title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: India rejected this version of events and stated to have "successfully foiled" Pakistan's attempt to "target military installations". An Indian Air Force (IAF) official statement hours after the airstrike stated that bombs had been dropped on Indian army formation compounds, but there was no damage to military installations. The Indian military later stated that three Pakistan Air Force jets had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir and had dropped bombs over Nadian, Laam Jhangar, Kerri in Rajouri District and Hamirpur area of Bhimber Galli in Poonch, before being pushed back by six Indian airforce jets. There were no damage or casualties. Raveesh Kumar from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also stated that a Pakistani aircraft of the sortie was shot down by the Indian Air Force in the process. Indian defence sources initially contradicted Pakistan's statement of capturing a pilot but subsequently the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that an Indian pilot was missing in action after a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane was lost while engaging with Pakistani jets.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: The retaliatory air strikes coupled with the capture of the Indian pilot led to a heightened state of military alert. Tanks were deployed to the border in the Pakistani side whilst several Kashmiri residents reportedly fled their homes and painted their homes with red-cross signs to avert air-strikes.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: Pakistan released the captured pilot on 1 March, describing the move as a gesture of peace. The Indian Air Force though stated that the pilot's release was an obligation under the Geneva Conventions. The Indian media also criticized Pakistan's release of his photographs and interrogation videos to be against the protocols of the convention. A video published by the state just prior to his release that showed him praising Pakistani Army and condemning Indian media was criticized for being heavily edited.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 5 March, the Pakistani Navy claimed to have successfully warded off an intrusion attempt by an Indian submarine into its territorial waters and released a video of a surfaced submarine. The Indian Navy subsequently rejected these statements as "false propaganda."


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 27 February, Pakistan cancelled all commercial flights and closed its airspace until the midnight of 28 February. A NOTAM was issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace. Airlines were required to reroute or cancel their flights with routes planned over Pakistan. On 1 March, the NOTAM closing the airspace was extended until 8:00 AM (UTC) on 4 March with 23 exceptions listed. Pakistan's airspace was closed for flights crossing the country's airspace except for arriving and departing flights at major airports in Pakistan. The airspace closure was again repeatedly extended. The Pakistan finally opened its airspace for all civilian aircraft on 15 July 2019, after 140 days.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: India did not close down its civilian air traffic and only the Srinagar airspace was closed for 2–3 hours on the day of the skirmish. However the Pakistani flights were allowed usage of Indian airspace only after 15 July when Pakistan opened up its airspace.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: The airspace closure led to a loss of for Pakistan due to the skipping of its airspace by an average of 400 aircraft daily. Air India suffered loss of till 2 July, as it had to reroute its flights that were affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace. Similarly private Indian airlines SpiceJet lost ₹ 30.73 crore, IndiGo lost ₹ 25.1 crore and GoAir lost ₹ 2.1 crore.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 28 February, Samjhauta Express, a train that runs twice weekly between India and Pakistan, was suspended by the government of Pakistan. It was scheduled to depart from Lahore with 16 passengers, who were stranded there. On 4 March, Pakistan, and consequently India, resumed the operations of Samjhauta Express.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 5 March, Pakistan arrested 44 members of various groups, including the Jaish-e-Muhammad. Some of those arrested had been named by India in a dossier it gave to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. Pakistan said those arrested will be held for at least 14 days, and if India provided further evidence they would be prosecuted. Among those arrested were relatives of JeM leader Masood Azhar, including his son Hamad Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: Both Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi agreed on a peace offer on 22 March 2019 ending hostilities and vowed to fight against terrorism together.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 15 August Pakistan and Indian forces exchanged fire over the disputed frontier in Kashmir, leaving 3 Pakistani soldiers dead and two civilians.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: On 21 August the Indian-administered Kasmir police informed about a gun battle that left a rebel and a police officer killed. The deceased militant was a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba a terror organization.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: "The Statesman", an Indian newspaper, reported that 18 terrorists and 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed when Indian Army launched artillery strikes on terrorist camps in Neelum valley on October 19 and 20. Mohammad Faisal, however, said that five Pakistani civilians had died.


title: 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes

text: A number of nations, including Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, expressed their concern, with some calling for restraint. Iran and Turkey have each offered to mediate the crisis.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Inflight smoking refers to smoking tobacco on an aircraft while in flight. While once prevalent, it is now prohibited by almost all airlines and by many governments around the world. The bans on inflight smoking have been imposed in a piecemeal manner around the world beginning in the 1980s. The use of electronic cigarettes is also prohibited on many flights.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In 1969, consumer advocate Ralph Nader was among the first in the United States to call for a smoking ban on airlines. Pressure for an inflight smoking ban also came from flight attendants' unions, such as the Association of Flight Attendants.


title: Inflight smoking

text: United Airlines created a nonsmoking section in 1971, the first airline to do so. Aurigny Air Services became the first airline to ban smoking entirely on its flights, in July 1977. In 1994, Delta was the first US airline to ban smoking on all worldwide flights.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In the United States, both tobacco companies and airlines fought any regulation. In 1976, the US Civil Aeronautics Board banned cigar and pipe smoking on aircraft, but under pressure from tobacco interests, it sought to limit this ban in 1978. Also, CAB banned and then unbanned smoking in 1984, with chairman Dan McKinnon saying, "Philosophically, I think nonsmokers have rights, but it comes into marked conflict with practicalities and the realities of life." After years of debate over health concerns, Congressional action in 1987 led to a ban on inflight smoking. In 1988, airlines based in the United States banned smoking on domestic flights of less than two hours, which was extended to domestic flights of less than six hours in February 1990, and to all domestic and international flights in 2000. The 1990 ban applied to the passengers and the cabin of the aircraft, but not the flight deck; pilots were allowed to continue smoking after the 1990 ban due to concerns over potential flight safety issues caused by nicotine withdrawal in chronic smokers. Despite a prohibition of smoking, the US Federal Aviation Administration regulations mandate that functioning ashtrays be conspicuously located on the doors of all airplane bathrooms. This is because there must be a safe place to dispose of a lit cigarette if someone violates the no-smoking rule.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In 1990, Air Canada adopted a nonsmoking policy on all its routes. In 1994, Canada was the first country to ban smoking on all flights operated by Canadian carriers, which also covered charter flights, but not foreign airlines flying to Canada. It had previously banned smoking on commercial domestic flights in Canada and international flights of less than six hours, which obviously did not cover the Japan route. Canadian Airlines had opposed the blanket ban, saying it would put the airline at a competitive disadvantage especially on the lucrative Japan route. It said it would lose millions of dollars in business from smoking passengers. It estimated it would lose $22 million in annual revenues on its 14 flights a week to Japan. It said that three quarters of its passengers on the Japan route were Japanese and that 60% of them smoked.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In March 1995, the United States, Canada, and Australia agreed to ban smoking on international flights traveling between those countries.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In April 1988, Japan Airlines (JAL) was the first Japanese airline to introduce a smoking ban on domestic flights of less than one hour, which was extended in October 1990 to flights of less than two hours. In 1998, All Nippon Airways and JAL banned smoking on all domestic flights, which covered more than 50% of Japanese domestic travelers. These airlines extended the ban to international flights in March 1999, among the last airlines to ban smoking on international flights. Japan Tobacco lobbied the airlines to reconsider the ban, noting that smoking was earlier banned on all flights of 22 foreign airlines using Japanese airports and that with the smoking ban by the two major Japanese airlines more than 80% of seats on international flights departing from Japan would be nonsmoking.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In 1986, flag carrier of Turkey, Turkish Airlines banned inflight smoking for all domestic flights and international flights of less than six hours. The airline banned all inflight smoking in 1999.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In 1988, SAS made domestic flights in Sweden and Norway non-smoking and in 1989, the policy was expanded to domestic flights in Denmark and flights between the Nordic countries. In 1996, SAS flights to the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the United Kingdom became non-smoking. In 1997 SAS banned smoking on all flights. Also in 1997, the European Union banned smoking on flights in member states. Air France, the French state-run carrier, did not allow inflight smoking from November 2000.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Australia banned smoking on domestic flights in December 1987, on international flights within Australian airspace in 1990, and in 1996 banned smoking on all Australian international flights.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Cuba’s state-owned Cubana banned smoking on international flights in 2014. China banned inflight smoking in October 2017. Individual airlines were given two more years before a cockpit ban was to take effect; however, this concession was scrapped in January 2019 following incidents that triggered safety concerns.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In 1937, an international Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Prague crashed near Herina after a passenger lit a cigarette in the toilet, causing accumulated avgas fumes to ignite. All 6 occupants (3 crew, 3 passengers) were killed.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Following the crash landing of Varig Flight 820 -- due to a fire possibly caused by a lit cigarette thrown into a lavatory waste bin -- in 1973, the US Federal Aviation Administration banned smoking in aircraft lavatories. Following a fire that originated in a lavatory (not necessarily from smoking) on Air Canada Flight 797 in June 1983, resulting in the death of 23 passengers, new requirements to install smoke detectors in lavatories were brought in.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Normally, passengers found to be smoking on non-smoking flights will, at least, face a fine and, at most, be arrested and detained upon landing. Due to stringent security measures, this often causes disruption; a flight may have to be diverted or a scheduled landing might have to be expedited upon arrival at the destination airport in order to escort the smoker from the plane.


title: Inflight smoking

text: Such regulations have on occasion met with defiance; in 2010 a Qatari diplomat was arrested upon arrival at Denver International Airport for smoking in the onboard lavatory on United Airlines Flight 663 and for making threats; when confronted by airline staff, he jokingly suggested that he was attempting to set his shoes on fire.


title: Inflight smoking

text: On February 3, 2013, a family of four were accused of smoking during a Sunwing Airlines flight from Halifax to the Dominican Republic. The flight made an unscheduled landing at Bermuda L.F. Wade International Airport, where the two eldest of the family were arrested by Bermuda Police Service and subsequently sentenced to a $500 fine or 10 days in prison.


title: Inflight smoking

text: In October 2015, the United States Department of Transportation prohibited the use of electronic cigarettes on flights, as well as transporting such devices in checked luggage, because of fire risk from their batteries. In July 2019, an Air China aircraft made an emergency descent after cabin oxygen levels dropped, which has been linked to a co-pilot smoking an e-cigarette during the flight.


title: TOEIC

text: The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is intentionally designed to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.


title: TOEIC

text: There are different forms of the exam: The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test consists of two equally graded tests of comprehension assessment activities totaling a possible 990 score; There are also the TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests. The TOEIC speaking test is composed of tasks that assess pronunciation, intonation and stress, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, relevance of content and completeness of content. The TOEIC Writing test is composed of tasks that assess grammar, relevance of sentences to the pictures, quality and variety of sentences, vocabulary, organization, and whether the opinion is supported with reason and/or examples. Both assessments use a score scale of 0 – 200.


title: TOEIC

text: The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test lasts two hours [45 minutes for Listening, and 75 minutes for Reading]. It consists of 200 multiple-choice items evenly divided between the listening and reading comprehension section. Each question is worth five scores. So each candidate receives independent scores for listening and reading comprehension on a scale from 0 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 0 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colors, corresponding to achieved results:


title: TOEIC

text: The TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests were introduced in 2006. Test takers receive separate scores for each of the two tests, or they can take the Speaking test without taking the Writing test and vice versa. The Speaking test assesses pronunciation, intonation and stress, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, relevance of content and completeness of content, while the Writing test assesses grammar, relevance of sentences to the pictures, quality and variety of sentences, vocabulary, organization, and whether the opinion is supported with reason and/or examples. The tests are designed to reflect actual English usage in the workplace, though they do not require any knowledge of specialized business terms. The TOEIC Speaking Test takes approximately 20 minutes to complete; the TOEIC writing test lasts approximately 60 minutes. Each test has a score range between 0–200, with test takers grouped into eight proficiency levels for Speaking and nine proficiency levels for Writing.


title: TOEIC

text: The US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed the TOEIC test to measure achievement in using English in a business setting. Yasuo Kitaoka was the central figure of the Japanese team that conceived the basic idea of the TOEIC test.


title: TOEIC

text: ETS's major competitors are Cambridge University, which administers the IELTS, FCE, CAE, and CPE and Trinity College London, which administers GESE and ISE exams.


title: TOEIC

text: A new version of the TOEIC Listening & Reading test was released in 2006. The changes can be summarized as follows:


title: TOEIC

text: According to a survey conducted in 2006 by , 56.8% of the respondents who took both the older and the revised versions of the TOEIC test in Japan find the latter version more difficult. The lower the score the test taker achieves, the more marked this tendency becomes. As many as 85.6% of those who earned scores ranging from 0 to 395 points find the revised TOEIC test more difficult, while 69.9% of those who earned 400 to 495 points think this way, as do 59.3% of those who earned 500 to 595 points. Among those who achieved 600 to 695 points 58.9% agree with these findings. 700 to 795 points 48.6%, 800 to 895 points 47.9%, and 900 to 990 points 39.8%.


title: TOEIC

text: 2006 also saw the addition of TOEIC Speaking & Writing tests. In 2007 there were additional changes to the TOEIC Reading & Listening test that decreased emphasis on knowledge of grammatical rules.


title: TOEIC

text: Scores on the TOEIC Listening and Reading test are determined by the number of correct answers. The number of correct responses on each section is multiplied by five and converted to a scaled score. Three TOEIC Listening and Reading scaled scores are given for each examinee:


title: TOEIC

text: Each sub-score can range from 0 to 495 points. The Total Score ranges from 0 to 990. There is no negative scoring. The Total Score consists of the sum of the Listening Section and Reading Section sub-scores.


title: TOEIC

text: In 2016, the TOEIC system changed for the first time in 10 years. ETS said that the changes to the TOEIC would reflect the use of online communication in modern society.


title: TOEIC

text: In Japan and South Korea, a new version of TOEIC was created that includes chart comprehension questions.


title: TOEIC

text: Since 2022, to fight against fakes, secured TOIC certificates are delivered on the blockchain in partnership with BCDiploma.


title: TOEIC

text: The operates the TOEIC test in Japan, where nearly 2.4 million people (as of 2014) take the test; 1.3M for institutional program (IP) and 1.1M for secure program (SP).


title: TOEIC

text: There are two ways to take the TOEIC test properly. One is called the , in which one can take the test individually or in a group on specified dates at a test centre specified by the TOEIC Steering Committee. The other is the , in which an organization can choose the date and administer the test at its convenience in accordance with the TOEIC Steering Committee. The TOEIC SP Test was renewed in May 2006, followed by the TOEIC IP Test in April 2007 in line so that it would be with the SP Test.


title: TOEIC

text: More and more companies use TOEIC scores for personnel assessment instead of the homegrown STEP Eiken test organized by the . The TOEIC Speaking Test/Writing Test started on January 21, 2007 in addition to the TOEIC SP Test and the TOEIC IP Test.


title: TOEIC

text: The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC), the non-profit organization that administers the TOEIC in Japan, was the subject of a scandal in 2009.


title: TOEIC

text: In May and June 2009, articles in the Japanese weekly magazine "FRIDAY" accused the IIBC's 92-year-old chairman Yaeji Watanabe of nepotism when he appointed the son of his girlfriend to the position of chairman of the IIBC board of directors. To force the appointment, half of the volunteers serving on the board were driven out by Watanabe. The magazine article also questioned why Watanabe only showed up for work about one day a week.


title: TOEIC

text: In his defense, Watanabe claimed that he held a ceremonial title and was chairman in name only. As a result, Watanabe claimed that he had little to do with the decision to appoint the son of his girlfriend to the position. The magazine article concluded by asking why someone who is chairman only in name and only working one day a week should receive an annual salary in excess of 25 million yen (approximately US$300,000).


title: TOEIC

text: In August 2009, the online version of the English-language newspaper "The Japan Times" published a two-part series examining the TOEIC's origins and early history as well as the use of test-taker fees by the IIBC on the internet. The August 18 article examined the questionable uses of test fees, including a fivefold increase in utility expenses in one year, 13 million spent annually on research about adapting to Chinese culture, sponsorship of poetry readings by the Chinese Poetry Recitation Association, and membership fees to join the Beautiful Aging Association, for which Watanabe happened to be chairman.


title: TOEIC

text: The article also questioned the relationship between the IIBC and its for-profit partner International Communications School with which it shared office space. International Communications School is responsible for selling the TOEIC Institutional Program Test given by companies and schools; publishes IIBC-approved TOEIC preparation textbooks; and administers the TOEIC Japanese language website. One of International Communications School's subsidiaries is E-Communications, which administers the TOEIC's online application system and provides online TOEIC study materials.


title: TOEIC

text: In 2009, Watanabe suddenly resigned from the IIBC, leaving the son of his girlfriend in charge of the non-profit. Watanabe received a 25 million yen retirement payment.


title: TOEIC

text: The IIBC lowered the price of the TOEIC Secure Program Test from 6,615 yen to 5,985 yen starting with the September 13, 2009 test. The price had to be lowered due to pressure from the Ministry of Trade, which instructed the IIBC to reduce the profits being generated by the test.


title: TOEIC

text: In July 2010, the Tokyo Tax Bureau announced that International Communications School, IIBC's for-profit partner, hid 100 million yen in income and had to pay 30 million yen in back taxes and fines.


title: TOEIC

text: Toward the end of 2005, there was a shift in South Korea, regarded as the second biggest consumer of TOEIC per capita. However, a person's TOEIC score is still a major factor in hiring people for most professional jobs in South Korea.


title: TOEIC

text: Starting in 2011, Korean universities will no longer be allowed to use TOEIC and TOEFL scores as part of the admission process. However, many universities in Korea still require a minimum score of 900. This is apparently to discourage private English education (there are many private institutions that teach TOEIC-based classes). Another English proficiency test, TEPS (developed by Seoul National University, Chosun Ilbo), has been developed and may replace the status of TOEIC.


title: TOEIC

text: In France, some Grandes écoles require a TOEIC score of at least 785 to award the diploma. This policy has been criticized, as it makes state-awarded diplomas dependent on a private institution—despite the fact that it was not the private institution that set the 785 mark but a recommendation from the "Commission des titres d'ingénieur" indicating a B2+ level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.


title: TOEIC

text: Students that cannot achieve a 785 mark are offered to validate their diploma by other means in most of the schools. Some institutions delay the diploma for 1 year after the end of the studies in that case.


title: TOEIC

text: In Greece, TOEIC is accepted by ASEP, the organization responsible for hiring new employees to work for the government. It is administered by the Hellenic American Union and it is offered weekly in most major cities in Greece.


title: TOEIC

text: In 2014 an undercover investigation by the BBC program "Panorama" exposed systematic cheating and fraud by a number of organizations and individuals involved in running the test. Cheating was found to take place at Eden College International in London, where freelance invigilators used to conduct the exam. The college claimed no prior knowledge of the cheating, and had previously sacked three invigilators. ETS stated it does not hire the invigilators and that it does everything it can to prevent cheating.


title: TOEIC

text: On 17 April 2014, ETS decided not to renew its license as a provider of a Secure English Language Test (SELT). This means that these English language tests are no longer honored for the purpose of being issued a UK visa.


title: TOEIC

text: In June 2014, the Home Office undertook its own investigation and claimed to have found 46,000 “invalid and questionable” tests. It suspended the TOEIC exam as being valid for entry to the UK. It also canceled the visas of around 45,000 students, seventy percent of whom were Indian. Some left voluntarily with the majority being deported.


title: TOEIC

text: In March 2016, a tribunal ruled that the evidence the Home Office used to deport the students was not strong enough. , over 300 legal appeals against the government were pending, and the National Audit Office had opened an investigation into the government's handling of the issue, which some Members of Parliament had likened to the Windrush scandal.


title: TOEIC

text: Both the TOEIC Listening & Reading and the TOEIC Speaking & Writing tests are now available in the United States. While the TOEIC Listening & Reading test has been available for decades, the TOEIC Speaking & Writing test was introduced in the United States only in 2009. Registration for the TOEIC Speaking & Writing test is handled by the English4Success division of the nonprofit organization Amideast.


title: TOEIC

text: The Center for Professional Assessment offers regular institutional testing every Monday through Saturday at 9:00AM and 1:00PM (local time). The TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions divided into 100 questions each in listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 0 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 0 to 990 points.


title: TOEIC

text: ETS also administers another version of the TOEIC test called TOEIC Bridge. The TOEIC Bridge test targets beginning and intermediate learners and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, requiring about one hour of testing time.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: James Proudstar, known first as Thunderbird and then as Warpath, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most often those about the fictional superhero team X-Men. Proudstar first appears as the second Thunderbird in "New Mutants" #16 (June 1984).


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Blaming the X-Men for the death of his brother Thunderbird, Proudstar joins the Hellions squad, a group of young mutants led by Emma Frost. He later becomes a longtime member of the militant X-Men offshoot X-Force.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Proudstar is an Apache and one of the few Native American superheroes in Marvel Comics. His powers are superhuman strength, speed, and flight.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Proudstar first appears as the second Thunderbird in "New Mutants" #16 (June 1984), created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Sal Buscema. The character initially appears as an antagonist of the New Mutants and X-Men, but eventually joins the New Mutants in issue #99 of that series. The character appears regularly as a member of that team for most of the duration of the title.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: He has one older brother, John. John is a mutant superhero: Thunderbird, a member of the X-Men. John is killed on one of the team's missions, and James blames the X-Men's founder, Professor X, for his brother's death.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Seeking revenge for his brother's death, James is recruited for Emma Frost's Hellions. As a Hellion, James clashes with the New Mutants and Kitty Pryde, but to his chagrin, Frost feels they are not ready to take on the adult X-Men. James defies Frost's orders, dons his brother's costume, and kidnaps former X-Man Banshee to draw the team to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, where John was killed. However, when the opportunity to kill Professor X arrives, James finds he has too many doubts about how John joined the X-Men. James is reconciled with the X-Men; Professor X offers him membership in the New Mutants, but he declines out of loyalty to his friends in the Hellions.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Months later, James leaves the Hellions and returns home to his family's reservation. Cable makes him another offer to join the New Mutants but he turns it down. After a meeting in New York City, James returns home to find his entire tribe murdered. Finding a Hellfire mercenary's mask at the scene, James deduces that Emma Frost committed the act to punish him for leaving the team.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: James joins the New Mutants, hoping to track down the Hellions and gain revenge. The New Mutants cut ties with the X-Men and become the militant adventurers X-Force, and James changes his codename to Warpath. With the team, he fights the likes of Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and Weapon P.R.I.M.E. As a member of X-Force, James becomes more calm and controlled and strikes up a close friendship with his teammate Theresa Rourke Cassidy. Despite his strong attraction to her, Theresa only sees James as a friend. In a meeting with Emma Frost, she swears she wasn't involved with the deaths of his tribesmen.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath meets Risque, who helps James with his confidence, and the two begin a love affair. However, Risque is being blackmailed by Sledge, and she drugs Warpath and brings him to his lair. Sledge's partner, the Vanisher, has disappeared in the Darkforce dimension, while teleporting. Sledge reveals to James that his enhanced senses would allow him to survive in this alternate dimension without going insane. James locates and rescues the Vanisher, who is being held captive by natives of the Darkforce Dimension, and in turn Sledge gives information on one of his tribesman, Michael Whitecloud, whom James had presumed deceased. Whitecloud tells him that Stryfe, X-Force's adversary, was behind the killing of his tribe. James goes to Hell to gain revenge but is returned to the living world by Blackheart. When James finds out Risque's involvement, he ends their relationship.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: After X-Force's disintegration, Warpath joins the Mumbai branch of the international mutant agency X-Corporation. His new team is a mix of old and new friends: Feral, Sunfire, and Thornn. He stays there for a while, helping to save Professor X's life.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Cable and Domino enlist Warpath's help against the Skornn. After Cable kills the demon once again, the X-Force disbands.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath is one of the few mutants to retain his powers after the events of Decimation. He begins living in the Mutant camp at the X-Mansion.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Shortly afterwards, he joins the X-Men at Professor X's request. Warpath has a bond of sorts with fellow X-Men Hepzibah; Hepzibah remarks that his presence has helped her mourn her loss of Corsair. Together, they confront one of the X-Mansion's guardian Sentinels when Caliban, a long time X-Men ally, runs onto the grounds. Warpath enters the Morlock tunnels along with Hepzibah, Storm, and Caliban, to investigate the Morlocks' increased activity, which has included the capture of X-Men ward Leech. They see Warpath's name written on a Morlock wall, along with the names of the other X-Men. After the Morlock encounter, Hepzibah and Warpath begin a relationship.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath rejoins X-Force as they search a Cooperstown hospital to pick up the trail of the fugitive Cable. As X-Force dispatches the remaining Reavers, Caliban sacrifices himself to save Warpath by intercepting bullets meant for him. Warpath and the rest of X-Force are charged with taking down Predator X.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath, Hepzibah, and Iceman meet up with Archangel in San Francisco, California. All four are caught in the effects of an illusion, created by Martinique Jason, which has transformed the city into a hippie paradise. Warpath (calling himself "Running Sun") and the others are sent by Jason to confront Cyclops and Emma Frost. After Emma breaks through Jason's illusion, Warpath and the others return to normal. They begin to reestablish the X-Men organization in San Francisco.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath is one of the founding members of the new X-Force, Cyclops's covert wetwork team, charged with finding and eliminating Purifiers cells. James joins out of a desire for revenge for the death of Caliban at the hands of the Purifiers. During X-Force's encounter with the Purifiers, James comes across Eli Bard attacking X-23; after rescuing her, Eli swears a personal vendetta against him. Since the team is not allowed to contact anyone from the outside world, he cannot be with his girlfriend, Hepzibah.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: James takes a break from duty, in order to make peace with the deaths he has caused and to visit his brother's grave. En route, his truck is destroyed by the Demon Bear. He is badly beaten before being rescued by Ghost Rider. After defeating the Demon Bear with the aid of Ghost Rider, he learns that this creature was created when the animal spirits of his people were disturbed. They tell James that Eli Bard has dug up Thunderbird, Caliban, and everyone else buried there.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: When Surge, Hellion, and Boom-Boom are kidnapped, Warpath and the X-Force attempt to save them but are teleported off to the future to find Cable and Hope Summers. Arriving in the future, X-Force is ambushed by a future version of Deadpool, who leads them to Cable. Eventually they come across Stryfe's Celestial city, learning he is in control of that era. After his forces are defeated, Stryfe kidnaps Hope and Warpath, taking them back to his fortress where he tortures James. After the final battle against Stryfe, James flies Domino and X-23 back where they first appeared in the future.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath is caught up in the Necrosha events when his Blackbird crashes after a lightning strike. Making it to shore, the group encounters a resurrected Pyro and Berzerker. After taking them out, James is confronted by his ex-girlfriend, Risque, where she pleads with him to get away before she is controlled again by the T-O Virus. He is rescued by Archangel, who informs him this is Eli Bard's doing. They meet up with Cyclops and are confronted by Selene's Inner Circle. During the battle, Eli takes on Warpath, who wants the knife responsible for creating the Demon Bear. James is kidnapped by Selene's Inner Circle and taken to Genosha. There he fights and kills his deceased brother John. With the help of ancient rituals from his tribe and Selene's knife, James stabs Selene in the heart and frees his brother's soul at last. After the battle, James quits X-Force with Wolverine, claiming that he "has made his peace".


title: Warpath (comics)

text: After working with War Machine to stop a war in Eastern Europe, Warpath's teammate Jubilee is captured by vampires. Warpath and the rest of this X-Squad have been attacking vampire hordes trying to find their friend.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath appears as a target for the newly revamped Weapon X Program and is opted to join Old Man Logan's new team.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: He possesses superhuman strength. The air pressure from one of his claps causes a Sentinel to collapse. He has even managed to hold his own in a direct fight against the Juggernaut.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: He possesses superhuman resistance to injury, at least enough to withstand short-range gunfire, grenade explosions, and direct telekinetic attack from Exodus. He also repairs, and regenerates damaged and destroyed tissue much faster than a normal human, as well as revives and recuperates from exhaustion and fatigue much faster than a normal human.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: He possesses superhuman agility and flexibility. He can "move with the grace an Olympic gold-medalist would envy" and "swim with the ease of a porpoise."


title: Warpath (comics)

text: His power of flight was discovered by his one-time mentor and team leader Peter Wisdom, who analyzed his mutation after the High Evolutionary devolved and re-evolved all mutants on Earth, and Wisdom forced James to incorporate this ability in his fighting style. This power was ignored for a while, as writer Ed Brubaker did not understand how Warpath's speed and strength would allow it. However, Warpath's fighting style in the "" storyline showed his flight powers, and "X-Force" shows him flying for long distances. It has since been suggested by writer Christopher Yost that Warpath felt "rather embarrassed by the whole flying thing."


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath's senses – particularly sight, smell, and hearing – are enhanced to levels beyond the capabilities of a normal human. He is able to see with perfect clarity at much greater distances than an ordinary human, even in near-total darkness. His hearing is similarly heightened, enabling him to clearly hear sounds beyond the range of ordinary human hearing and to hear sounds that they can detect but at much greater distances.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: After nearly getting killed by Reignfire, Warpath experienced an increase in senses and speed that allowed him to perform feats he had previously not been aware he was capable of. For example, he can run at high speeds up to at least for long distances and quickly climb building walls by digging his hands and feet into the bare concrete. He can even evade weapon fire with rapid reflexes and reactions.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: In new publishing coinciding along Marvel's new "ResurrXion" event, Warpath has showcased regenerative abilities able to recover from mild to serious injuries inflicted upon him by new Weapon X cyborgs.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath is well versed in hand-to-hand combat, which is enhanced by his superhuman reflex/reaction rate and eye/ear-hand/foot coordination. He was trained in unarmed combat under the guidance of Emma Frost. He gained extensive training in the use of the staff by his long-time teammate Shatterstar, whom he eventually matched in a record time of only a dozen tries. He wields a pair of bowie knives composed of vibranium, given to him by Storm, with which he has proved to be highly proficient.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Ghost Rider activated limited Apache shaman abilities within James, in order to help him fight the Demon Bear. He could perceive the creature's wounds and the resulting spirit energy when it was destroyed.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: James Proudstar appears in the "What If" story "What If the X-Men Died on their First Mission?" Following the death of his brother and the X-Men on Krakoa, he joins Beast's hastily assembled mutant team – consisting of himself, Theresa Cassidy (who named herself Banshee in honor of her late father), Rahne Sinclair, Namorita, Scarlet Witch, and her brother Quicksilver – to combat Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men. James joined only to kill Professor X, whom he held responsible for his brother's death. However, he avoids John's fate in the mainstream comics and, finally acknowledging that his brother laid down his life in order to save others, joins the new X-Men team afterwards.


title: Warpath (comics)

text: Warpath appears in "", portrayed by Booboo Stewart. In this interpretation, he wields his signature bowie knives and displays acute senses, enhanced strength and superhuman stamina, agility and reflexes, picking up the Sentinels first out of the remaining X-Men. At the beginning of the film, Warpath attempts to stall the Sentinels so Kitty and Bishop could change the past. Taking his final stand, he rushes at an awaiting Sentinel but is obliterated when it uses its energy blast. While stalling the Sentinels so Wolverine could change the timeline, he is executed by a Sentinel burning his face off. These events are later erased by the altering of the timeline.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, () was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 by Czechs as part of the Great Moravian realm. Bohemia separated from disintegrating Moravia after Duke Spytihněv swore fealty to the East Frankish king Arnulf in 895.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: While the Bohemian dukes of the Přemyslid dynasty, at first ruling at Prague Castle and Levý Hradec, brought further estates under their control, the Christianization initiated by Saints Cyril and Methodius was continued by the Frankish bishops of Regensburg and Passau. In 973, the Diocese of Prague was founded through the joint efforts of Duke Boleslaus II and Emperor Otto I. Late Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, killed by his younger brother Boleslaus in 935, became the land's patron saint.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: While the lands were occupied by the Polish king Bolesław I and internal struggles shook the Přemyslid dynasty, Duke Vladivoj received Bohemia as a fief from the hands of the East Frankish king Henry II in 1002 and the duchy became an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire. The Duchy of Bohemia was raised to a hereditary Kingdom of Bohemia, when Duke Ottokar I ensured his elevation by the German king Philip of Swabia in 1198. The Přemyslids remained in power throughout the High Middle Ages, until the extinction of the male line with the death of King Wenceslaus III in 1306.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: The lands encompassed by the Bohemian Forest, the Ore Mountains, the Sudetes and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands were settled by Bohemian tribes about 550. In the 7th century the local Czech people were part of the union led by the Frankish merchant Samo (d. 658). "Bohemia" as a geographical term, probably derived from the Celtic (Gallic) Boii tribes, first appeared in 9th-century Frankish sources. In 805, Emperor Charlemagne prepared to conquer the lands, invading Bohemia in 805 and laying siege to the fortress of Canburg. However, the Czech forces shirked from open battle and retired into the deep forests to launch guerilla attacks. After forty days the emperor had to withdraw his forces for the lack of supplies. When the Frankish forces returned the next year burning and plundering the Bohemian lands, the local tribes finally had to submit and became dependent on the Carolingian Empire.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: While the Frankish realm disintegrated in the mid-9th century, Bohemia fell under the influence of the Great Moravian state which was established around 830. In 874, the Mojmir duke Svatopluk I reached an agreement with the East Frankish king Louis the German and confirmed his Bohemian dominion. With the fragmentation of Great Moravia under the pressure of the Magyar incursions around 900, Bohemia began to form as an independent principality. Already in 880, the Přemyslid prince Bořivoj from Levý Hradec, initially a deputy of Duke Svatopluk I who had been baptised by the Great Moravian archbishop Methodius of Salonica in 874, moved his residence to Prague Castle and started to subjugate the Vltava Basin.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: Great Moravia briefly regained control over the emerging Bohemian principality upon Bořivoj's death in 888/890 until, in 895, his son Spytihněv together with the Slavník prince Witizla swore allegiance to the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia in Regensburg. He and his younger brother Vratislaus then ruled over Central Bohemia around Prague. They were able to protect their realm from the Magyar forces which crushed an East Frankish army in the 907 Battle of Pressburg during the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. Cut off from Byzantium by the Hungarian presence, the Bohemian principality existed as independent state though still in the shadow of East Francia; the dukes paid tribute to the Bavarian dukes in exchange for the confirmation of the peace treaty. Vratislaus' son Wenceslaus, who ruled from 921, was already accepted as head of the Bohemian tribal union; however, he had to cope with the enmity of his neighbour Duke Arnulf of Bavaria and his mighty ally, the Saxon king Henry I of Germany. Wenceslaus maintained his ducal authority by submitting to King Henry in 929, whereafter he was murdered by his brother Boleslaus.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: Assuming the Bohemian throne in 935, Duke Boleslaus conquered the adjacent lands of Moravia and Silesia, and expanded farther to Kraków in the east. He offered opposition to Henry's successor King Otto I, stopped paying the tribute, attacked an ally of the Saxons in northwest Bohemia and in 936 moved into Thuringia. After a prolonged armed conflict, King Otto I besieged a castle owned by Boleslaus' son in 950 and Boleslaus finally signed a peace treaty whereby he recognized Otto's suzerainty and promised to resume the payment of the tribute. As the king's ally, his Bohemian troops, together with those of the Kingdom of Germany, fought in the 955 Battle of Lechfeld and after the defeat of the Magyars received the lands of Moravia in recognition of his services.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: Overwhelming the marauding Hungarians had the same benefits for Germans and Czechs. Less obvious is what Boleslav I the Cruel wanted to gain by participating in the war against the Obotrite tribes in far north, when he crushed an uprising of two Slavic dukes (Stojgněv and Nakon) in the Saxon Billung March. Probably Boleslav wanted to ensure that his German neighbors did not interfere with his expansion of Bohemia to the east.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: Significantly, the Bishopric of Prague, founded in 973 during the reign of Duke Boleslaus II, was subordinated to the Archbishopric of Mainz. Thus, at the same time that Přemyslid rulers used the German alliance to consolidate their rule against a perpetually rebellious regional nobility, they struggled to retain their autonomy in relation to the empire. The Bohemian principality was definitively consolidated in 995, when the Přemyslids defeated their Slavník rivals, unified the Czech tribes, and established a form of centralized rule, albeit shaken by internal dynastic struggles.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: In 1002, Duke Vladivoj was enfeoffed with the Duchy of Bohemia from the hands of King Henry II of Germany. With this act, what had been a fully sovereign duchy became part of the Holy Roman Empire. After Vladivoj died the next year, the Polish duke Bolesław I the Brave invaded Bohemia and Moravia and ruled as Boleslaus IV. In 1004, after the Poles were expelled from Bohemia with help from Henry II, Duke Jaromír received the duchy in fief from the king.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia re-acquired the Moravian lands in 1019 or 1029, which thenceforth were usually ruled by a younger son of the Bohemian duke/king. About 1031, Bretislaus invaded Hungary to prevent its future expansion and, in 1035, he helped the Emperor against the Lusatians. In 1039, he invaded Poland, captured Poznań and ravaged Gniezno; after that he conquered part of Silesia including Breslau. The destruction of Gniezno pushed the Polish rulers to move their capital to Cracow. In 1040, Bretislaus defeated the German King Henry's invasion into Bohemia in the Battle at Brůdek. However, the next year Henry besieged Bretislaus in Prague and forced him to renounce all of his conquests except Moravia. In 1047, Henry negotiated a peace treaty between Bretislaus and the Poles.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: The son of Bretislaus, Vratislaus II, supported Henry against the Pope, anti-kings, and rebellions in Saxony in his long reign. The Bohemian troops showed conspicuous bravery and, in 1083, he entered Rome with Henry and their armed forces. Henry gave Vratislaus a lifetime appointment as the first King of Bohemia in 1085 out of gratitude. For his successor Bretislaus II foreign policy was largely concerned with the Silesian conflict, when the Poles did not pay a fee for areas once resigned by Bretislaus I.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: In 1147, the Bohemian duke, Vladislaus II, accompanied the German king, Conrad III, on the Second Crusade, but halted his march at Constantinople. Thanks to his military support against northern Italian cities (especially Milan) for the emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Vladislaus was elected king of Bohemia on 11 January 1158, becoming the second Bohemian king.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: During the German civil war between the Hohenstaufen king Philip of Swabia and his Welf rival Otto IV, Duke Ottokar I of Bohemia decided to support Philip, for which he was awarded with a royal coronation in 1198, this time as a hereditary title. In 1200, however, Ottokar abandoned his pact with Philip and declared for the Welf faction. Both Otto and Pope Innocent III subsequently accepted Ottokar as hereditary King of Bohemia. The Bohemian principality was then reborn into the Bohemian kingdom.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: In 1212, Ottokar I, bearing the title "king" since 1198, extracted the Golden Bull of Sicily—a formal edict by the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II confirming the royal title for Ottokar and his descendants, whereby his duchy was formally raised to a Kingdom. The Bohemian king would be exempt from all future obligations to the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in the imperial councils. The imperial prerogative to ratify each Bohemian ruler and to appoint the Bishop of Prague was revoked. The country then reached its greatest territorial extent and is considered its Golden Age.


title: Duchy of Bohemia

text: After the extinction of the Přemyslid dynasty, the Lands of the Bohemian Crown were ruled by the House of Luxembourg from 1310, until the death of Emperor Sigismund in 1437. After the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Bohemia remained under the rule of the Austrian House of Habsburg from 1526 until the collapse of Austria-Hungary after the First World War.


title: David Oyedepo

text: David Olaniyi Oyedepo (born 27 September 1954) is a Nigerian preacher, Christian author, businessman, architect and the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. The church is also known as Winners' Chapel International.


title: David Oyedepo

text: The Winners' Chapel International network of churches is located in over 300 cities, in all states of Nigeria, and in several cities in 45 African nations, Dubai, the United Kingdom and the United States, Europe, Asia and Canada. Oyedepo has been seen as one of the pioneers of the Christian charismatic movement in Africa and has been referred to as one of the most powerful preachers in Nigeria. He is the Chancellor of Covenant University and Landmark University. He was named in 2011 by "Forbes" magazine as being the richest pastor in Nigeria.


title: David Oyedepo

text: On 27 September 1954, David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born in Osogbo, Nigeria, but is a native of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. He was raised in a mixed religious family. His father, Ibrahim, was a Muslim healer. His mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Holy Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (C&S), a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria. He was raised by his grandmother in Osogbo, who introduced him to the virtues of Christian life via early morning prayers which she attended with him. She also taught him the importance of tithing.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Oyedepo studied architecture at the Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin. He also received a PhD in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, US.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Oyedepo worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before resigning to concentrate on missionary work


title: David Oyedepo

text: Oyedepo was "born again" in 1969, through the influence of his teacher, Betty Lasher, who took an interest in him during his high school days. According to him, he received a mandate from God through an 18-hour vision in May 1981, to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith. This is the inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), first called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, in 1981. Two years later, on September 17, 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained David and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo) to become pastors and officially commissioned the new church. Five years later, Oyedepo was ordained as Bishop by his life mentor, the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Living Faith Church (AKA Winners Chapel International) started in Kaduna but moved to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria in July 1989, to start a new branch of the church after Oyedepo claimed to have received instructions from God to reach out to the people of Lagos.


title: David Oyedepo

text: According to "Forbes", Oyedepo is the wealthiest preacher in the world with a net worth of over US$150 million. The church owns four private jets and several buildings, including in London and the US. Oyedepo is an author and publisher who has written over 70 titles apart from periodicals. He is the chairman/publisher of Dominion Publishing House (DPH), a publishing arm of the ministry. DPH has over 4 million prints in circulation to date. Through Oyedepo; Covenant University, Faith Academy, and Kingdom Heritage Model Schools have been established to equip the youth for global impact. The construction of a third university named Crown University is already underway, located in Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.


title: David Oyedepo

text: In 1998, Oyedepo claimed he was instructed by God to build a new base for the commission to accommodate the increasing number of worshippers. This resulted in Oyedepo's church's acquisition of the initial facility, known as Canaanland, which serves as the headquarters. It is the home of the 50,000-seat capacity auditorium, the 'Faith Tabernacle'. This was a feat also recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Construction was completed within 12 months. Reports also claimed that this building was built debt free.


title: David Oyedepo

text: This 50,000-seat edifice was dedicated on September 18, 1999, under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Canaanland is in Ota, Ogun state and is the estate and campus, that houses The 50,000-seat auditorium, the church secretariat, the church's youth chapel, a primary school called Kingdom heritage model school, a full boarding mission secondary school called Faith Academy, with over 1,500 students and the Covenant University facilities - which accommodates over 7,000 students, fully resident in ultra-modern hostel facilities - with fully equipped faculty buildings and numerous staff housing facilities. Canaanland campus also has for-profit establishments operated by the church such as a bakery, a bottled water processing plant, a petrol station, various restaurants and shopping stores, several residential houses that provide for the over 2,000 church employees and guesthouses. Four banks are also present on this Estate, three of which are branches of external commercial banks and one which is a community and micro-finance Bank and operated by the Church. The whole of Canaanland which includes a proposed 15,000 housing estate known as Canaan City had increased to 17,000 acres as of 2012.


title: David Oyedepo

text: The Ministry's biggest annual meeting Shiloh, holds every December in the same Faith Tabernacle and often welcomes thousands of congregants across the world. The ministry is currently building a 100,000 seater auditorium called the "Ark", which is reputed to be the building with the largest span in the world.


title: David Oyedepo

text: The teachings of Oyedepo have put him in the category of what is commonly called the Word of Faith Movement.


title: David Oyedepo

text: He has referred to principal exponents of the Faith Movement such as Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, the late Kenneth Hagin, E. W. Kenyon, T. L. Osborn, Smith Wigglesworth as well as renowned Nigerian preachers; Enoch Adeboye and the late Benson Idahosa as mentors. As with many of his influences, Oyedepo has been described as a preacher of the prosperity gospel.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Winners' Chapel International operates a Bible training programme known as the Word of Faith Bible Institute for members and non-members alike to develop knowledge of Christian principles as well as to develop leaders and future pastors. The institute is run in major branches of the Church.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Oyedepo is the president of David Oyedepo Ministries International (DOMI). DOMI is the umbrella organisation comprising Living Faith Church World Wide (a global network of churches), World Mission


title: David Oyedepo

text: Agency (WMA); the global missionary arm of the church's operations, Dominion Publishing House; the publishing arm of the church, Covenant University, and the Social Development Missions projects - made up of hospitals, maternity homes, schools, etc.


title: David Oyedepo

text: Oyedepo's church operates its own publishing house, called Dominion Publishing House (DPH), commissioned on December 5, 1992, which has published over 70 Christian, inspirational and motivational books, mini-books, magazines and other resources.


title: David Oyedepo

text: In 1982 he married Florence Abiola Akano (now known as Faith Oyedepo). They have four children together (David Jr, Isaac, Love and Joyce). David Oyedepo Jr and Isaac Oyedepo were ordained as Pastors in May 2007 by Kenneth Copeland. David Oyedepo Jr formerly pastored the London Branch of the Church with his wife, Kemi but is now the resident pastor of the Ministry's headquarters church (Faith Tabernacle) while Isaac Oyedepo pastors Winners' Chapel International, Maryland, in the United States of America with his wife Ayomitide. His first daughter Love is married to Stephen Ogah, who also pastors in Winners' Chapel. Joyce Priscilla is the last child and second daughter. She married Abimbola Abodunrin in 2020.


title: David Oyedepo

text: The DODOS is an initiative set up by the Covenant University Alumni Association with the aim to promote the contributions and lifestyle of Oyedepo. Started on 27 September 2012, Oyedepo's birthday, people around the world who connect with this initiative are expected to show an act of contribution to individuals, organizations or the society at large.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: The 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal, also known as the Sandpapergate scandal, was a cricket cheating scandal surrounding the Australian national cricket team. In March 2018, during the third Test match against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing in flight. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were found to be involved and all three received unprecedented sanctions from Cricket Australia. Although he was found not to have been directly involved, Australia's coach, Darren Lehmann, announced he would step down from his role following the scandal. Smith was replaced by Tim Paine as captain in all formats before Aaron Finch took over from Paine in ODIs and T20Is.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: In March 2018, the Australia national cricket team toured South Africa to play four Test matches against the South Africa national cricket team. Entering the 3rd Test, the series was level 1–1. On 24 March 2018, during the third day of the 3rd Test, after the 43rd over of South Africa's second innings, Australia's Cameron Bancroft was shown on the television coverage and on screens at the ground appearing to rub the ball with a small yellow object. After Bancroft realised that he had been seen, he was again shown on the television coverage and on screens at the ground hiding the object in the front of his trousers. He was then approached by the umpires, and he showed them a dark microfibre sunglass pouch from his pocket. The umpires inspected the ball, and chose neither to offer the ball to the South African team to replace it if they wished, nor award them five penalty runs, the options available to the umpires under Law 41.3 of the Laws of Cricket. This indicated that the ball had not been altered in any noticeable way. At the time, South Africa was 129/2 with a 185 run lead.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: At the press conference at the end of the day's play, Bancroft, accompanied by Australia's captain, Steve Smith, admitted that he was shown attempting to alter the condition of the ball using a short length of yellow adhesive tape to which dirt and grit had adhered, forming an abrasive surface. Five days later, and after an investigation into the incident by Cricket Australia, he admitted it was sandpaper, which cricketers use to maintain their bats. Smith also admitted that he knew of the plan in advance of Bancroft's actions. Smith said that the plan was made during the lunch break by the "leadership group", which he did not name. Smith said it was a "big mistake", and when questioned by the media, said that he would not be standing down as captain of the team.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Andy Pycroft, the match referee, charged Bancroft with a Level 2 offence of attempting to alter the condition of the ball. David Richardson, CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), charged Smith with "conduct of a serious nature that is contrary to the spirit of the game". Smith accepted the charge and the proposed sanction of two suspension points, which equated to a ban for the next Test match, four demerit points being added to his record, and was fined 100% of his match fee. Bancroft accepted the charge against him, was handed three demerit points and fined 75% of his match fee.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Following Smith's admission, Australia's Prime Minister at that time, Malcolm Turnbull, said it was a "shocking disappointment". He phoned Cricket Australia (CA) Board chairman David Peever directly to express that disappointment and concern, saying that there has to be the strongest action taken. The Australian Sports Commission requested that Smith stand down immediately, and the incident was widely condemned by former international players and officials.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: In a press release dated 25 March 2018, CA CEO James Sutherland apologised to fans and confirmed that both Smith and Warner had agreed to stand down from their roles of captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of the match. In the same release, David Peever announced that Tim Paine, the team's wicket-keeper, had been endorsed by the Board of CA to step in as acting captain, and Smith and Warner would take to the field under him. South Africa went on to win the Test match by 322 runs, Australia dismissed meekly for 107 in the fourth innings.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Cricket Australia launched its own investigation into the incident, led by Executive General Manager Team Performance, Pat Howard, with CA Senior Legal Counsel and Head of Integrity Iain Roy. CA CEO James Sutherland joined the investigators in South Africa. On 27 March 2018, before the findings of that investigation were handed down, opening batsman Matt Renshaw was recalled to the squad from Australia ahead of the fourth Test.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 27 March 2018, Sutherland announced that as a result of the preliminary investigation Smith, Warner and Bancroft had been charged with bringing the game into disrepute, suspended and would be sent home. He said that further sanctions against the three players would be announced within 24 hours, and that CA was satisfied that no one else was involved. He added that as well as Renshaw, opening batsman Joe Burns and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell were added to the squad to replace them, and confirmed that Paine had been appointed captain for the fourth Test. There was no announcement about the vacant vice-captain position. South Africa dominated the fourth Test against the depleted Australian team, winning by 492 runs to inflict Australia's second heaviest defeat by runs, and winning the series 3–1.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: During a meeting on 28 March 2018 lasting over two hours, the Cricket Australia Board considered the report. The three players were sanctioned by Cricket Australia for breaching article 2.3.5 of Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct by engaging in conduct that was contrary to the spirit of the game, unbecoming of a representative, harmful to the interests of the game, and/or which brings the game into disrepute.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Warner was found to be responsible for the development of the plan to alter the condition of the ball and instructing Bancroft on how to do it, including demonstrating the technique to him. He was also found to have failed to prevent the plan being implemented, misled match officials by concealing his knowledge of the plan and not voluntarily reporting his involvement. He received a twelve-month suspension from "all international and domestic cricket" and he "will not be considered for team leadership positions ever again." Warner drew flak from a lot of people, many of them his own countrymen, who believed him to be the reason behind the whole scandal. In the Amazon documentary series about the scandal, "The Test", Warner opened up on his struggles and road to getting the respect he lost back in the 12 month ban period he served.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Smith was found to have known of the plan but failed to take steps to prevent it, told Bancroft to conceal the sandpaper in his trousers, misled match officials and others regarding Bancroft's attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball, and made misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent and participants of the plan. He received a twelve-month suspension "from all international and domestic cricket" and he "will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the conclusion of [his suspension] from international and domestic cricket. Any consideration of future leadership would be conditional on acceptance by fans and the public, form and authority among the playing group."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Bancroft was found to be a party to the plan to tamper with the ball, that he carried out Warner's instructions, tried to conceal the evidence and made statements to mislead match officials and the public. He received a nine-month suspension from "all international and domestic cricket" and he "will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the conclusion of [his suspension] from international and domestic cricket. Any consideration of future leadership would be conditional on acceptance by fans and the public, form and authority among the playing group."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: As well, "[a]ll three players will be permitted to play club cricket and will be encouraged to do so to maintain links with the cricket community. In addition, all three players will be required to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Ahead of the decision, Smith and Warner had stepped down as captains of the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL). On 28 March 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that neither Smith nor Warner would be able to play in the 2018 IPL.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Bancroft was contracted to play for English side Somerset in the 2018 County Championship season. On 29 March 2018, Somerset announced that "Bancroft will not be our overseas player for the 2018 season" and that "the club's best interests were at the centre of our decision". Western Australian Cricket Association CEO Christina Matthews confirmed that under their current rules Bancroft cannot play grade cricket because of his suspension. However, she added, a rule change is under consideration.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Sutherland specifically addressed repeatedly broadcast footage of coach Darren Lehmann. It showed him on a walkie-talkie to 12th man Peter Handscomb at the side of the field after the vision of Bancroft was broadcast. Hanscomb then ran onto the field to speak with Bancroft. Sutherland said that the CA investigators were satisfied that Lehmann "sent a message to say 'What in the hell is going on?'– he didn't use 'hell', he used another word", referring to an expletive and that he was not aware of the plan.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Warner was the first to respond publicly. In a tweet dated 29 March 2018, he apologised for his part in the incident, and took responsibility for his role in it. He said that he would spend some time with his family, friends and trusted advisers, and would make another statement in the coming days. He later arrived at Sydney Airport with his wife and two young daughters, and when confronted by media, repeated that he would make a statement in the coming days, and that his priority was to get his family home.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Bancroft arrived in Perth on 29 March 2018, and gave a press conference at the WACA. An emotional Bancroft expressed disappointment, regret and remorse, admitting that he had failed as a role model and in the eyes of the broader community, and that when confronted on the field by the umpires and media about his actions he panicked. He asked for forgiveness and said that he would be contributing back to the community.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Smith arrived in Sydney later that day. In a press conference at Sydney Airport, a tearful Smith started by saying that he had nothing to add to Cricket Australia's report. He said that as captain of the Australian cricket team, he took full responsibility, and that he had made a serious error in judgement: "It was a failure of leadership, my leadership." As well as apologising to his "teammates, to fans of cricket all over the world and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry", he specifically referred to the effect that the incident had on his parents, causing him to break down, and implored others faced with questionable decisions to consider their parents. He added, "I know I will regret this for the rest of my life. I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Australia's coach Darren Lehmann was cleared by the investigation of any wrongdoing or involvement in the scandal, and said that he would not resign. Of the findings and sanctions, he said that he was "embarrassed" and "disappointed", adding that he hopes people will give all three players a second chance. However, on the same day that the three players returned home, Lehmann announced that he would step down from his role after the conclusion of the fourth Test in Johannesburg. He said in his statement that after watching the press conferences of Bancroft and Smith, "the feeling is that Australian cricket needs to move forward and this is the right thing to do."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 31 March 2018, an emotional Warner gave a press conference in Sydney. In it, he described his actions as inexcusable and deeply regrettable. He apologised for the breach of trust and his actions, accepting full responsibility for the part he played in the incident, and said that the next twelve months would be a tough and emotional time for him. His priority at this time would be the wellbeing of his family. While he hoped to play for Australia again, he was resigned for it not to happen. He said he would spend the coming weeks and months looking at himself "as a man", and would seek advice and expertise to make "serious changes". He supported a CA investigation into the culture of the Australian cricket side. When asked, he said that he would sit down with family, friends and advisers before deciding on his playing future. Some noted that he deflected multiple questions about whether he was the ringleader of the plan or others' involvement in it.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: In the press release announcing the findings and sanctions, Cricket Australia summarised the review process.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: It was reported on 31 March 2018 that Bancroft had sought legal advice and is considering his options. It was further reported on 1 April 2018 that all three had sought legal advice and are considering their actions, and importantly that while they all acknowledge erring in Cape Town, they had not formally accepted or challenged their charges or their sanctions issued by CA.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: It was also reported that Smith and Warner were expected to push for a relaxation of the sanctions, particularly to allow them to play domestic cricket in Australia and overseas. James Sutherland of CA had previously said that the legal advice they had received was that they did not have jurisdiction requiring other national cricketing bodies to enforce the sanctions. "Under the code we didn't have any clear authority over domestic matches played overseas," he said. "It was talked about but we ascertained based on the legal advice that we didn't have that clear authority.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 4 April 2018, Steve Smith confirmed that he would not challenge the sanctions. In a tweet, he said "I would give anything to have this behind me and be back representing my country. But I meant what I said about taking full responsibility as Captain of the team. I won't be challenging the sanctions. They've been imposed by CA to send a strong message and I have accepted them."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Also on 4 April 2018, Cameron Bancroft announced that he had advised CA that he accepted the sanction. He tweeted "Today I lodged the paperwork with Cricket Australia and will be accepting the sanction handed down. I would love to put this behind me and will do whatever it takes to earn back the trust of the Australian public. Thank you to all those who have sent messages of support."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 5 April 2018, David Warner announced that he has accepted the CA sanctions. In a tweet, he said "I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Cricket Australia, in a press release dated 5 April 2018, confirmed that "Smith, Bancroft and Warner have officially advised Cricket Australia they have accepted the charges and sanctions, and no hearings will be required." CA CEO James Sutherland added that "These are significant penalties for professional cricketers. They were not imposed lightly. We know the players will return to playing the game they love, and in doing so, we hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans".


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: When announcing the initial findings against Bancroft, Smith and Warner on 27 March 2018, James Sutherland announced that there would also be a deeper review of the "culture and conduct" of Australia's professional cricket teams. The terms of reference of that inquiry is to find a means by which supporters of Australian cricket and the wider community can effectively refresh their commitment to the sport. Further details of the review will be forthcoming, but it will seek input from 'relevant experts', especially to determine how the culture of the Australian men's test side arrived at the point at which it has found itself. Former Australian captain, selector and CA Board member Allan Border welcomed the review, saying that "The Australian cricket team itself is not a popular cricket team, and a lot of their antics on the field have upset a lot of people."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 6 April 2018, Cricket Australia chairman David Peever announced that former Test batsman Rick McCosker will chair an independent review into cultural, organisational and governance issues, and a player-driven process to set out a charter setting out standards for improved player behaviour and expectations of the Australian men's national side. He is expected to be joined by two former players and two current players on a panel, with that quartet yet to be named. That process will form part of the wide-ranging review, which will provide recommendations to the Cricket Australia board. Peter Collins, Director of the Centre for Ethical Leadership and a consultant on ethics, leadership and organisational change will act as a "facilitator" for the process. Peever added that the review will take "whatever time is necessary".


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: The chief executive of the ICC, Dave Richardson, addressed a news conference on 27 April 2018 about harsher punishments for ball-tampering and other misbehaviour.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Before the start of play of the fourth Test between Australia and South Africa on 30 March 2018, newly appointed Australian captain Tim Paine, with the support of his players, approached South African captain Faf du Plessis. After the national anthems were played, both teams shook hands on the field as a gesture of goodwill and respect. Paine hopes that this will become a ritual that symbolises the new direction and attitude his team is taking after the fallout from Cape Town.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: While no one contended that the charges and findings against Bancroft, Smith and Warner were not justified, many argued that the sanctions were unprecedented, and that there were flaws in the Cricket Australia (CA) description of the incident. Some did not separate the event—an attempt at ball tampering—from the wider charge brought against the trio of bringing the game into disrepute.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 29 March 2018, the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), which represents the professional first-class cricketers of Australia, released a statement setting out "a number of glaring and clear anomalies in the process to date which causes the ACA to query the severity and proportionality of the proposed sanctions." It went on to say that "The ACA continues to provide welfare and legal support to all players" and that "All Australians would understand the right of the players to receive advice from their advisers, peers and family and the time necessary to ensure the sanctions are fair and proportional." Some see this as the ACA foreshadowing a challenge to CA over the process and sanctions.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Du Plessis, who was found guilty of ball tampering in 2013 and again in 2016, sent Smith a text message expressing his sympathy. He said that "he's one of the good guys and he's just been caught in a bad place". He agreed when asked if he thought that the sanctions were too harsh. He noted that the sanctions imposed by CA were far greater than those imposed by the ICC for the same incident, and may send a message to the ICC that "maybe they need to sharpen up."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Shane Warne, former Australian Test bowler who served a one-year ban for breaching the CA drug code in 2003, condemned the trio for engaging in "premeditated cheating", but believed that the public reaction to the incident resulted in excessive penalties being handed down by CA. English cricket commentator Mark Nicholas wrote "Clearly the captaincy had to go, and equally clearly the vice-captaincy. The punishment that has followed has been extremely severe, and I cannot help but think of Smith and Bancroft."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar argued that the right decision had been made to uphold the integrity of the game, adding "Winning is important but the way you win is more important." However he defended them, saying that the Australian cricketers have dealt with enough criticism. He also urged media and cricket fans to spare thoughts for their families and that they should be given some breathing space.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Former South African player Herschelle Gibbs said, "Hard scenes watching the interviews. Having been through it all, take it on the chin and live with the consequences but remain true to yourself."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Former Australian captain and commentator Ian Chappell said that CA were right to ban Smith and Warner for twelve months, adding that he did not expect Smith would captain Australia again because he had lost the respect of the players. On the duration of the ban, he said "if they would have only given six months to them and they tried to play in Australia's next summer, the booing and crowd reaction would have been so bad. It would have been very hard for the players and it would not have been a very good situation for Cricket Australia."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Former England captain Michael Vaughan thought the bans too harsh, but noted that CA had sent a message to players. Former Australian batsman Tom Moody believed that the punishment did not fit the crime. Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said that "I honestly do not believe any other country would have handed its captain and lead player a one-year ban for attempted ball-tampering." Meanwhile, former Indian batsman and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was not surprised by the sanctions. Other cricketers came out in support of the banned players, saying that punishment was too harsh, including Harbhajan Singh, Russel Arnold, Michael Di Venuto and Adam Hollioake.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Gautam Gambhir, the former captain of the IPL side Delhi Daredevils commented that the sanctions imposed on Smith and Warner are quite harsh, and suspected that both may have paid for their roles in a 10-month pay dispute with CA that was resolved in August 2017. In a tweet he asked the Australian media and the public to spare thoughts for the families of the disgraced cricketers rather than mocking them. Gambhir also said that "I may be quite emotional but Smith doesn't look to me a cheat."


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Some criticised CA for its handling of the incident. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke believed that there was more to the incident than CA CEO James Sutherland had said, tweeting "The truth, The full story, Accountability and Leadership- until the public get this Australian cricket is in deep shit!" and that "To [sic] many reputations on the line for the full story not to come out. Cape Town change room is a very small place!" Michael Vaughan was similarly unconvinced, suggesting that Cricket Australia has only made things worse for itself by finding that only three players were involved. Former England wicket-keeper Matt Prior said the official explanation didn't match up with his experiences of how teams work. Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was skeptical that other Australian players, particularly the bowlers, were not involved. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was unconvinced that coach Darren Lehmann did not know of the plan, while BBC broadcaster Jonathan Agnew believed that there were contradictions in the official narrative.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: From the outset, many of Cricket Australia's commercial sponsors and partners, including 2018 South African tour naming rights sponsor Qantas, Twenty20 naming rights sponsor Sanitarium, One Day International and Big Bash League naming rights sponsor KFC, domestic Test match naming rights sponsor Magellan Financial Group, Lion XXXX, the Commonwealth Bank, and Bupa expressed their disappointment and shock over the incident. Many demanded a comprehensive explanation from CA, and demanded that they take steps to protect the long term reputation of the sport they had invested in.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 29 March 2018, Magellan Financial Group terminated its three-year naming rights sponsorship agreement with CA in response to the ball-tampering scandal. The contract had two more seasons to run, and was estimated to be worth AU$20 million.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: The incident came as CA was negotiating television broadcast rights to all forms of the game for the next six seasons, estimated at one point to be valued at greater than AU$900 million. Bidding has not been as high as CA expected, and some expect that the ball tampering incident may further affect those negotiations.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 28 March, Smith and Warner were banned from the 2018 edition of the IPL. Both the players were going to make A$2.4 million.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 11 April 2018, Cricket Australia announced the list of 20 players who have been awarded national contracts for 2018–19. Bancroft, Smith and Warner were not on that list, and they were not mentioned in the media release.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: In April 2018, Surrey head coach and former Australian cricketer Michael Di Venuto stated that his county would be willing to sign either Smith or Warner during their ban from international cricket.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: The LG Electronics company in Australia announced that they had chosen not to renew their personal sponsorship of Warner on 27 March 2018, citing "recent events". Warner had been in a commercial arrangement with LG since 2014. That arrangement was in its final weeks and was being considered for renewal at the time of his suspension. As well as this incident, his behaviour came under the spotlight during the first Test of the tour after the dismissal of South African batsman AB de Villiers. He was then involved in a highly publicised personal and escalating verbal altercation with South African batsman Quinton de Kock as they were leaving the field. Warner's teammates intervened to separate them. Both were charged by the match referee and penalised. Earlier in this Test, Warner was involved in a heated exchange with a spectator after being dismissed in Australia's first innings. The spectator was ejected from the ground.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: On 29 March 2018, sporting apparel company ASICS terminated their commercial arrangements with Warner and Bancroft. The Commonwealth Bank terminated their brand ambassador arrangement with Smith, as did Sanitarium for whom Smith was an ambassador for their Weet-Bix product.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Bancroft was the first of three banned players to return to Australian professional cricket. On 30 December 2018, he represented the Perth Scorchers in the 2018–19 Big Bash League season. In the match he scored two runs from three balls, with the Hobart Hurricanes going on to win the game by six wickets.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: The bans on Smith and Warner ended on 29 March 2019, coinciding with the date of the fourth One Day International (ODI) match of Australia's series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, however neither made their international return until the first match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The trio made their returns to the Test arena at Edgbaston on 1 August in the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, with Smith’s scores of 144 and 142 earning him the man of the match award as Australia beat England by 251 runs.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: In February 2020, Smith and Warner were named in Australia's limited overs squads for their tour to South Africa. They both played in the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) match of the tour, the first time they had represented Australia in South Africa since their bans.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: Cricket Australia has reopened an investigation into the scandal after Bancroft hinted that some bowlers also knew about it.


title: 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal

text: A docu-series "" based on the return of the Australian team after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal was streamed on Amazon Prime Video on 11 March 2020 with 8 episodes.


title: Peperomia

text: Peperomia is one of the two large genera of the family Piperaceae. It is estimated that there are at least over 1,000 species, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are concentrated in northern South America and Central America, but are also found in Africa, southern Asia, and Oceania. The exact number is difficult to tell as some plants have been recorded several times with different names (c. 3,000 names have been used in publications) and new species continue to be discovered. Peperomias have adapted to many different environments and their appearance varies greatly. Some are epiphytes (growing on other plants) or lithophytes (growing on rock or in rock crevices), and many are xerophytes (drought-tolerant) either with thick succulent structures or with underground tubers (geophytes). Most species are compact perennial shrubs or vines.


title: Peperomia

text: The genus name "Peperomia" was coined by Spanish botanists Ruiz López and Pavón Jiménez in 1794 after their travels in Peru and Chile. "Peperomia" plants do not have a widely accepted common name and some argue that it is better to use the genus name, as is the case with genera such as "Petunia" and "Begonia". They are sometimes called radiator plants, a name possibly coined by L.H. Bailey because many of them enjoy bright and dry environments similar to a windowsill above a radiator.


title: Peperomia

text: Peperomias vary considerably in appearance (see gallery below) and there is no universally accepted method of categorising them, although three main groups can be distinguished. Most species are compact and usually do not exceed in height.


title: Peperomia

text: First are plants with decorative foliage, which often grow in rain or clouds forests as epiphytes. They are adapted to living in small shady crevices on, for example, trees, with small root systems. As they do not have access to ground water they are typically succulent to a certain degree which in many species shows as thick, fleshy leaves, which have a waxy surface and are sometimes rippled. The leaves may be oval with the leafstalk at or near the center of the leaf blade, or they may be heart-shaped or lance-shaped; their size varies from long. They may be green or striped, marbled or bordered with pale green, red or gray, and the petioles of some kinds are red. They also enjoy high air humidity, warm temperatures, and grow all year round. Examples include "P. argyreia", "P. caperata", "P. nitida", and "P. obtusifolia".


title: Peperomia

text: Second group consists of arid climate succulent peperomias, which are often found in high altitudes. They are adapted to withstanding a long warm season followed by a colder winter and very little rainfall. They store water both in their stout stems and in their succulent leaves, which typically form kind of tubes or balls, appearing U- or V-shaped in cross-section, often with epidermal windows on the top-side. "P. columella", "P. ferreyrae" and "P. nivalis" fall into this category.


title: Peperomia

text: The third group contains geophytic peperomias. These plants have leaves that fall off in the colder dry season, survive due to their underground tubers, and grow the leaves back as more rain falls. Examples include "P. macrorhiza", "P. peruviana", and "P. umbilicata". Currently just under 50 species of geophytic peperomias are known, but new ones continue to be discovered.


title: Peperomia

text: Peperomia flowers are typically unnoticeable, growing in cordlike spikes, although there are some exceptions such as "P. fraseri". Most peperomia flowers seem odorless to humans but some carry a musty or even unpleasant odor, such as "P. graveolens". The fruit is a berry that eventually dries out and shows the tiny pepper-like seed.


title: Peperomia

text: Peperomias are found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. Northern South America and Central America host the largest number of species, but peperomias can also be found in Africa, southern Asia, and Oceania. The exact number of peperomia species continues to change as new plants are discovered and some distinct plant names, perhaps catalogued in separate geographical regions, are realised to describe the same species. Therefore the table below gives only a rough overall impression of the worldwide distribution.


title: Peperomia

text: Note that many peperomias are found in wide overlapping regions, for example everywhere in tropical America or Asia, and so may have not been included in the species count for individual areas.


title: Peperomia

text: Peperomias are often grown for their ornamental foliage and many species are considered easy to grow in homes and greenhouses. Several species have been given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. Peperomias are largely considered non-toxic and are often recommended for households with children or animals.


title: Peperomia

text: Out of the 1,000+ peperomia species, currently only about 40 to 50 are commonly used as houseplants, although specialists might of course have larger collections. These peperomias fare well in average home conditions and can relatively easily be found in stores and garden centers. Species in this basic group include "P. alata", "P. albovittata", "P. argyreia", "P. axillaris", "P. blanda", "P. boivinii", "P. caperata", "P. clusiifolia", "P. columella", "P. dolabriformis", "P. ferreyrae", "P. fraseri", "P. glabella", "P. graveolens", "P. griseoargentea", "P. hoffmannii", "P. incana", "P. japonica", "P. kimnachii", "P. maculosa", "P. metallica", "P. nitida" (often sold as "P. scandens"), "P. nivalis", "P. obtusifolia", "P. pellucida", "P. perciliata", "P. pereskiifolia", "P. polybotrya", "P. prostrata", "P. quadrangularis" (syn. "P. angulata"), "P. rotundifolia", "P. rubella", "P. rugosa", "P. tetragona" (syn. "P. puteolata"), "P. tetraphylla", "P. turboensis", "P. urocarpa", "P. verschaffeltii", "P. verticillata", and "P. wheeleri".


title: Peperomia

text: There can be, however, several cultivars available from each species. Identifying species can be challenging as plants are often sold under marketing names, older synonyms, or under names that have not been officially accepted. This is the case, for example, with so called "Peperomia orba" (often sold as "Peperomia" 'Pixie') and "Peperomia viridis". In addition to natural species and their cultivars, some artificial hybrid varieties can also be found on the market, such as "Peperomia" 'Hope' (a cross between "P. deppeana" and "P. quadrifolia").


title: Peperomia

text: Most species need airy, well-draining substrate and want to dry out to some extent or even completely between waterings. A typical reason for losing a peperomia is through root rot caused by over-watering. The tropical, decorative foliage plants, typically enjoy shadier conditions with more humidity. Some might even require a terrarium or a bottle garden to maintain high humidity. The arid climate succulent types should be treated similarly to cacti and other succulents: they can tolerate more light and will survive a dry cold period, during which they are watered only seldomly. The geophytic peperomias are used to experiencing a cold resting period once a year.


title: Peperomia

text: Many peperomias are herbs in the sense that their leaves carry a spicy flavour and, when crushed, emit a strong odour. Because of this some species, such as "Peperomia pellucida" are used in salads and cooking, or to flavour drinks. Some, including "Peperomia inaequalifolia" and "Peperomia congona", are also used in herbal medicine as digestives, for their anti-inflammatory and wound-healing qualities, or as drops against otitis and conjunctivitis.


title: Peperomia

text: While such folk medicine usage is common in Peru and elsewehere the possible medicinal qualities of peperomias remain poorly investigated, although there has been a growing interest for the subject recently. For the moment, it is advised that people should not try to eat the peperomias sold as houseplants.


title: Peperomia

text: These plants can be propagated by seeds, by cuttings, or by dividing. "Peperomia" cuttings of many species root easily.