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Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC; ) is an annual conference on international security policy that has taken place in Munich, Bavaria since 1963. Former names are Wehrkundetagung and Münchner Konferenz für Sicherheitspolitik. It is the world's largest gathering of its kind. Over the past four decades the Munich Security Conference has become the most important independent forum for the exchange of views by international security policy decision-makers. Each year it brings together about 350 senior figures from more than 70 countries around the world to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges. The list of attendees includes Heads of States, Governments and International Organizations, Ministers, Members of Parliament, high-ranking representatives of Armed Forces, Science, Civil society as well as Business and Media. The conference is held annually in February. The venue is the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany. The 55th Security Conference was held from 15 to 17 February 2019. History The conference evolved from the Internationale Wehrkundebegegnung / Münchner Wehrkundetagung, which was founded in 1963 by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin. The resistance fighter from the Stauffenberg circle advocated to prevent military conflicts such as the Second World War in the future and brought together leaders and experts in security policy for this reason. The first meeting was limited to about 60 participants; among them were Helmut Schmidt and Henry Kissinger. Von Kleist led the meetings until 1997; his successor who led them from 1999 until 2008 was politician and business manager Horst Teltschik (CDU). Since 2009, the conference is headed by the former diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger. Ischinger established the Munich Security Conference gGmbH non-profit foundation in 2011, which he has led since then. The Munich Security Conference was canceled twice, in 1991 due to the First Gulf War and 1997 as a result of the retirement of Kleist-Schmenzin. Under the leadership of Teltschik the Security Conference opened in 1999 for political, military and business leaders from Central and Eastern Europe as well as India, Japan and the People's Republic of China. Purpose At this conference, under the theme of peace through dialogue, senior politicians, diplomats, military and security experts from the member countries of NATO and the European Union, but also from other countries such as China, India, Iran, Japan and Russia are invited to discuss the current issues in security and defense policies. The intention of the conference is to address the topical main security issues and to debate and analyze the main security challenges in the present and the future in line with the concept of networked security. A focal point of the conference is the discussion and the exchange of views on the development of the transatlantic relations as well as European and global security in the 21st century. The conference is organized privately and therefore not an official government event. It is used exclusively for discussion; an authorization for binding intergovernmental decisions does not exist. Furthermore, there is - contrary to usual conventions - no common final communiqué. The high-level meeting is also used to discrete background discussions between the participants. An exception is the presentation of global political decisions, such as the exchange of instruments of ratification for the New START disarmament agreement between the United States and Russia, which was held at the conclusion of the security conference in 2011. Conferences At the 39th Conference 2003, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Fischer doubted to the reasoning of the US government for a war against Iraq with the words "Excuse me, I am not convinced". From February 6–8, 2009, the 45th Munich Security Conference was attended by

over 50 ministers and more than a dozen heads of state and government from all over the world, including US-Vice-President Joe Biden, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In 2009 the MSC inaugurated the Ewald von Kleist Award. The new award highlights the political life and work of Ewald von Kleist, who founded the Munich Security Conference. The award will be given to prominent individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to peace and conflict resolution. The winners of the Ewald von Kleist Award were in 2009 Dr Henry Kissinger and in 2010 Javier Solana de Madariaga. Also in 2009, the MSC initiated a new event format, called MSC Core Group Meeting. This new and smaller-scale event was introduced in addition to the annual main, Munich-based meeting of the Munich Security Conference. The idea is to invite a number of distinguished and high-ranking participants to changing capitals and give them the opportunity to confidentially discuss current international security policy issues and develop sustainable solutions. Meetings took place 2009 in Washington D.C., 2010 in Moscow and 2011 in Beijing. The 47th Munich Security Conference was held from February 4–6, 2011 and has again assembled top-level decision makers from all over the world, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov whilst Belarus has been excluded from the circle of MSC attendees because of the country's human rights situation. In 2011 two special features marked the growing role of the Munich Security Conference as center of attention of international security policy: European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton called for the Quartet on the Middle East, consisting of the EU, Russia, the United States and the UN, to meet within the setting of the 2011 Munich Security Conference and during a ceremony on the sidelines of the conference Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged the instruments for ratifying the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) that entered into force in Munich New START. The 48th Munich Security Conference was held from February 2–5, 2012. Conference 2019 The 55th Munich Security Conference (MSC 2019) took place from 15 to 17 February 2019 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. Among the 600 participants were heads of state and government from more than 35 countries, 50 foreign and 30 defence ministers, other representatives from the fields of politics, the military, the arms industry, business and science, as well as members of international intergovernmental and civil society organizations. Welcome The chairman of the conference Wolfgang Ischinger opened the event with the motto "The Great Puzzle: Who Will Pick Up the Pieces?" The question was also discussed in the "Munich Security Report", the annual publication accompanying the event. Ischinger described "a reorganization of central building blocks of the international order", which is characterized by a new era of Great Power rivalries between the USA, China and Russia as well as a certain leadership vacuum in the "liberal world order". Prior to this he had emphasized the importance of multilateralism in today's world and described the European Union in this context as "alive and kicking". Opening statements Federal Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson spoke at the opening. Both politicians advocated greater European cooperation in defence. Williamson highlighted the growing global threats and stressed the importance of the continued close cooperation of the

NATO partners despite Brexit, as NATO is indispensable for the protection of citizens. Von der Leyen spoke of "the Great Powers returning to rivalry", which also affected Germany and Europe She declared that she would continue to support a closer military cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom even after Brexit. Among the main topics of the conference were "the self-assertion of the European Union, transatlantic cooperation and the possible effects of a new era of competition between major powers" When discussing European security, the European NATO members' defence budgets were also discussed. Other topics included the security situation in the Sahel, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and Syria, and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and trade barriers. International cooperation During a panel discussion on the future of defense alliances, the Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno called for greater international cooperation for the protection of the international order: "If the U.S. can no longer act alone as a policeman, Japan, Europe and other like-minded countries will have to increase burden-sharing" Other participants in the discussion, however, expressed doubts as to whether cooperating Central Powers will be able to stand their ground against rivaling goals of the Great Powers. The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the USA's demand to the Europeans to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran and urged the European states to make a greater effort to preserve the agreement. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) Another focus of the conference was the INF Treaty. The speeches of the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it clear that the failure of the INF Treaty can hardly be prevented. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the consequences of a failure of the INF Treaty as "very serious". In order to save the treaty, some participants expressed the hope that China would participate in the negotiations on medium-range nuclear systems, but this was rejected by the Chinese foreign policy expert Yang Jiechi, as China rejects a "multilateralisation of the INF Treaty for the Asia-Pacific region". India expressed similar sentiments. Chancellor Merkel warned against "blind rearmament" should the INF Treaty fail. Transatlantic relations When discussing transatlantic relations Observers described "rifts between the USA and Germany". These were also evident in the speech by Vice President Mike Pence, who defended US policy and called on European states to give the US more support in the conflicts with Iran or the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized the importance of multilateral structures and transatlantic cooperation in his speech. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also emphasized the importance of international cooperation: "We must not break this up" Within the US delegation, opinions were divided. Former US Vice President Joe Biden, for example, was very critical of the current president's policies: "This will pass! We'll be back!" Climate change and security For the first time since the conference was founded, a panel discussion on the topic of "Climate Change and Security" was included in the conference's main programme. The German climate researcher Hans Joachim Schellnhuber warned sternly about the consequences of climate change. Bunny McDiarmid, co-managing director of Greenpeace, explained the European Fridays for Future movement to the audience and said: "We have schoolchildren marching in the streets because they don't believe that politicians act fast enough." Amnesty International Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo warned: "Nature does not negotiate." Representatives of the US government did not take part in the discussion. However, former US Secretary of State John Kerry sat in the audience and declared politics as being in the

process of committing "consensual suicide of our planet". Participants Among the heads of state and government attending the event were German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Klaus Iohannis of Romania, as well as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Hasina Wajed, and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The US delegation included US Vice President Mike Pence, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, the daughter of the US President, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner. Other guests included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Federica Mogherini, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, IMF Director Christine Lagarde, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Jawad Sarif, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim, the British Minister of Defence Gavin Williamson and his French colleague Florence Parly, Yang Jiechi, as a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for foreign policy, and the Nobel Peace Prize winners Tawakkol Karman and Beatrice Fihn. On behalf of the German Federal Government, in addition to Chancellor Merkel and Defence Minister von der Leyen, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, Health Minister Jens Spahn and Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner attended the conference. The French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have cancelled their visit. Award ceremonies This year, the annual Ewald von Kleist Preis awarded at the conference was awarded to the Prime Ministers of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, and Northern Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, for their agreement in the name dispute between the two countries. For the first time during the conference, the John McCain Dissertation Award for outstanding research on security-political issues was presented. Side events In addition to the main conference there were numerous side events, including the Munich Young Leaders Program organized by the MSC and the Körber Foundation, and other events on climate change and security hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme, energy security, cyber security, health security and international threats. Evaluation According to conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, it was one of the most important conferences of recent years, as it had become clear that the international system was under extreme threat. By far the most important speech, in his opinion, came from Angela Merkel. As a negative tendency, it could be observed that although conflict parties used the conference to present their position, they did not want to discuss with each other what had originally been the strength of the conference. Conference 2018 The 54th Munich Security Conference (MSC 2018) took place from the 16 to 18 February 2018 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. Opening Federal Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and French Defence Minister Florence Parly spoke at the opening and reaffirmed their commitment to stronger military cooperation. According to von der Leyen, (Permanent Structured Cooperation/PESCO) marks an important step towards a European Security and Defense Union. Parly added: PESCO should ignite a "Cultural Revolution" coming, followed by further projects. Agenda The Munich Security Report 2018 was published before the conference with the title? "To the Brink - and Back?". The key themes of the conference and the Munich Security Report 2018 included the crisis of the liberal international order and the consequences from Donald Trumps first year of US presidency. "Last year, the world moved too close to a major international conflict," MSC chairman Wolfgang Ischinger stated in the run-up to the conference. "The rhetorical escalations of individual decision-makers are very worrying, whether on the Korean peninsula, in the Gulf or in Eastern

Europe - if someone makes a wrong decision in charged situations, that could quickly set off a dangerous chain reaction," Ischinger warned. In particular, the future and capacity of the European Union and its relations with Russia and the United States were on the agenda of the MSC 2018. In addition, the threat of the liberal international order, the numerous conflicts in the Middle East - in particular the worsening relations between the Gulf States - and the development of the political situation in the Sahel were discussed. Also disarmament issues were discussed, especially with respects to the conflict over the North Korean nuclear program. Panel discussions took place on the following topics: EU and NATO defense cooperation Nuclear security policy Security for the Sahel Jihad after the caliphate Countries between Russia and Europe Participants Benjamin Netanyahu was the first-ever Israeli Prime Minister to take part in the conference. While delivering his remarks, Netanyahu brandished a wing flap from an Iranian drone that infiltrated Israel a few weeks earlier and was shot down. Netanyahu's dramatic display grabbed headlines around the world and inspired memes on social media. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called Netanyahu's prop a "cartoonish circus" that "does not even deserve the dignity of a response." Netanyahu said the fact that Zarif was forced to respond was "the whole point" of the display and a public relations win. Netanyahu's spokesman David Keyes was credited for his role in shaping the prime minister's media strategy. Other guests included UN Secretary-General António Guterres, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Arriving from the US were Secretary of Defense General James Mattis and National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump, H.R. McMaster. The delegation of the US Congress was chaired by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Robert Corker. Other visiting heads of state and heads of government included Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May, her Austrian counterpart Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also participated in the MSC, as well as the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Numerous international organizations were also represented at MSC 2018. Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Thomas Greminger, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda and Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde participated. Other participants also included, Commission President of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat, Director of the World Food Programme David Beasley, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, and Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth. Representatives of the leading federal regimes which attended the conference together with more than 30 members of parliament from all political groups were Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizièreand Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Müller. Side events The main conference was accompanied by numerous side events organized by international institutions and organizations. These included the United Nations, the African Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in, NATO, and NGOs and institutions such as the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Transparency International, German Aerospace Center, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Atlantic Council. In addition, there were public events such as a literary series with the Börsenverein des

Deutschen Buchhandels (German book trade association ) and several events on technology and cyber issues. On the eve of the conference, MSC hosted a "Town Hall Meeting" entitled "The Force Awakens: Artificial Intelligence and Modern Conflict" at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. Award ceremonies The American politician John McCain was awarded the Ewald-von-Kleist-Preis for his services to the transatlantic relationship and the security conference. Since Senator McCain could not travel to Munich due to illness, his wife Cindy accepted the prize for him. For many years, Senator McCain led the US congressional delegations at security conferences. Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the conference, was awarded the Nunn-Lugar Award for Promoting Nuclear Security by the Carnegie Corporation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Statements Nicholas Burns, the former US Ambassador to NATO, stated: "We have troops in Poland and three Baltic countries. I think NATO is unified. We have to continue the sanctions against Russia." Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, claimed that "NATO’s continued existence provokes new threats, rather than overcoming them. This conference has always been anti-Russian. Unfortunately, they try to blame Russia for all the problems facing the West." German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel accused Russia and China of trying to "undermine" the liberal Western world order. Gabriel said that "Nobody should attempt to divide the European Union: not Russia, not China and also not the United States." Security Measures The Munich city center was guarded by 4,000 police officers. According to the police, around 20 counter-demonstrations were planned. Conference 2017 The 53rd Munich Security Conference (MSC 2017) took place from 17 to 19 February 2017 at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich. With a total of 680 participants, including 30 heads of state and government, nearly 60 representatives of international organizations and 65 top business leaders, it was the largest conference to date. Prominent guests and speakers were UN Secretary General António Guterres, US Vice President Mike Pence, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Federica Mogherini, Donald Tusk and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. 700 journalists were also accredited for the event. In addition to the main events of the security conference, there were 1,350 bilateral meetings among MSC participants and delegations. Opening The German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, and the new US Defense Secretary James Mattis, opened the conference together. In her speech, the German minister also commented on the controversy between Berlin and Washington regarding the appropriate level of defense spending, stating: "We Germans have understood that after a period where we reaped the benefits of a peace dividend, we must now persistently invest in a security contingency reserve." At the same time, von der Leyen stressed the importance of close transatlantic cooperation and said that Germany would "bear a larger, a fairer part of the burdens for the common Atlantic security". The minister said "NATO is not self-evident - neither for America nor for the Europeans". At the same time, she pointed out that burden sharing among alliance partners was not a financial question at first but one where both partners should practice mutual support for each other. "This excludes all unilateral action – both unilaterally rushing ahead as well as unilaterally ducking responsibility", continued von der Leyen. This reaffirmed her call for a common position and approach by NATO against Russia and the Islamic state. At the same time, the principle that Islamic terror should be fought against and not Islam itself should be applied. Von der Leyen stressed that the world needs a "globally committed, responsible America". Her US

counterpart, James Mattis, in his brief address, combined his country's clear commitment to NATO's collective defense with a strong demand for Europeans to boost their collective defense spending. Secretary Mattis advocated a binding plan to meet the payment commitments made in 2014 in Wales and 2016 in Warsaw. Mattis stressed that the Alliance should remain "credible, capable and relevant" so that Europeans and Americans could jointly resist the enemies of democracy, and both sides of the Atlantic share the legacy of friendship, freedom, and a trusting alliance. "American security is permanently tied to European security," and "Security is at its highest when a team makes sure of it," said Mattis. The future of the EU During a panel discussion on the future of the European Union entitled "Together or Separated" there was a clear disagreement between the Polish Foreign Minister, Waszczykowski and the Vice President of the European Commission Timmermans, described by observers as a "clash of civilizations on a small-scale". The dispute was triggered by Timmermans' accusing the Polish government of spreading "alternative facts". "The EU is built on rights and values," Timmermans said, stressing that judges should not be subject to directives by governments. The common principles are binding on all Member States. The Polish Foreign Minister dismissed the allegations and accused the European Commission of misinterpreting Polish law. The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, urged the EU members to be united. At the same time, he reaffirmed the need for a determined protection of the external borders by the Eastern European EU countries in order to avoid border controls within the EU. Schäuble and MEP Elmar Brok both stressed the need for the EU to take its own internal and external security into its own hands in order to prevent a further loss of overall stature. Development Assistance The Irish singer Bono, a co-founder of ONE, praised the German development policy in Africa. Germany has an understanding of the economic opportunities and of the specific risks present on the continent, Bono explained. He called for a common security and development strategy to provide basic supplies, education and infrastructure for people in Africa. The singer warned of three extremes, which particularly threatened security: "Extreme ideology, extreme poverty and extreme climate." At the same time, Bono advocated making investments contingent on good governance standards. The Future of the West and NATO In his introduction to a panel discussion on the future of the West, US Senator McCain appealed to the West: "We must not abandon ourselves and each other, otherwise it would be decadence, and that leads to the failure of world orders," adding also that the 2017 security conference was more important than ever before. McCain warned Western societies not to be paralyzed but to rely on the conviction of their common values and openness. "We may have become self-complacent, we have made mistakes", McCain said, but also stood behind his conviction "as long as courageous people believe in the West, the West will persist". The Senator expressed his appreciation for Germany and Chancellor Merkel for the "essential role", which they play in defending the ideas of the West. According to McCain, not every American may understand the meaning of his praise, but he thanked Germany and Merkel "in the name of all those who do grasp that". During the subsequent discussion, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that supporting Ukraine is the easiest way to strengthen the West. According to Poroshenko, Russia not only wants to redraw Ukraine "in Russian colors" but rather all of Europe. He also warned of a premature détente policy with Moscow, as an

end to the sanctions regime would be interpreted as a sign of weakness and further strengthen Russian aggression. Poroshenko appealed to the conference participants: "Do not decide without Ukraine about Ukraine". He told the press that in Ukraine, all of Europe was being defended against Russian aggression” and "that it could affect other countries after Ukraine". All involved parties reiterated their commitment to the Minsk Accord. Representatives of the United States, above all Vice President Mike Pence, criticized Russia's conduct during the conflict. At the same time, it became known during the security conference that Moscow would, effective immediately, recognize passports issued by the separatist so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, a move that equals diplomatic recognition of these two entities by Russia. In this context, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson reaffirmed the importance of NATO. He interpreted the Brexit vote as a decision by the United Kingdom in favor of free trade and globalization. He described Trumps election as an opportunity for positive change and asked to give the new US President an opportunity to govern before rushing to judgement. During an evening event NATO defense ministers from the UK, France, Netherlands, Canada and Turkey discussed the situation of the Western Alliance in the context of the financial dimension of providing for their collective security. British Defense Secretary, Michael Fallon, pointed to the gap between public commitments to defense spending and actual military expenditure by NATO members. 19 of the 28 Alliance countries contribute less than 1.5% of their GNP, and five members spend even less than 1%. Fallon therefore welcomed Washington's push for binding commitments to document the progress of the individual Alliance partners to reach the 2% target and provide for better burden-sharing in defense matters. Fallon referred to Russia under President Putin as a reason why NATO should be strengthened. It was Russia, whose cyberattacks and propaganda war was making the world less secure, Fallon continued. "It is Putin, not Trump, who is aggressive. It is Putin and not Trump, who sets up new medium-range missile." French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian outlined current changes in the role of NATO. Traditional capabilities such as territorial defense of the Alliance or the concept of "Forward Strategy” were once again gaining in importance. At the same time, Le Drian emphasized that nuclear deterrence was an integral part of ensuring the security of the Alliance. The Dutch defense minister, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, pointed out that Europeans had been able to take a peace dividend over a long period of time, even when the security situation deteriorated. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fikri Işık, stressed that not only the eastern but also the southern flank of NATO was increasingly under pressure and called for NATO to be strengthened in the southeast. China's foreign policy During the conference, Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, explained Beijing's position on current issues of foreign and security policy. Wang Yi discussed Chinese policies related to Russia and the US. Observers also interpreted this as an expression of a shift in international power structures, as Europe was only mentioned in the margins. Wang Yi described his country as a pioneer of international cooperation. In the context of North Korea, the Foreign Minister expressed his support for the resumption of the six-party talks in order to resolve the conflict with North Korea and to break the "negative spiral in the nuclear issue". At the same time, Wang Yi announced in Munich, an import stop for coal from North Korea. Speech by the German Chancellor On the second day of the conference, Chancellor Merkel described the great

changes in foreign policy in her speech and called for a new global order pattern, which would have to be developed 25 years after the end of the East-West confrontation. The "world has radically changed, we have no fixed order", Merkel described the situation. At the same time, she promoted a liberal, worldwide multilateralism based on international structures worth fighting for. The Chancellor included amongst others NATO, which has grown in importance due to Russian annexation of the Crimea and the "conflicts in the east of Ukraine, during which Russia supported the separatists". Russia had violated the crucial principle of the territorial integrity of states on which peace and security depended upon, Merkel continued. The Chancellor confirmed that the threats and challenges for the security of the West repeatedly highlighted by the American side were real. Therefore, "we need the military force of the United States of America". "We will do more for defense policy", Merkel said, supporting the target of spending two percent of GDP on defense in the future following NATO's 2014 agreement to that effect. "We will make every effort, we feel committed to this goal", she said. "Germany knows its responsibility here." In this context, Merkel conceded, however, that it would hardly be possible to increase German defense expenditure by more than 8 percent annually, which would be necessary to achieve that common NATO goal. At the same time, the Chancellor described a concept of security which, in addition to defense, also included development aid and crisis prevention, and which costs would have to be taken into account as well. Merkel stressed the need for fight against the root causes of the refugee crisis. "We Germans, as we have seen in the context of the refugees, always have an interest in ensuring that people elsewhere have a proper and good existence." On the current state of the EU, the Chancellor expressed herself thoughtfully. According to Merkel, the EU is in a "difficult phase". As a cause, she argued that after the introduction of the euro only later measures to secure it were introduced. Similarly, the principle of freedom of movement of persons had been implemented before measures were taken on the external borders to limit migration. Speech by the US Vice President US Vice President Pence reaffirmed the United States' readiness to ensure mutual security guarantees: "The US strongly supports NATO, and will remain steadfast in its commitments to the transatlantic alliance." This statement was received with applause by the conference participants. On the promise to continue to be on the side of Europe, which is linked to "the ideals of freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law", many participants in the security conference had hoped that the USA would not withdraw, but also continue to shoulder the responsibility in the world, according to Pence's commitment. At the same time, the Vice President confirmed the American view that Europeans had long since ignored the principle of fair burden-sharing and warned: "This undermines the foundations of our alliance." Pence warned the conference participants: "Let me say quite clearly: The President of the United States expects our allies to keep their word and fulfill their commitment. For most, this means that the time has come to do more." The Vice President demanded that NATO increase its contribution to the fight against international terrorism, according to Pence, currently the biggest threat to the West. At the same time, the conflict in Eastern Ukraine has to be stopped. Pence demanded that Moscow abide by the Minsk peace accord for Eastern Ukraine and ensure that the conflict is de-escalated. If

this did not happen, the US would hold Russia responsible for its actions. In this context, Pence emphasized the US administration's openness to find new ways of cooperation with Moscow. António Guterres The former Portuguese Prime Minister and newly elected UN Secretary General called for the strengthening of multilateral structures to address global problems with global responses. Guterres described Germany as a "very solid pillar" for the international order and praised Berlin's commitment to international organizations. At the same time, the UN Secretary General stressed that the UN needs fundamental reforms that would enable the organization to develop simpler and quicker procedures for crisis management and to become more transparent. With blunt words, Guterres described the UN's weaknesses and demanded far-reaching reforms: "We all feel a lack of trust in international organizations. The UN structures are dysfunctional." Guterres also criticized the lack of coordination and as well as the insufficient performance reviews in development cooperation. In the context of a short-term solution to the conflict in Syria, Guterres expressed little optimism. Peace in Syria is only possible if none of the conflicting parties believe in a military success, stated UN Secretary General, and he continued, without a comprehensive solution, a victory over the IS is not possible. Only in this way can the terrorists be deprived of their foundations and can be locally combated. Jens Stoltenberg, Federica Mogherini and Sigmar Gabriel NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg urged European NATO members to take on more burdens in the alliance instead of shifting responsibility to the US: "The post-war generation faced this challenge and now we have to do so." In this context, Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, noted that defense investments are an important prerequisite for security, but that they are not the only one. The "European path" of security policy complements these aspects with questions of education, employment growth and responsible governance, Mogherini added. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was skeptical about the 2 percent of GDP on defense spending target. The Europeans should not be pushed by the United States to increase defense investments, Gabriel demanded. The Foreign Minister said, he did not know where the funds would come from within a short time and did not want to "over-interpret" the common goal. Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov described NATO as an "institution of the Cold War, both in its mind and in its heart". He blamed NATO's expansion for an increase in regional tensions. Lavrov's statements were in contradiction to the statement by Chancellor Merkel, who had spoken of the "sad meaning" which NATO had regained due to the Russian aggression and in response to which NATO's eastern flank had to be strengthened. The Russian Foreign Minister called for a reduction in the global influence of Western countries, as the world could not be ruled in the long run by an "elite club of states". In this context, he spoke of a "post-Western world order", which is characterized by the fact that "each country is defined by its own sovereignty". Lavrov dismissed allegations that his country was trying to manipulate elections in Western countries and called them an "incomprehensible obsession of the West with cybersecurity and cyber espionage". According to Lavrov, no evidence has been found implicating Russia. The Russian Foreign Minister demanded more honesty and called for a "post-fake era" in international relations. At the same time, he promised "pragmatic relations" between the United States and Russia. Lavrov said, a strengthening of the US-Russian relationship would be in the interest of both countries. Global Health Risks In a panel

discussion on global health risks, Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned of new forms of terrorism with biological weapons. Gates said that in a few years, according to epidemiologists, terrorists might be capable of developing genetically modified species of deadly agents on the computer screen. Such highly infectious viruses could spread very quickly and kill more than 30 million people in less than a year, Gates warned, recalling the "Spanish flu", which had claimed up to 50 million victims worldwide in 1918. According to the Microsoft founder, the world is currently not prepared for such a threat in any way. In addition, the link between health issues and international security is ignored, even though constant biotechnological progress allows the development of new vaccines and medicines which would help to curb epidemics early on. Finally, the measures to protect against pandemics or targeted attacks with biological weapons are largely identical. Gates reported on the launch of a "Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations". This organization, a public-private partnership, aims to help protect against epidemics by advancing the development of vaccines immediately after a threat is identified.Gates described the need to prepare for crises triggered by epidemics, as well as for military responses in the event of a conflict. This also includes the analysis of existing epidemic risks and the testing of possible aid measures. This is the only way to gain experience on how diseases spread and how people react to such situations. According to Gates, research must be carried out on how to respond to the panic reactions of the general population and the over-congestion of transport or communication systems in order to ensure sufficient medical care at all times. The American philanthropist also highlighted what he regards as the three greatest global dangers: nuclear war, pandemics, and climate change. The world is the least prepared for pandemics, and Gates warned that this was a real problem. The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, pointed to the importance of good governance in this context. Kagame warned that if the government, the authorities, and the people do not trusted each other, essential security mechanisms, such as the health system, would fail in crisis situations such as epidemics. Fight against Terrorism German Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière and US Secretary of Homeland Security, John F. Kelly, took part in a panel discussion on combating terrorism. The German Interior Minister spoke out against placing all of Islam under suspicion, but called for a joint fight against Islamic terrorism. De Maiziere objected to demands for a new strategy against terror, but rather demanded the implementation of what had already been decided, including in particular, a better exchange of data. The minister, on the other hand, did not think that an EU-wide intelligence organization would be feasible given the lack of political support for such an entity. At the same time, however, the European terrorist protection group in Den Haag should improve the information exchange between the EU Member States' intelligence services. The newly appointed US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly spoke also about the "travel ban" issued by the Trump government to citizens from seven Muslim countries. Kelly announced that after a transitional period during which visas and work permits should already be issued, there will be a "better-defined version" of the entry stop. The Pakistani Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, expressed his critical opinion on America's approach in the discussion and stated that such a travel ban was not helping in the fight against terrorism, but rather promotes Islamophobia, which terrorists will take advantage of. Middle East and Iran During a speech on the situation in

the Middle East, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, explained his country's assessment of the international situation and the Middle East. He stressed that Iran would respect the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and not acquire or build nuclear weapons. At the same time however, Sarif said, that the agreement made to this point must be respected by all sides, but that this was not currently the case. Iran is not receptive to sanctions, according to the Iranian Foreign Minister, reaffirming his country's official denial on the development of nuclear weapons, calling for the worldwide abolition of nuclear weapons. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman in his speech accused Iran of pursuing nuclear ambitions and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East through proxy wars and the associated smuggling of weapons. In the context of the Middle East conflict, Liberman advocated for a two-State solution with the Palestinians. The Turkish Foreign Minister, Çavuşoğlu, also described Iran as a source of turmoil in the region and said that the country wanted to turn Syria and Iraq into Shiite countries. An armistice should be reached with Russia and Iran, demanded Çavuşoğlu, who described the Geneva talks as the basis for a political solution. However, in order to defeat IS, a better strategy and appropriate forces were needed. According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, IS had nothing to do with Islam, which stands for peace. IS is a terrorist organization, like certain Kurdish organizations in Turkey. The minister affirmed that the country has no Kurdish problem, but a terrorism problem with the PKK. Saudi Foreign Minister, Al-Jubeir, also called Iran a problematic actor in the region, calling it the world's largest terrorist supporter. In this context, Al-Jubeir raised the question of why Shiite Iran had previously been spared from terrorist attacks. Despite this criticism of Tehran's policy, Al-Jubeir expressed his confidence that the various conflicts could be resolved, in Yemen or Syria, if all sides showed willingness to do so in the future. Al-Jubeir also expressed his confidence in cooperation with the new U.S. president, since Trump was a pragmatist and not an ideologue. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, expressed doubts about the US commitment to Syria. He missed a clear American strategy for Syria, de Mistura deplored. At the same time, he accused the United States of not taking an active part in the search for a political peace process. He called for a political solution for the conflict in Syria. US foreign policy towards Russia During the conference, Jane Harman, President of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, discussed with US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Lindsey Graham and Christopher Murphy the policies of the Russian Federation under Putin. Democrat Senator Murphy was convinced that Russia had tried to actively influence the 2016 US presidential elections, and demanded that this be examined by Congress and to possibly impose further sanctions. He described a new "Russian expansionism", which could not only be pushed back by an increase in the rate of defense, but at the same time required further measures. Republican Senator Graham, confirmed the statements of his previous speaker and urged US President Trump to take decisive action against Russia, regardless of the fact that the 2016 election attacks were directed not against his party but the Democrats. He advocated for a cross-party proposal to impose further sanctions against Moscow. The President, he hoped, would agree that he would have to work with Members of Congress as "defenders of the free world". The influential internal Republican party critic of Donald Trump predicated that further attempts of interference would occur, e.g.

in French or German election campaigns, if there was no effective response to Moscow's cyber attacks. The Senator at the same time reaffirmed the importance of the media, which he described as indispensable in democratic societies. Ewald von Kleist Award During the conference, the outgoing German Federal President, Joachim Gauck, was awarded the Ewald von Kleist Award. Gauck was awarded for his keynote speech at the 50th Security Conference in which he had asked Germany to take on more international responsibility. The prize was presented by the Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, who described Gauck as an "advocate of civil rights", who had already worked as pastor in the GDR to overcome seemingly insoluble problems. Gauck was not able to accept the prize personally due to illness, and was represented by his Secretary of State, David Gill, who also read the acceptance speech. In his address, the President Gauck urged German society to commit to freedom and to further realize it: "The future is the space of our possibilities - the space of our freedom." Normandy Group Foreign Ministers Sigmar Gabriel from Germany, Sergei Lavrov from Russia, Pavlo Klimkin from Ukraine and Jean-Marc Ayrault from France met on the sidelines of the conference to discuss developments in Ukraine as representatives of the Normandy Group. In the months before, implementation of the Minsk Agreements had repeatedly stalled. German Foreign Minister Gabriel expressed his optimism and announced that "all parties will use their influence in order to implement the connections from the Contact Group". The fact that the US did not object to a meeting of the Normandy Group was interpreted by observers as a sign of Washington's support for Germany's role as a mediator in the conflict. The announcement by the Russian government regarding the recognition of ID cards from separatist areas was criticized by the Ukrainian government as a "provocation". Munich Security Report The conference organizers published the "Munich Security Report" (MSR) shortly before the launch of the MSC. The publication was titled "Post-Truth, Post-West, Post-Order"? and described a growing uncertainty in world politics, especially after Donald Trump's election as US president. The report, a collaborative effort by the MSC and various think tanks, also highlighted the challenges for international security policies and raised the spectre of an end to the current Western-dominated world order. The MSR also discussed the dangers that "fake news" implies for the culture of debate in Western democracies. Conference 2016 The 52nd Munich Security Conference took place from 12 to 14 February 2016. 600 international guests attended the event, including 30 heads of state, 70 foreign and defense ministers, directors of various intelligence agencies and 700 journalists from 48 countries. Welcoming The chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, described in his welcoming speech the central themes of the conference. Ischinger warned that the international order was in its worst shape since the end of the Cold War, and described the outlook as "grim" and urged the international community, especially Europe, to expand their efforts to cooperate. Opening speeches For the first time, the defense ministers of Germany and France, Ursula von der Leyen and Jean-Yves Le Drian, opened the conference together. In her speech, Minister von der Leyen focused on the challenges associated with the European refugee crisis. She stressed that helping refugees was a humanitarian obligation. The defense minister reported that the Bundeswehr participated, as part of a NATO mission in the eastern Mediterranean, in the fight against people smuggling and contributed to the integration of refugees in Germany by training refugees in civilian occupations. Von der Leyen also stressed that the influx

of refugees had to be reduced as a whole, in order to help focus on those people in actual need of protection. In his part of the opening speech, minister Le Drian focused on the war in Syria and international terrorism. Against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in France, he called for a strengthening of the fight against the ‘Islamic State’ terrorist militia. A ceasefire in Syria, he said, could only be reached if Russia put an end to its bombing attacks in the country. Conflict between NATO and the Russian Federation Le Drian stressed the importance of the agreement that the Syria Contact Group had reached before the conference. According to this accord, within one week, a ceasefire in Syria should be put into place. Special importance was placed on this agreement, since despite the tense political situation between NATO and Russia, all participants in the contact group had agreed on this goal. During a speech on the second conference day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the situation between the West and Russia from the Alliance's perspective. He called Russia's actions an attempt to destabilize and intimidate the Western security order and Russia's western-oriented neighbors. In response to this strategy, Stoltenberg reaffirmed the joint solidarity among NATO members and stressed the readiness of the Alliance for collective defense. He also called for the examination of renewed talks within the NATO-Russia Council. Stoltenberg stated: "We do not want a new Cold War with Russia". The tensions between the West and Russia were the subject of much debate at the conference. An additional point of contention was the speech by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whose remarks were understood by some participants as indicating that it was Moscow's conviction that the West and Russia had "slipped into a new Cold War". Medvedev complained that "Russophobia" had become "fashionable", and that from Russia's point of view, the West had stopped the dialogue with Russia and treated the country in an arbitrary way. He denounced NATO's deterrence doctrine and interpreted the sanctions against Russia as aggressive intent. Despite these allegations, the Prime Minister announced that Russia was working on a "European Peace Union" and that they also gathered in Munich for the interests of European security. He promised a constructive role of Moscow in the Syria conflict and attributed Russia's military involvement in the country to the high number of IS fighters hailing from Russia and emphasized that they "must not be allowed to return to their home country."He also stressed that there was no evidence of alleged Russian attacks on Syrian civilians. He criticized the West’s euphoria about the Arab Spring as naive and asked where the hopes for democracy had gone. Medvedev blamed political developments in the Middle East for the rise of IS. He called on the Syrian opposition to start negotiations with President Assad. At the same time he rejected a distinction between the IS and other groups because all terrorist groups identified by Moscow had to be fought equally. In a debate between the Presidents of Russian neighboring countries, Polands and Latvia urged a strengthening of NATO and a greater leadership role for the Americans in the Alliance. The Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite stated that Russia had already started a “hot war”. The President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, who also participated in the debate, warned against attempts of the Russian Federation to drive a wedge into the EU. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko finally turned to the absent Russian President Putin, stressing that he believes that it is not a civil war in Ukraine,

but the consequences of Russian aggression and Russian occupation, due to a clash of different value systems. He also warned against the intention by Russia to try to destabilize and divide Europe with the support of populist parties. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the accusation already expressed by Prime Minister Medvedev that NATO and EU refused cooperation with Russia and treated the country as an enemy. He also expressed the frustrations of his government about the Western demands for a cessation of Russian air raids on moderate rebels. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier finally expressed his belief that NATO and Russia were not in a Cold War. According to Steinmeier, it was important for the EU "to keep intact". If successful, the Foreign Minister continued, a lot would be won. During the conference, a telephone conversation between US President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin was brought to attention, in which both parties assessed the results regarding Syria as positive. US Secretary of State John Kerry said at the security conference that the international community had never been faced with so many crises simultaneously. The Foreign Minister recalled the situation in 1963, the year of the first security conference in Munich. Back then, Kerry declared, the Cold War was “pretty hot”, yet the world had overcome the crisis. Kerry described the optimism of former US President Kennedy, who had demanded Berlin in 1963 to look beyond the current dangers "to the hopes of tomorrow". Drawing on this, Kerry continued, he finds courage for the ongoing fight against terrorism. Syria and the fight against IS The situation in Syria and the fight against terrorism was another important issue of the security conference. King Abdullah of Jordan reiterated in this context that the war on terror was not merely a task for the countries of the Middle East. The King pointed to the European dimension of the problem, since the Balkans had ultimately served as a save haven for IS. Jordan’s King stated that the fight against terrorism was a Third World War being fought through other means. Afghan President Ghani criticized Europe in his speech, saying that it had failed to grasp the rise of IS. Observers viewed the allegations from Ghani as an attempt to divert attention away from his own inadequacies. Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi mentioned the efforts by his country in the fight against IS and added that further measures by the Iraqi government would follow. In addition to positive developments such as the improved security situation in Baghdad, which he referred to as the best since 2003, the president described the existence of groups that are no longer controlled by the Iraqi state, as worrying. He was also highly critical of unauthorized troop deployments by Turkey in Iraqi territory. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attacked Syrian ruler Assad and stated that the IS consisted of "psychopaths without religion". Middle East situation During a panel discussion on the situation in the Middle East, US Senator McCain described the global political landscape in clear terms. Because of eroding balances of power, McCain stated that the current world order was in a state of decay. The senator accused the West of being weak vis-à-vis Russia and criticized the diplomatic approach pursued by US Secretary of State Kerry. This attitude, according to McCain, would only promote the military aggression of Russia. The Senator also expressed skepticism towards the Syria agreement, which he said rewarded aggression and was just another sign of Western weakness. McCain also stated that this agreement was insufficient to end the refugee crisis, which Russia would

be using as a weapon against the Western community. The Secretary General of the -Gulf Cooperation Council, Al Zayani, supported the Syria agreement. Norbert Röttgen, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, said that Russia had won the upper hand in the Middle East through its violent actions in Syria. He also spoke out against further concessions of the West in the Ukraine conflict in exchange for Russian concessions in Syria. He called it a mistake not to have established a safe zone for Syrian refugees in 2015, thus leading to spill-over effects across the region. Röttgen called on Europe to take responsibility for its own security. Israeli Defense minister Moshe Ya'alon criticized the lack of a "grand strategy" for the West in order to deal with terrorism and the political situation in the Middle East. He reiterated the Israeli strategy of "red lines" vis-à-vis Syria. Finally, he added that the conflict between NATO and Russia did not constitute a new Cold War, since Moscow was acting unilaterally and no aggression on the part of the West was initiated. Future of NATO During a panel discussion on the future of NATO, Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski expressed general satisfaction with the increased number of NATO troops in Eastern Europe and at the same time, stated that it was necessary to deploy more Alliance forces and establish permanent military installations. The Foreign Minister described the NATO-Russia Founding Act from 1997, which limited the deployment of NATO troops in former Warsaw Pact countries, to be “invalid” in the context of recent political developments and the aggressive appearance of Russia, and called for the "equal treatment" of stationing forces similar to NATO's western states. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said during the discussion that NATO must ensure the security of all Member States, not only of those countries located on the Alliance's eastern and southern flank. North Korean nuclear program During a panel discussion on the role of China in the international community, Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the inadequate actions by the Chinese government against the nuclear armament of North Korea. Corker accused Beijing of refusing to solve the nuclear issue and also of providing sensitive technology to North Korea and Iran. Fu Ying, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress of China, rejected the criticism, but expressed her government's displeasure with Pyongyang's action. Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also warned of a further nuclear armament of North Korea and called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Asia expert warned that should this approach fail, it would be "very, very ugly". Intelligence Services For the first time, the heads of important Western Intelligence Services took part in a public panel discussion at the security conference. James R. Clapper, US Director of National Intelligence, Robert Hannigan, Director of the British intelligence agency GCHQ, Robert Bertholee, director of the Dutch secret service AIVD and Gerhard Conrad, Director of the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre INTCEN, discussed together with Vinton G. Cerf, Internet pioneer and vice president of Google, the relationship between security and civil liberty. The representatives of the intelligence services talked about the global security situation and warned against the high number of potential terrorists from the ranks of the so-called Islamic State. According to Clapper, 6,900 of the 38,000 ‘Islamic State’ fighters would hail from Western countries. He described that IS was using high-tech online methods for recruitment and propaganda purposes. Clapper warned against attacks by IS using chemical weapons, since they have access to some industrially

produced chemical weapons and had already deployed them in the past. Clapper also stated that the infrastructure in Western industrial nations was threatened by future terrorist attacks. INTCEN Director Conrad referred in this context to the new risks associated with Big Data. The Intelligence Service officials agreed with the demand for an improved data exchange between their services. GCHQ Chief Hannigan also warned of IS cyberattacks, but unlike Clapper, did not speak in favor of backdoors in encryption programs. In connection with the new transatlantic data agreement "Privacy Shield", Clapper announced that it should also respect the privacy rights of citizens of other countries. Google vice president Cerf stated that the Internet could only preserve its advantages "if it was kept free, global, and open, ensuring the freedom of all its users". Ewald von Kleist Award 2016 The Ewald von Kleist Prize 2016 was awarded at a reception hosted by the Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer at the Munich Residenz to Christiana Figueres, Secretary General of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Laurent Fabius, former French Foreign Minister. Both received the award for their roles in the adoption of the Convention of Paris, the successor to the Kyoto Protocol in December 2015. The award address was given by UN deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson. The particularly small number of U.S. participants at this traditional event was interpreted by observers as an expression of criticism towards Seehofer's trip to Moscow immediately before the security conference. Situation in Africa In a panel discussion on the situation in Africa, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan described the grim prospects of African youth as an important root cause for refugee flows and terrorism. He called for more humanitarian and social engagement in solving the crises, stressing that purely military measures will not succeed. Annan also stated that Africa's economic growth in recent years had only reached a small elite, which had failed to invest resources in the development of their countries. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, reiterated Annan's views and described that in his country many militiamen had joined the al-Shabaab terrorist group because of economic reasons. Other participants including Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International, accused the West of a significant involvement in the conflict. Refugee crisis During a panel discussion on the refugee crisis, Peter Altmaier, Chief of the German Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs, stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Syria. Altmaier called for a quota of refugees in Europe and stated that accommodations should be located near their countries of origin to provide them with homes and schools there. In this context, Altmaier also emphasized the transfer of refugees to Turkey or their repatriation to safe countries of origin. He stressed that the crisis could not be solved with purely national measures. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey protected Europe from “overload and criminal risks” by taking in 2.5 million Syrian refugees. He also urged better coordination of international assistance. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said that besides refugees in need of protection, many people with other motivations were flocking to Europe. Therefore, the foreign minister called for protection of the EU's external borders and better controls of those who entered. According to Koenders, there was no lack of a European strategy regarding the refugee issue, but he criticized weaknesses in its implementation. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni described the refugee crisis as a "permanent problem", in which domestic political considerations often prevented a European solution. Gentiloni warned that this was becoming a major threat for

the continent. Conference 2015 The 51st Munich Security Conference was held from 6 to 8 February 2015. Among the more than 400 international participants from nearly 80 countries were also 20 heads of state, 70 foreign and defense ministers and 30 CEOs of large companies. The German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen held the opening speech. In her speech, she explained Germany's willingness to assume international leadership responsibilities. It consisted of "leadership from the center", the minister explained, and not one "with Pickelhaube". Which could also imply "fighting together". Based on the German history, von der Leyen derived the commitment of her country to defend human rights and added however that the German population was "cautious" on this issue. Ukraine In regards to the conflict in Ukraine, the defence minister Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of leading an "undeclared war". However, she spoke out against a supply of weapons to the Ukraine. Also on the opening day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to relent in the conflict. "The Cold War is history, and so it should remain," Stoltenberg said. He reaffirmed NATO's dedication to repel every attack, but also warned of the long-term consequences of cutbacks in defense budget upon security. A meeting between Stoltenberg and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the conference was described as "frosty". German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Munich immediately after a joint mediation mission with French President François Hollande in Moscow, negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In her speech, Merkel rejected the idea of supplying weapons to the Ukraine and spoke in favor of a diplomatic solution, and the revitalization of the Minsk Protocol, since the conflict could not be resolved militarily. She pointed out that the Russian policy had been "disillusioning" in the conclusion of the agreement, and also drew on her personal experiences in East Germany during the construction and the fall of the Berlin Wall as an example of a successful non-military solution to a conflict. Responding to repeated calls for supplying weapons to Ukraine, the Chancellor stated: "I am very doubtful." According to Merkel, Putin could not be moved to make more concessions by more weapons and soldiers. After her speech, Merkel held a trilateral meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden and the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. At the conference, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accused the West of deliberately intensifying the conflict in Ukraine. Russia itself bears no responsibility for the conflict, Lavrov stated. In his speech he specifically blamed the United States for the massive tensions in the relationship between the West and Russia. Lavrov accused Washington of trying to reach global dominance and of infringing on international agreements in connection with the U.S. missile defense plans in Europe. Russian Foreign Minister called the current situation a "turning point" in which the West must decide whether they want to "build a secure architecture with, without or against Russia". Lavrov spoke positively about the Franco-German peace efforts. Lavrov's speech was sharply criticized by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He asked Moscow to show more willingness to compromise and told Lavrov that his speech had not contributed to resolving the conflict. Steinmeier ruled out a quick end to the hostilities. Like Chancellor Merkel before, Steinmeier rejected weapon supplies to the Ukraine and described them as "highly risky" and "counterproductive". The German Foreign Minister also stated that the most important task ahead would be containing the conflict in order to gain scope for political solutions. He also emphasized that there could only be lasting security for Europe in cooperation with Russia; at the

same time, Steinmeier declared that a positive future for Russia was only possible with Europe, not against Europe. US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the close cooperation between the United States and Europe and declared that there were no divisions or differences over the Ukraine issue. Kerry also called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis and accused Russian President Putin of "brazen efforts" to destabilize eastern Ukraine. Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe, who was previously skeptical about Western weapon supplies to the Ukraine, stated at the conference that in case of a failure of negotiations and sanctions "the possibility of military options should not be excluded”. At the same time, General Breedlove ruled out the deployment of ground troops. Nuclear negotiations with Iran and the war on terror In connection with the negotiations about Iran's nuclear program, the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif stated at the conference that he was opposed to a further extension of the current negotiations, which had a deadline of the end of March 2015. He spoke about the support from the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, for Tehran's nuclear negotiations, and called for lifting the sanctions against his country. The EU High Representative for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, expressed optimism on the progress of negotiations with Iran and spoke in Munich of a "historical opportunity" for resolving this conflict. During the security conference, Zarif and US Secretary of State Kerry, came to direct negotiations twice. Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz, warned at the conference of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, should Iran obtain nuclear weapons. In the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group (IS), the Israeli minister urged Western countries to provide more military and financial support for Egypt, Jordan, the Kurds and moderate rebel forces in Syria. US Secretary of State Kerry reported in Munich that the international coalition against IS had already flown 2,000 air strikes against the terrorists since August 2012. The strikes had helped to liberate 700 square kilometers from IS control. In connection with the IS burning of the Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh alive, Kerry spoke of a "new level of depravity" and announced that the international community should relentlessly tackle terrorist groups like IS and Boko Haram. Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, warned during a panel discussion about the dangers of the global refugee crises for peace and security. Guterres described the global security situation by saying: "We have no bipolar world, we have no multilateral world, we have a chaotic world." Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International, accused the international community of failing to protect human rights and pleaded with the decisions made by the UN Security Council on human rights violations for a limitation of the veto. Shetty criticized the EU, that its 27 member states had taken in only 9,000 refugees from Syria, while the five neighboring countries of Syria needed to cope with 3.8 million war refugees. The Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam described the situation in his country - which with its population of four million had taken 1.5 million refugees from Syria - as catastrophic. German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller agreed to supply the Lebanese government with further aid and called on the EU to take in additional refugees. During the panel discussion Müller highlighted the global imbalance between military expenditure in relation to developmental assistance. He received support for his statement from the Vice President of the German Bundestag, Claudia Roth. The collapse of global order

was the subject of another panel discussion, in which Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Kumi Naidoo, international director of Greenpeace, and George Soros, investor and philanthropist, discussed the possibilities of a future new world order. Beforehand, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland had presented a proposal to reform the UN Security Council. Conference 2014 The 50th Munich Security Conference was held from 31 January to 2 February 2014. At the event, more than 400 international guests attended, including 20 Heads of State and Government, 50 foreign and defense ministers and 90 government delegations. Joachim Gauck was the first German Federal President to ever hold the opening speech. In his speech Gauck called for a new German foreign policy, together with a stronger foreign policy commitment from Germany, which would show a greater self-confidence and take on more responsibility. The President referred to the Federal Republic as "the best Germany we have ever had". The country should not hide behind its historic debt. To address the federal government, he pleaded "not to flee from threats". Instead, Germany should "decisively and substantially stand up” in the defense of their own values. Finally, the President urged to correct the German self-image. The previous six decades of the Federal Republic as a free and stable nation should justify the Germans having "trust and confidence" in themselves. Gauck called it a requirement to be "reliable for their partners" in the world. A dominant theme of the conference was the violent clashes between government and opposition in Ukraine. At the Munich Security Conference US Secretary of State John Kerry promised the Ukrainian opposition support from the West. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Western countries of assisting in the violent uprising in Ukraine which was getting out of control. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the other hand, accused Russia of violating Ukraine's rights to a free choice of alliances. The Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko accused the Ukrainian government during a panel discussion of responding with acts of terror and violence to the demands of the opposition. Klitschko called for economic sanctions against those responsible for the violence. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara dismissed the allegations that his country's political policies were directed against Europe. Since Ukraine is geographically part of Europe and also carries a very close relationship with Russia, Koschara warned, it should not be faced with the decision "Europe or Russia". The Foreign Minister also declared that Ukraine had already met key demands of the opposition. His claims that the violence in Ukraine started from terrorists, was countered by Klitschko by distributing a collection of images of the protests in Ukraine to panel participants and spectators. During the conference Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, started a mediation initiative, inviting members of the Ukrainian parties in conflict and the Foreign Ministers of important EU countries to participate. During the conference, Swiss Federal President Didier Burkhalter, in his capacity as OSCE Chairman, pointed out again an existing offer of mediation of the OSCE to the conflicting parties in the Ukraine. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Leonid Kozhara, Vitali Klychko, Leonid Slutsky, Irakli Garibashvili, Traian Basescu and Štefan Füle participated in a discussion panel regarding the situation in Ukraine. The panel discussion on the history of the Security Conference to mark the 50th anniversary had attendances from former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who both had participated in the first Internationale Wehrkundebegegnung in 1963. Attendances in the discussions also included

the former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former German Federal Minister for Special Tasks Egon Bahr, former British Foreign Minister David Miliband and the acting Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. During the discussions, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing pointed out that the number of major wars has decreased while the level of violence, the risk of new threats such as terrorism or cyber-attacks and the number of refugees have increased worldwide. In combination with this, the former French President justified the military interventions of his country in Africa. Henry Kissinger also shared the assessment of an increasingly complex global security situation, which hampered the development of "coherent strategies". The former US Secretary of State cited Sino-Japanese territorial conflicts that could lead to military conflict. Kissinger pushed that Europe in turn was very "reluctant to military conflicts" and was sometimes too "hesitant" in the fight against violence, a criticism that Giscard d'Estaing already accused Europe of and linked it to "discouragement". Recalling the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, Kissinger warned however to be cautious that the decisions of military intervention should not be influenced by a "moment of rage", if willingness is not given to such wars to "endure to the end". Egon Bahr emphasized the risks of new, hard-to-find threats such as cyber-attacks on power grids and other infrastructure facilities. These threats had even made the US vulnerable and revealed an existing inability to defend themselves against them. Bahr further demanded a policy of deterrence analogous to that of the days of the nuclear threat. Asked about the future of NATO, Bahr, Kissinger and Giscard d’Estaing all expressed their conviction that NATO would still exist in ten years’ time. Former German Chancellor Schmidt said Europe was decreasing in importance. Schmidt stated that the consequences of global population growth were crucial for the continent's future. Europe will make up only seven percent of the world population in 2050, while in 1950 more than one in five people had lived in Europe. According to Schmidt, the Europeans overestimated their global significance. The former Chancellor critically regarded global urbanization, which leads to the "big urban masses", who were "easily led astray" by the temptations of modern media. Schmidt called the "power of the financial manager" another threat which despite the recent financial crisis was unabated. The current European Union policy, Schmidt described as a future hazard: "If the EU continues the way that it is, in ten years’ time NATO will still be there, but maybe not the EU." David Miliband described a decline of classical foreign policy and attributed this to the fact that the electorate increasingly placed regional and national issues at the center of importance. No approaches were made towards the transatlantic conflict over NSA surveillance in Europe. The US Secretaries John Kerry and Chuck Hagel avoided any mention of this controversial subject. Instead Kerry advocated a "transatlantic renaissance" based on common values. Hagel emphasized the role of Europe as an "indispensable partner" of the United States. Both ministers campaigned for the transatlantic free trade agreement TTIP. US Senator John McCain added in relation to the NSA spying on allies as a 'credibility problem', which the American government had to deal with in order to regain lost trust. Significant criticism of the NSA spying was voiced by German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière. Throughout the discussion he called the carried out spying on German citizens "exorbitantly" and demanded a "signal from the Americans to their closest partner in Europe". De Maizière declared that the political damage caused by these surveillance measures was higher than their security benefits. The Federal Minister of

the Interior called the information provided by the American side completely inadequate. A possible no-spy agreement with the United States provided the Minister with no great expectations. Along Kerry and Hagel, de Maizière agreed with a continuation of negotiations on TTIP. The German MEP Elmar Brok predicted a defeat in the vote on the TTIP agreement in the European Parliament in the event that an examination and reappraisal of the NSA's activities would fail. Company representatives from Deutsche Telekom, Huawei and Microsoft demanded a binding international standard of Internet security. Thus, Deutsche Telekom CEO Timothy Höttges called for an international agreement of digital basic rights. Microsoft Vice President Matt Thomlinson announced the opening of the company's own transparency centers, including one in Brussels, where governments could check the source code of Microsoft products to insure that they contain no backdoors for US intelligence agencies. During the conference, the two Prime Ministers from Serbia and Kosovo, Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaçi, came forward and discussed the rapprochement between the two countries, which in 2013 had led to the signing of the normalization Agreement, under the moderation of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Both leaders reaffirmed their intention to seek solutions, "that advance the two nations". Dacic called the convergence process as a "tightrope walk" and Thaci referred to resistors in the population that had to be overcome before the agreement. The conference also housed a meeting of the Middle East Quartet in which the EU Representative Ashton put economic aid for Israelis and Palestinians in view that both parties consented to a peace agreement. US Secretary of State Kerry had previously referred to a failure of the Middle East negotiations as "unacceptable". After the previously unsuccessful negotiations in Geneva of the Syrian civil war parties, discussions at the security conference took no further approach towards the Syrian conflict. Despite his announcement of follow-up negotiations designated UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi stated the international peace efforts in Syria had failed. Brahimi warned of a further escalation of the situation in Syria. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the parties in conflict to lead future negotiations "serious and sincere". The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed the call of his country for a ceasefire in Syria, referring to the difficulties of monitoring such actions. During a debate on Iran's nuclear program Zarif insisted on his country's right to use nuclear energy. In connection with the forthcoming international negotiations were "many steps" to go, the Iranian foreign minister stated. The previously reached agreements Zarif called as a significant beginning and assured the readiness of Iran to constructive negotiations. The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano spoke of positive feedback from Iran, but said that a lot of work still had to be done. Amano also pointed out that the IAEA still did not have access to all nuclear facilities and could therefore "not exclude the character of some non-peaceful Iranian activities". The Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon warned following the debate against too much optimism and stated that Iran will continue to develop its nuclear program throughout the course of the current negotiations. The fact that Ya’alon and the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, had previously been among the audience that had followed the appearance of the Iranian foreign minister was interpreted as a public gesture of rapprochement to Iran. The Iranian nuclear program was also the subject of a meeting between Sharif and US Secretary of State Kerry. Conference 2013 The 49th Security Conference was held from the 1 to 3 February 2013

More than 400 senior politicians and business executives, as well as high-ranking military officials and security experts from 90 countries attended the event. This included over 90 delegations, a dozen heads of state, 70 foreign and defense ministers, ten US senators, five EU Commissioners, five German federal ministers and 60 members of the German Bundestag and an equal number of CEOs. Some 700 journalists were accredited for the event. The conference focused on the European debt crisis, transatlantic relations, the crisis regions of Mali and the Middle East, as well as energy security and cyber terrorism. Federal Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière in his opening speech emphasized the role of the United States as a guarantor of European security. De Maizière stated that Europe "might not be the best conceivable partner of the US but the best possible". He also called for better cooperation in the defense realm both within the EU as well as between EU and NATO. The Euro crisis and the future of the European Union were the themes of the opening debate. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and Deutsche Bank CEO Anshu Jain expressed their conviction that the height of the crisis was over. Schäuble, however, warned against reducing the rescue efforts, and criticized the continuing insufficient regulation of the banking sector. Jain described the consequences of demographic change in Europe as a serious impediment to growth and called for a liberalization of the labour market and a reform of the pension system. In the debate, Spain's Foreign Minister José García-Margallo y Marfil considered growth and employment as key challenges for the future of Europe. An improvement to the competitiveness of EU States was suggested by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. The second day of the conference focused on the transatlantic relations. US Vice President Joe Biden provided for the first time an outlook on the future foreign policy of the recently re-elected US President Barack Obama. Speaking about the importance of Europe, Biden stated that "Europe is the cornerstone of our commitment to the world and a catalyst for global cooperation" and called the Europeans "oldest friends and closest allies" of the US. In this context he strongly pushed for the creation of a transatlantic free trade zone. Biden also announced improvements in the US relations with Russia. In his speech he emphasized the importance of cooperation between the two countries, but also noted existing differences on human rights, the Syrian conflict and the European Missile Defense System. Biden urged Syrian President Bashaar al-Assad to step down and called on the international community to intervene in the country. However, he refused a military intervention on the part of his country. The US Vice President offered direct negotiations to Iran over its nuclear program. Unlike Biden, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took an opposing position in regards to Syria. He stated that his government continues to stand by the Syrian ruler Assad, and said that there would be future Russian support. Despite the differences between the US and Russia on Syrian, a first meeting between Lavrov and the head of the Syrian opposition, Moaz al-Khatib, came as a surprise during the conference. Lavrov also invited al-Khatib to visit Moscow. Moaz al-Khatib offered Bashar al-Assad and his aides safe passage out of the country in exchange for their resignations. In the debates on the final day of the conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed the willingness of his country to accept the US's negotiated bid on the Iranian nuclear program, but imposed certain conditions. Salehi's announcement was taken with skepticism, due to previous statements that had

remained without concrete consequences. Unexpectedly fierce criticism of the Iranian policy was displayed throughout the conference debate by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, Ruprecht Polenz, including calling Iran a "nuclear policy wrong way driver". At the security conference, outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned about "nuclear terrorism" and an end to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the event that Iran gained possession of the nuclear bomb. Barak reiterated his countries determination to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. A panel discussion on cyber security was accompanied by reports of hacker attacks against Twitter and leading American newspapers. In the course of the debate, Federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich presented a bill on IT security stipulating operators of critical infrastructure to report hacker attacks. Friedrich stated that cyber security had become a key issue of the 21st century. European Commissioner Neelie Kroes also advocated the reporting of cyber attacks and referred to a future EU directive. The Commissioner stressed the responsibility of each user to contribute to the security in the internet. Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann called upon affected companies to report cyber attacks, since the disclosure of security issues contributes significantly to their resolution. Obermann stated that there were an average of 300,000 to 400,000 attacks daily on his company's networks. Further topics of the conference included the future of the responsibility to protect, digital diplomacy in the age of social media, European defense policy as well as security and stability in Southeast Europe and the Caucasus. Other Events In 2009 two other events were launched and have been conducted annually since then. In 2013, the Cyber Security Summit was created as a fourth conference series. Since 2013 Munich Security Conference and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung organize an annual Energy Security Summit. Munich Young Leaders In 2009, the Munich Young Leaders was first launched in cooperation with the Körber Foundation. Held in parallel to the Security Conference, this annual roundtable series is designed to directly involve the next generation of decision-makers into the main conference proceedings. The Roundtable agendas as well as the participants and speakers lists are published online. Core Group Meetings In addition to the main conference, a new series of events, the MSC Core Group Meetings, were launched in November 2009 in Washington, DC. The meetings provide a select group of participants the opportunity to discuss key issues of international security policy in order to continue the work of the Security Conference and provide impulses. The location of the Core Group Meetings always varies. The subsequent events took place in Moscow in 2010, Beijing in 2011, as well as Doha in 2013. A second meeting was held for the first time in 2013 in Washington, DC. The location of the 2014 Core Group Meeting was New Delhi. The issues discussed in New Delhi were the threats of terrorism and cyber-attacks, questions of maritime security, regional and global security structures and concepts for new global governance. The Core Group Meeting 2015 was held in Vienna. The crisis in Ukraine was a central theme of the meeting, which featured the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and the Russian deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov. Klimkin urged the European states to confront the Russian government head-on. The Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz stated that any border changes in Europe were "unacceptable", but at the same time stressed the need for cooperation with Russia. While the Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter proposed a neutral status for Ukraine, the Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić as OSCE Chairman called for a strengthening of his organization in order

to prevent future conflicts. Another Core Group Meeting took place in Tehran in October 2015. Key topics of the meeting were the implementation of the Vienna Agreement concerning the Iranian nuclear program and the political situation in the region. German Foreign Minister Steinmeier, who opened the conference together with the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, emphasized the importance of transparency and trust for the successful implementation of the Vienna agreement: "After the game is before the game". Regarding the war in Syria, the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif announced the readiness of his country to cooperate with all governments involved in resolving the conflict. In April 2016, another MSC Core Group Meeting took place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The security situation in Africa, the fight against international terrorism, and the challenges posed by climate change and epidemics were central themes of the meeting. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the mutual global interdependencies in all of these issues. Other participants included Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Smaїl Chergui, African Union Commissioner, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former German President Horst Köhler. Another Core Group Meeting was held in Beijing in November 2016. Key topics of the meeting were China's role in the international order, conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and the geopolitical importance of the "New Silk Road". Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister, Zhang Yesui, stressed in his opening speech the importance of dialogue and cooperation for the security of the region. During the core group meeting, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao, reaffirmed his country's willingness to contribute to peace and security globally. Other participants included Fu Ying, chairwoman of the National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Markus Ederer, secretary of state at the German Foreign Office, Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus Group, and several members of the Bundestag. Cyber Security Summit In 2012, the first Cyber Security Summit was held in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom in Bonn. The first event was conducted under Chatham House Rule. According to media reports, the supervisory board chairman of Deutsche Bank, Paul Achleitner, the head of the construction group Bilfinger Berger, Roland Koch, as well as Peter Terium, the CEO of the energy supplier RWE and Johannes Teyssen of E.ON were in attendance. During the summit several working groups analyzed existing cyber risks and dangers for the following industries: Energy Finances Health Logistic Media Production On November 11, 2013 the second summit took place in Bonn. The gathering had the following four topics: Rebuilding trust in the digital society New threat scenarios for the economy Gaining trust, restoring trust Cyber defense is becoming a business-critical core skill Unlike in 2012, the list of speakers was published: Neelie Kroes, Vice-President (Digital Company) of the European Commission Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, German Federal Minister of Justice Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Interior Minister of Austria Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Foundation gGmbH; Executive Vice President for Government Relations at Allianz SE Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel Jürgen Stock, Vice-President of the German Federal Criminal Police Scott Charney, Vice President of Microsoft Arthur W. Coviello, Jr., CEO of RSA Security Thomas Rid, lecturer at King's College London; author on issues of cyber security René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Vice President of BITKOM e.V. Timotheus Höttges, Chief Financial and controlling Officer of Deutsche Telekom AG; designated CEO Thomas Kremer, Director of Privacy, Legal Affairs and Compliance at Deutsche Telekom AG Klaus Schweinsberg, former editor of the business magazines Capital and Impulse; Founder and director of the Center for Strategy and senior

management The third summit was held on 3 November 2014. It was attended by 180 representatives from the fields of politics, economy, EU and NATO. In his opening speech, Telekom CEO Höttges highlighted the growing number of attacks on data and digital infrastructures, where the Telekom network recorded 1 Million attacks daily. He quoted a CSIS study that estimated the global damage caused by cybercrime to be US$575 billion per year. To protect European data against access by US authorities, Höttges called for a revision of the Safe Harbor Agreement. The intelligence coordinator of the federal government, Klaus-Dieter Fritsche, supported Höttges demands. MSC Chairman Ischinger described the great geopolitical importance of cyber security as a result of Ukraine conflict, which had marked the return of war as political means in Europe. State Secretary Brigitte Zypries stated the planned IT Security Act in which the reporting of cyber attacks on companies from sensitive sectors was an obligation as the contribution by the German Federal Government to increase data security. Andy Mueller-Maguhn, a former spokesman for the Chaos Computer Club, stressed the importance of strong encryption for data security and warned of the "back doors", like those that RSA Security installed for the NSA. Elmar Brok, Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg urged to ward off cyber attacks with offensive actions and stressed the need for a deterrence component. Ben Wizner, representative of the American Civil Liberties Union and lawyer of Edward Snowden, contradicted against those needs. In separate working groups, the topics of Digital Defense, Cyber governance, Promotion of Innovation in regards to data security and preventive data protection were also discussed. The fourth Cyber Security Summit was held on 19 and 20 September 2016 Palo Alto, Silicon Valley. The summit was jointly convened by MSC, Deutsche Telekom and Stanford University. 140 representatives from the fields of politics, security and business participated in the gathering. A central theme of the meeting was the 2016 U.S. presidential election and its possible manipulation by cyber attacks. The chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, expressed his fear that such attacks could damage confidence in democratic elections in general. Further topics were the defense against cyberterrorism, the future of warfare, the economic relevance of cybersecurity and the development of norms and rules for the Internet. MSC chairman Ischinger called for closer coordination between the worlds of politics and technology, in order to create the basis for an open, free and secure web. In connection with the Internet of Things, Marc Goodman from the American Think Tank Singularity University warned that "everything could be hacked". Goodman predicted the Internet would feature an "epic battle" of different interest groups. Peter R. Neumann from King's College London described the hierarchical structure of law enforcement agencies as an organizational problem in combating cyber-crime, at odds with the de-centralized operating mode of the Internet. Other participants included Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and CTO of CrowdStrike, Michael Chertoff, former United States Department of Homeland Security, chairman and founder of the Chertoff Group, Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University and former US Ambassador in Russia, and Iddo Moed, Coordinator of Cybersecurity for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Christopher Painter, Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the US State Department, Latha Reddy, former National Security Adviser of India and currently a member of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, as well as, Uri Rosenthal, former Dutch foreign minister and current Special Envoy of his country for cyber politics. Energy Security Summit Together with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the MSC has been organizing

the Energy Security Summit since 2013. The first meeting was held on 10 July 2013 in the ballroom of the Frankfurt Palmengarten under the auspices of Federal Economics and Technology Minister Philipp Rösler and Environment Minister Peter Altmaier. Other topics of the event were climate change, the geostrategic consequences of fracking and the German Energy transition. The second Energy Security Summit was held in Berlin on 27 and 28 May 2014. Key topics of the meeting included the "shale gas revolution" in the United States and the conflict in Ukraine. In his speech, Foreign Minister Steinmeier stressed the important role of energy policy for foreign and security policy. Steinmeier pushed for a European Energy Union and urged the EU countries to demonstrate unity with regard to the Ukraine conflict. The minister stressed the need to make compromises in the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute, and warned against too high expectations of substituting American shale gas for Russian gas supplies. EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger also spoke in favor of a European Energy Union with uniform gas prices. He also described Germany's energy policy as being in a "Romantic Valley”. The strategic issue of energy would require Germany to get involved with its technological and political competence, Oettinger stated. During the meeting, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk described the Ukraine conflict as a "global security conflict" which only Russia would be responsible for. Yatsenyuk reiterated his country's refusal to pay a "political price" in exchange for gas supplies from Russia. The premier also expressed the willingness of his country to participate in a common energy policy with the EU. The third Energy Security Summit was held on 5 and 6 May 2015, again in Berlin. During the meeting, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh laid out his country's plans for the development of the energy sector after the end of sanctions. After the previously reached deal to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis, the Minister demanded the rapid lifting of the economic sanctions. He dashed hopes that Tehran would build a gas pipeline to Europe to weaken the dominant role of Russia in the European gas market, citing transit problems and costs. At the same time, the Minister announced that his government would invest US$180 billion in the Iranian oil and gas industry by 2022. Other topics at the meeting included, among others, the proposed Energy Union in Europe, which both Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Rainer Baake, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, called for, as well as the German energy transition. Bärbel Höhn, chairman of the German Bundestag's Environment Committee, referred to it as an important contribution by Germany to the creation of a global structure of a decentralized energy supply, which reduces dependencies and contributes to security and peace. Criticism came from Greenpeace head Kumi Naidoo, who stated that the high share of brown coal used for electricity generation was the “Achilles heel” of Germany's energy policy. Michael Fuchs, Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, criticized the high burden placed on German citizens due to subsidies of 480 billion Euro earmarked for the energy transition. See also Diplomacy International relations International security Internationalism Pirate Security Conference References External links Category:Diplomatic conferences in Germany Category:20th-century diplomatic conferences Category:21st-century diplomatic conferences Category:1963 establishments in West Germany Category:Recurring events established in 1963 Category:History of Munich Category:Annual events in Germany Category:Foreign relations of Germany

Jamila Mayanja Jamila Mayanja is an Ugandan entrepreneur and educator. Early life Jamila Mayanja was born in 1988 in Konge, Buziga in a family of 14 children. She studied from Kitante Primary school, sat for her O-level and A-level in 2004 and 2006 respectively from Nabisunsa Girls school. Jamila holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Marketing from Makerere University. Achievements Mayanja participated in the Young African Leaders Initiative [YALI] in the United States in August 2015. She was nominated for the young Achiever's awards under the category of Social Entrepreneurship. Professional life Mayanja is the CEO of Smart Girls Uganda which trains young girls and women to build self esteem, leadership, governance and employability skills. She founded J Mobile Laundry Services, a door to door laundry service company that employs over 30 disadvantaged young women. She trains them in entrepreneurship skills. She partnered with Rotary Uganda and through the entrepreneurship program 10-30 women have established their own businesses. In 2011 she co-founded Haven Anti-Aids foundation to sensitize the youth about HIV/AIDS. She partnered with Generation change-Uganda Chapter a United States project so as to inspire youth to bring positive change in their communities. Personal life Mayanja married Jamil Kalinabiri. References Category:Living people Category:People from Kampala Category:Makerere University alumni Category:Ugandan women business executives Category:1988 births

Acoustic Kingdom Underground Acoustic Kingdom Underground is the first EP of singer/songwriter Matt Duke and his second offering from Rykodisc. It was released in the US on June 30, 2009. History Months after the tour and release of Kingdom Underground, Ryko asked Duke to record a supplemental EP of acoustic tracks to the Kingdom Underground album that was called Acoustic Kingdom Underground. This was to match the feel and sound of Duke's live shows, as he was touring solo without a band. The producer of that EP, Jason Finkel, would later become the producer of Duke's next full-length release, One Day Die. All of the songs from the album come from the release of Kingdom Underground with the exception of "Ash Like Snow", a song that had been written years earlier. Track listing All songs written by Matt Duke, except for "The Father, The Son and The Harlot's Ghost" and "Walk It Off" which are written by Matt Duke/Marshall Altman. Personnel Musicians Matt Duke: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar Production Jason Finkel: Producer, Engineer, Mixer Kevin Blackler: Masterer Doug Seymour: Photography Jamie Hoyt-Vitale: Design References Category:Rykodisc albums Category:2009 albums

James W. Finch House The James W. Finch House, known also as the Finch-Fleischer House, is a historic house in Monterey, California that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Located at 410 Monroe Street in Monterey, it was built in 1870. The house is significant as one of few surviving examples of early American architecture in Monterey, as opposed to the Spanish/Mexican adobe style of other Monterey buildings of the same era. The house includes Classical Revival stylings with other, eclectic stylistic features. The house was built by rancher and stovemaker James William Finch and by Charles Finch for their mother, who lived in the house until 1881, after which James and his wife lived there and extended the house. James' daughter Alma and her husband Charles Fleischer lived there later. A notable later renter was artist Charles Rollo Peters. The house was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1964. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. References Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California Category:Neoclassical architecture in California Category:Houses completed in 1870 Category:Houses in Monterey County, California Category:Buildings and structures in Monterey, California Category:National Register of Historic Places in Monterey County, California

Creixomil Creixomil may refer to the following parishes in Portugal: Creixomil (Barcelos), in the municipality of Barcelos Creixomil (Guimarães), in the municipality of Guimarães

Birmingham Central Synagogue Birmingham Central Synagogue is an Orthodox synagogue situated in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. History The Ashkenazi Orthodox community was established in a private house in Belgrave Road in 1883 before moving to Wrottesley Street in 1900 and then to Bristol Street in 1928, taking over a former Methodist Hall. In 1961 a small group of individuals acquired the large plot of land upon which a synagogue, hall and classrooms were built at 133 Pershore Road (). The ground breaking ceremony took place in July 1958. Construction of the 1960s building took place between 1959 and 1961. Sale and redevelopment The congregation voted to sell the Pershore Road shul in 2010. For the next few years they had to wait to get planning permission from both Birmingham City Council and Calthorpe Estates. Redevelopment of the Malcolm Locker Hall into the new synagogue began in January 2013. Work was completed in July 2013, with the handover taking place in August 2013. Of the 42 etched glass windows in the old building, only 6 could be saved (and were installed in the new shul). The other 36 were to be sold (some broke when they were removed). From August 2013 the old building was in the hands of the developers, who had to first remove asbestos. The old shul building was completely demolished during October 2013. The developers Seddon will build a 70-bed care home for Gracewell Healthcare on the former synagogue site. Current synagogue The new synagogue at 4 Speedwell Road () is adjacent to the site of the former Pershore Road building (now demolished and replaced by Gracewell of Edgbaston). Services began in August 2013. By September, the new ark was installed in time for the High Holy Days. The new Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis consecrated the new building by unveiling a plaque on Sunday 13 October 2013. Rabbi Chanan Atlas was appointed minister of the shul in early 2012 taking over from Rabbi Shlomo Odze. Rabbi Atlas and his family left Birmingham, to take up a new position in Manchester. He was replaced by Rabbi Dr Lior Kaminetsky in May 2015 , who along with his family stayed for four years until May 2019. External links Birmingham Central Synagogue on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org). Official Website Photos of the shul windows Photos of the Chief Rabbi consecrating the new shul References Category:Ashkenazi synagogues Category:Edgbaston Category:Orthodox synagogues in England Category:Religious buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands

Eklavya temple Eklavya temple () is a temple in Khandsa village of sector 37 in Gurgaon city of Gurgaon district in the state of Haryana in India. Khandsa It lies on the NH-8 highway near Delhi, is from the state capital Chandigarh. It has a population of about 9959 persons living in some 1912 households. The Eklavya temple location is nearby to Indian Capital city I.e. New Delhi History The temple is in honor of Mahabharata fame Eklavya in Khandsa village in Sector 37 of Gurgaon city in Haryana state of India. As per folklore, this is the only temple of Eklavya and it is the place where Eklavya cut his thumb and offered to guru Drona. Locals want the government to develop a tourism circuit in honor of Drona and Eklavya, there is nearby 10-acre Gurugram Bhim Kund (Bhima's pond) developed by guru Drona in Bhim Nagar locality of Gurgaon, area also has a temple dedicated to Dronacharya, a temple of Lord Shiva believed to have been set up by Pandavas. The one-room Eklavya temple was built in 1721 CE by a prosperous villager. Gurgaon and this temple is the location where Arjuna saw nothing but the bird's eye before his arrow pierced it, the traditional name of India is Bharata which comes from the Mahabharata tribe of same name from this area. As per the legend after Eklavya chopped his right thumb off and gifted it to Dronacharya as Guru Dakshina here, his thumb was buried here and a samadhi built at the current location of the temple. It is highly revered by the Bhil people and Noia sect who visit it in large numbers from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of India. Eklavya Dharamshala Eklavya Dharamshala (), adjacent to the Eklavya temple, is a two-room Dharamshala built by the village Panchayat for the comfort of the pilgrims. Attractions nearby Gurugram Bhim Kund Gurugram Bhim Kund (), also known as Pinchokhda Jhod (), is a 10-acre wetland in Bhim Nagar locality of Gurgaon city of Gurgaon district in the state of Haryana in India. It lies between sector 4, 6 and 8 about 3 km from Rajiv Chowk. Sheetla Mata Mandir Gurgaon Sheetla Mata Mandir Gurgaon is a temple dedicated to the Mata Sheetla Devi, who is Kripi (wife of Guru Dronacharya) who the teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas according to Indian epic Mahabharata and Gurgaon is named after him. The temple is located on Sheetla mata Road in Gurgaon city of Gurgaon district in the state of Haryana in India. It lies between sector 6, 81 and 12-A near Ammunition depot. External links Map of only temple of Eklavya in the world References Category:Hindu temples in Haryana Category:Villages in Gurgaon district Category:Tourist attractions in Haryana

Pinoy pop P-pop (abbreviation: OPM pop, Pinoy pop or Filipino pop) refers to popular contemporary music in the Philippines. With its beginnings in the 1970s, Filipino pop is a growing genre. It stems from a broader genre, Original Pilipino Music (OPM). History Beginnings (1960s) Filipino pop songs mainly referred to songs popularized since the 1960s, especially those in the ballad form, by major commercial artists like Pilita Corrales, Nora Aunor, Basil Valdez, Freddie Aguilar and Rey Valera. In the 1970s, singer-songwriters Ryan Cayabyab and José Mari Chan rose to fame by composing original English love songs alongside modern Tagalog songs. Pioneer pop groups in the same decade include Manila sound groups APO Hiking Society and Hotdog. Golden age of Filipino music In the 1980s, disco group VST & Co. and pop icon Gary V. gave rise to dance-pop in the mainstream. Prominence of pop-rock (mid-1990s to present) The early to mid-1990s saw the emergence of a superstar pop-rock group, Eraserheads, considered by many nationals as a turning-point in the OPM music scene. In the wake of their success was the emergence of a string of influential bands such as Yano, Siakol, Parokya ni Edgar, Grin Department, Rivermaya, Moonstar 88 and Hungry Young Poets, each of which mixes the influence of a variety of polalalalalalalalap and rock subgenres into their style. Filipino rock continues to flourish at present with newer bands such as Hale, Cueshé, Sponge Cola, Chicosci, Kamikazee and Urbandub, and the emergence of the country's first virtual band, Mistula. Though only some of the spearheading bands are still fully intact, many old members have formed new bands such as Pupil, Sandwich and Bamboo. A few band members such as Kitchie Nadal, Barbie Almalbis and Rico Blanco have established steady solo careers. Though rock bands have been dominating the mainstream since their commercialization in the '90s, pop acts were still regularly showcased in the live band scene. Pop bands Side A, True Faith, Neocolours, South Border and Freestyle popularized songs that clearly reflect the sentimental character of OPM pop. Solo belters and balladeers such as Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta, Joey Albert and Martin Nievera had regular exposure on television and radio. Currently, notable soloists like Sarah Geronimo, Sheryn Regis, Mark Bautista, Erik Santos, Christian Bautista, Rachelle Ann Go and Josh Santana continue this trend, even though remakes of old OPM songs and covers of international English songs are dominant in their work. Popular acoustic acts like Nina, Juris (of MYMP) and Aiza Seguerra also prove the diversity of Filipino pop. R&B artists Kyla and Jay-R, as well as hip-hop acts Gloc-9 and Dice & K9 (Mobbstarr), remain steadfast despite less representation of their respective genres in the current industry. Re-emergence of urban and dance-pop (2000s) Local urban and dance-pop achieved little attention in the mainstream since their initial prominence in the 1980s and the 1990s, respectively. From the early 2000s onwards, R&B soloists Kyla, Nina and Jay R began to achieve high media visibility despite less representation of the genre in the current industry. Kyla, in particular, gained much attention during this time as one of the pioneers of the contemporary R&B genre. With the success of her hit single "Hanggang Ngayon" which went on to win at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Kyla became the first and only Filipino female artist to win at the VMAs. By 2006, solo act Amber, later followed by Young JV and O.N.E, hit the mainstream with original Filipino-American urban music. Concurrently, beginning in 2002, local sexy dance groups SexBomb Girls, Viva Hot Babes, Gee Girls, J Brothers, D'Bodies and Masculados began to

popularize novelty songs among the masses. With this and the beaming popularity of American group Pussycat Dolls at the time, an interest emerged in forming American-style girl groups influenced by burlesque dance. Thus, groups such as Kitty Girls, Mocha Girls and P.Y.T. were formed. Pinoy pop renaissance (2010s) Since 2010, the genre of Pinoy pop drastically changed as the usual rock bands from the 1990s and 2000s started to fade out of the mainstream, creating the new pop genre without any influence of rock and hip-hop.lalala Notable pop artists of the 2010s include Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Nadine Lustre, Sam Concepcion and Christian Bautista. P-pop Idol groups (2020s) From the influence of K-pop and J-pop, a new era of P-pop was born. Starting with the Philippines' first idol group MNL48, a sister group of the J-pop group AKB48. MNL48 started a new era for P-pop when they debuted in 2018. Following them is the all-boy idol group SB19 also debuting in 2018. They are the first Filipino act trained by a Korean entertainment company under the same system that catapulted K-pop artists into global stardom. SB19 is considered to be the First Ppop Idol group to chart in Billboard Next Big Sound and Billboard Social 50. Notable artists Female Francine Diaz Arnee Hidalgo Joan Da Sarah Geronimo Sharla Cerilles Joey Albert Barbie Almalbis Sharon Cuneta Donna Cruz Juris Fernandez Kyla Rachelle Ann Go Yeng Constantino Charice KC Concepcion Claire dela Fuente Pops Fernandez Lyca Gairanod Toni Gonzaga Rita Iringan Carol Banawa Tootsie Guevara Nicole Forcadela Julie Anne San Jose Jaya Karylle Frencheska Farr Sylvia La Torre Radha Kim Molina Aimee Torres Liezel Garcia Maricris Garcia Celeste Legaspi Kathryn Bernardo Nadine Lustre Nikki Gil Bea Binene Donnalyn Bartolome Regine Velasquez Zsa Zsa Padilla Agot Isidro Anja Aguilar Zephanie Dimaranan Anna Fegi Roselle Nava Jennylyn Mercado Yasmien Kurdi Klarisse de Guzman Morissette Amon Maymay Entrata Rose Fostanes Catriona Gray Janella Salvador Kyline Alcantara Odette Quesada Lovi Poe Judy Ann Santos Maine Mendoza Yassi Pressman Michelle Ayalde Golden Cañedo Kim Domingo Dulce Andrea Brillantes Zia Quizon Laarni Lozada Vina Morales Kitchie Nadal Dianne dela Fuente Sitti Navarro Nina Sheryn Regis Manilyn Reynes Didith Reyes Ella May Saison Lea Salonga Cris Villonco Aicelle Santos Aiza Seguerra Kim Chiu Lyca Gairanod KZ Tandingan Jennylyn Mercado Elha Nympha Acel Van Ommen Jamie Rivera Princess Velasco Esang De Torres Anne Curtis Jona Maris Racal Imelda Papin Maja Salvador Alex Gonzaga Jasmine Trias Nicole Asensio Jolina Magdangal Angeline Quinto Jessa Zaragoza Kuh Ledesma Ivy Violan Lilet Dessa Janet Basco Rachel Alejandro Geneva Cruz Pilita Corrales Eurika Cookie Chua Sabrina Grace Nono Ruffa Mae Quinto Vilma Santos Apple Chiu Viktoria Eva Eugenio Janelle Jamer Heart Evangelista Liza Soberano Rufa Mae Quinto Zendee Janine Berdin Hannah Precillas Barbie Forteza Nora Aunor Pokwang Ai-Ai delas Alas Kisses Delavin Male Kyle Echarri Freddie Aguilar Ogie Alcasid Hajji Alejandro Dingdong Avanzado Christian Bautista Mark Bautista Ryan Cayabyab José Mari Chan Sam Concepcion Dong Abay Darren Espanto Dennis Trillo Janno Gibbs Jay R Kris Lawrence Raymond Lauchengco James Reid Willie Revillame Sam Milby Randy Santiago Florante RJ Jimenez Gary Granada Wency Cornejo Vhong Navarro Bayani Agbayani Nonoy Zuñiga Marco Sison Bugoy Drilon Kean Cipriano Mitoy Yonting Jason James Dy Bamboo Mañalac Rayver Cruz Josh Santana Alden Richards Edward Barber Rico Blanco Jay-R Siaboc Seth Fedelin Elmo Magalona Rodel Naval Martin Nievera Daniel Padilla Richard Poon Rico J. Puno Khalil Ramos Erik Santos Ariel Rivera Basil Valdez Gary Valenciano Victor Wood Coco Martin Rey Valera Jake Vargas Vice Ganda Xian Lim Gino Padilla Somedaydream Enrique Gil Piolo Pascual Michael V. Quest Jimmy Bondoc Jed Madela

Manny Pacquiao April Boy Regino Blakdyak Richard Yap Bryan Termulo Lito Camo Enchong Dee Yoyoy Villame Billy Crawford Subas Herrero Chito Miranda Noel Cabangon Brenan Espartinez Jericho Rosales Davey Langit Groups/bands 1:43 4th Impact 17:28 3LOGY 3rd Avenue Ang Dating Doon AfterImage APO Hiking Society Asin Bayang Barrios BoybandPH Boyfriends Brownman Revival Charmed Cinderella Down to Mars Eurasia Freestyle Gimme 5 Hagibis Harana Hashtags Hi-5 Philippines cast Hotdog Imago Introvoys JCS Kitty Girls Krissy & Ericka La Diva Maasinhon Trio Mabuhay Singers Mak and the Dudes MNL48 Mocha Girls Mus'ka MYMP Neocolours Nexxus Orange and Lemons One Voice Parokya ni Edgar Pop Girls Prettier Than Pink Put3ska Reycard Duet SB19 SexBomb Girls Siakol Side A Smokey Mountain South Border Sugar High Sugarpop Tanya Markova Team Yey! cast The Company The Dawn Tito, Vic & Joey Top One Project True Faith Viva Hot Babes VST & Company XLR8 Wishful 5 International recognition In 2010, Little Big Star 2nd runner-up and YouTube star Charice became the first Asian to peak at the Top 10 (at No. 8) of the Billboard 200 for her debut album. She was also one of the first Asian artists to have a song peak at No. 1 for Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs. In 2020, Ppop boy group SB19 became a Billboard Social 50 mainstay after their hit single 'Alab' stayed in the chart for more than 6 weeks. See also Music of the Philippines Culture of the Philippines References Category:Philippine styles of music Category:Popular music by country

Barron Miles Barron Miles (born January 1, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football player who played for 12 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently the defensive backs coach for the Edmonton Eskimos. Miles finished his career tied for second all-time in career interceptions with 66 and as the all-time leader in blocked kicks with 13. Raised in Roselle, New Jersey, Miles played prep football on both offense and defence at Abraham Clark High School. College football career One of the top cornerbacks and special teams players in school history at the University of Nebraska, Barron Miles helped Nebraska win the 1994 NCAA college football national championship, and deliver Tom Osborne's first national title. He earned All-Big Eight honors in 1993 and 1994 and ranks among NU's all-time top 10 in pass breakups. He also blocked a school-record seven punts during his career. Professional football career Miles was drafted by the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995, but failed to make the team after suffering a serious knee injury in a preseason game versus the Buffalo Bills during his rookie season. He was assigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europa in 1997. Miles joined the Montreal Alouettes in 1998, and made an immediate impact, winning the CFL East Division Rookie of the Year Award. Miles played 7 seasons with Montreal, and was named a CFL All-Star 3 times (1999, 2000, 2002) during his tenure as a Lark. In 2005, Miles signed with the BC Lions as a free agent, and started 17 of 18 games for the Lions at safety missing only one game due to injury. Miles was named to the 2005 CFL West Division All-Star team as a defensive back and led the Lions with 6 interceptions (4th in the CFL). In 2006, Miles led the CFL in interceptions with 10, for 206 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. During a 2006 CFL All-Star season, Miles recorded 39 defensive tackles, four pass knockdowns, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Miles also notched one defensive tackle, a blocked kick, and a quarterback sack in the Lions' CFL West Division Championship game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, as well as three defensive tackles in the Lions' 25-14 Grey Cup Championship victory over Miles' old team, the Montreal Alouettes. On August 7, 2009, Miles became the CFL's career leader for blocked kicks (13) with a blocked extra point against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Miles is a 5-time CFL All-Star at the defensive back position and finished his career with 66 interceptions. Miles was also a defensive back coach for the Senior Varsity Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers during the 2009 season. Personal life Miles has a wife Jennifer and three children: Raven, Barron Jr. and Ava. External links Barron Miles' BC Lions.com Profile References Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:African-American players of Canadian football Category:American players of Canadian football Category:BC Lions coaches Category:BC Lions players Category:Canadian football defensive backs Category:Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:Edmonton Eskimos coaches Category:Frankfurt Galaxy players Category:Grey Cup champions Category:Montreal Alouettes players Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Category:People from Roselle, New Jersey Category:Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches Category:Sportspeople from Union County, New Jersey Category:Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaches Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees

Vijay Special Jury Award The Vijay Special Jury Award is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The award is given to both actors and films. Actors Films See also Tamil cinema Cinema of India References Special Jury Award

2010 Kansas Jayhawks football team The 2010 Kansas Jayhawks football team (variously "Kansas", "KU", or the "Jayhawks") represented the University of Kansas in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season which was the school's 121st season. The Jayhawks played their home games on Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. The team was led by first year head coach Turner Gill and was a member of the Big 12 Conference in the North Division. The team captains were senior running back Angus Quigley, senior offensive lineman Sal Capra, senior defensive end Jake Laptad, senior linebacker Justin Springer, and senior cornerback Chris Harris. The Jayhawks finished the season 3–9, 1–7 in Big 12 play and did not play for bowl game for the second consecutive year. Pre-season Coaching changes Former head coach Mark Mangino resigned from his position on December 3, following a 7-game losing streak and internal investigation into his conduct. Turner Gill, former head coach at the University at Buffalo was named the new head coach on December 13, 2009. Gill will bring with him Carl Torbush as his defensive coordinator and Chuck Long as his offensive coordinator. None of Mangino's assistant coaches or strength and conditioning staff were retained by Gill. Recruiting Expand the list below to see the full recruiting class. Watch lists Jake Laptad - Hendricks Award Watchlist Tim Biere - John Mackey Award Watchlist Schedule Roster Game summaries North Dakota State Bison Turner Gill's debut game for the Jayhawks ended in dismay as the FCS Bison team defeated Kansas 6-3. Although Kansas took a lead in the first quarter with a field goal, the Bison scored 2 field goals, 1 in the first half and the other in the second, to knock off Jayhawks. Kansas had 3 turnovers in the game, causing the Bison to lead in time of possession. #15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Trying to rebound after the loss against the FCS Bison, Kansas was considered an underdog against the heavily favored, 15th ranked, Georgia Tech. Redshirt Freshman Jordan Webb took over the starting QB role and true Freshman James Sims was introduced at running back. In the first half, Kansas scored two touchdowns, but the Yellow Jackets were ahead by a field goal at halftime, 17-14. However, in the third quarter, Kansas would score an unanswered touchdown to take the lead at 21-17. In the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Jayhawks would score yet another touchdown. However, Georgia Tech scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to try to pull off a comeback. Then, with a minute to play in regulation, Georgia Tech's drive stopped with a turnover on downs that ended the Yellow Jackets' hopes of winning. The final would be 28-25, with Kansas winning. This would be the first time since 2008 that Kansas defeated a ranked opponent, defeating the then #11 Missouri Tigers 40-37. Southern Miss New Mexico State Baylor Kansas State Texas A&M Iowa State Colorado Nebraska Oklahoma State Missouri Awards and honors Justin Springer Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (week 2) - 15 tackles, 1 sack against #15 Georgia Tech D.J. Beshears Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (week 4) Statistics References Category:Kansas Jayhawks football seasons Kansas Jay

Saint Andrew's Society Saint Andrew's Society refers to one of many independent organizations celebrating Scottish heritage which can be found all over the world. Some Saint Andrew's Societies limit membership to people born in Scotland or their descendants. Some still only accept male members. They are generally not-for-profit or charitable organizations. These societies organize social activities for their members as well as promoting the preservation of Scottish heritage. List of St. Andrew's Societies St. Andrew's Society of Charleston, South Carolina St. Andrew's Society of Aiken Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York St. Andrew's Society of Maine St. Andrew's Society of Montreal St. Andrew's Society of Hong Kong St Andrew's Society of Glasgow The Bangkok St Andrew's Society Manila St. Andrew's Society St. Andrew's Society of Panama St. Andrew Scottish Society of New Mexico St. Andrew's Society of Winnipeg St. Andrew’s Society of the Inland Northwest St. Andrew-Caledonian Society of Calgary References External links Category:Scottish diaspora

Praemastus rhodator Praemastus rhodator is a moth in the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by George Hampson in 1901. It is found in Bolivia. References Category:Moths described in 1901 Category:Arctiinae

I Want You (Gary Low song) "I Want You" is a single by Italo disco singer Gary Low, released in 1983. The song is featured on his 1983 debut album, Go On. It was a big hit in Spain, reaching #4 on the Spanish chart. In Germany, the song made the Top 40, peaking at #37. In the UK, the song reached #52. "I Want You" is one of Low's most popular songs, alongside his 1982 debut hit "You Are a Danger" and 1984's "La Colegiala". Track listing A. "I Want You" (Vocal) – 8:30 B. "I Want You" (Instrumental) – 8:30 Charts Sales and certifications Samples "I Want You" has been sampled on several songs such as "How We Are" by Dimitri & Tom (2001), "In My Eyes" by Sinema (2002), "The Beach" by Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2003), and on "Feel It All Around" by Washed Out (2009) which was used as the opening theme song of the television series Portlandia. Appearances in media "I Want You" can be heard during a scene in the 1985 VIVA film Working Boys which stars Tito, Vic & Joey and Herbert Bautista. References External links Category:1983 singles Category:Gary Low songs Category:1982 songs

Cassina S.p.A. Cassina S.p. A. is an Italian manufacturing company specialised in the creation of high-end designer furniture. Origins The "Amedeo Cassina" company was created by the brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina in 1927 in Meda, Brianza, (Northern Italy). After the war, Cassina continued to expand in size and fame, with products which covered a broad range of furniture including: chairs, armchairs, tables, sofas and beds. History The company's transformation was bolstered further by commissions for cruise ships, top end hotels and restaurants which accounted for a great part of the company's activity right up to the mid-sixties and beyond. In 1964 the "Cassina I Maestri" (Cassina Masters) Collection was born, with the acquisition of the rights to products designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, the most important names of 20th century design. These included the LC1, LC2, and LC3 armchairs, and the LC4 chaise longue. Today Cassina is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the Le Corbusier designs. The "Cassina I Maestri" collection was widened in 1968 with the acquisition from Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin of reproduction rights to some of the Bauhaus objects and in 1971 the designs of Gerrit Rietveld, Frank Lloyd Wright, and of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1972. The Masters collection continued with the re-issue in 1983 of furniture by Erik Gunner Asplund, the acquisition from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation of rights of reproduction (1986) of furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright, including the Barrel chair (1937), and, finally, in 2004 furniture by Charlotte Perriand. The 1972, the New York MoMA exhibition, "Italy: the New Domestic Landscape" curated by Emilio Ambasz was co-sponsored Cassina. In 2005 Cassina was purchased by the Poltrona Frau Group. See also List of Italian companies References External links Cassina S.p.A. home page Cassina USA Cassina: A Profile in Design Excellence Category:Italian brands Category:Italian design Category:Furniture companies of Italy Category:Manufacturing companies based in Milan Category:Industrial design firms Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1927 Category:1927 establishments in Italy Category:Province of Monza and Brianza Category:Design companies established in 1927

Epepeotes vestigialis Epepeotes vestigialis is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe in 1866. Subspecies Epepeotes vestigialis diverseglabratus (Pic, 1943) Epepeotes vestigialis vestigialis Pascoe, 1866 References Category:Lamiinae Category:Beetles described in 1866

Ken Shadie Kenneth George "Ken" Shadie (born 8 December 1935) is an Australian screenwriter, who co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the film Crocodile Dundee with Paul Hogan and John Cornell. Biography Shadie was born in the Sydney suburb of Bondi and raised in Lane Cove. From 1964 to 1968, he was chief writer and script editor of The Mavis Bramston Show. He worked on its follow up News Revue. In 1974, he was a script writer for the soap opera Number 96. In the late 1970s he was writing a revue for Ron Frazer. This was seen by Paul Hogan who loved the writing and asked to meet Shadie. They two of them started writing together on The Paul Hogan Show. Hogan, Shadie and Cornell co-wrote the script for the film Crocodile Dundee, which went on to become a massive hit in Australia and abroad, with the screenplay nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1986. In the late 1980s Ken Shadie wrote the first draft of the movie version of The Phantom. Shadie was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2015, for service to the film and television industries as a writer, and to veterans (for his community work as president of the Brooklyn sub-branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia). References External links Category:1935 births Category:Living people Category:Australian screenwriters Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Category:Writers from Sydney

Federal Palace of Switzerland The Federal Palace (, , , , ) refers to the building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly (legislature) and the Federal Council (executive). It has a total length of more than consisting of a central assembly building and two wings (eastern and western) housing government departments and a library. The name in German and Romansh both mean "federal house", whereas the French and Italian names both translate to "Federal Palace". The Latin word curia originates from Ancient Rome and originally meant an assembly, and later used for where the Roman Senate met, both meanings being relevant to the Federal Palace. History The building was designed by the architect Hans Wilhelm Auer and constructed between 1894 and 1902 by 173 Swiss firms and 33 Swiss artists. Its inauguration took place on 1 April 1902. The total cost, at the time, was 7,198,000 Swiss Francs. Domed Hall The central assembly building is dominated by a domed hall in the layout of a Swiss cross. It separates the two chambers of the National Council (south) and the Council of States (north). The dome itself has an external height of that was exceptional at the time, but chosen to balance the total length of the three buildings. The mosaic in the center represents the federal coat of arms along with the Latin motto Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (One for all, and all for one), surrounded by the coat of arms of the 22 cantons that existed in 1902. The coat of arms of the Canton of Jura, created in 1979, was later placed outside of the mosaic. The hall is dominated by the sculpture The Three Confederates (Die drei Eidgenossen) created by James André Vibert and referring to the legendary oath to fight for Switzerland (Rütlischwur). North Façade The central entry facing the Federal Square (Bundesplatz) and opening up to a domed hall carries the inscription Curia Confœderationis Helveticæ (Swiss Federal Assembly) underneath a pediment. The roof edge is topped by Auguste de Niederhäusern-Rodo's allegorical sculpture of Helvetia representing independence (center), with the executive on her left, and the legislature on her right. This arrangement was inspired by the Pallas Athena Fountain of the Austrian Parliament. The pediment is flanked by two griffins by Anselmo Laurenti symbolizing courage, wisdom, and strength. The female allegories in the second floor niches by James André Vibert represent freedom (left) and peace (right). Two commemorative plaques above refer to the years 1291 (Federal Charter and the legendary Rütlischwur) and 1848 (first Federal Constitution transforms Switzerland into a federal state). Finally, the male allegories in the first floor niches by Maurice Reymond represent the chronicler of the past (left) and the cronicler of the present (right). Organisation Federal Assembly National Council Council of States Hall of the dome Visitor centre West wing Federal Council Federal Chancellery of Switzerland Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Federal Department of Justice and Police Carl Lutz Room. East wing Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports Trivia As reported in a study by the Federal parliamentary services (Parlamentsdienste), the noise caused by human activities in the chamber of the National Council is clearly too loud. The previously undisclosed study was published by 10vor10 on 12 December 2014, pointing that the noise level is usually at a level of about 70 decibels, comparable to a used roadway, so concentration of work for politicians is not possible. Gallery See also Bundesplatz Hotel Bellevue Palace References External links Category:Government buildings in Switzerland Category:Government of Switzerland Category:Buildings and structures in Bern

Category:Legislative buildings in Europe Category:Seats of national legislatures Category:Council of States (Switzerland) Category:National Council (Switzerland) Category:Swiss Federal Council Category:Presidential residences Category:Government buildings completed in 1902 Category:1902 establishments in Switzerland Category:Tourist attractions in Bern Category:Beaux-Arts architecture Category:Neoclassical architecture in Switzerland Category:Government buildings with domes Category:Official residences in Switzerland

Garry McIlwaine Garry David McIlwaine (born 7 October 1944) is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Yaralla from 1978 to 1981 and Ryde from 1981 to 1988. The son of Charles Victor and Leila Josephine McIlwaine, he was born in Concord West in Sydney. He attended school in the Concord area and studied law part-time at the University of Sydney, completing the course in 1969. In 1970 he was admitted to the New South Wales Bar. He had joined the Labor Party in 1965. In 1978, McIlwaine was selected as the Labor candidate for the marginal Liberal seat of Yaralla, and he defeated the sitting MP, Lerryn Mutton. Yaralla was replaced by Ryde in 1981, which McIlwaine duly won. He held the seat until 1988, when he was defeated by Liberal candidate Michael Photios. Subsequent to his defeat, he held the position of Judicial Registrar of the Federal Court of Australia (1997–98). References Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales

Padippura Padippura is a Malayalam word that may refer to: Padippura (:ml:പടിപ്പുര), a traditional arched gateway (sometimes, without a lockable gate) on a path leading to the main building, as per Kerala Architecture Padippura (film), a Malayalam film released in 1989 Pazhoor Padipura, a place of astrological importance and linked to Pazhoor Perumthrikkovil temple, located near Piravom, Kerala

Phenatoma lawsi Phenatoma lawsi is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Borsoniidae. Description Distribution This extinct marine species was endemic to New Zealand References Powell, Arthur William Baden. The New Zealand Recent and Fossil Mollusca of the Family Turridae: With General Notes on Turrid Nomenclature and Systematics. No. 2. Unity Press limited, printers, 1942. Maxwell, P.A. (2009). Cenozoic Mollusca. pp 232–254 in Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. lawsi Category:Gastropods of New Zealand

Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, based on the characters, stories, and songs from the 1946 Disney film Song of the South. Although there are variations in the story and features between the three locations, each installation begins with a peaceful outdoor float-through that leads to indoor dark ride segments, with a climactic steep drop into a "briar patch" followed by an indoor finale. The drop is . Story The plot behind Splash Mountain is a composite of several Uncle Remus stories. The different versions of Splash Mountain feature similar stories, albeit with small differences. Each ride presents scenes taken from the animated segments of Song of the South, telling the story of Br'er Rabbit, the protagonist, a mischievous hero who leaves his home in search of adventure. Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, the antagonists of the story, are determined to catch him, but are repeatedly tricked into letting him free. The sharp-witted Br'er Rabbit avoids a snare trap (as described in "Br'er Rabbit Earns a Dollar a Minute") and uses it to trap Br'er Bear instead. Br'er Rabbit continues on his journey to find his "laughing place". Out of curiosity, his foes follow but only for Br'er Rabbit to lead them into a cavern of bees. Br'er Fox eventually catches Br'er Rabbit in a beehive and threatens to roast him. Br'er Rabbit uses reverse psychology on Br'er Fox, begging the fox not to throw him into the briar patch (as described in "The Tar Baby"). Naturally, Br'er Fox throws Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch (represented by the ride's picturesque flume drop); Br'er Rabbit escapes uninjured, remarking, "I was born and raised in the briar patch!" The other animals rejoice to have Br'er Rabbit back home, while Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear are last seen narrowly escaping the jaws of Br'er Gator. History The idea for Splash Mountain was originally conceived in the summer of 1983 by Imagineer Tony Baxter while stuck in rush hour traffic on his way to work. He wanted to attract guests to the often-empty Bear Country land in Disneyland, with the only attraction as the Country Bear Jamboree (which later closed in 2001), plus a souvenir shop, and make use of the Audio-Animatronics from America Sings, which was also receiving poor attendance. It was Dick Nunis who insisted that the Imagineers create a log flume for Disneyland, but the Imagineers were initially unenthusiastic about it, insisting that log flumes were too ordinary a theme park attraction to include in a park like Disneyland. While trying to solve the problems of including a log flume, bringing people into Bear Country and reusing the America Sings characters, Baxter then thought of Song of the South. Construction began at Disneyland in April 1987. By that time, Splash Mountain, whose budget had risen greatly to $75 million, had become one of the most expensive projects created by Walt Disney Imagineering. The entire park cost around $17 million to build back in 1955, which translates to around $80 million in 1987. According to Alice Davis (wife of the late Marc Davis), when America Sings closed in April 1988, production of Disneyland's Splash Mountain had gone far over budget. The only way to recover was to close down America Sings and use the characters from that attraction. Baxter and his team developed the concept of Zip-a-Dee River Run, which would incorporate scenes from Song of the South. The name was later changed to Splash Mountain after then-CEO Michael Eisner's mostly-ignored suggestion that the attraction

be used to help market the film Splash. The characters from America Sings were used in many scenes, though all of the main characters were specifically designed for Splash Mountain. Dave Feiten was then brought in to animate and fix story and staging problems. Feiten moved nearly all of the animatronics to new locations, removing 10 animatronic figures from the ride completely, to improve the show. The planned Grand Opening on July 17, 1989 didn't go quite as hoped for. Early riders made up of company executives were getting quite soaked rather than lightly sprayed, and so the ride opening date had to be delayed for months so that the boats could be re-designed to hold fewer passengers, to build them lighter and to re-design the bottom and bow to make them less likely to splash so much water aboard. In 1991, construction began for the Splash Mountains at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland. On July 17, 1992, soft openings began at the Magic Kingdom. The two Splash Mountains officially opened within a day of each other in October 1992: the Magic Kingdom attraction opened on October 2, and the Tokyo Disneyland attraction opened on October 1. In January 2011, Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom received lap bars for safety reasons. Each row of two to three passengers shares one lap bar. Meanwhile, Tokyo Disneyland received individual lap bars, which makes the height restriction 5 inches shorter than the other two versions. A version of the popular attraction was planned for Disneyland Paris, but was scrapped due to budget reasons and the cold weather in Europe. Attraction All of the rides feature the same scenes and a nearly identical layout. The story of Splash Mountain "Br'er Rabbit Leaves Home" is told in the dark ride segment on the meandering river. The flume converts to a roller coaster-style track in complete darkness to transition to "The Laughing Place" caverns. After Br'er Rabbit is captured, the logs ascend up the attraction's predominant hill into the "Tar-Baby" segment (although it is important to mention that Disney chose to replace the tar baby itself with a hive of bees). Br'er Rabbit, now captured by Br'er Fox, tricks the villain into throwing him into the briar patch; the drop itself mimics Br'er Rabbit's fall. The log descends a fifty-six-foot drop into a briar patch before continuing back into the mountain, where numerous audio-animatronic animals sing a rousing chorus of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." Disneyland Guests enter the queue in front the main drop viewing area. The queue winds past the Critter Country sign into the main entrance where a number of machines with cogs and gears dominate. Various thoughts and sayings from Uncle Remus are featured on signs throughout the queue, which winds around a barn structure and reaches the loading area. Passengers ride aboard six-to-seven-seater logs with six single-file seats. The last seat in each log is larger and allows room for larger guests or an adult and a small child, thus allowing the capacity to be seven in each log. The log departs the loading area and ascends two conveyor-type lifts before floating gently through scenery designed to evoke the feeling of a river in the southern state of Georgia. The homes of the three main characters and aged farm equipment are incorporated into the landscape, along with an instrumental version of "How Do You Do?" emanating from hidden speakers along the waterway. Before the logs enter the indoor portion, snoring is heard emanating from Brer Bear's cave. The snoring is a tribute to the original entrance to Bear Country (the former name

of Critter Country) where a bear named Rufus was heard snoring from a cave. After a short drop down "Slippin' Falls", guests enter the indoor portion of the attraction, where various Audio-Animatronic animals, such as geese, frogs, and opossums sing the attraction's first musical number, "How Do You Do?". After rounding a corner, riders see Br'er bear caught in a trap while Br'er Fox (a reskinned Sam the Eagle animatronic) berates him and tells him "We gotta catch that Br'er Rabbit!". Br'er Rabbit (a reskinned Ollie the Owl animatronic), seen outside his Briar Patch, tells Br'er Turtle that he's leaving home in search of adventure, and is heading for his Laughin' Place. Br'er Bear follows him only for the "Laughin' Place" to actually be a trick, and Br'er Bear winds up being attacked by bees as Br'er Rabbit laughs at the sight. Riders progress through the surreal Rainbow Caverns, where characters sing "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place" and wild laughter can be heard around every corner. Br'er Fox then manages to trap Br'er Rabbit in a beehive. The mood turns ominous as two mother characters (an opossum and rabbit) sing the "Burrow's Lament." At the base of the final lift hill, two vultures bear ominous warnings for the riders. The logs begin the final ascent and shortly before the attraction's climactic drop, Br'er Rabbit is seen alongside the hill, about to be eaten by Br'er Fox, but Br'er Rabbit outsmarts Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear by tricking them into throwing him into the briar patch (where he was born and raised). Riders are sent down the final drop into the briar patch, mimicking his fall. The top half of the drop is highly visible from the adjacent areas of the park. An on-ride photo is taken as the log begins to fall, and it can be purchased after disembarking from the ride. From the top of the hill, riders looking toward the splashdown point will notice a full pond of water ahead of them. The log then 'dives' under the water into an underground runout. The collective weight of the riders generally determines the degree to which they get wet here. An indoor segment follows the drop, after which the logs make a final entrance into a section of the mountain named "Doo-Dah Landing", where a full cast of Audio-Animatronic figures sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and the respective fates of Br'er Rabbit (reclined happily at home) and the antagonists (fending off a hungry Br'er Gator) are seen. As the log passes through the Doo-Dah Landing room, a series of glass windows can be seen near the ceiling, behind which is a tunnel used by the Disneyland Railroad track. Before the return to the loading area, riders are given a preview of their picture that was taken on the final drop via an overhead screen. Professor Barnaby Owl, an overhead Audio-Animatronic, calls the riders' attention to the screen as he remarks on their expressions. After disembarking from the log, riders enter a "dark room," where they preview their on-ride photograph before exiting back out into Critter Country. Magic Kingdom Without a Critter Country in Walt Disney World, Splash Mountain is instead located in Frontierland, across the way from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Construction of Splash Mountain necessitated the demolition of the existing railroad station and temporarily turning the railroad into a shuttle between Main Street, U.S.A. and Mickey's Toontown Fair. Riders board eight-passenger logs, seated two by two. Logs are now equipped with lap bars for safety reasons following a January 2011 renovation. The log departs the loading area, where Br'er Frog provides

introductory narration. The log ascends a dual-chain lift that deposits riders in a small pond at the bottom of the big drop. After a right turn, logs enter the barn and climb another lift to the space behind the visible mountain, before floating gently through scenery designed to evoke the feeling of a river in the Southern United States, particularly Georgia, where Song of the South was based. The homes of the three main characters, aged farm equipment, stagecoach wagons, and ale barrels are incorporated into the landscape, along with a country instrumental version of "How Do You Do?" emanating from hidden speakers along the waterway. After passing Br'er Bear's cave, the logs descend down the Slippin' Falls drop and cross back under the flume. The logs then enter the show building containing the indoor portion of the attraction, where various Audio-Animatronic animals including geese and frogs sing the attraction's first musical number, "How Do You Do?". Several vignettes establish the story of a restless Br'er Rabbit leaving home and being pursued by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear see Br'er Rabbit telling Mr. Bluebird that he's going to his Laughing Place. Br'er Porcupine warns him of the danger ahead, but Br'er Rabbit continues on. "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place" begins to play after Br'er Bear springs Br'er Fox's rabbit trap. The logs continue onward past a roadrunner who asks to be taken along to the Laughin' Place, while opossums sing the song from overhead. The logs reach a dark tunnel followed by a "dip-drop" into the Laughin' Place. Bees attack Br'er Bear while Br'er Rabbit laughs with joy, unaware that Br'er Fox is behind him, preparing to drop a beehive on top of him. The logs then go over another short drop, and head further into the cavern scenes. There, geyser-riding turtles and laughing, singing bullfrogs, and dancing water fountains guide the log to a dark area in which Br'er Rabbit has been caught by Br'er Fox in a cave of stalactites and stalagmites. Two vultures (this time wearing top hats) taunt riders as they begin their ascent up the final lift. A scene to the left side of the flume shows Br'er Fox menacing Br'er Rabbit, with Bre'r Rabbit pleading not to be thrown into the briar patch. At the top of this third lift hill, the log descends the drop at a 45-degree angle, reaching a maximum speed of 40 mph, into a tunnel underneath the Frontierland walkway. After another outdoor flume segment, the log coasts back into the mountain, where critters at "Doo Dah Landing" are singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" in celebration of Br'er Rabbit's return, while Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear attempt to fend off Br'er Gator. At the end, Br'er Rabbit sings with Mr. Bluebird, telling him that he learned his lesson. After exiting the log, riders can tap their cards or MagicBands to save their ride photo. Tokyo Disneyland Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland is very similar to the Florida version of the ride, with a few exceptions. The ride's layout is a mirror image of Florida's owing to the attraction's location on the opposite side of the river. The secondary characters are altogether different and the show scenes are in different orders. The Tokyo version also lacks a mill or barn-like structure on the second lift (although it is used as the main entrance to the ride queue). Instead, the logs venture into a cave-like opening to begin the second ascent. Another difference from the Florida version is that the Slippin' Falls drop takes place in a dark cave, making

the final drop the only outdoor one. Soundtrack Disneyland Splash Mountain at Disneyland features music in a jazzy "big band" meets orchestral style, fitting the attraction's proximity to New Orleans Square. "How Do You Do?" - Recorded specially for the ride in 1988 by The Floozies, a 29-piece band from Oregon. The backing track of 'Bom, bom, bom, bom...' that can be heard coming from the bullfrogs in accompaniment to the lyrics sung by the Geese was sung by 13 of the 29 members. Walter Steven "Sim" Hurgle (b. 1963) is the band's lead vocalist, and his voice can be heard singing most of the words, while his fellow band members provide harmony and backing vocals. One of the bullfrogs is voiced by veteran voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft. "Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place" and "Burrow's Lament" - These songs are sung by Elisa, Georgia and Castell Newton, three sisters from California who worked for The Walt Disney Company at the time of the ride's construction. Castell and Elisa sing the words, while Georgia was responsible for the high pitched, operatic 'ahh's' in the background, which were removed upon the song changing from "Sooner or Later" to "Burrow's Lament". Burrow's Lament is mainly sung by BJ Ward. The vultures above the third lift hill are voiced by Edward Conor and John Kelfreese, employees of The Walt Disney Company. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - A choir consisting of over 75 cast members was used to record this last score, recorded in the company's Burbank studios in 1987. Jess Harnell sings a solo as Br'er Rabbit as the logs take their final turn back into the station. In addition, several other songs from Song of the South are heard as instrumental tracks, playing on a loop near the attraction and in the queuing area. These include "That's What Uncle Remus Said", "Sooner or Later", "All I Want", "Who Wants to Live Like That", and "Let the Rain Pour Down." The loop only features songs from the film and lasts about 25 minutes. Animators took over 80 hours to synchronize each figure. To re-wire and test each figure took an additional three months before the attraction could open, as programmers were tasked with having to make characters "forget" their old America Sings settings and then perform with a decent level of realism in accordance with the new settings. Each character can carry out 45 seconds of movement and dialogue before a loop function restarts the sequence from the beginning. Magic Kingdom The ride features the same songs heard at the Disneyland attraction, which are variations of the three songs found in the animated segments from Song of the South, though the attraction does not present these songs in the same order as the film. Because of the ride's location in Frontierland, the soundtrack features a country feel, with banjos and harmonicas as the primary instruments, and also because of Florida's close proximity to Georgia, where Song of the South is set. "Burrow's Lament" is the only exception, using an orchestral track with timpani drums originally recorded for the Disneyland version. In the order heard in the attraction's ride-through segments: "How Do You Do?" "Ev'rybody's Got a Laughin' Place" "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" Songs from the film heard as instrumental tracks in the queuing area include "That's What Uncle Remus Said", "Let the Rain Pour Down", "Sooner or Later", and the opening theme from the film. Traditional songs like "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and "Goober Peas" are also played in a bluegrass style. The loop lasts about an hour, and includes different orchestrations of the three main songs heard in

the ride as well. Tokyo Disneyland Like in Florida, the main melodies consist of banjos, fiddles and harmonicas. The vocals, however, are completely different between the two parks. Compared to the Magic Kingdom attraction, the specific verses sung within the show scenes are in different orders and the choruses and back-up vocals are arranged with different harmonies. Additionally, dialogue and lyrics in Tokyo are Japanese for "How Do You Do?" and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", but English for "Ev'rybody's Got a Laughin' Place". In both instances, "Burrow's Lament" is heard as an instrumental track with timpani drums (a take that was originally recorded for Disneyland, but never used), with dramatic orchestra and choir. Music releases Despite being released on CDs attributed to the Magic Kingdom or Walt Disney World in general, as well as often bearing specific track attribution (such as "from Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain"), the country-western style soundtrack actually found at the Florida and Tokyo parks has at least managed to surface on the 2003 Walt Disney World CD entitled "The Official Album/Where Magic Lives". Banjos are heard for over halfway through the 7:57 length, as well as at the end. It is a very different musical arrangement when compared to many other "Walt Disney World", "Disneyland", or combination "Walt Disney World/Disneyland" CDs labeled as "The Official Album". The Disneyland ride does not incorporate this particular country-western themed soundtrack. Fan-credited versions of the country-western version from the Magic Kingdom have also surfaced as MP3 downloads online. Tokyo Disneyland versions have surfaced also, but have been harder to locate. Voice cast Br'er Rabbit: Jess Harnell Br'er Fox: J. D. Hall Br'er Bear: Nick Stewart (Disneyland version)/James Avery (Walt Disney World version) Mr. Bluebird: Jess Harnell Br'er Frog: James Avery Bullfrogs: Thurl Ravenscroft Mother Possum: B. J. Ward Mother Rabbit: B. J. Ward In popular culture Despite Disney's great attention to detail and audience management, the monitoring represented by both security cameras and the strobe cameras have not proven wholly successful at eliminating one of the most salacious phenomena of the Splash Mountain experience. Hoping to make illicit use of the in-ride photographs that Disney later sells to ride patrons, some riders briefly expose themselves (e.g., a woman baring her breasts) during the descent. Collected on a website called "Flash Mountain" in the mid-to-late 1990s, the shots continue to circulate online. The "Flash Mountain" controversy at both Disney parks was used as a segment and was seen on TMZ on May 5, 2009. To celebrate the opening of Disneyland's version in 1989, a special was made called Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain. Actor and comedian Jim Varney returned to play the title role of Ernest in the special. This time, Ernest is busy on becoming the world's first "Splashronaut" (a play on the words "splash" and "astronaut"). In an episode of The Simpsons featuring a parody of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer (played by Bart) and Huckleberry Finn (played by Nelson) go down a waterfall in their raft, after which their photo is taken to be sold as a souvenir. In a reference to the "Flash Mountain" phenomenon mentioned above, the manager spots a photo of a woman flashing her ankle and tells the photographer to get rid of it, which he does by slipping it into his shirt to keep for himself. On the American Dad! episode "Familyland", after the rest of the family off blows her plans to spend the day together, Francine and Klaus ride the Simpler Times Mountain, which is a parody of Splash Mountain. On American Housewife Season 1, Episode 23, Greg suggests that having

a fourth child would be a wise idea because, "It'd be nice for there to be six of us. You know, so we can fill the toboggan at Splash Mountain. Not have some creepy stranger ruining our picture." To which Katie replies, "Great reason to have a baby, Greg." Splash Mountain is the name of a 2016 song by American rapper Yung Gravy, the song and cover art is a reference to the ride. See also List of Disneyland attractions List of Magic Kingdom attractions List of Tokyo Disneyland attractions Incidents at Walt Disney World Resort List of Disney attractions using Audio-Animatronics References External links Disneyland Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom Splash Mountain Tokyo Disneyland Splash Mountain L.A. Times article about "Flash Mountain" The Unofficial Song of the South website: Splash Mountain page Walt Disney World Magic - Patent for reduced splash logs used in Tokyo. Disneyland Splash Mountain construction photos Category:Amusement rides introduced in 1989 Category:Amusement rides introduced in 1992 Category:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Category:Disneyland Category:Magic Kingdom Category:Tokyo Disneyland Category:Dark rides Category:Frontierland Category:Critter Country Category:Audio-Animatronic attractions Category:Water rides manufactured by Hopkins Rides Category:Western (genre) amusement rides Category:1989 establishments in California Category:1992 establishments in Florida Category:1992 establishments in Japan

Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone or West Coast Economic Zone () is the proposed economic development zone for the economic region west of the Taiwan Straits by the Fujian government and the Chinese central government. This include the coastal cities of Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Fuzhou along Fujian province. The proposed economic zone aims to integrate the economies, transport, infrastructure, policies from the coastal cities west of the Taiwan Straits for competitiveness, social development, increased and strengthened economic cooperation with Taiwan. History The ideas of the economic zone has been around since 2001, when Fujian province was undergoing strong economic growth and the Fujian provincial government thought it needed to be competitive with other economic zones such as the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta economic zones. The proposal was also supported by the central government in order to facilitate political and economic relationships across the Taiwan Straits. The economic zone will help Fujian catch up to Taiwan's economic development. The economic zone would "promote the better use of resources of the economic belt in East China and enhance its overall economic strength," Wang Xiaojing, the then executive vice-governor of Fujian in 2005. In 2008, Mainland China through its Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan via Straits Exchange Foundation agreed on an Economic Pact which opened direct transport links for the first time since the end of the Chinese civil war. This allowed regular commercial flights, direct shipping between Taiwan and Chinese mainland ports and postal services. Economy The proposed economic zone will accelerate economic development along the coastal cities in Fujian province. Fujian's economy is China's 11th largest provincial economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of 523.217 billion yuan (US$63.27 billion) in 2003 Fujian's current GDP is now 924.9 billion RMB as of 2007. The main economic engine in Fujian are Xiamen, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Putian. The proposed economic zone will focus on electronic information, machinery building, petro-chemistry, construction material and clothes. Taiwan's current GDP in 2007 was 388.1 billion US dollars. In 2008, with the opening of direct transport links between Taiwan and Mainland China. It is expected this would increase economic activity in the economic zone as well as for Taiwan. This will mean reduced cost for aviation, shipping, postal services. It will accelerate trade, social and economic development in the Taiwan Straits region. Fujian already has around 5,249 Taiwanese projects in 2008. This is expected to increase as cross-straits bilateral ties improves. This will increase exports such as mechanical & electrical products, automatic data processing equipment, clothing and accessories and footwear etc. Fujian's major export destination includes Hong Kong, United States and Japan. As economic trade with Taiwan increases with direct transport links, Taiwan will become a major export destination. See also Bohai Economic Rim Central Plains Straits Economic Zone Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone Northeast Area Revitalization Plan China Western Development Rise of Central China Plan Economy of China References Category:Economy of China Category:Special economic zones

Christine Adjobi Dr. Christine Adjobi is an Ivorian politician and physician. A member of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), she is Minister for the Fight Against AIDS in the Ivorian government of Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. In 2002-2003, during the Ivorian Civil War, Dr. Adjobi was Delegate Minister in Charge of the Fight Against AIDS. As such, she headed a campaign in the besieged areas, aimed at refugees of war, native peoples, and the national armed forces (FANCI), all of whom, in times of war, run a greater risk of infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. She decided to take into psychosocial and therapeutic care HIV positive people. Thus, successively, she joined the CDC's Retro-CI Project at the Center for Diagnosis and Research on AIDS and other opportunistic infections (CEDRES), in the outpatient unit of the University Hospital Center of Treichville. Notes Category:Government ministers of Ivory Coast Category:Ivorian physicians Category:Living people Category:1949 births Category:Ivorian Popular Front politicians Category:People from Comoé District Category:21st-century women politicians Category:Women government ministers of Ivory Coast Category:Women physicians

Line 15 Line 15 may refer to: Line 15 (Beijing Subway) Line 15 (Shanghai Metro) Line 15 (São Paulo Metro)

Wong Kah Chun Wong Kah Chun (; born 25 June 1986), also known as Kahchun Wong, is a Singaporean conductor. Wong became the first Asian to win the prestigious international Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition for young conductors held in Bamberg, Germany on 12 May 2016. One of Singapore's most prolific conductors, he will lead as the chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany for four years from September 2018. Personal life Born in 1986 to father Victor Wong, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warrant officer and mother Yeo Huay Lan, a childcare teacher, Wong has two younger brothers working in engineering and tourism. His family lives in a five-room HDB flat in Jurong West Street 42. At age seven in Primary 1 at the Jurong Primary School, he was asked by his maths teacher, who was also in charge of the brass band, to join the school brass band where he played the cornet. At River Valley High School, he joined a concert band playing the trumpet. At Raffles Junior College, he was with the symphonic band and took music as an GCE A-level subject. Coming from a modest Mandarin-speaking background where more Mandarin than English was spoken, Western classical music was not a part of his family life. He first came into contact with a Western symphony orchestra with strings after he stood in for a Junior College friend who was unable to go for rehearsals at the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO). Later, he had free one-to-one lessons with musicians from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) where he realised he could have a career in a professional orchestra. He was with the SAF military band during his national service when he suffered a nerve injury to his lips from over-playing the trumpet. As he was unable to play for a few months, he started composing. To play his music composition, he formed his own team of musicians from his NS mates, conducted himself, and got into conducting. He also started considering becoming a professional conductor. After Raffles Junior College, he could be offered a place do physics in Cambridge with his A-level results. It was at this point when he was offered a full scholarship from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore that he decided to study music composition as he had "always wanted to be a professional musician." After graduation in 2011, he worked as a conducting assistant with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra where under the mentorship of music director Tsung Yeh, he got a good grasp of both Western and Chinese music. In 2011, he commenced his study in opera and orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin, Germany, after receiving the distinguished Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship. He got his master's in 2014. Career Debuted in March 2015 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Wong has since led orchestras in more than 20 cities in four continents, including the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, he became the first Asian to win the prestigious international Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition for young conductors held in Bamberg, Germany. In June 2016, he debuted in China, conducting for China Philharmonic Orchestra, Beiijing, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. He was nominated and a finalist for the 2017 Singapore Youth Award – Singapore's highest honour for young people who exemplify the values of resilience, courage, leadership, and willingness to serve, given out by the National Youth Council. In August 2018, Wong was one of 10

Singaporeans who got special mention in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech, where he highlighted Singaporeans who followed their passion and broke new ground. From September 2018, he will lead as the chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany for four years. He will conduct the New York Philharmonic's annual Lunar New Year concert in February 2019. Since the 2016 Gustav Mahler win, many doors has opened for him where he is booked until 2020. In December 2019, the Federal President of Germany conferred the Order of Merit for his dedicated service and outstanding achievements in Singaporean-German cultural relations and the advancement of German music culture abroad. Other work In 2010, he and a few young musicians formed the Asian Contemporary Ensemble to champion Singaporean and Asian composers. In 2016, he co-founded Project Infinitude to bring music to children with Ms Marina Mahler, the granddaughter of Gustav Mahler, as part of a global music education initiative with the Mahler Foundation she founded. Awards 2011 2nd prize - 5th International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von Matačić 2013 1st prize - 4th International Conducting Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest 2016 1st prize - 5th Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition 2019 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany References External links Category:Living people Category:1986 births Category:Singaporean conductors (music) Category:Raffles Junior College alumni Category:National University of Singapore alumni Category:Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" alumni Category:21st-century conductors (music) Category:21st-century Singaporean musicians Category:Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Daisuke Murakami Daisuke Murakami may refer to: Daisuke Murakami (figure skater) (born 1991) Daisuke Murakami (snowboarder) (born 1983)

Delta Junction Airport Delta Junction Airport is a public use airport located in and owned by Delta Junction, a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 252 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, and 350 enplanements in 2010. Facilities and aircraft Delta Junction Airport covers an area of 80 acres (32 ha) at an elevation of 1,150 feet (351 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 7/25 is 2,500 by 60 feet (762 x 18 m) with a gravel surface and 13/31 is 1,600 by 60 feet (488 x 18 m) with a dirt surface. There are 16 aircraft based at this airport: 94% single-engine and 6% multi-engine. Airline and destinations The following airline offers scheduled passenger service at this airport: See also Allen Army Airfield at References External links Aerial photo as of June 1999 from USGS The National Map Category:Airports in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska

Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is the tenth studio album by the French progressive rock group Magma. It was released on November 5, 2009. Parts of it have been played live since 1975 and can be found on various albums as extracts or live versions. The song "Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré I" combines "Ëmëhntëht-Rê (Announcement)" from the album Live/Hhaï (1975) and "Rindë (Eastern Song)" from the album Attahk (1978). The song "Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré II" combines "Ëmëhntëht-Rê (Extrait n' deux)" (previously released on the 1988 CD of 1976's Üdü Ẁüdü), "Hhaï" from the album Live/Hhaï (1975), and "Zombies (Ghost Dance)" from the album Üdü Ẁüdü (1976). Included with the CD is a making-of DVD called "Phases". Track list Legacy Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is the third chapter of the Köhntarkösz trilogy. It is supposed to tell the story of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré. But since he was murdered in antiquity and Köhntarkösz supposedly found his tomb in the 1970s (and had a vision of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré's life), the album can be seen as the third and final chapter of the trilogy and a prequel as well. Personnel Stella Vander – vocals, percussion Isabelle Feuillebois – vocals Hervé Aknin – vocals Benoît Alziary – vibraphone James MacGaw – guitar Bruno Ruder – Fender Rhodes Philippe Bussonnet – bass, piccolo bass Christian Vander – drums, vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboard, percussion With: Claude Lamamy – vocals Marcus Linon – vocals Pierre-Michel Sivadier – vocals Himiko Paganotti – vocals Antoine Paganotti – vocals Emmanuel Borghi – piano References External links ''Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré at www.seventhrecords.com Category:Magma (band) albums Category:2009 albums

Party Pilipinas Party Pilipinas () is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Jaya and Janno Gibbs, it premiered on 28 March 2010 replacing SOP and worldwide on GMA Pinoy TV. The show concluded on 19 May 2013 with a total of 160 episodes. It was replaced by Sunday All Stars in its timeslot. Overview World-renowned artists like the Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez, Singer and Songwriter Ogie Alcasid, Queen of Soul Jaya and King of Soul Janno Gibbs headline the group of the country's top performers, which includes R&B Prince and Princess Jay-R and Kyla, Jolina Magdangal, La Diva, Mark Bautista, Christian Bautista and Rachelle Ann Go, just to name a few. Various GMA Network's primetime stars also a regular performers including Marian Rivera, Rhian Ramos, Carla Abellana, Dingdong Dantes, Geoff Eigenmann, Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Anthony Fernandez. New artists are also given a chance to party up with every Sunday. The StarStruck V winners Sarah Lahbati, Steven Silva, Diva Montelaba, Rocco Nacino, and Enzo Pineda joins the party every week, along with the youngest rising stars of today, Joshua Dionisio, Barbie Forteza, Jake Vargas, Bea Binene, Alden Richards, Louise delos Reyes, Derrick Monasterio, Lexi Fernandez, Kristoffer Martin, Joyce Ching, Elmo Magalona and Julie Anne San Jose. Party Pilipinas also marks the return of the most famous twin brothers in the country, Richard Gutierrez and Raymond Gutierrez, who host the show together with the group of partyjocks, which include Tim Yap, KC Montero, Isabelle Daza, and Isabel Oli. History Party Pilipinas is an "all-party and all-positive vibes" show, according to the Corporate Communications Department of GMA Network and the show's new production manager, Ruth Mariñas. Mariñas takes over the post of Ramel David, who in turn replaced Hazel Abonita. Through an interview via Chika Minute in 24 Oras, Ogie Alcasid stated that Party Pilipinas will circle the entire country and hopefully the whole world. The show premiered on 28 March 2010 replacing the defunct SOP, a former Sunday afternoon party of the same timeslot. After 13 years of airing, the former show bid goodbye due to low ratings against the rival show in ABS-CBN, ASAP. Teasers started to come out on commercial with the slogan, "The grandest and hippest party in Philippine television has finally landed on GMA - Party Pilipinas!" The four main hosts of SOP Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, and Jaya are retained, along with the R&B Royalties Kyla and Jay-R, plus, La Diva. In addition, former ASAP performers Rachelle Ann Go and Mark Bautista, both Viva artists also joined the show. Louie Ignacio left the show after 25 April episode, due to unknown reason It was temporarily directed by Rommel Gacho from 2 May to the 23 May episode. Soon after, two directors replaced Ignacio, namely Mark A. Reyes and Rico Gutierrez. On 20 June, the program created a history in Philippine TV history as it became the first show to air in 3D. The show also became witness to some of engagements in the Philippines' show business. Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez announced their wedding engagement on 8 August 2010 episode. Velasquez also had her pre-nuptial message and confirmation of pregnancy in the show. PBA player Rich Alvarez and R&B Princess Kyla made known their wedding engagement also in the show during 13 February 2011 episode. On 28 October 2012, the couple announced that they are expecting their first baby on the show. In addition, Jolina Magdangal and Mark Escueta revealed to the public that they are engaged on 6 June 2011 episode. The

show celebrated its one-year anniversary on 27 March 2011, having a simultaneous live performances in four key cities in the Philippines: Manila (GMA Studio 7), Baguio City (Melvin Jones Grandstand), Davao City (Rizal Park) and Cebu City (Fuente Osmeña Circle) with four directors namely Noel Cabacungan, Rommel Gacho, Ding Bolanos and Mark A. Reyes. The anniversary episode also included the launch of GMA's Summer Station ID for 2011, "Halo-Halo Ang Summer Saya". On 17 April to 15 May 2011, GB Sampedro alongside Mark A. Reyes headed the show. Sampedro replaced Gutierrez because the latter had resigned from co-directing the show. On 24 July 2011 Treb Monteras replaced Sampedro from directing the show. Party Pilipinas became also a home to international guests including U-KISS (28 March 2010, 13 June 2010), Jason Derulo (25 July 2010), Dan Hill (6 February 2011), Far East Movement (13 March 2011), Chauncey Black of Blackstreet (29 January 2012) and Jay Park (6 May 2012). In 2011, the show received its first award at Catholic Mass Media Awards as Best Entertainment Program, and September 2011, former Pinoy Dream Academy finalist Irish Fullerton performed for the firsttime on the show as part of her debut on GMA Network from additional to the group. On 17 June 2012, Direk Rico Gutierrez returned to direct Party Pilipinas Team B, starting with Party Pilipinas: Believe episode. On 8 February 2013, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) meted a six-month probation period on the show for a dance number that was deemed "sexually charged" by the Board. The MTRCB also ordered GMA-7 to make a public apology. On 24 March 2013, former ASAP co-host and performer Christian Bautista performed for the first time on the show as part of his debut on GMA Network. He reunited with his co-former ASAP co-hosts and performers Rachelle Ann Go, also his former girlfriend, and Mark Bautista, a good friend of his, with former Pilipinas Got Talent finalist singer Sherwin Baguion, and former Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash 2010 finalist Fretzie Bercede while additional to the group. Party Pilipinas was set in different destinations during Summer 2013 as a celebration of the 3rd anniversary of the show. The show was held at Ynares Center, Antipolo City; Philippine Navy Headquarters, Manila; Le Pavillon, Metropolitan Park, Roxas Boulevard; and Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City. The show's 100,000-sq-m studio in the GMA compound in Quezon City was converted into a state-of-the art hub for the network's 28 hours coverage of the automated elections called "Eleksyon 2013" for 13 May 2013, Monday . Final cast Regine Velasquez-Alcasid (2010–2011; 2012–2013) Ogie Alcasid (2010–2013) Jaya Ramsey-Gotidoc (2010–2013) Janno Gibbs (2010–2013) Co-hosts and performers Aicelle Santos (2010–2013) Aira Bermudez Alden Richards (2011–2013) Aljur Abrenica (2010–2013) Alvin De Castro Arkin Magalona Barbie Forteza Bea Binene (2010–2013) Benjamin Alves Bianca King Bubbles Paraiso Carla Abellana (2010–2013) Christian Bautista (2013) Derrick Monasterio Dingdong Dantes Diva Montelaba Down to Mars Ehra Madrigal Elmo Magalona (2010–2013) Enzo Pineda Eugene Herrera Frencheska Farr (2010–2013) Geoff Eigenmann Gian Barbarona Glaiza de Castro Gloc 9 Gian Magdangal Heart Evangelista-Escudero Irish Fullerton Isabel Oli Isabelle Daza Jak Roberto Jake Vargas Jason Castro Jay R Jay Perillo Jennylyn Mercado (2010–2013) Jeric Gonzales Jillian Ward Jolina Magdangal-Escueta (2010–2013) Jonalyn Viray (2010–2013) Joyce Ching Julian Trono Julie Anne San Jose (2010–2013) KC Montero Ken Chan Kris Bernal (2010–2013) Kris Lawrence Kristofer Martin Kyla Kylie Padilla Lexi Fernandez Louise delos Reyes Lovi Poe (2010–2013) Marian Rivera Maricris Garcia Mark Bautista (2010–2013) Mark Herras (2010–2013) Mayton Eugenio Maxene Magalona Michelle Madrigal Michael Pangilinan Mike Tan Mikoy Morales Mona Louise Rey Panky Rachelle Ann

Go Rafael Rosell Raymond Gutierrez Rhian Ramos Richard Gutierrez Rita Daniela Rocco Nacino Rochelle Pangilinan Ruru Madrid Sam Pinto Sef Cadayona Sherwin Baguion Sexbomb Girls Solenn Heussaff Steven Silva Thea Tolentino Tim Yap Trina Alcantara Wynwyn Marquez Yassi Pressman (2010–2013) Yssa Alvarez Former co-hosts / performers Andi Manzano (2010–2011) Artstrong Bela Padilla (2010–2012; left due to her Jehovah's Witnesses faith) Bernard Cardona Chloe McCulley Dennis Trillo Gaz Holgate Geoff Taylor (2010–2011) Gino Quillamor Gwen Zamora Gwendoline Ruais Hanna Flores Iza Calzado (2010–2012; moved to ABS-CBN) Joshua Dionisio (2010–2012; returned to ABS-CBN) Katrina Halili (2010–2012; left due to pregnancy) Kenneth Monico Kevin Cisco Marc Abaya Marvin Agustin Miguel Escueta Ronnie Liang Sarah Lahbati (2010–2012; left due to breach of GMA Network contract) Sunshine Dizon (2010; left due to pregnancy) Rico Barrera Rico Robles Venus Raj (2010–2011; moved to ABS-CBN, now a freelancer) Will Devaughn XLR8 (2010–2012) Ynna Asistio Segments Acoustic Sound (2010–2011, 2012–2013) All Star Kantahan (2010–2012) Battle Star Pilipinas (2012) Beat The Birit (2012–2013) Crush ng Bayan (2011–2013) Dance Combi (2012) Dear Mr. and Mrs. A (Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid) (2012) Girls Squad (2012) Glam Girls (2010–2011) Gen Next (2011–2012) Hot Vixens (2011–2012) Keso Boys (2011–2013) Kwento Mo, Sayaw Ko (2010–2011) Live Now (2013) Love Duets (2010–2012) Love, Party Pilipinas (2011–2013) OPM Hits (2010–2012) Rap Acoustic (2012) Rhythm N' Boys (2012–2013) Sayaw Pilipinas (2010–2013) Sayaw Kabataan (2011–2013) Sexy Hataw (2012–2013) The Vocalistas (2010) Tweens On Spot (2011) VOX (Vocal Excellence) (2011–2013) VOX (Vocal Excellence) Challenge (2012–2013) Viva La Diva (Aicelle Santos, Maricris Garcia and Jona Viray) (2010–2013) The Decibelles (Rachelle Ann Go, Kyla, Jolina Magdangal, Jona Viray, Aicelle Santos, Maricris Garcia, Lovely Embuscado, Lirah Bermudez and Jensen Tenoso) (2011–2012) JuliElmo (Julie Anne San Jose and Elmo Magalona) (2010–2013) FrenLie (Frencheska Farr and Julie Anne San Jose) (2011–2013) ShinKy (Rachelle Ann Go and Kyla) (2010–2013) The Songbird Spot (Regine Velasquez-Alcasid) (2012–2013) Ratings According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Party Pilipinas earned a 15.5% rating. While the final episode scored a 10.9% rating. Accolades References Category:GMA Network shows Category:Philippine variety television shows Category:2010 Philippine television series debuts Category:2013 Philippine television series endings Category:Filipino-language television programs

Romina Plataroti Romina Cecilia Plataroti Francisco (born March 9, 1977) is a retired female gymnast from Argentina, who competed for her native South American country at the 1992 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. References sports-reference Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Argentine female artistic gymnasts Category:Gymnasts at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic gymnasts of Argentina Category:Pan American Games medalists in gymnastics Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for Argentina Category:Gymnasts at the 1991 Pan American Games Category:Gymnasts at the 1995 Pan American Games

Washington Area Women's Foundation Washington Area Women’s Foundation is a nonprofit organization located in Washington, DC that brings together women who act as donors and activists. This network of women invests in the lives of low-income women – and single moms in particular – so they, in turn, can enrich the lives of their children. The Women’s Foundation’s mission is to foster a powerful wave of philanthropy to improve the lives of women and girls in the surrounding region. The Women’s Foundation accomplishes this by: expanding and leveraging women’s philanthropy; increasing social change philanthropy in the community; providing grants, operational resources and technical assistance to local organizations; and serving as a regional voice for women and girls. Washington Area Women’s Foundation serves Washington, DC, Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland, and Alexandria, Fairfax County and Arlington County in Virginia. The Women’s Foundation is the only public foundation in the metropolitan DC area that is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. It is one of the fastest growing women’s funds in the country, both in terms of supporting donors and the number of grants made. History The organization was first conceived by a small group of women who got together for a Sunday afternoon tea on May 18, 1997 in Bethesda, MD. In 1998, Washington Area Women’s Foundation was officially established. It was founded on the principle that women, working together, can enhance the physical, social, and financial well-being of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan area by providing financial resources to local nonprofits already engaged in innovative, effective work for communities in need. In its first year, The Women’s Foundation increased its individual donors from 75 to over 300 with creative fundraising strategies, including over $5,000 from Beanie Baby sales at Sandy Rubin’s store, garnering her The Women’s Foundation’s first Entrepreneurial Philanthropy award. Since 2006, The Women’s Foundation has granted over $1 million per year to area nonprofits. Philanthropy The Women’s Foundation encourages philanthropic investments in the community in a number of ways intended to encourage members to donate at whatever level is best for them. Individuals Some participants choose to be individual donors, making one-time, occasional, or regular donations both large and small. Giving Circles There are two giving circles that allow women to come together and contribute as a group. The Rainmakers Giving Circle, founded in 2003, supports programs for young women and girls between the ages of 10 and 21 that empower and increase competence in the areas of employment, education, health and life skills. Rainmakers Giving Circle members commit to give $5,000 each over two years. To date, they've invested more than $200,000 in nonprofits supporting young women and girls in the DC metropolitan area. Since 2004, the African American Women’s Giving Circle has invested nearly $120,000 in nonprofits supporting African American women and girls. The circle includes 15-25 women who have each made a financial commitment of at least $2,000 over a two-year period and agreed to work together to determine which local nonprofits will receive grants. Leadership Networks The Women’s Foundation has also created two Leadership Networks. The Washington 100 combines the resources of more than 100 women and men who make a two-year commitment of $10,000 each. The result is more than $1 million of critical support to fuel programs that build strong communities through investments in women and girls. The 1K Club is a network of emerging philanthropists committed to strengthening the effectiveness of The Women’s Foundation and its work. 1K Club members each contribute a minimum of $1,000 paid over a two-year period—or approximately $42