Worldwide events; zarb e jamhoor newspaper; 182 issue; 29 jun 05 jul, 2014

Independence Day Seychelles - Jun 29

Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Creole: Repiblik Sesel), is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar.

Other nearby island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius,Rodrigues, Agalega and Réunion to the south, Comoros and Mayotte to the southwest. Seychelles, with an estimated population of 86,525, has the smallest population of any African state. It also has the highest Human Development Index in Africa.

Freedom Day Suriname - Jul 01

Keti Koti (Sranantongo for "the chains are cut"), July 1, is the Emancipation Day (end of slavery) in Suriname. The day is also known as (Prisiri) Maspasi, meaning "Emancipation (Festival)".

Slavery was abolished by the Netherlands in Suriname in 1863.

However, slaves in Suriname would not be fully free until 1873, after a mandatory 10 year transition period during which time they were required to work on the plantations for minimal pay and without state sanctioned torture. After 1873 many slaves left the plantations where they had suffered for several generations, in favor of the city of Paramaribo. In 2009 several cities in the Netherlands hosted various activities, making this day a day of national celebration and remembrance throughout the country.

Emancipation Day St. Eustatius - Jul 01

History Scholars assume that Austronesian seafarers, and

later Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. Remains of Maldivian mariner presence from the 12th century were found in Silhouette Island. The earliest recorded sighting by Europeans took place in 1502 by the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama, who passed through the Amirantes and named them after himself (islands of the Admiral).

A transit point for trade between Africa and Asia, the islands were occasionally used bypirates until the French began to take control starting in 1756 when a Stone of Possession was laid by Captain Nicholas Morphey. The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XV’s Minister of Finance.

The British contested control over the islands between 1794 and 1810. Jean Baptiste Quéau de Quincy, French administrator of Seychelles during the years of war with the United Kingdom, declined to resist when armed enemy warships arrived. Instead, he successfully negotiated the status of capitulation to Britain which gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality.

Britain eventually assumed full control upon the surrender of Mauritius in 1810, formalised in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris. Seychelles became a crown colony separate from Mauritiusin 1903. Elections were held in 1966 and 1970.

Independence was granted in 1976 as arepublic within the Commonwealth. In 1977, a coup d'état ousted the first president of the republic, James Mancham, who was replaced by France Albert René. The 1979constitution declared a socialist one-party state, which lasted until 1991. The first draft of a new constitution failed to receive the requisite 60% of voters in 1992, but an amended version was approved in 1993.

St. Peter & St. Paul Day Int’l - Jun 29

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being the anniversary either of their death or of the translation of their relics.

In the Roman Catholic Church the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, it is celebrated

In as a solemnity. In the General Roman Calendar of 1962, it is a first-class feast. It is a holy day of obligation in the universal Church, although individual conferences of bishops can suppress the obligation.

In England, Scotland and Wales the feast is observed as a holy day of obligation while in the United States and Canada, it is not. In Malta it is a public holiday and in Maltese known as L-Imnarja.

This is the day of the liturgical year on which those newly created metropolitan archbishops receive the primary symbol of their office, the pallium, from the pope.

In Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches For Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic Chris-

tians this feast also marks the end of the Apostles' Fast (which began on the Monday following All Saints' Sunday, i.e., the second Monday after Pentecost). It is considered a day of recommended attendance, where on one should attend the All-Night Vigil (or at least Vespers) on the eve, and the Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast (there are, however, no "Days of Obligation" in the Eastern Church). For those who follow the traditional Julian Calendar, 29 June falls on the Gregorian Calendar date of 12 July.

In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Macarius of Unzha's Miracle of the Moose is said to have occurred during the Apostles' Fast and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul that followed it.

importance Ecumenical In recent decades, this feast, along with that of Saint Andrew, has been of importance to the modern ecumenical

movement as an occasion on which the pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople have officiated at services designed to bring their two churches closer to intercommunion. This was especially the case during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, as reflected in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint.

Among Doukhobors

Although the Doukhobors do not venerate saints per se, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul has traditionally been a day of celebration for them. Since 1895, it has acquired a new significance as a commemoration of the Burning of the Arms, the Doukhobors' destruction of their weapons, as a symbol of their refusal to participate in governmentsponsored killing. It is celebrated now by their descendants as simply "Peters Day", sometimes referred to as the Doukhobor Peace Day.

Army Day Guatemala - Jun 30

Guatemala's Liberal Revolution, which called for the end of the dictatorship ofVicente Cerna, culminated with a revolt in Guatemala City on June 30, 1871. Thecoup paved the way for a successful 12-year era under President Justo RufinoBarrios, a leader of the revolution who implemented extensive agrarian reforms asGuatemala's head of state.

Originally known as Revolution Day, the anniversary of the 1871 revolt becameDía del EjÉrcito (Army Day), an official holiday recognizing the service of thearmed forces. Typical of most traditional military celebrations, Army Day has beenmarked over the years by annual parades, usually in Guatemala City, featuringprocessions of various battalions and divisions.

At the turn of the 21st century, a popular movement grew to force an end to ArmyDay celebrations.

Guatemalan activists began holding a rival event in GuatemalaCity called the March for Remembrance in honor of the thousands of civilians killed by the repressive military leadership during the country's civil war between 1960 and1996. The 2007 parade and accompanying protests spawned violence in thestreets, and the ongoing campaign of resistance compelled the government tocancel the official parade the following year.

Independence Day - Jun 30 Congo (Democratic Republic of)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a country located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area since the accession of South Sudan as an independent country and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 71 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous officially Francophone country.

It borders the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi in the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; the Republic of the Congo, the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; and is separated fromTanzania by Lake Tanganyika in the east. The country has access to the ocean through a 40-kilometre (25 mi) stretch of Atlantic coastline at Muanda and the roughly 9 km wide mouth of the Congo River which opens into the Gulf of Guinea.

The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country and is sometimes referred to as the "African world war" because it involved nine African nations and some twenty armed groups. Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country. In eastern Congo, the prevalence of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world. The war is the world's deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people since 1998. The vast majority died from conditions of malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly, in chronological order, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zaire (Zaïre in French). These former names are sometimes referred to as unofficial names, with the exception of Mobutu's discredited Zaire, along with various abbreviations such as DR Congo and DRC. Though it is located in the Central African UN subregion, the nation is also economically and regionally affiliated with Southern Africa as a member of theSouthern African Development Community (SADC).

History

Early history:

A wave of early people was identified in the northern and north-western parts of central Africa during the second millennium BC. They produced food (pearl millet), maintained domestic livestock and developed a kind of arboriculture mainly based on the oil palm. From 1,550 BC to 50 BC, starting from a nucleus area in south Cameroon on both banks of the Sanaga River, the first Neolithic peopling of northern and western central Africa can be followed southeastwards and southwards.

In D.R. Congo, the first villages in the vicinity of Mbandaka and the Lake Tumba are known as the Imbonga Traditions, from around 650 BC. In Lower Congo, north of the Angolan border, it is the 'Ngovo Tradition' around 350 BC that shows the arrival of the Neolithic wave of advance.

In Kivu, across the country to the east, the Urewe Tradition villages first appeared about 650 BC. The few archaeological sites known in Congo are a western extension of the Ureweculture which has been found chiefly in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and western Kenya andTanzania. From the start of this tradition, the people knew iron smelting, as is evidenced by several iron-smelting furnaces excavated in Rwanda and Burundi.

The earliest evidence further to the west is known in Cameroon and near to the small town ofBouar in Central Africa.

Though further studies are needed to establish a better chronology for the start of iron production in Central Africa, the Cameroonian data places iron smelting north of the Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests around 650 BC to 550 BC. This technology developed independently from the previous Neolithic expansion, some 900 years later. As fieldwork done by a German team shows, the Congo River network was slowly settled by food-producing villagers going upstream in the forest. Work from a Spanish project in the Ituri area further east suggests villages reached there only around 1,150 BC. The Bantu-speaking Neolithic and then iron-producing villagers added to and displaced the indigenous Pygmy populations (also known in the region as the "Batwa" or "Twa") into secondary parts of the country. Subsequent migrations from the Darfur and Kordofan regions of Sudan into the north-east, as well as East Africans migrating into the eastern Congo, added to the mix of ethnic groups. The Bantu-speakers imported a mixed economy made up of agriculture, small-stock raising, fishing, fruit collecting, hunting and arboriculture before 3,500 BP; iron-working techniques, possibly from West Africa, a much later addition. The villagers established the Bantu language family as the primary set of tongues for the Congolese.

The process in which the original Upemba society transitioned into the Kingdom of Luba was gradual and complex.

This transition ran without interruption, with several distinct societies developing out of the Upemba culture prior to the genesis of the Luba. Each of these kingdoms became very wealthy due mainly to the region's mineral wealth, especially in ores. The civilization began to develop and implement iron and copper technology, in addition to trading in ivory and other goods. The Luba established a strong commercial demand for their metal technologies and were able to institute a long-range commercial net (the business connections extended over 1,500 kilometres (930 miles), all the way to the Indian Ocean). By the 16th century, the kingdom had an established strong central government based on chieftainship. The Eastern regions of the precolonial Congo were heavily disrupted by constant slave raiding, mainly from Arab/Zanzibari slave traders such as the infamous Tippu Tip.

The African Congo Free State (1877–1908):

European exploitation, exploration and administration took place from the 1870s until the 1920s. It was first led by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, who undertook his explorations under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of Belgium.

Leopold had designs on what was to become the Congo as a colony. In a succession of negotiations, Leopold – professing humanitarian objectives in his capacity as chairman of the Association Internationale Africaine – played one European rival against another.

Leopold formally acquired rights to the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and made the land his private property and named it the Congo Free State. Leopold's regime began various infrastructure projects, such as construction of the railway that ran from the coast to the capital of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). It took years to complete. Nearly all such projects were aimed at increasing the capital which Leopold and his associates could extract from the colony, leading to exploitation of Africans.

Belgian Congo (1908–1960):

In 1908, the Belgian parliament, despite initial reluctance, bowed to international pressure (especially that from Great Britain) and took over the Free State as a Belgian colony from the king. From then on, it was called the Belgian Congo and was under the rule of the elected Belgian government. The government improved significantly and a considerable economic and social progress was achieved. The white colonial rulers had, however, generally a condescending, patronizing attitude against the indigenous peoples, which led to bitter resentment.

During World War II, the Congolese army achieved several victories against the Italians in North Africa.

Independence and Political crisis (1960–1965):

In May 1960, a growing nationalist movement, the Mouvement National Congolais or MNC Party, led by Patrice Lumumba, won the parliamentary elections. The party appointed Lumumba as Prime Minister. The parliament elected as President Joseph Kasavubu, of the Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO) party. Other parties that emerged included the Parti Solidaire Africain (or PSA) led by Antoine Gizenga, and the Parti National du Peuple (or PNP) led by Albert Delvaux and Laurent Mbariko. (Congo 1960, dossiers du CRISP, Belgium) The Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960 under the name "République du Congo" ("Republic of Congo" or "Republic of the Congo" in English). Shortly after independence, the provinces of Katanga (led by Moise Tshombe) and South Kasaiengaged in secessionist struggles against the new leadership. Most of the 100,000 Europeans who had remained behind after independence fled the country, opening the way for Congolese to replace the European military and administrative elite.

Zaire (1971–1997):

The new president Mobutu Sese Seko had the support of the United States because of his staunch opposition to Communism. Western powers appeared to believe this would make him a roadblock to Communist schemes in Africa.

A one-party system was established, and Mobutu declared himself head of state. He periodically held elections in which he was the only candidate. Relative peace and stability were achieved; however, Mobutu's government was guilty of severe human rights violations, political repression, a cult of personality and corruption. (Mobutu demanded every Congolese banknote printed with his image, hanging of his portrait in all public buildings, most businesses, and on billboards; and it was common for ordinary people to wear his likeness on their clothing.)

Rwandan/Ugandan invasions and civil wars:

By 1996, tensions from the neighbouring Rwandan Civil War and Rwandan Genocide had spilled over to Zaire. Rwandan Hutu militia forces (Interahamwe), who had fled Rwanda following the ascension of a Tutsi-led government, had been using Hutu refugees camps in eastern Zaire as a basis for incursion against Rwanda. These Hutu militia forces soon allied with the Zairian armed forces (FAZ) to launch a campaign against Congolese ethnic Tutsis in eastern Zaire.

Impact of armed conflict on civilians:

In 2009, people in the Congo may still be dying at a rate of an estimated 45,000 per month, and estimates of the number who have died from the long conflict range from 900,000 to 5,400,000.

International Community Response:

The response of the international community has been incommensurate with the scale of the disaster resulting from the war in the Congo. Its support for political and diplomatic efforts to end the war has been relatively consistent, but it has taken no effective steps to abide by repeated pledges to demand accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that were routinely committed in Congo. United Nations Security Council and the U.N. SecretaryGeneral have frequently denounced human rights abuses and the humanitarian disaster that the war unleashed on the local population. But they had shown little will to tackle the responsibility of occupying powers for the atrocities taking place in areas under their control, areas where the worst violence in the country took place. Hence Rwanda, like Uganda, has escaped any significant sanction for its role.

National Salvation Revolution Day Sudan - Jun 30

The Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) was the authority by which the military government of Sudan under Lt. Gen. Omar al-Bashir exercised power.

The RCC came to power following the June 1989 coup.

Lt. Gen. Bashir was the chairman of the Council, as well as Prime Minister, defence minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. All fifteen members of the council were military officers. No regulations about the selection and tenure of its members have been made public.

The RCC exercised legislative as well as some executive authority. It appointed committees to draft various legal decrees. The RCC has not published any rules of procedures over its deliberations.

It banned political activity and arrested opposition members and closed down newspapers.

The RCC dissolved itself in October 1993. Its powers were devolved to the President and the Transitional National Assembly.

Canada Day Canada - J u l 0 1

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867, in Canada), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), the name was changed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Commemoration

Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press, the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution.

Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on July 1 unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday, although celebratory events generally take place on July 1 even though it is not the legal holiday. If it falls on a Saturday, any businesses normally closed that day will generally dedicate the following Monday as a day off.

Activities Most communities across the country

will host organized celebrations for Canada Day, usually outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts, as well as citizenship ceremonies for new citizens. There is no standard mode of celebration for Canada Day; professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford Jennifer Welsh said of this: "Canada Day, like the country, is endlessly decentralized. There doesn't seem to be a central recipe for how to celebrate it—chalk it up to the nature of the federation." However, the locus of the celebrations is the national capital, Ottawa, Ontario, where large concerts and cultural displays are held on Parliament Hill, with the governor general and prime minister typically offici- Children watch the Canada Day parade in Montreal ating, though the monarch or another member of the Royal Family may also attend or take the governor general's place. Smaller events are mounted in other parks around the city and in Gatineau, Quebec Given the federal nature of the holiday, celebrating Canada Day can be a cause of friction in the province of Quebec, where the holiday is overshadowed by Quebec's National Holiday, on June 24. For example, the federal government funds Canada Day events at the Old Port of Montreal—an area run by a federal Crown corporation—while the National Holiday parade is a grassroots effort that has been met with pressure to cease, even from federal officials.

The nature of the event has also been met with criticism outside of Quebec, such as that given by Ottawa Citizen columnist David Warren, who said in 2007: "The Canada of the government-funded paper flag-waving and painted faces—the 'new' Canada that is celebrated each year on what is now called 'Canada Day'—has nothing controversially Canadian about it. You could wave a different flag, and choose another face paint, and nothing would be lost."

Canada Day also coincides with Quebec's Moving Day, when many fixed-lease apartment rental terms expire. The bill changing the province's moving day from May 1 to July 1 was introduced by a federalist member of the Quebec National Assembly, Jérôme Choquette in 1973, in order not to affect children still in school in the month of May.

Emancipation Day is generally celebrated on the first of July. During this day, the inhabitants of St. Eustatius, as well as tourists, commemorate the abolition of slavery, with ceremonies and celebrations.

Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hong Kong - Jul 01

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The day is customarily marked by an officially organised extravagant fireworks display in the evening, and is also the platform for political rallies demanding universal suffrage. In 2007, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary celebration the Hong Kong Government published a song, "Just Because You Are Here" (Chinese: 始終有你). It was sung by many Hong Kong singers and composed by Peter Kam (金培達) with lyric by Keith Chan (陳少 琪).

Protest marches:

On 1 July of each year since the 1997 handover, a march is led by the Civil Human Rights Front. It has become the annual platform for demanding universal suffrage, calling for observance and preservation civil liberties such as free speech, venting dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government or the Chief Executive, rallying against actions of the Pro-Beijing camp.

However, it was only in 2003 when it drew large public attention by opposing the bill to enact the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23. Most notably, in 2003, the HKSAR Government proposed to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law. However, fears that by legislating against acts such as treason, subversion, secession and sedition, the legislation would infringe human rights by adopting the mainland's concept of "national security" into the HKSAR. Together with the general dissatisfaction with the Tung administration, about 500,000 people participated in this protest. Article 23 enactment was "temporarily suspended".

Fireworks display:

A fireworks display is usually held on the evening of 1 July in Victoria Harbour.

History

Colonial history:

Hong Kong's territory was acquired by United Kingdom from China through three separate treaties: the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the Treaty of Beijing in 1860, and The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898, which gave the UK the control of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon (area south of Boundary Street), and the New Territories (area north of Boundary Street and south of the Shenzhen River, and outlying islands), respectively. Although Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to the United Kingdom in perpetuity, the control on the New Territories was a 99-year lease.

Sino-British Joint Declaration:

The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by the Prime Ministers of the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom governments on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985. In the Joint Declaration, the PRC Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997, and the UK Government declared that it would restore Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. In the document the PRC Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.

In accordance with the "One country, two systems" principle agreed between the UK and the PRC, Hong Kong would become a special administrative region where the socialist system of PRC would not be practised, and Hong Kong's capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years from the date of handover.

Handover ceremony:

The Hong Kong handover ceremony officially marked the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom. It was an internationally televised event with the ceremony commencing on the night of 30 June 1997 and finishing on 1 July 1997 at the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai.

Origins of the holiday, controversy:

The day was made into a holiday by the Provisional Legislative Council on 10 May 1997 when it passed the Holidays (1997 and 1998) Bill, its first bill.

The Legislative Council under the colonial government adopted the Public Holiday (Special Holidays 1997) Bill on 17 June 1997 by 27 votes to nine, with the Liberal Party abstaining. The government tabled the bill for first reading in Legco in April 1997, two weeks after the provisional legislature had completed the first and second readings of its own holidays bill. The government was fiercely criticised by provisional legislature members who said it was a political tactic to embarrass the interim body.

The bill gave legal existence of 1 and 2 July as public holidays in 1997 in addition to the then current holidays under the Holidays Ordinance (Cap 149). The bill's purpose was to ensure both are paid holidays in the absence of a functioning government during the handover.

Independence Day Burundi - J u l 0 1

Burundi officially the Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika.

The Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu peoples have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Burundi was ruled as a kingdom by the Tutsi for over two hundred years. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Germany and Belgium occupied the region, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi.

Political unrest occurred throughout the region, in part, because of social differences between the Tutsi and Hutu, provoking civil war in Burundi throughout the middle twentieth century. Presently, Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic.

Burundi is one of the five poorest countries in the world. It has one of the lowest per capita GDPs of any nation in the world. Burundi has a low gross domestic product largely due to civil wars, corruption, poor access to education, and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Burundi is densely populated, with substantial emigration. Cobalt and copper are among Burundi's natural resources. Some of Burundi's main exports include coffee and sugar.

History

Belgian mandate:

After its defeat in World War I, Germany handed control of a section of the formerGerman East Africa to Belgium.

On October 20, 1924, this land, which consisted of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi, became a Belgian League of Nations mandate territory, in practical terms part of the Belgian colonial empire, known as Ruanda-Urundi. However, the Belgians allowed Ruanda-Urundi to continue its kingship dynasty.

Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi was a United Nations Trust Territory under Belgian administrative authority.

During the 1940s, a series of policies caused divisions throughout the country. On October 4, 1943, powers were split in the legislative division of Burundi's government between chiefdoms and lower chiefdoms. Chiefdoms were in charge of land, and lower sub-chiefdoms were established. Native authorities also had powers. In 1948, Belgium allowed the region to form political parties. These factions would be one of the main influences for Burundi's independence from Belgium.

Independence and civil war:

On January 20, 1959, Burundi's ruler Mwami Mwambutsa IV requested from the Belgian Minister of Colonies a separation of Burundi and Rwanda and a dissolution of Ruanda-Urundi. Six months later, political parties were formed to bring attention to Burundi's independence from Europe and to separate Rwanda from Burundi. The first of these political parties was the Union for National Progress (UPRONA).

Burundi's push for independence was influenced to some extent by the instability and ethnic persecution that occurred in Rwanda. In November 1959, Rwandese Hutu attacked the Tutsi and massacred them by the thousands.

Many Tutsi escaped to Uganda and Burundi to find freedom from persecu- Flag of the Kingdom of Bution. The Hutu took power in Rwanda by winning Belgian-run elections in rundi (1962–1966) 1960.

The UPRONA, a multi-ethnic unity party led by Prince Louis Rwagasore and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) became the most prominent organizations throughout Burundi-Urundi. After UPRONA's victory in legislative elections, Prince Rwagasore was assassinated on October 13 in 1961, allegedly with the help of the Belgian colonial administration.

The country claimed independence on July 1, 1962, and legally changed its name from Ruanda-Urundi to Burundi.

Mwami Mwambutsa IV was named king. On September 18, 1962, just over two months after declaring independence from Belgium, Burundi joined the United Nations.

Upon Burundi’s independence, a constitutional monarchy was established and both Hutus and Tutsis were represented in parliament. When King Mwambutsa appointed a Tutsi prime minister, the Hutus, who were the majority in parliament, felt cheated. An ensuing attempted coup by the Hutu-dominated police was ruthlessly suppressed by the Army, then led by a Tutsi officer, Captain Michel Micombero. When the next Hutu Prime Minister, Pierre Ngendandumwe, was assassinated in 1965, Hutus engaged in a series of attacks on Tutsi, which the government repressed ruthlessly, fearing the killings of Tutsis by Hutus, who wanted to follow the "Model Rwanda". The Burundi police and military were now brought under the control of the Tutsi.

Mwambutsa was deposed in 1966 by his son, Prince Ntare V, who claimed the throne. That same year, Tutsi Prime Minister Captain Michel Micombero deposed Ntare, abolished the monarchy, and declared the nation a republic, though it was in effect a military regime.

In 1972, an all Hutu organization known as Umugambwe w'Abakozi b'Uburundi or Burundi Workers' Party (UBU) organized and carried out systematic attacks on ethnic Tutsi with the declared intent of annihilating the whole group.

The military regime responded with large-scale reprisals targeting Hutus. The total number of casualties was never established, but estimates for the Tutsi genocide and thereprisals on the Hutus together are said to exceed 100,000 at the very least, with a similar number of asylum-seekers in Tanzania and Rwanda. In 1976, another Tutsi, Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, led a bloodless coup and promoted various reforms. A new constitution was promulgated in 1981, keeping Burundi a one-party state. In August 1984, Bagaza was elected head of state. During his tenure, Bagaza suppressed political opponents and religious freedoms.

Major Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, overthrew Bagaza in 1987 and suspended the constitution, dissolved the political parties, and reinstated military rule under the Military Committee for National Salvation (CSMN). Anti-Tutsi ethnic propaganda disseminated by the remnants of the 1972 UBU, which had re-organized as PALIPEHUTU in 1981, led to killings of Tutsi peasants in the northern communes of Ntega and Marangara in August 1988. The death toll was put at 5,000 by the government, though some international NGOs believe this understates the losses.

The new regime did not unleash harsh reprisals (as in 1972), but the trust it gained was soon eroded when it decreed an amnesty for those who had called for, carried out, and taken credit for the killings on ethnic grounds, which amounts to genocide in international law. Many analysts consider this period as the beginning of the "culture of impunity." But other analysts consider the "culture of impunity" to have started from 1965 and 1972, when the revolt of a small and identifiable number of Hutus unleashed massive killings of Tutsis on the whole territory.

In the aftermath of the killings, a group of Hutu intellectuals wrote an open letter to Pierre Buyoya, asking for more representation of the Hutus in the administration. The signatories were sent to prison. Nevertheless, only a few weeks later, Buyoya appointed a new government with an equal number of Hutu and Tutsi, and a Hutu, Adrien Sibomana, as Prime Minister. Buyoya also created a commission in charge of addressing the issue of national unity.

In 1992, a new constitution that provided for multi-party system was promulgated, and a civil war sprang up from Burundi's core.

An estimated 250,000 people died between 1962 and 1993. Since Burundi's independence in 1962, there have been two events called genocides in the country. The 1972 mass killings of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated army, and the 1993 mass killings of Tutsis by the Hutu populace are both described as genocide in the final report of the International Commission of Inquiry for Burundi presented to the United Nations Security Council in 2002.

First attempt at democracy:

In June 1993, Melchior Ndadaye, leader of the Hutu-dominated Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU), won the first democratic election and became the first Hutu head of state, leading a pro-Hutu government. However, in October 1993, Tutsi soldiers assassinated Ndadaye, which started further years of violence between Hutus and Tutsis. It is estimated that some 300,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the years following the assassination.

In early 1994, the parliament elected Cyprien Ntaryamira, also a Hutu, to the office of president. He and the president of Rwanda bothdied together when their airplane was shot down. More refugees started fleeing to Rwanda. Another Hutu, parliament speaker Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was appointed as president in October 1994. Within months, a wave of ethnic violence began, starting with the massacre of Hutu refugees in the capital, Bujum- Independence Square and monubura, and the withdrawal of the mainly Tutsi Union for National ment in Bujumbura Progress from the government and parliament.

In 1996, Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, took power through a coup d’état. He suspended the constitution and was sworn in as president in 1998. In response to the rebel attacks, the population was forced by the government to relocate to refugee camps. Under his rule, long peace talks started, mediated by South Africa. Both parties signed agreements in Arusha, Tanzania and Pretoria, South Africa, to share power in Burundi. The agreements took four years to plan, and on August 28, 2000, a transitional government for Burundi was planned as a part of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. The transitional government was placed on a trial basis for five years. After several aborted cease-fires, a 2001 peace plan and power sharing agreement has been relatively successful. A cease-fire was signed in 2003 between the Tutsi-controlled Burundian government and the largest Hutu rebel group, CNDD-FDD (National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy).

In 2003, FRODEBU Hutu leader Domitien Ndayizeye was elected president. In early 2005, ethnic quotas were formed for determining positions in Burundi's government. Throughout the year, elections for parliament and president occurred. As of 2008, the Burundian government is talking with the Hutu-led Palipehutu-National Liberation Forces (NLF) to bring peace to the country. In 2005, Pierre Nkurunziza, once a leader of a Hutu rebel group, was elected to president.

Peace agreements:

African leaders began a series of peace talks between the warring factions following a request by the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for them to intervene in the humanitarian crisis. Talks were initiated under the aegis of former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere in 1995; following his death, South African President Nelson Mandela took the helm. As the talks progressed, South African President Thabo Mbeki and United States President Bill Clinton also lent their respective weight.

The peace talks took the form of Track I mediations. This method of negotiation can be defined as a form of diplomacy involving governmental or intergovernmental representatives, who may use their positive reputations, mediation or the “carrot and stick” method as a means of obtaining or forcing an outcome, frequently along the lines of “bargaining” or “win-lose”.

The main objective framing the talks was a structural transformation of the Burundian government and military as a way to bridge the ethnic gap between the Tutsis and Hutus. This would be accomplished in two ways. First, a transitional power sharing government would be established, with the presidents holding office for three year terms. The second objective involved a restructuring of the military, where the two groups would be represented equally.

As the protracted nature of the peace talks demonstrated, there were several obstacles facing the mediators and negotiating parties. First, the Burundian officials perceived the goals as “unrealistic” and viewed the treaty as ambiguous, contradictory and confusing. Second, and perhaps most importantly, the Burundians believed the treaty would be irrelevant without an accompanying cease fire. This would require separate and direct talks with the rebel groups. The main Hutu party was skeptical of the offer of a power-sharing government; they alleged that they were deceived by the Tutsis in past agreements.

In 2000, the Burundian President signed the treaty, as well as 13 of the 19 warring Hutu and Tutsi factions. However, disagreements persisted over which group would preside over the nascent government and when the ceasefire would commence. The spoilers of the peace talks were the hardliner Tutsi and Hutu groups who refused to sign the accord; as a result, violence intensified. Three years later at a summit of African leaders in Tanzania, the Burundian president and the main opposition Hutu group signed an accord to end the conflict; the signatory members were granted ministerial posts within the government. However, smaller militant Hutu groups – such as the Forces for National Liberation – remained active.

UN involvement:

Between 1993 and 2003, many rounds of peace talks, overseen by regional leaders in Tanzania, South Africa, and Uganda, gradually established power-sharing agreements to satisfy the majority of the contending groups. Initially the South African Protection Support Detachment was deployed to protect Burundian leaders returning from exile, which then became part of the African Union Mission to Burundi, deployed to help oversee the installation of a transitional government. In June 2004, the UN stepped in and took over peacekeeping responsibilities as a signal of growing international support for the already markedly advanced peace process in Burundi.

The mission’s mandate, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, has been to monitor cease-fire; carry out disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants; support humanitarian assistance and refugee and IDP return; assist with elections; protect international staff and Burundian civilians; monitor Burundi’s troublesome borders including halting illicit arms flows; and assist in carrying out institutional reforms including those of the Constitution, judiciary, armed forces, and police. The mission has been allotted 5,650 military personnel, 120 civilian police, and about 1,000 international and local civilian personnel. The mission has been functioning well and has greatly benefited from the existence of a fairly functional transitional government, which is in the process of transitioning into a more legitimate, elected entity.

The main difficulty the operation faced at first was the continued resistance to the peace process by the last Hutu nationalist rebel group. This organization continued its violent conflict on the outskirts of the capital despite the UN’s presence. By June 2005, the group had stopped fighting and was brought back into the political process. All political parties have accepted a formula for inter-ethnic power-sharing, which means no political party can gain access to government offices unless it is ethnically integrated.

The focus of the UN’s mission had been to enshrine the power-sharing arrangements in a popularly voted constitution, so that elections may be held and a new government installed. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration were done in tandem with elections preparations. In February 2005, the Constitution was approved with over 90% of the popular vote. In May, June, and August 2005, three separate elections were also held at the local level for the Parliament and the presidency.

While there are still some difficulties with refugee returns and securing adequate food supplies for the war-weary population, the mission has managed to win the trust and confidence of a majority of the formerly warring leaders as well as the population at large. It has also been involved with several “quick impact” projects including rehabilitating and building schools, orphanages, health clinics, and rebuilding infrastructure such as water lines.

Reconstruction efforts in Burundi started to practically take effect after 2006. The UN shut down its peacekeeping mission and re-focused on helping with reconstruction. Toward achieving economic reconstruction, Rwanda, D.R.Congo and Burundi relaunched the regional economic bloc: The Great Lakes Countries Economic Community.

In addition, Burundi, along with Rwanda, joined the East African Community in 2007.

However, the terms of the September 2006 Ceasefire between the government and the last remaining armed opposition group, the FLN (Forces for National Liberation, also called NLF or FROLINA), were not totally implemented, and senior FLN members subsequently left the truce monitoring team, claiming that their security was threatened.

In September 2007, rival FLN factions clashed in the capital, killing 20 fighters and causing residents to begin fleeing.

Rebel raids were reported in other parts of the country. The rebel factions disagreed with the government over disarmament and the release of political prisoners. In late 2007 and early 2008, FLN combatants attacked governmentprotected camps where former combatants were living. The homes of rural residents were also pillaged.

The 2007 report of Amnesty International mentions many areas where improvement is required. Civilians are victims of repeated acts of violence done by the FLN. The latter also recruits child soldiers. The rate of violence against women is high. Perpetrators regularly escape prosecution and punishment by the state. There is an urgent need for reform of the judicial system. Genocide, war crimes andcrimes against humanity remain unpunished. The establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a Special Tribunal for investigation and prosecution has not yet been implemented. The freedom of expression is limited; journalists are frequently arrested for carrying out legitimate professional activities. A total of 38,087 Burundian refugees have been repatriated between January and November 2007.

In late March 2008, the FLN sought for the parliament to adopt a law guaranteeing them ‘provisional immunity’ from arrest. This would cover ordinary crimes, but not grave violations of international humanitarian law like war crimes or crimes against humanity . Even though the government has granted this in the past to people, the FLN has been unable to obtain the provisional immunity.

On April 17, 2008, the FLN bombarded Bujumbura. The Burundian army fought back and the FLN suffered heavy losses. A new ceasefire was signed on May 26, 2008. In August 2008, President Nkurunziza met with the FLN leader Agathon Rwasa, with the mediation of Charles Nqakula, South Africa’s Minister for Safety and Security. This was the first direct meeting since June 2007. Both agree to meet twice a week to establish a commission to resolve any disputes that might arise during the peace negotiations.

Refugee camps are now closing down, and 450,000 refugees have returned. The economy of the country is shattered – Burundi has the lowest per capita gross income in the world. With the return of refugees, amongst others, property conflicts have started.

Independence Day Rwanda - Jul 01

Celebrations

Because of the long and bloody history behind Ghana’s independence, Republic Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the nation. The people visit their families, attend political rallies, award functions, and other entertaining programs. The day is also used to honor the senior citizens of the nation, who worked hard to build Ghana into what it is today.

Sir Seretse Khama Day Botswana - Jul 01

Sir Seretse Khama, KBE ( July 1, 1921 – July 13, 1980) was a statesman from Botswana. Born into one of the more powerful of the royal families of what was then theBritish Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africaand in the United Kingdom, he returned home—with a popular but controversial bride—to lead his country's independence movement. He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962 and became Prime Minister in 1965. In 1966, Botswana gained independence and Khama became its first president. During his presidency, the country underwent rapid economic and social progress.

Childhood and education

Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Serowe, in what was then the Bechuanaland Protectorate. He was the son of Sekgoma Khama II, the paramount chief of theBamangwato people, and the grandson of Khama III, their king. The name "Seretse" means “the clay that binds", and was given to him to celebrate the recent reconciliation of his father and grandfather; this reconciliation assured Seretse’s own ascension to the throne with his aged father’s death in 1925. At the age of four, Seretse became kgosi (king), with his uncle Tshekedi Khama as his regent and guardian.

After spending most of his youth in South African boarding schools, Khama attended Fort Hare University College there, graduating with a general B.A. in 1944. He then travelled to the United Kingdom and spent a year at Balliol College, Oxford, before joining the Inner Temple in London in 1946, to study to become a barrister.

and exile Marriage In June 1947, Khama met Ruth Williams, an English

clerk at Lloyd's of London, and after a year of courtship, married her. The interracial marriage sparked a furore among both theapartheid government of South Africa and the tribal elders of the Bamangwato. On being informed of the marriage, Khama's uncle Tshekedi Khama demanded his return to Bechuanaland and the annulment of the marriage. Sir Seretse Khama Khama did return to Serowe but after a series of kgotlas (public meetings), was re-affirmed by the elders in his role as the kgosi in 1949. Ruth Williams Khama, travelling with her new husband, proved similarly popular. Admitting defeat, Tshekedi Khama left Bechuanaland, while Khama returned to London to complete his studies.

However, the international ramifications of his marriage would not be so easily resolved. Having banned interracial marriage under the apartheid system, South Africa could not afford to have an interracial couple ruling just across their northern border. As Bechuanaland was then a British protectorate (not a colony), the South African government immediately exerted pressure to have Khama removed from his chieftainship. Britain’s Labour government, then heavily in debt from World War II, could not afford to lose cheap South African gold and uranium supplies. There was also a fear that South Africa might take more direct action against Bechuanaland, through economic sanctions or a military incursion.

The British government therefore launched a parliamentary enquiry into Khama’s fitness for the chieftainship.

Though the investigation reported that he was in fact eminently fit to rule Bechuanaland, "but for his unfortunate marriage", the government ordered the report suppressed (it would remain so for thirty years), and exiled Khama and his wife from Bechuanaland in 1951.

Return to politics

The sentence would not last nearly so long. Various groups protested against the government decision, holding it up as evidence of British racism. In Britain itself there was wide anger at the decision and calls for the resignation of Lord Salisbury, the minister responsible. A deputation of six Bamangwato travelled to London to see the exiled Khama and Lord Salisbury, in an echo of the 1895 deputation of three Bamangwato kgosis to Queen Victoria, but with no success.

However, when ordered by the British High Commission to replace Khama, the people refused to do so.

In 1956, Seretse and Ruth Khama were allowed to return to Bechuanaland as private citizens, after he had renounced the tribal throne. Khama began an unsuccessful stint as a cattle rancher and dabbled in local politics, being elected to the tribal council in 1957. In 1960 he was diagnosed with diabetes.

In 1961, however, Khama leapt back onto the political scene by founding the nationalist Bechuanaland Democratic Party. His exile gave him an increased credibility with an independence-minded electorate, and the BDP swept aside its Socialist and Pan-Africanist rivals to dominate the 1965 elections. Now Prime Minister of Bechuanaland, Khama continued to push for Botswana's independence, from the newly-established capital of Gaborone. A 1965 constitution delineated a new Botswana government, and on 30 September 1966,Botswana gained its independence, with Khama acting as its first President. In 1966 Elizabeth II appointed Khama Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Presidency

At the time of its independence, Botswana was among the world’s poorest countries, even poorer than most other African countries. Khama set out on a vigorous economic programme intended to transform it into an export-based economy, built around beef, copper and diamonds. The 1967 discovery of Orapa’s diamond deposits aided this programme. However, other African countries have had abundant resources and still proved poor.

Between 1966 and 1980 Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world. Much of this money was reinvested into infrastructure, health, and education costs, resulting in further economic development. Khama also instituted strong measures against corruption, the bane of so many other newly-independent African nations. Unlike other countries in Africa, his administration adopted market-friendly policies to foster economic development. Khama promised low and stable taxes to mining companies, liberalized trade, and increased personal freedoms. He maintained low marginalincome tax rates to deter tax evasion and corruption. He upheld liberal democracy and non-racialism in the midst of a region embroiled in civil war, racial enmity and corruption.

On the foreign policy front, Khama exercised careful politics and did not allow militant groups to operate from within Botswana. According to Richard Dale "The Khama government had authority to do so by virtue of the 1963 Prevention of Violence Abroad act, and a week after independence, Sir Seretse Khama announced before the National Assembly his government’s policy to insure that Botswana would not become a base of operations for attacking any neighbor."

Shortly before his death, Khama would play a major role in negotiating the end of the Rhodesian civil war and the resulting creation and independence of Zimbabwe.

On a personal level, he was known for his intelligence, integrity and sense of humour.

Legacy Khama remained president until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1980, when he was succeeded by Vice President

Quett Masire. Forty thousand people paid their respects while his body lay in state in Gaborone. He was buried in the Khama family graveyard on a hill inSerowe, Central District.

Twenty-eight years after Khama's death, his son Ian succeeded Festus Mogae as the fourth President of Botswana; in the 2009 general election he won a landslide victory in which a younger son, Tshekedi Khama, was elected as a parliamentarian from Serowe North West.

Territory Day British Virgin Islands - Jul 01

In British Virgin Islands, Territory Day is observed on July 1st of every year. This holiday was decreed into 1956 when the federation of the Leeward Islands was abolished. The British Virgin Islands consists of the islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays. Until 1978, this holiday was called “Colony Day”. This day is a public holiday of British Virgin Islands.

History

On his second voyage to the Americas in 1943, Christopher Columbus sighted this group of islands. Columbus named them after Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins, shortened to Las Vírgenes (The Virgins).

Although the Spanish Empire claimed the islands by discovery, the empire never settled in them. The following years saw the English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Danish all elbowing each other for control of the region. By 1648, the Dutch established a permanent settlement. In 1672, The English captured Tortola from the Dutch in 1672. From 1672 to 1733, the Danish were able to gain control of the nearby islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Then the islands St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix were later purchased by the United States from Denmark for US$25 million, thus renaming them the United States Virgin Islands.

From 1872 until 1956, the islands were part of the Colony of the Leeward Islands. Colony status was achieved for the Islands in 1960 and the Islands were autonomous by 1967. From the 1960s onwards, the islands have slowly switched from an agriculture-based economy towards tourism and financial services. The British Virgin Island has transformed into one of the wealthiest areas in the Caribbean.

Celebrations

The celebration of Territory Day provides an opportunity for Virgin Islanders to develop a sense of national pride. The ceremony signaling the start of the holiday begins with the inspection of the guards by the Governor and the Chief Minister. There are also musical selections by various schools. The Deputy Governor will oversee the entire proceedings. The public is encouraged by the Ministry and Department of Education and Culture, to come out and celebrate this joyous occasion.

Flag Day Curacao - Jul 02

The local inhabitants of the island of Curacao commemorate the founding of the island by the Spanish sailor Alonso de Ojeda in 1499.

History The Arawak Amerindians were the original in-

habitants of Curacao. The Spanish were first Europeans to see the island under the leadership of Alonso de Ojeda on this day in 1499. The indigenous populations were exported to other colonies where the Spaniards needed workers.

In 1634, the Dutch occupied the island . The Dutch West India Company on the banks of an inlet called the ‘Schottegat’ founded the capital of Willemstad. Colonists previously ignored Curacao because it lacked gold deposits. The natural harbor of Willemstad, however, proved quickly to be an ideal spot for trade.

With the discovery of oil in 1914, the fortune of the island was drastically changed. Royal Dutch Shell and the Dutch Government built extensive oil refinery facilities, thereby creating an abundant source of employment for the local populace and energizing a wave of immigration from neighboring countries.

Away from the social and civil unrest of the South American mainland, Curacao was an ideal site for the refinery but near enough to the Maracaibo Basin oil fields. The excellent natural harbor provided excellent accommodation for large oil tankers. The company brought affluence to the island. Large housing projects were provided and Willemstad was able to develop its own infrastructure.

Curacao joined the rest of the Caribbean in a loud clamor for independence after World War II. Instead, what it got was a status of autonomy as an entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curacao, along with , Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, they became to be known as the Netherlands Antilles. The administrative center is in Willemstad, where it remains today. Aruba separated later from the other five islands. The kingdom today has only three partners left: The Netherlands, the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba.

In recent years, the island had capitalized on its unique history and heritage to develop its tourism industry.

Danish West Indies Emancipation Day US Virgin Islands - Jul 03

The United States Virgin Islands celebrates Emancipation Day, an official holiday, on July 3.

It commemorates the abolition of slavery by Danish Governor Peter von Scholten on July 3, 1848. By 1600, the native population had been wiped out by the Spanish. The Dutch and English settled on Saint Croix, with the Dutch being driven out around 1645. The French and the Knights of Malta took possession from Spain; Denmark, which had established slave plantations on Saint Thomas and Saint John, purchased Saint Croix from France in 1733.

Although Denmark suppressed the slave trade in 1803, the practice of importing new captives did not end until the British occupied the islands in 1807. The islands were returned to Denmark in 1815 and remained the Danish West Indies until their purchase by the United States in 1917. On July 3, 1848, about 30,000 enslaved Africans from plantations on the western end of St. Croix marched into Frederiksted to demand their freedom. Led by Moses Gottlieb and Admiral Martin King, they confronted Danish soldiers. Danish Gov. Peter Von Scholten, seeing the potential for trouble, rode into town and proclaimed all unfree in the Danish West Indies free from that day forward.

Historically, the society was divided along caste and color lines. Even after emancipation in 1848, ex-slaves' participation in the political process was restricted and their freedom of movement and emigration were limited by legislation.

A result of Danish determination to maintain the status quo was the Fireburn of 1878, a labor revolt on Saint Croix that destroyed many plantations.

Independence Day Belarus - Jul 03

Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Дзень Незалежнасці Рэспублікі Беларусь, Russian: День Независимости Республики Беларусь) (Republic Day) is a public holiday, the independence day of Belarus and is celebrated each year on July 3.

History

July 3, 1944 was also the liberation of Minsk, capital of Belarus from the Wehrmacht during the Minsk Offensive (code-named "Bagration").

Since 1991, the Independence Day celebrated on July 27, the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus. August 25, 1991, after the August events in Moscow, the Belarusian SSR gave the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic of the constitutional status of the law. On December 10, 1991 the Supreme Soviet of Belarus ratified the Belavezha Accords which formally declared the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Independence was formally received December 26, 1991 in connection with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The decision to celebrate Independence Day on July 3, the day of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis, was made during the 1996 national referendum proposed by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Birthday of Queen Sonja Norway - Jul 04

Queen Sonja of Norway (née Sonja Haraldsen, born 4 July 1937) is the wife of King Harald V of Norway.

Prior to marriage

Sonja was born in Oslo on 4 July 1937 as the daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen (1889–1959) and Dagny Ulrichsen (1898–1994).

Queen Sonja grew up at 1B Tuengen Allé in the district of Vinderen in Oslo and completed her lower secondary schooling in 1954. She received a diploma in dressmaking and tailoring at the Oslo Vocational School, as well as a diploma from École Professionelle des Jeunes Filles in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, she studied accounting, fashion design, and social science.

She returned to Norway for further studies and received an undergraduate degree (French,English and Art History) from the University of Oslo.

As Crown Princess of Norway

She became engaged to then Crown Prince Harald in March 1968. They had been dating for nine years, although this had been kept secret because of opposition to her non-royal status. The Crown Prince made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried for life unless he could marry her.

This would in effect have put an end to the rule of his family and probably to the monarchy in Norway, as he was the sole heir to the throne. Faced with having to choose one of his relatives from the Danish Royal Family, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein or even the Grand Dukes of Oldenburg as his new heir in place of his son, Olav V consulted the government for advice and the result was that the couple were wed on 29 August 1968, at Oslo Domkirke in Oslo.

She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway.

Immediately after the wedding, the new Crown Princess began to carry out her royal duties, traveling extensively in Norway and abroad. In 1972 she was involved in establishing Princess Märtha Louise’s Fund, which provides assistance to disabled children in Norway. She has taken active part in large-scale initiatives to raise funds for international refugees and spent time in the 1970s visiting Vietnamese boat refugees inMalaysia.

From 1987 to 1990, Crown Princess Sonja served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross. She was responsible for the organisation’s international activities. She took part in a Red Cross delegation to Botswana and Zimbabwe in 1989.

The Queen Sonja International Music Competition:

The then-Crown Princess Sonja established this music competition in 1988. It was originally for pianists, but in 1995 the competition became only for singers. The jury consists of diverse authoritative figures in opera and the winners receive a cash amount and prestigious engagements at Norwegian music institutions.

History On June 20, 1868, Governor General

(CPC; Chung-kuo Kungch’an tang), formed in 1921 with the aid of the Comintern inthe context of an upswing in the national revolutionary movement and of the spreadof MarxistLeninist ideas in China, which was due to the influence of the GreatOctober Socialist Revolution. Li Ta-chao, who organized the first Marxist groups inNorth China, played a prominent role in the formation of the CPC. The First CPC Congress was held illegally at the end of June and the beginning ofJuly 1921 in Shanghai. (July 1 is considered to be the date of the formation of theCPC in the People’s Republic of China.) It declared the party’s ultimate goal to be the building of socialism in China. In 1922 the CPC charter and the party manifesto, which formulated the primary immediate task of the CPC—the implementation of ademocratic revolution —were adopted at the Second CPC Congress. The congress decided that the CPC would join the Comintern. The Third CPC Congress (1923) setthe course of forming a unified national revolutionary front with the Kuomintang, which was led by Sun Yat-sen, and decided that CPC members could join theKuomintang on an individual basis, while the Communist Party retained itsideological and organizational independence.

History

Before colonization, Ghana was home to one of the largest and most influential tribes in the region: the Empire of Ashanti. But when Portuguese explorers first found the area in the 15th century, they realized it was rich in gold, ivory and other precious materials. The Portuguese and other European nations began fighting the Ashanti Empire for control in the 1800s, but the British won, and began establishing colonies in 1874.

After World War II, the war-weary British Crown did not have the resources to maintain control of its colonies. Ghana was the first of many African nations to become fully independent. The process started in 1952, when a man named Kwame Nkrumah won during a parliamentary election. Dr. Nkrumah had previously been jailed for encouraging boycotts, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience, but was released when he won the election. From his new position of power, he was able to negotiate peace, and eventually freedom, with the British in 1957.Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a peaceful period in the nation’s history was interrupted by a series of political coups, initially sparked by the CIA in the United States.

Dr. Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966, and fighting continued until 1981, when a man named Jerry Rawlings seized control. He suspended elections, political parties and slowly drove the country into economic ruin. In the 1980s, he realized the error of his ways, and changed many of his policies. Elections resumed in 1996, and several peaceful transfers of power mean that Ghana is finally reaching a stable democracy.

2006 to present:

Canadian expatriates will organize Canada Day activities in their local area on or near the date of the holiday. For instance, since 2006, annual Canada Day celebrations have been held at Trafalgar Square—the location of Canada House—in London, England; initiated by the Canadian community in the United Kingdom, endorsed by the Canadian High Commission, and organzied by a private promotions company, the event features Canadian performers and a demonstration of street hockey, among other activities. Annual celebrations also take place in Hong Kong, entitled Canada D'eh and held on June 30 at Lan Kwai Fong, where an estimated attendance of 12,000 was reported in 2008; in Afghanistan, where members of the Canadian Forces mark the holiday at their base; and in Mexico, at the American Legion in Chapala, and the Canadian Club in Ajijic.

Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, have, since the 1950s, celebrated both Dominion or Canada Day and the United States' Independence Day with the International Freedom Festival; a massive fireworks display over the Detroit River, the strait separating the two cities, is held annually with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending.

A similar event occurs at the Friendship Festival, a joint celebration between Fort Erie, Ontario, and neighbouring Buffalo, New York, and towns and villages throughout Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec come together to celebrate both anniversaries together.

Communist Party Foundation China - Jul 01

The West African nation of Ghana celebrates its Republic Day on July 1st. Political independence from British colonizers was hard-won through a series of massive political upheavals that lasted for over a century. But finally, in 1957, Ghana was declared an independent republic. Three years later, the government instituted the first Republic Day celebrations, on July 1st, 1960.

Current festivities

International celebrations:

the Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to celebrate the anniversary of the confederation. However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism.

No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917—the golden anniversary of Confederation—and then none again for a further decade.

In 1946, Philéas Côté, a Quebec member of the House of Commons, introduced a private member's bill to Canada Day fireworks in Barrie, Ontario rename Dominion Day as Canada Day. His bill was passed quickly by the House of Commons but was stalled by the Senate, which returned the bill to the Commons with the recommendation that the holiday be renamed The National Holiday of Canada, an amendment that effectively killed the bill.

Beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.

Some Canadians were, by the early 1980s, informally referring to the holiday as Canada Day. However, this practice did cause some controversy: Numerous politicians, journalists, and authors, such as Robertson Davies, decried the change at the time, and some continue to maintain that it was illegitimate and an unnecessary break with tradition.

Proponents argued that the name Dominion Day was a holdover from the colonial era, an argument given some impetus by the patriation of the Canadian Constitutionin 1982, and others asserted that an alternative was needed as the term does not translate well into French. Conversely, these arguments were disputed by those who claimedDominion was widely misunderstood, and conservatively inclined commenters saw the change as part of a much larger attempt by Liberals to "re-brand" or re-define Canadian history. Columnist Andrew Cohen called Canada Day a term of "crushing banality" and criticized it as "a renunciation of the past [and] a misreading of history, laden with political correctness and historical ignorance".

The holiday was officially renamed as a result of a private member's bill that was introduced in the House of Commons when only twelve Members of Parliament were present. (This was actually eight members less than a quorum, but, according to parliamentary rules, the quorum is enforceable only at the start of a sitting or when a member calls attention to it.) The bill passed the House in five minutes, without debate. It met with stronger resistance in the Senate—some Senators objected to the change of name; Ernest Manning, who argued that the rationale for the change was based on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the official a misperception of the name, andGeorge McIl- Canada Day celebration in Ottawa, 2011 raith, who did not agree with the manner in which the bill had been passed and urged the government to proceed in a more "dignified way"—but finally passed.

With the granting of Royal Assent, the name was officially changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982.

As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first national radio network hookup by the Canadian National Railway (1927), the inauguration of the CBC's cross-country television broadcast (1958), the flooding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway (1958), the first colour television transmission in Canada (1966), the inauguration of the Order of Canada (1967), and the establishment of "O Canada" as the country's national anthem (1980). Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916—shortly after which Newfoundlandrecognized July 1 as Memorial Day to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment's heavy losses during the battle—and the enactment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923—leading Chinese-Canadians to refer to July 1 as Humiliation Day and boycott Dominion Day celebrations until the act was repealed in 1947.

Queen Elizabeth II was present for the official Canada Day ceremonies in Ottawa in 1990, 1992, 1997, and 2010, when more than 100,000 people attended the ceremonies on Parliament Hill. The Queen also helped celebrate Canada's 100th anniversary on July 1, 1967. Prince William and his wife took part in the events in Ottawa for Canada Day, 2011, the first time a member of the Royal Family other than the monarch and her consort had done so.

Republic Day Ghana - Jul 01

As Queen Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Norway's firstqueen consort in 53 years.

Rwanda is a country in central and eastern Africa. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered

by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of Rwanda is at high elevation, with a geography dominated by mountains in the west, savanna in the east, and numerous lakes throughout the country.

The climate is temperate, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons every year.

The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density among the highest in Africa. Rwandans form three groups: the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The Twa are a pygmy people who descend from Rwanda's earliest inhabitants, but scholars disagree on the origins of and differences between the Hutu and Tutsi; some believe that they are derived from former social castes, while others view them as being races or tribes. Christianity is the largest religion in the country, and the principal language is Kinyarwanda, which is spoken by most Rwandans. Rwanda has a presidential system of government. The President is Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Rwanda has low corruption compared with neighbouring countries, but human rights organisations allege suppression of opposition groups, intimidation, and restrictions on freedom of speech. The country has been governed by a strict administrative hierarchy since precolonial times; there are currently five provinces, which are delineated by borders drawn in 2006.

Hunter gatherers settled the territory in the stone and iron ages, followed later by Bantusettlers. The population coalesced, first into clans and then into kingdoms. The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century, with the Tutsi Kings conquering others militarily, centralising power, and later enacting anti-Hutu policies. Germanycolonised Rwanda in 1884, followed by Belgium, which invaded in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations ruled through the Kings and perpetuated pro-Tutsi policy. The Hutu population revolted in 1959, massacring a large number of Tutsi and ultimately establishing an independent Hutu-dominated state in 1962. The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front launched a civil war in 1990, which was followed by the 1994 Genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The RPF ended the genocide with a military victory.

Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, but has since strengthened. The economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export. Tourism is a fastgrowing sector and is now the country's leading foreign exchange earner; Rwanda is one of only two countries in whichmountain gorillas can be visited safely, and visitors are prepared to pay high prices for gorilla tracking permits.

Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan culture, particularly drums and the highly choreographed intore dance. Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, including imigongo, a unique cow dung art.

Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald V when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991. It was the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the Storting. Queen Sonja has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the fall session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne since his accession.

In accordance with their own wishes, the King and Queen were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991. Following the consecration, the King and Queen conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway. In 1992, the entire Royal Family conducted a 22-day tour of Norway’s four northernmost counties.

The Queen accompanies the King on official state visits abroad.

She acts as the hostess when foreign heads of state officially visit Norway. The Queen has also given lectures on Norway as a tourist destination on several occasions during official state visits abroad.

In 2005, Queen Sonja became the first queen ever to visit Antarctica. The Queen was there to open the Norwegian Troll research station in the country's Antarctic dependency,Queen Maud Land.

The Queen flew in on one of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's C130H Hercules transport aircraft, landing at Troll airfield.

The Queen is appointed a Rear Admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy and a Brigadier in the Norwegian army. She has undergone a basic officer training course and has participated in exercises.

Queen Sonja’s School Award:

Queen Sonja’s School Award was established in 2006 and is awarded to schools who have "demonstrated excellence in its efforts to promote inclusion and equality".

Issue

Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise, born on 22 September 1971. She married Ari Behn, born on 30 September 1972, on 24 May 2002. They have 3 daughters: Maud Angelica Behn, born 29 April 2003 Leah Isadora Behn, born 8 April 2005 Emma Tallulah Behn, born 29 September 2008 His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, born on 20 July 1973. He married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, born 19 August 1973, on 25 August 2001. She has a son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, 13 January 1997. They have 2 children: Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born 21 January 2004, Hereditary Princess of Norway His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus, born 3 December 2005

Patronages History • Red Cross Nordic United World College Humans moved into what is now Rwanda following the last glacial period, either in theNeolithic period around 8000

BC, or in the long humid period which followed, up to around 3000 BC. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by hunter gatherers in the late stone age, followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools. These early inhabitants were the ancestors of the Twa, a group of aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers who remain in Rwanda today. Between 700 BC and 1500 AD, a number of Bantu groups migrated into Rwanda, and began to clear forest land for agriculture. The forest-dwelling Twa lost much of their habitat and were forced to move on to the slopes of mountains. Historians have several theories regarding the nature of the Bantu migrations; one theory is that the first settlers were Hutu, while the Tutsi migrated later and formed a distinct racial group, possibly of Cushitic origin. An alternative theory is that the migration was slow and steady, with incoming groups integrating into rather than conquering the existing society. Under this theory, the Hutu and Tutsi distinction arose later and was a class distinction rather than a racial one.

The earliest form of social organisation in the area was the clan (ubwoko). Clans existed across the Great Lakes region, with around twenty in the area that is now Rwanda. The clans were not limited to genealogical lineages or geographical area, and most included Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. From the 15th century, the clans began to coalesce into kingdoms; by 1700 around eight kingdoms existed in present-day Rwanda. One of these, the Kingdom of Rwanda, ruled by the Tutsi Nyiginya clan, became increasingly dominant from the mid-eighteenth century. The kingdom reached its greatest extent during the nineteenth century under the reign of King Kigeli Rwabugiri. Rwabugiri conquered several smaller states, expanded the kingdom west and north, and initiated administrative reforms; these included ubuhake, in which Tutsi patrons ceded cattle, and therefore privileged status, to Hutu or Tutsi clients in exchange for economic and personal service, and uburetwa, a corvée system in which Hutu were forced to work for Tutsi chiefs. Rwabugiri's changes caused a rift to grow between the Hutu and Tutsi populations. The Twa were better off than in pre-Kingdom days, with some becoming dancers in the royal court, but their numbers continued to decline.

The Berlin Conference of 1884 assigned the territory to Germany as part of German East Africa, marking the beginning of the colonial era. The explorer Gustav Adolf von Götzen was the first European to significantly explore the country in 1894; he crossed from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king. The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting the king and the existing hierarchy and delegating power to local chiefs. Belgian forces took control of Rwanda and Burundi during World War I, beginning a period of more direct colonial rule. Belgium simplified and centralised the power structure, and introduced largescale projects in education, health, public works, and agricultural supervision, including new crops and improved agricultural techniques to try to reduce the incidence of famine. Both the Germans and the Belgians promoted Tutsi supremacy, considering the Hutu and Tutsi different races. In 1935, Belgium introduced identity cards labelling each individual as either Tutsi, Hutu, Twa or Naturalised. While it had previously been possible for particularly wealthy Hutu to become honorary Tutsi, the identity cards prevented any further movement between the classes.

Belgium continued to rule Rwanda as a UN Trust Territory after World War II, with a mandate to oversee independence. Tension escalated between the Tutsi, who favoured early independence, and the Hutu emancipation movement, culminating in the 1959Rwandan Revolution: Hutu activists began killing Tutsi, forcing more than 100,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. In 1962, the now pro-Hutu Belgians held a referendum and elections in which the country voted to abolish the monarchy. Rwanda was separated from Burundi and gained independence in 1962.

Cycles of violence followed, with exiled Tutsi attacking from neighbouring countries and the Hutu retaliating with large-scale slaughter and repression of the Tutsi. In 1973, Juvénal Habyarimana took power in a a military coup.

Pro-Hutu discrimination continued, but there was greater economic prosperity and a reduced amount of violence against Tutsi. The Twa remained marginalised, and by 1990 were almost entirely forced out of the forests by the government; many became beggars. Rwanda's population had increased from 1.6 million people in 1934 to 7.1 million in 1989, leading to competition for land.

In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees, invaded northern Rwanda, initiating the Rwandan Civil War. Neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage in the war, but by 1992 it had weakened Habyarimana's authority; mass demonstrations forced him into a coalition with the domestic opposition and eventually to sign the 1993 Arusha Accords with the RPF. The cease-fire ended on 6 April 1994 when Habyarimana's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport, killing the President. The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan Genocide, which began within a few hours. Over the course of approximately 100 days, between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on the orders of the interim government. Many Twa were also killed, despite not being directly targeted. The Tutsi RPF restarted their offensive, and took control of the country methodically, gaining control of the whole country by midJuly. The international response to the Genocide was limited, with major powers reluctant to strengthen the already overstretched UN peacekeeping force. When the RPF took over, approximately two million Hutu fled to neighbouring countries, in particular Zaire, fearing reprisals; additionally, the RPF-led army was a key belligerent in the First and Second Congo Wars. Within Rwanda, a period of reconciliation and justice began, with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the reintroduction of Gacaca, a traditional village court system.

During the 2000s Rwanda's economy, tourist numbers and Human Development Indexgrew rapidly; between 2006 and 2011 the poverty rate reduced from 57% to 45%, and child mortality rates dropped from 180 per 1000 live births in 2000 to 111 per 1000 in 2009.

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Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Norwegian Association of Museums Norwegian National Opera Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Oslo Chamber Music Festival Førde International Folk Music Festival National Association of Folk Music and Dance Royal Norwegian Society for Development Norwegian Horticulture Society Norwegian Institute in Rome Norwegian Institute at Athens

Honours

In 1982 she was awarded the Nansen Refugee Award. In 2007, she received the Holmenkollen medal with Simon Ammann, Frode Estil,Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, and her husband, King Harald V. • Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav° • Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit° • The Royal House Centenary Medal° • Haakon VIIs Centenary Medal° • Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991° • Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982° • Olav Vs Centenary Medal° • Royal Family Order of King Olav V of Norway° • Royal Family Order of King Harald V of Norway° • Norwegian Red Cross Badge of Honour° • The Nansen Medal° • Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold°

ForeignGrand Orders Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria °

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Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold ° Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross° Grand Cross of the Order of Stara Planina ° Croatia - Grand Order of Queen Jelena ° Knight of the Order of the Elephant ° 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ° Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland ° Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite ° Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany ° Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer ° Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary ° The Golden Olympic order (IOC) ° Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon ° Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ° Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown ° Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance ° (Order of Al-Nahda) Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars ° Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great ° Grand Cross of the Order of Adolph of Nassau ° Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau ° Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion ° Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown ° Medal to commemorate the enthronement of Queen Beatrix ° Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle° Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal ° (02/01/1981) Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique ° (13/02/2004) Grand Cross of the Order of Christ ° (26/05/2008) Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III ° Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic ° Member of the Order of the Seraphim ° King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th Anniversary Medal°

HUNGARY Fisherman's Day Marshall Islands - Jul 04

F i r s t Wo r l d Wa r c o m m e m o r a t i o n h e l d i n Yp r e s

H unga r y r e a dy to pa r t ic ipa t e in EU 's U k r a ine m is s ion

In the Marshall Islands, Fishermen's Day is a public holiday that is sponsored bythe Marshalls Billfish Club.

During the Fishermen's Day contest, competingfishermen go out into the ocean and attempt to catch the most, the biggest, or theheaviest fish in any of several categories. Because the boats often leave between5:30 and 6:00 A.M., competitors usually register the evening before the actualcontest day. The fishing often lasts as late as 5:00 P.M., at which time the fish areweighed and measured.

The Marshall Islands is well known to have some of the best sport-fishing conditionsin the world. In 1981, four friends, Tom Micheals, Wally Milne, Ramsey Reimers,and Ronnie Reimers, founded the Marshalls Billfish Club so that they could beinvited to compete in the Hawaiian Invitational Billfish Tournament (HIBT)championship in Kona, Hawaii. During their first time competing in this tournament,the Marshalls Billfish Club won with a 711-pound marlin caught by RamseyReimers. That fish remains in the top ten for that competition.

The win at the 1981 HIBT inspired the four friends to set up an annual tournament inthe Marshall Islands every July.

They recruited many volunteers to help plan and runthe very first tournament in July 1982. The Marshall Islands government endorsedthe club, local businesses made contributions, and several off-island supportersalso contributed to the event. Since then, the event has become a national holidayand a source of enjoyment to hundreds of people each year.

Independence Day U.S. - Jul 04

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain (now officially known as the United Kingdom). Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs,picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.

Background

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail: The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third President in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.

Photo: Barna Burger

(Online 27 Jun) Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with the summit of EU heads of state and ministers prime opened with commemorations marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, in Ypres on Thursday.

The leaders of the states member were received by

President of the EuCouncil ropean Van Herman Rompuy at the In Flanders Fields Mufollowing seum, which they visited the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, where they paid tribute to the fallen. The European Council leadalso ers inaugurated a me-

morial in the form of a "peace bench" in the garden located to the south of the Menin Gate.

At the end of the day the heads of state and prime ministers had dinner in Ypres and had an informal discussion on strategic decisions concerning the future of the EU.

Drug use can be prevented and addiction is treatable

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ing and once again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a man ner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, The Bald Eagle, national bird speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fire works. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting. of the United States since In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a 1782 double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.

In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.

In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.

In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music pro gram assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy." This is recognized as the first recorded celebration and is still celebrated there today.

In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.

In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.

In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.

Customs An 1825 invitation to an Independence Day celebration

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Independence Day is a national holiday marked by patriotic displays. Similar to other summer-themed events, Independence Day celebrations often take place outdoors. Independence Day is a federal hol iday, so all non-essential federal institutions (like the postal service and federal courts) are closed on that day. Many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation's heritage, laws, history, society, and people.

Families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbecue and take ad vantage of the day off and, in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades are often in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.

The night before the Fourth was once the focal point of celebrations, marked by raucous gatherings often incorporating bonfires as their centerpiece. In New England, towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from hogsheads and barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall, to usher in the celebration. The highest were in Salem, Mas sachusetts (on Gallows Hill, the famous site of the execution of 13 women and 6 men for witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem witch tri als, where the tradition of bonfires in celebra tion had persisted), composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels; these are the tallest bon fires ever recorded. The custom flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is still prac ticed in some New England towns.

Independence Day fireworks are often ac companied by patriotic songs such as the na tional anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner", The Mayflower transported Pilgrims to "God Bless America", "America the Beauti ful", "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", "This Land Is the New World in 1620, as depicted in Your Land", "Stars and Stripes Forever", and, William Halsall's The Mayflower in Plyregionally, "Yankee Doodle" in northeastern mouth Harbor, 1882. states and "Dixie" in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812.

Firework shows are held in many states, and many fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alter native to a public show. Safety concerns have led some states to ban fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed. Illicit traffic transfers many fireworks from less restrictive states.

A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a “salute to the union,” is fired on Inde pendence Day at noon by any capable military base.

In 2009, New York City had the largest fireworks display in the country, with over 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploded. Other major displays are in Chicago on Lake Michigan; in San Diego over Mission Bay; in Boston on the Charles River; in St. Louis on the Mississippi River; in San Francisco over the San Fran cisco Bay; and on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. During the annual Windsor-Detroit Interna tional Freedom Festival, Detroit, Michigan hosts one of the world's largest fireworks displays, over the Detroit River, to celebrate Independence Day in conjunction with Windsor, Ontario's celebration of Canada Day. While the official observance always falls on July 4th, participation levels may vary according to which day of the week the 4th falls on. If the holiday falls in the middle of the week, some fireworks displays and celebrations may take place during the weekend for convenience, again, varying by region.

The first week of July is typically one of the busiest American travel periods of the year, as many people utilize the holiday for extended vacation trips.

countries Other The Philippines celebrates July 4 as its Republic Day to

commemorate that day in 1946 when it ceased to be a U.S. territory and the United States officially recognized Philippine independence. July 4 was intentionally chosen by the United States because it corresponds to its Independence Day, and this day was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until 1962. In 1964, the name of the July 4 holiday was changed to Republic Day. In Rwanda, July 4 is an official holiday known as Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in which the US government also played a role. Denmark also celebrates American Independence on the 4th of July. National An 1825 invitation to an Independence parks in Denmark are said to hold the largest 4 July cele- Day celebration. brations outside of the US.

Photo: Károly Árvai

(Online 26 Jun) Drug use can be prevented and addiction is treatable, this is the encouraging message of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, State Minister for Social Affairs and Inclusion Károly Czibere said on Thursday in Budapest. He was speaking on the occasion of handing out ministerial awards to specialists with a long track record of fighting against drugs.

Mr Czibere said that since last year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, an important task was that of adopting the anti-drug strategy, which happened in

October and set the tasks for the 20132020 period. He reminded that the drug market underwent radical changes in the past years and the effects of many new psychoactive substances are not yet fully understood by medicine.

He said families and small communities play a key role in drug prevention, thus social policy should support them in this task.

He also said that young people are most in need of these small groups they go when through the most difficult phase of their lives.

Mr Czibere – on behalf of Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog –

handed out the “Elige Vitam” (latin for “choose life”) to Ajándok Eőry, doctor at the Hungarian Maltese Aid and addictionologist Gábor Kelemen, Professor at the Pécs Science University for their decades-long committed work in the field of drug prevention and addiction treatment. Five further specialists and two institutions received diplomas for their dedicated work.

The United Nations General Assembly declared June 26 the World Anti-Drug Day in 1988 and Hungary has been observing it since 1997 and awards for work in this field have been handed out on this day since 2001.

Strategic gas reserves are being filled continuously

Declaration of Independence Venezuela - Jul 05

The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by a congress of Venezuelan provinces on July 5, 1811 through which Venezuelans made the decision to break away from the Spanish Crown in order to establish a new nation based on the premises of equality of individuals, abolition of censorship and dedication to freedom of expression.

These principles were enshrined as a constitutional principal for the new nation and were radically opposed to the political, cultural, and social practices that had existed during three hundred years of colonization.

Seven of the ten provinces belonging to the Captaincy General of Venezueladeclared their independence and explained their reasons for this action, among them, that it was baneful that a small European nation ruled the great expanses of the New World, that America recovered its right to self-government after the abdications of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII at Bayonne, and that the political instability in Spain dictated that Venezuelans rule themselves, despite the brotherhood they shared with Spaniards. The seven provinces were Caracas Province, Cumaná Province, Barinas Province,Margarita Province, Barcelona Province, Mérida Province and Trujillo Province.

The three remaining provinces (Maracaibo Province, Coro Province and Guayana Province) which did not take part in the Venezuelan congress opted to stay under Spanish rule.

The declaration proclaimed a new nation called the American Confederacy of Venezuela and was mainly written by Juan Germán Roscio. It was ratified by Congress on July 7, 1811 and recorded in the Congress's Book of Minutes on August 17, 1811 in Caracas.

The anniversary of this declaration is celebrated as Independence Day. The original Book of Minutes of the first Congress of Venezuela is in the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas.

Independence Day Algeria - Jul 05

July 5 is celebrated in Algeria as Independence Day, in remembrance of actual independence from France in 1962. After being taken by the French in 1830, Algeria remained under France’s control for 132 years.

History

The French invaded Algiers in 1830 and slowly started to take over the whole territory of Algeria. The first years of French occupation were violent and, combined with epidemic diseases, the population of Algeria declined by one third from 1830 to 1872. During these years, many French citizens immigrated to Algeria to colonize the lands and create farms.

In the early 1900s, General Guilain Denoeux managed to conquer the last Tuareg in West Africa. Algeria was already a part of France, and settlers took over the country coming from France, Spain, Malta, and Italy, building up farms along the coast of Algeria. Most of the native population of Algeria was taken away from their lands and deprived of schooling.

In 1954, the Algerian National Liberation Front started the Algerian War of Independence against the French. In 1958, President Charles de Gaulle gave Algerians the choice of whether to gain independence or to remain as a French territory. Independence won by a landslide, and Algeria became independent on July 5, 1962, while over one million Algerians tried to escape to France.

Celebrations

Independence Day in Algeria is marked by the diversity of cultural influences in the Algerian society. It is a day that is celebrated with passion. Algerians take to the streets and attend celebrations wearing the national color of green.

There are military parades in Algiers. Concerts and cultural events are organized in the national stadium. In recent years, the day has been marked by unfortunate bloody terrorist attacks targeting civilians, but Algerians still celebrate Independence Day as one of the most important days on their calendar.

Independence Day - Jul 05 Cape Verde Islands

Cape Verde officially the Republic of Cape Verde, is an island country, spanning anarchipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa.

The islands, covering a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are of volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal,Boa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and dry, the remaining ones are generally rockier and have more vegetation. However, because of the infrequent occurrence of rainfall the overall landscape is not particularly green.

The name of the country stems from the nearby Cap Vert, on the Senegalesecoast, which in its turn was originally named "Cabo Verde" when it was sighted by Portuguese explorers in 1444, a few years before the islands were discovered (verdeis Portuguese for "green").

The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguesein the 15th Century, and became important in the Atlantic slave trade for their location. The islands' prosperity often attracted privateers and pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, a corsair (privateer) under the authority of the British crown, who twice sacked the (then) capital Ribeira Grande, in the 1580s. The islands were also visited by Charles Darwin's expedition in 1832.

The decline in the slave trade in the 19th century resulted in an economic crisis for the islands. With few natural resources, and without strong sustainable investment from the Portuguese, the citizens grew increasingly discontent with the colonial masters, who nevertheless refused to provide the local authorities with more autonomy. This discontent festered and culminated in 1975, when a movement originally led by Amílcar Cabral (who was assassinated on 20 January 1973) then passed onto his half-brother Luís Cabral, achieved independence for the archipelago.

The country has an estimated population (most of creole ethnicity) of about 500,000, with its capital city Praia accounting for a quarter of its citizens. Nearly 38% of the population lives in rural areas according to the 2010 Cape Verdean census; about 20% lives below the poverty threshold, and the literacy rate is around 85%. Politically, the country is a very stable democracy, with notable economic growth and improvements of living conditions despite its lack of natural resources, and has garnered international recognition by other countries and international organizations, which often provide development aid. Since 2007, Cape Verde has been classified as a developing nation.

Tough economic times during the last decades of its colonization and the first years of Cape Verde's independence led many to migrate to Europe, the Americas and other African countries. This migration was so significant that the number of Cape Verdeans and their descendants living abroad currently exceeds the population of Cape Verde itself. Historically, the influx of remittances from these immigrant communities to their families has provided a substantial contribution to help strengthen the country's economy. Currently, the Cape Verdean economy is mostly service-oriented with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment, which benefits from the islands' warm climate throughout the year, diverse landscape, welcoming people and cultural wealth, especially in music.

cers, who would provide support to the reform of Ukraine's civilian security bodies, and train police and National Guard personnel.

Mr. Navracsics said that it is in Hungary’s interest to see a territoriallyintact Ukraine, which observes democratic norms, the rule of law and constitutionality.

Mr. Navracsics welcomed the political consensus between Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and representatives of the Hungarian minority as a sign that Ukraine will enforce the rights of its

Hungarian community.

The Minister added that Hungary could become a major supplier of gas to Ukraine with an interconnecting supply line between the two countries, thus contributing to Ukraine’s stability.

In answer to a question, Mr. Navracsics said that representatives from the UK, Sweden and the Baltic countries had suggested that the EU should step up its sanctions against Russia, but he added that the majority of foreign ministers did not support this proposal.

N um be r of e m ploy m e nt c ontinue s t o inc r e a s e in H unga r y

Observance In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in salute, once at morn •

•

(Online 24 Jun) In Luxembourg on Monday, Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade Tibor Navracsics said that Hungary is ready to undertake a role in a non-military mission by the European Union aimed at consolidating the rule of law in Ukraine .

Speaking to Hungarian reporters after a meeting with his EU counterparts, Mr. Navracsics said that Hungary would contribute some experts to the mission, which is planned for a team of 50; these would be mostly police offi-

(Online 27 Jun) According to the flash report of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) published this morning, the upward employment trend is unbroken.

In March-May 2014, the number of people aged 15-74 years in employment increased by 195 thousand, from 3 million 910 thousand one year ago to 4 million 105 thousand. Accordingly, the employment rate edged up from 51.2 percent to 54 percent.

Besides public work programmes, more and more people are employed by the private sector which confirms the effectiveness of the Government’s employ-

ment policy.

The employment rate within the age group of 15-74 years grew from 51.2 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year to 54 percent, an increase of 2,8 percentage points.

As far as the gender aspect of employment is concerned, it can be concluded that indicators improved for both men and women. The employment rate of men aged 15-64 years was up year-on-year by 3.8 percentage points to 67.5 percent, while that of women reached 55.5 percent in the observed period. The monthly increases in women’s employment

rate recorded this year were the largest within the EU member states and thus the Hungarian indicator is fast approaching the EU average.

In the period MarchMay 2014, the number of jobless was down year-on-year by 104 thousand in Hungary.

Accordingly, in comparison to the corresponding period of 2010, the number of unemployed people dropped by 357 thousand. The respective unemployment rate fell by 2.5 percent to 8 percent, reaching a nearly six-year record low.

Minister Navracsics participated on the NATO foreign ministers' meeting (Online 26 Jun) It is in Hungary's interest that Ukraine should be a democratic, independent state enjoying territorial sovereignty, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated on Wednesday.

Hungary is one of Ukraine's oldest friends, it was among the first countries to recognise Ukraine's independence before, Tibor Navracsics said in Brussels where he took part in a conference of NATO foreign ministers.

Concerning bilateral relations, Mr Navracsics noted two areas of parimportance ticular among Hungary's interests. These include the situation of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia in western Ukraine and Hungary's capability to supply gas to Ukraine in case its access to Russian supplies is barred.

"Hungary contributes strategically to maintaining an independent Ukraine and its stability," the Minister said.

The Hungarian community in Ukraine supports the country's current leadership as Petro Poroshenko had made a commitment to ensure the formation of a separate administrative district of Hungarian localities before he was elected Ukraine's new president, Mr Navracsics said. Poroshenko also made a commitment to ensure the Hungarian community unrestricted use of their mother tongue and the possibility to create the basic conditions of cultural autonomy, he added.

The Ukrainian president is expected to most certainly live up to these Mr commitments, Navracsics said.

Asked about his bilat-

eral meeting with his Ukrainian colleague, Mr Navracsics said he asked Pavlo Klimkin that Ukraine should, if possible, allow the introduction of dual citizenship for its citizens which is currently banned by Ukrainian law. The Ukrainian side indicated openness to consider the issue in the long term, Mr Navracsics said.

In connection with the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, he noted a uniform view within NATO that Moscow's steps are unacceptable. The suspension of cooperation was justified and should be so maintained, he said. But the approach towards Russia should in the long term be that it should remain part of the European security policy architecture, the Minister said.

Further expansion of the EU should remain a strategic target Photo: Ágnes Bartolf

(Online 26 Jun) Natural gas supply from Ukraine is proceeding according to contract and the strategic gas reserves are being filled continuously, announced Miklós Seszták, Minister for National Development on Thursin Algyő, day Hungary.

Following a site visit to the Szőreg-1 underground natural gas storage reservoir, the Minister also confirmed that M B F M Földgáztároló Zrt. (Hungary’s strategic gas reserve operator) will comply with its statutory obligation of storing 915 million cubic meters of strategic gas by June 30.

"No worries, we have gas" – he said adding also: the already stored volume of 2 billion cubic meters of gas

could be sufficient for ensuring the supply for several months even during the winter period.

Miklós Seszták informed that two days ago he had talks with the Russian Energy Minister in Vienna, who also confirmed Russia’s intention to comply with all the contractual terms.

The Government also conducts negotiations in order for the commercial storage capacities to be filled. An advantage of this being that it does not require funds from the central budget, yet a gas stock is delivered to Hungary, said the Minister.

István Gáti, General Manager of MMBF Földgáztároló Zrt. asserted that filling of the strategic gas reserve began on May 9 and will be

completed by Monday. In addition to this, a commercial stock of 500 million cubic meters is also in the stored underSzőreg-1 ground natural gas storage reservoir.

In response to a question, the expert added that daily gas consumption is upon dependent the weather conditions. In case of an eventual conflict, if gas supply through the eastern border stopped, the gas storage reservoirs, domestic production and gas supply from the west together with the soon-to-be-commissioned Slovak gas pipeline could satisfy even a daily consumption of 70 million cubic meters, therefore there could not be any problem this winter.

(Online 25 Jun) The further expansion of the European Union should remain a strategic target, Minister of State for EU affairs Enikő Győri said on Tuesday after a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.

Hungary was represented at the meeting of the General Affairs Council by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tibor Navracsics and Ms Győri, who has been in charge of EU affairs for a longer period. After the meeting, the Minister had to travel to Brussels to attend the NATO foreign ministers meeting.

Ms Győri statedafter the council meeting that

Hungary was among those member countries that want further EU expansion to be considered a strategic issue.

Commenting on a decision to give candidate status to Albania, she said this demonstrated that expansion was an organic process and "if there is good performance, there is recognition for it."

"EU action is needed where it is guaranteed to produce added value and is more efficient than action at a national level," she said on the strategic document currently being prepared.

Strategic plans focus on economic growth and

job creation, she said.

Energy policy and climate policy are also areas where the usefulness of joint action has been identified, she added.

"We accept that economic policy coordination is unavoidable within the euro zone but we would like to see real distinction between measures that affect the euro zone and those that affect non euro zone countries," she said. Hungary has never debated common objectives but always called for more maneuvering space in crisis management, she added.

Monika Balatoni aims to create good image of Hungary

Pactera will open its global development centre in Hungary

History

Before the arrival of Europeans, the Cape Verde Islands were uninhabited. The islands of the Cape Verde archipelago were discovered by Italian and Portuguese navigators around 1456. According to Portuguese official records the first discoveries were made by Genoese born Antonio de Noli, who was afterwards appointed governor of Cape Verde by Portuguese King Afonso V. Other navigators mentioned as contributing with discoveries in the Cape Verde archipelago are Diogo Gomes, Diogo Dias, Diogo Afonso and the Italian Alvise Cadamosto.

In 1462, Portuguese settlers arrived at Santiago and founded a settlement they called Ribeira Grande (now called Cidade Velha, to avoid being confused with the town of Ribeira Grande on the Santo Antão island). Ribeira Grande was the first permanent European settlement in the tropics.

In the 16th century, the archipelago prospered from the transatlantic slave trade. Piratesoccasionally attacked the Portuguese settlements. Sir Francis Drake, a British corsair, sacked Ribeira Grande in 1585. After a French attack in 1712, the town declined in importance relative to nearby Praia, which became the capital in 1770.

With the decline in the slave trade, Cape Verde's early prosperity slowly vanished. However, the islands' position astride mid-Atlantic shipping lanes made Cape Verde an ideal location for re-supplying ships. Because of its excellent harbour, Mindelo (on the island of São Vicente) became an important commercial centre during the 19th century.

In 1951, Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to blunt growing nationalism. In 1956, Amilcar Cabral, and a group of fellow Cape Verdeans and Guineans organised (in Portuguese Guinea) the clandestine African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which demanded improvement in economic, social and political conditions in Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea and formed the basis of the two nations' independence movement. Moving its headquarters to Conakry, Guinea in 1960, the PAIGC began an armed rebellion against Portugal in 1961. Acts of sabotage eventually grew into a war in Portuguese Guinea that pitted 10,000 Soviet bloc-supported PAIGC soldiers against 35,000 Portuguese and African troops.

By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite the presence of the Portuguese troops, but the organization did not attempt to disrupt Portuguese control in Cape Verde. Portuguese Guinea declared independence in 1973 and was granted de jureindependence in 1974. Following the April 1974 revolution in Portugal, the PAIGC became an active political movement in Cape Verde. In December 1974, the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing for a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans. On June 30, 1975, Cape Verdeans elected a National Assembly which received the instruments of independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.

Immediately following the November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau, relations between Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau became strained. Cape Verde abandoned its hope for unity with Guinea-Bissau and formed the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde(PAICV). Problems have since been resolved and relations between the countries are good. The PAICV and its predecessor established a one-party system and ruled Cape Verde from independence until 1990.

Responding to growing pressure for pluralistic democracy, the PAICV called an emergency congress in February 1990 to discuss proposed constitutional changes to end one-party rule. Opposition groups came together to form the Movement for Democracy (MPD) in Praia in April 1990. Together, they campaigned for the right to contest the presidential election scheduled for December 1990.

The one-party state was abolished September 28, 1990, and the first multi-party elections were held in January 1991. The MPD won a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, and MPD presidential candidate António Mascarenhas Monteiro defeated the PAICV's candidate with 73.5% of the votes. Legislative elections in December 1995 increased the MPD majority in the National Assembly. The party won 50 of the National Assembly's 72 seats.

A February 1996 presidential election returned President Monteiro to office. Legislative elections in January 2001 returned power to the PAICV, with the PAICV holding 40 of the National Assembly seats, MPD 30, and Party for Democratic Convergence (PCD) and Party for Labor and Solidarity (PTS) 1 each. In February 2001, the PAICV-supported presidential candidate Pedro Pires defeated former MPD leader Carlos Veiga by only 13 votes.

Tynwald Day Isle of Man - Jul 05

Tynwald Day (Manx: Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually occurring on 5 July.

On this day the Isle's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, instead of its usual meeting place, Douglas. The session is held partly in the Royal Chapel of St John the Baptist and partly in the open air on the adjacent Tynwald Hill (an artificial mound). The meeting, the first recorded instance of which dates to 1417, is known as Midsummer Court. It is attended by members of the two branches of Tynwald: the House of Keys, and the Legislative Council. The Lieutenant Governor, the representative of the Lord of Mann, presides except on the occasions when the Lord or another member of the British Royal Family is present.

All bills that have received the Royal Assent are promulgated on Tynwald Day; any Act of Tynwald which is not so promulgated within 18 months of passage ceases to have effect. Other proceedings include the presentation of petitions and the swearing in of certain public officials.

Photo: Barnabás Honéczy

Photo: Gergely Botár

(Online 25 Jun) American IT consulting company Pactera will open a development centre in Hungary, about investing EUR 11 million into the project that will create 230 new jobs in the first phase already. The investment was announced Tuesday at a press

omy is on a permanent growth trajectory.

The “positive sideeffect” of the economic policy the supporting manufacturing sectors is that several manufacturing companies bring also their service divisions to Hungary, therefore, those manuf a c t u r i n g

(Online 23 Jun) Developing a positive image of the country is the mission of the new Office of the Minister of State for Cultural Diplomacy and with its work it could help to shape the country’s foreign relations as well, said the Minister of State for Cultural Diplomacy of

EU candidate status.

The Minister said that “Albania has carried out important and difficult reforms in recent years, and today's decision is a recognition of this fact.”

Mr. Navracsics

stressed that Hungary is a committed supporter of the enlargement process, and this latest step sends an ex- Photo: Gergely Botár tremely important polit- conference in Bu- companies that ical message to all dapest, where are present in the countries in the region.

Péter Szijjártó, country operate P a r l i a m e n t a r y an increasing State Secretary of number of service Abolishing gratuity key to improving the Ministry of and development healthcare Foreign Affairs centres, he em(Online 20 Jun) Abol- of the public health changes could be and Trade empha- phasized. He also ishing gratuity must be product tax (or “fat achieved within a year. sized: Pactera’s added that even the first step in improv- tax”). “The idea is wor- József Pálinkás, for- presence is an- those companies ing the Hungarian thy of continuation”, he mer President of the other proof of the started to pay athealthcare system, re- said, adding that if ad- Hungarian Academy of fact that Hungary tention to this phecently appointed Min- ditional funding can be Sciences, said the attracts more and nomenon, which ister of State for secured, gratuity could problem was not that more investments were not yet presHealthcare Gábor also be eliminated. young scientists and in the business ent in Hungary; Zombor said at a pro- “This problem can be doctors leave the service sector.

Pactera is a good fessional conference solved without resort- country, but that they Antonio Monto- example. Now the in Budapest on Thurs- ing to penalties or rarely return. He said moli, Vice Presi- business service strict policing”, he said. Hungary should create dent of Pactera sector accounts day.

“If we want to have a A further challenge is attractive conditions SSC explained for a significant clean (healthcare) sys- to balance supply and for their return, adding that they have proportion of the tem, we must change demand while main- that overall financial long-term plans in investments dithe current one based taining full social secu- conditions were not Hungary, and their rected to Hungary. good, but “not terrible local office will be The State Secreon gratuity and there rity coverage. are several proposals Mr. Zombor also said either” and that a prop- the centre of their tary recited that on how to do that”. Mr. that the existing ten- erly functioning econ- software develop- there are over 80 was the ment, business in- service and develZombor said, adding sions within the sys- omy are partly prerequisite for im- telligence that this would require tem and opment centres determination as well responsible for the ex- provements. data analysis ac- operating in Hunas political and profes- odus of medical per- President of the Hun- tivities, among gary, employing sional support, “which sonnel. He praised the garian Residents’ As- others. Mr Szi- 30,000 people.

Tamás jjártó referred to Hungary has been have so far been ab- initiatives of the Hun- sociation sent”. He said health- garian Residents’ As- Dénes said gratuity the governmental gradually becomcare must be sociation regarding the was the main obstacle objective declared ing the European considered a strategi- gratuity system, stat- to any reforms, adding in 2010, i.e. Hun- regional centre of cally important sector ing that further steps that establishing a gary should be the service and develof the economy and should be considered. proper remuneration production centre opment centres, while there have been He also said that intro- system cannot be de- of Europe. emphasized Mr some improvements, ducing the resident layed further. Katalin He believed that Szijjártó. the system remains in scholarship system Kiss from public opin- the success of this Hungary has seva human resources was good and that he ion poll company strategy has been eral competitive also supported a mini- Synapse said a recent confirmed by now, a d v a n t a g e s : crisis.

Speaking at a confer- mum wage system for representative study of employment is at highly qualified ence on the future of specialists. He said theirs showed that 70 a record level, the workforce with healthcare, Mr. Zom- that if professional per- percent of doctors left current number of language skills is bor said one of the formance is also re- the country for better taxpayers is available, and the major questions was warded with adequate wages and their return higher than ever, country – given its how to find additional pay, there is a good would be dependent and last year a central location – funding for the system. chance that doctors on higher salaries, a turning point was may simultaneworking clear healthcare sys- achieved in eco- ously serve time There have already currently been some good solu- abroad would return tem structure and bet- nomic growth, zones spanning tions, he said, men- home. He said he ter working conditions. while this year the about 6 hours to tioning the introduction hoped that tangible Hungarian econ- both East and

ensure that foreign students studying in Hungary would not only get aware of the world of their university, but also they get to explore Hungarian culture and understand Hungary. This can be useful if, for example, as an employee of a large international company they will work

West, the State Secretary noted.

He explained that the investment by Pactera will strengthen the Hungarian economy and the Government also strives to establish long-term cooperation with the company: the Cabinet will provide the necessary assistance to

Photo: Barnabás Honéczy

Albania's EU candidate status is important for region: Hungary (Online 24 Jun) In Luxembourg on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tibor Navracsics said that Hungary welcomes the decision taken by the EU General Affairs Council on Albania’s

and the Central European region too; it cannot be voiced just for what the world can be grateful for this country and it cannot rely always upon famous Hungarians. As she said, continuity should be emphasized; that creativity and innovation always character-

ensure that the number of employees will increase to 800-1,000 in the 2nd and 3rd stages of the investment after the over 200 new jobs to be created in the 1st phase.

Mr Szijjártó emphasized that further Government decisions are expected in the future to make the Hungarian business environment even more attractive.

Mr Montomoli pointed out: The Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) and the Hungarian Government gave them great help for the investment, and this was one of the reasons why they chose Hungary for this project. The other reason for their decision, he explained, was that Hungary is in the middle of Europe g e o g r a p h i c a l l y, and also the availability of the Hungarian expertise and properly qualified, talented workforce, which are also essential for serving their international clientele.

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in an interview with the Hungarian News Agency.

Monika Balatoni also spoke of that a Hungarian Institute is expected to open in Belgrade this July.

The Minister of State explained that through culture, which “has always been present in the sphere of political power”, one may contribute to the shaping of the country’s relationships. She opined that the easiest way to reach the opinion-forming intellectuals of foreign countries, who are decisive on what is published in their homeland about Hungary, is through culture. She added that though not directly, but the attitude of these groups can be influenced. She stated: the judgement of Hungary will not be spectacularly improved from one day to another, but a representation of culture abroad which is persistent, well-thoughtout and consistent with economic and political processes, will eventually bring results.

In regard to the shaping of the country’s image she said that while historical and cultural traditions have always been important in Hungary

ized Hungarian artists and the Hungarian nation is still open, inclusive, creative and resourceful.

Monika Balatoni emphasized that politics does right if it does not settle arts and sciences, but leverages the opportunities they provide.

According to the Minister of State a trend can be observed in the world that in addition to economic cooperation, countries seek to tie cultural ties closer as well. The Office of the Minister of State also seeks to do so by preserving cultural roots, but also placing emphasis on innovation in culture and science as well. As she explained, through these it may support economy, as it may stimulate investment and contribute to the increase of competitiveness.

Monika Balatoni touched upon the importance of appearing at festivals and book fairs; the advertising of the endowment of the Hungarian film industry; the opportunities lying in linking art forms; and the relevancy of bilateral cooperation with countries and cities. On scientific diplomacy she said, it is important to

with Hungary later on, said the Minister of State.

She also spoke on the fact that it is important to strengthen the effectiveness of foreign Hungarian institutions and they must provide carefully selected programs for the interested. It is important that these institutions should not primarily serve the diaspora, but represent Hungarian culture by using Hungarians living abroad as intermediaries. Differing programs and strategies are needed in every country, but with the same goals. “We not only need to be present, but should also leave a trail”, she added.

The Minister of State said: the nearest Hungarian Institute will open in Belgrade; it is expected to be opened

by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in early July. As she said, this location is also a good indicator of the importance of Central and Eastern Europe for Hungarian foreign policy. She also noted that it is essential as well to see that more foreign countries should take the opening of a cultural institute in Hungary important.

M ont e ne gr o is r e a dy f or N ATO m e m be r s hip (Online 27 Jun) On Tuesday evening the Hungarian press agency MTI quoted Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tibor Navracsics as saying that Hungary considers Montenegro to be ready for NATO membership.

The Minister was speaking at a working dinner on the first day of a meeting in Brussels of foreign ministers from member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; he said that Montenegro is ready for NATO membership, while of the other three countries aiming to join – Macedonia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, and Georgia – the latter has done much to prepare for entry to the next important stage leading to NATO membership: the Membership Action Plan.

According to the Ministry’s communiqué, Mr. Navracsics argued that maintaining prospects for enlargement is important for the stability of the region.

The main item on the agenda at the working dinner was NATO's socalled "open door policy", which was described as a historic success by a NATO source this week. One diplomat stated that if

Georgia does not receive the opportunity to start preparations for membership as part of the Action Plan, the Alliance will be showing that Moscow – which strongly disapproves of NATO expansion in the region – has significant influence in questions related to enlargement.

At the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, both Georgia and Ukraine were promised that if they meet membership criteria and wish to join, they will be invited to become members.

No timescale was attached to this pledge, however.