title: Money multiplier

text: Similarly, one may distinguish the "observed" reserve–deposit ratio from the legal (minimum) reserve ratio, and the "observed" currency–deposit ratio from an assumed model one. Note that in this case the reserve–deposit ratio and currency–deposit ratio are "outputs" of observations, and fluctuate over time. If one then uses these observed ratios as model parameters ("inputs") for the predictions of effects of monetary policy and assumes that they remain constant, computing a constant multiplier, the resulting predictions are valid only if these ratios do not in fact change. Sometimes this holds, and sometimes it does not; for example, increases in central bank money may result in increases in commercial bank money – and will, if these ratios (and thus multiplier) stay constant – or may result in increases in excess reserves but little or no change in commercial bank money, in which case the reserve–deposit ratio will grow and the multiplier will fall.


title: Money multiplier

text: There are two suggested mechanisms for how money creation occurs in a fractional-reserve banking system: either reserves are first injected by the central bank, and then lent on by the commercial banks, or loans are first extended by commercial banks, and then backed by reserves borrowed from the central bank. The "reserves first" model is that taught in mainstream economics textbooks, while the "loans first" model is advanced by endogenous money theorists.


title: Money multiplier

text: In the "reserves first" model of money creation, a given reserve is lent out by a bank, then deposited at a bank (possibly different), which is then lent out again, the process repeating and the ultimate result being a geometric series.


title: Money multiplier

text: To correct for currency drain (a lessening of the impact of monetary policy due to peoples' desire to hold some currency in the form of cash) and for banks' desire to hold reserves in excess of the required amount, the formula:


title: Money multiplier

text: can be used, where "Currency Drain Ratio" is the ratio of cash to deposits, i.e. C/D, and the Desired Reserve Ratio is the sum of the Required Reserve Ratio and the Excess Reserve Ratio.


title: Money multiplier

text: The desired reserve ratio is the amount of its assets that a bank chooses to hold as excess and required reserves; it is a decreasing function of the amount by which the market rate for loans to the non-bank public from banks exceeds the interest rate on excess reserves and of the amount by which the federal funds rate exceeds the interest rate on excess reserves. Since the money multiplier in turn depends negatively on the desired reserve ratio, the money multiplier depends positively on these two opportunity costs. Moreover, the public’s choice of the currency drain ratio depends negatively on market rates of return on highly liquid substitutes for currency; since the currency ratio negatively affects the money multiplier, the money multiplier is positively affected by the return on these substitutes.


title: Money multiplier

text: The formula above is derived from the following procedure. Let the monetary base be normalized to unity. Define the legal reserve ratio, formula_9, the excess reserves ratio, formula_10, the currency drain ratio with respect to deposits, formula_11; suppose the demand for funds is unlimited; then the theoretical superior limit for deposits is defined by the following series:


title: Money multiplier

text: Analogously, the theoretical superior limit for the money held by public is defined by the following series:


title: Money multiplier

text: and the theoretical superior limit for the total loans lent in the market is defined by the following series:


title: Money multiplier

text: This re-lending process (with no currency drain) can be depicted as follows, assuming a 20% reserve ratio and a $100 initial deposit:


title: Money multiplier

text: Note that no matter how many times the smaller and smaller amounts of money are re-lended, the legal reserve requirement is never exceeded - because that would be illegal.


title: Money multiplier

text: In the alternative model of money creation, loans are first extended by commercial banks – say, $1,000 of loans (following the example above), which may then require that the bank borrow $100 of reserves either from depositors (or other private sources of financing), or from the central bank. This view is advanced in endogenous money theories, such as the Post-Keynesian school of monetary circuit theory, as advanced by such economists as Basil Moore and Steve Keen.


title: Money multiplier

text: Finn E. Kydland and Edward C. Prescott argue that there is no evidence that either the monetary base or M1 leads the cycle.


title: Money multiplier

text: Jaromir Benes and Michael Kumhof of the IMF Research Department, argue that: the “deposit multiplier“ of the undergraduate economics textbook, where monetary aggregates are created at the initiative of the central bank, through an initial injection of high-powered money into the banking system that gets multiplied through bank lending, turns the actual operation of the monetary transmission mechanism on its head. At all times, when banks ask for reserves, the central bank obliges. According to this model, reserves therefore impose no constraint and the deposit multiplier is therefore a myth. The authors therefore argue that private banks are almost fully in control of the money creation process.


title: Money multiplier

text: John Whittaker of Lancaster University Management School, describes two systems used by the Bank of England. In both systems, the central bank supplies reserves to meet demand.


title: Money multiplier

text: According to the quantity theory of money, the multiplier plays a key role in monetary policy, and the distinction between the multiplier being the "maximum" amount of commercial bank money created by a given unit of central bank money and approximately "equal" to the amount created has important implications in monetary policy.


title: Money multiplier

text: If banks maintain low levels of excess reserves, as they did in the US from 1959 to August 2008, then central banks can finely control broad (commercial bank) money supply by controlling central bank money creation, as the multiplier gives a direct and fixed connection between these.


title: Money multiplier

text: If, on the other hand, banks accumulate excess reserves, as occurs in some financial crises such as the Great Depression and the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, then according to some economists this relationship breaks down and central banks can force the broad money supply to shrink, but not force it to grow:


title: Money multiplier

text: Restated, increases in central bank money may not result in commercial bank money because the money is not "required" to be lent out – it may instead result in a growth of unlent reserves (excess reserves). This situation is referred to as "pushing on a string": withdrawal of central bank money "compels" commercial banks to curtail lending (one can "pull" money via this mechanism), but input of central bank money does not compel commercial banks to lend (one cannot "push" via this mechanism).


title: Money multiplier

text: Following the introduction of interest rates on excess reserves, a large growth in excess reserves occurred in the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, US bank excess reserves growing over 500-fold, from under $2 billion in August 2008 to over $1,000 billion in November 2009.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a 2022 "Klonoa" video game compilation developed by Monkey Craft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It features remasters of the platform games "" (1997), originally released on PlayStation, and "" (2001), originally released on PlayStation 2. The remaster of "Door to Phantomile" is built from its 2008 Wii remake developed by Paon.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: The collection contains updated versions of both games designed to run at 60 frames-per-second and up to 4K resolution on certain platforms, with added features such as adjustable difficulty and a two-player cooperative mode. It was released in July 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, for the franchise's 25th anniversary.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: "Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series" is a compilation featuring remastered versions of the platform video games "" and "". While "Door to Phantomile" was originally released on the PlayStation in 1997, the remaster is built from its 2008 Wii remake. "Lunatea's Veil" is based on its original 2001 PlayStation 2 version. The games have been remastered with improved visuals and sound.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: Both games feature 3D graphics set on a two-dimensional plane where players run from side to side, jump on platforms, and defeat enemies to advance. Players take control of Klonoa, whose primary attack involves grabbing enemies with his Wind Ring, a object that fires a small burst of air forward that inflates and pulls enemies back to him to carry. He can then throw them forward or use them to perform a double-jump in midair, allowing him to reach greater heights and bypass obstacles. New features include selectable difficulty levels, a two-player cooperative mode (originally from "Lunatea's Veil"), a "stopwatch" mode, and a higher resolution and framerate.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: In September 2019, a trademark filing under the name "Klonoa of the Wind Encore" was first discovered, hinting towards a new entry in the series.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: Two years later in September, Bandai Namco Entertainment filed a Japanese trademark for "Klonoa Encore", with another trademark named "Wahoo Encore" around the same month, followed by a UK trademark for "Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series" the following December. The title was officially announced in February 2022 as part of a Nintendo Direct broadcast for the Nintendo Switch along with a release date set for the following July. Bandai Namco confirmed the same day that "Phantasy Reverie Series" would also see a release on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S at an undisclosed date. In North America, the collection was given a digital-only release. It is developed by Monkey Craft, who previously worked with Bandai Namco on another remaster, "Katamari Damacy Reroll", which was released in 2018. Its release was meant to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary, with the publisher launching a commemorative website at the launch of the game's official page.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: "Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series" received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: "Destructoid" praised the game's "terrific" aesthetics, lively world, and polished gameplay while criticizing the exclusion of other titles from the franchise and the lack of substantial content outside the two games. "Hardcore Gamer" gave the title a score of 4/5 and praised the visuals, controls, and audio quality, writing, "["Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series"] is a gorgeous-looking and fun-sounding collection overall and an impressive showcase of how to remake classic games and keep what made them great to begin with intact." "Nintendo Life" gave the Switch port 8/10 stars and lauded the puzzle-platforming gameplay, HD visuals, and its length, but took issue with the borderline simplistic gameplay, drops in performance, and the lack of content included alongside the two titles. "Push Square" praised its charming aesthetics, varied level designs, short length, and jaunty music but criticized the "saccharine", insubstantial story, slight difficulty spikes, and single trophy list spanning two games. "Pocket Tactics" found the title to be a "splendid platformer" and felt that its platforming segments "rival that of "Mario" and "Crash", while it also succeeds in reminding us that it stands alone, and that "Klonoa" has its own identity."


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: The game made #5 in the UK sales charts in its first week, with 52% of its sales being on Switch and 33% being on PlayStation 5. In Japan, the Switch version sold 9,602 copies in its first week, making it the fifth bestselling retail game of the week in the country, while the PlayStation 4 version sold 1,252 units and was the twenty-fifth bestselling retail game in the country throughout the same week.


title: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

text: It charted as Spain's fourth bestselling PlayStation 5 retail release of July, as well as their second bestselling Xbox Series X/S retail release in the same month.


title: East West MRT line

text: The East West line (EWL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line operated by SMRT in Singapore, running from Pasir Ris station in the east to Tuas Link station in the west, with an additional branch between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah stations. It is the second Mass Rapid Transit line to be built in Singapore. The line is the longest on the MRT network (this title will be given to the Cross Island line upon its complete opening by the 2040s), with 35 stations, 8 of which (from Lavender to Tiong Bahru and Changi Airport stations) are underground. The line is coloured green on the rail map.


title: East West MRT line

text: Constructed and opened as part of the North South line (NSL) in the early stages of development, the East West line was formed after the opening of the eastern extension to Tanah Merah in 1989. Nevertheless, both lines used identical signalling equipment and rolling stock. The East West Line signalling systems have been upgraded along with the North South Line and is the second line to have its signalling upgraded completely, converting it from semi-automatic to fully automated operations.


title: East West MRT line

text: The first segment of what would become the East West line, between City Hall to Outram Park stations, was opened on 12 December 1987 as part of the North South line. It was extended westwards to Clementi station on 12 March 1988. During the construction of the extension to Clementi station, Commonwealth Avenue West was realigned to accommodate the viaduct. The line was later extended to Lakeside on 5 November 1988. The eastern extension to Tanah Merah station opened on 4 November 1989, and the opening ceremony was attended by then First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. At that point, the East West line was formed, reflecting the operational split from the North South line which has at the same time extended to Marina Bay station, and uses a green coloured theme.


title: East West MRT line

text: The line extension to Pasir Ris station was opened ahead of schedule on 16 December 1989 with a sneak preview beforehand. Boon Lay station opened on 6 July 1990, marking the completion of the initial MRT system.


title: East West MRT line

text: Construction on a new infill station Dover station between Buona Vista station and Clementi station began in June 1998. The building of the station was met with reservations by some members of the public over the small area it serviced and there were criticisms over the spending of "taxpayers' money" chiefly for use only by students of one educational institution. Despite some opposition, the Land Transport Authority proceeded with the construction to serve commuters along Singapore Polytechnic with Dover housing estate. On 18 October 2001, Dover was opened. Prior to opening, test runs were conducted from 13 to 17 October 2001 when the trains stopped at this station but did not open their doors. Dover is the first station in the MRT network to be built as an infill station.


title: East West MRT line

text: The idea of extending the Mass Rapid Transit system to Changi Airport was reconsidered when Terminal 3 of the airport was being built. Earlier plans had long been made for a new line branching off from the existing East West line at Tanah Merah, with some conceptual plans showing a tentative route alignment up to the airport along Airport Boulevard, continuing beyond the airport to Changi Point, before turning southwest back towards the city along the eastern coasts. The plans were finally announced by then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 15 November 1996. However, the new route alignment showed a deviation from previous plans, where the final plan involved in building only the first two stations of Expo, and Changi Airport, the latter being the underground station built between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. The alignment of the station at the airport also switched perpendicularly to an east–west direction, such that the station leads to two of the terminals directly from either end of the station. The station's designs were unveiled on 10 February 1998 with construction starting on 29 January 1999. Expo and Changi Airport were opened on 10 January 2001 and 8 February 2002 respectively and operates under a shuttle service. Prior to 22 July 2003, train services from Boon Lay commences after the opening, but were later reverted to shuttle services due to low patronage. On 25 May 2019, it was announced that the Changi Airport Extension will be converted to become part of Thomson-East Coast line Extension (TELe) by 2040.


title: East West MRT line

text: The Boon Lay extension was first announced by the LTA on 29 December 2004, set to serve residents from the Jurong West Town area and those working in the Jurong Industrial Estate. The two stations, Pioneer and Joo Koon stations, officially opened on 28 February 2009.


title: East West MRT line

text: On 11 January 2011, the Tuas West extension, an extension of the East West line from Joo Koon to Tuas Link was announced. The extension has a span of , which spans a twin-tracked MRT viaduct, four above-ground stations and a 26-hectare depot to provide stabling and maintenance facilities for the additional trains that will be bought for the extension and to cater for future expansion of the line. The viaduct is integrated with part of a road viaduct along Pioneer Road, which will increase the road capacity to cope with anticipated increase in traffic. The stations are Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road, and Tuas Link. On 4 May 2012, the Land Transport Authority marked the start of construction of the Tuas West extension with a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Tuas Link station.


title: East West MRT line

text: The extension began service on 18 June 2017. During initial stages after opening, the westbound trains will alternate their terminus between Joo Koon and Tuas Link, where for every two trains, one train will terminate at the former, while the other train will terminate at the latter.


title: East West MRT line

text: On 25 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority announced that a new platform will be constructed at Tanah Merah, enabling faster travel and shorter waiting times for commuters heading towards Expo and Changi Airport on the Changi Airport branch line of the East West line.


title: East West MRT line

text: On 26 October 2016, the Land Transport Authority awarded the civil contract to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte. Ltd. to build a new platform at Tanah Merah and viaducts for a contract sum of S$325 million. In addition to the new platforms, the existing East West line tracks will be extended to connect the line to the new four-in-one East Coast Integrated Depot at Changi. When completed in 2024, it will be the second station to have triple island platforms after Jurong East.


title: East West MRT line

text: There were calls for platform screen doors (PSDs) to be installed at above-ground stations after several incidents in which passengers were killed or seriously injured by oncoming trains when they fell onto the railway tracks at above-ground stations. Underground stations already featured the doors since 1987. The authorities initially rejected the proposal by casting doubts over functionality and concerns about the high installation costs, but made an about-turn later with the government announcing plans to install half-height platform screen doors on the elevated stations on 25 January 2008, citing lower costs due to its becoming a more common feature worldwide. They were first installed at Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Yishun stations in 2009 as trial runs. On 31 August 2011, the LTA announced completion of the installation of PSDs along the East West line, with Expo being the last station on the line to receive the PSDs. Installation of PSDs across both the North South and East West lines (NSEWL) were completed on 14 March 2012, 3 months ahead of schedule.


title: East West MRT line

text: The timber sleepers on the East West line was required to be replaced as they were near the end of their 25-year lifespan. The replacement sleepers, made of concrete, have a significantly longer lifespan. To speed up works, train services on the East West line was adjusted to end earlier. The work was divided into three phases: Phase 1 (Bugis - Tanah Merah), Phase 2 (Joo Koon - Jurong East, Tanah Merah - Pasir Ris) and Phase 3 (Jurong East - Outram Park). The sleepers were fully replaced on 18 February 2017.


title: East West MRT line

text: A new moving-block signalling system, supplied by Thales, replaced the former ageing fixed-block signalling system on the East West line. The new signalling system, costing $195 million, reduces waiting times for trains during peak periods from 120 seconds then to 100 seconds now. The new system became operational between Pioneer and Tuas Link stations on 18 June 2017. Newer rolling stocks, such as the C151B and C151C, are equipped for use solely on the new signalling system. Since 27 May 2018, the new signalling system has been operating full-day on the entire East West line.


title: East West MRT line

text: Replacement works on the third rail, which provides electricity to the trains, were carried out between September 2015 and August 2017. The new third rail replaced its 30-year-old predecessor and is expected to increase reliability of the East West line's electrical system.


title: East West MRT line

text: On 5 August 1993, before opening, a maintenance vehicle spilt oil on the tracks between Clementi and Jurong East. The first ten eastbound trains reported braking problems, then the eleventh train from Jurong stopped at the Clementi station for two minutes longer than scheduled due to it using its emergency brakes to stop at the station at 7.50 am, before being hit by another eastbound train when it failed to stop in time. 156 passengers were injured by the collision.


title: East West MRT line

text: During the evening peak hours on 7 July 2015, train services on the East West and North South lines were temporarily disrupted due to massive power trips detected along both lines. The cause of the disruption was due to damaged insulators which had resulted in the failure of the power supply. For this disruption that brought inconvenience to 413,000 commuters, LTA imposed a 'record' fine of S$5.4 million on SMRT.


title: East West MRT line

text: At about 11.08 am on 22 March 2016, two SMRT track-maintenance trainee staff were killed after a C151 train approaching Pasir Ris station ran over them, resulting in a temporarily service delay between Tanah Merah and Pasir Ris for about 2.5 hours and affected at least 10,000 commuters.


title: East West MRT line

text: In a report, the two trainee staff joined SMRT in January 2016 and worked as technicians under a technical team of 15 staff led by a supervisor and were tasked to go down to the tracks to investigate an alarm triggered by a possible signalling equipment fault close by the station. An operator cited that they were granted access to the tracks, but did not coordinate with a Signal Unit in the station to ensure trains could not travel in the area where the team was.


title: East West MRT line

text: Patrick Nathan, SMRT vice-president, promised that "SMRT will review all safety protocols particularly those involving track access". SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek apologised for the incident and said SMRT will investigate how "the [two men] got hit by the train". SMRT fired both an engineer responsible for leading with the team and the train driver who was involved at the scene of the accident.


title: East West MRT line

text: On 2 December 2016, SMRT was formally accused of failing to ensure that its employees complied with approved operating procedures when accessing the track; SMRT was then pleaded guilty to its charges on 28 February 2017 and incurred a S$400,000 fine. Investigations are still ongoing against the two men, Teo Wee Kiat (SMRT's director of control operations) and Lim Say Heng, both charged for the incident.


title: East West MRT line

text: A second train collision occurred on 15 November 2017 at approximately 8.18am, where two C151A trains collided at Joo Koon MRT station. A train fault caused the first train heading in the direction of Tuas Link to stall at the station. A minute later, a second train stopped behind the first and then "moved forward unexpectedly" to cause the collision. 38 people, which include two SMRT staff were hospitalized.


title: East West MRT line

text: Train services between Tuas Link and Joo Koon stations were temporally suspended on both directions for two hours on the day itself and the entire day on 16 November 2017, resulting that the westbound trains would temporarily terminate at Joo Koon.


title: East West MRT line

text: An update by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) & SMRT on 16 November 2017 stated that LTA and SMRT have decided to isolate for up to one month the operations of the Tuas West extension, which runs on the new signalling system, from the rest of the East West line, which runs on the old signalling system, enabling LTA engineers to carry out further assurance checks together with Thales. The train was switching systems when the collision took place. Train service on the line resumed on 20 November, with the Tuas West extension between Gul Circle and Tuas Link using the new signalling system and the section between Pasir Ris and Joo Koon, together with the Changi Airport Branch continuing to run on the old signalling system. Train services between Joo Koon and Gul Circle were temporarily suspended until its resumption on 28 May 2018; between the suspension a free bridging bus service is available between the two stations. Continuous service between Pasir Ris and Gul Circle resumed on 28 May 2018, with the permanent activation of the new CBTC system; since the incident, selected portions of either North South or East West line were closed to conduct track renewal works with early weekend closures and later station openings.


title: East West MRT line

text: <mapframe text="Location of East West MRT line" width=520 height=200 zoom=11 latitude=1.32515 longitude=103.81187>


title: East West MRT line

text: As its name implies, the East West line connects central Singapore to both eastern and western parts of the island, with an additional branch between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah, which operates as a separate shuttle service. Some stations are commonly placed at the middle of the roads such as Tanah Merah, Bedok, Queenstown, Commonwealth, Dover, Clementi, Pioneer, Joo Koon, Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent and Tuas West Road. The line runs mostly on overhead viaducts but goes underground in the city area between Kallang and Redhill, Bedok and Kembangan, and between Expo and Changi Airport. Travelling from one end of the line to the other takes about 85 minutes.


title: East West MRT line

text: It is 57.2 kilometers (35.5 miles) long and it is double-tracked, but certain short sections at Tanah Merah, Outram Park and Joo Koon widens to three tracks, four tracks nearby Jurong East station and a section between Jurong East and Clementi station and five tracks nearby Changi Depot and Tanah Merah station.


title: East West MRT line

text: The East West line was constructed along the North South line. As such, both lines used identical signalling equipment and rolling stock.


title: East West MRT line

text: The line serves 35 stations across of track, and station codes for the line are green, corresponding to the line's colour on the system map. 8 stations, including Changi Airport, and 7 other stations on the stretch from Lavender to Tiong Bahru are underground, with the rest being elevated. With the exception of Dover, all stations have island platforms.


title: East West MRT line

text: SMRT used to operate the branch sector of Tanah Merah to Changi Airport as a through service from Boon Lay from 18 November 2001 until 22 July 2003, when it was replaced with a shuttle service. By 2040, the Changi Airport line (CAL) will be converted to the Thomson-East Coast line.


title: East West MRT line

text: Five batches of rolling stock operate on the East West Line, namely the C151, C651, C751B, C151A and C151B from oldest to newest, which are also operated on the North South Line. Trains are maintained at Ulu Pandan Depot, Changi Depot and Tuas Depot, which provides train maintenance, inspection and overhaul facilities. These models of rolling stock were introduced to boost the capacity on both the North South and the East West lines in order to cope with increasing ridership.


title: East West MRT line

text: Both the North South and the East West lines utilized identical rolling stock up until the recent years, when the C151A trains was temporary suspended from operating on the North South Line from January 2012 until November 2013 following the 2011 Train Disruptions. The C151B trains, which was introduced in April 2017, did not begin revenue service on the full-stretch of the East West Line until the line's trial of the CBTC signalling system in May 2018. The C151C trains, despite its introduction on 30 September 2018, is not operating on the East West Line.


title: East West MRT line

text: Another generation of rolling stock, the R151 trains, will be delivered from 2022 to 2026, to replace all 66 first-generation C151, all 19 second-generation C651 and all 21 third-generation C751B trains which will be retired. The R151 trains will be the first rolling stock on the East West Line to be manufactured by Bombardier (Bought by Alstom in 2021), which has also supplied trains for the Downtown Line.


title: East West MRT line

text: The East West line is equipped with Thales SelTrac communications-based train control (CBTC) moving block signalling system with automatic train control (ATC) under automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 3 (DTO). The subsystems consist of automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, NetTrac MT Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and a computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.


title: East West MRT line

text: The old signalling system has undergone decommissioning work from August 2018 and was completed on 23 November 2018. It consists of Westinghouse fixed block signalling system with Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 2 (STO). The subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and a Relay interlocking system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.


title: East West MRT line

text: The stretch of track between Pioneer and Tuas Link stations was equipped with the new signalling system which came into use in June 2017. As the section of track between Pioneer and Joo Koon support 'mixed-mode' of both signalling systems, trains terminating at either Joo Koon or Tuas Link would have to change signalling modes at Pioneer MRT station as trains terminating at Joo Koon would proceed to a turn back siding which was built as part of the TWE which only supports the new signalling system. Eastbound trains towards Pasir Ris would have to change back to the old signalling system at Pioneer MRT station. This procedure was removed after the train collision at Joo Koon as trains terminated at Joo Koon. The new signalling system became fully operational on 28 May 2018.


title: East West MRT line

text: Automatic full-height platform screen doors by Westinghouse were originally installed in all underground stations since opening, and half-height platform screen doors by ST Engineering's Electronics sector were installed by August 2011 on elevated stations. Tuas West extension stations have half-height platform screen doors, manufactured by Fangda.


title: National symbols of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

text: Symbols of Ireland are marks, images, or objects that represent Ireland. Because Ireland was not partitioned until 1922, many of the symbols of Ireland predate the division into Southern Ireland (later Irish Free State and then Ireland) and Northern Ireland.


text: Unlike other countries (such as the United States, with the state symbols), Irish and Northern Irish state symbols are rarely defined by official Acts; they are defined by common usage or by various interest groups.


text: These symbols are seen in official capacities, such as flags, coats of arms, postage stamps, and currency, and in URLs.


text: They appear less formally as recurring themes in literature, art and folk art, heraldry, monuments, clothing, personal decoration, and as the names of parks, bridges and streets.


text: As a region, Northern Ireland has not been granted a coat of arms, but the Government of Northern Ireland was granted arms in 1924, which have not been in use since the suspension of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1972, which was abolished the following year. Its notable features included the Irish elk and the banner of the House of de Burgh.


text: The flag of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white and orange, first flown in 1848. The colours stand for Irish Catholicism, Irish Protestantism, and peace between the two.


text: Although it was originally intended as a symbol of peace and ecumenism, the tricolour is today seen by some Irish unionists as a symbol of Irish republicanism and the Irish Republican Army. Many other flags are suggested as the cross-border flag for Ireland.


text: The flag of Northern Ireland (Ulster Banner) was used officially between 1953 and 1973. The Union Jack is also used prominently in Northern Ireland and has been the flag of the United Kingdom since 1801. It is derived by combining Saint George's Cross (for England), St Andrew's Saltire (for Scotland) and Saint Patrick's Saltire.


text: St Patrick's saltire has rarely been used as a symbol of Ireland since Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom. In present day, it is used mostly by institutions in Ireland which were established before independence and which retain historic links to the United Kingdom, for example Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. It has been suggested that the Saltire should be used as Northern Ireland's official flag.


text: The Republic of Ireland has no national motto, but Erin go Bragh (Ireland Forever) is a popular unofficial motto. Northern Ireland has used the motto "Quis separabit?", Latin from Romans 8:35: "Quis nos separabit a caritate Christi...", "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"


text: The motto "Hiberni Unanimes pro Deo Rege et Patria" ("The Irish United for God, King, and Country") was used by Confederate Ireland.


text: The Society of United Irishmen (1780s–1798) used "Equality: it is new strung and shall be heard" as a motto.


text: The coins introduced in 1928 by the Irish Free State depicted a mixture of farm and game animals, the more "noble" species on higher denominations: woodcock (farthing); sow and farrow (halfpenny); hen and chicks (penny); Irish hare (threepence); Irish Wolfhound (sixpence); bull (shilling); Atlantic salmon (florin) Irish Sport Horse (half crown). The pound coin introduced in 1990 featured a red deer stag.


text: The northern lapwing ("Vanellus vanellus") was declared the Republic of Ireland's national bird by a committee of the Irish Wildlife Conservancy in 1990.


text: Northern Ireland does not have an official national bird, but the Eurasian oystercatcher ("Haematopus ostralegus") was unofficially selected in 1961.


text: "The Irish Examiner" has put the rook ("Corvus frugilegus") forward as a possible national bird, due to their "wild hardiness, spirit, and resilience, in the face of all difficulties, and their ability to cope with style and a bit of craic, with anything that the world throws at them."


text: In 2016 Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland listed ten possible national birds: European robin, peregrine falcon, common house martin, Eurasian curlew, roseate tern, barn owl, common swift, Bohemian waxwing, Eurasian blackcap, northern pintail.


text: In 2019, the European golden plover ("Pluvialis apricaria") and roseate tern ("Sterna dougallii") appeared on a series of two "National Bird" stamps issued by An Post.


text: Cattle have been important in Irish mythology and folklore for centuries, due to their economic importance as sources of milk, cheese, leather, and beef, strong>as well as a source of social status. The bull has long been associated with high status in Ireland, appearing as an important animal in Irish several myths, such as the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), Táin Bó Flidhais, and the tale of Glas Gaibhnenn. The prominence of the bull in Irish mythology reflects a prehistory of cattle raising and cattle raiding in which the bull was seen as an important symbol of power among kings.


text: St Luke's winged bull is illustrated in Celtic style in the Book of Kells, as well as on various Irish stamps.


text: The Irish wolfhound is generally considered Ireland's national breed, although some, including Michael Collins, have put forward the Kerry Blue Terrier as an alternative.


text: "Coarse fish" have been described as the Republic of Ireland's national fish; this category includes the likes of bream, perch and carp.


text: Sheep: Sheep-raising and wool products are historically important in Ireland, and sheep feature commonly in souvenirs sold to tourists,


text: The national land mammal is unclear. The Irish Hare ("Lepus timidus") has been described as a national animal, as has the red deer ("Cervus elaphus"). Although extinct, the Irish Elk is also associated with Ireland.


text: "Fuchsia magellanica" 'Riccartonii' (hummingbird fuchsia, hardy fuchsia; in Irish "deora Dé", "tears of God") has sometimes been described as the national flower, despite not being a native plant.


text: Flax ("Linum usitatissimum") is widely used as a symbol of Northern Ireland. It is the emblem of the Northern Ireland Assembly, referencing Ulster's linen industry.


text: The national tree of the Republic is the sessile oak ("Quercus petraea"), declared as such in 1990 by Taoiseach Charlie Haughey.


text: The Celtic harp (cláirseach), great Irish warpipes (píob mhór), uilleann pipes and the bodhrán have all been described as national musical instruments. A gold Celtic harp on a green field has historically been used in heraldry to represent Ireland.


text: The Lambeg drum which often used in parades of the Orange Order and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, is referral as the unofficial national instrument of Northern Ireland. Also, the flute which is often linked to the parades, is an associated national instrument.


text: "Amhrán na bhFiann" ("The Soldiers' Song") is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. Written in English by Peadar Kearney and set to music by Patrick Heeney in 1907, it was translated to Irish by Liam Ó Rinn in 1923; the Irish-language version is considered the official anthem. "God Save Ireland" was used from the 1870s until independence.


text: "God Save the Queen" (alternatively "God Save the King", depending on the gender of the reigning monarch) is used by Northern Ireland as it is a part of the UK. Although its use is controversial amongst Irish nationalists. The Irish folk song "Londonderry Air", sometimes with the lyrics of "Danny Boy" is often used a substitute national anthem for Northern Ireland.


text: Among alcoholic drinks, Irish whiskey is the national spirit, with Jameson Irish Whiskey, Tullamore Dew and Bushmills being the main whiskey brands.


text: Poitín, made from potatoes and with an alcohol content of up to 90% ABV, is the traditional Irish moonshine, brewed illegally since 1661, when a duty was placed on whiskey and other spirits were made illegal. During this time, the name poitín was applied to inferior products. According to one guidebook, ""If you see a product labelled "poteen" in an airport or a bar, it's simply a white duty-paid Irish schnapps. By definition, poteen is illegal and can't be sold."" The first legally produced poitín was produced in 1987, under the condition that it was not sold in Ireland; poitín was fully legalised in 1997. It now holds GI status in the European Union.


text: Stout, a dark beer made using roasted oats or barley, is the national beer, with Guinness heavily promoted as a symbol of Ireland.


text: Irish coffee, made with coffee, whiskey, sugar and cream and invented in Foynes in 1943, has been described as the national cocktail.


text: The national dish of Ireland is the Irish stew; other national dishes include the full Irish breakfast/Ulster fry and bacon and cabbage.


text: Gaelic games constitute Ireland's national sports: Gaelic football, hurling, camogie rounders and Gaelic handball.


text: Several sources give forty-fives (also called "45" or "25"), or its variant form Spoil Five, as the Irish national card game.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: Originally from the Atlas Mountains and the Rif Mountains of Morocco, the Barbary macaque population in Gibraltar is the only wild monkey population on the European continent. Although most Barbary monkey populations in Africa are experiencing decline due to hunting and deforestation, the Gibraltar population is increasing. , some 300 animals in five troops occupy the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, though they make occasional forays into the town. As they are a tailless species, they are also known locally as Barbary apes or rock apes, despite being classified as monkeys ("Macaca sylvanus"). Spanish speakers simply refer to them as "monos" () when conversing in Spanish, although English is the native language as the area is a British overseas territory.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: The name Barbary refers to the Berber People of North Africa who, since the beginning of history, had ties with the animals surrounding their region, as the Barbary macaques. The macaque population had also been present on the Rock of Gibraltar long before Gibraltar was captured by the British in 1704 and according to records, since prior to reconquest of Gibraltar from the Muslims. It was during the Islamic period where a purported introduction may have taken place. In his work "Historia de la Muy Noble y Más Leal Ciudad de Gibraltar" ("History of the Very Noble and Most Loyal City of Gibraltar"), written between 1605 and 1610, Alonso Hernández del Portillo, the first chronicler of Gibraltar, wrote:


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: In his "History of Gibraltar" (1782), Ignacio López de Ayala, a Spanish historian like Portillo, wrote of the monkeys:


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: Repeated introduction of animals and the lack of reliable data concerning founders of the Gibraltar macaque population has obscured their origin. The fact that all extant Gibraltarian mtDNA haplotypes were also found in North Africa, combined with the lack of fossil evidence of "M. sylvanus" in Gibraltar at the end of the last glaciation, greatly diminishes the possibility that the Gibraltar macaques represent or include any remnant of the original European population, a possibility which can nevertheless not be excluded. Indeed, it had been earlier suggested that the original Gibraltar macaques were a remnant of populations that had spread throughout Southern Europe during the Pliocene, up to 5.5 million years ago. The "Macaca sylvanus" species is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and is declining. About 75% of the total population is found in the Middle Atlas Mountains.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: During the Pleistocene, this species inhabited the Mediterranean coasts and Europe, reaching as far north as Germany and the British Isles. The species decreased with the arrival of the Ice Age, to extinction in the Iberian Peninsula 30,000 years ago.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: The Gibraltar Barbary macaques are considered by many to be the top tourist attraction in Gibraltar. The most popular troop is that of Queen's Gate at the Ape's Den, where people can get especially close to the monkeys. They will often approach and sometimes climb onto people, as they are used to human interaction. Nevertheless, they are still wild animals and will bite if frightened or annoyed.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: Deliberately feeding the macaques in Gibraltar is now an offence punishable by law. Anyone caught feeding the monkeys is liable to be fined up to £4,000.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: Gibraltar's Barbary macaque population was under the care of the British Army and later the Gibraltar Regiment from 1915 to 1991, who carefully controlled a population that initially consisted of a single troop. The 'Keeper of the Apes' would keep the official records, maintaining an up-to-date register for each ape, listing their births and names and supervising their diet, which they drew officially every week. The food allowance of fruit, vegetables and nuts was included in the budget, set by the War Office at £4 a month in 1944. They would humorously announce births in the 'Gibraltar Chronicle':— "Rock Apes. Births: To Phyllis, wife of Tony, at the Upper Rock, on 30th June 1942— a child. Both doing well." much to the delight of readers. They were named after governors, brigadiers and high-ranking officers. Any ill or injured monkey needing surgery or any other form of medical attention was taken to Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar and received the same treatment as would an enlisted service man. When UK-based infantry units were withdrawn and garrison duty was left to the Gibraltar Regiment, the Government of Gibraltar took over responsibility for the monkeys.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: On 11 May 1954, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the ape packs while on a visit to Gibraltar. A photograph captured the Queen feeding a Barbary ape while the Duke of Edinburgh stood next to battle-dressed ape-keeper Gunner Wilfred Portlock.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: The monkeys are currently managed by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), and veterinarian expertise is provided by the Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic. The macaques receive a daily supply of fresh water and vegetables, fruit and seeds as supplement to natural food resources (leaves, olives, roots, seeds and flowers). The animals are caught on a regular basis to check their health status. Additionally, body size, weight and several other measurements are taken. Finally, the animals are given a tattoo number and a microchip as a means of identification. But tattoos are not the only way to recognise individual macaques; many of them have particular marks, scars or spots which can be used as distinguishing features. All monkeys are photographed and the pictures and individual characteristics are catalogued. Cataloguing work is carried out by the GONHS. The GONHS also does collaborative studies with the Scientific Institute of Rabat-Agdal University (Morocco), the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, United States), the University of Vienna (Austria), the German Primate Centre (Germany) and the University of Zurich (Switzerland).


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: Once every year, a census is conducted to provide data and to monitor reproductive success of the whole population.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: These demographic data are important for the management of the population generally, and fertility regulation in selected individuals, specifically. Since Barbary macaque females reproduce well, the population on Gibraltar is steadily increasing, which in turn puts pressure on the limited habitat. Animal population control is therefore an essential part of the effective management of the population. In 2008 a small group of macaques that had permanently relocated to the Catalan Bay area were culled. In 2012 the Government Minister for Health and the Environment Dr. John Cortes stated that the Government was investigating the possibility of reintroducing over a hundred macaques to their natural habitat in North Africa.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: In October 2014, the Government of Gibraltar announced that it would export 30 of the monkeys to a safari park in Scotland. This caused a journalist spin that they were sent to Scotland for being especially "disruptive". By 2017, the monkeys at the Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling were doing well and the first births were being registered.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: A popular belief holds that as long as Gibraltar Barbary macaques exist on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. In 1942 (during World War II), after the population dwindled to just seven monkeys, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered their numbers be replenished immediately from forest fragments in both Morocco and Algeria because of this traditional belief.


title: Barbary macaques in Gibraltar

text: In another story, the Gibraltar Barbary macaques entered the Rock via a subterranean passage between Lower St. Michael's Cave and Morocco.


title: 2016 in video games

text: Numerous video games were released in 2016. New hardware came out as well, albeit largely refreshed and updated versions of consoles in the PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 4 Slim, and Xbox One S. Commercially available virtual reality headsets were released in much greater numbers and at much lower price points than the enthusiast-only virtual reality headsets of earlier generations. Augmented reality also became mainstream with "Pokémon Go". Top-rated games originally released in 2016 included "", "Inside", "Overwatch", "Forza Horizon 3", "NBA 2K17", "Dark Souls III", and "Battlefield 1" and "Doom 2016". The top five highest-grossing video games of 2016 were "League of Legends", "Honor of Kings/Arena of Valor", "Monster Strike", "Clash of Clans", and "Dungeon Fighter Online".


title: 2016 in video games

text: Analysis firm SuperData estimated that the global video game software market brought in $91 billion in revenues in 2016; this was an increase over the $74 billion estimated for 2015, but SuperData noted that their 2016 estimates included a larger data set. Of the $91 billion, $41 billion was attributed to mobile gaming, particularly the titles "Clash Royale" and "Pokémon Go", with the largest mobile gaming section in Asia with total revenues near $25 billion. Personal computer video games made up $34 billion, with $19 billion contributed from free-to-play games, and console games, retail and downloadable, were $26 and $6.6 billion, respectively. The firm also identified that virtual reality (VR), professional video game sports, and streaming were still growing markets in the year. DFC Intelligence reported similar numbers for revenues in the various sectors, and noted that mobile gaming revenues overtook both console and personal computer revenues in 2016.


title: 2016 in video games

text: Newzoo estimated that $70.4 billion of video game revenues were made by the top 25 publicly-trading companies, led by Tencent ($10.2B), Sony ($7.9B), Activision Blizzard ($6.6B), Microsoft ($6.5B) and Apple, Inc. ($5.9B). The top ten companies brought in more than 54% of total revenues during 2016, up from 43% in 2015.


title: 2016 in video games

text: IHS Markit estimated that worldwide revenue related to console hardware, software, and services was $34.7 billion, down about 2.5% from 2015; hardware sales were down from $12.8 billion to $10.5 billion, while software and service revenues were up. Sony held about 57% of the market share during 2016, followed by Microsoft and Nintendo.


title: 2016 in video games

text: Within the United States, revenues from the video game industry in 2016 was estimated at $30.4 billion by the Entertainment Software Association and NPD Group, slightly up from 2015's $30.2 billion. Of that, $24.5 billion was spent on video game software, an increase of 6% from 2015. Digital purchases, which included full game purchases, downloadable content, game subscriptions, and mobile game microtransactions, made up 74% of this number, continuing a steady increase of digital sales over retail since 2010. Sales were driven by the introduction of VR, "Pokémon Go" and "Pokémon Sun" and "Moon", and the games "Battlefield 1", "", "Madden NFL 17", "NBA 2K17" and "Tom Clancy's The Division".


title: 2016 in video games

text: The following were 2016's top ten highest-grossing video games worldwide in terms of digital revenue (including digital purchases, microtransactions, free-to-play and pay-to-play) across all platforms (including mobile, PC and console platforms). Six of the top ten highest-grossing games are published or owned by Tencent.


title: 2016 in video games

text: Series with new installments in 2016 include "Ace Attorney", "Battlefield", "Call of Duty", "Civilization", "", "Dark Souls", "Dead Rising", "Deus Ex", "Dishonored", "Digimon", "Doom", "Far Cry", "FIFA", "Final Fantasy", "Fire Emblem", "Forza Horizon", "Gears of War", "Hearts of Iron", "Hitman", "Homefront", "Homeworld", "Kirby", "Mafia", "Mario Party", "Master of Orion", "Metroid", "Mirror's Edge", "Persona", "", "Pokémon", "Ratchet & Clank", "Shadow of the Beast", "Shadow Warrior", "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Star Fox", "Star Ocean", "Street Fighter", "Titanfall", "Total War", "Uncharted", "Watch Dogs", "XCOM", and "Zero Escape".


title: 2016 in video games

text: In addition, 2016 saw the introduction of several new properties, including "Abzû", "Hyper Light Drifter", "Inside", "The Last Guardian", "No Man's Sky", "Owlboy", "Obduction", "Overwatch", "Quantum Break", "Stardew Valley", "Tom Clancy's The Division", and "The Witness".


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Armed Forces of Malta () is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval forces. Since Malta is the guardian of the European Union's most southerly border, the AFM has an active role in border control.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: In April 1800, while the blockade of Valletta was underway, Thomas Graham raised the first official Maltese Troops in the British Army, which became known as the Maltese Light Infantry. This battalion was disbanded in 1802 and succeeded by the Maltese Provincial Battalions, the Malta Coast Artillery and the Maltese Veterans. In 1815, Lieutenant Colonel Count Francis Rivarola was entrusted with the task of raising the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment following the disbandment of the Provincials, Veterans and Coast Artillery. The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment was converted to an artillery regiment in 1861 and became known as the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery. Twenty-eight years later, the direct predecessors of the modern Armed Forces of Malta came into existence following the formation of the Royal Malta Artillery on 23 March 1889.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The King's Own Malta Regiment was a territorial infantry regiment on the British Army colonial list. It was formed in 1801 as the "Regiment of Maltese Militia", existing only until the following year. It was reformed as the "Maltese Militia" by Sir Adrian Dingli in 1852 before being disbanded again in 1857. It was raised again, this time as the "Royal Malta Regiment of Militia" in 1889; this regiment was considered to be the successor to the "Maltese Chasseurs" of the early 19th century. The regiment was renamed the "King's Own Royal Malta Regiment of Militia" in 1903 and was disbanded in 1921. The regiment was raised for a fourth time in 1931 as the "King's Own Malta Regiment". Initially on the British Establishment, in 1951 it was transferred to the Malta Territorial Force before becoming part of the Malta Land Force on Malta's independence in 1964. The regiment was disbanded in 1972.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The AFM was formed upon Malta becoming a republic in 1974, when 1 Regiment Royal Malta Artillery was renamed as 1 Regiment, AFM. This initially continued the artillery role, with 2 Regiment formed as an engineers unit. In 1980, 1 Regiment became a mixed unit, with infantry, aircraft and maritime responsibilities, the artillery element being transferred to 2 Regiment. In 1992, there was a major re-organisation, which led to the formation of 3 Regiment and the current structure.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: HQ AFM is the Force Headquarters located at Luqa Barracks, Luqa. It is a joint Headquarters that operates at the military strategic as well as the operational and tactical levels.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: 1st Battalion is Malta's infantry unit, and has primary responsibility for the territorial defence of the country. It is divided into three rifle companies, a support company and a headquarters company.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta is the aerial component of the current Maltese military. The Air Wing has responsibility for the security of Maltese airspace, conducts maritime patrol and search and rescue duties, and provides military assistance to other government departments of Malta. The Air Wing is based at Malta International Airport.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta is the naval component of the current Maltese military. The Maritime Squadron has responsibility for the security of Maltese territorial waters, maritime surveillance and law enforcement, as well as search and rescue. It is based at Hay Wharf (Xatt it-Tiben) in Floriana. It currently operates 10 patrol vessels and 6 other boats.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: In addition to the regular forces, there is also the Volunteer Reserve Force, which consists of part-time volunteers to support the regulars.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The presence of the Italian Military Mission (IMM) in Malta has taken form in the shape of technical assistance spread over three periods of time; firstly, between 1973 and 1979, then between 1981 and July 1988, and lastly from July 1988 to 7 November 2016, when its last helicopter left Malta.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: IMM personnel resources in Malta totalled 12 officers and 35 NCOs from the three service branches of the Italian Armed Forces. It was also equipped with two AB 212 helicopters, 15 heavy plant vehicles, 60 light all-purpose utility vehicles, radio telecommunications, and weapons.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Armed Forces of Malta mainly consist of professional soldiers. There are also a small number of reserve soldiers. Malta does not employ conscription. Volunteers, who want to enlist, need to be citizens of Malta, and between 18–30 years old. In 2017, there were roughly 1,950 active personnel and 180 reservists.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: Since Malta's entry in the European Union, the AFM has become more engaged in peacekeeping missions. The AFM has participated in 7 overseas operations.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: On land, 1 Regiment is the designated home of the Maltese Infantry with C (Special Duties) Company being at the cutting edge of this unit. The company is being trained and equipped to be able to contribute a platoon for overseas humanitarian and rescue missions attached to an Italian regiment on missions mandated by the UN or the OSCE. Malta has to ensure that the troops are adequately trained and equipped up to Italian army standards for seamless integration within an Italian regiment, able to tackle any foreseeable problems for up to a year. C (Special Duties) Company is also being geared for a quick reaction role, ready for action at a moment's notice should an emergency, such as terrorism, arise.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The kit used by the Maltese foot soldier has changed drastically in recent years. The fiat for change was given to C Company prior to its successful participation in the multi-national Partnership for Peace exercise in 1996. Following Malta's pledge towards the EU's Military Headline Goal in 2000, procurement received another boost.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: With funding being a perennial problem, over the years the Force had to rely on varied equipment transferred or financed by several countries. Standardisation was a headache. But matters have improved considerably, especially with regard to light infantry weapons. At one time there were as many as eight different types of pistol and associated ammunition, now there are two, principally the Beretta FS and some Makarov. The army has also bought Heckler and Koch sub-machine guns and, thanks to Chinese assistance, all infantrymen now have their own individual AKM rifle.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Maltese Infantry soldier is equipped with the latest British Army issue Personal Load Bearing Equipment including both the webbing and bergen as well as the woodland pattern battle dress uniform, Avon S10 respirator and Kevlar ballistic helmet. Protective ballistic vests and night vision goggles are carried when required.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: Infantry soldiers have a number of weapons at their disposal including the Kalashnikov AK-47 and AKM rifles, the Heckler and Koch MP 5 sub-machine guns, the Beretta 92 FS pistols, the PKM machine gun, as well as the General Purpose Machine Gun L7A1. Sniper teams are equipped with the Accuracy International sniper rifle while the anti-tank troops embedded within the infantry platoons carry the RPG-7 rocket launcher.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: Eight-man sections are deployed either on Landrovers or Iveco VM-90 trucks. The AFM also operates a number of Bedford trucks which, despite their age, still give excellent service. Suffice to say that these trucks were driven in convoys all the way to Kosovo and back three times in 2001 and not one of them broke down. The Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit is equipped with two remote controlled Explosive Ordnance Disposal Vehicles – robots used to disable a bomb from a safe distance. The first was bought in 1989 and a second, much more sophisticated one, was bought last year.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The Air Defence Battery forms part of 2nd Regiment and operates Bofors 40L/70 anti-aircraft guns and four barrelled ZSU-4 heavy machine guns. The Bofors guns can be operated either manually or electrically and they can be laid on their targets either visually or through radar. The 14.5mm machine guns can only be operated manually but they provide a high rate of fire. Air defence posed particular problems because of the passage of time on the Bofors guns, built in the early 1950s.


title: Armed Forces of Malta

text: The AFM wears a single cap badge, based on that of the Royal Malta Artillery, which consists of a gun, similar to that worn by the Royal Artillery but without the crown, on top of a Maltese Cross, with the motto "Tutela Bellicæ Virtutis" underneath.


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French actress. She was known for her performances in award-winning films such as "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972) and "Babette's Feast" (1987), and in critically acclaimed films like "The Big Red One" (1980) and "Violette Nozière" (1978).


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Audran was raised by her mother after her father, a doctor, died while she was young. In 1964, she married director and screenwriter Claude Chabrol, after a short marriage to the actor Jean-Louis Trintignant. Her son by her marriage to Chabrol (which ended in 1980) is the actor Thomas Chabrol (born 1963).


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Her first major role was in Chabrol's film "Les Cousins" (1959). She later appeared in most of Chabrol's films. Some of the more noteworthy of his films Audran appeared in were "Les Bonnes Femmes" (1960), "La Femme Infidèle" (1968), "Les Biches" (1968) as a wealthy bisexual who becomes involved in a ménage à trois (she first gained notice in this), "Le Boucher" (1970) as a school teacher in rural France, "Juste Avant La Nuit" (1971), and "Violette Nozière" (1978). She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her role in "Les Biches" at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.


title: Stéphane Audran

text: She also appeared in the first film of Éric Rohmer ("Signe du Lion"), and in films by Jean Delannoy ("La Peau de Torpedo"), Gabriel Axel ("Babette's Feast", as the mysterious cook Babette), Bertrand Tavernier ("Coup de Torchon", as the wife of the cop turned serial killer) and Samuel Fuller ("The Big Red One"). The most celebrated of her non-Chabrol roles was as Alice Senechal in Luis Buñuel's Oscar-winning film "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie" (1972).


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Also appearing in English-language productions, Audran appeared in American features, including "The Black Bird" (1975), and in TV serials, including "Brideshead Revisited" (1981), "Mistral's Daughter" (1984) and "The Sun Also Rises" (1984). She starred in the 1974 film version of Agatha Christie's mystery "And Then There Were None".


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Audran won a French César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Violette Nozière" (1978), and a British Film Academy award for her part in "Just Before Nightfall" (1975).


title: Stéphane Audran

text: Audran died around 2 a.m. on 27 March 2018, aged 85, following a long illness. Her son, Thomas Chabrol, reported that his mother had been in hospital for almost two weeks before she returned home, where she died.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II (November 2, 1860 – July 8, 1898) was an American con artist and gangster in the American frontier.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith operated confidence schemes across the Western United States, and had a large hand in organized criminal operations in both Colorado and the District of Alaska. Smith gained notoriety through his "prize soap racket," in which he would sell bars of soap with prize money hidden in some of the bars' packaging in order to increase sales. However, through sleight-of-hand, he would ensure that only members of his gang purchased "prize" soap. The racket led to his sobriquet of "Soapy."


title: Soapy Smith

text: The success of his soap racket and other scams helped him finance three successive criminal empires in Denver and Creede, both in Colorado, and in Skagway, Alaska. He was killed in the shootout on Juneau Wharf in Skagway, on July 8, 1898.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Jefferson Smith was born on November 2, 1860, in Coweta County, Georgia, to a wealthy family. His grandfather was a plantation owner and Georgia legislator, while his father was an attorney. However, the Smith family was met with financial ruin at the close of the American Civil War and in 1876, they moved to Round Rock, Texas, to start anew. It was in Round Rock where Smith began his career as a confidence man. In 1877, Smith's mother died and he left home shortly thereafter, but not before witnessing the death of the outlaw Sam Bass in 1878.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he formed a close-knit, disciplined gang of shills and thieves to work for him. He quickly became a well-known crime boss and, eventually, the "king of the frontier con men." His gang of swindlers, known as the Soap Gang, including men such as Texas Jack Vermillion and "Big Ed" Burns, moved from town to town plying their trade on unwary victims. Their principal method was short cons, in which swindles were quick and needed little setup and assistance. The short cons included the shell game, three-card monte, and rigged poker games, which they called "big mitt."


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith’s most well-known short con was a ploy which the Denver newspapers dubbed the "prize soap racket." Smith would set a display case, piled with bars of soap, on a busy street corner. As he sold the bars of soap and spoke to a growing crowd of onlookers, he would wrap money—ranging from one to a hundred dollars—around a few select bars of soap. He then wrapped plain paper around all the bars so that the money was hidden.


title: Soapy Smith

text: He then made the appearance of mixing the money-wrapped "prize soap" in with the regular soap and sold the soap to the crowd for one dollar per bar. Then, a shill in the crowd would buy a bar, tear it open, and loudly proclaim that he had won some money, waving it around for all to see. The performance led to the sale of even more bars of soap. Midway through the sale, Smith would announce that the hundred-dollar bill still remained in the pile. He would then auction off the remaining soap bars to the highest bidders. Through manipulation and sleight-of-hand, the only money "won" went to his shills.


title: Soapy Smith

text: On one occasion, Smith was arrested by policeman John Holland for running his prize soap racket. While writing in the police logbook, Holland had forgotten Smith's first name and wrote "Soapy." The sobriquet stuck, and he became known as "Soapy Smith."


title: Soapy Smith

text: In 1879, Smith arrived in Denver for the first time and, by 1882, he had successfully built the first of his three empires. Con men usually moved from town to town to avoid the law, but as Smith’s power and gang grew, so did his influence at city hall, which allowed him to remain in the city, protected from prosecution. By 1887, he was reputedly involved with most of the criminal activities in the city. Newspapers in Denver reported that he controlled the city’s criminals and underworld gambling, and accused corrupt politicians and the police chief of accepting bribes.


title: Soapy Smith

text: In 1888, Smith opened The Tivoli Club—a combination saloon and gambling house—on the southeast corner of Market and 17th Street. Allegedly, a sign above the entrance to the gambling games read ""caveat emptor"," Latin for "let the buyer beware." Smith’s younger brother, Bascomb Smith, joined the gang and operated a cigar store that was a front for dishonest poker games and other swindles, which operated in one of the back rooms. Other operations included fraudulent lottery shops, a "sure thing" stock exchange, fake watch and diamond auctions, and the sale of stocks in nonexistent businesses.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Due to receiving bribes, some of the police officers patrolling the streets would not arrest Smith or members of his gang, and other officers feared Smith’s quick and violent anger. On those occasions when Smith or one of his men were arrested, their friends, attorneys, and associates were always ready to obtain their quick release from jail. An electoral fraud trial after the municipal elections of 1889 brought attention to the corrupt ties and payoffs among Smith, the mayor and the chief of police—a combination referred to in local newspapers as "the firm of Londoner, Farley, and Smith." The mayor lost his job, but Smith remained untouched. He opened an office in the prominent Cheever block (one block south of his Tivoli Club) from which he ran his many operations. This also fronted as a business tycoon’s office for high-end swindles.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith was not without enemies and rivals for his position as underworld boss. He faced several attempts on his life and shot several of his assailants. He became known increasingly for his gambling and bad temper.


title: Soapy Smith

text: In 1892, with Denver in the midst of anti-gambling and saloon reforms, Smith sold the Tivoli and moved to Creede, Colorado, a mining boomtown that sprang up on the site of a major silver strike. Using Denver-based prostitutes to get close to property owners and convince them to sign over leases, he acquired numerous lots along Creede’s main street and rented them to his associates. After gaining enough allies, he announced that he was the camp boss.


title: Soapy Smith

text: With brother-in-law and gang member William Sidney "Cap" Light as a deputy sheriff, Smith began his second empire, opening a gambling hall and saloon called the Orleans Club. He purchased and briefly exhibited a petrified man nicknamed "McGinty" for an admission of 10 cents. While customers were waiting in line, Smith ran shell and three-card monte games to swindle even more money.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith provided an order of sorts, protecting his friends and associates from the town’s council and expelling violent troublemakers. Many of the influential newcomers were sent to meet him. Smith grew rich in the process but was also known to give money away freely, using it to build churches, help the poor, and to bury unfortunate prostitutes.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Creede’s boom quickly waned, and corrupt Denver officials sent word that the reforms in Denver were coming to an end. Smith returned to Denver and brought "McGinty" with him. He left at the right time, as Creede soon lost most of its business district in a huge fire on 5 June 1892. Among the buildings destroyed was the Orleans Club.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Upon his return to Denver, Smith opened new businesses which served as fronts for his many short cons. One involved allegedly discounted railroad tickets, in which potential purchasers were told the ticket agent was out of the office, but that they could benefit from a discount by playing any of several rigged games. Smith's power had grown to the point that he admitted to the press he was a con man and saw nothing wrong with it, telling a reporter, "I consider bunco steering more honorable than the life led by the average politician."


title: Soapy Smith

text: In 1894, Colorado's newly-elected governor Davis Hanson Waite fired three Denver officials as part of anti-corruption reforms. They refused to leave their positions and fortified themselves in the Denver City Hall with others who felt their jobs were threatened. Governor Waite called on the state militia to remove them, which brought two cannons and two Gatling guns. Smith joined the corrupt officeholders and police at City Hall and was commissioned a deputy sheriff. Smith and several of his men climbed the City Hall's central tower with rifles and dynamite to fend off any attackers. However, Governor Waite eventually decided to withdraw the militia and the battle was instead fought in the courts, in which Soapy Smith was an important witness. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Governor Waite had authority to replace the commissioners, but was to be reprimanded for bringing in the militia, in what became known as the "City Hall War."


title: Soapy Smith

text: Governor Waite then ordered the closure of all of Denver's gambling dens, saloons, and bordellos. Smith exploited the situation, using his new title of deputy sheriff to make fake arrests in his own gambling houses by apprehending patrons who had lost large sums in rigged poker games. The victims were happy to leave when the "officers" allowed them to walk away from the crime scene—without recouping their losses—rather than be arrested.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Eventually, Soapy and his brother Bascomb Smith became too well-known, and even the most corrupt city officials could no longer protect them. When they were charged with attempted murder for the beating of a saloon manager, Bascomb was jailed but Soapy managed to escape, becoming a wanted man in Colorado.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Before leaving, Smith tried to convince the Mexican President Porfirio Díaz that his country needed the services of a foreign legion made up of American toughs. Smith became known as Colonel Smith, and managed to organize a recruiting office before the deal failed.


title: Soapy Smith

text: When the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1897, Smith moved his operations to Dyea and Skagway. His first attempt at occupying Skagway ended in failure when miners' committees encouraged him to leave the area after operating his three-card monte and pea-and-shell games on the White Pass Trail for less than a month. He traveled to St. Louis and Washington, D.C., and did not return to Skagway until late January 1898.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith set up his third empire much the same way as he had in Denver and Creede. He put the town's deputy U.S. marshal on his payroll and began collecting allies for a takeover. Smith opened a fake telegraph office in which the wires went only as far as the wall. Not only did the telegraph office obtain fees for "sending" messages, but also cash-laden victims soon found themselves losing even more money in poker games with newfound "friends." Telegraph lines did not reach or leave Skagway until 1901. Smith opened a saloon named Jeff. Smith's Parlor in March 1898 as an office from which to run his operations. Although Skagway already had a municipal building, Smith's saloon became known as "the real city hall."


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith's men played a variety of roles, such as newspaper reporter or clergyman, with the intention of befriending a new arrival and determining the best way to rid him of his money. The new arrival would be steered by his "friends" to dishonest shipping companies, hotels, or gambling dens until he was wiped out. If the man was likely to make trouble or could not be recruited into the gang, Smith would then appear in person and offer to pay his way back to civilization.


title: Soapy Smith

text: When a vigilance committee, the "Committee of 101," threatened to expel Smith and his gang, he formed his own "law and order society," which claimed 317 members, to force the vigilantes into submission. Most of the petty gamblers and con men did indeed leave Skagway at this time, and Smith resorted to other means to appear respectable to the community.


title: Soapy Smith

text: During the Spanish–American War in 1898, Smith formed his own volunteer army with the approval of the United States Department of War, known as the "Skaguay Military Company," with himself as its captain. Smith wrote to President William McKinley and gained official recognition for his company, which he used to strengthen his control of the town.


title: Soapy Smith

text: On July 4, 1898, Smith rode as marshal of the Fourth Division of the parade leading his army on his gray horse. On the grandstand, he sat beside the territorial governor and other officials.


title: Soapy Smith

text: On July 7, 1898, John Douglas Stewart, a returning Klondike miner, came to Skagway with a sack of gold valued at $2,700 ($82,620 in 2017 dollars). Three gang members convinced the miner to participate in a game of three-card monte. When Stewart balked at having to pay his losses, the three men grabbed the sack and ran. The "Committee of 101" demanded that Smith return the gold, but he refused, claiming that Stewart had lost it "fairly."


title: Soapy Smith

text: On the evening of July 8, the vigilance committee organized a meeting on the Juneau Wharf. With a Winchester rifle draped over his shoulder, Smith began an argument with Frank H. Reid, one of four guards blocking his way to the wharf. A gunfight, known as the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, began unexpectedly, and both men were fatally wounded.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Smith's last words were "My God, don't shoot!" A letter from Sam Steele, the legendary head of the Canadian Mounties at the time, indicates that another guard, Jesse Murphy, may have fired the fatal shot. Smith died on the spot with a bullet to the heart. He also received a bullet in his left leg and a severe wound on the left arm by the elbow. Reid died 12 days later with a bullet in his leg and groin area. The three gang members who robbed Stewart received jail sentences.


title: Soapy Smith

text: Also depicted in a Canadian 'Heritage Minute' being refused entry by Sir Sam Steele into the Klondike during the gold rush.


title: Christo Grozev

text: Christo Grozev (; born 20 May 1969) is a Bulgarian investigative journalist and author. He is the lead Russia investigator with Bellingcat, focusing on security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information. His investigations into the identity of the suspects involved in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earned him and his team the European Press Prize for Investigative Journalism.


title: Christo Grozev

text: Grozev was born in Plovdiv on 20 May 1969. Between 1984 and 1988, he attended Plovdiv's English Language High School. In 1995, he graduated from the American University in Bulgaria with a Bachelor of Arts degree in "Mass Communication and Media Studies". He later received an Executive MBA, a Master of Law and Economics and a Master of Laws from Imadec Executive Education, specializing in Finance, Law, Economics and International Law.


title: Christo Grozev

text: Grozev started to work as a journalist for a newspaper when he was 17; later on he worked as a radio reporter during the socialist period in Bulgaria. Since 1988 he has been a radio reporter in Plovdiv. In 1991 he was one of the founders and CEO of Bulgaria's first commercial radio station – Aura – which was affiliated with the American University in Bulgaria. In 1994 he was hired by the American company Metromedia to work with its Russian assets. He launched Radio Nika in Sochi, Channel Melodia and Eldoradio in Saint Petersburg and dozens of radio stations in the Baltic countries, Finland, Bulgaria, and Hungary. He was appointed Metromedia's Regional Director and Vice President of Radio in 1997.


title: Christo Grozev

text: In 2000, Grozev became CEO of the Radio Division of Metromedia, supervising the operations and growth of over 30 radio stations in 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Russia, and the CIS. When Metromedia left the radio business in 2003, Grozev bought Russian radio (RBMH Broadcast Media Holdings) assets from it; in 2006, he sold them to the French company Lagardère Group. Grozev also served a director of the Irish company Communicorp, which acquired its other broadcasting assets from Metromedia (2005-2007). He supervised the integration of Metromedia's European radio group into Communicorp, and was in charge of the company's further expansion in existing and new markets, such as Ukraine and Latvia.


title: Christo Grozev

text: After 2006, Grozev acted as an investor in various media assets, mainly in the Netherlands and Bulgaria. In 2006, his company RadioCorp B.V. received a broadcasting license in the Netherlands to create a radio station focusing on national music. Radiocorp operates two national radio stations (100% NL and Radio 10 (Netherlands)), and one national music TV station (100% NL TV). Grozev also owns a news television channel and several newspapers in Bulgaria. In 2007, he became a co-founder and partner at Altelys Investments, a platform focusing primarily on media and telecoms investments in Eastern and Central Europe. Altelys currently operates a national radio station in Ukraine and owns stake in print media in Bulgaria, and owns a real estate services business based in Austria.


title: Christo Grozev

text: Since 2016, Grozev is a Supervisory Board Member at Talpa Radio Holding. Radio NewCo operates four of the leading commercial national radio stations in the Netherlands: Radio 538, Sky Radio, Radio 10 (Netherlands) and Radio Veronica (Talpa Radio). The group is also a majority shareholder in One Media Sales, the Netherlands' leading radio sales house.


title: Christo Grozev

text: Grozev joined Bellingcat in 2015 as an investigative reporter. Grozev is known for using open-source, social media, and other available data for investigations. He has authored investigations identifying, among others, two senior Russian officers linked to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, GRU officers involved with the 2016 Montenegrin coup plot, the three suspects of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in 2018 and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in 2020.


title: Christo Grozev

text: In 2019, Grozev and his team won the European Press Prize Investigative Reporting Award for "Unmasking the Salisbury Poisoning Suspects: A Four-Part Investigation", in which they identified the perpetrators of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.


title: Roger Perry

text: Roger Perry (May 7, 1933 – July 12, 2018) was an American film and television actor whose career began in the late 1950s. He served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force during the early 1950s.


title: Roger Perry

text: In the 1960–1961 television season, Perry portrayed attorney Jim Harrigan, Jr. in "Harrigan and Son", with Pat O'Brien as his father. He guest-starred on numerous American television series from the 1950s through the 1980s. His first television appearance was as Ted Jarvis in the 1958 episode "Paper Bullets" of the syndicated crime drama, "U.S. Marshal". He appeared with James Coburn and John Dehner in the 1960 episode "Friend of the Family" of "The Texan". He co-starred in the 1963–1964 series "Arrest and Trial" as Detective Sergeant Dan Kirby.


title: Roger Perry

text: In NBC's "" episode "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (1967) he guested as a 20th-century U.S. Air Force pilot. Other television series in which he appeared include "Combat!", "Dr. Kildare", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Wonder Woman", "The Bob Newhart Show", "Emergency!", "Love, American Style", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Invaders", "Ironside", "The F.B.I.", "The Eleventh Hour", "The Munsters", "Barnaby Jones", "The Facts of Life", "Adam-12" and "Falcon Crest".


title: Roger Perry

text: Perry starred in two American International Pictures horror films featuring the vampire character Count Yorga. In "Count Yorga, Vampire" (1970), Perry portrayed Dr. James Hayes, the protagonist who uncovers the true nature of Yorga (but is attacked and killed by Yorga's brides). However, Perry returned as a different lead character in the sequel, "The Return of Count Yorga" (1971), as Professor David Baldwin. He also starred alongside Ray Milland and Rosey Grier as Dr. Philip Desmond in the cult classic "The Thing with Two Heads.


title: Roger Perry

text: Perry's first wife was Patricia Perry. They had 2 children, Christopher Perry and Dana Perry McNerney. They divorced in 1965. Perry married actress/comedian Jo Anne Worley on May 11, 1975. They divorced in 2000 and had no children. He later married actress Joyce Bulifant, and in 2014, Perry and Bulifant were honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California. Perry had one biological grandchild, Parker McNerney, by his daughter, Dana.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The 2021–22 season was the 107th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. The league operates four divisions, the Premier Division at Step 3 and three divisions, North, South Central and South East at Step 4 of the National League System. This was the fourth season since the former South Division was subdivided into the South Central and South East divisions. The league was also known as the Pitching In League under a sponsorship deal with Entain, formerly GVC Holdings.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The allocations for Step 4 this season were announced by The Football Association (FA) on 17 May 2021. Numerous changes were made to the constitutions of the level 8 divisions within the Isthmian League.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The scheduled restructuring of the non-League system took place for the 2021–22 season and a new division was added to the Northern Premier League at Step 4 for 2021–22, which resulted in some reallocations into or out of, and promotions to, the Isthmian League's Step 4 divisions.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The Premier Division comprised the same set of 22 teams which competed in the aborted competition the previous season.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: After Whyteleafe resigned from the league after losing its ground and folded, South Central Division consisted of 19 clubs: 14 clubs from the previous season, and five new clubs:


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: Seven clubs at Step 3, all four fourth-from-bottom teams and those placed third-from-bottom that were the top three on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from relegation. The remaining team was relegated to Step 4.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The final points-per-game ranking of the third-from-bottom placed teams in Step 3 divisions was as follows:


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: Ten of the 16 clubs at Step 4, all eight fourth-from-bottom teams and two clubs placed third-from-bottom, one at the top and the other in third place on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from contesting relegation play-offs. The FA granted third-placed Sheffield a reprieve after demoting Yorkshire Amateur for non-compliance with Step 4 ground grading requirements. The remaining six teams contested one-off matches with sixrunners-up from Step 5 that had the fewest PPG at the end of the 2021–22 season. Three winners of their matches stayed at Step 4 for the 2022–23 season, while three others lost theirs and were relegated to Step 5.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The final points-per-game ranking of the 3rd-from-bottom-placed teams in Step 4 divisions was also as follows:


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The 2021–22 Velocity Trophy (formerly the Isthmian League Cup) was the 48th season of the Alan Turvey Trophy, the cup competition of the whole Isthmian League. 60 of the 82 teams in the Isthmian League participated this season, with the other 22 opting not to participate.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: Enfield Town were the defending champions, having beaten AFC Hornchurch in the 2018–19 season—the most recent season in which the competition was fully completed following the abandonment of the 2019–20 competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition was not held during the 2020–21 season.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: This season's competition reverted to a straight knock out format. If a game finished level after 90 minutes, the match went straight to penalties—there was no extra time. Clubs were allowed to name and use 5 substitutes per match.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: Twenty-four clubs participated in the first round, while thirty-six clubs received a bye to the second round


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: The twelve clubs who made it through the first round were joined in the draw by twenty clubs who got a bye through the previous round, making thirty-two clubs.


title: 2021–22 Isthmian League

text: All Premier Division sides participating in the competition received a bye to the third round. They joined the sixteen clubs that advanced past the Second round.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: The Serb Volunteer Guard ( / "Srpska dobrovoljačka garda", SDG), also known as Arkan's Tigers (or only Tigers; / "arkanovi tigrovi", or only Тигрови / "Tigrovi") or Arkan's men ( / "Arkanovci"), was a Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit founded and led by Arkan that fought in Croatia (1991–93) and Bosnia (1992–95) during the Yugoslav Wars.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: The Guard was created on 11 October 1990 by twenty members of the Red Star Belgrade football club Ultra group Delije Sever. The Guard was under the command of the Territorial Defense, a regular military in charge of the territories of Croatia populated predominantly by Serbs during the first half of the 1990s. Serb Volunteer Guard was organized as a gang of criminals and armed by Belgrade.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: The Serb Volunteer Guard set up their headquarters and training camp in a former military facility in Erdut. It saw action from mid-1991 to late 1995, initially in the Vukovar region of Croatia. It was supplied and equipped from the reserves of the Serbian police force during the War in Croatia and Bosnia.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: After war broke out in the former Yugoslav republic of Croatia in the fall of 1991 and in Bosnia in April 1992, Arkan and his units moved to attack different territories in these countries. In Croatia, the Tigers fought in various locales in Eastern Slavonia.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: Serb Volunteer Guard under Arkan command massacred hundreds of people in eastern Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina while in the early


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: In autumn 1995, Arkan's troops fought in the area of Banja Luka, Sanski Most and Prijedor where they were routed. Arkan personally led most war actions, and rewarded his most efficient officers and soldiers with ranks, medals and eventually the products of lootings. The Serb Volunteer Guard was officially disbanded in April 1996. Besides Arkan, a notable member of the Guard was his right-hand man, Colonel Nebojša Djordjević, who was murdered in late 1996. Another notable member was Milorad Ulemek, who is now serving a 40-year sentence for his involvement in the assassination of Serbia's pro-Western prime minister Zoran Đinđić in 2003.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: Željko Ražnatović was indicted in 1997 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for his command of the Guard, as the unit was allegedly responsible for numerous crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Convention and violations of the laws or customs of war, including active participation in the ethnic cleansing in Bijeljina and Zvornik in 1992.


title: Serb Volunteer Guard

text: The ICTY charged the Serb Volunteer Guard, under the command or supervision of Željko Ražnatović with:


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. It had its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which was established in 1983 by Ronald Reagan and which was headed by Lt. General James Alan Abrahamson. Under the Strategic Defense Initiative's Innovative Sciences and Technology Office headed by physicist and engineer Dr. James Ionson, the investment was predominantly made in basic research at national laboratories, universities, and in industry. These programs have continued to be key sources of funding for top research scientists in the fields of high-energy physics, advanced materials, supercomputing/computation, and many other critical science and engineering disciplines—funding which indirectly supports other research work by top scientists, and which was most politically viable to fund within the Military budget of the United States environment. It was renamed the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1993, and then renamed the Missile Defense Agency in 2002. The current director is U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: Rapid changes in the strategic environment due to the rapid Dissolution of the Soviet Union led, in 1993, to Bill Clinton focusing on theater ballistic missiles and similar threats, and renaming it the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, BMDO. With another change to a more global focus made by George W. Bush, in 2002 the organization became the Missile Defense Agency.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: The Missile Defense Agency is partially or wholly responsible for the development of several ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems, including the Patriot PAC-3, Aegis BMD, THAAD and the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system. They also led the development of numerous other projects, including the Multiple Kill Vehicle and the newer Multi-Object Kill Vehicle, the Kinetic Energy Interceptor and the Airborne Laser. As the inheritor of the SDI and BMDO work, the MDA continues to fund fundamental research in high-energy physics, supercomputing/computation, advanced materials, and many other science and engineering disciplines.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: Ballistic Missile Defense Systems (BMDS) must be capable of operating in different regions of the world to ensure the success of the MDA mission. The International Strategy was approved by the MDA Director in 2007. The general strategy for international efforts is:


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: As of 2017 MDA was working on facilities in Germany, Romania, Poland, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: Ballistic missile systems using advanced liquid- or solid-propellant propulsion are becoming more mobile, accurate and capable of striking targets over longer distances and are proliferating worldwide.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: MDA divides its systems into four phases: boost; ascent; mid-course; and terminal. Each of these corresponds to a different phase of the threat ballistic missile flight regime. Each phase offers different advantages and disadvantages to a missile defense system (see missile defense classified by trajectory phase), and the geography of each defended area dictates the types of systems which can be employed. The resultant flexible and layered defense approach concept is believed to improve overall defense effectiveness. The more opportunities a system has to neutralize a threat (e.g., by shooting down a missile), the better the chance of success.


title: Missile Defense Agency

text: Activities have also been categorized as fulfilling the goals of one of five "blocks". For example, "block 4.0" was stated as "Defend Allies and Deployed Forces in Europe from Limited Iranian Long-Range Threats and Expand Protection of U.S. Homeland". It included the US missile defense complex in Poland to be constructed, and the European Mid-course Radar (EMR), currently located at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll, which was to have been modified and relocated to the Czech Republic.