title: The Motto (Tiësto and Ava Max song)

text: "The Motto" widely received critical acclaim from music critics after its release. Michael Major from "BroadwayWorld" highlighted Tiësto and Ava Max's collaboration, lauding the song as a "fast-paced dance banger that will get everyone back on their feet as the world opens up and the party begins again." Ellie Mullins for We Rave You alike complimented the artists' collaboration, commenting that "Max's pop prowess shines spectacularly against Tiësto's signature dance soundscape." Bradley Stern of "MuuMuse" labeled the song as a "dance floor anthem", writing that "Max is […] refusing to let her grip on the industry loose for even a moment, this time in the form of a tag-team with the legendary Tiësto." JB from Fun Radio similarly commended the song as an "electro anthem", commenting that "[it] will remind you of [Tiësto's] prominent 'The Business' [2020], with an inflated bass line." A writer of "Dancing Astronaut" likewise found the song as "a welcome return to the swagged out sounds of 2020's 'The Business'." Gabriel Krongold for "EDM Tunes" acclaimed the song's beat, adding that "Max mixes her enthralling vocals with Tiësto's electronic magic to make a track that'll bring most everyone off their feet." A writer of Rádió 1 characterised the song as a "massive-sounding", annotating that Tiësto's "characterful house style" with Max's "brilliant vocals" created an "unbeatable pair". Another writer of Radio Eska noted the song as a "speeding banger" and "party anthem", which according to him "will not let anyone stand still". Michael Rädel of "Männer" considered the song an "earworm" and a "standout" from the "current monotony" of the charts. Writing for "Maxim", Jordan Riefe held the view that the song "represent[ed] an evolution in [Max's] creative process." "The Motto" received a nomination for the Best Collaboration at the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards, with Max being one of three ethnic Albanian artists nominated in the same category. The song was further ranked among the most popular songs on Apple Music in 2022.


title: The Motto (Tiësto and Ava Max song)

text: "The Motto" charted in several English-speaking countries after its release. In the United States, the song reached number 45 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 issue dated 9 April 2022, as Tiësto's sixth and Max's fourth entry in the ranking. It reached number two on the Dance/Electronic Songs and number 16 on the Mainstream Top 40 rankings. The song received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 1,000,000 copies in the US. In Canada, the song reached number 6 the Canadian Hot 100 and entered the top 25 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 and Canada Hot AC rankings. It received a double platinum certification from Music Canada (MC) for shifting more than 1,000,000 units in Canada. In Australia, the song peaked at number 22 on the ARIA Singles Chart and received a gold certification from Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling more than 35,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 in on the Irish Singles Chart in Ireland. It received a gold certification from British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shifting more than 400,000 copies in the UK.


title: The Motto (Tiësto and Ava Max song)

text: "The Motto" also entered the charts in multiple other countries around the world. Topping the charts in the Czech Republic and Poland, the song reached the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Switzerland and Ukraine. It further peaked within the top 100 in Argentina, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Panama, Portugal, South Africa, Slovakia and Sweden. The song received a gold certification in Denmark, France, Germany and Italy as well as a platinum certification in Austria, Brazil, Norway, Poland and Portugal.


title: The Motto (Tiësto and Ava Max song)

text: To accompany the release, a music video for "The Motto" debuted to Tiësto's official YouTube channel on 4 November 2021, with a broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU and ViacomCBS Times Square billboards. Directed by Christian Breslauer, the three-minute and 31-second video revolves around Tiësto and Ava Max time traveling and partying in the 1920s. It opens with a sequence of Max leaving out a hotel party and a close-up shot of her entering an elevator with a glass of champagne in hand. She then presses the button for the first floor and spills the glass of champagne on the elevator control panel, which she manages to render inoperable. Next, the elevator deposits her in the lobby of a hotel in the Jazz Age and Max starts to dance and hang out around the lobby, which is filled with a number of people. After taking a luggage cart to another part of the hotel, she then joins Tiësto at a banquet, which she promptly crashes and causing all the guests to clap and dance with her. The following sequence shows everyone posing for a group photo, which becomes a sepia-toned photograph appearing framed in the hotel lobby in the present-day hotel, as a nod to the American psychological horror film "The Shining" (1980). As the video ends, Max walks across the lobby in front of the photo, while telling someone on the phone, "Man, last night was crazy. It felt like a dream!"


title: The Motto (Tiësto and Ava Max song)

text: For further promotion, a second music video for "The Motto" premiered on 11 March 2022, which was filmed in Los Angeles, California. The two-minute and 42-second video was directed and choreographed Charm La Donna and includes appearances from Cache Melvin, Caho Kitaori, Candice Savage, Darrion Gallegos, Gato Waddell, Honey Balenciaga, Joseph John Perez and Maggie Anne Wade as dancers.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: The Corpse of Anna Fritz () is a 2015 Spanish thriller film co-written and directed by Hèctor Hernández Vicens. It premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas on 15 March 2015.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: The cast of the movie includes Alba Ribas, Bernat Saumell, Cristian Valencia, Albert Carbó, and Nico Avila.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: Pau works as an orderly at a hospital, a job that gives him the opportunity to watch the bodies of young women that are brought to the hospital's morgue. One day he is stunned when the body of Anna Fritz, a beautiful and desirable actress, arrives. Pau cannot resist taking a picture and sending it to one of his friends, Ivan, who quickly arrives with Javi, his other friend, at the morgue to view Anna's nude body.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: Ivan ponders out loud if it is possible to rape a corpse and Pau replies that saliva must be used for lubrication. When asked whether he knows this from past experience, Pau confesses he has raped the corpse of a 17 or 18-year-old girl. Ivan soon decides that he wants to rape Anna's corpse and begins raping it, prompting Pau to suggest that he take a turn after Ivan. Javi is disgusted when they suggest he takes a turn and refuses. During their act of necrophilia, however, Anna suddenly returns to life and opens her eyes while Pau is raping her. She cannot move, but her eyes are open in terror. Pau screams when he realizes this and the others come into the room.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: The men are then faced with two choices: They can either report Anna's revival and face rape charges, as there was no way Anna could have consented to sex, or they can murder her and cover up their crimes. While Pau and Ivan both want to hide their crime, Javi pushes for them to save Anna and take responsibility for what they have done. The three men argue and Ivan unintentionally kills Javi. Without Javi to stop them, Ivan is set on killing Anna. Ivan convinces Pau that he would be an accessory to the murder of Javi, and that there is no way Anna would stay silent if she is left alive.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: They decide to smother her with bunched up sheets so no mark is left on her body. While Ivan disposes of the evidence, Pau cleans Anna's body and covers her in a white sheet. As he is about to leave, Pau tells Anna to pretend she is dead and it is revealed that he faked the murder. Ivan returns and they both leave the room. As they are about to get on the elevator, Ivan checks his wallet and realizes he forgot his card in the morgue. Pau unsuccessfully tries to convince him to leave rather than get his card, saying he will pick it up the next day. Ivan opens the door to see Anna putting on a hospital gown.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: Ivan furiously starts to choke Pau, accusing him of conspiring to blame all of it on him. He finally stops, announcing that he does not care anymore if Pau wants to go to jail. Anna sneaks up behind him and stabs him twice. He bleeds to death from the wound in his neck. Pau cries, saying that Ivan had already said he would leave. Silent, Anna repeatedly stabs Pau. Anna is then seen staring off with tears in her eyes and blood spatter on her face.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival on 15 March 2015. It was later released in Spain on 30 October 2015, where it made €36,000 at the box office and was viewed an estimated 9,000 times. In February 2016, director Hèctor Hernández Vicens discovered that his film was popular in the Philippines, where it was illegally viewed or downloaded between 5 and 7 million times via outlets such as Facebook and YouTube. This prompted the film crew to seek out legal counsel in an attempt to stop the illegal distribution. They have since managed to get an upload of the film deleted from YouTube. Due to the film's popularity overseas, the film's crew and producers are seeking to launch an advertising and screening campaign in the Philippines.


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: In a positive review from "We Got This Covered", Matt Donato remarked that it is "not a perfect thriller — but it's an aptly paced ride that doesn’t shy away from divisive boundaries". The "International Business Times" praised certain elements such as lighting, while stating that they felt it would have worked better as a short film. Cliff Wheatley at IGN singled out Alba Ribas's performance, the story's tense subject matter and denouement, though he felt that its 76-minute runtime was overlong, "because it relies so heavily on the shock value of the subject matter and doesn't bother to deliver any inkling of a likable character".


title: The Corpse of Anna Fritz

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 67% rating based on nine critics, and an average of 6.4/10.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: In human males, the cremaster muscle is a thin layer of striated muscle found in the inguinal canal and scrotum between the external and internal layers of spermatic fascia, surrounding the testis and spermatic cord. The cremaster muscle is a paired structure, there being one on each side of the body.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: Anatomically, the lateral cremaster muscle originates from the internal oblique muscle, just superior to the inguinal canal, and the middle of the inguinal ligament. The medial cremaster muscle, which sometimes is absent, originates from the pubic tubercle and sometimes the lateral pubic crest. Both insert into the tunica vaginalis underneath the testis.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster muscle is supplied by the cremasteric artery which is a branch of inferior epigastric artery.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster muscle is innervated from the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve. It receives distinctly different innervation and vascular supply in comparison to the internal oblique.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster develops to its full extent only in males; in females it is represented by only a few muscle loops.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster muscle's function is to raise and lower the testes in order to regulate scrotal temperature for optimal spermatogenesis and survival of the resultant spermatozoa. It does this by increasing or decreasing the exposed surface area of the surrounding tissue, allowing faster or slower dissipation of body heat.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster muscle is an involuntary muscle and contraction can occur during arousal which can prevent injury to the testicles during sex. Contraction also occurs during ejaculation.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: Retraction can also occur during moments of extreme fear, possibly to help avoid injuring the testes while dealing with a fight or flight situation.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: Clinically, a reflex arc termed the cremasteric reflex can be demonstrated by lightly stroking the skin of the inner thigh downwards from the hip towards the knee. This stimulates the sensory fibers of the ilioinguinal nerve, which enters the spinal cord at L1. The sensory fibers stimulate the motor fibers of the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve (also at spinal level L1), which provides innervation to the cremaster muscles causing the contraction of the muscle and elevation of the testes. This causes the cremaster muscle on the same side to rapidly contract, raising the testicle.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster can also be contracted voluntarily, by performing Kegels (which somehow contracts the cremaster), or by flexing and tightening the abdominal muscles.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The cremaster muscle occasionally experiences painful spasms or cramps in adult males which can be chronic and debilitating. Treatment for these spasms ranges from minor surgery to injection with Botulinum A toxin to the regular application of heat to relax the muscle. Surgery, including the excision of the cremaster muscle, has apparently been able to provide complete relief from this condition without significant side effects.


title: Cremaster muscle

text: The name of the cremaster muscle is derived from the Ancient Greek noun ("kremastḗr"), meaning "suspender"; its plural, ("kremastēres"), was used by Galen in the sense of "cremaster muscle".


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Google TV is a discontinued smart TV operating system from Google co-developed by Intel, Sony and Logitech. It launched in October 2010 with official devices initially made by Sony and Logitech. Google TV integrated the Android 3.0/3.2 operating system and the Google Chrome web browser to create an interactive television overlay on top of existing online video sites to add a 10-foot user interface, for a smart TV experience.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Google TV's first generation devices were all based on x86 architecture processors and were created and commercialized by Sony and Logitech. The second generation of devices are all based on ARM architecture processors and with additional partners including LG, Samsung, Vizio and Hisense. In 2013, more second generation Google TV-supported devices were announced by new partners, including Hisense, Netgear, TCL, and Asus, some of which include 3D video support.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Google TV was succeeded in June 2014 by Android TV, a newer platform which shares closer ties with the Android platform and has a revamped user experience integrating with Knowledge Graph, and providing casting support from mobile devices. As of June 2014, the Google TV SDK is no longer available, ending any future software development for existing devices and effectively deprecating the platform.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Google TV leveraged many of Google's existing products. Google TV's operating system, a customized version of Android 3.0/3.2 designed for TV, provided the underlying foundation, allowing developers to create applications that extended the system's functionality. Google's Chrome browser provided a gateway to the Internet, allowing consumers to browse web sites and watch television in tandem. Consumers could access HBO, CNBC, and content from other providers through the Chrome browser. Android and Apple smartphones and tablet computers could be used as remote controls for Google TV. Google TV products shipped with wireless remote controls with a full QWERTY keypad. An update in November 2011 allowed access to Google Play and enabled search to find content from live TV, Netflix, YouTube, HBO GO, Amazon, and more.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Xyologic has compiled a list of the early Google TV apps with the largest number of installations. As of November 2012, the most installed apps were Napster, Pandora Radio and CNBC.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: The Google TV platform was provided by Google to OEMs for incorporation into their consumer products. The first generation of consumer devices were produced by Logitech and Sony. The second generation of consumer devices were produced by Sony, LG (see LG L9 SoC), Vizio, Hisense, NetGear and Asus. The third generation of consumer devices was announced by LG at 2013 International CES, with the announcement of their TV models.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: Cable providers as well as content providers did not participate in the Google TV platform due to it allowing access through a web browser rather than authenticated apps which could enforce geolocation and international copyright restrictions. NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS/The CW and Hulu blocked Google TV enabled devices from accessing their web content through the platform's entire life. As of November 22, 2010, Google TV devices were also blocked from accessing any programs offered by Viacom's subsidiaries. Of the cable and satellite providers, only Dish Network (formerly Echostar), had embraced Google TV and promoted it by offering customers a discount on the Logitech Revue. In contrast, the Android TV ecosystem has all the major American television networks and streaming providers' apps.


title: Google TV (operating system)

text: In January 2014, Google filed a UDRP case against the owner of domain names androidtv.com and xbmcandroidtv.com. The domain names were owned Exo Level, Inc. and were registered with GoDaddy in November 2006. In March 2014, Google's case was denied.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Jaspal Singh Bhatti (3 March 1955 – 25 October 2012) was an Indian television personality known for his satirical take on the problems of the common man. He is most well known for his television series "Flop Show, Full Tension" and mini capsules "Ulta Pulta" which ran on Doordarshan, India's national television network, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was commonly known as "King of Comedy" and also "King of Satire". He carried out various anti corruption crusades in Chandigarh. His frontal attack on issues like redtapism, nepotism, and corruption was both comic and awakening for masses.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In 2013, he was (posthumously) honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Jaspal Singh Bhatti was born on 3rd March, 1955 in Amritsar, East Punjab, Republic of India into a Punjabi Sikh Rajput family. Bhatti graduated from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) in Chandigarh as an electrical engineer. Bhatti married Savita Bhatti on 24 March 1985, and has a son, Jasraj Bhatti, and a daughter, Raabiya Bhatti. His wife Savita Bhatti was chosen in 2014 Elections as a Candidate of Aam Aadmi Party from Chandigarh, but she opted out.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: His low-budget "Flop Show" TV series in the early 1990s is remembered even today. His wife Savita Bhatti produced the show and acted in all the episodes as his wife. Only 10 episodes were ever produced, but the show has had a long and powerful legacy and is well-remembered. One of his co-actors Vivek Shauq became pretty successful after his stint in "Flop Show", having found a solid footing in Hindi cinema.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Bhatti subsequently acted and directed the popular TV series "Ulta Pulta" and "Nonsense Private Limited" for the Doordarshan television network. What attracted audience to his shows was his gift of inducing humour to highlight everyday issues of the middle class in India. Bhatti's satire on the Punjab police "Mahaul Theek Hai" (1999) was his first directorial venture for a full-length feature film in his native Punjabi language. He played the role of Jolly Good Singh, a guard, in the movie "Fanaa". He played a comical college principal in "Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe". He also starred in the comedy Punjabi film "Jijaji".


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Bhatti appeared in SAB TV's "Comedy ka King Kaun" as a judge with actress Divya Dutta. In his latest stint, Bhatti and his wife Savita competed in a popular Star Plus show "Nach Baliye" which went on air in October 2008. The couple demonstrated their dancing and comic skills.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In his later years, Jaspal Bhatti set up a training school and a studio in Mohali near Chandigarh called "Joke Factory".


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: He also launched a new 52-episode comedy series titled "Thank You Jijaji" on Sony's family entertainment channel, SAB TV. It was shot at his own MAD Arts film school at Chandigarh.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: At a 2009 carnival at Chandigarh, Bhatti put up a stall displaying vegetables, daal and oils. The onlookers were invited to throw rings around them to win these costly goods as prizes, poking fun at the government's failure to control inflation.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In 2009, Bhatti school's, Mad Art's, animation film on female foeticide won the second prize in the Advantage India organised by 1take media. It won a certificate of merit at the IDPA-2008 Awards in Mumbai.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Jaspal Bhatti was awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, posthumously on Republic Day 2013 for his contribution to Arts.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Bhatti was known for floating his political parties during elections to highlight the problems faced by the general public.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In 1995, he floated the 'Hawala Party' delighting passers-by with his original poker faced take on growing political corruption in the country which was already a hotly discussed topic in the context of the Jain-Hawala Diaries.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In 2002, Bhatti announced that he was starting the "Suitcase Party" & released his manifesto allotting 5 seats to his family & more seats to be decided based on the suitcase size of the prospective candidates.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In 2009, the comedian announced that he was floating the "Recession Party" & Bhajna Amli, alias Gurdev Dhillon, as his party's face from the Ludhiana. In his trademark satirical style, he kept his party's symbol as opium, drugs and alcohol for which he claimed that there will be no shortage of supply if his party is voted to power.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: Bhatti died in a car accident near Shahkot in Jalandhar district on 25 October 2012, aged 57. The car was being driven by his son, Jasraj Bhatti. Jaspal died just one day before the release of his film Power Cut starring his son Jasraj.


title: Jaspal Bhatti

text: In his remembrance his wife Savita Bhatti organised 'Jaspal Bhatti Humor Festival' which takes place every year on his birth anniversary in Chandigarh.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: "Hot Stuff" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her seventh studio album " Bad Girls" (1979), produced by English producer Pete Bellotte and Italian producer Giorgio Moroder and released as the lead single from "Bad Girls" in 1979 through Casablanca Records. Up to that point, Summer had mainly been associated with disco songs but this song also showed a significant rock direction, including a guitar solo by ex-Doobie Brother and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. It is the second of four songs by Summer to reach number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: In 2018, a remix by Ralphi Rosario and Erick Ibiza entitled "Hot Stuff 2018" went to number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: "Billboard" claimed that "Hot Stuff" has a "strong R&B, soulish feel" along with a "fiery" vocal performance from Summer. "Cash Box" said that the song "has an exciting newness to its rock/disco sound" with "power guitar chording, interesting synthesizer lines and unusual Summer vocal."


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: "Hot Stuff" won Summer the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in the inaugural year the award was given out.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: In 2010, the song was ranked No. 104 on "Rolling Stone"s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: "Hot Stuff" was certified Platinum by the RIAA and remained at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart for three non-consecutive weeks, and spent the longest time in the top ten in 1979: fourteen weeks. The song also topped the US Dance Club Songs chart, with Summer's follow-up "Bad Girls" as a double A-side. "Hot Stuff" was the seventh biggest song of 1979 in the US. The popular 12" single edition of the song plays the full 6:47 version of the song and then segues into "Bad Girls" 4:55 version.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: American dance troupe The Pussycat Dolls used elements of the song on "Hot Stuff (I Want You Back)", which appears on their 2005 debut album "PCD".


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: Dutch pop singer EliZe released a cover in September 2008, which peaked at no. 11 on the Dutch charts.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: In a press release, Kygo noted that Summer was one of his favorite artists of all time because of her brilliant catalogue and unmatched vocals. He hopes that this version will continue to bring the joy that the original track has.


title: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)

text: A music video to accompany the release of "Hot Stuff" was first released onto YouTube on September 17, 2020. The video is directed by Bo Webb, starring "Outer Banks" cast members Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes. The music video details a blossoming love between the two as they dance the night away amidst blue and purple hues.


title: Coit Tower

text: Coit Tower is a tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 29, 2008.


title: Coit Tower

text: The Art Deco tower, built of unpainted reinforced concrete, was designed by architects Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Temple Howard. The interior features fresco murals in the American fresco mural painting style, painted by 25 different onsite artists and their numerous assistants, plus two additional paintings installed after creation offsite.


title: Coit Tower

text: Also known as the Coit Memorial Tower, it was dedicated to the volunteer firemen who had died in San Francisco's five major fires. A concrete relief of a phoenix by sculptor Robert Boardman Howard is placed above the main entrance. It was commissioned by the architect and cast as part of the building.


title: Coit Tower

text: Although an apocryphal story claims that the tower was designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle due to Coit's affinity with the San Francisco firefighters of the day, the resemblance is coincidental.


title: Coit Tower

text: Telegraph Hill, the tower's location, has been described as "the most optimal 360 degree viewing point to the San Francisco Bay and five surrounding counties." In 1849, it became the site of a two-story observation deck, from which information about incoming ships was broadcast to city residents using an optical semaphore system, replaced in 1853 by an electrical telegraph that was destroyed by a storm in 1870.


title: Coit Tower

text: Coit Tower was paid for with money left by Lillie Hitchcock Coit (1843–1929), a wealthy socialite who loved to chase fires in the early days of the city's history. Before December 1866, there was no city fire department, and fires in the city, which broke out regularly in the wooden buildings, were extinguished by several volunteer fire companies. Coit was one of the more eccentric characters in the history of North Beach and Telegraph Hill, smoking cigars and wearing trousers long before it was socially acceptable for women to do so. She was an avid gambler and often dressed like a man in order to gamble in the males-only establishments that dotted North Beach.


title: Coit Tower

text: Coit's fortune funded the monument four years following her death in 1929. She had a special relationship with the city's firefighters. At the age of fifteen she witnessed the Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5 in response to a fire call up on Telegraph Hill when they were shorthanded; she threw her school books to the ground and pitched in to help, calling out to other bystanders to help get the engine up the hill to the fire, to get the first water onto the blaze. After that Coit became the Engine Co. mascot and could barely be constrained by her parents from jumping into action at the sound of every fire bell. She frequently rode with the Knickerbocker Engine Co. 5, especially in street parades and celebrations in which the Engine Co. participated. Through her youth and adulthood Coit was recognized as an honorary firefighter.


title: Coit Tower

text: In her will she specified that one third of her fortune, amounting to $118,000, "be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved." Two memorials were built in her name. One was Coit Tower, and the other was a sculpture depicting three firemen, one of them carrying a woman in his arms.


title: Coit Tower

text: The San Francisco County Board of Supervisors proposed that Coit's bequest be used for a road at Lake Merced. This proposal brought disapproval from the estate's executors, who expressed a desire that the county find "ways and means of expending this money on a memorial that in itself would be an entity and not a unit of public development". Art Commission president Herbert Fleishhacker suggested a memorial on Telegraph Hill, which was approved by the estate executors. An additional $7,000 in city funds was appropriated, and a design competition was initiated. The winner was architect Arthur Brown, Jr, whose design was completed and dedicated on October 8, 1933.


title: Coit Tower

text: Coit Tower was listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark in 1984 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Although Coit Tower itself is not technically a California Historical Landmark, the state historical plaque for Telegraph Hill is located in the tower's lobby, marking the site of the original signal station.


title: Coit Tower

text: The San Francisco Arts Commission ordered the removal of the Statue of Christopher Columbus that had stood outside the entrance of the tower since 1957, following numerous other removals of controversial statues during the George Floyd protests that began in May 2020, and it was removed on June 18, 2020.


title: Coit Tower

text: Brown's competition design envisioned a restaurant in the tower, which was changed to an exhibition area in the final version. The design uses three nesting concrete cylinders, the outermost a tapering fluted shaft that supports the viewing platform. An intermediate shaft contains a stairway, and an inner shaft houses the elevator. The observation deck is below the top, with an arcade and skylights above it. A rotunda at the base houses display space and a gift shop.


title: Coit Tower

text: The Coit Tower murals in the American Social Realism style formed the pilot project of the Public Works of Art Project, the first of the New Deal federal employment programs for artists. Ralph Stackpole and Bernard Zakheim successfully sought the commission in 1933, and supervised the muralists, who were mainly faculty and students of the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA), including Maxine Albro, Victor Arnautoff, Ray Bertrand, Rinaldo Cuneo, Mallette Harold Dean, Gordon Langdon, Clifford Wight, Edith Hamlin, George Albert Harris, Otis Oldfield, Suzanne Scheuer, Hebe Daum, Jane Berlandina, Frederick E. Olmsted Jr., Jose Moya del Pino and Frede Vidar. These 25 artists (chosen by Walter Heil, director of the de Young Museum, together with other officials) were each paid $25 to $45 per week to depict "aspects of life in California." The most well-known of them were assigned sections that were in size, while less famous artists were confined to .


title: Coit Tower

text: The artists were committed in varying degrees to racial equality and to leftist and Marxist political ideas, which are strongly expressed in the paintings. Bernard Zakheim's mural "Library" depicts fellow artist John Langley Howard crumpling a newspaper in his left hand as he reaches for a shelved copy of Karl Marx's "Das Kapital" (here spelled as "Das Capital") with his right. Workers of all races are shown as equals, often in the heroic poses of Socialist realism, while well-dressed racially white members of the capitalist classes enjoy the fruit of their labor. Victor Arnautoff's "City Life" includes the periodicals "The New Masses" and "The Daily Worker" in the scene's news stand rack; John Langley Howard's mural depicts an ethnically diverse Labor March as well as showing a destitute family panning for gold while a wealthy, heavily caricatured ensemble observes; and Stackpole's "Industries of California" was composed along the same lines as an early study of the destroyed "Man at the Crossroads".


title: Coit Tower

text: The youngest of the muralists, George Albert Harris, painted a mural called "Banking and Law". In the mural, the world of finance is represented by the Federal Reserve Bank and a stock market ticker (in which stocks are shown as declining) and law is illustrated by a law library. Some of the book titles that appear in the law library, such as "Civil, Penal, and Moral Codes", are legitimate, while others list fellow muralists as authors, in a joking or derogatory manner.


title: Coit Tower

text: After Diego Rivera's "Man at the Crossroads" mural was destroyed by its Rockefeller Center patrons for the inclusion of an image of Lenin, the Coit Tower muralists protested, picketing the tower. Sympathy for Rivera led some artists to incorporate references to the Rivera incident; in Zakheim's "Library" panel, Stackpole is painted reading a newspaper headline announcing the destruction of Rivera's mural.


title: Coit Tower

text: After most of the Coit Tower murals had already been completed, the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, much of which was taking place nearby at the foot of Telegraph Hill, caused government officials, shipping companies, some union leaders and the press to raise fears about communist agitation. This "red scare" has been identified as playing a "crucial role" in a subsequent controversy that mainly focused on two of the murals; the first being a set of three small frescoes where Clifford Wight portrayed capitalism, the New Deal and communism, the three prominent economic systems of the era, with the communism part containing a hammer and sickle and the caption “Workers of the World Unite.” The second was John Langley Howard's Industry mural (designed with the support of his architect brother Henry Howard), which depicts California industrial scenes including out-of-work men, and angered conservatives by showing a banner of the communist periodical Western Worker above a crowd of workers. On June 23, 1934, the conservative banker Herbert Fleishhacker, the most powerful member of the committee allocating funds from the Public Works of Art Project, asked Heil to inspect the art, who telegraphed back that some artists had included "details ... and certain symbols which might be interpreted as communistic propaganda,” and that "editors of influential papers ... have warned us that they would take hostile attitude towards whole project unless those details be removed." The official opening of the tower, planned for July 7, was canceled and Fleishhacker ordered to close the tower and to block the view from outside through the windows. Subsequently, articles in the "San Francisco Chronicle" and "The San Francisco Examiner" attacked the project, sometimes using misleading representations of the artworks in question, while Wight refused to remove the hammer and sickle symbol from his mural. However, federal government officials decided that the offending parts would need to be painted over, and 16 of the artists signed a statement saying that they opposed the hammer and sickle symbol and that it “has no place in the subject matter assigned.” Eventually, only the hammer and sickle and the "Western Worker" banner were removed, and Coit Tower opened on October 12, 1934.


title: Coit Tower

text: Two of the murals are of San Francisco Bay scenes. Most murals are done in fresco; the exceptions are one mural done in egg tempera (upstairs, in the last decorated room) and the works done in the elevator foyer, which are oil on canvas. While most of the murals have been restored, a small segment (the spiral stairway exit to the observation platform) was not restored but durably painted over with epoxy surfacing.


title: Coit Tower

text: Most of the murals are open for public viewing without charge during open hours, although there are ongoing negotiations by the Recreation and Parks Department of San Francisco to begin charging visitors a fee to enter the mural rotunda. The murals in the spiral stairway, normally closed to the public, are open for viewing through tours.


title: Coit Tower

text: Since 2004 artist Ben Wood collaborated with other artists on large scale video projections onto the exterior of Coit Tower, in 2004, 2006, 2008 & 2009.


title: Coit Tower

text: The tower, which stands atop Telegraph Hill in San Francisco's Pioneer Park, offers panoramic views of San Francisco that take in "crooked" Lombard Street, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Twin Peaks, Aquatic Park, Pier 39, the Financial District and the Ferry Building, as well as San Francisco Bay itself including Angel Island, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, and the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.


title: Coit Tower

text: Coit Tower is a prominent landscape feature in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film, "Vertigo", set largely in San Francisco. The character of Madeleine (Kim Novak) tells Scotty (James Stewart) that she has used the tower to orient herself to his apartment, as she did not know his street address; he responds this is the first time he had been grateful for the tower. Art director Henry Bumstead, who worked on "Vertigo", noted that Hitchcock was adamant that Coit Tower should be seen in the film from the apartment of the lead character, portrayed by Stewart. When Bumstead asked why, Hitchcock said, "It's a phallic symbol."


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: The Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello. Inspired by the films "Sherlock Jr." (1924) and "Hellzapoppin'" (1941) and Pirandello's play "Six Characters in Search of an Author", it is the tale of a film character named Tom Baxter who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real world.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: The film was released on March 1, 1985. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, while Allen received several screenwriting nominations, including at the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and the Writers Guild of America Awards. Allen has ranked it among his best films, along with "Husbands and Wives" (1992) and "Match Point" (2005).


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: In 1935 New Jersey during the Great Depression, Cecilia is a clumsy waitress who goes to the movies to escape her bleak life and loveless, abusive marriage to Monk, whom she has attempted to leave on numerous occasions.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: The latest film Cecilia sees is a fictional RKO film, "The Purple Rose of Cairo". It is the story of a rich Manhattan playwright named Henry who goes on an exotic vacation to Egypt with companions Jason and Rita. While in Egypt, the three meet archaeologist Tom Baxter. Tom is brought back for a "madcap Manhattan weekend" where he falls head-over-heels for Kitty Haynes, a chanteuse at the Copacabana.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: After Cecilia sits through the film several times, Tom, noticing her, breaks the fourth wall, and emerges from the inner film's black-and-white world into the full-color real world on the other side of the cinema screen. He tells Cecilia that he is attracted to her after noticing her watching him so many times, and she takes him around her New Jersey town. Later, he takes her into the film and they have a great evening in the town within the film. The two fall in love. But between these two events, the character's defection from the film has caused some problems. In other copies of the film, others have tried to exit the screen. The producer of the film learns that Tom has left the film, and he flies cross-country to New Jersey with actor Gil Shepherd (the "real life" actor playing the part of Tom in the movie). This sets up an unusual love triangle involving Tom, Gil, and Cecilia. Cecilia must choose between them and she decides to choose the real person of Gil rather than the fantasy figure of Tom. She gives up the chance to return with Tom to his world, choosing to stay with Gil and have a "real" life. Then she finally leaves her husband.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: But Gil's professions of love for Cecilia were false—he wooed her only to get Tom to return to the movie and thereby save his own Hollywood career. Gil abandons Cecilia and is seen quietly racked with guilt on his flight back to Hollywood. Having been left without a lover, job, or home, Cecilia ends up immersing herself in the frothy escapism of Hollywood once again by going to the movies. Cecilla sits by herself in the theater watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance to "Cheek to Cheek" in "Top Hat", ultimately losing herself in the charm of the film.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: Michael Keaton was originally cast as Tom Baxter/Gil Shepherd, as Allen was a fan of his work. Allen later felt that Keaton, who took a pay cut to work with the director, was too contemporary and hard to accept in the period role. The two amicably parted ways after ten days of filming and Daniels replaced Keaton in the role.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: Several scenes featuring Tom and Cecilia are set at the Bertrand Island Amusement Park, which closed just prior to the film's production. Many of the outside scenes were filmed in Piermont, New York, a village on the Hudson River about 15 miles north of the George Washington Bridge. Store fronts had false facades reflecting the depression-era setting. It was also filmed at the Raritan Diner in South Amboy, New Jersey. Woody Allen shut down the Kent Theater on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, the neighborhood he grew up in, to film there.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: In a rare public appearance at the National Film Theatre in 2001, Woody Allen listed "The Purple Rose of Cairo" as one of only a few of his films that ended up being "fairly close to what I wanted to do" when he set out to write it. Allen provided more detail about the film's origins in a comment he made a year earlier, during a press junket for "Small Time Crooks":


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: In its opening weekend, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" earned $114,095 from three theaters in the United States and Canada. Its total gross in the United States and Canada was $10,631,333.


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" holds an approval rating of 93%, based on 40 reviews, with an average score of 8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Lighthearted and sweet, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" stands as one of Woody Allen's more inventive—and enchantingly whimsical—pictures." The film also holds a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on seven critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film four out of four stars, writing, ""The Purple Rose of Cairo" is audacious and witty and has a lot of good laughs in it, but the best thing about the movie is the way Woody Allen uses it to toy with the very essence of reality and fantasy." "Time Out" also gave the film favorable appraisal, saying "the star-struck couple, Farrow and Daniels, work wonders with fantastic emotions, while Allen's direction invests enough care, wit and warmth to make it genuinely moving." Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" wrote some of the most glowing contemporary praise, saying, "My admiration for Mr. Allen extends to everyone connected with "The Purple Rose of Cairo"—all of the actors, including Mr. Daniels, Mr. Aiello, Dianne Wiest and the players within the film within; Stuart Wurtzel, the production designer, and particularly Gordon Willis, the director of photography, who has great fun imitating the look of the movie Cecilia falls in love with, as well as in creating a style fitting to the depressed times that frame the interior film." Canby concluded, stating, "I'll go out on a limb: I can't believe the year will bring forth anything to equal "The Purple Rose of Cairo". At 84 minutes, it's short but nearly every one of those minutes is blissful."


title: The Purple Rose of Cairo

text: In 1991, Jeff Daniels founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company in his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan. The theatre takes its name from "The Purple Rose of Cairo".


title: Glicko rating system

text: The Glicko rating system and Glicko-2 rating system are methods of assessing a player's strength in games of skill, such as chess and Go. The Glicko rating system was invented by Mark Glickman in 1995 as an improvement on the Elo rating system, and initially intended for the primary use as a chess rating system. Glickman's principal contribution to measurement is "ratings reliability", called RD, for "ratings deviation".


title: Glicko rating system

text: Both the Glicko and Glicko-2 rating systems are under public domain and have been implemented on game servers online (like Pokémon Showdown, Pokémon Go, Lichess, Free Internet Chess Server, Chess.com, Online Go Server (OGS), , Quake Live, Team Fortress 2, Dota Underlords, Guild Wars 2, Splatoon 2, Dominion Online, TETR.IO, and Gods Unchained), and competitive programming competitions.


title: Glicko rating system

text: The Reliability Deviation (RD) measures the accuracy of a player's rating, where the RD is equal to one standard deviation. For example, a player with a rating of 1500 and an RD of 50 has a real strength between 1400 and 1600 (two standard deviations from 1500) with 95% confidence. Twice (exact: 1.96) the RD is added and subtracted from their rating to calculate this range. After a game, the amount the rating changes depends on the RD: the change is smaller when the player's RD is low (since their rating is already considered accurate), and also when their opponent's RD is high (since the opponent's true rating is not well known, so little information is being gained). The RD itself decreases after playing a game, but it will increase slowly over time of inactivity.


title: Glicko rating system

text: The Glicko-2 rating system improves upon the Glicko rating system and further introduces the "rating volatility" σ. A very slightly modified version of the Glicko-2 rating system is implemented by the Australian Chess Federation.


title: Glicko rating system

text: formula_10 represents the outcome of the individual games. A win is 1, a draw is formula_11, and a loss is 0.


title: Glicko rating system

text: The function of the prior RD calculation was to increase the RD appropriately to account for the increasing uncertainty in a player's skill level during a period of non-observation by the model. Now, the RD is updated (decreased) after the series of games:


title: Glicko rating system

text: Glicko-2 works in a similar way to the original Glicko algorithm, with the addition of a rating volatility formula_13 which measures the degree of expected fluctuation in a player’s rating, based on how erratic the player's performances are. For instance, a player's rating volatility would be low when they performed at a consistent level, and would increase if they had exceptionally strong results after that period of consistency. A simplified explanation of the Glicko-2 algorithm is presented below:


title: Glicko rating system

text: Across one rating period, a player with a current rating formula_14 and ratings deviation formula_15 plays against formula_16 opponents, with ratings formula_17 and RDs formula_18, resulting in scores formula_19. We first need to compute the ancillary quantities formula_20 and formula_21:


title: Glicko rating system

text: We then need to choose a small constant formula_26 which constrains the volatility over time, for instance formula_27 (smaller values of formula_26 prevent dramatic rating changes after upset results). Then, for


title: Glicko rating system

text: we need to find the value formula_30 which satisfies formula_31. An efficient way of solving this would be to use the Illinois algorithm, a modified version of the "regula falsi" procedure (see for details on how this would be done). Once this iterative procedure is complete, we set the new rating volatility formula_32 as


title: Glicko rating system

text: These ratings and RDs are on a different scale than in the original Glicko algorithm, and would need to be converted to properly compare the two.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB; ) is an insolvent Malaysian strategic development company, wholly owned by the Minister of Finance (Incorporated).


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1MDB was established to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting foreign direct investment. "Berhad" is a Malay term indicating a public limited company. 1MDB focuses on strategic development projects in the areas of energy, real estate, tourism and agribusiness. 1MDB was involved in several high-profile projects such as the Tun Razak Exchange, Tun Razak Exchange's sister project Bandar Malaysia, and the acquisition of three independent power producers.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Since 2015, the company has been under heavy scrutiny for its suspicious money transactions and evidence pointing to money laundering, fraud, and theft. A lawsuit filed by United States Department of Justice (DOJ), alleged that at least US$3.5 billion has been stolen from Malaysia's 1MDB state-owned fund. In September 2020, the alleged amount stolen had been raised to US$4.5 billion and a Malaysian government report listed 1MDB's outstanding debts to be at US$7.8 billion.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: As of 5 August 2021, in an ongoing effort to fight global kleptocracy, the U.S. Department of Justice recovered and returned a total of US$1.2 billion of 1MDB funds misappropriated within U.S. jurisdiction to the people of Malaysia, joining a list of several countries which have initiated recovery or that have already repatriated smaller recovered amounts.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) started off as Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) which was initiated by the former Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Ahmad Said in 2008. TIA was a sovereign wealth fund with an initial fund of RM11 billion aimed at ensuring the economic development of Terengganu state. The fund's purpose was to ensure a long-term sustainable development while safeguarding the economic well-being of Terengganu residents. The TIA fund was derived from outstanding royalty income of RM6 billion and funds from bond issued by local and overseas financial markets. In addition, the Federal Government had proposed to provide a guarantee of RM5 billion based on Terengganu's future oil revenues.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 27 May 2009, Ismee Ismail and Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi signed a deal arranged by AmInvestment Bank Bhd to raise RM5 billion via the issuance of "Islamic medium term notes (IMTNs)", despite being told not to do so by the Terengganu state government. This exercise was advised by TIA's special advisor, Jho Low. On 29 May 2009, TIA received RM4.385 billion in net proceeds from "IMTN" from the full value of RM5 billion.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 31 July 2009, Minister of Finance (Incorporated) (MOFI) took over TIA and amended its name to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). This acquisition by MOFI took place four months after Najib Razak became the Prime Minister of Malaysia. In his announcement on 22 July 2009, Najib said the decision to expand TIA into a federal entity was made to enable its benefits to reach a broader spectrum of Malaysians rather than the residents of only one state.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 10 March 2015, Auditor General of Malaysia under the mandate of the Cabinet and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was assigned to audit the financial statements of the 1MDB Group and to evaluate whether the financial performance and activities of the 1MDB Group are aligned with the company's original objectives. However, on 4 March 2016, the audit report produced by the Auditor General of Malaysia was classified as Official Secrets Act under the Official Secrets Act 1972 by the National Security Council (Malaysia).


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: After the victory of Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Election in Malaysia, the audit report was declassified. The declassification was made on 15 May 2018 at the request of the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 23 May 2018, the newly appointed Minister of Finance, Lim Guan Eng, appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to review and perform an audit of 1MDB. This followed revelations by directors of 1MDB that the company was insolvent and unable to repay its debts. On 28 June 2018, the president and chief executive officer, Arul Kanda Kandasamy was sacked for dereliction of duty.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 28 September 2009, 1MDB established a joint venture (JV) with PetroSaudi Holdings (Cayman) Ltd; the company name was 1MDB-PetroSaudi Ltd with a 60:40 ratio where 1MDB held 40% with a cash contribution of US$1 billion while PetroSaudi Holdings contributed with assets of at least US$1.5 billion. There were four different companies registered under the name of PetroSaudi, but the investment proposals submitted to the board of directors of 1MDB failed to state that.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 29 September 2009 (a day after formation of joint venture), Edward L. Morse submitted an asset valuation report on the same day he was appointed by the 1MDB Chief Executive Officer. The assessment report takes into account assets in oil exploration and production rights in Turkmenistan and Argentina. The assessment was implemented on PetroSaudi International Ltd's assets despite the JV agreement clearly stating that the company owning all the rights and interests of the agreed assets for the joint venture project is PetroSaudi International Cayman, the report said.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Besides that, the JV agreement lacked clauses to guard the interests of the company. Among others, there was an advance of US$700 million in fees to 1MDB-PetroSaudi from PetroSaudi Holdings to be fully repayable on or before 30 September 2009. On 30 September 2009, a total of US$1 billion (RM3.487 billion) was transferred by 1MDB into two separate accounts. The first US$300 million was transferred into joint venture account, and the remaining US$700 million was transferred into another company's account, "(Good Star Ltd, a PetroSaudi subsidiary)", with the aim of repaying the advance taken by the joint venture company. However, approval by the board of 1MDB was not obtained for the payment of US$700 million into a non-joint-venture account.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In March 2010, about six months after the formation of joint venture of 1MDB-PetroSaudi, 1MDB disposed all the 40% stake (worth US$1 billion) for US$1.2 billion in Murabahah Note. "Murabahah Notes" are guaranteed by corporate guarantee, PetroSaudi International Ltd. On the other hand, 1MDB made an additional subscription to this "Murabahah Notes" up to additional US$830 million with partly funded via loans from financial institutions.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 1 June 2012, 27 months after holding on this "Murabahah Notes", 1MDB redeemed all of the "Murabahah Notes" with a total of US$2.22 billion including profits. This redemption of US$2.22 billion was done via an asset swap arrangement where 1MDB International Holdings Ltd (1MDB-IHL), a 1MDB subsidiary received 49% equity stake in PetroSaudi Oil Services Ltd (PSOSL), a PetroSaudi International Ltd subsidiary. This exercise raised a question in the auditor-general's audit report where the conversion of "Murabahah Notes" to equity investments in PSOSL was done without any study to identify PSOSL liabilities, the ability to generate funds, and past financial performance. The 1MDB board was aware that PSOSL operates in Venezuelan waters where sanctions have been imposed by the United States and ending drilling contracts, but the decision to invest in PSOSL proceeded despite such conditions. The documents were signed by 1MDB's CEO on 1 June 2012, long before obtaining the approval of 1MDB board on 20 June 2012.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: During mid-July 2012, 45 days after the investment in PSOSL equities on 1 June 2012, 1MDB disposed all 49% equity in PSOSL to Bridge Partners International Investment Ltd (Bridge Partners) for a minimum of US$2.2 billion at the suggestion of 1MDB's CEO. The sale was done on 12 September 2012 and Bridge Partners issued six non-interest bearing promissory notes worth US$2.318 billion.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 12 September 2012, Brazen Sky Ltd (a subsidiary of 1MDB), entered into an investment management agreement with Bridge Global Absolute Return Fund SPC (Bridge Global SPC) and Bridge Partners Investment Management (Cayman) Ltd. to invest US$2.318 billion funded by the "promissory notes" from PSOSL sales. The investment involved various portfolio investments in the Segregated Portfolio Company (SPC) of the Cayman Islands. However, the company in charge of this investment, Bridge Global Absolute Return Fund SPC (Bridge Global SPC), was a new month-old company with no fund management licence nor experience in managing large funds.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 20 May 2013, 1MDB's board of directors redeemed the investment gradually which would improve perceptions of the funds's credibility. As of 20 December 2014, the total redeemed from the SPC fund was US$1.39 billion out of US2.318 billion and the balance of US$939.87 was to be fully redeemed by the end of December. The US$1.39 billion was transferred into Brazen Sky's bank account and then transferred into 1MDB Global Investment Ltd (1MDB-GIL) account. The SPC funds with a booked value of US$2.318 was pledged to Deutsche Bank for a loan amount of US$975 million without the approval of 1MDB's board. From the proceeds of initial redemption and with Deutsche Bank loan, some US$993 million was used for the payment of the "Aabar option" termination (though originally the settlement agreement was only US$300 million instead of US$993 million). The "Aabar option" was an option given to Aabar Ltd in exchange of a guarantee of Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) to give 1MDB a total of US$3.5 billion in bond issuances via Goldman Sachs. All of these actions raised questions as they were not consistent with the initial objective of bringing the SPC portfolio back to Malaysia.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1MDB established SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC) on 7 January 2011. According to the SRC Business Plan for the period of 2011 to 2015, SRC will supply coal for long-term needs of national by the fourth year of operation (in 2014).


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: SRC obtains funding from government grants in the form of development grants of RM15 million out of RM20 million that were approved by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and RM2 billion financing from the Retirement Fund Incorporation (KWAP). Financing amounting of RM2 billion from KWAP was received on 29 August 2011 with a term of financing of 10 years. The loan is guaranteed by the government which includes principal and financing benefits of RM2.902 billion.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 3 November 2011, SRC ("via subsidiary company SRC International (Malaysia) Limited, SRCI") establish a joint venture with Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar) with the name of Aabar-SRC Strategic Resources Limited (ASRC). The initial paid-up capital was US$120 million with each party contribute US$60 million.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: The board of directors of SRCI approved a US$45.50 million investment in the coal industry at Mongolia but this investment was questioned as this investment was done without any evidence showing any feasibility studies done on the status of the project. The mentioned project was undertaken by the joint venture of ASRC with the Gobi Coal & Energy Limited (GCE) company.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: SRC also invested in PT ABM Investama TBK, that operates in the energy resources, energy services, and energy infrastructure sectors in Indonesia up to US$120 million (RM366.68 million) through published share prices listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: During the meeting on 14 February 2012, CEO of SRC reported an estimated profit on the investment amounting to US$4 million.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 15 February 2012, SRC's shareholding by 1MDB was transferred to the Ministry of Finance Incorporation (MOFI) by way of acquisition of shares through interim dividend-in-specie payments. The transfer of SRC shares has reduced the operating losses of the 1MDB Group from RM25 million to RM16.2 million, lowering the gearing ratio of 1MDB from 12 times to 9.5 times and reducing the government's total guarantee of RM2.902 billion to the 1MDB Group.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1MDB invested into real estate market with the aim of diversification and aim to generate long-term return on investment. From 2010 until September 2015, 1MDB have acquired five different property assets with the acquisition amounting to RM2.111 billion. The land are:-


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 21 May 2010, it was reported that 1MDB will jointly develop the Tun Razak Exchange project at a currently vacant piece of land covering 34.4 hectares in the city of Kuala Lumpur with Mubadala Development Company. The Tun Razak Exchange was launched on 30 July 2012 by Najib Razak. During his speech on Tenth Malaysia Plan, Najib identified the KL International Financial District (KLIFD) and Bandar Malaysia projects as two of many public-private partnership projects which will help drive the nation's transformation agenda.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) project land was acquired with the price of RM302.8 million. A joint venture agreement between 1MDB and Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar) was signed on 12 March 2013. However, the development of the TRX project in collaboration with Aabar was not realized and impacted on the rest of the project.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Up to September 2015, five plots of lands of TRX were sold at RM1.358 billion in fund raising efforts for the 1MDB Group while remaining 11 plots of land plan to sell for RM2.592 billion. Besides that, 1MDB Group also construct a building in a joint venture with Mulia Group, namely Exchange 106 (formerly TRX Signature Tower) to be leased to an international financial services institution for 15 years from 2019 to 2033 with an estimated return of RM537.38 million.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In order to fund the TRX project infrastructure development, 1MDB subsidiary, 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd (1MDB RE, but now known as TRX City Sdn Bhd) relies entirely on the sale of land plots. Besides that, 1MDB also created a "special purpose vehicle (SPV)" raised about Rm229.50 million in August 2015 for fund raising. The TRX project is expected to face negative cash flows as the project receipts are insufficient to cover infrastructure and construction costs and worse still some money from the plots sales, i.e. RM1.095 billion and "SPV" fund has been flow back to 1MDB instead of using it to finance the TRX project development cost.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Bandar Malaysia is a 26-years long run project. It was acquired by 1MDB with the cost of RM368.72 million with additional cost of RM2.717 billion (partly funded by Government for RM1.117 billion) for the reallocation of the current Sungai Besi Airport which act as Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) airbase to 8 new locations, the biggest in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan. However, 1MDB has used part of the allocation (RM288 million) from Government allocation to pay 1MDB debt and not used accordingly to the original purpose of the allocation.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 13 May 2010, 1MDB as part of a consortium of companies, will jointly undertake redevelopment project of Sungai Besi Airport at Sungai Besi, an old international airport, which is now the base for the Royal Malaysian Air Force into a GDV of RM150 billion Bandar Malaysia. The site covers 486 acres and is planned to be developed into an Islamic financial centre and will include Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) as a partner. About the same time, 1MDB and QIA had signed an MOU to assess the viability of energy and real estate investments. In the MOU, QIA also proposed to invest US$5bil.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: The Sungai Airport relocation phase should be completed by 2016 while the whole of Bandar Malaysia to be completed by 2040. Perbadanan Perwira Harta Malaysia (PPHM), a subsidiary of Armed Forces Fund Board Malaysia "(or also known as Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT))" has been appointed as the main contractor for the RMAF base relocation project. As of August 2015, five out of eight suppose relocation sites have been late. The reasoning was a delay in submission of the area, suspension of approvals from local authorities, delays in consumer authentication, weather conditions, and flash floods in November and December 2014.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Besides that, the arrears amounting to RM396.42 million to PPHM until September 2015 also affected the progress of the construction site. This is because a total of RM1.926 billion (51.3%) of loans and sukuk amounting to RM3.75 billion was raised which suppose to be used for financing both the reallocation of Sungai Besi Airport and the development of Bandar Malaysia was transferred back to 1MDB.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In line with the 1MDB Group rationalization plan, on 31 December 2015, 1MDB announced the sale of 60% equity in Bandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. to the consortium of Iskandar Waterfront Holdings (IWH) and China Railway Engineering Corporation(CREC) with a 60:40 ratio. The IWH-CREC Consortium has valued 100 percent of Bandar Malaysia's land at RM12.35 billion where the value of 60% of the land is RM7.41 billion. This transaction is expected to be completed by June 2016. However the deal collapsed on 3 May 2017 due to failure to meet payment obligations, announced by Ministry of Finance of Malaysia (who owned 1MDB).


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Air Itam's land was acquired with the main development of affordable housing in Penang. About 85.7% of land already owned by 1MDB through the acquisition of two companies, Gerak Indera and Farlim Properties (FPSB) with a total price of RM1.056 billion (and related expenses of RM15.25 million). However, the remaining 14.3% ownership of the land has not yet to be finalized. Development of the land is also difficult to implement as full support of the State Government is not obtained and the problem of land occupied by almost 2,000 squatters are still unsolved.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: Pulau Indahland was purchase under the consideration of intention to expand the energy sector. The land was purchase at a price of RM344.24 from Tadmax Power Sdn Bhd with a land size of 318.41 acres. Initially, the land was supposed to be used for the development of "Project 3B" (a power plant development) but the project eventually implemented in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan due to the land is not suitable for the development of power plant. In July 2015, the land up for sale from 1MDB as part of the rationalization plan but until today the land yet to be sold to any party.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In the early stage of 1MDB formation in 2009, 1MDB has embarked on a move in energy sector investment through joint venture with China and Qatar in:-


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: However, the initial investment fell off due to lack of energy resources and also the government policy that did not allow any other party other than Petronas to supply gas to Independent Power Producer (IPP).


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 11 January 2010, 1MDB signed a co-operation framework agreement with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), with the intention of undertaking various energy-based projects in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and subsequently become major investors in SCORE.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 18 January 2010, 1MDB signed a co-operation agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (also known as Masdar) to explore clean technology projects and investments, including the possibility of building Malaysia's first carbon-neutral city.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In November 2015, the company agreed to sell its energy assets, worth around $2.3 billion, to China General Nuclear Power Group and its subsidiaries.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1MDB has a three-tier check-and-balance system comprising a board of advisors, a board of directors and a senior management team. The board of advisors is chaired by Najib Razak himself. From 2010 until 2013, the board of advisors included the CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In early March 2015, with public discontent growing at the perceived lack of financial transparency at 1MDB, Najib, who is also the chairman of 1MDB's board of advisors, ordered the Auditor General of Malaysia to carry out an audit of 1MDB. However, on completion of the audit, the auditor general's final report was classified as an Official Secret for only the eyes of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tasked to investigate improprieties at 1MDB.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: It was later found that 1MDB has only one employee since the beginning of 2018 - CEO Arul Kanda, and he was on "garden leave" until the end of his contract in June 2018.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: The involvement of 1MDB in the multi-billion ringgit Tun Razak Exchange development project drew criticism from the opposition within a year of commencement. Opposition leader and Member of Parliament of Permatang Pauh, Anwar Ibrahim, questioned the credentials of the company. He informed Parliament that according to the records held by the companies commission, 1MDB "had no business address and no appointed auditor." Anwar further questioned the then-current Prime Minister, Najib Razak, regarding his role in getting 1MDB involved in the Tun Razak Exchange project.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: 1MDB's RM425 million (US$140m) profit between 25 September 2009 and 31 March 2010 raised questions about the lack of transparency of 1MDB's accounting. Tony Pua, DAP Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara questioned former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was also 1MDB's advisory board chairman, as to whether the figures were the result of asset injections into 1MDB by the government, such as the transfer of land rights to the company.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: During the October 2010 parliamentary session, 1MDB explained that its accounts had been fully audited and signed by KPMG, and closed as of 31 March 2010. Deloitte was involved in the valuation and analysis of the portfolio, while Ernst & Young provided tax advice for 1MDB. The company also informed that it had lodged the necessary information, including providing a registered address, with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) as required by the law. The registration information was made available on the company's website, www.1mdb.com.my.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: During 2013, 1MDB was in the spotlight again when it applied for a six-month extension for the publication of its annual report that was supposed to be filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) by 30 September 2013. In the meantime, the change of auditors three times in the 4 years since its inception in 2009 was widely considered suspicious.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: By mid-2015, with 1MDB's accumulated debts totalling RM42 billion (US$12bn), bonds issued by the fund were downgraded to junk status by the major rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings. The Malaysian cabinet rejected a RM3 billion ($US1 billion) cash injection, narrowing 1MDB's options to repay its debts on time.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In 2015, allegations were made in several newspapers, including "The Wall Street Journal", mentioned that the 1MDB organisation had been used to steal state funds for transfer into the accounts of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, and people associated with him such as Jho Low.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In August 2015, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had confirmed that no funds from 1MDB were transferred to the Prime Minister's private accounts as alleged by "The Wall Street Journal". Following, 1MDB's president and group executive director (CEO), Arul Kanda, appeared in a local TV programme to clarify issues and allegations against 1MDB and also appeared in an interviewed with BFM 89.9 with host Ibrahim Sani and mentioned that 1MDB has been cleared of any and all wrongdoing by the Malaysian Attorney General.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In media interviews in September 2015, 1MDB said some media reports concerning the company appear to be politically motivated. Its president and group executive director, Arul Kanda, also clarified that none of the company's accounts in Singapore have been frozen, rebutting news reports on the matter. The company has also dismissed claims of wrongdoing.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In February 2016, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States began probing the connection between a regional top executive of global investment bank Goldman Sachs with former Prime Minister Najib Razak and the nature of the former's involvement in multibillion-dollar deals with 1MDB. Similar probes have also taken place or are currently undergoing in the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore into banks that facilitated transactions for 1MDB.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In May 2016, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Malaysian Parliament; consisting of several members of the parliament from both the ruling party and the opposition laid the blame for the troubles of 1MDB on the board of the troubled state fund and its former chief, saying that the board had failed to carry out its responsibilities.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: In May 2018, after the formation of the new Cabinet following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the General Elections, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has ordered the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct a special position audit and review of 1MDB.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 28 July 2020, the High Court convicted former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust, becoming the first Prime Minister of Malaysia to be convicted of corruption, and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and fined RM210 million.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 7 February 2021, the British National Crime Agency served a warrant against the London law firm Clyde & Co on behalf of the United States Department of Justice seeking the recovery of US$330 million (£243m). These funds are reportedly held in a bank account at a NatWest branch in London. The Department of Justice has alleged that the funds are what remains of the proceeds of the first phase of the 1MDB fraud, which allegedly misappropriated US$1 billion of 1MDB funds.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 9 February 2021, the Malaysian Government filed a lawsuit against Jho Low's former associates and former senior 1MBD officials Jasmine Loo and Casey Tang, seeking the recovery of RM 9.3 million in tax arrears. The two fugitives are wanted in Malaysia by authorities for investigations into the 1MDB fraud.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: On 8 April 2022, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng was convicted by a US jury of corruption charges related to his role in helping loot hundreds of millions of dollars from Malaysia's 1MDB development fund.


title: 1Malaysia Development Berhad

text: During an investigation into the 1MDB scandal, the then UAE crown prince, Mohammed Bin Zayed was asked to donate money by Najib.


title: Thomas Craig (actor)

text: Thomas Craig (born Craig Thompson; 4 December 1962) is an English actor. He is known for his roles in "Murdoch Mysteries", "Where the Heart Is", "Hidden", "Coronation Street", and "The Navigators".


title: Thomas Craig (actor)

text: Craig was originally a plumber before making the move into acting in the 1980s. He attended the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. His stage name is taken from the name of former Sheffield Wednesday player Tommy Craig.


title: Thomas Craig (actor)

text: In 1994 he appeared sporadically in the first series of "Common As Muck", alongside Edward Woodward and Neil Dudgeon and he also had a brief role in the 1995 film "I.D.", where he played one of the Tyneburn leaders during the market fight scene, his only word then was "Well!" when asking for a fight.


title: Thomas Craig (actor)

text: Craig appeared in "EastEnders" in 1992 as Mandy Salter's mother's boyfriend. Around 1994 he appeared as Aelfric in "Monk's Hood", an episode of the "Cadfael" television series starring Sir Derek Jacobi. He currently stars as Inspector Brackenreid in the Canadian show "Murdoch Mysteries".


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Iran. Crimes punishable by death include murder; rape; child molestation; homosexuality;


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: pedophilia; drug trafficking; armed robbery; kidnapping; terrorism; burglary; incestuous relationships; fornication; prohibited sexual relations; sodomy; sexual misconduct; prostitution; plotting to overthrow the Islamic regime; political dissidence; sabotage; arson; rebellion; apostasy; adultery; blasphemy; extortion; counterfeiting; smuggling; speculating; disrupting production; recidivist consumption of alcohol; producing or preparing food, drink, cosmetics, or sanitary items that lead to death when consumed or used; producing and publishing pornography; using pornographic materials to solicit sex; recidivist false accusation of capital sexual offenses causing execution of an innocent person; recidivist theft; certain military offenses (e. g., cowardice, assisting the enemy); "waging war against God"; "spreading corruption on Earth"; espionage; and treason. Iran carried out at least 977 executions in 2015, at least 567 executions in 2016, and at least 507 executions in 2017. In 2018 there was at least 249 executions, at least 273 in 2019, at least 246 in 2020, at least 290 in 2021, and at least 425 so far in 2022.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Iran is believed to execute the most people per capita. Iran insists that the execution numbers human rights groups allege are "exaggerated," and that executions are only carried out "after a lengthy judicial process." Iranian officials cite that they are "fighting a large-scale drug war along its eastern borders, and the increase of drug lords and dealers causes a rise in executions." According to the BBC, Iran "carries out more executions than any other country, except China".


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Death sentences in Iran are, in theory, legal for a variety of crimes, such as armed robbery, treason, espionage, murder, certain military offenses, drug trafficking, rape, pedophilia, homosexuality, sodomy, sexual misconduct, incestuous relations, fornication, prostitution, plotting to overthrow the Islamic regime, political dissidence, sabotage, apostasy, blasphemy, adultery, producing and publishing pornography, burglary, recidivist consumption of alcohol, recidivist theft, rebellion, some economic crimes, kidnapping, terrorism and few others.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: There are four classes of crimes in Iranian law: qesas crimes, hadd crimes, tazir crimes, and deterrent crimes.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In Iran, laws are created by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also known as the Parliament of Iran (Majlis). They must be verified by the Guardian Council and signed by the president of Iran. The laws must be consistent with Sharia, although many laws are derived from pre-revolution civil law, rather than Sharia. For example, while almost 80% of Iranian executions are for drug traffickers, drug trafficking laws are part of Iranian civil law, not Sharia law.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: There are three types of criminal courts. Criminal courts of first instance try serious crimes, hadd crimes, and qesas crimes, such as murder, rape, and theft. These courts can issue death sentences. Criminal courts of second instance try misdemeanors and contraventions. The Islamic Revolutionary Courts try offenses aimed against the state and its associated institutions. Crimes include smuggling (e. g., of drugs or weapons), terrorism, counterfeiting, and treason. The revolutionary courts can also issue death sentences.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In most cases (about 90%), executions are carried out in a provincial prison in the province where the crime took place. In serious cases, the criminal is publicly executed at the spot the crime was committed. Many serious criminals or drug-related criminals are sent to larger, more centralized prisons, such as Evin and Gohardasht Prisons in Tehran and Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: A death sentence can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Cassation of Iran, which can affirm or deny the sentence. If the Supreme Court of Cassation finds irregularities, it can send the case to a lower court for a re-trial. There is no limit on the number of times that a defendant may appeal, but if guilt is established, the Court will affirm the sentence. In murder and rape cases, the perpetrator can ask for forgiveness from the victim's family; in other cases, the perpetrator can ask for clemency from the "Amnesty and Pardons Commission" of Iran to reduce their sentences.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In 2011, an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act ended the official right of appeal for repeat drug offenders. Instead, they can directly appeal to the Prosecutor General of Iran. This change was made because the regular appeals courts were overloaded and could not carry out their work quickly due to a heavy volume of drug cases.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Often execution is delayed until the person completes a prison sentence. Some murder and rape cases are delayed for five years in order to maximize the possibility of forgiveness and reaching a settlement.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In Iran (as in other Muslim countries), there are two types of sentences resulting in death. The first is a "qesas-e-nafs" (retribution) sentence, when a murder victim's family refuses to forgive a murderer (see "Qesas crimes" below). The other type is a regular death sentence, "hokm-e-edam", for crimes such as rape and drug trafficking. These sentences are completely separate in Iranian law, and this has created some confusion in news sources when authorities say that a murder will not result in "execution", but in "qesas".


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In 2015, Amnesty International argued that executions in Iran were after sentences by courts that were almost always "completely lacking in independence and impartiality", and that "Trials in Iran are deeply flawed, detainees are often denied access to lawyers, and there are inadequate procedures for appeal, pardon, and commutation".


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In Sharia law, a qesas crime is a class of crime that can be punished by retribution. The Sharia crime of intentional murder (ghatl-e-amd) is one crime punished by qesas, which in this case is a life for a life.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Diyyeh is a private settlement claim between the victim's family and the perpetrator. The victim's family has the option to forgive the criminal by accepting diyya (a financial settlement to compensate for the family's loss) rather than allowing the perpetrator to be executed. Because murder is considered a private matter between the perpetrator and the victim's family, the state may not commute a qesas-e-nafs sentence. The conviction, but not the sentence, can be appealed. Judges may only recommend the course of action the family takes, and in many cases ask the family to forgive the murderer.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In many cases, judges try to persuade the family to forgive the murderer, even at times pressuring them to do so. Often, a murder execution is delayed for five years after the murder was committed in order to persuade the family to exercise forgiveness, and allow time for the murderer to pay "diyya". If pardoned, the perpetrator still faces criminal penalties through the tazir code. Anybody who commits intentional murder must face a minimum of 2–3 years in prison, which is usually about the same time it takes to pay the diyya. Usually, longer sentences are given, and if other crimes were committed along with the murder, the person will serve a longer prison sentence, possibly even up to life imprisonment.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: The perpetrator may be convicted for murder in the case of a confession, if there are two witnesses to the crime, if there are 50 sworn testimonies, and/or if one or more people testifies 50 times against the defendant. However, in practice, judges also allow circumstantial evidence.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Qesas cannot be applied in cases of self-defense or manslaughter, where the proof requirements above are not met, to minors (age 15 for boys, 9 for girls prior to 2008; after 2008, age 18 in most cases), to those declared insane, in a case where the victim is the perpetrator's spouse or spouse's lover and the perpetrator caught the spouse committing adultery, or in the case of a father murdering his children. In these cases, the perpetrator is punished through a tazir discretionary sentence, ranging from 2 years to life in prison. Sometimes the death penalty can be used regardless if the person has been found guilty of "moharebeh" ("spreading corruption on the earth"). Crimes of passion may not always be recognized as a legitimate defense, with the exception of a spouse caught committing adultery (punishable by imprisonment). People who murder in self-defense can usually be released after paying blood money to the victim's family, and the courts would usually help to facilitate that.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In the case of manslaughter or insufficient proof, the perpetrator is not required to pay diyya. If a murderer was working under someone else's orders, and can prove it, they may receive a tazir punishment such as imprisonment, fines, and/or whipping, but sometimes even death. In these cases, the person(s) who ordered the killing are subject to qesas or diyyeh. If a woman is killed carrying an unborn child after the first trimester, it is considered the murder of two people.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: If the family demands retribution, they cannot receive diyya, although they may receive some minor civil restitution. Most cases (2/3) are resolved through diyya. Qesas executions are a minority of executions in Iran, consisting of 20–30% (although those executed for other crimes may have committed murder previously).


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Diyya tables are set every year by the Iranian government. Diyya is equivalent to the price of 100 camels, and must be paid in cash. Diyya is doubled if the intentional murder is committed during the holy months Ramadan and Muharram. However, in practice, diyya is negotiated between the parties and they generally settle for more or less diyyeh than the official amount. If the person cannot pay diyya, he would be held in prison until the amount is paid, even if his regular discretionary prison sentence ends. Usually his/her family/friends are expected to help raise the amount, or in some cases the state can pay for it.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: According to the official tables, the family of a female victim receives half the amount of diyya due to the family of a man (though the amount is equal in accidental death cases); however, in practice, diyyeh is negotiated, and usually the amount is equal, especially in recent years.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Before 2004, non-Muslims would receive half the diyya of a Muslim, but the law was changed to give Muslims and non-Muslims equal diyya.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In Islamic criminal jurisprudence, a tazir crime is a crime that is punished according to a judge's discretion. A "deterrent crime" is a crime with a fixed sentence. Tazir punishments should generally be less severe. There are no strict proof requirements as there are for hadd. Tazir and deterrent crimes are often comparable to a misdemeanor, though not in cases where the crime is deemed to be equal to a moharebeh/mofsed-fel-arz crime (see above).


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Arms smuggling is punishable by death or life in prison if the offense is deemed to be at the level of "moharebeh". Possession, sale, and/or use of illegal military weapons may be punishable by death or life in prison.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Human trafficking is punishable by death or life in prison if the trafficked person was under 18 years of age or if rape, murder, or financial exploitation occurred. Operation of prostitution rings is also punishable by death, as well as "making large-scale pornographic websites". A person operating a blog, website, or any type of internet application that is deemed to spread "corruption", "insulting of Islam", "terrorism/violence", or "treason" may be punishable by death. In most cases, lesser penalties are given.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Large scale fraud or counterfeiting if enough to disrupt the "financial stability of the Islamic Republic", or "intentionally aimed at undermining the government" is punishable by death or life in prison if at the level of "mofsed-fel-arz". In addition, people who act against the Islamic Republic or are convicted of terrorism can be sentenced to death for moharebeh/mofsed-fel-arz.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: According to Iran's Anti-Narcotics Law, possession of narcotics is a felony punishable by death or life imprisonment if:


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In drug cases, a record of the amount of drugs a person is caught with is kept, so that the information is available in the event of a later arrest. Once a certain cumulative amount above is reached, the person is sentenced to the death penalty or life imprisonment. The offense should be deemed tantamount to "mofsede-fel-arz" in order for the perpetrator to be executed.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Drug crimes, smuggling, and crimes against the stability of the country are tried in the Revolutionary Court system, a special court that handles such cases relating to national security. In 2011, the right of appeal was revoked for certain drug crimes, and instead, the case must be appealed to the Prosecutor-General of Iran. Mitigating factors allow the judge to give a lesser penalty of life imprisonment (which can be decreased upon appeal). In practice, the majority of dealers get a prison sentence on first offense, but on the second or third offense, they are executed or sentenced to life imprisonment. In armed drug smuggling cases, the prisoner often must serve a prison sentence prior to execution (typically 5–10 years). Most executed drug dealers have been implicated in other crimes at some point (including theft, robbery, rape, and murder).


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Iran is currently fighting a major drug war on its provinces in the east, primarily Sistan and Baluchistan province and parts of Khorasan province. Since Iran borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two largest opium-producing countries in the world, Iran is a major trafficking route to Europe and the west. Since 2000, up to 2,000 Iranian soldiers have died fighting armed drug cartels and smugglers. Most of Iran's executions are related to drug trafficking—a recent announcement by the judiciary said that 74% of executions in Iran were drug-related. In 2015, according to Iran's vice-president for women and family affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi, in an unnamed village in Sistan and Baluchistan every adult male was executed on drugs charges.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In 2016 lawmakers proposed a bill to end capital punishment for drug offences. A justice minister also supported the proposal.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Hudud crimes are a class of crime laid down in the Quran and considered to be comparable to felonies. Some of these laws are part of Iran's penal code, while others are not. Their punishments are laid down in the Quran and Hadith. Hadud crimes must be proven by confession, two witnesses (four witnesses in the case of adultery), or in rare cases, by "judge's knowledge" (where, based on available evidence, the defendant's guilt is extremely obvious). If the prosecution cannot provide the proof for a hadud crime, it is tried as a lesser tazir crime. The application of hudud crimes differ significantly in Iran from what is prescribed by classical Sharia. Conviction for these require a high proof rate, and cannot be given when there is any reasonable doubt. All hudud crimes also have a tazir penalty, and in most cases the perpetrator is sentenced to the tazir penalty. If a perpetrator is repentant, the hudud punishment could be pardoned.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: In the majority of cases, people who commit a hudud offensive would be given tazir punishments such as imprisonment or fines, but in some serious cases, the hudud punishment could be given in addition to it.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Moharebeh (waging war against God or people) is a crime where a weapon is used with violence to "create fear or disruption against national security and citizens", such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and treason. It is punishable by death or imprisonment, usually for life. In cases of armed robbery/kidnapping (or even rape), the death penalty is usually applied if a person died as a result of the perpetrator's actions, or public order was compromised.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: Similarly, a court could find that if a person's crimes (of any type) were heinous enough, and the person is a continued threat to society, they are guilty of "Mofsede-Fel-Arz" (spreading corruption on the earth), which is a related crime and punishable by death/imprisonment.


title: Capital punishment in Iran

text: However, moharebeh and mofsede-fel-arz are famous for being political charges disguised as religious crimes. These are often levied against those involved in espionage, treason, activism, opposition to the government, or terrorism. In 2008, "operation of prostitution rings" and "running pornographic websites/businesses" were added to the list. Large scale economic crimes that disrupt the economy are also punishable by death if the perpetrator is found guilty of mofsede-fel-arz. Belonging to an armed anti-regime opposition group or being part of "riotous disturbances"/ "armed acts" against the state are punishable by death or imprisonment if the perpetrator is found guilty of moharebeh.