title: College and university rankings

text: Based on this comparative study project, ECUM's creator, the Dirección General de Evaluación Institucional, published reports providing an analysis of the data for 2007 and 2008.


title: College and university rankings

text: The Good Universities Guide and Excellence in Research for Australia annually rank domestic universities.


title: College and university rankings

text: QS Quacquarelli Symonds, in addition to their QS World University Rankings, publish an annual ranking of the top 300 universities in Latin America. The eighth instalment, released for the 2016/17 academic year, places the Universidade de São Paulo as the region's best university.


title: College and university rankings

text: In Argentina the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation ranks higher education programs by evaluation and accreditation.


title: College and university rankings

text: The latest ranking, the Ranking Universitário Folha (RUF) website (in Portuguese), was created by the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. This ranking is based on the combination of four indicators: education quality, research quality, market assessment and an innovation indicator.


title: College and university rankings

text: In Chile the "Comisión Nacional de Acreditación" (National Commission of Accreditation of the Universities) manages evaluation and accreditation. It also ranks universities according to accreditation levels. Other commercial rankings are made by research magazines, including "Qué Pasa" and "América Economía". "Qué Pasa's" ranking evaluates perception and quality following surveys of approximately 1,000 employers across the country. "América Economía" ranking considers quality of students, quality of teachers, rating of professors by student, research productivity, internationalization, integration with the community, student life quality and inclusion of students from lower social strata.


title: College and university rankings

text: Critics argue that rankings can divert universities' attention away from teaching and social responsibility towards the type of scientific research valued by indicators used for ranking exercises. There have also been concerns that by applying a limited set of criteria to world universities, and given the strong desire to feature in the top 200 universities, rankings actually encourage the homogenization of higher education institutions, making them less responsive and less relevant to their immediate contexts. The fact that rankings are also said to favour the advantage enjoyed by the 200 best-ranked institutions has important implications for equity.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: Kim Young-kwang (born January 11, 1987) is a South Korean actor and model. Kim began his career as a model and has modeled for designers such as Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Etro. In 2008, he was the first Asian model to model at Dior Homme's show. As an actor, Kim has starred in the films "Runway Cop" (2012), "Hot Young Bloods" (2014), "On Your Wedding Day" (2018) and "The Soul-Mate" (2018), as well as the television dramas "Pinocchio" (2014), "D-Day" (2015), "Sweet Stranger and Me" (2016), "The Guardians" (2017), and "The Secret Life of My Secretary" (2019).


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: Born as Kim Young-kwang, Kim's father was a veteran of the Vietnam War and died when Kim was in elementary school.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: Kim also starred in the action comedy, "Runway Cop" (2012) and teen romance drama, "Hot Young Bloods" (2014).


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: In 2014 he performed in dramas such as tvN's "Plus Nine Boys" and SBS's "Pinocchio", for which he received a SBS Drama Award as "New Star" for his role as Seo Beom-jo.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: In 2016, he was cast as the lead in the web drama "Gogh, The Starry Night" with Kwon Yuri, and in the KBS2 romantic comedy series "Sweet Stranger and Me" with Soo Ae.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: In 2018, Kim starred in romance film "On Your Wedding Day" opposite Park Bo-young. His performance in the film earned him a Best New Actor award in film at the Baeksang Arts Awards. He then starred in fantasy comedy film "The Soul-Mate" together with Ma Dong-seok. Later that year, he was also cast in tvN's mystery drama "Room No. 9".


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: In 2019, Kim starred in the romance comedy drama "The Secret Life of My Secretary", which premiered in May 2019.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: Also in 2021, he starred alongside Choi Kang-hee in the fantasy romantic comedy Hello, Me!, which premiered in February 2021.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: Kim maintains a close friendship with Lee Soo-hyuk, as well as other fellow models-turned-actors: Kim Woo-bin, Hong Jong-hyun and Sung Joon – with whom he has worked onscreen in "White Christmas". They were given the nickname of "Model Avengers" by their fans.


title: Kim Young-kwang (actor)

text: On December 12, 2013, Kim began his mandatory military service. However, he was only required to be enlisted for six months as a public service soldier due to his father being a Vietnam War veteran, as well as an acknowledged person of national merit. Kim was discharged in June 2014.


title: Muggins

text: Muggins, sometimes also called All Fives, is a domino game played with any of the commonly available sets. Although suitable for up to four players, Muggins is described by John McLeod as "a good, quick two player game".


title: Muggins

text: Muggins is part of the Fives family of domino games whose names differ according to how many spinners are in play. Muggins is the game without a spinner, Sniff and modern All Fives have a single spinner, and, in Five Up, all doubles are spinners. However, historically Fives or All Fives was the progenitor of the family and had no spinners.


title: Muggins

text: Muggins is characterised by its 'fives' scoring system, the 'muggins rule' and the fact that there is no spinner. The aims of the game are to domino, i.e. be first to shed all one's hand tiles, and, during play, to score points by playing a tile that makes the total number of pips on all endpoints of the layout equal to a multiple of five.


title: Muggins

text: Dominoes were introduced to England from France towards the end of the 18th century, early forms of play being the Block Game and Draw Game. The rules for these games were reprinted, largely unchanged, for over half a century. In 1863, a new game variously described as All Fives, Fives or Cribbage Dominoes appeared for the first time in both English and American sources. This game borrowed the counting and scoring features of cribbage, but 5 domino spots instead of 15 card points became the basic scoring unit, worth 1 game point. The game was played to 31 and employed a cribbage board to keep score.


title: Muggins

text: The following year, rules for a game called Muggins were first published in "The American Hoyle". The cribbage board was dropped, 5 spots scored 5 points, and game was now 200 for two players and 150 for three or four. Despite the name, which is the same as a term used in Cribbage to challenge a player who fails to declare his scoring combinations, no such 'muggins rule' was mentioned. This omission was rectified in the 1868 edition of "The Modern Pocket Hoyle", but reprints of both rule sets continued to be produced in parallel for around twenty years before the version with the muggins rule prevailed. From around 1871, however, the names of All Fives and Muggins, became conflated and many publications issued rules for "Muggins or All Fives" or "Muggins or Fives" without making any distinction between the two. This confusion continues to the present day with some publications equating the names and others describing All Fives as a separate game. Some modern descriptions of All Fives are quite different from the original, having lost much of their cribbage character and incorporating a single spinner, making it identical, or closely related, to Sniff. Most published rule sets for Muggins include the rule that gives the game its name, but some modern publications omit it even though the muggins rule has been described as the unique feature of this game.


title: Muggins

text: At the end of the 19th century a new variant appeared in which the first doublet to be played became a spinner that was open four ways. In 1904, this game was first called Sniff and the name stuck. In the mid-19th century, another variant of the Fives family, Five Up or Five-Up, was created in the San Francisco area of the US that extended the role of spinner to every doublet played.


title: Muggins

text: Points are earned when a player plays a tile (also called a domino or bone) with the result that the count (the sum of all open ends) is a multiple of five. The points earned are equal to the sum of the ends. Therefore, if a player plays a tile that makes the sum of the ends 5, 10, 15 or 20, the player scores that number. All pips on a crosswise double are included in the count until both sides are played on.


title: Muggins

text: Each player takes five tiles, when playing with four players or more, or seven when playing with two or three. The remainder are pushed aside to form the boneyard. The starting play is determined either by who holds the heaviest (highest) double (or single, if no one has a double) and that person plays first. If it is a 6–4, 5–5, 5–0, 4–1, or 3–2, the initial count is evenly divisible by five and so the player scores. Players in turn then lay a matching tile on one of the endpoints. Doubles are played crosswise and singles are played off its sides. Each player must play if holding a domino matching an end. A player who cannot match must draw until obtaining a playable tile or the boneyard is exhausted.


title: Muggins

text: The "muggins rule", which gives the game its name, is that a player must announce the count when playing a tile that scores a multiple of five; if he or she fails to do so and an opponent calls "Muggins!", the score is forfeited. Most accounts of the rules state the requirement to announce the count, but not all mention that the opponent may call "Muggins!" or that the points are forfeited. Some rules allow the calling opponent to claim the points for themselves.


title: Muggins

text: The player who goes out wins additional points based on the value of dominoes still in other players' hands, which is scored by counting all the pips on those dominoes. Each opponent's hand is rounded to the nearest multiple of five; for example, the winner scores 25 for 27 pips in an opponent's hand and 30 for 28 points. These points are summed and awarded to the winner. If all players are blocked, the lightest hand (hand with fewest pips) wins, still earning points based on the pips in opponents' hands, usually subtracting the winner's pip count from the total.


title: Muggins

text: Muggins allows for complex dominoes strategy. Because players can score either by making the ends add up to a multiple of five, or by being the first to get rid of all their dominoes, players must balance the need to score throughout the hand with the need to get rid of their difficult dominoes. Players must use deductive reasoning to learn from each move their opponent makes. For instance, if a player could have scored 20 points by playing the 4-4 on one turn, their opponent can reasonably assume that their opponent does not have this domino. Champion dominoes players are able to identify these insights, combine them with other information, and remember them throughout the hand.


title: Muggins

text: All early versions of Muggins were played with a double-six set. Modern variants differ in the number of tiles taken initially; the use of double-six, -nine, -twelve, or -fifteen sets; whether the initial tile must be a double. Modern rules sometimes admit the feature of the first double becoming a single spinner, but this variant is more commonly known as Sniff.


title: Muggins

text: A common variation is "knocking"; when a player cannot lay a tile, he or she has the option to "knock"; this conditionally skips the next player. If the player after the skipped player can score, he must do so, and play then continues as normal. If he cannot, even if he can play, that player knocks and play reverts to the player who knocked first, who must draw until he can find a playable domino, and then the player who would have been skipped is allowed to play. This is common in a partnership form of the game played with four players; a knocking player thus defers to his/her partner who might be able to score. It is considered cheating for one partner to signal the other that he/she should knock.


title: Muggins

text: The original All Fives, also known as Cribbage Dominoes or simply as Fives, was described in 1863 and was a precursor to Muggins. It was played with a double-six set, although one description uses double-nine dominoes, and players scored one point for every five pips scored as well as 1 or 5 points for winning. Scoring used a cribbage board. It was recorded as recently as 1981. There are at least two modern versions of All Fives that are quite different from one another and from classic All Fives. One is a single spinner game like Sniff, except that the spinner can only be placed crosswise and does not count once both sides are played on. Usually only 5 tiles are dealt to each player even in the two-hand game. The second game has no spinner and is essentially the Tiddly-Wink version of Fives in which players may play a second tile after playing any double or scoring tile. However, they may not go out by playing such a tile.


title: Tajine

text: A tajine or tagine () is a North African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called or .


title: Tajine

text: The Arabic () is derived from the Berber 'shallow earthen pot', from Ancient Greek () 'frying-pan, saucepan'.


title: Tajine

text: According to Rebecca Jones, the Antonine Wall built by the Numidian governor of Roman Britain, Quintus Lollius Urbicus, different types of pottery have been identified, one being a casserole dish that may have been a precursor to the modern tajine. Fragments of tajines have also been identified among Numidian ceramics in modern-day Tunisia.


title: Tajine

text: According to some sources, the history of tagine dates back to the time of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph. The concept of cooking in a tajine appears in the famous "One Thousand and One Nights", an Arabic-language story collection from the 9th century.


title: Tajine

text: Today, the cooking pot and its traditional broth are primarily prepared in the Middle East and North Africa. There are different ways to prepare the tajine. In the original qidra style, (clarified butter) is used to lubricate the surface and a puree of chopped onion is added for flavour and aroma. For -style cooking, the ingredients are placed in olive oil to enrich the flavours.


title: Tajine

text: According to the historian of Jewish food Gil Marks, the unique two-piece cooking vessel made from red clay called tajine originates from Morocco (Anti-Atlas Mountains).


title: Tajine

text: There are many descriptions of how to prepare a tajine from Arab scholars. A famous description is the one from ibn al-Adim (1192–1262):


title: Tajine

text: The traditional tajine pottery, sometimes painted or glazed, consists of two parts: a circular base unit that is flat with low sides and a large cone- or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to return all condensation to the bottom. That process can be improved by adding cold water into the specially designed well at the top of the lid.


title: Tajine

text: Tajine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tajine pot to avoid having the temperature rise too quickly. Large bricks of charcoal are used, specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Other methods are to use a tajine in a slow oven or on a gas or electric stove top, on the lowest heat necessary to keep the stew simmering gently. A diffuser, a circular utensil placed between the tajine and the flame, is used to evenly distribute the stove's heat. European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature, which permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.


title: Tajine

text: Tajine cooking may be replicated by using a slow cooker or similar item, but the result will be slightly different. Many ceramic tajines are decorative items as well as functional cooking vessels. Some tajines, however, are intended only to be used as decorative serving dishes.


title: Tajine

text: Algerian and Moroccan tajine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with sliced meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables or fruit. Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used. Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron. Paprika and chili are used in vegetable tajines. The sweet and sour combination is common in tajine dishes like lamb with prunes and spices. Tajines are generally served with bread. Because the domed or cone-shaped lid of the tajine pot traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables. This method of cooking is important in areas where water supplies are limited or where public water is not yet available.


title: Tajine

text: What Tunisians refer to as a "tajine" is very different from other forms of the dish. Tunisian tajine is more like an Italian frittata or an eggah. First, a simple ragout is prepared, of meat cut into very small pieces, cooked with onions and spices, such as a blend of dried rosebuds and ground cinnamon known as "baharat" or a robust combination of ground coriander and caraway seeds; this is called tabil. Then something starchy is added to thicken the juices. Common thickeners include cannellini beans, chickpeas, breadcrumbs or cubed potatoes. When the meat is tender, it is combined with the ingredients which have been chosen to be the dominant flavouring. Examples include fresh parsley, dried mint, saffron, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked vegetables and stewed calves' brains. Next, the stew is enriched with cheese and eggs. Finally, this egg and stew are baked in a deep pie dish, either on the stove or in the oven until top and bottom are crisply cooked and the eggs are just set. When the tajine is ready, it is turned out onto a plate and sliced into squares, accompanied by wedges of lemon. Tunisian tajines can also be made with seafood or as a completely vegetarian dish.


title: Tajine

text: In rural parts of Tunisia, home cooks place a shallow earthenware dish over olive-wood coals, fill it, cover it with a flat earthenware pan, and then pile hot coals on top. The resulting tajine is crusty on top and bottom, moist within and is infused with a subtle smoky fragrance.


title: Tajine

text: Maghrebi Jews also eat and prepare tagine, owing to their historic presence in North Africa. Tagine is a very important dish in Sephardi cuisine, and is commonly eaten and prepared by Moroccan Jews, Algerian Jews, Tunisian Jews, Libyan Jews, Djerban Jews, and also by French Jews, Jewish Americans, and Israelis, due to the large population of Sephardim in those countries.


title: Tajine

text: Tagine is a mainstay of Sephardic cuisine commonly prepared for Shabbat dinners in the Sephardi community, and served with couscous. Sephardim from different regions prepare different styles of Tagine, for instance Moroccan Jews often prepare tagine with dried fruits, while Tunisian Jews often prepare a vegetable tagine containing potatoes, carrots, and zucchini cut into a large dice. Tagine is also commonly prepared for Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and the Yom Kippur break fast.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium. It is within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban. The most elaborate version of his story, Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People", relates that he lived in Verulamium, sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, when Christians were suffering persecution. Alban met a Christian priest fleeing from his persecutors and sheltered him in his house, where he became so impressed with the priest's piety that he converted to Christianity. When the authorities searched Alban's house, he put on the priest's cloak and presented himself in place of his guest. Consequently, he was sentenced to endure the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the priest, unless he renounced Christianity. Alban refused and was taken for execution. In later legends, his head rolled downhill after execution and a well sprang up where it stopped.


title: St Albans

text: There was an Iron Age settlement known as, Verlamion, or Verlamio, near the site of the present city, the centre of Tasciovanus' power and a major centre of the Catuvellauni from about 20 BC until shortly after the Roman invasion of AD 43. The name "Verlamion" is Celtic, meaning "settlement over or by the marsh". The town was on Prae Hill, to the west of modern St Albans, now covered by the village of St Michael's, Verulamium Park and the Gorhambury Estate. Although excavations done in 1996 produced finds which include silver coins from the Roman Republic era dating from 90/80 BC. There was evidence of trade with the republic and that a settlement already existed on the site 50 years before Julius Caesar attempted to invade Britain. However, it is believed that the tribal capital was moved to the site by Tasciovanus (around 25 to 5 BC). Cunobelinus may have constructed Beech Bottom Dyke, a defensive earthwork near the settlement whose significance is uncertain.


title: St Albans

text: The Roman city of Verulamium, the second-largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium, developed from the Iron Age settlement and was granted the rank of "municipium" around AD 50, meaning that its citizens had what were known as "Latin Rights", a lesser citizenship status than a "colonia" possessed. It grew to a significant town, and as such received the attentions of Boudica of the Iceni in 61, when Verulamium was sacked and burnt on her orders. Excavations preceding the museum's new entrance done in 1996–97 within the centre of the Roman town gave archaeologists the chance to date a black ash layer to 60–65 AD, thus confirming the Roman written record. It grew steadily; by the early 3rd century, it covered an area of about , behind a deep ditch and wall. Verulamium contained a forum, basilica and a theatre, much of which were damaged during two fires, one in 155 and the other in around 250. These were repaired and continued in use in the 4th century. The theatre was disused by the end of the 4th century. One of the few extant Roman inscriptions in Britain is found on the remnants of the forum (see Verulamium Forum inscription). The town was rebuilt in stone rather than timber at least twice over the next 150 years. Roman occupation ended between 400 and 450 AD


title: St Albans

text: The body of St Alban was probably buried outside the city walls in a Roman cemetery near the present cathedral. His hillside grave became a place of pilgrimage. Recent investigation has uncovered a basilica there, indicating the oldest continuous site of Christian worship in Great Britain. In 429 Germanus of Auxerre visited the church and subsequently promoted the cult of St Alban.


title: St Albans

text: A few traces of the Roman city remain visible, such as parts of the city walls, a hypocaust – still "in situ" under a mosaic floor, and the theatre, which is on land belonging to the Earl of Verulam, as well as items in the museum. Further remains beneath nearby agricultural land have only had a few exploratory trenches, which have never been fully excavated and were seriously threatened by deep ploughing, which ceased in 2005 after compensation was agreed. Test trenches in 2003 confirmed that serious damage had occurred to buildings on the northern side of Old Watling Street by deep ploughing. Permission needs to be granted to enable the full extent of the damage to the western half of Verulamium to be investigated.


title: St Albans

text: After the Roman withdrawal the town became the centre of the territory or "regio" of the Anglo-Saxon "Waeclingas" tribe.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans Abbey and the associated Anglo-Saxon settlement were founded on the hill outside the Roman city where it was believed St Alban was buried. An archaeological excavation in 1978, directed by Martin Biddle, failed to find Roman remains on the site of the medieval chapter house. As late as the eighth century the Saxon inhabitants of St Albans nearby were aware of their ancient neighbour, which they knew alternatively as Verulamacæstir or, under what H. R. Loyn terms "their own hybrid", Vaeclingscæstir, "the fortress of the followers of Wæcla", possibly a pocket of British-speakers remaining separate in an increasingly Saxonised area.


title: St Albans

text: The medieval town grew on the hill to the east of Wæclingacaester where the Benedictine Abbey of St Albans was founded by Ulsinus in 793. There is some evidence that the original site was higher up the hill than the present building, which was begun in 1077. St Albans Abbey was the principal medieval abbey in England. The scribe Matthew Vickers lived there and the first draft of Magna Carta was drawn up there. It became a parish church after the dissolution of the Benedictine abbey in 1539 and was made a cathedral in 1877.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans School was founded in AD 948. Matthew Paris was educated there and it is the only school in the English-speaking world to have educated a Pope (Adrian IV). Now a public school it has, since 1871, occupied a site to the west of the Abbey and includes the 14th-century Abbey Gateway. One of its buildings was a hat factory, a link with the city's industrial past.


title: St Albans

text: On Abbey Mill Lane, the road between the Abbey and the school, are the palaces of the Bishops of St Albans and Hertford and Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, claimed to be the oldest pub in England.


title: St Albans

text: Between 1403 and 1412 Thomas Wolvey was engaged to build a clock tower in the Market Place. It is the only extant medieval town belfry in England. The original bell, named for the Archangel Gabriel sounds F-natural and weighs one ton. Gabriel sounded at 4 am for the Angelus and at 8 or 9 pm for the curfew. The ground floor of the tower was a shop until the 20th century. The first- and second-floor rooms were designed as living chambers. The shop and the first floor were connected by a flight of spiral stairs. Another flight rises the whole height of the tower by 93 narrow steps and gave access to the living chamber, the clock and the bell without disturbing the tenant of the shop.


title: St Albans

text: Two battles of the Wars of the Roses took place in or near the town. The First Battle of St Albans was fought on 22 May 1455 within the town, and the Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461, just to the north.


title: St Albans

text: A street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, founded by Abbot Ulsinus, still flourishes. In 1553, Henry’s son Edward VI sold the right to hold the market to a group of local merchants and landowners via letters patent which also incorporated St Albans as a borough.


title: St Albans

text: Before the 20th century St Albans was a rural market town, a Christian pilgrimage site, and the first coaching stop of the route to and from London, accounting for its numerous old inns. Victorian St Albans was small and had little industry. Its population grew more slowly than London, 8–9% per decade between 1801 and 1861, compared to the 31% per decade growth of London in the same period. The railway arrived in 1858. In 1869 the extension of the city boundaries was opposed by the Earl of Verulam and many of the townsfolk, but there was rapid expansion and much building at the end of the century, and between 1891 and 1901 the population grew by 37%.


title: St Albans

text: In 1877, in response to a public petition, Queen Victoria issued the second royal charter, which granted city status to the borough and Cathedral status to the former Abbey Church. The new diocese was established in the same year, in the main from parts of the large Diocese of Rochester.


title: St Albans

text: In the inter-war years it became a centre for the electronics industry. In the post-World War II years it expanded rapidly as part of the post-War redistribution of population out of Greater London. It is now a popular tourist destination.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans has two tiers of local government, at district and county level: St Albans City and District Council and Hertfordshire County Council. The main part of the urban area of St Albans (the pre-1974 borough) is an unparished area, directly administered by St Albans City and District Council.


title: St Albans

text: The early administrative history of the town of St Albans is closely tied to St Albans Abbey. The town was effectively controlled by the abbey through the Middle Ages, but there were frequent disputes between the abbot and townspeople about the extent of the abbey's powers in the town. Following the dissolution of the abbey in 1539, the rights previously held by it passed to the crown. On 12 May 1553 the town was granted a charter by Edward VI, incorporating it as a borough with a mayor.


title: St Albans

text: The borough consisted of the ancient parish of St Albans (also known as the Abbey parish) and parts of the parishes of St Michael and St Peter. The borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough, and the boundary was adjusted to additionally include part of the parish of St Stephen. On 28 August 1877 the borough gained city status, following the elevation of St Albans Abbey to become a cathedral. The boundary was also adjusted in 1877 to include part of the parish of Sandridge.


title: St Albans

text: The Local Government Act 1894 divided parishes that were partly within municipal boroughs. The parts of St Michael, St Peter and Sandridge within the borough became the new parishes of St Michael Urban, St Peter Urban and Sandridge Urban. The part of St Stephen within the borough was absorbed by the parish of St Albans. The parishes that were formed outside the borough, that is St Michael Rural, St Peter Rural, Sandridge Rural and the reduced St Stephen, became part of St Albans Rural District on 28 December 1894.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans Town Hall was built in 18291831 and served as the council's meeting place until the 1960s, when the council moved to new premises at City Hall and adjoining buildings.


title: St Albans

text: In 1898 the parish of St Albans absorbed St Michael Urban, St Peter Urban and Sandridge Urban so the parish and borough occupied the same area. In 1901 the population of the borough was 16,019, growing to 18,133 in 1911. St Albans expanded in 1913 by gaining parts of Sandridge Rural (241 acres), St Michael Rural (138 acres), St Peter Rural (992 acres) and St Stephen (335 acres). In 1921 the population of the enlarged borough was 25,593, growing to 28,624 in 1931. It expanded again in 1935 as part of a county review order gaining more of St Michael Rural (890 acres), St Peter Rural (436 acres) and St Stephen (712 acres). The population of the borough was 44,098 in 1951 and 50,293 in 1961.


title: St Albans

text: The borough was abolished on 1 April 1974 and St Albans became part of the new, larger St Albans City and District. City status was transferred to the entire district by letters patent dated 9 July 1974. Local government services are now provided by Hertfordshire County Council (strategic services) and St Albans City and District Council. Eight local parish councils (limited local services) cover the parts of St Albans City and District that were previously in St Albans Rural District and Harpenden Urban District, but the area that was St Albans Borough prior to 1974 is an unparished area. Within this area, (the Ashley, Batchwood, Clarence, Cunningham, Marshalswick South, St Peters, Sopwell and Verulam wards) a City Neighbourhood Committee of the district council was set up in June 2013 with comparable responsibilities to parish councils for small parks, playgrounds, open spaces, war memorials, allotments and public conveniences. The City and District Council built a new civic centre in 1989 adjoining the 1960s City Hall complex, which became known instead as the Alban Arena.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfb") similar to most of the United Kingdom.


title: St Albans

text: The north–south M1 motorway runs west of St Albans and the M25 motorway is slightly further south. The A414 road runs directly south of St Albans between Hemel Hempstead and Hatfield. The A405 road provides a direct link to Watford.


title: St Albans

text: Two railway stations serve the city: St Albans City, which is situated east of the city centre, and St Albans Abbey, which is situated approximately south-west of the city station.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans City on the Midland Main Line is served by Thameslink services, on a frequent and fast rail link to central London. Suburban services stop at all stations on the route, while express services are non-stop to London St Pancras. Trains run north to Harpenden, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and on to Bedford. St Albans Abbey station is the terminus of the Abbey line from Watford Junction.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans is well served by local buses, with links to local villages and major towns run by Arriva, Uno, Red Eagle, Sullivan Buses and several small operators. Buses in Hertfordshire are run under the Intalink Partnership


title: St Albans

text: St Albans has a cultural life, with regular concerts and theatre productions held at venues including Trestle Arts Base, St Albans Abbey, The Horn, The Pioneer Club, Maltings Arts Theatre, the Alban Arena, the Abbey Theatre, St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church, given by organisations including St Albans Bach Choir, St Albans Cathedral Choir, St Albans Cathedral Girls' Choir, St Albans Symphony Orchestra, St Albans Chamber Choir, St Albans Chamber Opera, The Company of Ten, St Albans Choral Society, and St Albans Organ Theatre. St Albans is also home to Trestle Theatre Company, who have been creating professional, physical storytelling theatre since 1981. Originally known for their work with masks, Trestle collaborates with UK and international artists to unify movement, music and text into a theatrical experience. The Sandpit Theatre is a theatre attached to Sandringham School which hosts plays throughout the year, mainly performances put on by the pupils of Sandringham School. The school also hosts Best Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school for children aged 4 to 16. Furthermore, St Albans is home to many music acts such as Enter Shikari, The Zombies, Trash Boat, Friendly Fires and Your Demise.


title: St Albans

text: The Odyssey Cinema (formerly the Odeon) on London Road is an independent, arthouse cinema that was restored and re-opened in 2014. Originally opened in 1931, it stands on the site of the Alpha Picture House, Hertfordshire's first cinema, which was opened in 1908 by film-making pioneer Arthur Melbourne-Cooper.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans Museums runs two museums: Verulamium Museum, which tells the story of everyday life in Roman Britain using objects from the excavations of the important Roman Town; and, the St Albans Museum + Gallery, located in the old St Albans Town Hall, which focuses on the history of the town and of Saint Alban.


title: St Albans

text: The mixed character of St Albans and its proximity to London have made it a popular filming location. The Abbey and Fishpool Street areas were used for the pilot episode of the 1960s ecclesiastical TV comedy "All Gas and Gaiters". The area of Romeland, directly north of the Abbey Gateway and the walls of the Abbey and school grounds, can be seen masquerading as part of an Oxford college in some episodes of "Inspector Morse" (and several local pubs also appear). Fishpool Street, running from Romeland to St Michael's village, stood in for Hastings in some episodes of "Foyle's War". "Life Begins" was filmed largely in and around St Albans. The Lady Chapel in the Abbey itself was used as a location for at least one scene in Sean Connery's 1995 film "First Knight", whilst the nave of the Abbey was used during a coronation scene as a substitute for Westminster Abbey in "Johnny English" starring Rowan Atkinson. The 19th-century gatehouse of the former prison near the mainline station appeared in the title sequence of the TV series "Porridge", starring Ronnie Barker. The 2001 film "Birthday Girl" starring Ben Chaplin and Nicole Kidman was also partly filmed in St Albans.


title: St Albans

text: More recently, several scenes from the film "Incendiary", starring Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen, were filmed in St Albans, focusing in particular on the Abbey and the Abbey Gateway. It has also been used in the setting for the fictional town "Waltringham", in the TV show "Humans". As well as this, in late 2021 celebrities such as Timothee Chalamet and others were spotted in Verulanium Park filming the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though the release date has only been speculated at, rather than being released officially by the filmmakers.


title: St Albans

text: In December 2007, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of St Albans were the 10th most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 30.8% of the population participate at least 3 times a week for 90 minutes.


title: St Albans

text: Clarence Park plays host to St Albans Cricket Club. The club currently runs four Saturday sides, playing in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League and also two Sunday sides in the Chess Valley Cricket League. In 2008 the club's 1st XI won the Hertfordshire League Title. In the previous two seasons, the first XI came 5th (2011) and 4th (2012) in division one.


title: St Albans

text: The local football team is St Albans City FC: its stadium is on the edge of Clarence Park and the team won promotion from the Conference South League in 2005–06. It played in the Nationwide Conference Division of the Football Conference for the 2006–07 season, but finished at the bottom of the table and was relegated.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans Gymnastics Club, founded in 2005, provides the St Albans area with recreational classes as well as a professionally managed competitive squad.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans is also home to St Albans Hockey Club, based in Oaklands, St Albans. The club is represented at National league level by both women's and men's teams, as well as other local league competitions. The club's nickname is "The Tangerines".


title: St Albans

text: St Albans Centurions Rugby league Club have their ground at Toulmin Drive, St Albans. They play in the London Premier League. In 2007 and again in 2010 'The Cents', as they are known, won 'the triple' – topping the league, and becoming the Regional and National Champions of the Rugby League Conference Premier Divisions.


title: St Albans

text: Old Albanian RFC is a rugby union club that plays at the Old Albanian sports complex. They play in National League 1 the third tier of the English rugby union system. Saracens A team and OA Saints Women's Rugby team also play here. This complex hosts the offices of the Premiership Rugby club Saracens (and have recently moved their home ground to Barnet).


title: St Albans

text: St Albans is home to one of the country's oldest indoor skateparks, the Pioneer Skatepark in Heathlands Drive, next to the former fire station. Its ramps are available to all skateboarders and inliners. A new outside mini ramp was built in March 2005. A second outdoor mini ramp was opened at Easter 2009.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans was once home to the then most prestigious steeplechase in England. The Great St Albans chase attracted the best horses and riders from across Britain and Ireland in the 1830s and was held in such high esteem that when it clashed with the 1837 Grand National the top horses and riders chose to bypass Aintree. Without warning the race was discontinued in 1839 and was quickly forgotten.


title: St Albans

text: St Albans was once home to Samuel Ryder, the founder of the Ryder Cup. He ran a very successful packet seeds business in the 1890s which at one time he ran from a packing warehouse on Holywell Hill (currently Café Rouge). His interest in golf and sponsorship led to his donation of the now famous Ryder Cup. He is buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery, where in July 2012 the Olympic Torch Relay passed by to honour him.


title: St Albans

text: The law school of the University of Hertfordshire used to be based in Hatfield Road in St Albans until it moved to the university's De Havilland campus in Hatfield in 2011. Hertfordshire County Council purchased the site. The interior of the former law school building has since been refurbished and now forms part of Alban City School, a state-funded Free School for primary aged children, which started taking reception class children in September 2012.


title: St Albans

text: A campus of Oaklands College, a further education college, is also located in Smallford in St Albans.


title: Fried rice

text: Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Fried rice is a popular component of East Asian, Southeast Asian and certain South Asian cuisines, as well as a staple national dish of Indonesia. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with ingredients left over from other dishes, leading to countless variations. Fried rice first developed during the Sui Dynasty in China and as such all fried rice dishes can trace their origins to Chinese fried rice.


title: Fried rice

text: Many varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Greater China, common varieties include Yangzhou fried rice and Hokkien fried rice. Japanese chāhan is considered a Japanese Chinese dish, having derived from Chinese fried rice dishes. In Southeast Asia, similarly constructed Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean "nasi goreng" and Thai "khao phat" are popular dishes. In the West, most restaurants catering to vegetarians have invented their own varieties of fried rice, including egg fried rice. Fried rice is also seen on the menus of American restaurants offering cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. Additionally, the cuisine of some Latin American countries includes variations on fried rice, including Ecuadorian chaulafan, Peruvian arroz chaufa, Cuban arroz frito, and Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao.


title: Fried rice

text: Fried rice is a common street food in Asia. In some Asian countries, small restaurants, street vendors and traveling hawkers specialize in serving fried rice. In Indonesian cities it is common to find fried rice street hawkers moving through the streets with their food cart and stationing it in busy streets or residential areas. Many Southeast Asian street food stands offer fried rice with a selection of optional garnishes and side dishes.


title: Fried rice

text: Cooked rice is the primary ingredient, with myriad additional ingredients, such as vegetables, eggs, meat (chicken, beef, pork, lamb, mutton), preserved meat (bacon, ham, sausage), seafood (fish, shrimp, crab), mushrooms, among others. Aromatics such as onions, shallots, scallions, leeks, and garlic are often added for extra flavor. Various cooking oils, such as vegetable oil, sesame oil, clarified butter, or lard can be used to grease the wok or frying pan to prevent sticking, as well as for flavor. Fried rice dishes can be seasoned with salt, different types of soy sauce, oyster sauce and many other sauces and spices. Popular garnishes include chopped scallions, sliced chili, fried shallots, sprigs of parsley or coriander leaves, toasted sesame seeds, seaweed flakes (gim or nori), sliced cucumber, tomato, lime, or pickled vegetables.


title: Fried rice

text: Fried rice (, , ) in Thailand is typical of central Thai cuisine. In Thai, "khao" means "rice" and "phat" means "of or relating to being stir-fried". This dish differs from Chinese fried rice in that it is prepared with Thai jasmine rice instead of regular long-grain rice. It normally contains meat (chicken, shrimp, pork, and crab are all common), egg, onions, garlic and sometimes tomatoes. The seasonings, which may include soy sauce, sugar, salt, possibly some chili sauce, and the ubiquitous "nam pla" (fish sauce), are stir-fried together with the other ingredients. The dish is then plated and served with accompaniments like cucumber slices, tomato slices, lime, sprigs of green onion and coriander, and "prik nam pla", a spicy sauce made of Thai chili, fish sauce, and chopped garlic.


title: Fried rice

text: "Arroz frito" is a denomination used in the Spanish speaking world, meaning "fried rice", with adjectives describing the Chinese-inspired varieties, e.g. "arroz chino, arroz cantonés", or local specialties "arroz chaufa/chaulafán/chaufán/chofán, arroz frito tres delicias".


title: Fried rice

text: An estimated 30,000 people of Chinese origin live in the Dominican Republic. Migration from China began in the second half of the 19th century. Fried rice alongside fried chicken "(chicarrón de pollo)" has been the biggest influence. Dominican fried rice is known as "chofán". The dish is made with leftover white rice, celery, peppers, onions, carrots, peas, soy sauce and ham, chicken, eggs or shrimp sautéed in vegetable oil.


title: Fried rice

text: Nigerian fried rice is made with long-grain rice, protein (such as beef liver, chicken, pork, or shrimp), vegetables (such as carrots, peas, green beans, onions, and chillies), herbs and spices (such as thyme, pepper, and curry powder), and so on.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: Rachel Frances Shaw (born 1981) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime series "SMILF," based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, directed and starred in. Shaw is also known for playing Mary Jo Cacciatore on the 2010–2011 Spike TV series "Blue Mountain State", and her recurring role as Shayla Nico in the first season of the USA Network television series "Mr. Robot".


title: Frankie Shaw

text: Shaw was born in South Boston, and also grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her mother, an Irish Catholic from South Boston, raised her Jewish. Shaw's parents divorced when she was four years old. She grew up in a single-mother home with an older half-brother, who owns a bar in Boston.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: Shaw attended Michael Driscoll School and Brookline High School. At Michael Driscoll, Shaw played full court streetball at a nearby neighborhood park. Shaw said that basketball was a constant of her childhood, and she incorporated it into the pilot and third episode of "SMILF." After receiving a scholarship in her junior year, Shaw transferred to the private school Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, where she graduated in 2000. In 2007, she graduated from Barnard College with a degree in literature.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: After college, Shaw decided to move to Los Angeles, but discovered she was pregnant. Much of her struggles to work as an actor while being a single mother are the loose inspiration for "SMILF". A role in the 2014 ABC's ensemble series "Mixology" was a breakout role, providing Shaw with her first sense of financial stability since giving birth to her son.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2009, Shaw first received recognition in the completely improvised Katie Aselton-directed film "The Freebie" and then as the oddball drunken cheerleader Mary Jo Cacciatore in the 2010 sitcom "Blue Mountain State".


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2013, Shaw appeared in the HBO's TV series starring Stephen Merchant called "Hello Ladies." She had roles in the 2013 independent film "The Pretty One", which starred Zoe Kazan and Jake Johnson, and the 2014 romantic comedy film "Someone Marry Barry". Also in 2014, Shaw appeared in another independent feature, the drama "Lullaby", which starred Garrett Hedlund and Amy Adams.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2015, Shaw had a recurring role on the first season of the television series "Mr. Robot" as Shayla Nico, the drug dealing love interest of Elliot Alderson, for seven episodes.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2015, she appeared in the ABC Family pilot "Tough Cookie" as well as on the 2015 Fox TV series "Mulaney". In 2016, Shaw reprised her role of Mary Jo Cacciatore from the 2010 series in the movie "." Also in 2016, Shaw appeared in the Netflix series "Flaked". She was a series regular on the 2016 TV series "Good Girls Revolt".


title: Frankie Shaw

text: Shaw's 2014 short film "SMILF", which she wrote, directed and starred in opposite Thomas Middleditch, won the 2015 Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction at Sundance. In 2015, "SMILF" was picked up by Showtime as a half-hour comedy television show with Shaw as showrunner, writing, directing, starring in, and producing the series. The first season, which was shot on location in South Boston as well as Los Angeles, received generally positive reviews, with her portrayal of single mother Bridgette Bird notable for its realism, insight, and biting humor. "Frankie Shaw, it [SMILF] marks the arrival of an important and original voice." "SMILF" co-stars Connie Britton and Rosie O'Donnell, and tackles subjects like eating disorders and sexual abuse. Shaw said that the show was a way to discuss and portray the role of women on screen. In November 2017, Showtime renewed "SMILF" for a second season. In December 2018, it was reported that Shaw and the series had been accused of workplace misconduct. In March 2019, the series was cancelled after two seasons.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2016, Shaw returned to the Sundance Film Festival with another short film she wrote and directed, a dark comedy titled "Too Legit," which stars Zoë Kravitz, Teresa Palmer, Nate Corddry and Clark Gregg. "Too Legit" is inspired by a satire of Congressman Todd Akin's controversial 2012 remarks about rape and pregnancy: "It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, [rape resulting in pregnancy is] really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down."


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2017, Shaw had a supporting role as Gail Hurley in the feature film "Stronger", which was directed by David Gordon Green, and starred Jake Gyllenhaal as 2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman.


title: Frankie Shaw

text: In 2019, it was reported that Shaw is attached to direct an adaption of the Katherine Faw Morris novel "Ultraluminous", produced by Steven Soderbergh. In 2020, numerous announcements were made regarding projects Shaw is attached to: she is reported to be writer and executive producer of an HBO series adapting the 1978 Judy Blume novel "Wifey", and will direct he first episode; she is reportedly to star in "Kill Switch", a film to be directed by Soderbergh; and she is attached to direct an adaption of the T Kira Madden novel "Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls".


title: Frankie Shaw

text: Shaw has a son, Isaac Love, from a prior relationship with director and actor Mark Webber. Shaw and Webber share joint custody of Isaac.


title: 3096 Days

text: 3096 Days () is a 2013 German drama film directed by Sherry Hormann. The film is based on the true story of Natascha Kampusch, a 10-year-old girl and her eight-year ordeal being kidnapped by Wolfgang Přiklopil. Northern Irish actress Antonia Campbell-Hughes portrays Kampusch, while Thure Lindhardt plays Přiklopil.


title: 3096 Days

text: The film was writer Bernd Eichinger's last film before his sudden death, and Martin Moszkowicz, head of TV and Film at Constantin Film, and Ruth Toma ("Gloomy Sunday") took over. It was also cinematographer Michael Ballhaus's final film.


title: 3096 Days

text: In the morning of March 2, 1998, 10-year-old Natascha Kampusch walks to school alone after having an argument with her mother. On her way she is dragged into a van and wakes up in a cellar. Her captor is 35-year-old technician Wolfgang Přiklopil. Despite being erratic, odd and tyrannical with Natascha, in public Wolfgang is socially awkward and very lonely, with his only contact being his mother, who occasionally comes to visit and bring meals to him. Witness descriptions of the van lead police to interrogate Wolfgang, but do not find anything suspicious.


title: 3096 Days

text: For the next four years Natascha is forbidden from leaving the cellar. Malnourishment, boredom, despair and Wolfgang's incessant psychological manipulation bring her down, giving up any intentions of escaping. Only when Natascha begins menstruating is she allowed to leave the cellar and shower, and from then on, she is allowed to be out more often. When Wolfgang's mother is pleasantly surprised to find a girl's hair on his sweater, he shaves Natascha to avoid raising further suspicion. On Christmas Day of 2003, Natascha is renamed Bibi by Wolfgang, who also reveals his name for the first time. Meanwhile, Natascha's mother is still guilt-ridden for having allowed Natascha to walk to school alone.


title: 3096 Days

text: Wolfgang begins building a new bedroom and forces Natascha to do heavy work, half-naked, despite her physical condition. Natascha's abuse also becomes sexual, with Wolfgang handcuffing them both with cable tie every time he rapes her. Wolfgang explains that he did not pick Natascha at random, but rather became fascinated with her at a store and spent the following year building the cellar and planning her kidnapping.


title: 3096 Days

text: Despite Natascha's obedience, her mistreatment intensifies. At one point she panics when Wolfgang pranks her to be left to die in a pit and punches him on the face. Still, Wolfgang has such sense of control over her that they go to a hardware store. Natascha hesitates to reach out to the storekeepers but is ultimately unable to after so much psychological manipulation.


title: 3096 Days

text: Through a radio report Natascha learns that it has been 6 years since her kidnapping and gathers courage to escape. As such, she looks forward to Wolfgang's plans to go skiing. Being constantly monitored, her only chance is to go to the bathroom, but the only woman there is foreign and cannot understand her. Wolfgang notices this and beats her up at home. Natascha tries to commit suicide by lighting a fire in her cellar, but she cannot follow through. Noticing the smell, Wolfgang realizes what she has attempted and beats her up again. Fed up, she begins to write down every instance of mistreatment on toilet paper.


title: 3096 Days

text: Soon after her 18th birthday, Wolfgang plans to sell his van and asks Natascha to vacuum it. While he attends a phone call, she escapes through the half-open gate entrance and asks a neighbour for help. Police reunite Natascha with her parents and inform that Wolfgang has committed suicide by laying down on a railway.


title: 3096 Days

text: In late 2012, concerns arose about Campbell-Hughes' drastic weight loss for the film, but she stated in an interview in the "Evening Standard" that she wanted "to suffer as much as she — Kampusch — did". She also noted that she has received a torn Achilles tendon, a broken toe, a fractured rib, and various cuts and bruises, due to the film set being similar to the dungeon in which Kampusch was placed.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Fisker Automotive was an American company known for producing the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, and first deliveries were in 2011. Production of the Fisker Karma was suspended in November 2012 due to bankruptcy of its battery supplier A123 Systems, with about 2,450 Karmas built since 2011 and over 2,000 cars sold worldwide. In February 2014, Fisker Automotive's Karma vehicle design, tooling and a manufacturing facility in Delaware were purchased by Chinese auto parts conglomerate Wanxiang Group. In 2016. Wanxiang would rename the holding company for the assets of Fisker Automotive to Karma Automotive. Henrik Fisker, the founder, former chairman, former CEO, of Fisker Automotive, retained the Fisker trademark and the Fisker logo, and launched a new, separate company called Fisker Inc.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Henrik Fisker co-founded Fisker Automotive in 2007 with Fisker Coachbuild partner Bernhard Koehler and Quantum Technologies after securing U$5.2 million investment from Gianfranco Pizzuto, an Italian businessman, and Palo Alto Investors. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm, was one of the early investors. Fisker is responsible for designing many premium cars such as the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, Artega GT, and BMW Z8. He also served as design director and sat on the board at Aston Martin.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Before Fisker Automotive, Fisker and Koehler left Aston Martin in 2005 to establish Fisker Coachbuild, in an attempt to revive the art of coach-building automobiles to customer specifications. The Fisker Tramonto and Latigo used chassis and power trains from Mercedes-Benz SL and BMW 6 Series automobiles. Several were purchased, but the business soon gave way to Fisker Automotive, a true automobile manufacturer.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: In 2009, Fisker mentioned plans for another plug-in hybrid, a "high-volume vehicle for a lower price", subject to getting a U.S. Department of Energy loan to build about 100,000 vehicles annually in the United States.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: On April 14, 2008, Tesla Motors filed a lawsuit against Fisker Automotive, alleging they stole Tesla's technology and were using it to develop their own hybrid car, the Fisker Karma, which was announced at the North American International Auto Show in January 2008. Tesla's suit claimed that the design work done for the Model S by Fisker Coachbuild was substandard, and that Fisker diverted its best ideas to the Karma. In early 2009, the suit was settled in Fisker's favor and Tesla was ordered to pay Fisker more than US$1.1 million in legal fees.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Fisker's problems started with recall of its battery by A123 in December 2011, followed by a second recall by A123 Systems in March 2012 and eventually a bankruptcy of its battery supplier A123 Systems in August 2012, the costs involved regarding a recall and repairs to customer cars. In addition to production stopping for over five months, with no date announced to recommence, the planned production of the second model, the Fisker Atlantic, was postponed, together with the cessation of development of the new model.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: In February 2012, Tom LaSorda was named the new CEO, and Henrik Fisker became executive chairman, but six months later on August 14, La Sorda was replaced by Tony Posawatz, previously General Motors Vehicle Line Director for the Chevrolet Volt.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: The company suffered a setback on October 29, 2012, when Hurricane Sandy flooded and destroyed its entire European shipment of 338 Karmas at Port Newark, New Jersey. Sixteen of the cars burned, because six to eight feet of seawater caused a short circuit in a vehicle control unit in one Karma, and high winds spread the resulting fire to 15 others. The company said that its lithium-ion battery was not at fault. Insurer XL Insurance America initially denied the roughly US$30 million loss claim and was subsequently sued by Fisker in New York State Supreme Court. The case was settled with an undisclosed out-of-court agreement.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Henrik Fisker resigned in March 2013, after "disagreements with management", in particular "disagreements over business strategy". Shortly after the departure of Henrik Fisker from Fisker Automotive, on April 5, 2013, Fisker laid off 75% of its workforce, retaining only a core group of 40 workers as it continued to negotiate with prospective investors.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: On October 11, 2013, Hybrid Technology LLC agreed to buy Fisker's defaulted government loan at a heavy discount. On November 22, 2013, Fisker filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Concurrently, on November 23, 2013, Fisker agreed, subject to bankruptcy court approval, to be acquired by Hybrid, owned by Hong Kong billionaire, Richard Li. At the last moment, though, Chinese parts supplier Wanxiang Group submitted a competing bid of 24.75 million, supported by the Official Creditors' Committee in the case. Wanxiang had earlier lost out to Hybrid in bidding for purchase of the government's loan to Fisker. Wanxiang owns A123 Systems LLC, Fisker's former battery supplier, and Fisker argued that Wanxiang's conduct was partly responsible for Fisker's business failure. As part of its bid, Wanxiang proposed restarting production of the Karma.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Wanxiang received court approval on February 18, 2014, to buy the assets of Fisker after a three-day auction against Hybrid with a bid of $149.2 million, with bidding starting at $55 million, significantly more than the previous $24.75 million bid, and significantly higher than the $25 million Hybrid Technology LLC paid the Department of Energy for a $164 million loan note. On top of the $25 million, the DOE also recouped $28 million from Fisker for a total of $53 million recovered of its $192 million loan.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Following Fisker Automotive's structured bankruptcy auction in February 2014, Henrik Fisker retained the Fisker logo and trademarks. Wanxiang Group then transformed the assets of Fisker Automotive into a new company named Karma Automotive, thus launching the Karma Revero plug-in hybrid car based on the Fisker Karma. Henrik Fisker would later start another electric vehicle company named Fisker Inc in 2016 with the Fisker logo and trademarks.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: The Karma was a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive and manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland. After missing its initial late 2009 launch, and after the launch was rescheduled several times, the first deliveries took place in the U.S. in late July 2011 and deliveries to retail customers began in November 2011.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: The 20.1 kWh (72.36 MJ) lithium ion rechargeable battery in each car came from A123 Systems in Watertown, Massachusetts. The aluminum frame was engineered by Fisker and was supplied by Norsk Hydro from Norway. The cabin interior was designed by Fisker Automotive, but was made in the United States by Magna International of Canada. The EVer powertrain system, technically a series hybrid, delivered over 400 horsepower, and was inspired by Quantum Technologies, a cofounder of and early investor in Fisker. A version of the Karma was relaunched as the Karma Revero in 2016 by Karma Automotive.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: By February 2012, Fisker had established 45 dealerships in the US and three in Canada. By March 2012, the company had built over 2,450 vehicles, with over 2000 cars delivered to customers by the end of 2012. Fisker Automotive distributed vehicles through a traditional dealer network and partnered with five importers: GP Supercars (Merano, Italy), Nellemann (Copenhagen, Denmark); the Emil Frey Group (Zurich, Switzerland); BD Otomotive (Istanbul, Turkey) and Al-Futtaim Group (Middle East and North Africa).


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Fisker Automotive used to retain core competencies, such as design, engineering and marketing, in house, but outsourced manufacturing of its first vehicle Fisker Karma. Fisker's outsourcing methods allowed the company a 2–3 year period of development instead of the typical 5 years and at a cost of US$333 million instead of $1 billion, and claimed that it could make a profit from selling just 15,000 cars. Fisker used to save significant development costs by using pre-engineered components developed by other car companies whenever possible, such as the door handle mechanism which was a General Motors part; Fisker Automotive just paid a royalty to GM for each door handle in the Karma, which was much cheaper than designing its own door handles. However, the A123 battery failure and its resulting recall, and the eventual bankruptcy of the battery supplier, led to significant problems and added cost to the manufacture of the Karma model, finally resulting in Fisker's bankruptcy.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: In 2008, Fisker estimated 15,000 cars per year would be assembled by Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki, Finland. Manufacturing eventually commenced in 2011 but by the third quarter of 2012 production ceased.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Then-Vice President of the United States Joe Biden (later President) attended the October 27, 2009, announcement that Fisker Automotive would take control of the Boxwood Road Plant (previously owned and operated by General Motors as Wilmington Assembly) in Wilmington, Delaware, with production scheduled to begin in late 2012. This never happened and the plant was ultimately torn down.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Fisker Automotive's investors have included Leonardo DiCaprio, Palo Alto Investors, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Qatar Holdings, LLC, A123 Systems, and Ace Investments.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: In April 2012, Fisker announced it had received $392 million in a round of financing, which was in addition to $850 million in private investment it had received in previous rounds. In Fisker's bankruptcy case, Hybrid Technology LLC ranked ahead of all the equity investors as a senior creditor since they purchased the Department of Energy loan note to Fisker Automotive in November 2013.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: Fisker had received a US$528.7 million conditional loan in September 2009 from the Department of Energy's US$25 billion Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM). Of the total loan amount approved, a total of US$192 million was drawn by Fisker Automotive for engineering work with primarily US suppliers to complete the Fisker Karma and Fisker's Project Nina, later revealed as the Fisker Atlantic.


title: Fisker Automotive

text: The Department of Energy froze Fisker's credit line in August 2012 after US$192 million had been drawn, and after differences between the DOE and Fisker on the milestones set as conditions for the loan. The loan received additional scrutiny for being awarded for the manufacture of luxury vehicles that are too expensive for much of the general public. Fisker investor Ray Lane responded that the issues were being blown out of proportion due to election-year politics.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021 and has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2012 and as Minister of Health and Care Services from 2012 to 2013. He has been a Member of the Storting for Oslo since 2009.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre grew up in West End Oslo and is a multimillionaire. He underwent naval officer training at the Norwegian Naval Academy and then studied political science at Sciences Po in Paris from 1981 to 1985. Originally associated with the Conservative Party, he was a career special adviser and director-general in the Prime Minister's Office from 1989 to 1997, serving under prime ministers Jan Syse, Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Thorbjørn Jagland. He became known as a protégé of Brundtland in the 1990s, and her mentorship inspired him to become a member of the Labour Party in 1995. In 1998, he followed Brundtland to the World Health Organization, where he became her chief of staff. Støre was State Secretary and Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office in the first government of Jens Stoltenberg; the government was inspired by New Labour and oversaw the most widespread privatization in Norwegian history. He later served as Secretary-General of the Norwegian Red Cross from 2003 to 2005. Like his political mentors Brundtland and Stoltenberg, Støre is associated with the business-friendly right-wing of the Labour Party. When he joined the cabinet in 2005, he was perceived as part of a group of "West End executives" and confidants of Stoltenberg that represented a shift to the right. His tenure as foreign minister nevertheless made him the most popular member of the cabinet.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Despite the Labour Party receiving 1% fewer votes and losing one seat, the centre-left won a majority in the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election. As the leader of the largest party, Støre was the clear favourite for the role of prime minister. Two days after the resignation of Erna Solberg and her government on 12 October 2021, Støre was appointed as prime minister by King Harald V, leading a minority government with the Centre Party.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Born in Oslo, Støre is the son of the wealthy ship broker Ulf Jonas Støre (1925–2017) and librarian Unni Gahr (1931–2021). He grew up in the Ris neighbourhood in West End Oslo. Støre is a multi-millionaire, with a fortune of around (approx. in 2016). He owns a large part of the family company Femstø. Most of the family fortune comes from the 1977 sale of Norwegian company Jøtul, which was run by his maternal grandfather Johannes Gahr. Støre's paternal grandfather was prominent business executive Jonas Henry Støre, the CEO and chairman of explosives manufacturer Norsk Sprængstofindustri. Støre's great-grandfather Paul Edvart Støre was a Conservative Party mayor and deputy member of the Norwegian parliament from Levanger, and the family were affluent farmers in Trøndelag in the 19th century.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre is married to Marit Slagsvold, a sociologist and priest in the state Church of Norway. They have three sons, who attended Oslo Waldorf School. Støre is a professed Christian and a member of the state church.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre attended Berg School in Oslo, then underwent naval officer training at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy. He later studied political science for five years at Sciences Po in Paris.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In 1986 Støre was briefly a teaching fellow in the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School. From 1986 to 1989 he was a researcher at the Norwegian School of Management, working on the "Scenarier 2000" project with sociologist Andreas Hompland and economist Petter Nore.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre was previously affiliated with the Conservative Party, and applied for a position as a political advisor on foreign affairs for the party in the 1980s. He was offered the job but subsequently turned it down. In 1989, Støre became special adviser in the prime minister's office of Gro Harlem Brundtland. Brundtland's mentorship inspired him to become a member of the Labour Party in 1995, when he also became a director-general ("ekspedisjonssjef") in the Prime Minister's Office. From 1998, he was executive director (Chief of Staff) in the World Health Organization under the leadership of Gro Harlem Brundtland.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre was executive chairman of the ECON Analyse think tank from 2002 to 2003, and secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross from 2003 to 2005.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre was State Secretary and Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office in the first government of Jens Stoltenberg from 2000 to 2001. The government was inspired by the British Labour Party's New Labour agenda and oversaw the most widespread privatization in Norwegian history.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In 2005, Støre was appointed foreign minister in Jens Stoltenberg's government, serving in that position until 2012. When he joined the cabinet he was perceived as part of a group of "West End executives" and confidants of Stoltenberg that represented a shift to the right. Nevertheless, numerous polls showed that Støre was the most popular member of the Stoltenberg government.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In 2006, Støre voiced concern over the 2006 Lebanon War. Støre called Israel's reaction "totally unacceptable" and referred to it as "a dangerous escalation," while also condemning Hezbollah's attack on Israeli soldiers.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Store criticized the expansion of influence of the G20 in response to the financial crisis of 2007–2008, calling it "sorely lacking in legitimacy" and comparing it to the Congress of Vienna.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 14 January 2008, a suicide bomber struck the Serena Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, where Støre was staying. Støre was unhurt in the incident, which killed six people including Norwegian journalist Carsten Thomassen. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stated that Støre was the target of the attack, but this claim was rejected by a Taliban spokesperson. Støre canceled the rest of his visit to Afghanistan the day after the attack.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 21 September 2012, Jens Stoltenberg commenced a cabinet reshuffle, and moved Støre to head the Ministry of Health and Care Services. He was succeeded as foreign minister by Espen Barth Eide. While serving as health minister, he was nicknamed "Helse-Jonas" ("Health Jonas").


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In the 2009 general election in Norway, Støre was elected to the Norwegian parliament, the Stortinget, representing Oslo. He has been re-elected since.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: As a member of parliament Støre nominated one of the two recipients of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Ressa.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 14 June 2014, he was elected leader of Labour Party, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg, who had been appointed Secretary General of NATO. He also became Leader of the Opposition. Støre led the party into the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election, but the red-green coalition lost by four seats needed for a majority of 85 seats. His party was criticised for taking victory for granted. In late 2017, several women alleged that the party deputy leader Trond Giske had behaved inappropriately against them. Initially, Støre stated that Giske hadn't behaved as such after an internal discussion regarding the matter. In early January 2018, Giske decided to resign as deputy leader as a result of the allegations, while reasoning from the party was also given that he had breached rules of sexual misconduct. Giske's successor, Bjørnar Skjæran, was nominated on 19 March 2019. Following the nomination, Støre praised Skjæran, saying he would be the clear voice from the North.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre led the party into the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election, this time securing the red-green coalition a majority with 89 seats (85 being needed for a majority), defeating the blue-blue coalition led by incumbent prime minister Erna Solberg. Pre-government negotiations began on 23 September in Hurdal, after the Centre Party became open to working with the Socialist Left Party. On 29 September, the Socialist Left Party withdrew from negotiations, notably citing disagreements on issues such as petroleum and welfare. Støre expressed disappointment and said he had hoped for a different outcome, but added he respected the party's decision. The Labour Party and Centre Party began government negotiations later that same day. On 8 October, Støre and Vedum announced that the new government's platform would be presented on 13 October and that they were ready to form a government the day after, on 14 October. After Eva Kristin Hansen was nominated as the Labour Party's candidate for President of the Storting, Støre presented the proposal in the Storting on 9 October, and the vote to confirm her happened in writing. Hansen was confirmed with 160 votes in favour and 8 abstaining.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre was appointed prime minister on 14 October 2021, following his party's victory in the parliamentary election held in September. He formed a minority government, with the Labour Party and Centre Party.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre made his government's ascension declaration on 18 October, reiterating major parts of the government platform. These included "to combat social dumping and carry out a major clean-up in Norwegian working life to secure permanent, full-time positions with Norwegian pay and working conditions", to remove general access to temporary hiring, to limit hiring, to fight work-related crime, and to stop the release of the taxi industry. As regards industrial policy, Støre commented that "to succeed, we must ensure that Norwegian natural resources, including reasonably renewable energy, remain a competitive advantage for Norwegian industry", while also announcing a green industry initiative where the state would participate to get new industry up and running. Regarding regional policy, Støre said that the government would put forward a case to the Storting to separate Troms and Finnmark once again, and doing the same for Viken, if the county council should wish to do so. In regard to transport, Støre stated that "the prices on national and county road ferries shall be halved during the four-year period", while also reiterating the promise of free ferries between islands and communities without a road connection to the mainland. This also included ferry connections carrying under 100 000 passengers annually. Støre also announced that his government would act to reduce the increased electricity prices, and indicated that this could be in place within a short timespan.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In a parliamentary session a week after assuming office, Støre defended the idea of increasing the sales tax on more expensive electric cars. He said that the money earned could be used to construct new charging stations. He further said that his government would initiate discussions with the European Union about how to strengthen their cooperation to reach the climate goals. Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg also called on Støre to clarify his government's strategy to tackle COVID-19, following a recent spike in hospital admissions. Støre responded that his government was following the COVID-19 situation and would inform the Storting and public if necessary. He also notably said: "Something must have happened since Thursday until today that gives cause for concern when one now wants a briefing from the Prime Minister in the Storting." He also said that the government had not received any messages from health authorities that would give cause for deep concern.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In an October 2021 interview with the "Financial Times", Støre said that if Norway were to halt its petroleum industry, it would only contribute to a further struggle to reach the climate goals. He went on to say "we should develop towards a transition [from fossil fuels to green energy], not close it [the fossil fuels industry] down". Støre further added that it was a paradox that Norway, as Western Europe's largest petroleum producer, also spent significant funds on investment in green technology such as electric cars, carbon capture and storage and offshore wind power. Regarding the country's petroleum fund, he said it was political, but was driven by professionals whose aim was to gain much in return for an acceptable risk. He also emphasised that it was up to the government and Storting to set the boundaries for the fund.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 27 October, Støre announced a decrease in the fuel tax to be implemented in the 2022 state budget, while expressing concern about the increasing electricity costs. He said the revised budget would be presented on 8 November, adding: "We also want a policy that cuts taxes that hit ordinary people. Both in terms of taxes on fuel and electricity, we will look at this in our additional budget." He also said that the financial situation of municipalities should be strengthened so they could offer better welfare services.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 12 November, Støre announced that his government would be introducing new national COVID-19 measures. These would include allowing municipalities to introduce COVID-19 passports; offering everyone over the age of 18 a booster vaccine dose; tightening the rules on who is in need of testing; and introducing new rules for unvaccinated health personnel. He also stated that the government was considering more extensive use of the COVID-19 certificate, and that they planned for everyone over the age of 18 to be offered a third vaccine dose next year.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 29 November, Støre, minister of finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Socialist Left leader Audun Lysbakken presented their re-negotiated state budget for 2022. Støre called it a "good budget [that] has become better". He reiterated that the budget showed that it was "normal people's turn". The negotiations had originally begun on 15 November; the party leaders had been called in the weekend before the budget presentation.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 2 December, Støre, his government and health officials announced measures against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Some of the measures were reiterated from previous COVID-19 measures, notably that people should keep distance between themselves, and wearing masks on public transport. In addition, the measures called for people to wear masks in malls and shops and while in contact with health services; not to hug or give handshakes; and for businesses to work from home in a manner that would not affect essential services.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 5 December, Støre expressed hope that a plan to deal with the ongoing electricity price crisis would be figured out before Christmas. He stated that the solution might involve additional money, and emphasised that the scheme had to work and that the government would make sure that it did. He added that the purpose of the plan was to help the most vulnerable, and that it had to be done in a fail-safe way and would not apply to everyone in Norway.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 7 December, Støre and his government put forward further COVID-19 measures. Of the new measures, Støre said: "We should have sincerely hoped that we were done with the corona pandemic now and hoped for a long time that Christmas could be as before and as normal, but now the situation with infection is still so serious that we must take new measures." He further stated that the danger of overloading the health service and the spread of the omicron variant made new measures necessary. The measures covered the following: distance and social contact, leisure activities, schools, kindergartens and after-school programs, labour and ventilation. Two days later, Støre didn't rule out that further measures could be announced, although they could perhaps include a few adjustments to already presented measures.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: At a press conference held on 11 December, Støre, alongside Vedum and minister of petroleum and energy Marte Mjøs Persen, announced a new security scheme to battle the rising electricity prices. In particular, if the average market price of power were to exceed 70 øre per kilowatt hour for a month, the state would compensate half of the price above this level. The scheme would last throughout December and through March 2022. Støre notably said: "We present a security scheme that will meet the situation that ordinary people experience with extraordinary electricity costs."


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 13 December, Støre and his government announced further measures to battle COVID-19 and the omicron variant. The measures were said to be to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed and to protect socially critical functions. He stressed that the situation had become more critical and that the measures were put in place to maintain control of the pandemic. He also stressed that it was important to shield children, young people, and vulnerable groups, and that the measures would be noticed in people's everyday life.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In early January 2022, Støre said that COVID-19 measures should not be in place any longer than necessary. He also stated that having a yellow clearance level in upper secondary schools was a target for them, and eventually getting it to green by more testing. He emphasised that the country was not in lockdown but had strict measures that understandably had ramifications for people.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 8 January, Støre and Vedum said that the electricity support would be increased from 55 to 80% until at least March. He stated that the government would stand up against the electricity crisis in the next years should it happen again, and also defended the government's scheme, saying: "The scheme is good, because it allows us to quickly and accurately compensate all the country's consumers, by directly providing a subsidy to the electricity bill." Støre added that the government expected the prices to drop come spring, as they usually did, and that a similar scheme could be necessary should the prices rise again during future winters. On 13 January, the government announced the lifting of a few COVID-19 measures, and a few changes to others. Støre warned that it might be necessary to adjust the measures to be stricter in the future, and said that a new evaluation would be made in early February.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 12 February, Støre and his government announced the lifting of almost all measures against COVID-19, notably social distancing and mandatory mask wearing. Remaining measures included practising good hand and coughing hygienes, following the vaccine program, and getting tested for possible symptoms. Støre reiterated that the pandemic was not over, citing the current situation in the midst of an ongoing omicron wave.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 20 April, Støre issued an apology to the queer community, marking the 50th anniversary of the abolishment of anti-homosexual legislation in Norway. He stated: "119 people were criminalized and punished for their love life. They had to go through trials, convictions and imprisonment. They faced public shame and condemnation. Through legislation, but also through a network of sanctions, we as a nation and society clearly stated that we did not accept queer love. The government wants to apologize for that."


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 16 June, following the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence's vote on Swedish and Finnish NATO membership, Støre and all opposition parties criticised the Red Party for voting against approval, calling it "unsolitary". Støre specifically said: "The Red Party's view gives an impression for basic unsolitary actions".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In early August, Støre stated that his government would "do what's necessary" to combat the electricity prices and added that a maximum price was one of several measures that was being considered. He also stated that another measure was to limit how much power companies can pay for electricity, while also no measures would be "undivided positive".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries's decision to euthanise Freya the Walrus, Støre expressed support for the decision. Regarding the massive response to the walrus' death, he said: "I am not surprised that this has led to many international reactions. Norway is a maritime nation, sometimes we have to make unpopular decisions. I myself have been in discussions about minke whales and seals. These reactions are not new".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: In September, he said that the state budget for 2023 could be "disappointing", noting that several promises from the Hurdal platform would have to be put on hold.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: At an unexpected press conference held on 28 September, Støre and finance minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum announced that the government would be taking in 33 billion NOK from the power producers and aquaculture industries. Støre stated: "For this government, it is not relevant to cover the costs with large cuts, that is an alternative, we do not choose that. We have so far placed great emphasis on protecting the welfare state. For this government, it is not relevant to increase taxes for ordinary people". The aquaculture industry went out against the possibility of a basic interest tax for aquaculture and expressed that it would "shut off the lights along the coast".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 3 November, in preparation for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Støre announced that his government would be increasing the climate goal from 50% to 55%. His environment minister, Espen Barth Eide, added that this change would include every sector and climate gasses.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the Kongsberg attack a day before he assumed office, Støre and minister of justice Emilie Enger Mehl visited the city the day after, where they put down flowers in memory of the victims. Støre said that the visit was also intended to show solidarity with the people of Kongsberg.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the 2022 Oslo shooting, Støre said that "we know that queer people are the targets of hate, threats and violence. The hate against trans people is particularly severe. We will not accept that in Norway."


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre and his government announced that they would send observers to a summit about a nuclear ban in Vienna in early 2022. By doing this, Norway would become the only NATO country to do so. The action was notably praised by ICAN Norway, with coordinator Tove Widskjold saying that Norway would send important signals to allied countries that nuclear weapons are unacceptable. The Conservative Party parliamentary leader Trond Helleland cast doubt on the action, saying: "The Conservatives are very skeptical of this. Norway should not have any solitude in NATO in relation to this treaty. I assume that the new government intends to show solidarity with the commitments in the NATO membership". When asked if they face an explanation issue, Støre said: "No. When you are an observer, you follow the discussions that take place in one of the areas where disarmament is discussed. Norway has extensive experience in being a driving force in nuclear disarmament."


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre met with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on 26 October. Støre stated that they had talked about cooperation in the north, and how to continue with it. He also said that they agreed to have good contact and work together to avoid tensions in the United Nations Security Council.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, where he gave a speech, saying: "The Petroleum Fund is the world's largest state owned fund, invested worldwide. Our goal is to make it the leading fund in responsible investments and in managing climate risk". He further said that the fund would base its ownerships on investments from companies who commit themselves to net zero. He also stressed it was time to take the step forward.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: At a Nordic Council meeting in Copenhagen on 3 November, Støre said that he wanted to adjust relations with Sweden following the COVID-19 pandemic, while also defending the decision of the previous government to close the border during the pandemic. Swedish politicians from the Christian Democrats and Moderate Party criticised the move, calling it "pandemic nationalism". Støre emphasised that people carry infection and it could appear in a line of people. He also stated that it was a difficult decision to close borders.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 24 November, after NRK journalists Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani were detained in Qatar and released after 30 hours, Støre criticised the country, saying: "The arrest of NRK's journalists in Qatar is unacceptable. A free press is crucial to a functioning democracy". Qatari authorities claimed the journalists were trespassing on private property, and that they knowingly violated common law.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 10 December, Støre met with the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, digitally. Støre notably praised the country's alert about the omicron variant, and their openness about it. He described Ramaphosa's message in the meeting as "expressing solidarity and support" to countries without vaccine coverage. He also had a meeting with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, about the COVID-19 pandemic more generally.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the 2022 Ukraine cyberattack, Støre warned "we need to be more alert" and emphasised that Norway also had to be more alert to hybrid attacks and to consider them a threat to society. He said: "I am concerned that we as individuals and companies and institutions must be aware that this is part of our preparedness." He went on to say that the issue of cyber security would be looked at by the new Defence Commission, to be headed by former justice minister Knut Storberget.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre visited Berlin on 19 January, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. They discussed energy cooperation and the ongoing situation in Ukraine.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the deployment of Russian troops to Eastern Ukraine, Støre expresssd concerns about the situation and also condemned the actions by Russia. He also criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech where Russia recognised the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics as independent countries, and Sergei Lavrov's further comments.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 27 February, Støre and members of his cabinet announced that Norway would be freezing the Government Pension Fund of Norway's investment in Russia. A process to pull the Oil Fund out of the country over time was also initiated.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 31 March, Støre had an hour-long phone call with Putin after taking the initiative to do so with Nordic and European allies and the United States. He described the conversation as "possible to reach out" to Putin, and urged him to end the war in Ukraine. He also urged him to open humanitarian corridors in Mariupol and that the war required a negotiated solution.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opposition to Swedish and Finnish NATO membership as "surprising". He further commented on Erdogan's claim that "Scandinavia is like a guest house for terrorist organisations", calling it a "completely baseless claim".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 29 May, marking international solidarity for Belarus, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would change the name it used for the country from Hviterussland to Belarus. Of the decision, Støre said: "We believe it is right to change the use of the name, in solidarity with the Belarusian democracy movement".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Following the overruling of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States, Støre and several other Norwegian politicians, including culture minister Anette Trettebergstuen and Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg, criticised the decision. Støre stated: "This is a serious step backwards for women's rights. The 1972 Supreme Court ruling helped secure the right to self-determined abortion in the United States. States can now enact legislation that in practice bans abortion or severely curtails the law, and it will affect women in those states and increase social inequalities". He said that decisions made in the United States would affect Europe and the rest of the world, while also calling for Norway to be on the alert.


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: Støre visited Kyiv on 1 July, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and announced that Norway would be contributing with 10 billion NOK in aid. The money would notably go to humanitarian aid, reconstruction and support to crucial infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals. Støre also visited the ruins of the city of Yahidne, which he described as "getting an insight into hell on earth".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 12 August, Støre and foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt condemned the knife attack on British-Indian author Salman Rushdie. Støre said, "This is shocking news. My thoughts are with Rushdie and his loved ones, and I hope he is doing well. We still don't know anything about the motive for the attack, but it will in any case be read into the debate about religious criticism and freedom of expression, where Rushdie has been an important voice for decades, and has had to live with threats and police protection".


title: Jonas Gahr Støre

text: On 24 September, Støre condemned the Iranian regime for its treatment of women and its hijab mandate in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini; stating: "My deepest condolences to Mahsa Amini's family in Iran and her relatives in Norway. I am deeply concerned about women's rights in Iran and condemn the Iranian authorities' brutal enforcement of the hijab mandate".