title: Curse of the Colonel

text: In episode 16 of the anime series "Kill la Kill" the statue can briefly be seen in the background with its head sticking out from the Dōtonbori River.


title: Curse of the Colonel

text: The Colonel Sanders curse was the first clue in the Connections round of the Horned Viper wall in Episode 26, Series 17 of the popular quiz show "Only Connect".


title: Princess Knight

text: Princess Knight, also known as Ribon no Kishi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pink heart of a girl. She pretends to be a male prince to prevent the evil Duke Duralumin from inheriting the throne of Silverland. The gender-bending main character was inspired by the all-female musical theater group Takarazuka Revue in which women performed both female and male roles.


title: Princess Knight

text: The story was ordered by one editor of Kodansha's magazine "Shōjo Club" who wanted Tezuka to produce a manga aimed towards a female audience that could replicate the success of his former boy-aimed stories. The author then created "Princess Knight", originally serialized in that magazine from 1953 to 1956. The manga's popularity resulted into a radio dramatization in 1955, three other serializations between 1958 and 1968, and a 52-episode television anime series by Mushi Production that aired on Fuji TV from 1967 to 1968. It has also influenced several stage musicals since the 1980s and inspired remakes of the work by other authors.


title: Princess Knight

text: The series' arrival in the English-speaking market was delayed by NBC Enterprises executives' perception that it could be interpreted as "sex switch". However, still in the 1970s, the television series got a dubbed version produced by Joe Oriolo. Renamed "Choppy and the Princess", it was released to American, Australian, and British television audiences, with home video releases to follow. The manga would only reach the anglophone public years later, in 2001 when Kodansha International published a bilingual edition of "Princess Knight", which was followed by a newer version by Vertical in 2011.


title: Princess Knight

text: One of Tezuka's most famous works and widely regarded as a classic, "Princess Knight" has been very influential in the manga and anime industry. Its portrayal of gender roles is ambiguously interpreted by critics; some claim it has pro-feminist ideals and others think it expresses misogynist ideals of the 1950s–60s Japanese society. Nonetheless, it would start a tradition of androgynous-like heroines and establish several trends in the "shōjo" genre. In fact, it is considered to be one of the first works in this genre that was narrative-focused and that portrays a female superhero.


title: Princess Knight

text: Taking place in a medieval European-like fairy tale setting, "Princess Knight" is the story of Sapphire who must pretend to be a male prince so she can inherit the throne of Silverland as women are not eligible to do so. As she is born, her father, the King, announces his baby is a boy instead of a girl. The reason for this is that the next-in-line to the throne, Duke Duralumin is an evil man who would repress the people if his son, Plastic, were to become king. Duralumin and his henchman Baron Nylon often scheme to take over the kingdom and attempts to prove that Sapphire is really a girl. Sapphire can keep the façade because, when she was born, she received the blue heart of a boy as well as the pink heart of a girl. Because of this, God sent Tink, a young angel-in-training, down to Earth to retrieve Sapphire's extra heart. Sapphire would not let Tink remove her boy's heart, however.


title: Princess Knight

text: Sapphire and Tink experience a variety of adventures, including encounters with Satan, a warlock who wants to steal Sapphire's special two-hearted soul and take over the kingdom. However, he is always frustrated by Tink and his fear of angels, and by his own daughter, Hecate, a demonic-shapeshifting witch who at first she appears to be evil like her father, but who covertly helps Sapphire foil her father's plans. Sapphire also dons a Zorro-style mask at night, fighting crime as the Phantom Knight, and gets involved with Franz Charming, the young prince of neighboring Goldland. Their relationship is multi-faceted; Franz is familiar with Sapphire as three entirely different people and has different feelings toward each. He is good friends with Prince Sapphire, in love with the unnamed princess, and despises the Phantom Knight, whom he believes is a rival for the Princess's affection.


title: Princess Knight

text: As the story progresses, Duralumin stages a coup d'état to conquer Silverland, following the orders of Mr. X, a large man clad entirely in boxy red armor and the ruler of the X-Union, a neighboring, proto-fascist federation of nations that wants to conquer the three kingdoms (Silverland, Goldland, and Charcoal-land). The King and Queen are captured, but help Sapphire to flee. Duralumin is about to proclaim his son king and himself as regent when he is assassinated by Nylon, who has been driven near-insane by the Duke's constant abuse. The mentally deranged Nylon proclaims himself and welcomes Mr. X and his armies in Silverland. Mr. X, though, soon makes it clear that he has no intention of letting Nylon rule, even as a puppet monarch, and merely keeps him around as a churlish buffoon.


title: Princess Knight

text: Sapphire and Franz try to prevent the King and Queen from being executed, but they are too late and the King and Queen are dropped in the sea. This culminates in the final battle, as Sapphire heads off to Silverland castle to confront Mr. X with the aid of three magic balls. Given to Sapphire by her parents, the balls represent the three kingdoms and are supposed to save Silverland: they are used at first to ring the kingdom's bells, magically giving to the people the will to fight the invaders.


title: Princess Knight

text: Sapphire has the balls melted to form a magic ax which she uses to rout Mr. X's troops, break up the castle's walls, and confront X himself. Sapphire ends up dueling Mr. X, with the help of Franz, and manages to wound him. Just as the enraged Mr. X is about to chop Sapphire and Franz in half, Tink calls on God for help, and a lightning bolt strikes X. As Sapphire seems to triumph, Mr. X rises from his apparent death and begins smashing the castle with his bare hands, eventually causing it to collapse onto himself. Nylon, who was swaying through the halls like a raving madman, is also crushed to death. Sapphire escapes the collapsing castle and stands triumphant in the sunlight. Tink has been mortally wounded by the castle's breakdown and tells God that he is ready to sacrifice his life should Sapphire's parents be brought back from the dead. God then accepts to bring back the King and Queen to life, as Tink dies.


title: Princess Knight

text: Sapphire and Franz end up getting married. Tink's spirit returns to heaven where he has finally earned his wings.


title: Princess Knight

text: During the 1950s, Osamu Tezuka was already popular having written "Kimba the White Lion" (1950) and "Astro Boy" (1952). In late 1952, a "Shōjo Club"s editor asked Tezuka if he would be able to create a work similar to his previous ones but aimed toward girls. Tezuka agreed and his first idea was to transpose the all-female musical theater group Takarazuka Revue into manga. Takarazuka's "aesthetic is on full display in "Princess Knight"", argued Natsu Onoda Power, in her book "God of Comics".


title: Princess Knight

text: Born in Osaka, Tezuka lived in Takarazuka City between five and twenty-four, and with a mother who was fan of the revue, he often watched its performances during his childhood and youthhood. Takarazuka's costumes, sets, and lyrics, as well as its gender representation and sexual politics were used by Tezuka on creating "Princess Knight". Sapphire is based on the "dansō no reijin" ("beauty in male dress") of Takarazuka, and Franz is modeled after one of the main actresses, Yachiyo Kasugano. Nobuko Otowa as Puck in Takarazuka's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" influenced Tink's character.


title: Princess Knight

text: Early Disney films' animation technique influenced Tezuka's art style, especially his way of drawing childlike features and eyes. The very large eyes were also inspired by Takarazuka's performances. The coloring and layout was influenced by the film "The Tales of Hoffmann". Some aspects of "Princess Knight" are also reminiscent of his previous "shōjo" manga, "Kiseki no Mori no Monogatari", which featured a feathered hat and men in white maillots as well as adventure-driven storylines. It was also influenced by Western literature, Christianity, Greek mythology, and European fairy tales—because of this it has been described as a "trippy pop culture pastiche". Reviewers have perceived influences from "Cinderella", "Fantasia"s "Pastoral", "Pinocchio", "Sleeping Beauty", "Snow White", Betty Boop, "Captain Blood", "Dracula", "Eros and Psyche", "Hamlet", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Swan Lake", "The Scarlet Pimpernel", and William Tell.


title: Princess Knight

text: Multiple critics have provided many possible interpretations on the presence of gender ambiguity and androgyny on "Princess Knight". Patrick Drazen, author of the book "Anime Explosion!", stated the androgyny in the series is "deceptive" as it addresses gender instead of sex, and more "specifically, gender-role expectations." "Tezuka's "Gekiga": Behind the Mask of Manga"s Philip Brophy summed up it as: "With its visualization of masculinity and femininity within one body it was able to depict conflicting selves within one-sexed body under pressure for social conformity, hence literally embodying the quest for identity and subjective agency". Ed Sizemore of Manga Worth Reading says Tezuka's central idea critiques "the false dichotomy that society creates among male and female." Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network (ANN) and Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart both wrote that Tezuka put feminist positionings on it and Chris Mautner of "The Comics Journal" highlighted the presence of Friebe, "a swashbuckling" swordswoman, as another depiction of women in a non-subservient position (in contrast to the usual depiction).


title: Princess Knight

text: On the other hand, Silverman affirmed it shows gender stereotypes and "some of the more misogynist ideals of 1960s Japan," as exemplified by the fact her boy's heart gives her physical strength. Mautner also found "some" sexism in the work, given as an example the fact she loses her swordsmanship ability when she is without her boy's heart. Drazen and Mautner stressed that the manga had broken with some gender expectations but did not abandon them, as Sapphire marries Franz in the end. Power stated that by this attitude Sapphire shows "her true happiness comes from being in a traditional female role." For Paul Gravett, it demonstrated she "was no feminist rebel after all" and he wrote in "Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics" that Tezuka "created an exquisite world of indecision." Power concluded that "The image of Sapphire must have sent complex, if not conflicting, messages" to readers. This conflicts led Brophy to say "It may be more accurate to depict her characterization as schizophrenic rather than androgynous".


title: Princess Knight

text: Snow Wildsmith of ICv2 described the series as having "younger characters [who] do not want to stick to the roles their parents proscribed for them and most of the women are tired of being told that they are the lesser sex." Mautner wrote that "if there's a central theme in "Princess Knight", however, it's not that of sex roles but of parental expectations and filial duty". Drazen also exposed that the series deals with "another classically Japanese pair of opposites: duty and desire." Drazen said "she doesn't resent her duty" of having to be a boy and have fun with it, but that "only in private does she live out her feminine desires." Mautner expressed a similar view, affirming that even if she likes to be a boy "possesses a strong desire to indulge her female side."


title: Princess Knight

text: There have been four manga serializations of "Princess Knight" in Japan. The first serialization ran from January 1953 to January 1956 in Kodansha's magazine "Shōjo Club", and was followed by a three "tankōbon" volumes release between December 30, 1954 and June 25, 1958. It was followed by several reissues; two volumes were published on October 11, and November 13, 1979 under the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works line; on April 17, 1995 under KC Grand Collection line, and on November 12, 1999 under Manga Bunko line. In 2004, Geneon Universal Entertainment released a "kanzenban" edition of the manga that was republished by Fukkan.com in 2012. It was also released in a three-volume edition on January 13, 2009, followed by a "Special Box" on January 14, 2009, and in an Osamu Tezuka Bunko Complete Works edition on February 10, 2011.


title: Princess Knight

text: The second serialization, a follow-up to the "Shōjo Club" version, ran in "Nakayoshi" from January 1958 to June 1958. The title was changed to for publication in book form, but the serialization's name was still "Princess Knight". It was first compiled by Suzuka Shuppan and released in a single "tankōbon" on May 15, 1960, which was republished by Mushi Pro Shōji on July 15, 1971. Kodansha published it in different lines and formats; on July 28, 1978 under the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works line; on June 4, 1995 under the KC Grand Collection line; on November 12, 1999 under the Manga Bunko line; and on May 12, 2010 under the Osamu Tezuka Bunko Complete Works line.


title: Princess Knight

text: The third serialization was a rewriting of the "Shōjo Club" version and ran from January 1963 to October 1966 in "Nakayoshi", and was originally published into five "tankōbon" volumes by Kodansha between August 15, 1964 and June 15, 1966. It was followed by several rereleases and reissues; three volumes were published by Shogakukan in pocketbook format between March 10, and May 10, 1969; three volumes were published between June 13, 1977 and January 11, 1978 under the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works line by Kodansha; in June 1982 it was published by Holp Shuppan; on December 14, 1994 it was released under KC Grand Collection line; on October 9, 1999 under Manga Bunko Line; and on October 9, 2009 under the Osamu Tezuka Bunko Complete Works line. A Kanzen Fukkoku-ban edition, along with a "Special Box", was published on May 29, 2009.


title: Princess Knight

text: The fourth serialization was a science fiction story originally written by Tezuka, with the drawings done by Kitano Hideaki. It was serialized in the magazine "Shōjo Friend" in 1967, concurrently with its broadcast on television as animation. Kodansha encapsulated its chapters into two volumes released on May 3, 1967, and June 3, 1967. A tie-in to the anime series, Tezuka himself admitted that it was "a commercial flop, an ill-conceived" version.


title: Princess Knight

text: Six volumes of "Nakayoshi"s 1963 "Princess Knight" were released between May 18, and July 27, 2001 in the United States in a bilingual (English/Japanese) edition by Kodansha International. A preview of the 1953 manga was released in the July 2007 issue of Viz Media's magazine, "Shojo Beat". At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International, Vertical announced that it had licensed the 1963 version for an English-language translation in North America. Vertical published it in two parts; the first on November 1, 2011, and the second on December 6, 2011. In the following year, Vertical licensed "The Twin Knights", which was released on July 30, 2013. Both series were rereleased by Vertical in ebook format; first, "The Twin Knights" on July 22, 2015, and then both "Princess Knight" volumes on August 12, 2015.


title: Princess Knight

text: The "Princess Knight" anime series was produced by Mushi Production and had Osamu Tezuka as executive director, and Chikao Katsui and Kanji Akabori as chief directors. The series of 52 episodes was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from April 2, 1967 to April 7, 1968. In addition to the anime series, there is also 28-minute pilot film that was produced in November 1966 but was not broadcast on television. It was released as an extra when the series was released on LaserDisc in Japan. All episodes were released on LaserDisc by Pioneer on March 28, 1997. The episodes were also distributed in DVD format; Nippon Columbia released two box sets on December 21, 2001 and June 1, 2002. A single box set was released by Columbia on July 23, 2008, and another was released by Takarashijima on October 29, 2010. A "Best Selection" DVD series was first released by Columbia on September 25, 2003, and rereleased on July 23, 2008.


title: Princess Knight

text: Mushi Production submitted the anime adaptation to NBC Enterprises that was declined because its executives felt the series theme could be interpreted as "sex switch." Animator Joe Oriolo, however, purchased the anime's distribution rights, and along with Burt Hecht dubbed its episodes into English. In 1972, after a limited release under the title "Princess Knight", Oriolo and Hecht edited three episodes and made it into a film titled "Choppy and the Princess" that was licensed to independent television in the United States and was syndicated in the 1970s and 1980s. In October 2012, Nozomi Entertainment, a Right Stuf's publishing division, acquired its distribution's rights for North America. Featuring an English-language and a Spanish-language dub, it used the edited and cut version broadcast in the 1970s and 1980s. The first part was released on August 20, 2013 while the second one was published on October 22, 2013.


title: Princess Knight

text: The show also aired in Australia in the 1970s, and was released on home media in Australia and the United Kingdom. Movie Makers released seven episodes under the title "The Adventures of Choppy and the Princess" and three individual episodes without the title. The distributor Tasley Leisures released six episodes under the title "Choppy and the Princess, Adventures 1-6". The Starlite Group released seven "The Adventures of Choppy and the Princess" DVDs in the United Kingdom in 2006, with the film also being available from the same company. In August 2013, Hanabee Entertainment licensed the series for an Australian release; it was first released on DVD into two parts on September 18, and October 6, 2013 respectively, while a box set was released on September 6, 2014.


title: Princess Knight

text: At various times in his career, Tezuka worked on short original animation films, or "theater anime", which included some of the "Princess Knight" story. Samples of this work were shown in the "300 Inch Theater", which was held at Tezuka Osamu World in the Kyoto Station Building from July 1999. In this film, the Phoenix (from the eponymous Tezuka manga) plays the role of storyteller, and introduces two pictures. The first part tells the story of "Princess Knight", and the second part talks about Minamoto Yoshitsune, who made his mark in the history of Kyoto as a person who became entangled in a struggle by another's wicked design in spite of his desire for peace just like Sapphire.


title: Princess Knight

text: Widely considered a classic, "Princess Knight" was very popular with girls in Japan by the time of its original release. One of the author's most popular works in Japan, it has been labeled as "a fascinating piece of anime history ... that's withstood the test of time" by Bamboo Dong of ANN. In 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll and nationwide survey; "Princess Knight" placed 74th in the online poll and 71st in the survey. In 2006, TV Asahi conducted another online poll for the top one hundred anime, and "Princess Knight" did not make the general list, but ranked 77th in the "Celebrity List". After Vertical's statement that it would publish "Princess Knight", critics Chris Butcher and Deb Aoki deemed it as one of the most anticipated manga announced at the Comic-Con. In the following year, it was considered one of the best new "kids/teen" manga by critics Carlo Santos and Shaenon Garrity at the Comic-Con. Aoki, for About.com, selected it as the second best new "shōjo" released in 2011 after "Sailor Moon", stating it "can seem a little dated and quaint compared to its contemporary counterparts, but it's no less charming and fun to read." Gravett included "Princess Knight" on his book "1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die".


title: Princess Knight

text: Its art has been well received by critics, including Sizemore, Joseph Luster of "Otaku USA", Wildsmith, Chris Kirby of The Fandom Post, and by Mautner, who stated, "Visually, "Knight" is a stunning achievement." On the other hand, Carlo Santos and Silverman of ANN said its art style may not appeal to modern readers, with Silverman deeming it a great "deterrent". Kirby wrote that "Princess Knight" is "a pleasure to look at, fun to read, and a piece of entertainment that excels at entertaining more than anything." Sizemore praised it as it "constantly delivering thrills at each turn," contrasting to Wildsmith, who considered the episodic nature of the series "chaotic and unfocused". Although also commended the formula, Santos stated the story in overall "has its weaknesses" and "allows itself ... logical loopholes." Luster asserted initially it focused too much in gags which "could easily become a tiresome formula", but the action in late chapters overcomes it. Sizemore called it "fun" but "deeply flawed in its storytelling." Shaun A. Noordin of "The Star" asserted, "The memorable characters, adventure, drama and comedy (not to mention a framework for exploring issues such as feminism, gender equality and identity) are all there, but the barrage of story arcs made it difficult for us to be invested in the narrative."


title: Princess Knight

text: "Princess Knight" marks the first time Tezuka used his "story comic" format—which uses a narrative structure and cinematic techniques—in a "shōjo" manga. The series changed the concept of "shōjo" from gag comics or strips teaching "good behavior" to narrative-focused works, and thus is considered the first modern work of the genre. It also established elements that would be common in late works of the genre, including an idealized foreign (from a Japanese perspective) settings, a heroine with large eyes, and gender ambiguity with a certain amount of androgyny. In the 1970s, two trends were predominant in "shōjo" manga: the first featured "androgynous, masculine, or asexual protagonists searching for self and love", and the other had "more explicit romance involving an ordinary girl". Elements of both were already present in Tezuka's Sapphire.


title: Princess Knight

text: The manga is considered to have started the genre of female superheroes, and regarded as a prototype for the magical girl genre. Martin Theron of ANN affirmed the series "influence ... is immeasurable, and in a real sense every lead action heroine who has followed is a direct or indirect spiritual descendant of Princess Sapphire/Prince Knight". Indeed, Sapphire is one of the most recognizable heroines of Tezuka; between March 3–June 27, 2016, the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum sponsored an art exhibit focused on the "Heroines of Osamu Tezuka", highlighting Sapphire and Pinoko of "Black Jack". She was also considered the most iconic heroine in anime history by Thomas Zoth of Mania.com.


title: Princess Knight

text: This work expanded the scope of Japanese popular culture, giving the possibility of explore a wider range of sexual orientations, which goes beyond clear gender binary homo- or heterosexuality. According to Brophy, ""Shōjo" manga's rich potential for complex representations of the human psyche in diverse sociocultural contexts was essentially constructed by Tezuka's androgynous character Sapphire". Featuring the first gender-ambiguous heroine, it influenced many works, specially "shōjo", such as "The Rose of Versailles", which possibilited "Revolutionary Girl Utena", "The Sword of Paros" and "Sailor Moon"s Sailor Uranus.


title: Princess Knight

text: A remake of the original "Princess Knight" manga called "Sapphire: Princess Knight" was written by Natsuko Takahashi and illustrated by Pink Hanamori. Serialized from the May 2008 issue to the July 2009 issue in "Nakayoshi", it was compiled into four "tankōbon" between September 5, 2008, and September 4, 2009.


title: Princess Knight

text: To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the series, a reboot version of "Princess Knight" started to be published on the online manga magazine "Puratto Home" by Home-sha in July 2013. Called , it is a collaboration with Tezuka Productions and is illustrated by Shōko Fukaki with scenarios by Atsushi Kagurazaka. It lasted forty-one chapters, that were later released on three volumes, of which the first was released on July 25, 2014, along with a drama CD based on it, and the last was published on January 23, 2015.


title: Princess Knight

text: Because of the success of the first manga, a radio dramatization was created. A serial drama, the "Princess Knight" adaptation was broadcast on Radio Tokyo between April 4, 1955 and September 26, 1955. Almost thirty years later, a theater adaptation of the manga was created by the company Dengeki, running from July 5, 1984 to July 17, 1983. It played at Parco Space Part 3, was directed by Mitsumasa Shinozaki, written by Tsutomu Mukai, and starred Ran Ito. Another musical came in 1998; it was directed by Shunsaku Kawake, written by Kensuke Yokouchi, and starred Yoshihiko Inohara, Sae Isshiki and Ranran Suzuki. Yokouchi wrote another play and directed it himself; it was staged at Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center in 2011, and starred Mikan Asakura. Yokouchi was also the screenwriter for two other stage adaptations in 2014 and 2016; both were directed by Masanari Ujigawa and staged at Rikkōkai Hall. The former starred Haruka Katayama and Aya Kamiki, while the latter featured Hirono Suzuki and Yui Itō.


title: Princess Knight

text: In 2006, "Princess Knight" was adapted into a musical, , and performed in Japan by members of the popular idol groups Morning Musume and v-u-den with Ai Takahashi in the lead role. Directed by Shinji Ueda, with screenplay by Shinji Kimura and music by Masato Kai, it played at Shinjuku Koma Theater from August 1 to 27. The Up-Front Works record label Zetima released a music collection and a DVD of the musical on July 26, and November 29, 2006 respectively. Later, on December 25, its television broadcast was done by BS Japan.


title: Princess Knight

text: In 2015, celebrating the 60th anniversary of "Nakayoshi" magazine, a musical directed by Yukio Ueshima, written by Sayaka Asai and with music composed by Shuhei Kamimura was staged. It starred Nogizaka46's Erika Ikuta and Reika Sakurai as Sapphire and Hecate respectively, while Keisuke Kaminaga and Tsunenori Aoki completed the main four in the poster, playing Prince Franz and the pirate Blood respectively. From November 12 to November 17, it ran at Tokyo's Akasaka ACT Theater and it was followed by exhibitions at Theater Brava in Osaka from December 3 to December 6.


title: A Dark Song

text: A Dark Song is a 2016 Irish-British independent horror film, written and directed by Liam Gavin and starring Steve Oram and Catherine Walker. It was released to select theatres and digital streaming platforms on 28 April 2017. It is Gavin's directorial debut.


title: A Dark Song

text: A bitter and grieving Sophia Howard rents an isolated house in rural Wales to convince short-tempered occultist Joseph Solomon to lead her in a grueling, months-long rite dictated from The Book of Abramelin to summon her guardian angel, whom Sophia can then ask to speak with her dead seven-year-old son. Solomon explains that once they begin, if they leave the house before the ritual is finished, they will be in grave peril, and that Sophia must spend months of punishing exercises in which they will deal with real demons and angels. She agrees. She then complies with dozens of painful, harrowing exercises, but refuses to do the forgiveness ceremony. To compensate for her refusal, Solomon insists she must drink his blood, and also says they must have sex as part of the ritual. After manipulating her into taking off her clothes, he masturbates, then tells her it was just for his own release, not for ritualistic purposes. Sophia gets revenge by urinating in his breakfast the next day.


title: A Dark Song

text: They grudgingly get to know one another over time. However, after months, a frustrated Sophia complains that it’s taking too long, and Solomon accuses her of impairing the ritual by not being honest about something. She admits that the real favor she will ask the angel is revenge upon whoever kidnapped and killed her son. That night he awakens her and says that because her dishonesty has made her impure, a re-birthing ritual in the tub is required. However, he drowns her, recites a spell, and revives her with CPR. Angered, she pushes him and he accidentally falls on a large kitchen knife, impaling him in the side. As she treats the wound with their meager medical supplies, he explains that this is a sign that the ritual is beginning to work, and that she will have her revenge. He discloses that he will ask the angel to make him invisible for the rest of his life, to be away from people as he “want[s] some quiet before the hell.”


title: A Dark Song

text: As Solomon soldiers on with the wound, Sophia begins seeing and hearing menacing presences in the house, including the voice of her son. When Solomon's wound becomes infected, he begins to fail and eventually dies in his sleep. When Sophia goes back to his books for further instruction, everything has been crossed out, unreadable. She steps beyond the perimeter of the house but her car won't start. After walking down an empty road, she is disturbed to realize that she has arrived back at the mansion.


title: A Dark Song

text: She re-enters to discover various demons appearing. They drag her to the basement, torment her, and cut off a finger as she tells them how sorry she is. They retreat as a brilliant white light fills the house. She finds a massive, beatific angel in armor awaiting her. She asks it for the power to forgive, and it smiles. Later, she performs a water burial of Solomon, then drives away.


title: A Dark Song

text: "A Dark Song" premiered 8 July 2016 at the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland, and was shown at the 2016 Fantastic Fest, the 2016 BFI London Film Festival and the 2016 Boston Underground Film Festival. It was released on 28 April 2017 in select theatres, video on demand and via digital streaming platforms.


title: A Dark Song

text: The film received mostly positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds approval rating based on reviews, with a rating average of . Its consensus reads: ""A Dark Song" offers atmospheric, unsettling horror — and marks writer-director Liam Gavin as one to watch."


title: A Dark Song

text: Tara Brady of "The Irish Times" called it "a nifty, novel Irish horror." Stephen Dalton of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that the film is a "classy effort throughout, from cinematographer Cathal Watters' beautiful vistas of the rugged Welsh landscape to Ray Harman's spare, brooding, dread-filled score. Oram's typically sour, surly, slyly comic performance also grounds the plot in a grubby realism that serves its more fantastical elements well." Haleigh Foutch of Collider wrote, ""A Dark Song" spins many webs of mystery and keeps you puzzling out every mystery up until the audacious ending you definitely won't see coming."


title: A Dark Song

text: Scott Weinberg of Nerdist wrote, "Two complete strangers cutting themselves off from the world inside of a dilapidated mansion? That's already a movie I want to see. But once "A Dark Song" starts delving into issues like love, loss, faith, and the natural human reaction to sudden tragedy, that's when it blossoms from a novel concept to a truly powerful piece of genre filmmaking."


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex marriage in Australia has been legal since 9 December 2017. Legislation to allow same-sex marriage, the "Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017", passed the Australian Parliament on 7 December 2017 and received royal assent from the Governor-General the following day. The law came into effect on 9 December, immediately recognising overseas same-sex marriages. The first same-sex wedding under Australian law was held on 15 December 2017. The passage of the law followed a voluntary postal survey of all Australians, in which 61.6% of respondents supported legalisation of same-sex marriage.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Other types of recognition for same-sex couples are also available. Under federal law, same-sex couples can also be recognised as "de facto" relationships. De-facto couples have most of the same rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples, although these rights may be difficult to assert and are not always recognised in practice. Although there is no national civil union or relationships register scheme in Australia, most states and territories have legislated for civil unions or domestic partnership registries. Registered unions are recognised as "de facto" relationships under federal law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Prior to legalisation, 22 bills to allow same-sex marriage were introduced to Parliament between September 2004 and May 2017. These failed attempts came after the Howard government amended the law in August 2004 to prevent same-sex marriages. The Australian Capital Territory passed a same-sex marriage law in December 2013 that was struck down by the High Court for inconsistency with federal law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: "De facto" relationships, defined in the federal "Family Law Act 1975", are available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. "De facto" relationships provide couples who live together on a genuine domestic basis with many of the same rights and benefits as married couples. Two people can become a "de facto" couple by entering into a registered relationship (i.e. a civil union or domestic partnership) or by being assessed as a de-facto couple by the Federal Circuit and Family Court. Couples who live together are generally recognised as a "de facto" relationship, even if they have not registered or officially documented their relationship.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Following the Australian Human Rights Commission's 2007 report "Same-Sex: Same Entitlements", and an audit of federal legislation, in 2009 the Rudd Government introduced several reforms designed to equalise treatment for same-sex couples and same-sex families. The reforms amended 85 Commonwealth laws to eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples and their children in a wide range of areas. The reforms came in the form of two pieces of legislation, the "Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth LawsGeneral Law Reform) Act 2008" and the "Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth LawsSuperannuation) Act 2008". These laws, which passed the Parliament in November 2008, amended 70 other existing Commonwealth acts to equalise treatment for same-sex couples and their children.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: As a result of these reforms same-sex couples were treated equally with heterosexual couples in most areas of federal law. For instance, with relation to social security and general family law, same-sex couples were previously not recognised as a couple for social security or family assistance purposes. A person who had a same-sex "de facto" partner was treated as a single person. The reforms ensured that same-sex couples were, for the first time under Australian law, recognised as a couple akin to opposite-sex partners. Consequently, a same-sex couple receives the same rate of social security and family assistance payments as an opposite-sex couple. Because of constitutional limitations, Australia cannot have a national registered partnership, civil union or same-sex relationship scheme. Under the Australian Constitution, the Federal Government only has power in relation to marriages. States would have to refer their powers to the Commonwealth to allow a national registered partnership, civil union or same-sex relationship scheme.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In 2004, amendments to the "Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993" to allow tax free payment of superannuation benefits to be made to the surviving partner on an interdependent relationships, included same-sex couples, or a relationship where one person was financially dependent on another person. Prior to 2008, same-sex couples were only recognised by the Federal Government in very limited circumstances. For example, since the 1990s, same-sex foreign partners of Australian citizens have been able to receive residency permits in Australia known as "interdependency visas". Following a national inquiry into financial and work-related discrimination against same-sex relationships, on 21 June 2007, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) released its "Same-Sex: Same Entitlements" report. The Commission identified 58 Commonwealth law statutes and provisions that explicitly discriminate against same-sex couples by using the term 'member of the opposite sex'.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The previous conservative Howard Government banned its departments from making submissions to the HREOC inquiry regarding financial discrimination experienced by same-sex couples.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The report found that 100 statutes and provisions under federal law discriminated against same-sex couples by using the term "member of the opposite sex", from aged care, superannuation, childcare, Medicare (including the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) through to pensions. "All the basics that opposite-gender couples are legally entitled to and take for granted" were things same-sex couples were effectively barred from utilising under the former system.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Since 1 March 2009, some legal differences remain with respect to treatment of couples in a "de facto" relationship and heterosexual couples in a marriage. Differences exist between the rights of a "de facto" couple and a married couple in relation to family law matters, including property settlements and entitlements to spousal maintenance. A "de facto" relationship must have ended for the court to make an order for property settlement or spousal maintenance, though this requirement does not exist for married couples. For a "de facto" partner to seek an order for property settlement, the Court must be satisfied of at least one of the following:


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: By way of comparison, for a married couple, it is enough merely to have been married to attract the jurisdiction of the Court for property and spousal maintenance.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Furthermore, it is possible that individuals in a "de facto" relationship can be treated substantively different to a person in a marriage. In the event of an unexpected end to a "de facto" relationship (such as death of a partner), the surviving partner must often prove the existence of a relationship in order to be registered as the next of kin on a death certificate and receive government bereavement payments and access to a partner's superannuation. These requirements vary on a state by state basis. Given that, prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage, same-sex couples did not have the option to marry, as heterosexual couples did, these discrepancies could have a particularly discriminatory impact on same-sex couples. The rights of a "de facto" partner may be poorly understood by government departments, resulting in occasions where said couples have not had their rights upheld.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In April 2014, a federal court judge ruled that a heterosexual couple who had a child and lived together for 13 years were not in a "de facto" relationship and thus the court had no jurisdiction to divide up their property under family law following a request for separation. In his ruling, the judge stated that "de facto relationship(s) may be described as "marriage-like" but it is not a marriage and has significant differences socially, financially and emotionally."


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: De facto relationships often face an onerous burden of proof before rights that are automatically granted to married couples can be accessed. This means partners may have to provide evidence about their living and childcare arrangements, sexual relationship, finances, ownership of property, commitment to a shared life and how they present as a couple in public. This can present difficulties when de facto relationships are legally contested by other people, usually other family members. Marriages rarely encounter such difficulties as they are generally regarded as immediate and incontrovertible.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The federal "Marriage Act 1961" governs marriage in Australia. The Act defines marriage as "the union of 2 people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life".


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The "Marriage Act 1961" did not explicitly define the legal meaning of the word "marriage" prior to 2004. Section 46(1) of the Act, however, has always included a provision requiring celebrants to state the legal nature of marriage in Australia. Prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage, the requirement was to state marriage is the union of "a man and a woman", or words to that effect, in line with the 1866 English case of "Hyde v Hyde". The words in section 46(1) have been seen as a description or exhortation rather than a legal definition.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In August 2004, the Howard Government introduced a bill to insert a definition of marriage in the Interpretation section (section 5) of the Act; as "the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life". The bill also inserted a new provision in the Act (section 88EA) which stipulated any foreign marriages of same-sex couples "must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia". The bill was supported by the opposition Labor Party and came amidst increased public debate on the issue following the judicial legalisation of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and Canada. Then-Prime Minister John Howard later stated that the amendments were partially motivated by a desire to prevent same-sex couples having their marriages recognised by the courts, as was being litigated at the time. Additional amendments to the "Family Law Act 1975" prevented same-sex couples from adopting children in inter-country adoption arrangements, although these restrictions were eventually relaxed in 2014. The bill passed the Parliament on 13 August 2004 and went into effect on the day it received royal assent, 16 August 2004.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Between 2004 and 2017, there were 22 unsuccessful bills to legalise same-sex marriage in the Parliament. The Labor governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard (2007–13) were divided on the issue. Despite passing a resolution at the party's national conference in December 2011 to support same-sex marriage, the party held a conscience vote when two private member's bills to legalise same-sex marriage were debated in the Parliament in September 2012. The legislation was opposed by Prime Minister Gillard and several other Labor MPs, as well as by the opposition Coalition, led by Tony Abbott. The first bill failed in the House of Representatives by 98 votes to 42 and a similar bill was rejected by the Senate by 41 votes to 26.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex marriage caused significant tension within the Abbott Government (2013–15). It resolved in August 2015 to hold a national vote on same-sex marriage sometime after the 2016 federal election, in the form of either a plebiscite or constitutional referendum. This policy was maintained by the Turnbull Government (2015–18) after Malcolm Turnbull (a supporter of same-sex marriage) replaced Abbott as Prime Minister following a leadership challenge. The bill providing for the plebiscite (which would have been held on 11 February 2017) passed the House of Representatives by 76 votes to 67 on 20 October 2016, The bill was rejected by the Senate 7 November 2016 by 33 votes to 29, as the Government had failed to attract the support of the opposition Labor Party, minor party the Greens and several Senate crossbenchers, who demanded that same-sex marriage be legalised through a parliamentary vote.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Despite initially suggesting the Government had "no plans to take any other measures on this issue", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull came under increasing pressure to change policy and allow a conscience vote in the Parliament. By August 2017, several Liberal Party MPs stated they would consider crossing the floor to suspend standing orders and force debate on same-sex marriage legislation against the Government's wishes. Consequently, at a Liberal party room meeting on 7 August 2017, the Government resolved to conduct a voluntary postal survey on the matter later in the year. The Government stated the survey would only occur in the event the Senate again rejected the legislation enabling the plebiscite, which it did on 9 August 2017.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: On 9 August 2017, the Government directed the Australian Statistician to conduct a survey of all enrolled voters to measure support for same-sex marriage. The direction was given to bypass the need for the Parliament to approve a plebiscite. The direction was legally challenged, but was upheld by the High Court. The survey was held between 12 September and 7 November 2017 and returned a 61.6% vote in favour of same-sex marriage. The Government responded by confirming it will facilitate the passage of a private member's bill legalising same-sex marriage before the end of the year.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The "Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017" was introduced by openly gay Liberal Party backbencher, Senator Dean Smith. The bill amended Section 5 of the "Marriage Act" to define marriage in Australia as the union of "2 people". It also removed the ban on overseas same-sex marriages being recognised in Australia, including ones that occurred before the law change. Additionally, the bill included protections for religious celebrants, ministers of religion and bodies established for a religious purpose, to not be obligated to perform or provide services and facilities to marriages they object to. The bill passed the Senate by 43 votes to 12 on 29 November 2017 and passed the House of Representatives on 7 December 2017 by a vote of 131 to 4; there were 11 abstentions. The bill received royal assent on 8 December 2017 and went into effect the following day. Same-sex marriages lawfully entered into overseas automatically became recognised from that date, and the first weddings after the normal one-month waiting period occurred from 9 January 2018. Several same-sex couples successfully applied for an exemption from the one-month waiting period, and the first legal same-sex wedding under Australian law was held on 15 December 2017, with further weddings taking place the following day.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The federal legalisation of same-sex marriage extended to all of Australia's states and territories, including the external territories.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: States and territories have long had the ability to create laws with respect to relationships, though Section 51 (xxi) of the Constitution of Australia prescribes that marriage is a legislative power of the Federal Parliament.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Since the Commonwealth (i.e: Federal Parliament) introduced the "Marriage Act Cth. 1961", marriage laws in Australia were generally regarded as an exclusive Commonwealth power. The precise rights of states and territories with respect to creating state-based same-sex marriage laws was complicated further by the Howard Government amendment to the "Marriage Act 1961" in 2004 to define marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) provided a test case on the matter, when in October 2013, the territory's Legislative Assembly passed a law allowing same-sex marriage. The Commonwealth (specifically the Abbott Government) immediately challenged the law in the High Court of Australia. The High Court ruled on the matter in December 2013, five days after the first same-sex weddings were celebrated in the ACT, striking down the ACT's same-sex marriage law. The court determined that all laws with respect to marriage were an exclusive power of the Commonwealth and that no state or territory law creating any other type of marriage could operate concurrently with the federal "Marriage Act"; "the kind of marriage provided for by the [Marriage] Act is the only kind of marriage that may be formed or recognised in Australia". The court also ruled that a same-sex marriage law passed by the Federal Parliament could operate lawfully. The ruling closed off the possibility for a state or territory to legislate for same-sex marriage in the absence of a federal same-sex marriage law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Prior to that ruling, reports released by the New South Wales Parliamentary Committee on Social Issues and the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute found that a state parliament "has the power to legislate on the topic of marriage, including same-sex marriage. However, if [New South Wales] chooses to exercise that power and enact a law for same-sex marriage, the law could be subject to challenge in the High Court of Australia" and that no current arguments "present an absolute impediment to achieving state-based or Commonwealth marriage equality". The ACT Government received legal advice supporting the lawfulness of its same-sex marriage law prior to the High Court ruling, though several legal experts expressed doubts.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Aside from the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania is the only other state or territory to have passed same-sex marriage legislation in a chamber of its legislature. The state lower house passed same-sex marriage legislation by 13 votes to 11 in September 2012, though the upper house subsequently voted against the legislation a few weeks later by 8 votes to 6. Both houses later passed motions giving in-principle, symbolic support for same-sex marriage.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Prior to the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage, six Australian jurisdictions (Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia), comprising 90% of Australia's population, recognised same-sex marriages and civil partnerships performed overseas, providing automatic recognition of such unions in their respective state registers.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: There is an important difference in the source of power of the Commonwealth to legislate over married and "de facto" relationships. Marriage and "matrimonial causes" are supported by sections 51(xxi) and (xxii) of the Constitution. The legal status of marriage is also internationally recognised whereas the power to legislate for "de facto" relationships and their financial matters relies on referrals by states to the Commonwealth in accordance with Section 51(xxxvii) of the Australian Constitution, where it states the law shall extend only to states by whose parliaments the matter is referred, or which afterward adopt the law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In the 2001 case "Re Kevin – validity of marriage of transsexual", the Family Court of Australia recognised the right of transsexual people to marry according to their current gender as opposed to their sex assigned at birth; this did not permit same-sex marriage from the perspective of the genders the prospective partners identified as, but it did mean that a trans woman could legally marry a cisgender man, and a trans man could legally marry a cisgender woman.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In October 2007, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned a decision by the Foreign Affairs Department refusing to issue a transgender woman a passport listing her as female because she was married to a woman. The tribunal ordered that she be issued a passport listing her as female, in accordance with her other official documents, thereby recognising the existence of a marriage between two persons who are legally recognised as female. Same-sex marriage advocates noted that same-sex marriage legislation should be inclusive of the rights transgender and intersex people, with intersex people being skeptical of the term "same-sex" marriage. These concerns were addressed by the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage in December 2017, which amended the definition of marriage to "2 people".


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: As of 2017, only South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory did not require transgender people to divorce before registering an official change of gender on a birth certificate. This requirement was removed by federal law in December 2018. Victoria passed legislation removing the forced divorce requirement in May 2018, and similar legislation was passed in New South Wales and Queensland the following month. The Northern Territory passed similar laws in November 2018, and it was followed by Western Australia in February 2019. Tasmania was the last jurisdiction to reform its laws. The state passed legislation removing the forced divorce requirement in April 2019, and it joined some of the other states and territories in also removing the requirement for a person to have undergone sex reassignment surgery prior to having a change of sex recognised on a birth certificate.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The "Marriage Act 1961" is a federal Act of the Parliament of Australia. It has been in effect since 1961 and governs the laws and regulations regarding lawful marriages in Australia. With respect to the recognition of same-sex unions, the Act has been amended in 2004 and 2017.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: On 27 May 2004, the then federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, introduced a bill, intending to incorporate the-then common law definition of marriage into the "Marriage Act 1961". In June 2004, the bill passed the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment by 38 votes to 6 on 13 August 2004. The bill subsequently received royal assent, becoming the "Marriage Amendment Act 2004". The amendment specified that marriage meant "the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life." In addition, the bill banned the recognition of same-sex marriages entered into in other jurisdictions.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Attorney-General Ruddock and other Liberals argued that the bill was necessary to protect the institution of marriage, by ensuring that the common law definition was put beyond legal challenge. Labor Shadow Attorney-General Nicola Roxon on the same day the amendment was proposed said that the party would not oppose the amendment, arguing that it did not affect the legal situation of same-sex relationships, merely putting into statute law what was already common law. The Family First senator supported the bill.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Despite having support of the major parties, the bill was contested by sections of the community, human rights groups and some minor political parties. The Greens opposed the bill, calling it the "Marriage Discrimination Act". The Australian Democrats also opposed the bill. Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett stated that the legislation devalues his marriage, and Greens Senator Bob Brown (himself openly gay) referred to John Howard and the legislation as "hate[ful]". Brown was asked to retract his statements, but refused. Bob Brown additionally described Australia as having a "straight Australia policy", in reference to the 1901 immigration policy of a similar name.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Not all of Labor was in support of the bill. During the bill's second reading, Anthony Albanese, Labor MP for Grayndler said, "what has caused offence is why the Government has rushed in this legislation in what is possibly the last fortnight of parliamentary sittings. This bill is a result of 30 bigoted backbenchers who want to press buttons out there in the community."


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Senator Dean Smith introduced into Parliament a private senator's bill to alter the definition of marriage to allow same-sex couples to marry, after 61.6% of Australians who responded in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey voted to support same-sex marriage. The bill amended the definition of "marriage" in the Act, omitting the words "man and a woman" and replacing it with the gender-neutral wording "2 people". The amendment which prevented overseas same-sex marriages from being recognised in Australia was repealed. The bill passed the Senate by 43 votes to 12 on 29 November and passed the House of Representatives by 131 votes to 4 on 7 December 2017.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The bill received royal assent from the Governor-General on 8 December 2017 and came into effect the following day.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Marriage means the union of 2 people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Under section 46 of the "Marriage Act 1961", a celebrant is required to say these words, or words to this effect, in every marriage ceremony.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: On 13 September 2013, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government announced that it would introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage, following a decade-long attempt to legislate in the area. "We've been pretty clear on this issue for some time now and there's overwhelming community support for this", Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said. "We would prefer to see the federal parliament legislate for a nationally consistent scheme, but in the absence of this, we will act for the people of the ACT. The bill would have enabled couples who are not able to marry under the Commonwealth "Marriage Act 1961" to enter into marriage in the ACT. It will provide for solemnisation, eligibility, dissolution and annulment, regulatory requirements and notice of intention in relation to same-sex marriages." On 10 October 2013, federal Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed that the Commonwealth Government would challenge the proposed ACT bill, stating that the Coalition Government has significant constitutional concerns with respect to the bill. The bill was debated in the ACT Legislative Assembly on 22 October 2013, and passed by 9 votes to 8. The legislation is known as the "Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013".


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: As soon as the ACT's law had been passed, the Commonwealth launched a challenge to it in the High Court, which delivered judgment on 12 December 2013. As to the relation between the ACT act and federal legislation, the Court found that the ACT act was invalid and of "no effect", because it was "inconsistent", in terms of the "Australian Capital Territory Self-Government Act 1988" (Cth), and the federal "Marriage Act 1961" (Cth). It was inconsistent both because its definition of marriage conflicted with that in the federal act and because the federal act was exclusive, leaving no room for any other definition in the legislation of a state or a territory. However, the Court went on to determine that the word "marriage" in Constitution s51(xxi) includes same-sex marriage, thus clarifying that there is no constitutional impediment to the Commonwealth legislating for same-sex marriage in the future. It can do so by amending the definition of "marriage" in the "Marriage Act", which it did in December 2017.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, approximately 4.6% of all marriages officiated in Australia have been marriages of same-sex couples, since 1 January 2018. The data for the year 2018 indicated that the overwhelming majority of same-sex weddings were administered by a civil celebrant, and that the median age of same-sex couples entering into marriages was notably older than heterosexual couples. Note that the figures below do not include any marriages where one or both of the parties do not identify as either male or female.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Dual British-Australian couples were able to marry in British diplomatic missions in Australia after the United Kingdom legalised same-sex marriage in 2014. From June 2014 to October 2017, 445 same-sex couples took advantage of this and married in British diplomatic offices across Australia.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex couples have access to different relationship recognition schemes in Australia's eight states and territories. Under federal law, they are treated as "de facto" relationships. Despite Australia having passed a federal same-sex marriage law, these schemes remain in place as an option for couples.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex couples can enter into civil partnerships in the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. The schemes include state-sanctioned ceremonies that are similar to marriage ceremonies.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Previously, same-sex couples could enter into civil unions in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In August 2012, a civil union bill passed the territory Legislative Assembly. The "Civil Union Act 2012" granted many of the same rights to same-sex couples as people married under the "Marriage Act 1961". The Act was not challenged by the Gillard Government. It was to be repealed and civil unions were to be no longer accessible to same-sex couples upon commencement of the "Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013", which (if not struck down by the High Court) would have permanently legalised same-sex marriage in the territory. Due to the High Court's ruling striking down the ACT's same-sex marriage law as invalid, the repeal of the Act was of no effect and civil unions continued to take place in the ACT until 2017. As of 2017, forming a new civil union is not possible as section 7 of the "Civil Union Act 2012" requires that potential couples be unable to marry under the "Marriage Act 1961". When same-sex marriage was legalised, it became legally impossible to form a civil union, though existing ones remain valid.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Since 2008, the ACT has recognised civil partnerships which provide same-sex couples with increased rights regarding superannuation, taxation and social security. Although the "Civil Partnerships Act 2008" was repealed upon passage of the aforementioned "Civil Unions Act 2012", entering into civil partnerships, which are now regulated under part 4A of the "Domestic Relationships Act 1994", remains an option for same-sex couples (and opposite-sex couples). Couples can also enter into domestic relationships, which were enacted in 1994.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Civil partnerships, commonly referred to as civil unions, have been legal in Queensland since April 2016. The state Parliament passed the "Discrimination Law Amendment Act 2002" in December of that year, which created non-discriminatory definitions of "de facto partner" with respect to 42 pieces of legislation. This gave same-sex couples the same rights as "de facto couples" in most instances.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: On 30 November 2011, the Queensland Parliament passed a bill allowing civil partnerships in the state. The legislation passed by a vote of 47 to 40, with those against including four votes from the Australian Labor Party. The "Civil Partnerships Act 2011" allowed for same-sex couples who are Queensland residents to enter into a civil partnership. Shortly after the change of government in the 2012 state elections, and following high profile advertisements for repeal of the law by Katter's Australian Party, the centre-right LNP Government passed the "Civil Partnerships and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012". The new law changed the name from "civil partnership" to "registered relationship" and prohibited the state from offering ceremonies for those who do register their relationship in this manner. Following the 2015 state election, which saw Labor form minority government, the Parliament passed (in December 2015) the "Relationships (Civil Partnerships) and Other Acts Amendment Act 2015", which restored state-sanctioned ceremonies for same-sex and opposite-sex couples and once more changed regulations referring to "registered relationships" with "civil partnerships". The law came into effect following a number of administrative matters occurring, with civil partnerships resuming in the state on 2 April 2016.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex couples have access to domestic partnership registries (otherwise known as registered relationships) in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, has recognised domestic partnerships since July 2010. The "Relationships Register Act 2010" was passed by the Parliament in May and came into effect on 1 July 2010. The Act provides conclusive proof of the existence of a relationship and ensures participants gain all the rights afforded to "de facto" couples under state and federal law. Previously, in June 2008, the Parliament passed the "Miscellaneous Acts Amendment (Same Sex Relationships) Act 2008". The Act amended several other state laws to recognise co-mothers as legal parents of children born through donor insemination and ensure birth certificates allow both mothers to be recognised. Additionally, the Act amended 57 pieces of state legislation to ensure "de facto" couples, including same-sex couples, are treated equally with married couples. Finally, the Act amended the "New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act 1977" to ensure same-sex couples are protected from discrimination on the basis of their "marital or domestic status" in employment, accommodation and access to other goods and services.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: New South Wales has also sought to legislate with respect to same-sex marriage. In November 2013, a bill was introduced to the Legislative Council to legalise same-sex marriage at a state level, thought it was narrowly defeated. The external territory of Norfolk Island has, since 1 July 2016, been incorporated into New South Wales legislation.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Victoria has recognised domestic partnerships since December 2008. The Parliament passed the "Relationships Act 2008" on 10 April 2008 and came into effect on 1 December 2008. This allowed same-sex couples to register their relationships with the state Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and provide conclusive proof of a "de facto" relationship, allowing them to receive all the benefits and rights of such a couple under state and federal law. In 2016, the Victorian Parliament passed reforms to the state's domestic partnerships legislation, allowing for the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages on official documents and also allowing couples the option of having an official ceremony when registering for a domestic partnership. The earliest legislative reform in the state designed to provide equal treatment of same-sex couples came in August 2001, in the form of the "Statute Law Amendment (Relationships) Act 2001" and the "Statute Law Further Amendment (Relationships) Act 2001". The acts amended 60 laws in Victoria to give same-sex couples, called "domestic partners", many rights equal to those enjoyed by "de facto" couples, including hospital access, medical decision making, superannuation, inheritance rights, property tax, landlord/tenancy rights, mental health treatment and victims of crime procedures.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In South Australia, the "Statutes Amendment (Domestic Partners) Act 2006 (Number 43)", which took effect 1 June 2007, amended 97 acts, dispensing with the term "de facto" and categorising couples as "domestic partners". This meant same-sex couples and any two people who live together are covered by the same laws. In December 2016, the Parliament passed a law which creates a relationship register for same-sex couples and recognises the relationships of same-sex couples who had married or entered into an official union in other states and nations. This law went into effect on 1 August 2017. Prior to that reform, same-sex couples could make a written agreement called a "domestic partnership agreement" about their living arrangements. This may be prepared at any time and is legal from the time it is made, but must meet other requirements, such as joint commitments, before being recognised as domestic partners.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In Tasmania, beginning on 1 January 2004, the state's "Relationships Act 2003" allows same-sex couples to register their union as a type of domestic partnership in two distinct categories, "significant relationships" and "caring relationships", with the state's Registry of Births, Death and Marriages. The new definition of partner or spouse, "two people in a relationship whether or not it's sexual", was embedded into 80 pieces of legislation, giving same-sex couples rights in making decisions about a partner's health, provides for guardianship when a partner is incapacitated, and gives same-sex couples equal access to a partner's public sector pensions. It also allows one member of a same-sex couple to adopt the biological child of their partner. In September 2010, the Tasmanian Parliament unanimously passed legislation to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions as registered partnerships under the "Relationships Act 2003", making it the first Australian state or territory to do so.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In August 2012, a bill was introduced into the Tasmanian Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage. The bill passed the lower house, but was later rejected by the upper house on 28 September 2012. In October 2013, the bill was re-introduced into the upper house and was defeated once more.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Same-sex and opposite-sex "de facto" couples exist in all states and territories. Before the introduction of same-sex marriage nationally, the inability of "de facto" couples to have conclusive evidence of their relationships in Western Australia and the Northern Territory made it more difficult for them to access rights accorded to them under the law. This section briefly discusses the historical situation in those jurisdictions, which lack registered partnerships for same-sex (or opposite-sex) couples.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In the Northern Territory, in March 2004, the Parliament enacted the "Law Reform (Gender, Sexuality and De Facto Relationships) Act 2003" to remove legislative discrimination against same-sex couples in most areas of territory law (except the "Adoption of Children Act 1994") and recognise same-sex couples as "de facto" relationships. The Act removed distinctions based on a person's gender, sexuality or "de facto" relationship in approximately 50 acts and regulations. As in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, the reforms also enabled the lesbian partner of a woman to be recognised as the parent of her partner's child across state law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In Western Australia, the "Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay Law Reform) Act 2002" removed all remaining legislative discrimination toward sexual orientation by adding the new definition of "de facto partner" into 62 acts, provisions and statutes and created new family law designed to recognise same-sex couples as "de facto" relationships.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: A number of local government councils in Australia have created relationship recognition schemes, which allow couples to register their relationship and provide conclusive proof of a "de facto" union for the purposes of federal law.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: In Victoria, the cities of Melbourne and Yarra established relationship declaration registers in 2007. Both local governments discontinued the registers in 2018, after the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Local government groups have also published official positions in favour of same-sex marriage. In June 2016, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) approved a motion supporting the legalisation of same-sex marriage. The motion was put forward by Lord Mayor of Darwin Katrina Fong Lim and Meghan Hopper, a member of the Council of Moreland. It was approved by a strong majority at ALGA's National General Assembly. The motion reads the following;


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: As of 1 January 2018, of the 546 local governments (also known as "councils" or "shires") in Australia, a total of 62 are known to have passed formal motions in support of the legalisation of same-sex marriage.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: The table below shows the results of opinion polls conducted to ascertain the level of support for the introduction of same-sex marriage in Australia.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: According to a survey, published in late January 2018 by the Social Research Center along with the Australian National University, same-sex marriage was ranked the most historic event to have shaped the lives of Australians. 30% of the survey participants named the legalisation of same-sex marriage as the most historic event in their lifetime, 27% named the September 11 attacks, 13% named former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to indigenous Australians and another 13% named the Port Arthur massacre.


title: Same-sex marriage in Australia

text: Most major religious organisations in Australia do not perform same-sex marriages in their places of worship.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: An advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) is any of a groups of electronic technologies that assist drivers in driving and parking functions. Through a safe human-machine interface, ADAS increase car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technology, such as sensors and cameras, to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors, and respond accordingly. ADAS can enable various levels of autonomous driving, depending on the features installed in the car.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: As most road crashes occur due to human error, ADAS are developed to automate, adapt, and enhance vehicle technology for safety and better driving. ADAS are proven to reduce road fatalities by minimizing human error. Safety features are designed to avoid crashes and collisions by offering technologies that alert the driver to problems, implementing safeguards, and taking control of the vehicle if necessary. Adaptive features may automate lighting, provide adaptive cruise control, assist in avoiding collisions, incorporate satellite navigation and traffic warnings, alert drivers to possible obstacles, assist in lane departure and lane centering, provide navigational assistance through smartphones, and provide other features.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: According to a 2021 research report from Canalys, approximately 33 percent of new vehicles sold in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China had ADAS features. The firm also predicted that fifty percent of all automobiles on the road by the year 2030 would be ADAS-enabled.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Some groups advocate standardization of the name, such as Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking rather than Forward Collision Alert or Smart City Brake Support.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Such standardization is promoted by AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, National Safety Council, PAVE, and SAE International.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS were first being used in the 1950s with the adoption of the anti-lock braking system. Early ADAS include electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, blind spot information systems, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and traction control. These systems can be affected by mechanical alignment adjustments or damage from a collision. This has led many manufacturers to require automatic resets for these systems after a mechanical alignment is performed.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: The reliance on data that describes the outside environment of the vehicle, compared to internal data, differentiates ADAS from driver-assistance systems (DAS). ADAS relies on inputs from multiple data sources, including automotive imaging, LiDAR, radar, image processing, computer vision, and in-car networking. Additional inputs are possible from other sources separate from the primary vehicle platform, including other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle or V2V communication) and infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure or V2I communication). Modern cars have ADAS integrated into their electronics; manufacturers can add these new features.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS are considered real-time systems since they react quickly to multiple inputs and prioritize the incoming information to prevent crashes. The systems use preemptive priority scheduling to organize which task needs to be done first. The incorrect assignment of these priorities is what can cause more harm than good.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS are categorized into different levels based on the amount of automation, and the scale provided by The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). ADAS can be divided into six levels. In level 0, ADAS cannot control the car and can only provide information for the driver to interpret on their own. Some ADAS that are considered level 0 are: parking sensors, surround-view, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, night vision, blind spot information system, rear-cross traffic alert, and forward-collision warning. Level 1 and 2 are very similar in that they both have the driver do most of the decision making. The difference is level 1 can take control over one functionality and level 2 can take control over multiple to aid the driver. ADAS that are considered level 1 are: adaptive cruise control, emergency brake assist, automatic emergency brake assist, lane-keeping, and lane centering. ADAS that are considered level 2 are: highway assist, autonomous obstacle avoidance, and autonomous parking. From level 3 to 5, the amount of control the vehicle has increases; level 5 being where the vehicle is fully autonomous. Some of these systems have not yet been fully embedded in commercial vehicles. For instance, highway chauffeur is a Level 3 system, and automated valet parking is a level 4 system, both of which are not in full commercial use in 2019. The levels can be roughly understood as Level 0 - no automation; Level 1 - hands on/shared control; Level 2 - hands off; Level 3 - eyes off; Level 4 - mind off, and Level 5 - steering wheel optional.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS are among the fastest-growing segments in automotive electronics due to steadily increasing adoption of industry-wide quality and safety standards.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: This list is not a comprehensive list of all of the ADAS. Instead, it provides information on critical examples of ADAS that have progressed and become more commonly available since 2015.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: In Europe, in Q2 2018, 3% of sold passenger cars had level 2 autonomy driving features. In Europe, in Q2 2019, 325,000 passenger cars are sold with level 2 autonomy driving features, that is 8% of all new cars sold.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Major car brands with Level 2 features include Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Volvo, Citroën, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Nissan and Peugeot. Full Level 2 features are included with Full Self-Driving from Tesla, Pilot Assist from Volvo, OpenPilot from Comma.ai and ProPILOT Assist from Nissan.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: On June 29, 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the branch of the United States Department of Transportation responsible for federal motor vehicle regulations, issued Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO 2021-01), which required manufacturers of ADAS (Levels 1 or 2) and ADS (Levels 3 through 5) to promptly report crashes that occurred when driver-assistance or automation systems were in use. SGO 2021-01 subsequently was amended on August 5, 2021. Under the amended SGO 2021-01, a crash involving an ADS or Level 2 ADAS is reportable to the NHTSA if it meets the following criteria:


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: SGO 2021-01 is in effect for three years, starting on June 29, 2021. After gathering data for almost a year (July 1, 2021 through May 15, 2022), the NHTSA released the initial set of data in June 2022 and stated they plan to update the data on a monthly basis. The data are subject to several caveats and limitations; for instance, manufacturers are not required to report the number of vehicles that have been built and equipped with ADS/ADAS systems, the number of vehicles operating with ADS/ADAS systems, or the total distance traveled with ADS/ADAS systems active, which would be helpful to normalize the incident report data.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: According to the initial data covering July 2021 to May 15, 2022, ADS (Levels 3–5) from 25 different manufacturers were involved in 130 crashes, led by Waymo LLC (62), Transdev Alternative Services (34), Cruise LLC (23), General Motors (16), and Argo AI (10); because multiple manufacturers can report the same crash, the sum exceeds the total number of reportable incidents. Of the 130 crashes, 108 had no associated injuries reported; there was only one serious injury associated with the remaining crashes. The most commonly-reported damage location was the rear of the ADS-equipped vehicle.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Similarly, ADAS (Level 2) from 12 different manufacturers were involved in 367 crashes over the same period; 392 crashes were reported in total, but 25 either occurred before July 2021 or had no associated date. Reported incidents were led by Tesla (273), Honda (90), and Subaru (10). Of the 392 crashes, 98 included injury reporting; of the 98, 46 had no injuries reported, 5 resulted in serious injuries and 6 resulted in fatalities. The most commonly-reported damage location was the front of the ADAS-equipped vehicle.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: According to PACTS, lack of full standardization might make the system have difficulty being understandable by the driver who might believe that the car behave like another car while it does not.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS might have many limitations, for instance a pre-collision system might have 12 pages to explain 23 exceptions where ADAS may operate when not needed and 30 exceptions where ADAS may not operate when a collision is likely.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Names for ADAS features are not standardized. For instance, adaptive cruise control is called "Adaptive Cruise Control" by Fiat, Ford, GM, VW, Volvo and Peugeot, but "Intelligent Cruise Control" by Nissan, "Active Cruise Control" by Citroen and BMW, and "DISTRONIC" by Mercedes. To help with standardization, SAE International has endorsed a series of recommendations for generic ADAS terminology for car manufacturers, that it created with Consumer Reports, the American Automobile Association, J.D. Power, and the National Safety Council.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: ADAS behavior might change from car to car, for instance ACC speed might be temporarily overridden in most cars, while some switch to standby after one minute.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: The AV industry is growing exponentially, and according to a report by Market Research Future, the market is expected to hit over $65 billion by 2027. AV insurance and rising competition are expected to fuel that growth. Auto insurance for ADAS has directly affected the global economy, and many questions have arisen within the general public. ADAS allows autonomous vehicles to enable self-driving features, but there are associated risks with ADAS. AV companies and manufacturers are recommended to have insurance in the following areas in order to avoid any serious litigations. Depending on the level, ranging from 0 to 5, each car manufacturer would find it in its best interest to find the right combination of different insurances to best match their products. Note that this list is not exhaustive and may be constantly updated with more types of insurances and risks in the years to come.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: With the technology embedded in autonomous vehicles, these self-driving cars are able to distribute data if a car crash occurs. This, in turn, will invigorate the claims administration and their operations. Fraud reduction will also disable any fraudulent staging of car crashes by recording the car's monitoring of every minute on the road. ADAS is expected to streamline the insurance industry and its economic efficiency with capable technology to fight off fraudulent human behavior. In September 2016, the NHTSA published the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, which describes the U.S. Department of Transportation's policies related to highly automated vehicles (HAV) which range from vehicles with ADAS features to autonomous vehicles.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: In March 2014, the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it will require all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) to have rear view cameras by May 2018. The rule was required by Congress as part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007. The Act is named after two-year-old Cameron Gulbransen. Cameron's father backed up his SUV over him, when he did not see the toddler in the family's driveway


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: The advancement of autonomous driving is accompanied by ethical concerns. The earliest moral issue associated with autonomous driving can be dated back to as early as the age of the trolleys. The trolley problem is one of the most well-known ethical issues. Introduced by English philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967, the trolley problem asks that under a situation which the trolley's brake does not work, and there are five people ahead of the trolley, the driver may go straight, killing the five persons ahead, or turn to the side track killing the one pedestrian, what should the driver do? Before the development of autonomous vehicles, the trolley problem remains an ethical dilemma between utilitarianism and deontological ethics. However, as the advancement in ADAS proceeds, the trolley problem becomes an issue that needs to be addressed by the programming of self-driving cars. The crashes that autonomous vehicles might face could be very similar to those depicted in the trolley problem. Although ADAS systems make vehicles generally safer than only human-driven cars, crashes are unavoidable. This raises questions such as “whose lives should be prioritized in the event of an inevitable crash?” Or “What should be the universal principle for these ‘crash-algorithms’?”


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Many researchers have been working on ways to address the ethical concerns associated with ADAS systems. For instance, the artificial intelligence approach allows computers to learn human ethics by feeding them data regarding human actions. Such a method is useful when the rules cannot be articulated because the computer can learn and identify the ethical elements on its own without precisely programming whether an action is ethical. However, there are limitations to this approach. For example, many human actions are done out of self-preservation instincts, which is realistic but not ethical; feeding such data to the computer cannot guarantee that the computer captures the ideal behavior. Furthermore, the data fed to an artificial intelligence must be carefully selected to avoid producing undesired outcomes.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Another notable method is a three-phase approach proposed by Noah J. Goodall. This approach first necessitates a system established with the agreement of car manufacturers, transportation engineers, lawyers, and ethicists, and should be set transparently. The second phase is letting artificial intelligence learn human ethics while being bound by the system established in phase one. Lastly, the system should provide constant feedback that is understandable by humans.


title: Advanced driver-assistance system

text: Intelligent transport systems (ITS) highly resemble ADAS, but experts believe that ITS goes beyond automatic traffic to include any enterprise that safely transports humans. ITS is where the transportation technology is integrated with a city’s infrastructure. This would then lead to a “smart city”. These systems promote active safety by increasing the efficiency of roads, possibly by adding 22.5% capacity on average, not the actual count. ADAS have aided in this increase in active safety, according to a study in 2008. ITS systems use a wide system of communication technology, including wireless technology and traditional technology, to enhance productivity.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on the night of 20 September 2008, when a dumper truck filled with explosives was detonated in front of the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, killing at least 54 people, injuring at least 266 and leaving a 60 ft (20 m) wide, 20 ft (6 m) deep crater outside the hotel. The majority of the casualties were Pakistanis; at least five foreign nationals were also killed and fifteen others reported injured. The attack occurred only hours after President Asif Ali Zardari made his first speech to the Pakistani parliament.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The Marriott was the most prestigious hotel in the capital, and was located near government buildings, diplomatic missions, embassies and high commissions.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: During the investigation, three suspected terrorists were arrested by the Pakistani police. They were suspected of having facilitated the suicide bomber. However later they were acquitted of all charges as no evidence was ever presented against them.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: A few months after the hotel's bombing the Government of Pakistan had re-constructed it, and the Islamabad Marriott reopened officially on 28 December 2008.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The hotel blast caused a severe natural gas leak that set the top floor of the five-story, 258-room hotel on fire, police said. The explosion was heard 15 kilometres away. The blaze that followed quickly engulfed the entire structure of the Marriott hotel. About two-thirds of the building caught fire as a result of the explosion after a natural gas pipe was blown open, and the reception area was completely destroyed.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The owner of the Marriott Hotel, Hashoo Group, owned by Sadruddin Hashwani, said the truck carrying the bomb had been stopped at the front barrier. "Some shots were fired. One of our guards fired back, and in the meantime the suicide bomber detonated all the explosives. All the guards on the gate died", said Hashwani.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: Most of the dead were Pakistani citizens; several foreigners were also killed. Two American military personnel and a Danish intelligence agent were killed, and a U.S. State Department employee was missing and presumed dead. The Czech ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Ivo Žďárek, also died in the ensuing fire along with his Vietnamese companion. Although Žďárek had survived the initial blast, he returned to the hotel to help in the rescue effort but was trapped in the burning building. An Egyptian citizen also died in the attack. In addition, six Germans, four Britons and a Filipina receptionist from the hotel were among the injured.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: Pakistan's top leaders were to have been in the Islamabad Marriott hotel when it was bombed; instead, having changed their plans at the last minute, they gathered for dinner at the Prime Minister's house, a few hundred yards from the explosion, following President Asif Ali Zardari's maiden address to a joint session of parliament. "The national assembly speaker had arranged a dinner for the entire leadership – for the president, prime minister and armed services chiefs – at the Marriott that day", the Interior ministry head, Rehman Malik, told reporters.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: However, the hotel owner, Sadruddin Hashwani, denied that such a meeting had ever been scheduled to take place. According to a spokesman for Hashwani, "We didn't have any reservation for such a dinner that the government official is talking about."


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said both Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the attack and vowed their determination to deal with terrorism, with Law Minister Farooq Naek stating "this is Pakistan's 9/11".


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: Government advisor Rehman Malik said RDX and TNT were used in the attack. Approximately of RDX was mixed with TNT (Torpex or H6) and a mixture of mortar and ammunition to increase the explosive capacity. Aluminium powder was also mixed with the material to further enhance this capability. Torpex is about 50 percent more powerful than TNT by weight. The blast was heard for many miles throughout the capital.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: "Delay switches" might also have been used. Guards were first alerted by a minor blast, which was followed by the much larger explosion about four minutes later.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The Pakistani government released the CCTV footage of the attack at a press conference saying that a six-wheeled dumper truck filled with explosives and an accelerant pulled up at the gate and first caught fire before exploding a few minutes later.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: Sadruddin Hashwani, the owner of Islamabad Marriott Hotel, alleged that President Asif Ali Zardari might have been involved in the attack, citing his old rivalry with the President.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: An unnamed senior security official stated that about 30 U.S. Marines, scheduled to go to Afghanistan, were staying at the hotel, and they were believed to have been the targets of the bombing. This conflicted with information given by another unnamed official, who stated that the Marines were in Pakistan in connection with the visit by U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who met the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and other government officials on Wednesday. The personnel were staying on the fourth floor of the hotel, which was also among the most severely damaged by the fire which ensued following the bomb blast. According to the "Dawn", a number of the marines who stayed at the hotel sustained injuries; the newspaper also cited an unnamed law enforcement official stating "personnel of a U.S. security agency" were in all likelihood a target of the attack. There are also reports that more Americans were present at the hotel, as several senior CIA officers were visiting Islamabad at the time of the attack and were believed to be staying at the hotel, according to unnamed "well placed sources". A 29 May 2009 press release from NSA reads: CTM3 Matthew J. O'Bryant, USN, a Navy Cryptologist, was assigned to Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Maryland. CTM3 O'Bryant made the ultimate sacrifice on 20 September 2008 while performing a cryptologic mission in Pakistan. The hotel has a direct line of sight to the telecom system in Islamabad Pakistan.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: The other American service member killed was Major Rodolfo Ivan Rodriguez, USAF. Major Rodriguez was doing work for the US Embassy and staying at the Marriott at the time of the attack.


title: Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

text: An MP for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani, has come forward with testimony evidencing a purportedly serious security breach at the Marriott on the night between 16 and 17 September, several days before the bombing. Alam Gillani and two friends are said to have witnessed several large steel boxes being unloaded from a U.S. Embassy truck by a group of U.S. Marines and, according to someone at the hotel, transported to the fourth and fifth floors. Among the several people who witnessed this incident was Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sajjad Chaudhry.