Kampan: …is the epic Irāmāvatāram (Rama’s Incarnation).

Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The country maintains a rich and distinctive cultural and social continuity dating back to the Achaemenian period, which began in 550 bce. Since 1979 it has become known for its unique brand of Islamic republic.

Iran Air flight 655, flight of an Iranian airliner that was shot down by the missile cruiser USS Vincennes on July 3, 1988, over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 people on board. The passenger plane, which was in Iranian airspace, had been incorrectly identified as a fighter jet. In July 1988

Iran: Overview: The Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 expanded an existing U.S. embargo on the import of Iranian petroleum products to encompass extensive bans on investment both by U.S. and non-U.S. companies in Iran. These prohibitions included bans on foreign speculation in Iranian petroleum development, the…

Iran hostage crisis, international crisis (1979–81) in which militants in Iran seized 66 American citizens at the U.S. embassy in Tehrān and held 52 of them hostage for more than a year. The crisis, which took place during the chaotic aftermath of Iran’s Islamic revolution (1978–79) and its

One spring afternoon in 1997, the telephone at the New York Times bureau in Istanbul rang. I was then serving as bureau chief, and the caller was my boss, the Times foreign editor. An election was soon to be held in Iran, he said, and he had chosen me to cover it. “Get yourself a visa,” he told me,

Baram River: Rising in the Iran Mountains, it flows 250 miles (400 km) west and northwest, mostly through primary rain forest to the South China Sea at Baram Point. Above the lowest 100 miles, gorges and rapids make upstream navigation difficult. The Baram is Sarawak’s second longest river; its tributaries…

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as “the Iran nuclear deal,” is a 2015 agreement between Iran and several world powers to restrict Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief of international sanctions on Iran. The deal was negotiated by the Democratic

In his second term in office U.S. Pres. Donald Trump made finalizing a deal with Iran, limiting its nuclear program and the reach of its military, one of his early foreign policy priorities. The push—amid the far-reaching Israel-Hamas War that has destabilized the entire region and resulted in

Masoud Pezeshkian emerged as the surprise victor of an early presidential election in Iran, which was held in June–July 2024 after Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line conservative, died unexpectedly in a helicopter crash on May 19. Raisi, one of the few figures trusted by both the security establishment and

ancient Iran, historic region of southwestern Asia that is only roughly coterminous with modern Iran. The term Persia was used for centuries, chiefly in the West, to designate those regions where Persian language and culture predominated, but it more correctly refers to a region of southern Iran

horizontally striped green-white-red national flag with a red design (a stylized coat of arms) in the centre and Arabic inscriptions along the edges of the stripes. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 4 to 7.Iran’s Lion and Sun emblem was displayed on a flag as early as the 15th century, and in

Iran: History of Iran: This article discusses the history of Iran from 640 ce to the present. For the history of the region before the 7th century, see ancient Iran.

Iran-Contra Affair, 1980s U.S. political scandal in which the National Security Council (NSC) became involved in secret weapons transactions and other activities that either were prohibited by the U.S. Congress or violated the stated public policy of the government. The scandal related to U.S.

Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The incredibly deadly and destructive nature of the conflict left a long legacy, including the proliferation in the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. The war placed tremendous

Occidental Petroleum Corporation: Following Hammer’s death in 1990, Ray R. Irani became president and chief executive officer. During his 20-year tenure, Irani reduced the company’s debt burden and refocused its operations on profitable oil and gas production. Occidental’s interests in meatpacking, agricultural products, coal mining, the North Sea, and gas pipelines acquired from…

Pahlavi alphabet, writing system of the Persian people that dates from as early as the 2nd century bce, some scholars believe, and was in use until the advent of Islam (7th century ce). The Zoroastrian sacred book, the Avesta, is written in a variant of Pahlavi called Avestan. The Pahlavi alphabet

ancient Iran: Art: …in an eclectic art and architecture that in itself mirrored the empire and the Persians’ understanding of how that empire ought to function. Yet the whole was entirely Persian. Just as the Achaemenids were tolerant in matters of local government and custom as long as Persians controlled the general policy…

Asia: West Asia: The Iranian highlands comprise mountain arcs (the Elburz, the Kopet-Dag, the mountains of Khorāsān, the Safīd Range, and the western Hindu Kush in the north; the Zagros, Makrān, Soleymān, and Kīrthar mountains in the south), together with the plateaus of the interior and the central Iranian,…

Iran: The Iranian intermezzo (821–1055): Yaʿqūb ibn Layth’s movement differed from Ṭāhir ibn al-Ḥusayn’s establishment of a dynasty of Iranian governors over Khorāsān in 821. The latter’s rise marks the caliph’s recognition, after the difficulties encountered in Iran by Hārūn al-Rashīd (reigned 786–809), that the best way…

Iranian languages, subgroup of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Iranian languages are spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, and scattered areas of the Caucasus Mountains. Linguists typically approach the Iranian languages in

Iranian literature, body of writings in the Iranian languages produced in an area encompassing eastern Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Central Asia as well as Afghanistan and the western areas of Pakistan. The oldest surviving texts are contained in the Avesta, the sacred book of

Asia: The polar front: Known as the South Asian (or Iranian) low, it appears in April and is fully developed from June to August. The onset of monsoon in India and mainland Southeast Asia is related to changes in the circulation pattern that occur by June—specifically, the disintegration of the southern jet…

Iran: Climate: …to the interior of the Iranian plateau, and low-pressure systems develop over the warm waters of the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean Sea. In summer one of the world’s lowest-pressure centers prevails in the south. Low-pressure systems in Pakistan generate two regular wind patterns: the shamāl, which…

ancient Iranian religion, diverse beliefs and practices of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan (modern Hotan, China). The northern Iranians (referred

Iranian Revolution, popular uprising in Iran in 1978–79 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an Islamic republic. The 1979 revolution, which brought together Iranians across many different social groups, has its roots in Iran’s long

Maranao, largest of the Muslim cultural-linguistic groups of the Philippines. Numbering more than 840,000 in the late 20th century, they live around Lake Lanao on the southern island of Mindanao. Rice farming is their main livelihood, along with metalworking and woodworking handicrafts. Like the

Irapuato, city, west-central Guanajuato estado (state), north-central Mexico. Situated in the fertile Bajío, a valley of the central plateau, the city lies along the Irapuato River, a tributary of the Lerma River, at 5,656 feet (1,724 metres) above sea level. It is south-southwest of Guanajuato

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Iraq Museum, museum of antiquities located in Baghdad, Iraq, featuring Iraqi art and artifacts dating from the Stone Age civilization of the Fertile Crescent to the Middle Ages. Following World War I, archaeologists from Europe and the United States began several excavations throughout Iraq. To

Calouste Gulbenkian: (later Iraq Petroleum Co.) and became the first to exploit Iraqi oil; his 5% share made him one of the world’s richest men. From 1948 he negotiated Saudi Arabian oil concessions to U.S. firms. He amassed an outstanding art collection of some 6,000 works, now in…

James Baker: …president Jimmy Carter) and the Iraq Study Group (with former U.S. congressman Lee Hamilton).

George W. Bush: Operation Iraqi Freedom: In 2004 the Iraq Survey Group, a fact-finding mission comprising American and British experts, concluded that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction or the capacity to produce them at the time of the invasion, though it found evidence that Ṣaddām had planned to reconstitute programs for…

Iraq War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and

Iraq: Iraq from 1055 to 1534: , Persian) Iraq (ʿIrāq ʿAjamī) and was more or less identical with ancient Media or the Umayyad and Abbasid province of Jibāl. Together these regions became known as “the Two Iraqs,” in contradistinction to the previous usage of the term in reference to the towns of…

Iraq: Iraq from 1055 to 1534: The first, qualified as Arabian Iraq (ʿIrāq ʿArabī), denoted the area roughly corresponding to ancient Mesopotamia or the modern nation of Iraq and consisted of Upper Iraq or Al-Jazīrah and Lower Iraq or Al-Sawād (“The Black [Lands]”). The town of Tikrīt was traditionally considered to mark the border between…

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

national flag consisting of three equal horizontal stripes of (from top to bottom) red, white, and black with the inscription in Kufic script “Allāhu akbar” (“God is great”) arranged horizontally in the centre of the white stripe. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2 to 3.Following World War

Iraq: History of Iraq: This discussion surveys the history of Iraq since the 7th century ce. For the earlier history, see Mesopotamia.

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Iraqgate, media term for the scandal that emerged during the administration of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in which it was alleged that U.S. agricultural loans made to Iraq during the Ronald Reagan administration were used to purchase weapons with the administration’s knowledge. However, no

Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The incredibly deadly and destructive nature of the conflict left a long legacy, including the proliferation in the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. The war placed tremendous

Iraqgate, media term for the scandal that emerged during the administration of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in which it was alleged that U.S. agricultural loans made to Iraq during the Ronald Reagan administration were used to purchase weapons with the administration’s knowledge. However, no

ʿIrāqī was one of the most outstanding poets of 13th-century Persia. Very little is known about ʿIrāqī’s early life. There is evidence that he abandoned a teaching career to follow a group of wandering Sufis, or mystics, as far as India in search of higher mystical knowledge. After studying for 25

Iraq: Iraqi foreign policy, 1958–68: …because Qāsim recruited among the Iraqi Communist Party for support and because he moved far closer to the Soviet Union diplomatically, the United States grew to see in him a would-be communist. However, despite a growing dispute with the Western oil companies over their investments in Iraq (stemming from Qāsim’s…

Iraq: Economic development to 1980: …and a national company, the Iraqi Company for Oil Operations, was established to operate the fields. In 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out, Iraq nationalized American and Dutch companies, and in 1975 it nationalized the remaining foreign interests in the Basra Petroleum Company.

flag of Iraq: 22, 2008, the Iraqi Council of Representatives (parliament) voted to adopt a modified version of that flag: the three green stars were removed from the white stripe, and the width-to-length ratio was restored to what it had been for the 1991–2004 flag. It became official on Jan. 28.

Iraq War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and

flag of Iraq: On April 26, 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council announced a new national flag, its design consisting of four unequal horizontal stripes from top to bottom of white, blue, yellow, and blue and with a light blue crescent centred on the white stripe. The flag, almost universally rejected by Iraqis, was…

Persian Gulf War, (1990–91), international conflict that was triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait with the apparent aim of acquiring that nation’s large oil reserves, canceling a large debt Iraq owed

Ayad Allawi: …who was involved in the Iraqi National Accord, a party opposed to Saddam Hussein, and who later served as prime minister (2004–05) of the interim government in Iraq. He also was a vice president (2014–15; 2016–2018).

Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The incredibly deadly and destructive nature of the conflict left a long legacy, including the proliferation in the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. The war placed tremendous

Ayad Allawi: …who was involved in the Iraqi National Accord, a party opposed to Saddam Hussein, and who later served as prime minister (2004–05) of the interim government in Iraq. He also was a vice president (2014–15; 2016–2018).

Tanzania: Ethnic groups: The Iraqw, the Mbugu, the Gorowa, and the Burungi have Cushitic origins. About 500 ce, iron-using Bantu agriculturalists arriving from the west and south started displacing or absorbing the San hunters and gatherers; at roughly the same time, Nilotic pastoralists entered the area from the southern…

Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), U.S.-U.K.-Netherlands satellite launched in 1983 that was the first space observatory to map the entire sky at infrared wavelengths. After a series of brief studies by infrared instruments carried on sounding rockets had detected about 4,000 celestial sources

Irazú Volcano, active volcano, in the Cordillera Central, east-central Costa Rica. Its name originates from the indigenous word for “thunder.” The highest mountain in the Cordillera Central, Irazú reaches an elevation of 11,260 feet (3,432 metres). It is a popular ascent for tourists, as its cone

Irazú Volcano: Irazú Volcano National Park is linked by paved road to Cartago. The volcano’s eruptions of 1963–65 produced ash that dammed a nearby small river, flooding the city of Cartago and causing serious damage to coffee crops. The ashfall created considerable inconvenience for residents of San…

institutional review board (IRB), in the United States, ethics committee that reviews proposed and ongoing research involving human subjects. The institutional review board (IRB) exists to protect the rights and safety of human subjects who participate in research studies. The need for an IRB

Danie Craven: …elevated to chairman of the International Rugby Football Board (IRB).

Irbid, town, northern Jordan. The town was built on successive Early Bronze Age settlements and was possibly the biblical Beth Arbel and the Arbila of the Decapolis, a Hellenistic league of the 1st century bce through the 2nd century ce. The population of Irbid swelled in the late 19th century, and

Erbil, city, capital of Erbil muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northern Iraq. The city is also the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq and is among the largest cities in that country. It is one of the most ancient cities in the world, dating back at least to 2300 bce. Erbil has long

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: The INF Treaty defined intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) as those having ranges of 1,000 to 5,500 km (620 to 3,400 miles) and shorter-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) as those having ranges from 500 to 1,000 km.

International Rescue Committee (IRC), international humanitarian aid organization based in the United States and Europe. Organized in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein to assist German victims and enemies of Nazism, the IRC has since supported a wide variety of groups that are persecuted or

instant messaging: …also saw the introduction of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) software for group conversations, and by the mid-1990s other IM software, such as ICQ (or “I Seek You”) for non-AOL Internet users, also became available.

Pompidou Centre: …a film museum, and the Centre for Musical and Acoustical Research founded by French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. The music centre comprises rehearsal rooms, studios, and a concert hall and presents concerts devoted primarily to modern music.

iceberg: Iceberg scour and sediment transport: The presence of ice-rafted debris (IRD) in seabed-sediment cores is an indicator that icebergs, sea ice, or both have occurred at that location during a known time interval. (The age of the deposit is indicated by the depth in the sediment at which the debris is found.) Noting…

Barthold Heinrich Brockes: …wrote nature poetry, such as Irdisches Vergnügen in Gott (1721–48; “Earthly Pleasure in God”), in which natural phenomena are described minutely and seen as aspects of God’s perfectly ordered universe. One of the first German poets to treat nature as a principal subject, he was the forerunner of the new…

James Iredell was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1790–99). At the age of 17 Iredell was appointed comptroller of the customhouse at Edenton, N.C., to which his father, formerly a Bristol merchant, had migrated. He studied law and became active in the American cause.

jacana: …African jacana (Actophilornis africanus); the Australian lotus bird (Irediparra gallinacea) of New Guinea and the eastern Australian coast; and the pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), of India and the Philippines, a handsome black, yellow, and white bird that acquires long tail feathers in breeding season.

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of

Ireland, island off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe that is the westernmost major island of the British Isles. It is divided politically into Ireland (which occupies the southern five-sixths of the island) and Northern Ireland (a constituent part of the United Kingdom). It is bounded on

The 18th-century Castletown House is Ireland’s most notable country house, not least because it reportedly influenced the design of the White House in Washington, D.C. It’s just one of these 12 examples of significant buildings that are worth a visit in Ireland. Earlier versions of the descriptions

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in jurisdictions around the world, but Ireland is the first country to put the matter to a popular vote. spotlight, same-sex marriage, ireland, referendum, gay

bells of Ireland, (Moluccella laevis), annual plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae), grown as a garden curiosity for its green floral spikes. Bells of Ireland is native to western Asia and is commonly used in the floral industry as a fresh or dried flower. Bells of Ireland grows well in cool

Church of Ireland, independent Anglican church within both Ireland and Northern Ireland. It traces its episcopal succession from the pre-Reformation church in Ireland. Christianity was probably known in Ireland before the missionary activities of Patrick, the patron saint of the country, in the

Adrian IV: …Canterbury, and granted him the Donation of Ireland (known as the bull Laudabiliter), which supposedly gave Ireland to Henry II of England. Attacked for false representation, the bull was subsequently refuted. (Even if Laudabiliter is authentic, which is doubtful, it does not grant hereditary possession of Ireland to the English…

vertically striped green-white-orange national flag. Its width-to-length ratio is 1 to 2.A number of official and unofficial flags over the centuries have been flown in Ireland. One of the earliest, in use in the late 15th century, was blue with a gold harp; today it is the presidential standard of

Ireland: History: Ireland, lying to the west of Britain, has always been to some extent cut off by it from direct contact with other European countries, especially those from Sweden to the Rhine River. Readier access has been through France, Spain, and Portugal and even

55 Days at Peking: Cast: Assorted References

John Ireland was the first archbishop of St. Paul; head of the liberal Roman Catholic clergy who promoted the integration of predominantly immigrant parishes into the life of the U.S. church (and society as a whole)—in opposition to the separatist tendency of many ethnic groups to preserve their

John Ireland was an English composer known for his songs and his programmatic orchestral works. Ireland studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he later taught composition. He was much drawn to the mysticism and fantasy in the writings of Arthur Machen; some of his compositions, such

John Ireland was a Scottish writer, theologian, and diplomatist, whose treatise The Meroure of Wyssdome is the earliest extant example of original Scots prose. Ireland left the University of St. Andrews without taking a degree and attended the University of Paris (licentiate, 1460). He lived in

John Ireland was an English composer known for his songs and his programmatic orchestral works. Ireland studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he later taught composition. He was much drawn to the mysticism and fantasy in the writings of Arthur Machen; some of his compositions, such

Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, lying in the northeastern quadrant of the island of Ireland, on the western continental periphery often characterized as Atlantic Europe. Northern Ireland is sometimes referred to as Ulster, although it includes only six of the nine counties which made

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of

shorthand: Machine shorthand: …Stenotype machine was invented by Ward Stone Ireland, an American stenographer and court reporter. At present, the Stenograph and Stenotype machines are used in offices to some extent, but they are principally employed for conference and court reporting. Both machines have keyboards of 22 keys. Because the operator uses all…

William-Henry Ireland was an English forger of Shakespearean works. Ireland was the son of Samuel Ireland, a respected engraver in London. The young Ireland attended schools in Kensington, Ealing, Soho, and France. As a teenager, he took up his father’s passion for William Shakespeare and

fairy bluebird, (genus Irena), two species of birds in the family Irenidae (order Passeriformes), both of striking blue coloration and both confined to semi-deciduous forests in Asia. The blue-backed, or Asian, fairy bluebird (Irena puella) lives in the wetter parts of India, the Himalayas,

fairy bluebird: The Philippine fairy bluebird (I. cyanogaster) is found on Luzon, Polillo, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao, Dinagat, and Basilan. The two species are notable for the very long upper and lower tail coverts that almost conceal the tail. Males are brilliant blue and black; females are a duller…

fairy bluebird: The blue-backed, or Asian, fairy bluebird (Irena puella) lives in the wetter parts of India, the Himalayas, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. The Philippine fairy bluebird (I. cyanogaster) is found on Luzon, Polillo, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao, Dinagat, and Basilan. The two species are notable for the…

St. Irenaeus ; Western feast day June 28; Eastern feast day August 23) was the bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon), an Apologist, a doctor of the church, and a leading Christian theologian of the 2nd century. His work Adversus haereses (Against Heresies), written about 180, was a refutation of gnosticism. In

Voltaire: Achievements at Ferney of Voltaire: …to direct the rehearsals of Irène, he made his triumphal return to the city he had not seen for 28 years on February 10. More than 300 persons called on him the day after his arrival. On March 30 he went to the Académie amid acclamations, and, when Irène was…

Samuel Johnson: The theatre: Early in 1749 Johnson’s play Irene was at last performed. Thanks to Garrick’s production, which included expensive costumes, an excellent cast (including Garrick himself), and highly popular afterpieces for the last three performances, the tragedy ran a respectable nine nights. The audience objected to seeing the apostate Greek Christian Irene…

Colleen Moore: …showcased in such films as Irene (1926) and Orchids and Ermine (1927). Her 100 film credits also included several talkies, notably with Spencer Tracy in The Power and the Glory (1933). Under the tutelage of her second and third husbands, both of whom were stockbrokers, she became rich from investments.…

Netherlands: The late 20th century: The unsanctioned marriage of Princess Irene to a Spanish Carlist prince had already come as a shock even to Roman Catholics, but it was less difficult politically because she lost her right of succession. Juliana’s husband and consort, Prince Bernhard, was involved in a bribery scandal and withdrew from public…

Irene was a Byzantine ruler and saint of the Greek Orthodox Church who was instrumental in restoring the use of icons in the Eastern Roman Empire. The wife of the Byzantine emperor Leo IV, Irene became, on her husband’s death in September 780, guardian of their 10-year-old son, Constantine VI, and

Irene Ducas was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus, known from the description of her in the Alexiad of their daughter, Anna Comnena. When Alexius became emperor in April 1081 he reportedly planned to repudiate Irene and wed Mary, who had been married to the former emperors

Hurricane Irene, tropical cyclone that brought significant wind damage to several islands in The Bahamas and torrential rains to Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and several eastern U.S. states in late August 2011. Flash flooding generated by the storm’s relentless rainfall killed more than 50 people and

Irenidae, songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of the leafbirds, ioras, and fairy bluebirds, about 14 species of small brightly coloured birds of the forests and farms of southeastern Asia. Members range in size from 13 to 25 cm (5 to 10 inches) long. They appear to be closely related