The symbol of Assicurazioni Generali is derived from the flag of the Republic of Venice, dissolved by Napoleon three decades before the company was founded.

Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe.^[2] It has its headquarters in Trieste.^[3] In 2010, Assicurazioni Generali Group was the second largest insurance group in the world by revenue after AXA.

Under the name of Imperial Regia Privilegiata Compagnia di Assicurazioni Generali Austro-Italiche, the company was founded on December 26, 1831. At the time, Trieste was the most important sea port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The company grew in importance, becoming one of the largest insurance operators both in Italy and in Central Europe.

Operations[link]

Generali's headquarters in Trieste, Italy.

Today, Generali operates primarily in Europe, Middle East and East Asia, with large market shares in Italy, Poland, Germany (under the name of Generali Deutschland), France, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, China and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with secondary operations in Latin America, for example, in Panama.

On Jerusalem's Jaffa Road the "Generali Building" (בנין ג'נרלי), built by the company in 1935, is still known by that name though for decades the company has had no connection with it. It is a famous Jerusalem landmark, due to the large and well-preserved Assicurazioni Generali winged lion on its roof (he:בניין ג'נרלי).

In Serbia the company operates under the name Delta Generali - a joint venture of Assicurazioni Generali and Serbian Delta Holding.

In India the company is represented by Future Generali, a joint venture of Future group and Assicurazioni Generali.

Subsidiaries of the group includes, in Italy: INA Assitalia, Fata Assicurazioni, Alleanza - Toro, Europ-Assistance, and Genertel.

Shareholder structure[link]

As of 7 December 2010, Assicurazioni Generali's largest shareholder was Mediobanca with 13.47%. Other declared shareholdings at this date were Banca d'Italia (4.49%), BlackRock (2.82%), B&D Holding di Marco Drago & C. (2.43%), Effeti (2.27%), Caltagirone Group (2.20%) and Petr Kellner (2.02%).^[4]

Franz Kafka[link]

• Franz Kafka worked for nearly nine months (between November 1, 1907 and July 15, 1908) at the Assicurazioni Generali office in Prague.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Italy portal
	Companies portal

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Assicurazioni Generali

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Sefer Halilović
Born	(1952-01-06) 6 January 1952 (age 60) Prijepolje, SR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Allegiance	SFR Yugoslavia Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Years of service	1971 - 1993
Unit	Patriotic League
Commands held	Patriotic League Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Battles/wars	Bosnian War Siege of Sarajevo Operation Neretva '93
Other work	Politics

Sefer Halilović (6 January 1952) is a former general and commanding officer of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001, he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and eventually acquitted. Today he is a prominent politician in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Pre-war life[link]

Halilović was born in Taševo, a hamlet in the Prijepolje municipality in the Sandžak region of Serbia, then Yugoslavia. He attended the military academy in Belgrade in 1971 for three years and in 1975 he attended the military school in Zadar where he became an Officer in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). From 1980 until the war he served in Vinkovci as Army security officer. On August 31, 1990 he went to Belgrade and attended a two-year course at the school for commanders. When he left the People's Army in September 1991 he was a professional military officer and held the rank of Major. He returned to Bosnia-Herzegovina, created the Patriotic League and planned the defense of the country.

War years[link]

On May 25, 1992 he was appointed by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RBiH) as Commander of the Territorial Defence (TO) Staff of the RBiH, replacing Hasan Efendić, becoming the most senior Military Commander of the armed forces of the RBiH.

From his appointment in May to early July, while the TO evolved into an Army, Halilović also acted as a member of the War Presidency. After July 1992, he functioned as the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On August 18, 1992, the Presidency formed five corps of the ABiH with Halilović as Chief of the Supreme Command Staff / Chief of the Main Staff. On June 8, 1993, a new position was created, Commander of the Supreme Command Staff. Rasim Delić filled this post. Between July 18, 1993 to November 1, 1993, he held the post of Deputy Commander of the Supreme Command Staff of the ARBiH as well as Chief of the Supreme Command Staff.

After a meeting in Zenica on August 20–21, 1993, Rasim Delić appointed him Head of an Inspection Team. At that same meeting he urged his fellow officers to prioritize the disciplining of BH soldiers. He was quoted as saying; "When are we going to start shooting people for not following orders"?

Assassination attempt[link]

During the war Halilović ran afoul of the political leaders of Bosnia who in turn were likely responsible for the failed attempt on Halilović's life. On July 7, 1993 at 14:10h Halilović's flat was bombed using a remote detonated explosive device. While Halilović, his son and daughter were not killed, his wife Mediha and her brother Edin Rondić died. Rondić appeared on the balcony in a military uniform at the same time that Halilović came home for lunch with his family. The assassins likely mistook Rondić for Halilović and detonated the device.

The assassin was a member of the State Security Service or SDB-s secret group for liquidation and their commander was Nedzad Ugljen, also the director of SDB.

War crimes indictment[link]

Before his indictment Halilović was a government minister in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the leader of his own political party, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Patriotic Party-Sefer Halilović and was known for his vocal criticism of Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović. He was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on July 30, 2001.^[1] He voluntarily surrendered on September 25, 2001 and pled not guilty two days later. Halilović was on a provisional release from December 13, 2001 until the beginning of the trial and from September 5, 2005 until November 14, 2005.

Charge[link]

Halilović was indicted on the basis of superior criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute of the Tribunal) and charged with one count of violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 3 – murder).^[2] The massacre he was accused of being responsible for took place in villages of Grabovica and Uzdol in September 1993. The ICTY prosecutors claimed that he was leader of Operation Neretva '93 which was conducted by the ARBiH in the area.

Trial[link]

The trial against Sefer Halilović began on January 31, 2005. The Prosecution completed its case on June 2. There were 39 prosecution witnesses and two witness statements. The Trial Chamber admitted 287 exhibits tendered into evidence by the prosecution. The defence case commenced on June 27 and lasted until July 14, 2005. There were three defence witnesses and 12 witness statements. The parties made their closing arguments on August 30 and 31, 2005. The Trial Chamber admitted 207 exhibits tendered into evidence by the defence. Halilović's defence claimed at the time of the murders that he had been removed from command time and no longer a commander with the relevant responsibility, but a notional inspector without proper authority.^[3]

Sefer's lawyer, Faruk Balijagić, claims that Rasim Delić, along with Fikret Muslimović, and Bakir Alispahić ordered Sefer's failed assassination which was attempted by two members of the secret state security group known as "Seve", and their commander Nedzad Ugljen, also the director of the state security service or SDB. While Sefer was not killed, his wife Mediha and her brother Edin Rondić were murdered.

Faruk further alleges that Alija Izetbegović, the former president of Bosnia-Herezegovina and Delić's boss, attempted to discredit Halilović by framing him for the Neretva 93 massacre through mostly false documents provided by the security service bosses and directors: Munir Alibabić (SBD boss), Fikret Muslimović (SVB boss), Nedžad Ugljen (commander of "Seve" and director of SDB), Jusuf Jasarević (SVB boss), Enver Mujezinović (SDB in Sarajevo boss) and Bakir Alispahić(minister of MUP). Faruk tried to prove that the secret service agents bribed numerous witnesses for false account of what actually took place and that Halilović is simply a scapegoat. Halilović's recently published book "Cunning Strategy" details his side of the story.

Verdict and appeals[link]

On November 16, 2005, Halilović was acquitted on all charges and released.^[4] The Court found that, while murders considered war crimes did occur at those places, Halilović did not have command authority, being only an inspector, and that he cannot be considered responsible for them. The prosecution appealed the verdict. On October 16, 2007 the appeals chamber ruled against the prosecution appeal and confirmed the acquittal verdict rendered almost two years earlier by the trial chamber.^[5]

Other[link]

In 1996 Halilović founded his own political party the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Patriotic Party-Sefer Halilović. In 1997 Halilović published his memoir Lukava Strategija (Cunning Strategy). He served as the Minister of Refugees and Displaced Persons in the government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1998 and 2001. In 2005 Halilović's son, Semir, published a book State Secret (Državna Tajna) which described some of the events which shaped wartime Bosnia.^[6] In April 2006 Semir Halilović was accosted and threatened with death by one of the people whom the book cast in a bad light, Ramiz Delalić (now deceased), who was also a prosecution witness during his father's trial. On October 1, 2006 Sefer Halilović was elected to a 4 year term in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is reportedly fluent in Russian.

References[link]

External links[link]

• 2002 BH Dani article about Halilović(Bosnian)
• 1999 BH Dani interview of Halilović(Bosnian)

Richie Hawtin
Background information
Birth name	Richard Hawtin
Born	(1970-06-04) June 4, 1970 (age 42) Oxfordshire, England
Origin	Windsor, Ontario
Genres	Techno, minimal techno, Detroit techno, ambient
Labels	Plus 8, M-nus, NovaMute
Website	richiehawtin.com

Richard (Richie) Hawtin (born June 4, 1970, Banbury, Oxfordshire) is an English-Canadian electronic musician and DJ who was an influential part of Detroit techno's second wave of artists in the early 1990s and a leading exponent of Minimal techno since the mid 1990s. He is best known for his abstract, minimal works under the alias Plastikman, a pseudonym he still uses today.

Hawtin is known for DJing minimal techno sets making use of laptop computers and digital mixing equipment. In May 1990, Hawtin and fellow second-waver John Acquaviva founded the Plus 8 record label, which they named after their turntable's pitch adjust function.^[1] In 1998, Hawtin launched Minus records.^[2]

Biography[link]

Hawtin was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England,^[3] but moved when he was aged nine to LaSalle, Ontario, a suburb of Windsor, Ontario, and just across the river from Detroit, the birthplace of techno. His father worked as a robotics technician at General Motors, and was a fan of electronic music, introducing his son to Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream at an early age. He has one brother, Matthew, who is a visual artist and ambient music DJ. Hawtin attended Sandwich Secondary High School in LaSalle. He began to DJ in clubs in Detroit at 17, and his early style was a mix of house music and techno.^[4]

With Canadian DJ John Acquaviva he formed the label Plus 8 in 1990 to release his own tracks under the name F.U.S.E.^[4] He spent part of 2002 and 2003 living in New York City, and has since moved to Berlin, Germany. He said, "I’d always wanted to move to Europe. I needed somewhere that was inspiring and where there were like-minded musicians and artists, somewhere you could still experiment with music and with life. Berlin is so liberal in so many different ways; there’s an amazing club scene, there’s a great development software tech scene, there are so many resources here."^[4]

Career[link]

	"Substance Abuse" noicon "Substance Abuse" was released in 1991 under the F.U.S.E pseudonym
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

	"Ping Pong" noicon The minimalist track "Ping Pong" was recorded under the Plastikman alias
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Hawtin has recorded music under the aliases Plastikman, F.U.S.E., Concept 1, Forcept 1, Circuit Breaker, Robotman, Chrome, Spark, Xenon, R.H.X., Jack Master, Richard Michaels and UP!. He also recorded and performed, in combination with other artists, under group names such as The Hard Brothers, Hard Trax (with his brother Matthew Hawtin), 0733, Cybersonik (with Daniel Bell and John Acquaviva), Final Exposure (with Joey Beltram and Mundo Muzique), Just For Fun (with Holger Wick), Narod Niki (with Akufen, Cabanne, Dandy Jack, Daniel Bell, Luciano, Ricardo Villalobos, Robert Henke and Thomas Franzmann), Two Guys In The Basement (with John Acquaviva), Spawn (with Fred Giannelli and Daniel Bell) and States Of Mind (with Acquaviva).

He was the mastermind of huge raves in the Detroit area, he ran several club nights, a yearly party at City Club and a crazy one at The Necto (nightclub) Additionally, Hawtin and Pete Namlook collaborated to produce the From Within series of albums which blend minimal techno and ambient. He has also released an album Sounds of the Third Season with Sven Väth.^[5]

In 2006, Hawtin collaborated with choreographer Enzo Cosimi on a composition called "9.20" for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. He said, "Enzo and I are very much interested in pushing boundaries, both as artists and for our audiences. Working together for the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Games delivers the creative endeavor to not only entertain a huge audience, but to also introduce them to sights and sounds that they may have never experienced before."^[6]

Slices magazine launched a series of biographies in 2007 called "Pioneers of Electronic Music"; their first issue was a 60 minute biographical documentary on Hawtin. The film follows his career from his early days crossing the border to Detroit to his current life in Berlin, and contains interviews with many colleagues and family members.

2011 saw the release of Arkives 1993 - 2010, a massive box set containing everything Hawtin has released under his Plastikman moniker, as well as a new mixed set and previously unreleased material. The collection includes CDs, vinyl, digital downloads and a DVD.

Hawtin dismisses speculation as to the demise of dance music. In an interview he said, "In the last few years, the interest in electronic music has gone back up, the quality of the music has gone back up, there’s a buzz which reminds you of the early days,” he insists. “From where I’m sitting right now, dance music is more vibrant than ever. In some countries you’ll always have the press saying it’s going down and writing it off, but somewhere else the interest level is soaring and people are discovering this music for the first time, like in South America, where it’s completely kicking off – it’s unbelievable down there. There are some great festivals and parties in Europe, and over the last five years I’ve seen Ibiza go from complete cheesy shite music to the resurgence of a number of different types of progressive electronic music."^[4]

Selected discography[link]

Albums[link]

• F.U.S.E.: Dimension Intrusion, 1993
• Plastikman: Sheet One, 1993
• Plastikman: Musik, 1994
• Plastikman: Recycled Plastik, 1994
• Plastikman: Sickness (EP), 1997
• Concept 1: 96:CD, 1998
• Concept 1: 96:VR, 1998 (remixed by Thomas Brinkmann)
• Plastikman: Consumed, 1998
• Plastikman: Artifakts [bc], 1998
• Plastikman: Closer, 2003
• Plastikman: Kompilation, 2010
• Plastikman: Arkives, 2011

DJ mix compilations[link]

• Richie Hawtin: Mixmag Live!, 1995 (Live DJ mix album)
• Richie Hawtin: Decks, EFX & 909, 1999 (DJ mix album)
• Richie Hawtin: DE9: Closer to the Edit, 2001 (DJ mix album)
• Richie Hawtin and Sven Väth: Sound of the Third Season, 2002 (DJ mix album)
• Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos Live at the Robert Johnson, Offenbach, Germany, 2004 (11 hour DJ set)
• Richie Hawtin: DE9 | Transitions, 2005 (DJ mix album)
• Richie Hawtin: DE9 lite: Electronic Adventures, 2006 (DJ mix album, produced with MixMag)
• Richie Hawtin: Sounds from Can Elles, 2008 (unmixed various artist compilation, free with DJ Magazine issue 467)
• Richie Hawtin: Mixmag presents: Richie Hawtin - New Horizons, 2012 (DJ mix album)

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richie Hawtin

• Richie Hawtin's official site
• Plastikman's official site
• Richie Hawtin's Minus record label site
• Richie Hawtin's discography at Discogs