who plays aunt val in friday night dinner

She also recently appeared on CBBC's Sadie J, playing Sadie's housekeeper, Tamara.
In 2011 Oberman played Auntie Val in the Channel4 Friday Night Dinner.

Tracy-Ann Oberman

Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966)[1] is an English television, theatre and radio actress. She is best known for her role as Chrissie Watts in BBC soap opera EastEnders[2][3] from 2004 to 2005. Also a writer, Oberman has contributed to a number of radio sketch shows and in 2008 co-authored with Diane Samuels the play Three Sisters on Hope Street. In 2010 she wrote and starred alongside Catherine Tate in her BBC Radio 4 play Bette and Joan and Baby Jane and in 2012 wrote the BBC Radio 4 play Rock and Doris and Elizabeth. In 2015 she wrote and starred in the third part of her Hollywood Trilogy for BBC Radio 4, Mrs Robinson, I Presume, alongside John Simm and Kevin Bishop. Oberman was a regular columnist for The Guardian newspaper during 2007.

Following training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Oberman spent four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before joining the National Theatre. Her theatrical experience includes appearing with Kenneth Branagh in David Mamet's Edmond (2003) and a run in the West End revival of Boeing-Boeing (2007â€“08). She recently appeared in a production of Earthquakes in London in its 2011 run as Sarah Sullivan.[4]

Oberman's TV credits include Doctor Who, Mistresses, Robin Hood, and Doctors. Prior to EastEnders Oberman appeared in a variety of television programmes including Casualty (1997–98), Kiss Me Kate (1998), and The Bill (2000), and carved out a comedic niche with leading roles in Bob Martin (2000–2001), Lenny Henry In Pieces (2000–2003), Big Train, Toast of London and Friday Night Dinner (2011–present). Oberman has performed in more than 600 radio plays since the mid-90s.[5] She also had a recurring role in the penultimate and last series of procedural comedy-drama New Tricks (2014–15) as Fiona Kennedy, forensic pathologist.

Oberman is a contributor to The Guardian and was a regular contributor to The Jewish Chronicle (2009â€“2014). She also contributes to Red magazine and has written radio plays for BBC Radio 4.

Oberman was born in Brent, Greater London. She grew up in North London, attending Heathfield School for Girls, before going on to study Classics at Leeds University; however, after a year she moved to Manchester University to pursue drama.[6] After graduating she was accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama, where she trained as an actor.[7] In 1991, Oberman studied for a term at the Moscow Art Theatre School as part of her training.[8] Oberman has spoken of how her drive for professionalism was a result of her parents' initial concern with her career choice.[6]

As she came from a strong legal background, her family "weren't wildly happy" about her desire to become an actress: "My parents were always making me watch Rumpole of the Bailey, going 'You see? Itâ€™s just like acting, you make things up, you wear a wig and a funny outfit. Why not the law?' But I just always, always wanted to act, as far back as I remember."[9] Her joining the Royal Shakespeare Company though, finally won her parents over.[6] However, in a 2004 interview Oberman noted that her father's death seven years earlier prevented his seeing the development of her career and her national success as an actor: "I've come a long way in my career since he died and I wish he was here to see it. He was a big EastEnders fan so I know he'd be very, very proud of me."[10]

After leaving the Central School of Speech and Drama, Oberman joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1993 she took part in the RSC's award-winning production of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine as "Olympia".[11][12] This was followed by roles in The Changeling, as "Diaphanta", A Jovial Crew in the part of "Joan Cope", and The Beggar's Opera where she played Molly Brazen. In 1994 she completed her run at the RSC playing in Macbeth and A Christmas Carol. After performing in a number of West End productions, Oberman played at the National Theatre in Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty during 1999. This was followed by a starring turn in School Play at the Soho Theatre. The play was lauded by Guardian critic Michael Billington as a "remarkable" production, with Billington also praising Oberman for her successful portrayal of Miss Fay as "the teacher torn between her own career and her pupil's potential".[13]

In 2003, Oberman returned to the National Theatre in Edmond, playing opposite Kenneth Branagh in her debut at the National and Branagh's return to acting after six years of directing.[14] Her role as wife to Branagh's title character was well received by critics, Norman Miller in a BBC News review commending Oberman for making a particular "impression" despite being only one part out of thirty "whirling through scenes" in a play that runs barely over an hour.[15] That year also saw her star in Hello and Goodbye at the Southwark Playhouse in what would be her final stage performance for four years. The play was highly acclaimed. According to Fiona Mountford in The Evening Standard, the production was "given the outing of its life by" Oberman and her co-star, Zubin Varla.[16] The review in The British Theatre Guide was similarly positive, praising Oberman who "rages away" in the role of "Hester", and delivers "one of the best performances in town".[17]

She has acted in radio drama and radio comedy, appearing regularly on BBC Radio 4 as a member of the station's unofficial "repertory" company, including; The Way It Is (1998–2001), the leading role in The Attractive Young Rabbi (1999–2002), The Sunday Format (1999–2004), and Getting Nowhere Fast. Oberman has appeared in over 600 radio plays.

She has appeared in many TV programmes including; The Way It Is (2000), Bob Martin (2000–2001) opposite Michael Barrymore, Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000–2001), Big Train (2002), SuperTex (2003) and in episodes of Doctors, The Last Detective, Where the Heart Is, The Bill, Casualty. She played the previously unseen character of Marion in a special half-hour episode of the monologue series Marion and Geoff in 2001. "New Tricks"( BBC1), "The Best of Men" (BBC2), Toast of London and "Friday Night Dinner" both for Channel4.

She has also written comedy sketches and a sitcom for BBC Three, The Harringham Harker.

In 2004, Oberman was runner up on a celebrity edition of Mastermind, for which her specialist subject was the "Imperial Roman family". She appeared on Test The Nation.

Her first major television role was in 1997 when she was cast as Zoe Gerrard, a security officer in the medical drama Casualty. In 1998, she joined the cast of Comedy Nation, a satirical sketch show that featured some of Britain's leading up-and-coming comedians, such as Sacha Baron Cohen, Julian Barratt, and Robert Webb.[18] This was followed by an assortment of parts in various television productions, including a performance in a two-part story for the police serial The Bill in 2000. That year Oberman was cast as series regular "Beverly Jordan" opposite Michael Barrymore in Bob Martin,[19] and became a lead performer in the award-nominated Lenny Henry in Pieces, starring actor/comedian Lenny Henry, which ran until 2003.[20] In 2002 Oberman joined the second and final series of the sketch show Big Train, performing beside comedians Simon Pegg and Catherine Tate.[21] The following year saw the Harringham Harker move from radio to television as part of BBC 2's Autumn line-up alongside The Office and Coupling, with Oberman continuing in her role as lead and writer.[22]

In 2004, Oberman moved away from comedy to join the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, after she was cast as Chrissie Watts, the second wife of "one of the best-loved villains in soap history", "Dirty" Den Watts.[23] It was a role she played for almost two years, and which brought her "stratospheric fame".[14] Before long, Oberman would become one of the leading stars of the show and at the forefront of several storylines. At the time, though, television critics pointed to Oberman's extensive theatrical background and questioned "why would an actress with such pedigree agree to be in EastEnders?"[6] Oberman has continuously responded by placing the move in the context of her professional exposure, noting her position as a "jobbing actress" at the time and her desire to return to drama after her recent comedic roles.[24] Making her debut on 29 April, Oberman was viewed as an "overnight success" in the role of Chrissie, with Amy Raphael of The Telegraph feeling that the actress "easily upstaged the rest of the cast with her three-dimensional portrayal of a classic soap bitch".[6] In 2005, "18 million people" watched her character kill Den in a fit of rage to mark the 20th anniversary of EastEnders, with Oberman "anchoring" the show's success that year and dominating drama as Chrissie,[25] who "packed into a year what most soap characters do in three."[26] Commenting on her role two years after she left the show, Oberman concluded:

Oberman described her time on EastEnders as "hectic", leading her to depart the show during December 2005.[27] However, the role of Chrissie has remained a defining point of her career. In a recent interview, Oberman remarked: "Chrissie was such a wonderful character and the show was watched by so many people, especially the murder of Den, that it opened up doors that I never thought it would. I had some fantastic offers when I left, there was film and theatre... it was wonderful for me; EastEnders is a very good calling card."[2] Oberman has also recently declared her willingness to return to the part of Chrissie and EastEnders, even if only to provide a resolution for the character.[28]

From 2012 to 2015 Oberman played Mrs. Purchase in Matt Berry and Arthur Mathew's award-winning comedy for Channel 4, Toast of London.

In Mayâ€“July 2013 Oberman filmed the 6 part series Give Out Girls for Sky Living/Big Talk productions as Debbie, the head of Hot Staff promotions girls.It will air in 2014.

In 2013 Oberman filmed the third series of Friday Night Dinner for Channel 4.

In January 2014, Oberman played the character Audrey MacMurray in the final episode of the second series of Father Brown which was shown on BBC One in their afternoon schedule and later in the evening on BBC Two in the evening.

Also that year she became part of CRIMS for BBC3 playing 'hard as nails' Governor Riley.

New Tricks, the high ratings BBC drama, saw her appear regularly in as forensic anthropologist-Fiona Kennedy (series 11 and 12).

Before leaving EastEnders, Oberman provided the voice of "Miss Dickson" in the adult-themed cartoon Bromwell High for Channel Four. It was also announced that Oberman would guest star in the second series of the revived Doctor Who, playing the character of Yvonne Hartman, whom she described as "a sophisticated sort of baddie", with a BBC source declaring Oberman "perfect to play evil Yvonne and will be brilliant at terrorising the next generation of viewers".[29] The two-part series finale entitled "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", aired in July 2006, attracting audiences of 8.19 million[30] and 8.22 million[31] respectively. Oberman extols her appearance in Doctor Who as a career highlight, being a "self-confessed Whovian" or fan of the show: "Some people, their lifeâ€™s ambition is to walk in and see the Queen Vic, mine was to see a Tardis and a sonic screwdriver... and a Dalek!"[14] That year also saw Oberman plan a return to the National Theatre in Mike Leigh's play, Two Thousand Years. Leigh had already asked Oberman to appear as part of the original cast, but she declined given her hectic schedule on EastEnders at the time. However, after she signed up for the 2006 production and began attending rehearsals she fell ill, a blood test revealing that she was pregnant, forcing her to pull out of the play.[6] Instead, Oberman signed on to the BBC One six-part comedy drama series Sorted as series regular Amy, alongside Will Mellor.

She took a couple of years away from acting following the birth of her daughter.[2] Although she undertook a one-off performance of The Oak Tree at the Soho Theatre in 2007, it wasn't until the end of the year that she returned full-time to work in the West End revival of Boeing-Boeing, playing "Gretchen" opposite Jean Marsh and Jennifer Ellison. In 2008 she also made a brief return to TV in the CBBC production Summerhill.[2]

In July 2008 Oberman continued her theatre run by starring in the world premiere of On the Rocks as Frieda Lawrence, wife of novelist D. H. Lawrence. The play, by Amy Rosenthal, follows the marriage of the Lawrences during one idyllic summer in 1916,[32] and received generally favourable reviews,[33][34] with Arts critic Michael Billington describing Oberman's performance as "capturing Frieda's intense love-hate relationship with her impossible partner".[35] Similarly, the Mail praised "Miss Oberman" as "convincingly saucy and dim", but questioned whether her German accent needed to be "Kvite So Heffy?".[36] The censure was echoed by Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard in his less than enthusiastic review of the play, criticising Oberman for her "often unintelligible German accent".[37] However, most reviews followed the line taken by Benedict Nightingale of The Times in declaring Oberman to have given a "fine performance... as a gloriously sensual, blowsily defiant Frieda".[38]

In 2009, Oberman made a number of guest starring roles in BBC television programmes, beginning with Mistresses in which she played the owner of a sex-toy company. This was followed by a part in the BBC One drama Robin Hood, as the wife of the Sherriff of York. In September, Oberman returned to the medical series Doctors five years after first appearing in the programme, undertaking the role of 'black widow' Cathy Harley.[3] However, Oberman was most excited about her part in the "web thriller" Girl Number 9,[39] which she playfully described as "the first Twitter-related drama that there's ever been!"[40] Penned by James Moran, the adult themed online horror series was headlined as a "big step forward" for British web drama,[41] with Oberman playing the lead detective "Lyndon" beside Gareth David-Lloyd.[42]

At the end of 2009, Oberman returned to radio to star in "Gregory Evansâ€™ mind-boggling play" Shirleymander for Radio 4, with reviewer Moira Petty describing Oberman's turn as Dame Shirley Porter as "freakishly real".[43] In 2010 Oberman remained with the radio medium, performing opposite Catherine Tate.

Oberman kept up her string of TV guest appearances with a role in the drama Tracy Beaker Returns, playing "Terrie Fender", a travel agent and con artist. She also joined the junior spy series M.I. High, as the "Grand Mistress". Appearing on the chat show, The Wright Stuff, Oberman revealed that she undertook the part because M. I. High was her nephew's favourite programme, but also added that she was a fan herself, describing it as a "junior version of Spooks.[44]

She is about to play Sarah in the touring production of Earthquakes in London by Mike Bartlett which is an updated, newly staged version of the National Theatre and Headlongs production earlier in the year.

She appeared in BBC2's moving film about the Paralympics "Best Of Men" as Else Guttman.

In December 2012 Oberman will return to the stage at the Hampstead Theatre in the premiere of Old Money by Sarah Wooley playing opposite Maureen Lipman to be directed by Terry Johnson. In 2015, Oberman played the role of Isabella Blow in the play McQueen at the St. James Theatre, London.[45]

From 2006â€“2007 Tracy-Ann Oberman was a regular columnist for The Guardian newspaper.[46]

Oberman wrote and performed in her first BBC Radio 4 play which went out to great critical acclaim on 29 April 2010. Catherine Tate played Bette Davis and Oberman herself ( after persuasion by the producer ) played Joan Crawford with Lorelei King as Hedda Hopper. The play was Pick of The Week by Gillian Reynolds and garnered a huge amount of press interest due to the subject matter, and it being Oberman's first radio play.

She subsequently followed this up three weeks later by writing and performing her own BBC R4 short story called "Girl on an Island" as part of a series of three called Actors Voices ( along with Anna Massie and James Dreyfus)

On 16 October 2012 BBC Radio 4 Broadcast her second radio play Rock and Doris and Elizabeth ( starring Frances Barber and Johnathan Hyde as Rock Hudson and Doris Day and Oberman as Elizabeth Taylor) to very positive feedback. It followed Rock Hudson's AIDS scandal hitting the world's media after appearing on his old friend Doris Day's cable network show.
Radio Drama Review online described it as "poignant and utterly spellbinding".

In 2007 Oberman co-wrote Three Sisters on Hope Street with playwright and neighbour Diane Samuels. The play is a reinterpretation of Chekhov's The Three Sisters, transferring events to Liverpool after World War II and re-casting the Pozorov sisters as three Jewish Englishwomen. In an interview on Radio 4, Oberman spoke of the original inspiration and long gestation of the play:

Oberman described her work as "A kind of Three Sisters via Woody Allen", reflecting the humour she saw in Chekhov's story.[14] She expanded upon this personal connection in an article for The Guardian: "Chekhov wrote about a world I recognised from my childhood – where intense pain is covered by bravura and humour, and where intense longing is masked by self-deprecation and wit. There was the same obsession with death, the same fierce familial loyalty, the same tendency toward melodrama – as well as a great passion for food."[8] After returning from Moscow, Oberman continued to work on her reinterpretation for the next 15 years, but lacked the confidence to take her project further. However, after her success in EastEnders she was offered "a lot of work" and was "in a position where I could green-light stuff for myself", determining that "this was the moment when I was going to make this dream happen".[47]

A chance discussion with Diane Samuels in the back of a taxi one night led to collaboration between the two. Oberman had had difficulty deciding where to transpose Chekhov's narrative, with Samuels offering up the idea of Liverpool, her home town, and the two agreeing on the post-war time frame: "Liverpudlians have their own black sense of humour and comic timing, born out of having their city blown to smithereens during the war".[8] This informed the new Jewish sensibility of the play which was anchored to the tone of Chekhov's original, where the melodrama of the Pozorov family masked the pain and social upheaval all about them. Oberman felt this echoed the way the Jewish community in Britain acted in the wake of the Holocaust: "people that close to the Second World War just didn’t talk about it – a bit like the elephant in the room".[47] The intent of the play was "to take a family who have the Holocaust hanging over them, and still have them laugh and moan and bicker while wondering what's for breakfast".[8]

Three Sisters on Hope Street opened at the Everyman in Liverpool on 25 January before beginning a second run at the Hampstead Theatre in London. The play received "rave reviews",[48] being described as "an inventive reimagining"[49] and "a bold, fresh and fruitful reinterpretation", showcasing "lively and intelligent" writing.[50] Philip Key in the Liverpool Daily Post praised the adaptation as successfully capturing the sensibility of Liverpool, enabling the story to "be familiar to both theatre-goers and many Liverpudlians."[51] Peter Fisher of The British Theatre Guide was even more ecstatic, describing the production as a "superb project" and a "superb evening's entertainment".[52] However, other reviewers were more ambiguous, with Michael Coveney branding the play a "clever re-write" but poorly served by the actors involved.[53] Similarly, The Guardian Arts editor felt the piece to be "a surprisingly faithful transposition", which "ingeniously" solves some of the problems inherent in relocating the original, but objected to what he saw was a "dependence on authorial cleverness in finding post-war parallels to their source".[54]

Oberman has appeared as a guest reviewer on an episode of Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross, as a contestant on a Doctor Who special of The Weakest Link. She was the second one voted off. And as a special guest performer in Tim Crouch's two-hander The Oak Tree at the Soho Theatre. In 2004 she came a close second place  on Celebrity Mastermind, specialist subject  being The Imperial Roman Family Augustus to Claudius Caesar.

In September 2005 she was a guest on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross In 2006 she was the guest on Nigel Slater's A Taste of My Life and in 2007 Oberman appeared on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen. She has featured  in the BBC Radio 4 show Rudy's Rare Records.

Oberman is also known for her narration of advertisements and documentaries such as Five's I'm A Celebrity: Who Really Won!.

She is featured in the video for The Yeah You's debut single "15 Minutes", hosting her own fictional chat show, interviewing the rock band.

She made it through to the quarter-finals of Celebrity MasterChef in 2009. She is a keen science fiction buff. She is a regular panellist on The Wright Stuff.

Oberman hosted the "2009 International Hall of Fame Awards" at the International Women's Forum World Leadership Conference in Miami, 7â€“9 October.[55]

In 2011 Oberman appeared in Born To Shine singing folk music and playing the guitar.

In 2004, Oberman became engaged to music producer Rob Cowan. The couple were honeymooning in Thailand when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck. In an interview with The People, Oberman described the experience as "one of those crystallized moments in my life. It's made me focus on the people I love. It also showed me the incredible generosity people are capable of. When you have seen something like that, you also stop taking the trivia so seriously".[26]

In 2005, Oberman was cast in Mike Leigh's play Two Thousand Years at the National Theatre but had to drop out when she became ill. In August 2006, Oberman gave birth to a girl at a Central London hospital.


who played mildred on the jack benny show

Barbara Marie Nickerauer (December 10, 1928[1] â€“ October 5, 1976), better known as Barbara Nichols, was an American actress who often played brassy or comic roles in films in the 1950s and 1960s.

Barbara Nichols

Nichols was born Barbara Marie Nickerauer to George and Julia Nickerauer, and raised in Queens, New York. She began modeling for cheesecake magazines in the late 1940s, and eventually was considered a minor rival to Marilyn Monroe. On Broadway, she appeared in the 1952 revival of Pal Joey (she also appeared in the 1957 film version) and in Let It Ride (1961).[2] In the mid-1950s, she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in showy supporting roles in A-films starring such actors as Clark Gable, Susan Hayward, Sophia Loren, and Doris Day[citation needed] in such films as  Miracle in the Rain (1956), The King and Four Queens (1956), The Naked and the Dead (1958), The Pajama Game (1957), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), That Kind of Woman (1958), and Where the Boys Are (1960).[3] One of her few starring roles was in the 1965 science-fiction film The Human Duplicators.[citation needed]

Nichols was also a frequent guest star on many television series including It's a Great Life, The Jack Benny Television Show, The Twilight Zone (in the episode "Twenty Two"), The Untouchables, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Going My Way, Batman (episodes 35 and 36), Hawaii Five-O, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies. Her final film was Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood in 1976.

Nichols died on October 5, 1976, aged 47, from liver failure due to complications of a damaged spleen and liver reportedly sustained in an automobile accident many years earlier.[4] She was survived by her parents. She is interred at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, New York.


when is the tv show offspring coming back

In November 2017, Offspring was snubbed from Network Ten's announced 2018 upfronts with no word on whether the show has been cancelled or put on hiatus.[14]

Offspring (TV series)

Offspring is an Australian television comedy-drama program which premiered on Network Ten on 15 August 2010. Offspring is centred on 30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman and her family and friends, as they navigate the chaos of modern life. It is filmed in Melbourne's inner north.[1] The show mixes conventional narrative drama and comedy with flashbacks, graphic animation and fantasy sequences.

Debra Oswald wrote the series with John Edwards and Imogen Banks producing with Southern Star Entertainment.[2][3] Offspring was originally conceived as a two-hour telemovie for Ten, but was spun off into a 13 episodes series after television executives were impressed by the quality of the telemovie. The second season began on 16 May 2011, with a double episode premiere.

Offspring was renewed for its fourth and fifth series on 12 July 2012.[4]

On 3 October 2014, John Edwards confirmed that Offspring would not return for a sixth series in 2015, due to Ten's cost-cutting measures in its production division.[5]
On 30 August 2015, the Herald Sun reported that a sixth season of Offspring would be made - returning after a two-year hiatus.

On 20 September 2015, Ten confirmed that Offspring would return for a sixth series in 2016.[6] Production for the series began on 25 April 2016 and filmed through to June 2016.[7][8] Series 6 premiered at 8.30 PM on 29 June 2016.[9]

Most of the cast returned, although John Waters, who plays Darcy Proudman, is one exception. Two new cast members, Underbelly: Razor's cast-member T. J. Power as lawyer Will Bowen and Love My Way star Dan Wyllie as Dr Angus Freeman.[10]

On 4 November 2016, the series was renewed for a seventh series set to air in 2017.[11] Production for the series began in March 2017 in Melbourne.[12] Series 7 premiered on 28 June 2017.[13]

The series is filmed in Melbourne's inner-north around the suburb of Fitzroy and is produced by John Edwards and Imogen Banks who also co-produce Tangle.  John Edwards was responsible for such successes as Police Rescue, The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, and Dangerous - also produced with Imogen Banks, and has more recently been producing Rush for Seriously Ten.

A web series titled Offspring: The Nurses began in 2010 on the official Offspring website.[15] It follows nurses Kim (Alicia Gardiner) and Zara (Jane Harber) from the original series and also stars Benedict Hardie, Julia Grace, Laura Gilham, Carl Nilsson Polias, Jodie Sheehy and Matthew Heyward as fellow staff members of the Hospital. Some cast members from the original series have also starred as well.

A second web series follows Zara (Jane Harber) and this time Justina Noble as Nurse Tyra. Series 2 also starred Benedict Hardie, Harry Milas, Josh Price, Natalie Kaplan, Sonja Kowanjko and Kate Hopkins. While Richard Davies and Lachy Hulme also made guest appearances.

The entire series of Offspring has been released on Region 4 DVD via Madman Entertainment. The first and second seasons were released in 2010 and 2011 respectively in box set packaging. In 2012, both sets received a re-release in standard-case packaging, which became the norm for each subsequent season set. Multiple season sets have additionally been made available from Madman Entertainment.

Offspring in broadcast in several countries around the world including New Zealand, where it was screened since 2010 on TV One Sundays at 8:30pm.[28] In 2012, it appeared on the GNT network in Brazil and both HOT VOD and HOT3 in Israel, while it was included on Netflix in the United States in 2017.[29]

Many countries in Europe aired the series where in 2011, it was picked up by Sony Entertainment Television in Spain, under the title "Descubriendo a Nina", AXN White in Portugal, as "Descobrindo Nina", and by the TLC network for Norway, Netherlands in July, Russia, screening on Sundays, and Sweden, where it was aired on Thursdays at 9:00pm, while in 2012, it debuted on RTÉ One and is available on in Ireland in a late Sunday night time slot, 2013 on YLE TV2 in Finland Mondays at 10:05pm, and additionally, it appeared in the United Kingdom on Netflix in 2017.[29]


how did colorado vote in the last presidential election

Hillary Clinton won the election in Colorado with a plurality of 48.2% of the vote. Donald Trump received 43.3% of the vote, a Democratic margin of victory of 4.9%. This was the third time since achieving statehood that the Republican candidate won the election without carrying Colorado, and the second time since statehood that Colorado has voted Democratic in three consecutive presidential elections. No Republican had won the White House without carrying the state since 1908. Trump won five counties that had voted for President Obama in 2012; Conejos County, Chaffee County, Huerfano County, Las Animas County, and Pueblo County. The latter two counties had not supported a Republican for president since Richard Nixon's 49-state landslide in 1972.

United States presidential election in Colorado, 2016

Barack Obama
Democratic

Donald Trump
Republican

The 2016 United States presidential election in Colorado was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 General Election in which all 50 states plus The District of Columbia participated. Colorado voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

On March 1, 2016, in the presidential primaries, Colorado voters expressed their preferences for the Democratic, Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Nutrition, and Prohibition parties' respective nominees for president. The Republican Party did not hold a preference poll because the party decided to cancel it in August 2015.[1] Registered members of each party only voted in their party's primary, while unaffiliated voters were unable to participate.

Detailed estimates per congressional district

Results of the county assemblies
Timeframe for the county assemblies: March 2â€“26, 2016

Results of the congressional district conventions

Results of the state convention

State convention date: April 16, 2016

From April 2â€“8, 2016, conventions were held in each of Colorado's seven congressional districts. Cruz swept all seven, winning 21 delegates total.[4][5][6][7] On April 9, 2016, the state convention was held to elect the 13 statewide delegates and the 3 RNC delegates.[8] Again, Cruz won all 13 statewide at-large delegates.[9] Cruz was also the only candidate to address the state convention.

A proposal to forbid Colorado Republican delegates from voting for Donald Trump was written in March 2016 by Robert Zubrin.[10] The group "Colorado Republicans for Liberty" handed out fliers of Zubrin's resolution at the state's convention. Irregularities on the ballot were discovered at the state's convention. Delegate #379 (Jerome Parks, a Trump delegate) was replaced on the ballot with a duplicate of delegate #378 (a Ted Cruz delegate).[11] The Colorado Republican Party's Twitter account posted the message "We did it #NeverTrump" after Cruz received all the bound delegates at the April convention. The party claims somebody hacked its Twitter account, and the party claims to be investigating how the message was posted.[12][13] In May 2015, the Colorado Senate defeated a bill to hold a 2016 presidential primary.  State senators Kevin Grantham, Kent Lambert, Laura J. Woods, and Jerry Sonnenberg voted to stop the bill.[14] Sonnenberg, Woods, Grantham, and Lambert are members of the Ted Cruz "Colorado Leadership Team" for Ted Cruz.[15] Congressman Ken Buck and Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams are also members of the Ted Cruz "Colorado Leadership Team".[15]

The conventions were selected through statewide caucuses, which were conducted at the precinct level on March 1.[8] No voter preference poll was held due to a decision in August by the state party to cancel it.[1]

Three candidates contested the Republican presidential conventions:

Marco Rubio and Ben Carson had dropped out of the race by the time the conventions were held, though they were still running during the March 1 caucuses.

On April 3, the Green Party of Colorado held a presidential nominating convention in Centennial, Colorado for registered Green voters.[16]

On April 4, the Green Party of Colorado announced that Jill Stein had won the convention and received all 5 delegates.[17]

Historically, Colorado has been one of the most Republican states in the nation, having been one of the few states to vote against Franklin D. Roosevelt during the New Deal during the 1940 and the 1944 presidential elections. No Republican had won a presidential election without winning Colorado from 1908 through 2012: before 2008, Colorado had not voted Democrat in any presidential election with the exception of 1992 (where Bill Clinton won by a plurality) and 1964 (When Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide). However, increasing urbanization in the Front Range Urban Corridor, along with the growth of minority populations (especially Hispanics) have chipped away from Republican dominance in the state: while President George W. Bush won the state in the 2004 election, it was one of the few states where Republican performance fell (this time by half), leading to Barack Obama to carry the state twice in 2008 and 2012.

Trump improved upon previous Republican candidates in Southern Colorado, once the state's Democratic stronghold: however, the Democratic dominance of this blue collar, working class industrial area is starting to fade. Trump carried three of the area's counties (Conejos County, Las Animas County and Huerfano County), a feat not accomplished by any Republican since George H. W. Bush in his 1988 landslide: he also carried Pueblo County by a 0.49% margin, making it the closest county in the state.[18] Trump also did well in the Western Slope, where counties like Mesa County (home to Grand Junction) went for Trump on a 2-1 margin.

However, as is with the case with Nevada and other states in the American Southwest that have been experiencing increasing urbanization and a rapidly growing Hispanic population, Clinton won by running up the margins in the rapidly growing metro areas of the state - in this case, Denver and Colorado Springs. While Trump did win El Paso County (home of Colorado Springs), he won with only 56% of the vote, performing worse than McCain did in the 2008 election; Clinton made up for lost votes in rest of the state through larger margins in Boulder and the nearby Denver Metropolitan Area, where power is usually split between Democrats and moderate Republicans downballot: very rarely has any race statewide been won without carrying the area. Trump only won one county in the metro area (Douglas County - home to suburbs such as Parker, Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock), but with only 54% of the vote - one of the poorest performances in the area's most Republican county in decades. Clinton exceeded Obama's performance in the City and County of Denver and Boulder County, the Democrats' main base in Colorado; while she was not able to exceed Obama's performance in the suburban counties surrounding Denver, Trump posted some of the worst results Republicans have in decades in this region. Trump only won 39% of the vote in Arapahoe County, which includes some of the largest Denver suburbs such as Aurora and Centennial; before Obama won this county in 2008, this county had not gone Democratic since 1964 (not even Bill Clinton could win here even while he carried the state in 1992). Trump barely got over 40 percent in surrounding Jefferson and Adams counties (partially due to a surge in third party voters for Gary Johnson). The Republican losses in this vital area ultimately handed the state to Clinton.

In downballot races, Mike Coffman was ultimately able to hold on to his seat in a Clinton-carried district around Arapahoe County. Democrats made big gains in this area in the State House and Senate. However, Republicans were able to gain a seat in Adams County, ultimately holding on to the State Senate.

Clinton won 4 of 7 congressional districts including one held by a Republican representative.[20]


who became the first leader of the united russia

United Russia's predecessor was the Unity bloc, which was created three months before the December 1999 Duma elections to counter the advance of the Fatherland – All Russia (OVR) party led by Yuri Luzhkov. The creation of the party was heavily supported by Kremlin insiders, who were wary of what looked like a certain OVR victory. They did not expect Unity to have much chance of success since President Boris Yeltsin was very unpopular and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ratings were still minuscule. The new party attempted to mimic OVR's formula of success, placing an emphasis on competence and pragmatism. Charismatic Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu was appointed as the party leader.[25]

United Russia

United Russia (Russian: Еди́ная Росси́я, tr. Yedínaya Rossíya, IPA: [(j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə]) is the ruling political party of the Russian Federation. United Russia is the largest party in Russia and as of 2017[update] it holds 340 (or 75.56%) of the 450 seats in the State Duma.

The United Russia party formed in December 2001 through a merger of the Unity and the Fatherland – All Russia parties. As of 2017[update], the United Russia party supports the policies of the presidential administration. Although the United Russia party's popularity declined from its peak of 64.4% in the 2007 Duma elections to 49.32% in the 2011 elections, it remained the most popular party in the country, ahead of the second-placed Communist Party at 19.19%. In the 2016 elections, it received 54.2% while the second-place Communist Party received 13.3%.

The party has no coherent ideology, but it embraces specific politicians and officials[15] with a variety of political views who support the administration.[16] The party appeals mainly to non-ideological voters,[17] therefore United Russia is often classified by political scientists as a "catch-all party"[18][19][20] or as a "party of power".[21][22] In 2009, it proclaimed Russian conservatism as its official ideology.[23][24]

In 1999, Prime Minister Putin's popularity soared to double digit figures after he decisively sent troops to the rebellious Chechnya republic as a retaliation for terrorist bombings in Moscow and other cities and in response for the Chechen invasion of Dagestan. Putin's war effort was hugely popular and portrayed positively by the Boris Berezovsky-owned Channel One Russia as well as by state-controlled RTR.[26]

Contrary to its creators' expectations, Unity's election campaign was a huge success and the party received 23.3% of the votes, considerably more than OVR's 13.3% and within one percentage point of the Communist Party's 24.3%.[25][26] The popularity of the prime minister proved decisive for Unity's victory.[26] The election results also made clear that Putin was going to win the 2000 presidential election, which resulted in competitors Luzhkov and Yevgeni Primakov dropping out. Yeltsin also gave Putin a boost by resigning as President on 31 December 1999.[25]

While Unity had initially had only one narrow purpose, limited only to the 1999 Duma elections, after the victory state officials began to transform the party into a permanent one. A large number of independent deputies who had been elected to the Duma were invited to join the party's delegation. Many OVR deputies also joined, including its leader Luzhkov.[25] In April 2001, OVR and Unity leaders issued a joint declaration that they had started the process of unification. In July 2001, the unified party, called Union of Unity and Fatherland, held its founding congress and in December 2001 it became All-Russian Party of Unity and Fatherland, or more commonly, United Russia. In the second party congress in March 2003, Sergei Shoygu stood down and Boris Gryzlov was elected as the new party leader.[27]

Instead of the "communism versus capitalism" dichotomy that had dominated the political discourse in the 1990s, in the 1999â€“2000 electoral cycle Putin started to emphasize another reason to vote for his party: stability, which was yearned for by Russian citizens after a decade of chaotic revolutionary change. With the exception of the continued fighting in the Northern Caucasus, Putin delivered it.[26]

On 13 January 2003, United Russia had 257,000 membersâ€”behind Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (600,000) and the Communists (500,000).[27]

Throughout Putin's first years as President, the country's economy improved considerably, growing more each year than in all of the previous decade and Putin's approval ratings hovered well above 70%. Russia's economic recovery was helped by high prices for its primary exports such as oil, gas and raw materials.[26]

The passage rate of law proposals increased considerably after United Russia became the dominant party in the Duma. In 1996–1999, only 76% of the legislation that passed the third reading was signed by the President while in 1999–2003 the ratio was 93%. While Yeltsin had often relied on his decree powers to enact major decisions, Putin almost never had to. United Russia's dominance in the Duma enabled Putin to push through a wide range of fundamental reforms,[28] including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, an overhaul of the labour market, breakups of national monopolies and new land and legal codes.[28][29][30] United Russia characterised itself as wholly supportive of Putin's agenda, which proved a recipe for success and resulted in the party scoring a major victory in the 2003 Duma elections, receiving more than a third of the popular vote.[26]

Throughout its history, United Russia has been successful in using administrative resources to weaken its opponents. For example, state-controlled news media portrayed the Communist Party as hypocritical for accepting money from several "dollar millionaries" during the 2003 Duma election campaign.[25] United Russia also introduced tougher party, candidate and voter registration requirements and increased the election threshold from 5% to 7% for the 2007 elections.[26]

Opposition parties also made several strategic mistakes. For example, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces seemed to spend more effort attacking each other than Putin, which made it easier for United Russia to win over liberal voters on the strength of market reforms under Putin.[25] The opposition parties faltered in the 2003 elections, with the Communists gaining just 52 seats, a drop from 113 in 1999. Liberal opponents fared even worse, with Yabloko and Union of the Right Forces failing to cross the 5 percent threshold.[26]

As the economy continued improving and Putin executed several popular moves, such as reining in the unpopular oligarchs, Putin's approval ratings stayed high and he won the 2004 presidential election with over 71% of the votes. The 2007 Duma elections proved a stunning victory for United Russia, which won 64.3% of the votes. The Communist Party became a distant second with 11.57% of the votes. Putin was the only name on United Russia's national list and his popularity helped the party to ensure victory.[26]

During the December 2007 election, the party was accused by voters and election monitoring group Golos of numerous election law violations banned in the Russian Constitution.[31]

The legislative agenda shifted somewhat after the 2007 elections. Anti-terrorism legislation, large increases in social spending and the creation of new state corporations became the dominant issues while less energy was devoted to economic reform.[28]

For the 2008 presidential election, United Russia nominated Dmitry Medvedev to succeed Putin. Medvedev received Putin's blessing and scored a clear victory, receiving 71% of the votes. As President, Medvedev nominated Putin as his Prime Minister. On 15 April of the same year, Putin accepted a nomination to become the party's leader, but declared that this did not mean he would become a member. Medvedev has also refused to become a member.[25]

During regional elections of 11 October 2009, United Russia won a majority of seats in almost every Russian municipality. Opposition candidates claim they were hindered from campaigning for the elections and some were denied places on the ballot.[32][33] There are also accusations of widespread ballot stuffing and voter intimidation as well as statistical analysis results supporting these accusations.[32]

Support for United Russia was 53% in a poll held in October 2009.[34] In 2010â€“2011 and following the economic crisis, support for United Russia went up and down, but declined overall. The share of the population ready to vote for the party reached its lowest point in January 2011 (35%) before recovering to 41% in March 2011.[35]

The Agrarian Party supported the candidacy of Dmitry Medvedev in the 2008 presidential election and it merged into United Russia.[36]

At the party's XII Congress held on 24 September 2011, Medvedev supported the candidacy of Prime Minister Putin in the presidential election of 2012—a move that effectively assured Putin would return to the presidency, given the party's near-total dominance of Russian politics. Medvedev accepted the invitation of Prime Minister Putin to head the party in the State Duma elections and said that in his opinion Putin should run for President in 2012.[37] Delegates applauded this statement standing and they unanimously supported his candidacy for President.[38] Medvedev responded immediately, saying that applause is proof of Putin's popularity among the people. Medvedev's speech listened to about ten thousand participants of the meeting. Total congress was attended by about 12,000 participants, guests and journalists.[39][40]

At the same congress it was also approved by the election list of candidates from the party in the December elections to the State Duma. The list includes 416 party members and 183 non-partisan, 363 of them for the first time participate in the elections. On 29 September, the list was handed over to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The party list was led by President Medvedev. 582 delegates of the Congress voted in support of the listâ€”against one.[41][42]

Election program of United Russia was announced during speeches of Medvedev and Putin. Medvedev has identified seven strategic priorities of government policy and Putin offered to cancel the erroneous tax debts of 36 million Russians in the amount of 30 billion rubles and increase from 10 October salaries of public sector employees by 6.5%. Putin also said that taxes for the wealthy citizens should be higher than for the middle class and offered to raise utility tariffs only excess baggage. Among other priorities, Putin called a complete re army and navy in 5â€“10 years, doubling the pace of road construction for 10 years, the creation or update of 25 million jobs in 20 years in and out of Russia in the five largest economies in the world.[43]

At the party's XIII Congress held on 26 May 2012, Medvedev was elected chairman of United Russia.[44] United Russia decided not use his portraits of President Medvedev and President Putin during the fall election campaign.[45]

In March 2013, about 50 members of the United Russia from Abansky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai announced their withdrawal from the party. They sent an open letter (it is said that under it signed 60 people) to the party chairman Medvedev, which criticized the activities of the party which according to them has ceased to fulfill its political function.[46]

United Russia currently holds 340 of the 450 seats in the State Duma.[26] It heads all five[48] of the Duma's commissions and holds 14[49] of the 26 committee chairmanships and 10[50] of the 16 seats in the Council of Duma, the Duma's steering committee. The speaker of the Duma is United Russia's Vyacheslav Volodin.[51][52]

The party has only informal influence in the upper house, the Federation Council, as the Council has rejected the use of political factions in decision making.[28]

In 2013, United Russia claimed it had 2 million members.[3] According to a study conducted by Timothy J. Colton, Henry E. Hale and Michael McFaul after the March 2008 presidential elections, 30% of the Russian population are loyalists of the party.[25]

According to the party's 2003 political manifesto, The Path of National Success, the party's goal is to unite the responsible political forces of the country, aiming to minimize the differences between rich and poor, young and old, state, business and society. The economy should combine state regulation and market freedoms, with the benefits of further growth distributed for the most part to the less fortunate. The party rejects left-wing and right-wing ideologies in favour of "political centrism" that could unite all sections of society.[27] In addition, the official party platform emphasizes pragmatism and anti-radicalism. The party regards itself to be one of the heirs to Russia's tradition of statehood, both tsarist and communist.[53] United Russia's long-time moniker is "the party of real deeds".[54]

United Russia has always characterised itself as wholly supportive of the agenda of the popular current President Vladimir Putin and this has proved key to its success.

Since 2006, when Vladislav Surkov introduced the term sovereign democracy, many figureheads of the party have taken usage of the term. Former President and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has criticised the term. United Russia voted against the Council of Europe resolution 1481 (Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes).[55][56]

The party has promoted explicitly conservative policies in social, cultural and political matters, both at home and abroad. Putin has attacked globalism and economic liberalism as well as scientific and technological progress.[57][58] Putin has promoted new think tanks that bring together like-minded intellectuals and writers. For example, the Izborsky Club, founded in 2012 by Aleksandr Prokhanov, stresses Russian nationalism, the restoration of Russia's historical greatness and systematic opposition to liberal ideas and policies.[59] Vladislav Surkov, a senior government official, has been one of the key ideologists during Putin's presidency.[60]

In cultural and social affairs, United Russia has collaborated closely with the Russian Orthodox Church. Mark Woods provides specific examples of how the Church under Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has backed the expansion of Russian power into Crimea and eastern Ukraine.[61] More broadly, The New York Times reports in September 2016 how that Church's policy prescriptions support the Kremlin's appeal to social conservatives:

According to studies, United Russia voters in 2007 were younger and more market-oriented than the average voter. The party's electorate includes a substantial share of state employees, pensioners and military personnel who are dependent on the state for their livelihood.[54] Sixty-four percent of United Russia supporters are female. In the run-up to the 2011 Duma elections, it was reported that support for United Russia was growing among young people.[63]

Foreign media and observers describe United Russia as a pure "presidential party", with the main goal of securing the power of the Russian President in the Russian parliament. The vast majority of officeholders in Russia are members of the party, hence it is sometimes described as a "public official party" or "administration party". Due to this, it is also often labelled the "Party of Power".[64][65]

United Russia has signed cooperation agreements with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria[66] and Lega Nord of Italy.[67] It has a tentative cooperation agreement with the populist Five Star Movement in Italy as well.[68] Its youth wing, the Young Guard of United Russia, has an alliance with the youth wing of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany, Young Alternative for Germany.[2]

In April 2008, United Russia amended Section 7 of its charter, changing its heading from Party Chairman to Chairman of the Party and Chairman of the Party's Supreme Council. Under the amendments, United Russia may introduce a supreme elective post in the party, the post of the party's chairman, at the suggestion of Supreme Council and its chairman.

The Supreme Council, led by the Supreme Council chairman, defines the strategy for the development of the party.

The General Council has 152 members, is the foremost party platform in between party congresses and issues statements on important social or political questions. The Presidium of the General Council is led by a secretary, consists of 23 members and leads the political activity of the party, for instance election campaigns or other programmatic publications.

United Russia introduced a local chapter system that mimicked the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) organization as a strong foundation for the one-party dominant system in the early 2000s. United Russia eagerly interviewed the LDP mission and studied their party structure. The number of party members was steadily increased by the introduction of the system.[69]

United Russia runs local and regional offices in all parts of the Russian Federation, and also operates a foreign liaison office in Israel through a deal with the Kadima party.[70]

As of 20 September 2005, the party has a total of 2,600 local and 29,856 primary offices.

United Russia is a large and diverse party and has several internal subdivisions. The party has 4 internal groupings, organized around common policy interests. In addition, the party makes use of four internal political clubs to debate policy: liberal conservative 4 November Club, social conservative Centre for Social Conservative Politics, conservative liberal State Patriotic Club and liberal Liberal Club.[28] Based on this division, the party considered entering the 2007 Duma elections as three separate "columns" (liberal, conservative and social), but the idea was subsequently abandoned.

United Russia has come in for criticism that it is "the party of crooks and thieves" (партия жуликов и воров, a term coined by activist Alexey Navalny)[74] due to the continuing prevalence of corruption in Russia.[75] In October 2011, Novaya Gazeta published an article describing how members of the public were writing the slogan on banknotes in protest.[76] In December 2011, Putin rejected the accusation of corruption, saying that it was a general problem that was not restricted to one particular party: "They say that the ruling party is associated with theft, with corruption, but it's a cliché related not to a certain political force, it's a cliché related to power [...] What's important, however, is how the ruling government is fighting these negative things".[75]

A poll made in November 2011 found that more than one-third of Russians agreed with the characterisation of United Russia as "the party of crooks and thieves".[77]

After the 2011 legislative elections, a few leaders within United Russia called for investigations of fraud and reform of the party.[78]

In August 2016, opposition leader Ilya Yashin released a report titled "The Criminal Russia Party", which stated that United Russia had essentially become a tool of political legitimisation for organised crime.


where did the bomb go off at manchester arena

On 22 May 2017 at 22:31 BST (UTC+01:00),[3] a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device, packed with nuts and bolts to act as shrapnel, in the foyer area of the Manchester Arena. The attack took place after an Ariana Grande concert that was part of her 2017 Dangerous Woman Tour.[4][5] 14,200 people attended the concert.[6] Many exiting concert-goers and waiting parents were in the foyer at the time of the explosion. According to evidence presented at the coroner's inquest, the detonation of the bomb killed people who were up to 20 metres away.[7]

2017 Manchester Arena bombing

The 2017 Manchester Arena bombing was an Islamic terrorist attack in Manchester, United Kingdom. On 22 May 2017 a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb was detonated as people were leaving Manchester Arena following a concert by the American singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people were killed, including the attacker, and 250 were injured.

After initial suspicions of a terrorist network, police later said they believed the bomber, Salman Ramadan Abedi, had largely acted alone but that others had been aware of his plans.

The bombing came just two months after five people were killed in a vehicle-ramming terrorist attack in Westminster, London.

Greater Manchester Police declared the incident a terrorist attack and suicide bombing. It was the deadliest attack in the United Kingdom since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.[8]

About three hours after the bombing, police conducted a controlled explosion on a suspicious item of clothing in Cathedral Gardens. This was later confirmed to have been abandoned clothing and not dangerous.[9][10]

Residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation via Twitter to those left stranded at the concert.[11] Parents of children attending the concert were separated in the aftermath of the explosion. A nearby hotel served as a shelter for children displaced by the bombing, with officials directing their parents there.[12] Manchester's Sikh temples (gurdwaras) along with local homeowners, hotels and venues offered shelter to victims of the attack.[13]

Manchester Victoria railway station, which is partly underneath the arena, was evacuated and closed, and services were cancelled.[4][14] The explosion caused structural damage to the station, which remained closed until the damage had been assessed and repaired, resulting in significant disruption to train and tram services.[15] The station reopened to traffic on 30 May 2017, following the completion of police investigation work and repairs to the fabric of the building.[16]

After a COBRA meeting with Greater Manchester's Chief Constable, Ian Hopkins, on 23 May, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK's terror threat level[17] was raised to "critical", its highest level.[18] The threat level remained critical until 27 May, when it was reduced to its previous level of severe.[19] In the aftermath of the attack Operation Temperer was activated for the first time, allowing up to 5,000 soldiers to reinforce armed police in protecting parts of the country.[20][21][22] Tours of the Houses of Parliament and the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace were cancelled on 24 May, and troops were deployed to guard government buildings in London.[23]

On 23 May, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, via the Nashir Telegram channel, claimed the attack was carried out by "a soldier of the Khilafah". The message called the attack "an endeavor to terrorize the mushrikin, and in response to their transgressions against the lands of the Muslims."[24][25][26] Abedi's sister speculated that he was motivated by revenge for Muslim children killed by American airstrikes in Syria.[27][28]

On 14 June, it was confirmed that the arena would remain closed until September, with scheduled concerts either cancelled or moved to other venues.[29] On 16 August 2017, it was announced that Manchester Arena would reopen on 9 September, with a benefit concert featuring Noel Gallagher and other acts associated with the North West.[30]

The blast killed the attacker, and 22 concert-goers and parents who were in the entrance waiting to pick up their children following the show; 119 people were initially reported as injured.[31][32] This number was revised by police to 250 on 22 June 2017, with the addition of severe psychological trauma and minor injuries.[1] The dead included ten people aged under 20; the youngest victim was an eight-year-old girl and the oldest was a 51-year-old woman.[32] Of the 22 people who died, twenty were Britons and two were British-based Polish nationals.[33]

North West Ambulance Service reported that 60 of its ambulances attended the scene, carried 59 people to local hospitals, and treated a number of walking wounded on site.[34] Of those hospitalised, 12 were children under the age of 16.[31]

The first doctor thought to have been on scene was an off-duty Consultant Anesthetist, Dr Michael Daley.[35] In recognition of his bravery for the role he played in the immediate medical response to the incident, Daley's name was entered into the British Medical Association Book of Valour in June 2017.[36]

The bomber, Salman Ramadan Abedi, was a 22-year-old British Sunni Muslim of Libyan ancestry.[37][38] He was born in Manchester on 31 December 1994 to a Salafi[39] family of Libyan-born refugees who had settled in south Manchester after fleeing to the UK to escape the government of Muammar Gaddafi. He had two brothers and a sister.[40][41] He grew up in the Whalley Range area and lived in Fallowfield.[42] According to The Times, Abedi had been among a group of students who had accused a teacher of Islamophobia for criticising suicide bombing.[43][44] Some neighbours described the Abedi family as very traditional and "super religious".[45] However, according to an acquaintance, Abedi was "outgoing" and consumed alcohol until 2012,[46] while another said that Abedi was a "regular kid who went out and drank" until about 2016.[47] Abedi was also known to have taken drugs, particularly cannabis.[40][46] Abedi, his elder brother,[48] and, prior to 2011, his father attended Didsbury Mosque.[42][49][50] An imam at the mosque recalled that Abedi looked at him "with hate" after he preached against ISIS and Ansar al-Sharia in 2015.[51]

Abedi's parents, both born in Tripoli, returned to Libya in 2011 following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi,[42] while Abedi stayed in the United Kingdom. Abedi attended Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester between 2009 and 2011, before going to The Manchester College until 2013 and then in 2014 enrolled at the University of Salford, where he studied business management. Abedi later dropped out to work in a bakery.[40] Manchester police believe Abedi used student loans to finance the plot, including travel overseas to learn bomb-making.[52] The Guardian reported he may have received loan funding as recently as April.[53]

He was known to British security services and police but was not regarded as a high risk, having been linked to petty crime but never flagged up for radical views.[49][54] A community worker told the BBC he had called a hotline five years before the bombing to warn police about Abedi's views and members of Britainâ€™s Libyan diaspora said they had "warned authorities for years" about Manchester's Islamist radicalisation.[55][56] Abedi was allegedly reported to authorities for his extremism by as many as five community leaders and family members and had been banned from a mosque;[57][58][59] the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, though, said Abedi was not known to the "Prevent" anti-radicalisation programme.[60] On 29 May, MI5 launched an internal inquiry into its handling of the warnings it had received about Abedi and a second, "more in depth" inquiry, into how it missed the danger.[61][62][63]

According to a retired European intelligence officer, Abedi was in contact with members of the ISIS Battar brigade in Sabratha, Libya.[64] Greater Manchester police said that Abedi made "core purchases" for the construction of the bomb in the four days between his return from Libya and the attack, apparently constructing the bomb by himself.[65]

The property in Fallowfield where Abedi lived was raided on 23 May. Armed police breached the house with a controlled explosion and searched it. Abedi's 23-year-old brother was arrested in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in south Manchester in relation to the attack.[66][67] Police carried out raids in two other areas of south Manchester and another address in the Whalley Range area.[67] Three other men were arrested, and police initially spoke of a network supporting the bomber,[55] although police later announced that Abedi had sourced all the bomb components himself, and they now believed he had largely acted alone.[68] On 6 July, police said that they believed others had been aware of Abedi's plans.[69]

According to German police sources, Abedi transited through Düsseldorf airport on his way home to Manchester from Istanbul four days before the bombing.[70] French interior minister Gérard Collomb said in an interview with BFM TV that Abedi may have been to Syria, and had "proven" links with ISIS.[71] Abedi's younger brother and father were arrested by Libyan security forces on 23 and 24 May respectively.[72] The brother was suspected of planning an attack in Libya, and was said to be in regular touch with Salman, and aware of the plan to bomb the Manchester Arena,[73] but not the date.[74] According to a Libyan official, the brothers spoke on the phone about 15 minutes before the attack was carried out.[75]

Photographs of the remains of the IED published by The New York Times indicated that it had comprised an explosive charge inside a lightweight metal container which was carried within a black vest or a blue Karrimor backpack. Most of the fatalities occurred in a ring around the bomber. His torso was propelled by the blast through the doors to the arena, possibly indicating that the explosive charge was held in the backpack and blew him forward on detonation. A small device thought to have possibly been a hand-held detonator was also found.[76] US Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, indicated that the bomb contained the explosive TATP, which has been used in previous bombings.[77] According to Manchester police, the explosive device used by Abedi was the design of a skilled bomb-maker and had a back-up means of detonation.[78] Police also said Salman Abedi "bought most of Manchester bomb components himself" and that he was alone during much of the time before the carrying out the Manchester bombing.[79]

On 28 May, police released images showing Abedi on the night of the bombing, taken from CCTV footage.[80] Further images showed Abedi walking around Manchester with a blue suitcase.[81]

According to US intelligence sources, Abedi was identified by the bank card that he had with him and the identification confirmed using facial recognition technology.[82]

Twenty-two people were arrested in connection with the attack, all of whom had been released without charge by 11 June.[83]

Within hours of the attack, Abedi's name and other information given confidentially to security services in the United States and France were leaked to the news media, leading to condemnation from Home Secretary Amber Rudd.[84][85] Following the publication of crime scene photographs of the backpack bomb used in the attack in the 24 May edition of The New York Times, UK counterterrorism police chiefs said the release of the material was detrimental to the investigation.[86]

On 25 May, Greater Manchester Police said it had stopped sharing information on the attack with the US intelligence services. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, said she would make clear to President Trump that "intelligence that has been shared must be made secure."[87] Trump described the leaks to the news media as "deeply troubling", and pledged to carry out a full investigation.[88] British officials blamed the leaks on "the breakdown of normal discipline at the White House and in the US security services".[89] New York Times editor Dean Baquet declined to apologise for publishing the backpack bomb photographs, saying "We live in different press worlds" and that the material was not classified at the highest level.[90]

On 26 May, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States government accepted full responsibility for the leaks.[91]

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, condemned the bombing,[92] and in a later statement following the June 2017 London attack, she stated that these attacks along with the 2017 Westminster attack were "bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamist extremism" and said this extremism was "a perversion of Islam".[2] Queen Elizabeth II expressed her sympathy to the families of the victims.[93] Campaigning for the general election was suspended by all political parties for two days after the attack.[94][95] The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, called the attack "evil"[96] and announced a vigil in Albert Square the following evening,[97] which thousands attended.[98][99] The Muslim Council of Britain also condemned the attack.[100]

On 25 May 2017, a national minute's silence was observed to remember the victims.[101]

Police reported a 500% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the Greater Manchester area in the month following the attack.[102]

Condolences were expressed by the leaders and governments of dozens of countries,[103] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres,[104] Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland,[105] President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker,[106] Pope Francis,[107] and Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Al-Othaimeen.[108]

Ariana Grande posted on her official Twitter account: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words. [sic]"[109] The tweet briefly became the most-liked tweet in history.[110] Grande subsequently suspended her tour and flew back to her mother's home in Florida.[111][112]

On 9 July 2017, a performance to benefit the Manchester bombing victims was held in New York City's The Cutting Room, called "Break Free: United for Manchester", with Broadway theatre and television performers interpreting Ariana Grande songs.[113]

On 4 June, Ariana Grande hosted a benefit concert in Manchester, entitled "One Love Manchester" at Old Trafford Cricket Ground that was broadcast live on television, radio and social media. At the concert, Grande performed along with several other high profile artists. Free tickets were offered to those who had attended the show on 22 May.[114] The benefit concert and associated Red Cross fund, raised Â£10 million for victims of the attack.[115][116]


volume and pressure inside the left ventricle at the end of diastole is referred to as

In cardiovascular physiology, end-diastolic volume (EDV) is the volume of blood in the right and/or left ventricle at end load or filling in (diastole) or the amount of blood in the ventricles just before systole. Because greater EDVs cause greater distention of the ventricle, EDV is often used synonymously with preload, which refers to the length of the sarcomeres in cardiac muscle prior to contraction (systole). An increase in EDV increases the preload on the heart and, through the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart, increases the amount of blood ejected from the ventricle during systole (stroke volume).

End-diastolic volume

The right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV) ranges between 100 and 160 mL.[4] The right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) is calculated by RVEDV/BSA and ranges between 60 and 100 mL/m2.[4]


who plays lenny in birds of a feather

He has appeared as Lenny in numerous episodes of Birds of a Feather. In 2015, he narrated the six-part series Double Decker Driving School for ITV.

Jamie Foreman

Jamie Foreman (born 25 May 1958) is an English actor best known for his roles as Duke in Layer Cake (2004) and Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005). He played opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth (1997) and also featured in Elizabeth (1998), Gangster No. 1 (2000) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). He appeared in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Idiot's Lantern" and featured as a racist taxi driver in The Football Factory (2004). In the 2008 film Inkheart Foreman played Basta. He also appeared in one episode of Law and Order: UK in 2009.

His recent work for BBC Radio includes the title role in Wes Bell, directed by Matthew Broughton, and the six-part series Hazelbeach by David Stafford and Caroline Stafford. He also played a small role in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

In 2011, Foreman joined the cast of EastEnders as Derek Branning, taking over the role from Terence Beesley.[1] It was later confirmed in 2012 that Foreman was leaving and that the character Derek would be killed off.

Foreman played Albert Wilson in Home Front radio series on BBC Radio 4, starting from Season Six in December 2015.[2]

Jamie Foreman is the son of Maureen Foreman and Freddie Foreman, a former south London gangster and associate of the notorious Kray twins. He was married to actress Carol Harrison and they have one son, Alfie.[3]

Foreman is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur.[4]