Why Don't We, he had a following on YouNow and released a solo single called "The Only One" to iTunes in 2014. His other acoustic single, "Marathon", was also released on the platform.


title: Why Don't We

text: Zachary Dean Herron (born May 27, 2001), the youngest member of the group, was raised in Dallas, Texas. Growing up, he sang in the choir. Before Why Don't We, Herron covered songs on YouTube and also produced two singles himself, "Timelapse" and "Why".


title: Why Don't We

text: Jonah Marais Roth Frantzich (born June 16, 1998), the oldest member of the group, grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota. Before Why Don't We, Marais had a following on YouNow and released an album, "When the Daylight's Gone", in 2016 and went on the 2014 DigiTour.


title: Why Don't We

text: Daniel James Seavey (born April 2, 1999), born in Vancouver, Washington. He grew up in Portland, Oregon. A main producer of the band, he can play over 20 instruments by ear. As a child, his father would take him to do street performances on the city's art walks. Seavey competed on season 14 of "American Idol" and finished in ninth place. He also has released multiple songs on his own including his newest singles "Bleed on Me" and "Can We Pretend That We're Good?".


title: Remo D'Souza

text: Remo D'Souza (born Ramesh Gopi Nair; 2 April 1974), is an Indian choreographer, actor, film director and producer, based in Mumbai. He is best known for his works in "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (2014) and "Bajirao Mastani" (2016). In a career span of more than 25 years, D'Souza has choreographed more than 100 films. He is one of the successful and renowned choreographers in the Bollywood industry and has been a role model to many Indian choreographers. He has also been a judge in the dance reality show "Dance Plus" for six consecutive seasons.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: D'Souza hails from Olavakkode, Palakkad, Kerala, born on April 2, 1974, in Bangalore into a Hindu family as Ramesh Gopi Nair to Gopi Nair, a chef in the Indian Air Force, and Madhaviyamma, a housewife. He has an elder brother, Ganesh, and four sisters. D'Souza completed his schooling at the Air Force School, Jamnagar, Gujarat. During his school days, he was an athlete and won prizes in the 100 meter race.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: D'Souza studied in Jamnagar, Gujarat. He completed his 12th from there and during his HSC board exam, he realized that he didn't have any interest in studies. He immediately left school and went to Mumbai, but his father wanted him to join the Indian Air Force. Whatever he has learned about dance until now is on his own. He learned to dance by watching movies, music videos, etc. He would rather say Michael Jackson is his guru as he used to copy his steps watching his dance on the television and then choreograph his own steps by adding something extra.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: D'Souza is married to Lizelle Watkins (now D'Souza), an Anglo-Indian from Mumbai and converted to Christianity, he then changed his name to Remo D'Souza. Lizelle is a costume designer who has designed costumes for many television shows. They have two sons, Dhruv and Gabriel. Currently D'Souza lives with his family, in Andheri West, Mumbai. She also works with him and helps him in various projects.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: On 11 December 2020, D'Souza suffered a heart attack and was admitted to the ICU of Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai. Soon, he recovered and got discharged.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: D'Souza is a choreographer in Bollywood films and music videos. He has choreographed a number of films. Remo made his television debut with the dance reality show "Dance India Dance" (DID) along with choreographer Terence Lewis and Geeta Kapoor as judges and mentors. They trained 18 contestants in dance form of ballet, acrobatics, mid-air dancing, contemporary, Bollywood and hip-hop. He made his directorial debut with the comedy film "F.A.L.T.U", which received a positive response from critics.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: Remo's next directorial venture was the coming-of-age 3D dance-based film "" which starring Prabhu Deva, Dharmesh Yelande, Lauren Gottlieb, Salman Yusuff Khan and Punit Pathak. "ABCD" received positive reviews from critics and the film's soundtrack also received positive response from critics.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: In 2015, Remo directed the second installment of the "ABCD" franchise, titled "Disney's ABCD 2". It stars Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva, Raghav Juyal, Lauren Gottlieb, Dharmesh Yelande and Punit Pathak, the film explores the career journey of Suresh and Vernon of the "fictitious dance crew" Kings United India, who went on to win the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in San Diego. The film received positive reviews from critics and the film's soundtrack also received a positive response from critics.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: Later, he appeared on of "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" with the Indian actress Madhuri Dixit and director Karan Johar. He was also the "super judge" on the prime time dance show "Dance Plus" on Star Plus, along with host Raghav Juyal and team captains Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan, and Punit Pathak.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: In 2016, Remo directed "A Flying Jatt", It was released on 24 August 2016, which starring Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nathan Jones. The film tells the story of an ordinary man (Shroff) who gains superpowers. The film received mixed reviews from critics and Anupama Chopra from the Hindustan Times gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5 and said "The first half of A Flying Jatt has moments of fun – I loved that despite being a superhero he has a fear of heights, so he flies very close to the ground. But post-interval, laughter takes a back seat.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: Later, he judged the of "Dance Plus" along with host Raghav Juyal and team captains Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan, and Punit Pathak. He then appeared as a judge on the reality show "Dance Champions" opposite Terence Lewis.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: He also directed "Race 3" the film featured Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Freddy Daruwala. Race 3 was an internationally mounted saga of a family that deals in borderline crime. It was released on 15 June 2018 coinciding with Eid Though the movie received negative reviews, it was a box office success collecting over ₹178.98 crores in India and approximately ₹303 crores worldwide.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: D'Souza judged of "Dance Plus" along with host Raghav Juyal, Sugandha Mishra and team captains Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan , Suresh Mukund , Karishma Chawan , and Punit Pathak.


title: Remo D'Souza

text: In 2020, Remo directed the third installment of ABCD Franchise titled <nowiki>"</nowiki>"Street Dancer 3D" which retained some of original casts including Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva, Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh Yelande, Punit Pathak and added Nora Fatehi , Salman Yusuff Khan and Vartika Jha. The film tells the story of two rival dance groups, despise each other and participate in a dance battle. Later, they decide to join hands for a greater cause. It was released on 24 January 2020 and received positive reviews from critics. The film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹97 crores and the film's soundtrack also received a positive response from critics.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: Be (stylized in all caps) is the fifth Korean-language studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment, nine months after its predecessor, "" (2020). Created in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, "Be" was inspired by BTS' perspective of life during the pandemic. The record sees the band members contributing to various aspects of album-making process including songwriting, development, production, and visual design.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" is primarily a pop record, encompassing hip hop, EDM, and disco genres with elements of synth-pop, funk, and R&B. Described by BTS as "a letter of hope", the lyrics are about comfort, loneliness, anxiety, sadness, hope, connection, and joy. Critics hailed the album's pop sound and the eclectic experimentation of musical styles, with many praising its authenticity and simplicity. A few others expressed mixed feelings and found it unadventurous. The album was preceded by the standalone single "Dynamite", which marked BTS' first number-one song on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. It was followed by the lead single of "Be", "Life Goes On", which also debuted atop the Hot 100, becoming BTS' third consecutive chart-topper in the United States.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: The album was BTS' fifth to debut at number one on the "Billboard" 200, making BTS the fastest group to earn five chart-topping albums in the United States since the Beatles. Elsewhere, the album topped charts in Canada, Denmark, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, South Korea, and Wallonia; and peaked within the top 10 of 14 other territories. The album has since been certified triple million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). BTS promoted "Be" with performances at the American Music Awards and television programs, including "The Late Late Show with James Corden".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: BTS released their fourth Korean-language studio album, "", in February 2020, to critical and commercial acclaim. In support of the album, the band was slated to begin the concert tour, Map of the Soul Tour in April 2020, but the tour was postponed following the COVID-19 pandemic. During a YouTube broadcast, band member RM revealed that BTS were working on a new album. He hinted that they would be sharing the preparation process of the forthcoming album through subsequent self-documented videos as part of their initiative to interact with the fans during the lockdown. In subsequent broadcasts, it was revealed that the album would be written and produced by the band members. In addition to writing songs for the album, the band members were heavily involved in the overall production process, undertaking the role of project managers in various fields, which included developing concepts, themes, as well as its visual design. Jimin was responsible for A&R, acting as a link between the group and their management label. Suga, V, and J-Hope handled the production together with Jin and Jungkook; the latter was also responsible for directing the music video. V and RM supervised the graphics and design of the album. Speaking about the album in an interview with "Teen Vogue", BTS stated: "An increase of direct participation in the album-making process allowed us to explore more aspects of our music and creativity."


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" is primarily a pop record, encompassing hip hop, EDM, and disco genres with synth-pop, neo soul, funk, R&B, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s mainstream music elements. "Vox" called "Be" "a loudly retro mix of pop sounds ranging from frothy to funky, melancholic to mellow, filtered through a lens of determined positivity". The album is 28 minutes and 30 seconds long and features eight songs. It makes heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, funk bass, drum machines, horns, and sentimental string instruments.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: BTS took inspiration from the emotions they felt during the pandemic, to write songs for the album and convey their thoughts. Created out of frustration, anxiety, and powerlessness, the album title "Be" stands for "being" and encapsulates BTS' reflection on the present times. As opposed to the vast atmospherics and psychoanalytical themes that can be found in the band's previous works, "Be" is lyrically inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, with BTS describing it as "a letter of hope" during the quarantine era. The record starts off slow with "warm, soothing ballad-esque comforts", before picking up pace in the second half with "some of the band's more refined, savvy and uplifting pop yet". The album expands on a wide range of emotions, exploring themes of comfort, loneliness, anxiety, depression, burn-out, fear, frustration, restlessness, sadness, hope, connection, resolve, and joy. Several reviewers, including "Rolling Stone"s Jeff Benjamin, observed that the album explores the different moods that people are feeling during the unprecedented times. Dani Blum of "Pitchfork" said that the album "fixates on the frustration and grief of life in quarantine, sifting through the blurry days to construct a new form of intimacy".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: The album opens with the ruminative "Life Goes On", a midtempo alternative hip hop and synth-pop song underlaid with an acoustic guitar. Pertaining to a mellow vibe, the song has a folksy, stripped-down sound. It makes use electronic beats, 808 drums, and melodic rhymes, with "acrobatic" vocals and harmonies on the chorus. The lyrics deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and speak of being hopeful for better times. RM said that the track has "a simple message but a profound truth". The second track, "Fly to My Room" is a 1990s-inspired R&B, neo soul, and pop song with gospel and synth-pop elements. Performed by Jimin, V, J-Hope, and Suga, the vulnerable track features "breathy" vocals and falsettos. The former two switch back and forth in the verses and chorus, while the latter two rap in a "sing-song" style. The song employs a sparse production for which '70s piano, funky keyboards, and trap programmed drum beats provide minimalist instrumentation. Lyrically, the track is about loneliness and confinement, and talks about mentally being able to escape the monotony of quarantine life. The melancholic, slow-jam number "Blue & Grey" is a soft pop ballad that relies a "sparse-yet-tender" production. Set in a cinematic arrangement of minor chords that includes acoustic guitar, twinkling pianos, and wistful strings, the emotional track makes use of "breathy" and "crooning" vocals to confess about fear, depression, burn-out, and pandemic-induced loneliness, using the colors blue and grey. "Los Angeles Times" labelled it as "one of the exemplary songs of the 'pandemic-pop' era" that acts as "a ribbon of immaculate bedroom emo, gorgeously harmonized but never show-offy or overpowering".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: The fourth track is a non-musical spoken worded "Skit" about BTS' first number one song on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, which serves an interlude to separate the album into two parts. "Telepathy" is a playful 1980s-inflected disco and funk song that makes use of an electronic production. The song is driven by '70s beats, Auto-Tuned vocals, and G-funk whistles. Featuring a groovy bassline, it employs synth bass, "stacked-up" vocal harmonies, a cowbell, and jam band percussion in its production. The lyrics detail the connection that one can feel from someone despite physical distance and sees BTS admitting to the disorientation caused by excessive free time. "Dis-ease" is an old-school hip hop number that is accompanied by funk-laced horns and guitars. Lyrically, it delivers a message of strength and contains puns on the different forms of illnesses such as, BTS' addiction to work. Features brassy instrumentals, drums, and a sparse scratching sound, the track begins with a jazz guitar before shifting to a chopped and screwed drum breakdown. The seventh track, "Stay", performed by Jungkook, Jin, and RM, is a future house, dance-pop, and EDM song with 1990s and 2010s influences. Incorporating heavy bass and an instrumental chorus, the song references how technology binds the band together with listeners. The album closes with the summer anthem, "Dynamite", a 1970s-flavoured disco-pop song with elements of funk, soul and bubblegum pop. The upbeat production employs snapping handclaps, bounces, grooves, and beats. The track features a funky bassline, vocal harmonies, and falsettos, with brass, keyboard chords, guitar sound. Lyrically, it is about the joy and appreciation of little things that makes life valuable.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: On August 13, 2020, Big Hit Entertainment held a corporate briefing where the agency confirmed that the new album would be released in the fourth quarter of that year. On September 27, Big Hit uploaded a teaser poster with the album's name, also announcing the release date. Preorders for the deluxe edition began the following day. On October 30, BTS teased the title of the album's lead single "Life Goes On" on Twitter. On November 10, the band posted the album's track list and digital cover. Three days later, they held an unboxing session of the album which was broadcast live on their YouTube channel. Nine months after "", "Be" was released worldwide on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit, in conjunction with a music video for "Life Goes On".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: An "Essential Edition" of the album was announced by Big Hit on January 24, 2021, as a thank-you to fans for the milestones the band achieved. Pre-orders for this version opened on January 25. The album retained the same eight-song tracklist as the deluxe edition, but the packaging's internal components contained some differences. "Surprise gifts" for the band's fandom were sequentially unveiled in the days leading up to the release on February 19.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: On November 22, 2020, BTS performed "Life Goes On" for the first time at the American Music Awards of 2020, alongside "Dynamite". The band performed it from the Seoul Olympic Stadium in matching black and white outfits. The following day, they performed "Life Goes On" on "Good Morning America" and "The Late Late Show with James Corden". BTS made their "MTV Unplugged" debut on the February 23, 2021 special edition of the show titled "MTV Unplugged Presents: BTS". The group's half-hour long "historic appearance", as the first Korean act to headline the series, saw them perform a stripped back, five-song setlist consisting of four tracks off the album—"Telepathy", "Blue & Grey", "Life Goes On", and "Dynamite"—and a "surprise cover" of Coldplay's "Fix You". This marked the live premiere of the first two tracks, B-sides that the group had yet to perform since the album's release. Each performance was filmed on a different set to match the mood of the song being sung, including an "arcade[-like] gameroom" for Telepathy, and "an indoor field...with blue and grey flowers" for "Blue & Grey". For the third and fourth tracks, the group was accompanied by a live four-piece band, Ghost, comprising a drummer, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist. "Consequence of Sound"s Mary Siroky reviewed the appearance favorably, writing that "the BTS boys brought their A-game...keeping their virtual performances new and exciting, refusing to let their distance from an audience push them into anything repetitive or mundane". Siroky singled out Jin and Jimin's vocals on "Blue & Grey", noting how the two "soared in their upper registers, offering lush harmonies throughout".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 80 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: In her review for "PopMatters", Ana Clara Ribeiro felt "Be" was a timeless pop offering that incorporated rap to create a sound that established BTS' legacy. Ribeiro said that although BTS' sonic identity was rap, she attributed "Be"s success to the band's vocalists. "Evening Standard"s Jochan Embley called the album "exquisitely produced" with "near faultless" vocal performances, a sentiment echoed by "The Arts Desk"s critic Peter Quinn in his review for the album. Reviewers were impressed with the experimentation of diverse musical styles, including Embley, Lenika Cruz of "The Atlantic", and Annabel Nugent of "The Independent", who said that the album "avoids the pitfall of sounding like a checklist". "Vox"'s Aja Romano described it as a "sublime" album full of "seamless litany of bops intended to commemorate and celebrate getting through the Covid-19 pandemic", with Lexi Lane of NBC News calling it BTS' "brightest and most unifying album yet". "Exclaim!" writer Eva Zhu felt that the departure of "Be" towards a more "laidback" sound compared to the band's usual offerings was appealing to newer audience.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: Critics lauded the album's lyrical authenticity, intimacy, and simple message. Writing for "NME", Rhian Daly described "Be" as the "most accurate musical encapsulation of the roller coaster that is pandemic life so far" in which the group strikes a "perfect balance between encouragement and reassurance". In an enthusiastic review, AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung complimented BTS' for their openness and intimacy in the lyrics, calling the album an inspiring soundtrack: "Despite its brief runtime, "Be" is an expert snapshot of time and place, a document of a worldwide event that manages to strengthen their connection to their listeners and push their songcraft forward with focus, heart, and humanity." Katie Goh of "i-D" agreed and viewed it as a "the intimate, introspective lockdown project" that served as an honest depiction of people's struggles during 2020. Reviewers such as Emma Saletta of MTV News, have cited the record as an offering of hope for the future, with Benjamin calling it as BTS' "most on-brand album", and Siroky dubbing it as "the cozy comedown" which "brings the listener home in every sense, inviting us into the world of these seven young men in a way none of their other albums have so far". "Stereogum", "Time", and "The Quietus" found the album soothing, and praised the introspective lyricism about isolation and quarantine.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: A few reviewers found the album unadventurous. For "Clash", Malvika Padin asserted that the album is "far simpler" than the band's past releases "yet equally comforting" but criticized its lack of appeal to the casual listeners". In the "Los Angeles Times", August Brown deemed "Be" as the group's "most overt attempt to ascend the U.S. pop charts", but he remained favorable towards BTS' songwriting abilities, describing the album as "a trim, reflective and modest LP about resilience, written to meet a weary global mood". In a mixed review for "Slant Magazine", Sophia Ordaz acknowledged the album for its simple and lucid message, but argued that it exchanged "overstimulating spectacle for low-key introspection".


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Esquire" included "Be" on its year-end list of the 30 best albums of 2020. "Idolator" ranked the album 53rd on its list of the 70 best pop albums of 2020. The album won Album of the Year – 4th Quarter at the 2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards in January. It also received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2021 Melon Music Awards held on December 4, but did not win. The following week, it won Album of the Year at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the 36th Golden Disc Awards, held in January 2022, "Be" won a Best Album bonsang and earned BTS their record fifth consecutive Album of the Year daesang.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" debuted atop the US "Billboard" 200 with 242,000 album-equivalent units, including 177,000 sales, on the chart dated December 5, 2020. The album is BTS' fifth chart-topper in the United States, making BTS the fastest group to earn five number-one albums since the Beatles between 1966 and 1968, as well as the first group to have two chart-topping albums in the country in 2020. Its lead single "Life Goes On" debuted atop the "Billboard" Hot 100 with 150,000 downloads and 14.9 million U.S. streams, becoming the band's third number-one song following "Dynamite" and "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" remix. With this, BTS became the fastest group in over 42 years to earn three number-one songs in a span of three months since the Bee Gees. They became the second act following Ariana Grande to score three Hot 100 number one entries in 2020, as well as the first group to land two number-one debuts on the chart. "Life Goes On" marked the first song not sung in an English language to debut atop the chart. BTS became the only act apart from Taylor Swift to debut at number one on the Hot 100 and "Billboard" 200 simultaneously. They also became the first group and ninth overall act to prevail on top of the Artist 100, Hot 100, and "Billboard" 200 charts at the same time. Seven tracks from the album charted concurrently on the Hot 100 chart, with "Life Goes On" and "Dynamite" in the top-10, "Blue & Grey" in the top-20, and "Stay" in the top-40. This stood as the most simultaneous entries on the Hot 100 chart by a Korean act. With over 252,000 physical copies sold by the end of 2020, according to MRC Data, "Be" was the fifth best-selling physical album of the year in the US. It was one of two BTS albums to make it on the top-ten ranking, the other being "Map of the Soul: 7" in first place, making BTS the only artist with multiple albums on the chart. In Canada, "Be" arrived at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, giving BTS their fourth chart-topping album in the country.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart with over 2.2 million copies sold in its first week. This marked the second-highest opening week sales figures in the chart's history, only behind "Map of the Soul: 7" which holds the record with over 3.3 million copies its first week. "Be" became BTS' eighth consecutive million seller in the country. The album exceeded sales of 2,692,000 copies by the end of 2020, achieving the second position on Gaon's year-end chart, only behind "Map of the Soul: 7". BTS had the most entries on the 100-spot ranking, with 13 of their albums entering the final chart. In March 2021, the album received a triple million certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). In Japan, "Be" reached number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).


title: Be (BTS album)

text: "Be" debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 19,562 copies, behind Michael Ball and Alfie Boe's "Together at Christmas". This became BTS' fourth top-10 album in the country. In Ireland, the album topped the Irish Albums Chart, becoming the band's second chart-topper following "Map of the Soul: 7". By doing so, BTS became the first group in eight years to have two number-one albums in the same calendar year since One Direction in 2012, and also the first act since Ed Sheeran in 2017. The album was also a chart-topper in New Zealand, giving BTS their third number one album in the territory. By reaching the same position on both the Norwegian Albums Chart and Ultratop 200 Albums chart, "Be" became BTS' first number one album in Norway and in the Flemish region of Belgium. It also topped the charts in Denmark, Poland, and Portugal. In Australia, "Be" entered at number two on the ARIA Albums chart, giving BTS their seventh top-10 entry. The album also attained number two position in Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. Similarly, "Be" reached number three in Sweden and Wallonia region of Belgium. The album also entered Germany's Offizielle Top 100 at number four, and the Czech Albums at number five.


title: Be (BTS album)

text: Following the release of the Essential Edition in February 2021, "Be" returned to the top 10 of the US "Billboard" 200 at number seven on the chart dated March 6, with an additional 36,000 equivalent album units sold. Of this number, 28,000 copies were pure sales, giving the album a third non-consecutive week at number one on the Top Album Sales chart. BTS also returned to the top of the Artist 100 chart for their 16th week overall, further extending their record among all duos/groups. In Japan, the album sold an additional 95,853 copies for the period February 15–21 and re-entered the top three of the weekly Oricon Albums Chart at number two on the issue dated March 1, 2021. The album also ranked at number two on the monthly chart for February, with 118,912 cumulative sales. On March 26, "Billboard" reported that 32 albums saw an increase in sales—for the week ending March 18—following the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Of these, "Be" was the 12th highest-selling album—experiencing a 6% increase—and moved 15,300 units, which helped push it into the top 40 of the "Billboard 200" at number 39. As of August 2021, the album has remained on the chart for 37 consecutive weeks.


title: National language

text: A national language is a language (or language variant, e.g. dialect) that has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a nation. There is little consistency in the use of this term. One or more languages spoken as first languages in the territory of a country may be referred to informally or designated in legislation as national languages of the country. National languages are mentioned in over 150 world constitutions.


title: National language

text: C.M.B. Brann, with particular reference to India, suggests that there are "four quite distinctive meanings" for national language in a polity:


title: National language

text: The last is usually given the title of official language. In some cases (e.g., the Philippines), several languages are designated as "official" and a national language is separately designated.


title: National language

text: "National language" and "official language" are best understood as two concepts or legal categories with ranges of meaning that may coincide, or may be intentionally separate. Stateless nations are not in the position to legislate an official language, but their languages may be sufficiently distinct and well-preserved to be national languages. Some languages may be recognized popularly as "national languages," while others may enjoy official recognition in use or promotion.


title: National language

text: In many African countries, some or all indigenous African languages are officially used, promoted, or expressly allowed to be promoted (usually taught in schools and written in important publications) as semi-official languages whether by long-term legislation or short-term, case-by-case executive (government) measures. To be official, spoken and written languages may enjoy government or federalised use, major tax-funded promotion or at least full tolerance as to their teaching and employers' recognition in public education, standing on equal footing with the official language(s). Further, they may enjoy recognition as a language used in compulsory schooling and treasury money may be spent to teach or encourage adults in learning a language which is a minority language in a particular area to restore its understanding and spread its moral stories, rhymes, poems, phrases, songs, and other literary heritage which will promote social cohesion (where other languages remain) or will promote nationalist differentiation where another, non-indigenous language is deprecated.


title: National language

text: Albanian is the national language of Albania. Greek is the national language of the Greek communities, predominately in the south. Aromanian serves as a national language of the Aromanian linguistic minority. Albanian is also the national language of Kosovo, parts of southern Italy, southern Montenegro and southern Serbia. It is a co-official but not a national language of North Macedonia.


title: National language

text: Arabic is the national language in Algeria. Berber is also an official language. French has no official status but is widely used in education, business and the media.


title: National language

text: Andorra's national language is Catalan; moreover Catalan is an official language in several territories in Spain (Catalonia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands), and is spoken (without official recognition or status) in territories in Spain (the Catalan-Aragonese borderlands known as La Franja and the Murcian municipality of El Carche), France (Pyrénées Orientales) and in Italy (Alghero).


title: National language

text: Armenian language is a separate branch in the linguistic family of Indo-European languages. Armenian is widely spoken in Armenia as well as in its diaspora.


title: National language

text: Australia has no official language, but is largely monolingual with English being the "de facto" national language. A considerable proportion of first and second generation migrants are bilingual. According to Ethnologue, 81% of people spoke English at home, including L2 speakers. Other languages spoken at home included Chinese 2.9%, Italian 1.2%, Arabic 1.1%, Greek 1%, Vietnamese 0.9% and Spanish 0.4%.


title: National language

text: There were almost 400 languages spoken by Indigenous Australians prior to the arrival of Europeans. Only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 30 of these are now endangered.


title: National language

text: Bengali, the sole official language of Bangladesh, is also the "de jure" and "de facto" national language of the country. Establishing Bengali as a national language was one of the key reason for the independence of Bangladesh.


title: National language

text: Bosnia and Herzegovina "de jure" has three national languages - Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian - which are "de facto" varieties of one language, Serbo-Croatian. It is officially defined under the three names, corresponding to the country's constituent nations. The Latin and Cyrillic alphabets both have official and equal status.


title: National language

text: Canada's official languages since the Official Languages Act of 1969 are English (Canadian English) and French (Canadian French). Depending on one's views of what constitutes a "nation", these two languages may be considered two equal national languages of the nation of Canada, or the national languages of two nations within one state, English Canada and French Canada.