Geok-Tepe Battle Anniversary Turkmenistan - J a n 1 2
HUNGARY
The Siege of Geok Tepe or The Battle of Geok Tepe was a siege by theImperial Russian army against the Turkmen fort of Geok Tepe in 1880-1881.
History In 1853-1868 the Russians moved south and
occupied most of what was later called Russian Central Asia. The area they did not yet have was approximately modern Turkmenistan. In 1869 they built Krasnovodsk on the east side of the Caspian sea. In 1879 they moved east and tried to take Geok Tepe. They first used artillery and then tried to take the fort by storm. The more numerous Turkomans drove them back. The Russians retreated and had difficulty holding off their pursuers. They retreated back across the desert toward Krasnovodsk. It is said that this was the worst Russian defeat in Central Asia since 1717. After the unsuccessful first [[[Battle of Geok Tepe 1879]]. The Russians sent a second expedition this time with more men and equipment, including 20,000 camels for transport. In December 1880, Geok Tepe was besieged by 7,100 Russians under General Mikhail Skobelev against 25,000 defenders. Including the civilian Turkmen population of the area. Learning a lesson from the previous expedition, Skolobev decided to besiege the fort instead of a direct assault. The siege of Geok Tepe lasted twenty-three days, after which the city was taken by storm. Although they encountered heavy resistance, Russian forces were eventually able to break in by digging a tunnel underneath a portion of the wall, then detonating a mine underneath the wall. On 12 (24) January 1881, the mine was detonated. Once the fortress was breached, the Russian troops stormed in. Several hundred defenders were killed in the initial explosion, and many more were killed in the fighting that ensued. As the Russians poured in the fort, the defenders, along with the civilians inside the fortress, fled across the desert, pursued by General Skobelev's cavalry.
Cooperation with Roma Self-Government H unga r y, Slov e nia a gr e e t o e nha nc e to enhance social cohesion: Martonyi bor de r c r os s ings
The Massacre
Around 8,000 Turkmen soldiers and civilians, including women and children were killed in their flight, along with an additional 6,500 that were killed inside the fortress. The Russians killed all Turkmen males in the fortress who had not escaped, but they spared some 5,000 women and children and freed 600 Persian slaves. The taking of Geok Tepe and the following slaughter broke the Turkmen resistance and decided the fate of Transcaspia. On 6 May 1881, Transcaspia was declared an oblast of the Russian Empire. During the entire campaign of 1880-1881 Russian casualties were 290 killed and 883 wounded, sickness accounted for the death of 645 Russian soldiers. The Russian general Skobelev said the following about the massacre: The harder you hit them, the longer they'll stay down.
Later
Skobelev was removed from his command because of the massacre. In 1881 Ashgabat was founded 28 miles southeast of Geok Tepe. The next Russian move as east to Merv in 1884 and in 1885 south from Merv to Pandjeh on the Afghan border.
Today The Geok Tepe (Gokdepe Mosque) was built to commemorate the siege and the defenders, it is noted for its mint-
turquoise blue coloured roof and white marble structure. The battle is remembered as a national day of mourning each year, and the resistance is often cited as a source of great national pride.
National Pharmacist Day U.S. - J a n 1 2
National Pharmacist Day is celebrated on January 12th of each year. Not only do pharmacists serve in a vital role throughout the healthcare system, the pharmacist profession remains as one of the most trusted professions around today. So on January 12, 2011, be sure to thank your pharmacist! Since many of you are looking forward to National Pharmacist Day, we at Rx Times would like to get an inside look at how employers such as retailers, health systems, indenuclear pendents, pharmacies, and mail service pharmacies handle this very important day.
Photo: Károly Árvai
Photo: Endre Véssey (Online 09 Jan) Foreign Minister János Martonyi declared that the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) was cooperating with the National Roma Self-Government (NRS), with social inclusion was becoming a part of foreign policy. Minister Martonyi and Flórián Farkas, President of the National Roma Self-Government, signed a cooperation agreement on January 9, 2014. After their meeting the Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that they would make efforts
to hire more Roma employees at the Foreign Ministry. He recalled that it was the Hungarian EU Presidency that initiated the adoption of an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies in 2011. The same year the Hungarian government concluded a framework agreement with the NRS. Minister Martonyi pointed out that they had decided to apply the framework agreement in foreign relations activities and missions abroad because it was an important area for enhancing
social cohesion and for advancing the integration of the Roma in Hungary. The task is now „to fill the cooperation agreement between the MFA and the NRS with substance”, said Mr Martonyi. He added that their cooperation had already begun with the MFA providing assistance to the NRS representative in brussels and through organizing a conference for sharing the MFA’s international experience with the NRS.
Hungary participates in the Phillippines aid program
Stephen Foster Memorial Day U.S. - J a n 1 2
Stephen Foster Memorial Day is a United States Federal Observance Day observed on January 13. According to 36 U.S.C. § 140, Stephen Foster Memorial Day celebrates the life of American songwriter Stephen Foster. The date commemorates date that Foster died. The law took effect on November 2, 1966, and the day was first observed in January 1967.
Youth Day India - J a n 1 2
National Youth Day is celebrated in India on 12 January on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. In 1984, the Government of India declared and decided to observe the birthday of Swami Vivekananda (12 January, according to the English calendar) as a National Youth Day every year from 1985 onwards. To quote from the Government of India's communication, 'it was felt that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth.'
Celebration
Swami Vivekananda's birthday (12 January 1863), according to the Indian Almanac (Vishuddha Siddhanta Almanac) is on Pausha Krishna Saptami tithi, which falls on different dates in the English Calendar every year (generally in the month of January). This is observed in various centres of Ramakrishna Math and Mission in a traditional Hindu manner which includes mangalarati (a kind of worship practised in India, specially by Hindu people), special worship, homa (fire-ritual), meditation, devotional songs, religious discourses and sandhyarati (vesper service at evenings). The National Youth Day is observed all over Jharkhand at schools and colleges, with processions, speeches, recitations, music, youth conventions, seminars, Yogasanas, presentations, competitions in essaywriting, recitations and sports on 12 January every year. Swami Vivekananda's lectures and writings, deriving their inspiration from Indian spiritual tradition and the broad outlook of his Master Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, are the source of inspiration and have motivated numerous youth organizations, study circles and service projects involving the youth. The National Youth Day is observed all over India at schools and colleges, with processions, speeches, recitations, music, youth conventions, seminars, Yogasanas, presentations, competitions in essay-writing, recitations and sports on 12 January every year. Swami Vivekananda's lectures and writings, deriving their inspiration from Indian spiritual tradition and the broad outlook of his MasterSri Ramakrishna, are a source of inspiration and have motivated numerous youth organizations, study circles and service projects involving the youth. All his teachings can be found in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, in nine volumes, published byAdvaita Ashrama, Kolkata.
Activities
On the occasion, different people participate in several activities in all over India (and many parts of world as well) which promote youth in the field of education,art,culture and hope to generate moral values with enlightenment of inner soul. On the occasion Mission Bhartiyam organises a two-day grand event in Uttar Pradesh of India for youths where more than a dozen activities take place for all age groups. The event is named Basti Yuvo Mahotsav. In fact, other government and non-profit organisations and corporate groups also celebrate in their way. National Youth Festival (India) is an annual gathering of young people associated with National Youth Day. It includes cultural activities of both a competitive and non-competitive nature.
Zanzibar Revolution Day Tanzania - J a n 1 2
The Zanzibar Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964 overthrew the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government. An ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika, Zanzibar had been granted independence by Britain in 1963. Thereafter a series of parliamentary elections resulted in the Arab minority retaining the hold on power it had inherited from Zanzibar's former existence as an overseas territory of Oman. Frustrated by under-representation in Parliament despite winning 54% of the vote in the July 1963 election, the mainly African Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) allied itself with the left-wing Umma Party, and early on the morning of 12 January 1964 ASP member John Okello mobilised around 600–800 revolutionaries on the main island of Unguja (Zanzibar Island). Having overrun the country's police force and appropriated their weaponry, the insurgents proceeded to Zanzibar Town where they overthrew the Sultan and his government. Reprisals against Arab and South Asian civilians on the island followed; the resulting death toll is disputed, with estimates ranging from several hundred to 20,000. The moderate ASP leader Abeid Karume became the country's new president and head of state, and positions of power were granted to Umma party members. The new government's apparent communist ties concerned Western governments, and as Zanzibar lay within the British sphere of influence, the British government drew up a number of intervention plans. However, the feared communist government never materialised, and British and United States citizens were successfully evacuated, so these plans were not put into effect. Meanwhile, the communist bloc powers of P. R. China, East Germany and theSoviet Union established friendly relations with the new government by recognising the country and sending advisors. Karume negotiated a merger of Zanzibar with Tanganyika, forming the new nation of Tanzania; an act judged by contemporary media to be an attempt to prevent communist subversion of Zanzibar. The revolution ended 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar, and is commemorated on the island each year with anniversary celebrations and a public holiday.
Background The Zanzibar Archipelago, now part of
the East African republic of Tanzania, is a group of islands lying in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanganyika. It comprises the main southern island of Unguja (also known as Zanzibar), the smaller northern island of Pemba, and numerous surrounding islets. With a long history of Arab rule dating back to 1698, Zanzibar was an overseas territory of Oman until it achieved independence in 1858 under its own Sultanate. In 1890 during Ali ibn Sa'id's reign, Zanzibar became a British protectorate,and although never formally The bodies of Arabs killed in the post-revolution viounder direct rule was considered part of lence as photographed by the Africa Addio film crew the British Empire. By 1964, the country was a constitutional monarchy ruled by Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. Zanzibar had a population of around 230,000 Africans—some of whom claimed Persian ancestry and were known locally as Shirazis—and also contained significant minorities in the 50,000 Arabs and 20,000 South Asians who were prominent in business and trade. The various ethnic groups were becoming mixed and the distinctions between them had blurred; according to one historian, an important reason for the general support for Sultan Jamshid was his family's ethnic diversity. However, the island's Arab inhabitants, as the major landowners, were generally wealthier than the Africans; the major political parties were organised largely along ethnic lines, with Arabs dominating theZanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP) and Africans the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP). In January 1961, as part of the process of decolonisation, the island's British authorities drew up constituencies and held democratic elections. Both the ASP and the ZNP won 11 of the available 22 seats in Zanzibar's Parliament, so further elections were held in June with the number of seats increased to 23. The ZNP entered into a coalition with the Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party (ZPPP) and this time took 13 seats, while the ASP, despite receiving the most votes, won just 10. Electoral fraud was suspected by the ASP and civil disorder broke out, resulting in 68 deaths. To maintain control, the coalition government banned the more radical opposition parties, filled the civil service with its own appointees, and politicised the police. In 1963, with the number of parliamentary seats increased to 31, another election saw a repeat of the 1961 votes. Due to the layout of the constituencies the ASP, led by Abeid Amani Karume, won 54 percent of the popular vote but only 13 seats, while the ZNP/ZPPP won the rest and set about strengthening its hold on power. The Umma Party, formed that year by disaffected radical Arab socialist supporters of the ZNP, was banned, and all policemen of African mainland origin were dismissed. This removed a large portion of the only security force on the island, and created an angry group of paramilitary-trained men with knowledge of police buildings, equipment and procedures. Complete independence from British rule was granted on 10 December 1963, with the ZNP/ZPPP coalition as the governing body. The government requested a defence agreement from the United Kingdom, asking for a battalion of British troops to be stationed on the island for internal security duties, but this was rejected as it was deemed inappropriate for British troops to be involved in the maintenance of law and order so soon after independence. British intelligence reports predicted that a civil disturbance, accompanied by increasing communist activity, was likely in the near future and that the arrival of British troops might cause the situation to deteriorate further. However, many foreign nationals remained on the island, including 130 Britons who were direct employees of the Zanzibar government.
Revolution Around 3:00 am on 12 January 1964, 600–800 poorly armed,
mainly African insurgents, aided by some of the recently dismissed ex-policemen, attacked Unguja's police stations, both of its police armouries, and the radio station. The Arab police replacements had received almost no training and, despite responding with a mobile force, were soon overcome. Arming themselves with hundreds of captured automatic rifles, submachine guns and Bren guns, the insurgents took control of strategic buildings in the capital, Zanzibar Town. Within six hours of the outbreak of hostilities, the town's telegraph office and main government buildings were under revolutionary control, and the island's only airstrip was captured at 2:18 pm. The Sultan, together with Prime Minister Muhammad Shamte Hamadi and members of the cabinet, fled the island on the royal yacht Seyyid Khalifa, and the Sultan's palace and other property was seized by the revolutionary government. At least 80 people were killed and 200 injured, the majority of whom were Arabs, during the 12 hours of street fighting that followed. Sixty-one American citizens, including 16 men staffing a NASA satellite tracking station, sought sanctuary in the English Club in Zanzibar Town, and four US journalists were detained by the island's new government. According to the official Zanzibari history, the revolution was planned and headed by the ASP leader Abeid Amani Karume. Paper shows photos of ex-government However, at the time Karume was on the African mainland as officials defaced after the revolution was the leader of the banned Umma Party, Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu. The ASP branch secretary for Pemba, Ugandan-born ex-policeman John Okello, had sent Karume to the mainland to ensure his safety. Okello had arrived in Zanzibar from Kenya in 1959, claiming to have been a field marshal for the Kenyan rebels during theMau Mau Uprising, although he actually had no military experience. He maintained that he heard a voice commanding him, as a Christian, to free the Zanzibari people from the Arabs, and it was Okello who led the revolutionaries—mainly unemployed members of the Afro-Shirazi Youth League—on 12 January. One commentator has further speculated that it was probably Okello, with the Youth League, who planned the revolution.
Aftermath A Revolutionary Council was established by the ASP and Umma parties to act as an interim government, with Karume
heading the council as President and Babu serving as the Minister of External Affairs. The country was renamed the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba; the new government's first acts were to permanently banish the Sultan and to ban the ZNP and ZPPP. Seeking to distance himself from the volatile Okello, Karume quietly sidelined him from the political scene, although he was allowed to retain his self-bestowed title of field marshal. However, Okello's revolutionaries soon began reprisals against the Arab and Asian population of Unguja, carrying out beatings, rapes, murders, and attacks on property. He claimed in radio speeches to have killed or imprisoned tens of thousands of his "enemies and stooges", but actual estimates of the number of deaths vary greatly, from "hundreds" to 20,000. Some Western newspapers give figures of 2,000–4,000;the higher numbers may be inflated by Okello's own broadcasts and exaggerated reports in some Western and Arab news media. The killing of Arab prisoners and their burial inmass graves was documented by an Italian film crew, filming from a helicopter, for Africa Addio and this sequence of film comprises the only known visual document of the killings.Many Arabs fled to safety in Oman, although by Okello's order no Europeans were harmed. The post-revolution violence did not spread to Pemba. By 3 February Zanzibar was finally returning to normality, and Karume had been widely accepted by the people as their president. A police presence was back on the streets, looted shops were re-opening, and unlicensed arms were being surrendered by the civilian populace. The revolutionary government announced that its political prisoners, numbering 500, would be tried by special courts. Okello formed the Freedom Military Force (FMF), a paramilitary unit made up of his own supporters, which patrolled the streets and looted Arab property. The behaviour of Okello's supporters, his violent rhetoric, Ugandan accent, and Christian beliefs were alienating many in the largely moderate Zanzibari and Muslim ASP, and by March many members of his FMF had been disarmed by Karume's supporters and the Umma Party militia. On 11 March Okello was officially stripped of his rank of Field Marshal, and was denied entry when trying to return to Zanzibar from a trip to the mainland. He was deported to Tanganyika and then to Kenya, before returning destitute to his native Uganda. In April the government formed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and completed the disarmament of Okello's remaining FMF militia. On 26 April Karume announced that a union had been negotiated with Tanganyika to form the new country of Tanzania.The merger was seen by contemporary media as a means of preventing communist subversion of Zanzibar; at least one historian states that it may have been an attempt by Karume, a moderate socialist, to limit the influence of the radically left-wing Umma Party.However, many of the Umma Party's socialist policies on health, education and social welfare were adopted by the government.
Foreign reaction British military forces in Kenya were made aware of the revolution at 4:45 am on 12 January, and following a request
from the Sultan were put on 15 minutes' standby to conduct an assault on Zanzibar's airfield. However, the British High Commissioner in Zanzibar, Timothy Crosthwait, reported no instances of British nationals being attacked and advised against intervention. As a result, the British troops in Kenya were reduced to four hours' standby later that evening. Crosthwait decided not to approve an immediate evacuation of British citizens, as many held key government positions and their sudden removal would further disrupt the country's economy and government. To avoid possible bloodshed, the British agreed a timetable with Karume for an organised evacuation. Within hours of the revolution, the American ambassador had authorised the withdrawal of US citizens on the island, and a US Navydestroyer, the USS Manley, arrived on 13 January. The Manley docked at Zanzibar Town harbour, but the US had not sought the Revolutionary Council's permission for the evacuation, and the ship was met by a group of armed men. Permission was eventually granted on 15 January, but the British considered this confrontation to be the cause of much subsequent ill will against the Western powers in Zanzibar. Western intelligence agencies believed that the revolution had been organised by communists supplied with weapons by the Warsaw Pact countries. This suspicion was strengthened by the appointment of Babu as Minister for External Affairs and Abdullah Kassim Hanga as Prime Minister, both known leftists with possible communist ties. Britain believed that these two were close associates ofOscar Kambona, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Tanganyika, and that former members of the Tanganyika Rifles had been made available to assist with the revolution. Some members of the Umma Party wore Cuban military fatigues and beards in the style of Fidel Castro, which was taken as an indication of Cuban support for the revolution. However this practice was started by those members who had staffed a ZNP branch office in Cuba and it became a common means of dress amongst opposition party members in the months leading up to the revolution. The new Zanzibar government's recognition of the German Democratic Republic (the first African government to do so), and of North Korea, was further evidence to the Western Powers that Zanzibar was aligning itself closely with the communist bloc. Just six days after the revolution the New York Times stated that Zanzibar was "on the verge of becoming the Cuba of Africa", but on 26 January denied that there was active communist involvement. Zanzibar continued to receive support from communist countries and by February was known to be receiving advisers from USSR, East Germany and China. Cuba also lent its support withChe Guevara stating on 15 August that "Zanzibar is our friend and we gave them our small bit of assistance, our fraternal assistance, our revolutionary assistance at the moment when it was necessary" but denying there were Cuban troops present during the revolution. At the same time, western influence was diminishing and by July 1964 just one Briton, a dentist, remained in the employ of the Zanzibari government. It has been alleged that Israeli spymaster David Kimche was a backer of the revolution with Kimche in Zanzibar on the day of the Revolution. The deposed Sultan made an unsuccessful appeal to Kenya and Tanganyika for military assistance, although Tanganyika sent 100 paramilitary police officers to Zanzibar to contain rioting. Other than the Tanganyika Rifles (formerly the colonial King's African Rifles), the police were the only armed force in Tanganyika, and on 20 January the police absence led the entire Rifles regiment to mutiny.Dissatisfied with their low pay rates and with the slow progress of the replacement of their British officers with Africans, the soldiers' mutiny sparked similar uprisings in both Uganda and Kenya. However, order on the African mainland was rapidly restored without serious incident by the British Army and Royal Marines. The possible emergence of an African communist state remained a source of disquiet in the West. In February, the British Defence and Overseas Policy Committee said that, while British commercial interests in Zanzibar were "minute" and the revolution by itself was "not important", the possibility of intervention must be maintained. The committee was concerned that Zanzibar could become a centre for the promotion of communism in Africa, much like Cuba had in the Americas. Britain, most of the Commonwealth, and the USA withheld recognition of the new regime until 23 February, by which time it had already been recognised by much of the communist bloc. In Crosthwait's opinion, this contributed to Zanzibar aligning itself with the Soviet Union; Crosthwait and his staff were expelled from the country on 20 February and were only allowed to return once recognition had been agreed.
British military response:
Following the evacuation of its citizens on 13 January, the US government stated that it recognised that Zanzibar lay within Britain's sphere of influence, and would not intervene.The US did, however, urge that Britain cooperate with other East African countries to restore order. The first British military vessel on the scene was the survey ship HMS Owen, which was diverted from the Kenyan coast and arrived on the evening of 12 January. Owen was joined on 15 January by the frigate Rhyl and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Hebe. While the lightly armed Owen had been able to provide the revolutionaries with an unobtrusive reminder of Britain's military power, the Hebe and Rhyl were different matters. Due to inaccurate reports that the situation in Zanzibar was RFA Hebe deteriorating, the Rhyl was carrying a company of troops of the first battalion of the Staffordshire Regiment from Kenya, the embarkation of which was widely reported in the Kenyan media, and would hinder British negotiations with Zanzibar. The Hebe had just finished removing stores from the naval depot at Mombasa and was loaded with weapons and explosives. Although the Revolutionary Council was unaware of the nature of Hebe's cargo, the Royal Navy's refusal to allow a search of the ship created suspicion ashore and rumours circulated that she was an amphibious assault ship. A partial evacuation of British citizens was completed by 17 January, when the army riots in East Africa prompted Rhyl's diversion to Tanganyika so the troops she was carrying could assist in quelling the mutiny. In replacement, a company of the Gordon Highlanders was loaded aboard Owen so an intervention could still be made if necessary. The aircraft carriers Centaur and Victorious were also transferred to the region as part of Operation Parthenon. Although never enacted, Parthenon was intended as a precaution should Okello or the Umma party radicals attempt to seize power from the more moderate ASP.In addition to the two carriers, the plan involved three destroyers, Owen, 13 helicopters, 21 transport and reconnaissance aircraft, the second battalion of the Scots Guards, 45 Commando of the Royal Marines and one company of the second battalion of the Parachute Regiment. The island of Unguja, and its airport, were to be seized by parachute and helicopter assault, followed up by the occupation of Pemba. Parthenon would have been the largest British airborne and amphibious operation since the Suez Crisis. Following the revelation that the revolutionaries may have received communist bloc training, Operation Parthenon was replaced by Operation Boris. This called for a parachute assault on Unguja from Kenya, but was later abandoned due to poor security in Kenya and the Kenyan government's opposition to the use of its airfields. Instead Operation Finery was drawn up, which would involve a helicopter assault by Royal Marines from HMS Bulwark, acommando carrier then stationed in the Middle East. As Bulwark was outside the region, Finery's launch would require 14 days' notice, so in the event that a more immediate response was necessary, suitable forces were placed on 24 hours' notice to launch a smaller scale operation to protect British citizens. With the merger of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on 23 April, there were concerns that the Umma Party would stage a coup; Operation Shed was designed to provide for intervention should this happen. Shed would have required a battalion of troops, with scout cars, to be airlifted to the island to seize the airfield and protect Karume's government. However, the danger of a revolt over unification soon passed, and on 29 April the troops earmarked for Shed were reduced to 24 hours' notice. Operation Finery was cancelled the same day. Concern over a possible coup remained though, and around 23 September Shed was replaced with Plan Giralda, involving the use of British troops from Aden and the Far East, to be enacted if the Umma Party attempted to overthrow President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. An infantry battalion, tactical headquarters unit and elements of the Royal Marines would have been shipped to Zanzibar to launch an amphibious assault, supported by follow-on troops from British bases in Kenya or Aden to maintain law and order. Giralda was scrapped in December, ending British plans for military intervention in the country.
Legacy One of the main impacts of the revolution in Zanzibar was to break the
power of the Arab/Asian ruling class, who had held it for around 200 years. Despite the merger with Tanganyika, Zanzibar retained a Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives which was, until 1992, run on a one party system and has power over domestic matters. The domestic government is led by the President of Zanzibar, Karume being the first holder of this office. This government used the success of the revolution to implement reforms across the island. Many of these involved the removal of power President Amani Abeid Karume particifrom Arabs. The Zanzibar civil service, for example, became an almost entirely African organisation, and land was redistributed from Arabs to pating in a military parade to mark the Africans. The revolutionary government also instituted social reforms such 40thanniversaryoftherevolution as free healthcare and opening up the education system to African students (who had occupied only 12% of secondary school places before the revolution). The government sought help from the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and P. R. China for funding for several projects and military advice. The failure of several GDR-led projects including the New Zanzibar Project, a 1968 urban redevelopment schemeto provide new apartments for all Zanzibaris, led to Zanzibar focussing on Chinese aid.The post-revolution Zanzibar government was accused of draconian controls on personal freedoms and travel and exercised nepotism in appointments to political and industrial offices, the new Tanzanian government being powerless to intervene. Dissatisfaction with the government came to a head with the assassination of Karume on 7 April 1972, which was followed by weeks of fighting between pro and anti-government forces. A multi-party system was eventually established in 1992, but Zanzibar remains dogged by allegations of corruption and vote-rigging, though the 2010 general election was seen to be a considerable improvement. The revolution itself remains an event of interest for Zanzibaris and academics. Historians have analysed the revolution as having a racial and a social basis with some stating that the African revolutionaries represent the proletariat rebelling against the ruling and trading classes, represented by the Arabs and South Asians. Others discount this theory and present it as a racial revolution that was exacerbated by economic disparity between races. Within Zanzibar, the revolution is a key cultural event, marked by the release of 545 prisoners on its tenth anniversary and by a military parade on its 40th. Zanzibar Revolution Day has been designated as a public holiday by the government of Tanzania; it is celebrated on 12 January each year.
Religious Freedom Day U.S. - J a n 1 6
National Religious Freedom Day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly's adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. This vital document became the basis for the establishment clause, and led to freedom of religion for all Americans as protected in the religion clause in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Religious Freedom Day is officially proclaimed on January 16 each year by an annual statement by the President of the United States. This day is commemorated by the First Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia by an annual First Freedom Award banquet.
(Online 07 Jan) Collaboration among the Hungarian Government, the business sector and NGOs to provide aid to the victims of typhoon Haiyan can serve as a model of cooperation – Péter Wintermantel, MFA Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs, declared on Tuesday. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press conference, along with the representatives of the Hungarian Red Cross and the Budapest Water Works, in order to present the report on the achievements of the Hungarian aid program
in the Phillippines. Mr Wintermanter underlined that Hungary took an active part in the international aid program and that it acted as a responsible donor country. The Hungarian Deputy State Secretary recalled that the Hungarian government as well as the NGOs had begun to provide assistance to the Phillippines right after the natural disaster had happened. The Budapest Water Works offered water purification equipment as requested by the government of the Philippines. Mr Wintermantel stated that the
mission that had been set up by the Budapest Water Works and the Hungarian Red Cross had successfully delivered the equipment to the location of the disaster. He added that the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded two other UN projects as well; one for orphans exposed to health threats and another providing medical service for pregnant women. Altogether, Hungary has contributed almost HUF 50 million to the international aid program in the Phillippines.
St. Melania's Day Ukraine - J a n 1 3
Saint Melania the Younger (also Melanie; born in Rome c. 383, died in Jerusalem on December 31, 439) is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder. The Feast of Melania the Younger is held on December 31. In Ukraine, Malanka ("Melania's Day") is celebrated on January 13, the eve of the new year of the Julian Calendar. Born to Valerius Publicola or Poplicola (son of Valerius Maximus Basilius and wife Melania the Elder) and Caeionia Albina, born ca 368 (daughter of Caeionius Rufius Albinus and wife), she was married to a paternal cousin, Valerius Pinianus, at the age of thirteen. After the early deaths of two children, she and her husband converted to Christianity, maintaining a celibate life thereafter. Upon inheriting her parents' wealth, she gave it all away to the poor. Melania and Pinianus left Rome in 408, living a monastic life near Messina(Sicily) for two years. In 410, they traveled to Africa, where they befriended Augustine of Hippo and devoted themselves to a life of piety and charitable works. Together they founded a convent of which Melania became Mother Superior, and cloister of which Pinianus took charge. In 417, they traveled to Palestine by way of Alexandria, living in a hermitage near the Mount of Olives, where Melania founded a second convent. After the death of Pinianus c. 420, Melania built a cloister for men, and a church, where she spent the remainder of her life.
(Online 10 Jan) Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signed a declaration of intent with his Slovenian counterpart Alenka Bratusek on developing road infrastructure and creating six new border crossing points between the two countries. At their meeting in Apátistvánfalva, a Hungarian village bordering Slovenia, the event's moderator State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó said that in order to boost Central European competitiveness, borders linking people together rather than separating them are indispensable. According to the declaration of intent, the two countries’ governments are aiming to open six border crossings during the current European financial period, which will be funded through the
EU's 2014-2020 development programme. The two prime ministers also inaugurated a new road connecting two Hungarian municipalities, Felsőszölnök and Kétvölgy, reducing the distance between the two villages from 24 kilometres to only 5 kilometres. This route serves as an important route, facilitating faster access to the Kétvölgy- Čepinci crossing point.
Lake Balaton is viable as a tourist region (Online 31 Dec) Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics claimed that "as a tourist region, Lake Balaton is viable only with Bakony and the Balaton Uplands, which together is capable to offer a wide variety of programmes throughout the whole year" at the twoday European Destination Marketing Conference this Thursday, organized in Balatonfüred. As the Minister of Public Administration and Justice reminded, over the last few years a professional debate was going on how the "golden age" of Lake Balaton could be redeemed as it was during the Eighties. Tibor Navracsics thinks that the "Balaton of the Eighties" nowadays would be a total failure either on local and international levels, because of the shift in consumer habits
since then. He pointed out instead then-typical uniformed and low-level services, focus should be today on showing unique values and serving individual demands. Furthermore Navracsics added, Tourism Destination Marketing (TDM for short) communities played a key role in discovering local privileges and bringing them to guests. He emphasized that the image of the lake should be renewed; although in itself it is not a viable destination, only when integrated with the Bakony region and the Balaton Uplands. As the Minister elaborated on, the upcoming Bakony-Balaton Tourist Region will be able to offer a wide variety of programmes throughout the whole year and become self-supportive. The local TDMs will have a decisive role again in
this project; they are who give the so-called "local taste" to attractions which are united in nature, but serve individual demands. Achill Rumpold, one of the creators of the Carinthian touristic law said, the determining factor in successful tourism is the very local provider, who is really interested in matters. That is why opportunity should be given them to participate in the decision making process concerning their ends. For example in Carinthia, as he said, they determined local, regional and state levels of decision with clear duties and resources assigned to those. Politics had been driven out from tourism, as he noted, amending that successful will be who is allowed independently and freely to decide how to use resources.
Gov e r nm e nt s igns pa r tne r s hip a gr e e m e nt with Le ie r H ungá r ia
New Year (Orthodox) Worldwide - J a n 1 4
The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year (Russian: Старый Новый год, Ukrainian: Старий Новий рік, Belarusian: Стары Новы год, Georgian: ძველით ახალი წელი, Armenian: Հին Նոր Տարի, Serbian: Српска Нова година or Srpska Nova godina, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Стара Нова година, Greek: Παλιά νέο έτος, Romanian: Anul Nou pe rit vechi) is an informal traditional Orthodox holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar, 13 days after its New Year.
In Russia Although the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic offi-
cially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, the Russian Orthodox Church continued to use the Julian calendar. The New Year became a holiday which is celebrated by both calendars. As in most countries which use the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day in Russia is a public holiday celebrated on January 1. On that day, joyous entertainment, fireworks, elaborate and often large meals and other festivities are common. The holiday is interesting as it combines secular traditions of bringing in the New Year with the Christian Orthodox Christmastide customs, such as koleda. The New Year by the Julian calendar is still informally observed, and the tradition of celebrating the coming of the New Year twice is widely enjoyed: January 1 (New New Year) and January 14 (Old New Year). Usually not as festive as the New New Year, for many this is a nostalgic family holiday ending the New Year holiday cycle (which includes Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 7) with traditional large meals, singing and celebratory drinking.
In Serbia
The most common is called Serbian New Year (Српска Нова година/Srpska Nova godina), and sometimes the Orthodox New Year(Православна Нова година/Pravoslavna Nova godina) and Julian New Year (Јулијанска Нова година/Julijanska Nova godina). Serbian Orthodox Church continue to celebrate their feasts and holidays according to the Julian calendar. It is located primarily in Serbia (including Kosovo), Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. A part of the population celebrates Serbian New Year in a similar way as the New Year on January 1. This time, usually one concert is organized in front of either City Hall or the National Parliament (in Belgrade), while fireworks are prepared by the Serbian Orthodox Church and fired from the Church Cathedral of Saint Sava, where people also gather. Other cities also organize such celebrations. Restaurants, clubs, cafe's and hotels are usually full-booked and organize New Year's celebrations with food and live music. A traditional folk name for this holiday as part of Twelve Days of Christmas is Little Christmas (Мали Божић/Mali Božić). Some families continue with the procedures of Serbian Christmas traditions.
In Macedonia
The holiday in Macedonia is known as "Old New Year" (Стара Нова година). The night of January 13th, people gather outside their houses, in the center of their neighborhoods where they start a huge fire and drink and eat together. Traditional Macedonian music is sung. For those who stay at home, it is tradition to eat home made pita with a coin inside. Whoever finds the coin in his part is said to have luck during the year. Macedonians around the world also celebrate the holiday, especially in Australia, Canada and USA where the Macedonian Orthodox Church has adherents.
Other countries The tradition of the Old New Year has been kept in Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Montenegro,Moldova, Ukraine (Malanka), Wales and Switzerland (as alter Silvester). In the first half of the 20th century, segments of the Scottish Gaelic community still observed the feast and today, groups such as Edinburgh's Am Bothan see this as a convenient date for Gaelic events.
In art The Old New Year tradition has received mention in Russian art; the playwright Mikhail Roshchin wrote a comedy
drama called The Old New Year in 1973, which was on stage in the theaters for many years. He also made it a screenplay for the TV-film which was played by famous actors and featured music by Sergey Nikitin, with the poetry lyrics by Boris Pasternak; the film was released by Mosfilm studios in 1980.
Ratification Day U.S. - J a n 1 4
Ratification Day in the United States refers to the anniversary of the ratification of the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784 at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland by the Confederation Congress. This act officially ended the American Revolution and established the U.S. as a sovereign entity.
of Congress Proclamation The Journals of the Continental Congress reports that the
Confederation Congress issued a proclamation on April 11, 1783, "Declaring the cessation of arms" against Great Britain. The preliminary articles of peace were approved by Congress on April 15, 1783, and the Treaty of Paris was ratified on January 14, 1784. An excerpt from the proclamation of ratification: By the United States in Congress assembled, a proclamation : Whereas definitive articles of peace and friendship, between the United States of America and His Britannic Majesty, were concluded and signed at Paris, on the 3rd day of September, 1783 ... we have thought proper by these presents, to notify the premises to all the good citizens of these United States ... Given under the seal of the United States, witness His Excellency Thomas Mifflin, our president, at Annapolis, this fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four.
Congressional Debate Due to the severe winter of 1783–1784 (now known to be a consequence of the volcanic eruption of Laki in Iceland)
only delegates from seven of the thirteen states were present in Congress. According to the Articles of Confederation, nine states were required to enter into a treaty. One faction believed that seven states could ratify the treaty; arguing that they were merely ratifying and not entering into a treaty. Furthermore, it was unlikely that the required delegates could reach Annapolis before the ratification deadline. Thomas Jefferson's faction believed that a full nine states were required to ratify the treaty. Any less would be trickery which Britain would eventually find out, giving it an excuse to nullify the treaty. Jefferson stated that it would be a "dishonorable prostitution" of theGreat Seal of the United States.
Jefferson's Compromise
Jefferson was elected to head a committee of members of both factions and arrived at a compromise. Assuming that only seven states were present, Congress would pass a resolution stating that the seven states present were unanimously in favor of ratification of the treaty, but were in disagreement as to the competency of Congress to ratify with only seven states. That although only seven states were present, their unanimous agreement in favor of ratification would be used to secure peace. The vote would not set a precedent for future decisions; the document would be forwarded to the US ministers in Europe who would be told to wait until a treaty ratified by nine states could arrive, and to request a delay of three months. However, if Britain insisted, then the Ministers should use the seven-state ratification, pleading that a full Congress was not in session. In the event, delegates from Connecticut and South Carolina arrived at the last moment, and nine states ratified the treaty. Three copies were sent by separate couriers to ensure delivery.
John Chilembwe Day Malawi - J a n 1 5
Reverend John Chilembwe (1871 – February 3, 1915) was a Baptist pastor and educator, and an early figure in resistance tocolonialism in Nyasaland, now Malawi. Today John Chilembwe is celebrated as a hero for independence, and John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on January 15 in Malawi.
Early Life and the Influence of Joseph Booth Chilembwe was born near Chiradzulu in the south of what
became Nyasaland, probably in 1870 or 1871, and attended a Church of Scotland mission from around 1890. In 1892 he became a house servant of Joseph Booth, a radical and independently-minded missionary. Booth had arrived Africa in 1892 as a Baptist to establish the Zambezi Industrial Mission near Blantyre. Booth was critical of the reluctance of Scottish Presbyterian missions to admit Africans as full church members, and later founded seven more independent missions in Nyasaland which, like the Zambezi Industrial Mission, focused on the equality of all worshipers. In Booth's household and mission where he was closely associated with Booth, Chilembwe became acquainted with Booth's radical religious ideas and egalitarian feelings. Booth returned to Nyasaland in 1899 but left permanently in 1902, although he continued to correspond with Chilembwe. After 1906, Booth was strongly influenced by Millennialism, but the extent to which he retained influence over Chilembwe after 1902 and influenced him towards millennial beliefs is disputed, although he strongly influenced Elliot Kenan Kamwana, the first leader of the Watchtower followers of Charles Taze Russell in Nyasaland.
US Education and relations with American and African Independent Churches In 1897 Booth and Chilembwe traveled together to the United States. Here, after parting amicably from Booth,
Chilembwe attended the Virginia Theological Seminary and College, (now Virginia University of Lynchburg), a small Baptist institution at Lynchburg, Virginia. The principal was a militantly-independent Negro, Gregory Hayes and Chilembwe both experienced the contemporary prejudice against negroes and was exposed to radical American Negro ideas and the works of John Brown, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and others. He was ordained as a Baptist minister at Lynchburg in 1899. After his return to Nyasaland, Chilembwe developed close contacts with independent, African-controlled churches, including Seventh Day Baptist and Churches of Christ congregations, with the aim of uniting some or all of these African churches with his own mission church at the centre. Chilembwe also had some contact with Watchtower followers, but the extent of these and the influence of Watchtower's millennial beliefs on him is minimised by most authors except the Lindens. Although the vast majority of those found guilty of rebellion and sentenced to death or to long terms of imprisonment were members of Chilembwe's church, a few other members of the Churches of Christ in Zomba were also found guilty.
Return to Malawi and Mission Work
In 1900 Chilembwe returned to Nyasaland, in his own words, "to labour amongst his benighted race". Backed financially the National Baptist Convention of America who also provided two American Baptist helpers until 1906, Chilembwe started his Providence Industrial Mission (P.I.M.) in Chiradzulu district. In its first decade, the mission developed slowly, assisted by regular small donations from his American backers, and Chilembwe founded several schools, which by 1912 had 1,000 pupils and 800 adult students. He preached the values of hard-work, self-respect and self-help to his congregation and, although as early as 1905 he used his church position to deplore the condition of Africans in the protectorate, he initially avoided specific criticism of the government that might be thought subversive. However, by 1912 or 1913, Chilembwe had become more politically militant and openly voiced criticism over the state of African land rights in the Shire Highlands and of the conditions of labour tenants there, particularly on the A. L. Bruce Estates.
Colonial Grievences:
In the Shire Highlands, the most densely populated part of the protectorate, European estates occupied about 867,000 acres, or over 350,000 hectares, almost half of the best arable land. Relatively few local Africans remained on the estates when the owners introduced labour rents, preferring to settle on Crown Land where customary law entitled them to use (sometimes overcrowded) land belonging to the community, or to become migrant workers. However, planters with large areas of available land but limited labour could engage migrants from Mozambique (who had no right to use community lands) on terms that Nyasaland Africans found unacceptable. These were called "Anguru", a convenient term employed by Europeans to describe as a number of different peoples, mostly speaking one of the Makua languages, often the Lomwe language, who themselves used various names to refer to their places of origin in Mozambique. They left Mozambique in significant numbers from 1899 when a harsh new labour code was introduced, and especially in 1912 and 1913 after a Mozambique famine in 1912. In 1912, the British Colonial Office described them as working for such low wages as were “a record for any settled part of Africa”. Many of those convicted after the rising were identified as "Anguru". Conditions on the estates where the "Anguru" became tenants were generally poor, and Africans both on estates and Crown Lands were subjected to an increase in Hut tax in 1912, despite food shortages. P.I.M. was situated in an area dominated by the A L Bruce Estates, named after a son-in-law of David Livingstone. From 1906, A. L. Bruce Estates developed and started to plant a hardy variety of cotton suitable for the Shire Highlands. Cotton required intensive labour over a long growing period, and the estate manager W. J. Livingstone (a distant relative of David Livingstone) ensured that 5,000 workers were available throughout its 5 or 6 month by exploiting the obligations of the labour tenancy system called thangata, underpaying wage labour and by often violent coercion. W. J. Livingstone also refused to allow any mission work to be carried on or schools to be opened on the Bruce Estates, although the estate company provided free medical and hospital treatment for workers. Although this prohibition applied to all missions, P.I.M. was the closest, and became a natural focus for African agitation, and Chilembwe became the spokesman for African tenants on the Bruce Estates. Chilembwe provoked confrontation by erecting churches on estate land, which Livingstone burned down because he considered them as centres for agitation against the management and because they made potential claims on estate land.
Chilembwe's Reaction to Colonial System:
Chilembwe was angered by Livingstone's refusal to accept the worth of African people, and also frustrated by the refusal of the settlers and government to provide suitable opportunities or a political voice to the African "new men", who had been educated by the Presbyterian and other missions in Nyasaland or in some cases had received a higher education abroad. A number of such men became Chilembwe's lieutenants in the rising. Although in his first decade at P.I.M., Chilembwe had been reasonably successful, in the five years before his death, he faced a series of problems in the mission and in his personal life. From around 1910, he incurred several debts at a time when mission expenses were rising and funds from his American backers were drying up. Attacks of asthma, the death of a daughter, and his declining eyesight and general health may have deepened his sense of alienation and desperation.
Background to the 1915 Rising
The sources cited above agree that, after 1912 or 1913 the series of social and personal issues mentioned increased Chilembwe's bitterness toward Europeans in Nyasaland, and moved him towards thoughts of revolt. However, they treat the outbreak and effects of the First World War as the key factor in moving him from thought to planning to take action, which he believed it was his destiny to lead, for the deliverance of his people. In the course if this war, some 19,000 Nyasaland Africans served in the King's African Rifles, and up to 200,000 were forced to be porters for varying periods, mostly in the East African Campaign against the Germans in Tanganyika , and disease caused many casualties. One of the earliest campaigns, a German invasion of Nyasaland and a battle atKaronga in September 1914 caused Chilembwe to write an impassioned letter against the war to the "Nyasaland Times" newspaper, saying that a number of his countrymen, "have already shed their blood", others were being "crippled for life" and "invited to die for a cause which is not theirs". The war-time censor prevented publication of the letter, and by December 1914, Chilembwe was regarded with suspicion by the colonial authorities. The Governor decided to deport Chilembwe and some of his followers, and approached the Mauritius government asking them to accept the deportees a few days before the rising started. The censoring of Chilembwe's letter appears to be the trigger moving him to an actual conspiracy. He began organising a rebellion, gathering together a small group of Africans, educated either at the Blantyre Mission or the schools of the independent, separatist African churches in the Shire Highlands and Ncheu District, as his lieutenants. In a series of meetings held in December 1914 and early January 1915, Chilembwe and his leading followers aimed at attacking British rule and supplanting it, if possible. However, it is possible that he learnt of his intended deportation, and was forced to bring forward the date of his revolt, making the prospects of its success more unlikely, and turning it into a symbolic gesture of protest. When he brought forward the date of the Shire Highlands rising, Chilembwe was unable to ensure that it could still be coordinated with the planned rising in the Ntcheu District, which was therefore largely abortive. The failure in Ncheu District may also relate to the pacifism of many Seventh Day Baptist and Watchtower followers who were expected to rise there.
Photo: Károly Árvai (Online 09 Jan) The Government of Hungary signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the local unit of Austrian construction materials manufacturer Leier, based in Győr (northwest Hungary) on Thursday. The pact was signed by State Secretary for Foreign Afairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó and Managing Director of Leier Hungaria, Andor Komlós.Austrian-Hungarian economic cooperation is important for the success of the Hungarian national economy, the State Secretary highlighted, adding that both Leier and the Hungarian Government regarded the crisis as an opportunity and shared
the strategy of modernisation and expansion despite the difficult times. Leier has invested more than HUF 30 billion (EUR 99.9 million) in Hungary over the past ten years, providing work to almost 1,000 people at its seven Hungarian plants. 97 percent of Leier’s suppliers are Hungarian enterprises and the company is planning to further expand its capacity in Hungary. Leier is the 37th company with which the Government has concluded a strategic cooperation agreement. The 36 other firms have made investments totalling HUF 650 billion (EUR 2.17 billion) and have created 5500 new jobs since signing
cooperation agreements with the Government.According to Managing Director Andor Komlós, the agreement acknowledges that Leier, by creating a thousand jobs and continuously reinvesting its profit in Hungary, has gained a definitive role within the Hungarian economy. Deputy Mayor of Győr Dávid Fekete highlighted that the city of Győr is Hungary’s second strongest economic region and efforts are being made to make the region even more attractive to investors: as of 1 January 2014, the town’s business tax level is decreasing from 2 to 1.8 percent.
Disabled people to receive increased support in 2014 (Online 08 Jan) According to the Ministry of Human Resources, in 2014 the amount of financial support provided to people with disabilities will be higher than last year. According to current plans, the Hungarian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SINOSZ) and the Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (MVGYOSZ) are each scheduled to receive 173 million forints, the National Federation of Disabled Persons' Associations (MEOSZ) and the National Autism Association (AOSZ) will receive 168 million forints and 52.5 million forints, respectively. Furthermore, eight major charity organisations (the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service, Hungarian Reformed Church Aid, Catholic Caritas, Hungarian Interchurch Aid, Johanniter, St. Luke's Byzantine Catholic Charity, the Hungarian Food Bank Association and Hungarian Baptist Aid) will also receive a total of 790 million forints, which
is also an increase compared to last year, when only three charities were eligible for funding. The Ministry has also launched a tender offering 213 million forints in financial support to nongovernmental organisations assisting people with disabilities. This amount is 100 million forints higher compared to last year, while another tender with a budget of 150 million forints has been announced for NGOs operating residential institutions for disabled people. Additionally, as of 1 January 2014, disability and rehabilitation allowances also have been increased from last year at the same 2.4% rate as pensions. Legislative changes have also made possible a more favourable calculation of the basis for these allowances. To mention some of the most significant projects related to disability care last year, a nationwide elementary rehabilitation program was launched
for the visually impaired to prepare them for living a more independent life. Sign language interpreting services for the hard of hearing were extended nationwide, while for disabled people projects for the repair and alteration of prosthetic aids was introduced, accessibility was further improved and the vehicle purchase support system was expanded. In the case of the mentally disabled, it is considered a significant step forward that instead of large, overcrowded institutions housing 150-200 people there is a move to accommodate patients in smaller communities and residential homes. Finally, the Ministry for Human Resources supports the rehabilitation of disabled and handicapped people, in order to help those who are able to work to earn their own wages, with annual funding of HUF 39 billion (EUR 130 million), supplemented by a further HUF 21 billion (EUR 70 million) available for such purposes.
Everybody has to know the crimes of communism (Online 09 Jan) Every person in Hungary as well as in the whole world should be aware of the crimes that were committed by communism, said Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics in the monthly journal of public service (called 'Közszolgálat') released this Thursday; regarding the goals of Commission on National Remembrance, the body which explores former mechanisms of power during communist dictatorship. Within the meaning of laws encoded last December on the Commission on National Remembrance, former victims of state-party intelligence service now have the right to go public with the names of their surveillance agents. Mr Navracsics takes this as a huge, although late leap towards truth. Furthermore he added that he understands the claim of the opposition parties which insists that everything regarding
communist oppression should be brought public and the decision should not be left on the victims. Although the Minister of Public Administration and Justice thinks that the decision of the government is fair, because of the civil rights of people who were watched over. They should be able to decide over the publicity of the data they get to know. He stressed out, "we're aware of that with this law of action, total liberty of information is not going to come, but we should bear in mind that such information about the victims, like illnesses, private matters and sexual behaviours, are not in the concern of the public". For the minister it is a huge mystery that in 1990, during the transition period these documents containing the names of intelligence agents and state security commanders, were not made available - either by the cautious behav-
iour of the first elected government or the networks surviving the communist establishment had been still working back at the time. Coming from this, Navracsics has the opinion that the moral legitimacy of the democratic change should have been ensured by the publicity of files and the declaration of the volley in 1956 as a crime against humanity. He reminded, the latter was not allowed by decision of the Constitutional Court during the transition, as they declared those crimes barred. Mr Navracsics pointed out that the Commission on National Remembrance works on the long run, so the establishment of the body is not a part of the electoral campaign and that "as the crimes of the Nazi regimes were covered in details, so should every person in Hungary and in the world be aware of the crimes of communism."
2013 was a successful year for Hungary in the EU (Online 08 Jan) Minister of State for EU Affairs Enikő Győri held a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 8 January at which she discussed several EU issues that are important to Hungary, such as the Multiannual Financial Framework, EU enlargement and the principle of free movement. When evaluating the past year in the EU from a Hungarian viewpoint, Minister of State Győri emphasised two major achievements. One is that the Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020) has provided Hungary with considerable EU funding, and the task now is to spend the financial resources in the most efficient manner possible. Another major success of the past year was that the Excess Deficit Procedure against Hungary
was lifted after nine years. „This is a clear indication that the Hungarian economy is stable” – Enikő Győri declared. The Hungarian Minister of State pointed out, Hungary had demonstrated that there was no single blueprint for tackling the financial crisis and Hungary’s decision to follow its own course of crisis management had proved to be correct. As regards EU enlargement, Enikő Győri stressed that Hungary had always been a vocal advocate of Croatia’s joining the European Union and of the commencement of accession negotiations with Serbia. Croatia became a member state last year, and talks with Serbia will begin in two weeks time. The Hungarian Minister of State recalled that there had been several political attacks against
the free movement of labour within the European Union in 2013. She claimed that the free movement of labour was intricately connected to the principle of four freedoms and that Hungary was ready to uphold this principle. As for the particular dispute between the UK and the European Commission, it is not the task of a member state to get involved; ultimately it is the job of the European Court of Justice to decide which side is right, Ms. Győri said. Minister of State Győri mentioned that Hungary would be celebrating the tenth anniversary of its joining the European Union this year. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be organising a series of events and conferences to commemorate the anniversary.
H unga r y a wa r ds H U F 4 .5 billion f or unde r pr iv ile ge d pupils
The 1915 Uprisings and His Death
The aims of the rising remain unclear, partly because Chilembwe and many of his leading supporters were killed, and also because many documents were destroyed in a fire in 1919. However, use of the theme of “Africa for the Africans” suggests a political motive rather than a purely millennial religious one. Chilembwe is believed to have drawn parallels between his rising and that of John Brown, and stated his wish to "strike a blow and die" immediately before the rising started. The first part of Chilembwe's plan was to attack European centres in the Shire Highlands on the night if 23–24 January 1915, to obtain arms and ammunition, and the second was to attack European estates in the same area simultaneously. Most of Chilembwe's force of about 200 men were from his P.I.M congregations in Chiradzulu and Mlanje, with some support from other independent African churches in the Shire Highlands. In the third part of the plan, the forces of the Ncheu revolt based on the local independent Seventh Day Baptists would move south to link up with Chilembwe. He hoped that discontented Africans on European estates, relatives of soldiers killed in the war and others would join as the rising progressed. It is uncertain if Chilembwe had definite plans in the event of failure; some suggest he would seek a symbolic death, others that he planned to escape to Mozambique. The first and third parts of the plan failed almost completely: some of his lieutenants did not carry out their attacks, so few arms were obtained, the Ncheu group had failed to form and move south, and there was no mass support for the rising. The attack on European estates was largely one on the Bruce estates, where W. J. Livingstone was killed and beheaded and two other European employees killed. Three Africans were also killed by the rebels, and European-run mission was also set on fire and a missionary was severely wounded. All the dead and injured were men, as Chilembwe had ordered that women should not be harmed. On 24 January, a Sunday, Chilembwe conducted a service in the P.I.M. church next to a pole impaling Livingstone's head, but by 26 January he realised that the uprising had failed to gain local support. After avoiding attempts to capture him and apparently trying to escape into Mozambique, he was tracked down and killed on 3 February. Most of his leading followers and some other participants were executed after summary trials under Martial law shortly after the revolt failed. The total death toll is unclear, because of theextrajudicial killings carried out by European members of the Nyasaland Volunteer Reserve.
Nyasaland Independence and National Hero Status
Nyasaland gained independence in 1964, taking the name Malawi. Chilembwe's likeness have been seen on the obverse of all Malawian kwacha notes since 1997 until May 2012, when new notes were launched and 500 kwacha of which still honors his portrait. John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on January 15 in Malawi.
Prohibition Remembrance Day U.S. - J a n 1 6
January 17 is the birthday of three of the most iconic Americans ever: Benjamin Franklin, Muhammad Ali, and Al Capone. On January 16, 1919, the day before Alphonse Capone’s 20th birthday, the United States bestowed upon the new father and husband the best birthday present he could ever wish for: the 18th Amendment. Having been ratified by the required 36 states, the 18th amendment declared that a year from its passage, the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol would be illegal in the United States. Hence, on January 17, 1920, at 12:01 am the Prohibition Era began. Thanks to Prohibition, Al Capone became the most infamous bootlegger and gangster in U.S. history, until he was convicted, not of racketeering, murder, or bootlegging, but of income tax evasion. Moral of the story: If you’re gonna break every law in the book, don’t mess with the IRS. The 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933. By that time Capone was enjoying a ten-year vacation overlooking the San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz prison, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice. Many folks celebrate Prohibition Remembrance Day on January 16, the last day it was legal to drink in 1920. (Technically you could still consume alcohol after January 16, 1920. You just couldn’t make it, sell it, transport it, import it or export it.) Since January 16 is also Religious Freedom Day, I suggest combining the two and celebrating Get Drunk and Pray Day.
Lima Foundation Week Peru - J a n 1 8
The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Francisco Pizarro on 18 January 1535 and given the name City of the Kings. Nevertheless, with time its original name persisted, which may come from one of two sources: Either the Aymara language lima-limaq(meaning "yellow flower"), or the Spanish pronunciation of the Quechuan word rimaq (meaning "talker", and actually written and pronounced limaq in the nearby Quechua I languages). It is worth noting that the same Quechuan word is also the source of the name given to the river that feeds the city, the Rimac river (pronounced as in the politically dominant Quechua II languages, with an "r" instead of an "l"). Early maps of Peru show the two names displayed jointly. In 1988, UNESCO declared the historic center of Lima a World Heritage Site for its originality and high concentration of historic monuments constructed in the time of Spanish presence.
Photo: Károly Árvai (Online 08 Jan) The Ministry for Human Resources has launched a programme with a budget of 4.5 billion forints (EUR 15 million) aimed at facilitating cooperation between schools in Hungary and abroad that cater for underprivileged pupils, Minister of State for Public Education Rózsa Hoffmann and Minister of State for Social Inclusion Zoltán Kovács announced at a press conference in the village of Nyergesújfalu, northern Hungary. In the first phase of the programme, 165 schools with at least 7,550 pupils – 3,020 of whom are grossly disadvantaged – have been awarded funds. The Ministry of
Human Resources is launching a second tendering phase for the remaining budget of 1.4 billion forints, the two ministry officials announced. The new tender will make funds available for the cooperation of sister schools in Hungary, neighbouring countries and the European Union. Mr. Kovács added that schools with pupils in fifth grade and upwards were qualified to enter the tender. To receive funding for domestic cooperation, applying schools had to have at least 50 disadvantaged pupils and an underprivileged pupil ratio of at least 20 percent. In this part of the tender, 130
schools were awarded funds for at least 6,500 participating pupils. 35 schools with 1,050 participating students have been awarded almost 500 million forints for programmes in neighbouring countries or the European Union. Both domestic and international projects must be completed by the summer of 2015. Ms. Hoffmann denied opposition allegations that the current administration has reduced public funding for education. “Quite the opposite is true: one only has to look at the budget figures and the tenders in question are in addition to that (the education budget)” – she said.
Hungarian-Azeri economic ties boosting (Online 08 Jan) Hungarian exports to Azerbaijan have expanded by 29 percent in the past year, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó said. Strengthening economic ties with the Caucasus region is an important element of the Government's Opening towards the East Policy, he stressed, adding that the next session of the
Hungarian-Azeri Joint Economic Committee, scheduled to be held at the end of January, will discuss the subjects of bilateral economic relations, education, tourism and visa requirements. The State Secretary has been the Co-Chair of the Committee since July 2012. Regarding achievements in bilateral relations, State Secretary Szijjártó mentioned the opening of a Hungarian trading house in Baku
in 2012 as well as the direct route between Budapest and Baku launched by Wizz Air last June. Péter Szijjártó highlighted that bilateral trade, which consists almost exclusively of Hungarian exports, amounted to HUF 12 billion (54.2 million dollars) in the first ten months of 2013, representing an increase of 28.5 percent compared to the same period last year.