105 Issue | Worldwide Events e-Newspaper | 06 - 12 Jan, 2013

Army Day Iraq - J a n 0 6

The Iraqi Army is the ground force component of the armed forces of the Republic of Iraq, having been active in various incarnations throughout the 20th century and 21st century.

The Iraqi Army in its modern form was first created by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during their mandate over the country following the end of World War I. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Army was rebuilt along American lines with enormous amounts of U.S. military assistance at every level. Because of the low-level ongoing Iraqi insurgency as of 2006, the Iraqi Army was designed to be an objective counter-insurgency force for a period of time until the insurgency is diminished to a level that the police can handle. Thereafter, the Iraqi Army will undergo a modernisation plan which includes purchasing more heavy equipment. As of the 2010s, the Iraqi Army is tasked with assuming responsibility for all Iraqi land-based military operations.

Eugenio María de Hostos y de Bonilla (11 January 1839 – 11 August 1903) known as "El Ciudadano de América" (meaning: The Citizen of the Americas), was a Puerto Ricaneducator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate.

years and family Early Hostos was born into a well-to-do family in the Barrio "Río Cañas" of

History The threat of war with newly forming Republic of Turkey, which claimed the Ottoman vilayet of Mosul as part of their

country, led the British to form the Iraqi Army on 6 January 1921. The Mussa Al-Kadhum Brigade consisted of exIraqi-Ottoman officers, whose barracks were located in Kadhimyah. The United Kingdom provided support and training to the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Air Force through a small military mission based in Baghdad.

Maroon Day Jamaica - J a n 0 6

The Jamaican Maroons are descended from slaves who escaped from slavery and established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica during the long era of slavery in the island.

African slaves imported during the Spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing with the Native American Taino or Arawak people that remained in the country. Many gained liberty when the English attacked Jamaica and took it in 1655, and subsequently runaways were referred to as "maroons." The Windward Maroons and those from the Cockpit Country stubbornly resisted conquest in the First and Second Maroon Wars. The treaty ending the First Maroon War made some Jamaican Maroons the first sovereign, pseudo-autonomous, African-derived communities in the Americas since Columbian times.

History When the British captured Jamaica in 1655 the Spanish colonists fled leaving a large number of African slaves.

Rather than be re-enslaved by the British, they escaped into the hilly, mountainous regions of the island, joining those who had previously escaped from the Spanish to live with the Taínos. The Maroons intermarried with Amerindian natives, establishing independence in the back country and survived by subsistence farming and by raiding plantations. Over time, the Maroons came to control large areas of the Jamaican interior.

Their plantation raids resulted in the First Maroon War. The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao). Queen Nanny, also known as Granny Nanny (died 1733) is the only female listed among Jamaica's National Heroes, and has been immortalised in songs and legends. She was known for her exceptional leadership skills, especially in guerrilla warfare, which were particularly important in the First Maroon War in the early 18th century. Her remains are reputedly buried at " Bump Grave" in Moore Town, the main town of the Windward Maroons who are concentrated in and around the Rio Grande valley in the northeastern parish of Portland.

In 1739-40 the British governor in Jamaica signed a treaty with the Maroons, promising them 2500 acres (10 km²) in two locations. They were to remain in their five main towns Accompong, Trelawny Town, Mountain Top, Scots Hall, Nanny Town, living under their own chief with a British supervisor. In exchange, they agreed not to harbour new runaway slaves, but rather to help catch them. They were paid a bounty of two dollars for each returned slave.

This last clause in the treaty naturally caused tension between the Maroons and the enslaved black population, although from time to time runaways from the plantations still found their way into Maroon settlements. Originally, Jamaican Maroons fought against slavery and maintained their independence from the British. However, in the treaty of 1738, they were also paid to return captured slaves and fight for the British in the case of an attack from the French or Spanish.

However, when a new Governor took power in 1795 and began to mistreat the Maroons tensions between planters and Maroons grew and a Second Maroon War broke out. The Accompong Maroons remained neutral and the British left them alone. The British fought with 100 Cuban dogs and brought in 5,000 troops. By the end of the war, the other Maroon settlements in Jamaica had been destroyed, and Accompong alone remained. Despite the fact that the Maroons surrendered on the condition that they would not be exported, just a year later 568 were taken to Canada.

Deportation to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone:

In 1796 about 568 Jamaican Maroons from Trelawny Town were deported from Jamaica to Nova Scotia following their rebellion against the colonial government. The Jamaican government tired of the cost of maintaining order, had decided to rid themselves of "the problem". Immediate actions were put in place for the removal of one group of Maroons (Trelawney) to Lower Canada (Quebec); Upper Canada (Ontario) had also been suggested as a suitable place. However, it was eventually decided that this group be sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia, until any further instructions were received from England. Two gentlemen, Messrs Quarrell and Octerloney, were sent from Jamaica with the Maroons as Commissioners.

On 26 June 1796, the Dover, Mary, and Anne sailed from Port Royal Harbour, Jamaica to Halifax. One arrived in Halifax on 21 July, the other two followed two days later bringing in total 543 men, women and children. The Duke of Kent and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in North America, impressed with the proud bearing and other characteristics of the Maroons, employed the group to work on the new fortifications at the Citadel Hill in Halifax.

The Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Wentworth believed that the Maroons would be good settlers. He then received orders from the Duke of Portland to settle them in Nova Scotia. Following this the two commissioners responsible with credit of 25,000 Jamaican pounds from the government of Jamaica, expended £3,000 on 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land and built the community of Preston. Governor Wentworth also was granted an allowance of £240 annually from England to provide religious instruction and schooling for the community. After the first winter, the Maroons, raised in an independent culture and not impressed with the apparently servile virtues of cultivating the soil, became less tolerant of the conditions in which they were living.

The British government decided it would be better to send them to Freetown in Sierra Leone (West Africa) rather than try to persuade them to farm in a cold climate of Canada, and the survivors were deported there in 1800. Not surprisingly, exile to Africa was not an easy transition for the Trelawney Maroons. "By 1841, 90 per cent [sic] of the remaining Maroons in Freetown -- some 591 people --returned to Jamaica" to work for "Jamaican planters" who "desperately needed workers".

The Jamaican Maroons are still well remembered in Sierra Leone today. Those who remained gradually merged with the larger Creolecommunity, the descendants of various groups of freed slaves landed in Freetown between 1792 and about 1855. But some modernCreoles (or "Krios") still proudly claim descent from the Maroons. The Creole congregation of Freetown's St. John's Maroon Church, which was built by the Maroons in 1820 on what is now the city's main street, are especially vocal in proclaiming their descent from the Jamaican exiles.

The Maroons today

To this day, the Maroons in Jamaica are to a small extent autonomous and separate from Jamaican culture. The isolation used to their advantage by their ancestors has today led to their communities being amongst the most inaccessible on the island. In their largest town, Accompong, in the parish of St. Elizabeth, the Leeward Maroons still possess a vibrant community of about 600. Tours of the village are offered to foreigners and a large festival is put on every 6 January to commemorate the signing of the peace treaty with the British after the Maroon War. The Maroon heritage of Moore Town was relisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

Epiphany Worldwide - J a n 0 6

Epiphany (Koine Greek: ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, "manifestation", "striking appearance") or Theophany (Ancient Greek (ἡ) Θεοφάνεια, Τheophaneia meaning "vision of God"), which traditionally falls on January 6, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Western Christians commemorate principally (but not solely) the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. Eastern Churches following the Julian Calendar observe the Theophany feast on what for most countries is January 19 because of the 13-day difference today between that calendar and the generally used Gregorian calendar.

Since 1970, the date of the celebration by Latin Rite Roman Catholics is fixed as January 6 only in countries where the feast is a Holy Day of Obligation, while in other countries it falls on the Sunday after January 1. In the Church of England also, the feast may be celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and 8 inclusive.

A separate celebration of the Baptism of the Lord was introduced for Latin Rite Roman Catholics in 1955. Initially, this was to be held on January 13, previously the octave day of the Epiphany, but in the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar the date was changed to the first Sunday after January 6. In countries where in a particular year the Epiphany falls on January 7 or 8, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following Monday. In the Church of England, the same custom may be followed. In the Episcopal Church in the United States, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is always the Sunday after January 6.

Alternative names for the feast include (τα) Θεοφάνια, Theophany as neuter plural rather than feminine singular, η Ημέρα των Φώτων, i Imera ton Foton (modern Greek pronunciation), hē hēmera tōn phōtōn (restored classic pronunciation), "The Day of the Lights", and τα Φώτα, ta Fota, "The Lights".

Hostos Day Puerto Rico - J a n 1 1

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. His parents were Don Eugenio María de Hostos y Rodriguez (1807–1897) and DoñaMaría Hilaria de Bonilla y Cintron (died 1862, Madrid, Spain).

The Hostos family surname (originally Ostos) came from the Castile region of Spain when Don Eugenio de Ostos y Del Valle, born Ecija, Seville, Spain, moved to Camagüey, Cuba, and married, in 1736, Doña María Josefa del Castillo y Aranda. It was their son Don Juan José de Ostos y del Castillo who settled in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

At a young age his family sent him to study in the capital of the island, then called Puerto Rico like the island itself, now known as San Juan, where he received his elementary education in the Liceo de San Juan.

In 1852, his family then sent him to Bilbao, Spain, where he graduated from the Institute of Secondary Education (high school). After he graduated, he enrolled and attended the Central University of Madrid. He studied law, philosophy and letters. As a student there, he became interested in politics. In 1863, he also wrote what is considered his greatest work, "La Peregrinación de Bayoan". When Spain adopted its new constitution in 1869 and refused to grant Puerto Rico its independence, Hostos left and went to the United States.

Hostos arrived in the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where he settled with his wife, Belinda Otilia de Ayala Quintana (1862–1917), a Cuban native, whom he married in 1877 in Caracas, Venezuela. The couple had five children: Carlos Eugenio (born 1879, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Luisa Amelia (1881), Bayoan Lautaro (1885), Filipo Luis Duarte de Hostos (born 1890,Chile), María Angelina (born 1892, Chile).

Independence advocate In the U.S. he joined the Cuban Revolutionary Committee

and became the editor of a journal called La Revolución.

Hostos believed in the creation of an AntillanoConfederation between Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. This idea was embraced by fellow Puerto Ricans Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis.

One of the things which disappointed Hostos was that in Puerto Rico and in Cuba there were many people who wanted their independence from Spain, but did not embrace the idea of becoming revolutionaries, preferring to be annexed by the United States.

Hostos wanted to promote the independence of Puerto Rico and Cuba and the idea of an Antillean Confederation ("Confederación Antillana"), and he therefore traveled to many countries. Among the countries he went promoting his idea were: the United States, France, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the former Danish colony of St. Thomas which is now part of theUnited States Virgin Islands.

Contributions to Latin America

While in Peru, Hostos helped to develop that country's educational system and spoke against the harsh treatment given to the Chinese who lived there. He stayed in Chile from 1870 to 1873. During his stay there, he taught at the University of Chile and gave a speech titled "The Scientific Education of Women." He proposed in his speech that governments permit women in their colleges. Soon after, Chile allowed women to enter its college educational system. On 29 September 1873, he went to Argentina, where he proposed a railroad system between Argentina and Chile. His proposal was accepted and the first locomotive was named after him.

Educator In 1875, Hostos went to the Dominican Republic, where he founded, in Santo Domingo, the first Normal School

(Teachers College) and introduced advanced teaching methods, although these had been openly opposed by the local Catholic Church; nonetheless, his response to these criticism was calm and constructive, as many of his writings reveal. In 1876, Hostos traveled to Venezuela and married Belinda Otilia de Ayala. Their maid of honor was renowned Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió. He returned to the Dominican Republic in 1879 when the first Normal School was finally inaugurated. He was named director and he helped establish a second Normal School in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.

Hostos returned to the U.S. in 1898 and actively participated in the Puerto Rican and Cubanindependence movements; his hopes for Puerto Rico's independence, after the Spanish-American Warturned into disappointment when the United States government rejected his proposals and instead converted the island into a United States territory.

Later years

In 1900, Hostos returned to the Dominican Republic, where he continued to play a major role in reorganizing the educational and railroad systems. He wrote many essays on social-science topics, such as: psychology, logic, literature, rights and is considered as one of the first systematic sociologists in Latin America. He was also known to be a supporter ofwomen's rights.

On 11 August 1903, Hostos died in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, aged 64. He is buried in the National Pantheon located in the colonial district of that city. Per his final wishes, his remains are to stay permanentely in the Dominican Republic until the day Puerto Rico is completely independent. Then and only then, does he want to be reinterred in his native homeland. Hostos wrote his own epitaph: "I wish that they will say: In that island (Puerto Rico) a man was born who loved truth, desired justice, and worked for the good of men."

Honors and recognitions

In 1938, the 8th International Conference of America celebrated in Lima, Peru, posthumously paid tribute to Hostos and declared him "Citizen of the Americas and Teacher of the Youth". Puerto Rico declared his birthday an official holiday. There is a monument honoring Hostos in Spain.

A municipality was named after him in the Dominican Republic in the Duarte Province.

• In Puerto Rico there are two monuments dedicated to Hostos: One sculpture created by reowned sculptor Tomás Batista located into a small plaza at side of Highway • #2 in the northern entrance of his native city of Mayagüez. (There is a local grassroots movement claiming relocalization of this statue to more central site.)

Another one created by Jose Buscaglia Guillermety. Recently, located inside the University of Puerto • Rico, Rio Piedras Campus in San Juan.

The Municipality of Mayagüez had inaugurated a cultural center and museum near his birthplace in Río Cañas Arriba ward. The city of Mayagüez also have named in his honor: A High School building inaugurated in 1954 • A Highway (now Avenue) in 1961 • Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, formerly El Maní Airport, in 1986.

• In 1970, the City University of New York inaugurated Hostos Community College, located in the southern part of the Bronx. The school serves as a starting point for many students who wish to seek careers in such fields as dental hygiene, gerontology, and public administration.

In 1995, the Eugenio María de Hostos School of Law was established in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The Hostos Law School aspires to achieve the development of a legal professional that is also responsive to the needs of his or her communities and embraces Hostos educational philosophy. There is an intermediate school in Brooklyn, New York named for Hostos (I.S 318). There is a high school named for Hostos in Union City, New Jersey. There is an elementary school in Yonkers, New York, named for him, the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Microsociety School.

works Written Among his written works are the following:

• • • • • • •

"La Peregrinación de Bayoán" (1863) "Las doctrinas y los hombres" (1866) "El día de América" "Ayacucho" (1870) "El cholo" (1870) "La educación científica de la mujer" (1873) "Lecciones de derecho constitucional. Santo Domingo: Cuna de América" (1887)

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

Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 17th century (Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio.

Etymology and original word usage

The Koine Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia derives from the verb "to appear" and means "appearance," "manifestation."

In classical Greek it was used of the appearance of dawn, of an enemy in war, but especially of a manifestation of a deity to a worshipper (atheophany). In the Septuagint the word is used for a manifestation of the God of Israel (2 Maccabees 15:27). In the New Testament the word is used in 2 Timothy 1:10 to refer either to the birth of Christ or to his appearance after his resurrection, and five times to refer to the Second Coming.

History The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches and was a general celebration of the manifestation

of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It included the commemoration of his birth; the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem; all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; and even the miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. It seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the primary event being commemorated.

Christians fixed the date of the feast on January 6 quite early in their history. Ancient liturgies noted Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Illumination, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 3:22; and John 2:1–11; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana were dwelt upon. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represented the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea), who sought to kill him. In this event, Christian writers also inferred a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."

The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in A.D. 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion(Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany"). He also asserts that the Miracle at Cana occurred on the same calendar day.

In 385, the pilgrim Egeria (also known as Silvia) described a celebration in Jerusalem andBethlehem, which she called "Epiphany" (epiphania) that commemorated the Nativity of Christ. Even at this early date, there was an octave associated with the feast.

In a sermon delivered on 25 December 380, St. Gregory of Nazianzus referred to the day as ta theophania ("the Theophany", an alternative name for Epiphany), saying expressly that it is a day commemorating he hagia tou Christou gennesis ("the holy nativity of Christ") and told his listeners that they would soon be celebrating the baptism of Christ. Then, on January 6 and 7, he preached two more sermons, wherein he declared that the celebration of the birth of Christ and the visitation of the Magi had already taken place, and that they would now commemorate his Baptism. At this time, celebration of the two events was beginning to be observed on separate occasions, at least in Cappadocia.

Saint John Cassian says that even in his time (beginning of the 5th century), the Egyptian monasteries celebrated the Nativity and Baptism together on January 6. The Armenian Apostolic Church continues to celebrate January 6 as the only commemoration of the Nativity.

Pathet Lao Day Laos - J a n 0 6

The Pathet Lao (ປະເທດລາວ, "Lao Nation") was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists.

During the civil war, it was effectively organized, equipped and even led by the army of North Vietnam.

The Pathet Lao were the Laotian equivalent of North Vietnam’s Vietnam People’s Army, South Vietnam’s Viet Minh and later Viet Cong, and Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. Eventually, the term became the generic name for Laotian communists.

The political movement of the Pathet Lao was called first the Lao People’s Party (1955–1972) and later the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (1972–present).

Pathet Lao leaders include Prince Key Souphanouvong, Kaysone Phomvihane, Phoumi Vongvichit, Nouhak Phoumsavanh and Khamtay Siphandone.

Orthodox Christmas Worldwide - J a n 0 7

Eastern Orthodox national churches, including those of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. December 25 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 7 on the internationally used Gregorian calendar. However, other Orthodox Christians, such as the churches of Bulgaria,Greece, Romania, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Finland and the Orthodox Church in America, among others, began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century, which corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar.

The King's Birthday (ELVIS) U.S. - J a n 0 8

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known by the single name Elvis. One of the most popular musicians of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954, working with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was the most important popularizer of rockabilly, an up tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who went on to manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number-one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African-American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.

Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He staged few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of profitable tours. In 1973 Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42.

Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music. Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

Martyr's Day Panama - J a n 0 9

Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone. The riot started after a Panamanian flag was torn during conflict between Panamanian students and Canal Zone Police officers, over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the U.S. flag.

U.S. Army units became involved in suppressing the violence after Canal Zone police were overwhelmed, and after three days of fighting, about 21 Panamanians and four U.S. soldiers were killed. The incident is considered to be a significant factor in the U.S. decision to transfer control of the Canal Zone to Panama through the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.

Background

After Panama gained independence from Colombia in 1903 with the assistance of the U.S., there was much resentment amongst Panamanians as a result of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty, which ceded control of the Panama Canal Zone to the U.S. "in perpetuity" in exchange for large initial and yearly payments.

The Canal Zone, primarily consisting of the Panama Canal, was a strip of land running from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean and had its own police, post offices, courts, television and radio stations. The Canal Zone became U.S. territory (de facto if not de jure).

In January 1963, U.S President John F. Kennedy agreed to fly Panama's flag alongside the U.S. flag at all nonmilitary sites in the Canal Zone where the US flag was flown. However, Kennedy was assassinated before his orders were carried out. One month after Kennedy's death, Panama Canal Zone Governor Robert J. Fleming, Jr. issued a decree limiting Kennedy's order. The U.S. flag would no longer be flown outside Canal Zone schools, police stations, post offices or other civilian locations where it had been flown, but Panama's flag would not be flown either. The governor's order infuriated many Zonians, who interpreted it as a U.S. renunciation of sovereignty over the Canal Zone .

In response, outraged Zonians began demonstrating with the U.S. flag. After the first U.S. flag to be raised at Balboa High School was taken down by school officials, the students walked out of class, raised another flag, and posted guards to prevent its removal. Most Zonian adults sympathized with the student demonstrators.

In what was to prove a miscalculation of the volatility of the situation, Governor Fleming departed for a meeting in Washington, D.C. on the afternoon of January 9, 1964. For him and many others, the U.S.-Panama relationship was at its peak. The exploding situation caught up with the Governor while he was still en route to the U.S. over the Caribbean.

Traditional Day (Vodoun) Benin - J a n 1 0

Traditional Day or Fête du Vodoun (literally Vodoun Festival, also known as Traditional Religions Day) is a public holiday in Benin that celebrates the nation's history surrounding the West African religion of Vodoun. The celebration is held annually on January 10 throughout the country but most notably in the city of Ouidah.

Beginning with the slaughter of a goat in honor of the spirits, the festival is filled with singing, dancing and the imbibing of liquor, especially gin. Vodoun was officially declared a religion in Benin in 1996 and the festival has attracted thousands of devotees and tourists to Ouidah to participate in the festivities ever since.

National Unity Day Nepal - J a n 1 1

Celebration paying homage to King Prithvinarayan Shah (1723–75), founder of the present house of rulers of Nepal and creator of the unified Nepal of today.

Republic Day Albania - J a n 1 1

Republic Day was a national holiday in Albania, also known as Anniversary Day, which commemorated the founding of the Communist government on January 11, 1946, until April 15, 1991, when the first Parliament since the fall of the Soviet Union convened.

Anniversary of the Battle of Geok-Tepe Turkmenistan - J a n 1 2

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 18801881.

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 twentythree 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.

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, independents, nuclear pharmacies, and mail service pharmacies handle this very important day.

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.

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.

Sir John A. Macdonald's Birthday Canada - J a n 1 1

Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC (Can), QC (11 January 1815 – 6 June 1891), was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career which spanned almost half a century. Macdonald served 19 years as Canadian Prime Minister; only William Lyon Mackenzie King served longer.

Macdonald was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family emigrated to Kingston,Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). He articled with a local lawyer, who died before Macdonald qualified, and Macdonald opened his own practice, although not yet entitled to do so. He was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which enabled him to seek and obtain a legislative seat in 1844. He served in the legislature of the colonial Province of Canada and by 1857 had become premier under the colony's unstable political system.

When in 1864 no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867.

Macdonald was designated as the first Prime Minister of the new nation, and served in that capacity for most of the remainder of his life, losing office for five years in the 1870s over the Pacific Scandal (corruption in the financing of the Canadian Pacific Railway). After regaining his position, he saw the railroad through to completion in 1885, a means of transportation and freight conveyance that helped unite Canada as one nation. Macdonald is credited with creating a Canadian Confederation despite many obstacles, and expanding what was a relatively small colony to cover the northern half of North America.

By the time of his death in 1891, Canada had secured most of the territory it occupies today.

Early years, 1815–1830 John Alexander Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland,

on 11 January 1815. His father was Hugh Macdonald, an unsuccessful merchant, who had married Helen Shaw on 21 October 1811. John Alexander Macdonald was the third of five children. After Hugh Macdonald's business ventures left him in debt, the family emigrated to Kingston, in Upper Canada (today the southern and eastern portions of Ontario), in 1820, where there were already a number of Macdonald relatives and connections.

The Macdonalds initially lived with another family, but then resided over a store which Hugh Macdonald ran. Soon after their arrival, John's younger brother James died from a blow to the head by a servant who was supposed to look after the boys. After Hugh's store failed, the family moved to Hay Bay, west of Kingston, where Hugh unsuccessfully ran another shop. His father, in 1829, was appointed a magistrate for the Midland District. John Macdonald's mother was a lifelong influence on her son, helping him in his difficult first marriage and remaining a force in his life until her 1862 death.

John initially attended local schools. When he was aged 10, his family scraped together the money to send him to Midland District Grammar School in Kingston. Macdonald's formal schooling ended at 15, a common school-leaving age at a time when only children from the most prosperous families were able to attend university. Nevertheless, Macdonald later regretted leaving school when he did, remarking to his private secretary Joseph Pope that if he had attended university, he might have embarked on a literary career.

Law career, 1830–1843

Legal training and early career, 1830–1837:

Macdonald's parents decided he should become a lawyer after leaving school. As Donald Creighton (who penned a two-volume biography of Macdonald in the 1950s) wrote, "law was a broad, well-trodden path to comfort, influence, even to power".

It was also "the obvious choice for a boy who seemed as attracted to study as he was uninterested in trade." Besides, Macdonald needed to start earning money immediately to support his family because his father's businesses were again failing.

"I had no boyhood," he complained many years later. "From the age of 15, I began to earn my own living."

Macdonald travelled by steamboat to Toronto (known until 1834 as York), where he passed an examination set by the Law Society of Upper Canada, including mathematics, Latin, and history. British North America had no law schools in 1830; students were examined when beginning and ending their tutelage; between the two examinations, they were apprenticed, or articled to established lawyers. Macdonald began his apprenticeship with George Mackenzie, a prominent young lawyer who was a well-regarded member of Kingston's rising Scottish community. Mackenzie practised corporate law, a lucrative speciality that Macdonald himself would later pursue. Macdonald was a promising student, and in the summer of 1833, managed the Mackenzie office when his employer went on a business trip to Montreal and Quebec in Lower Canada (today the southern portion of the province of Quebec). Later that year, Macdonald was sent to manage the law office of a Mackenzie cousin who had fallen ill.

In August 1834, George Mackenzie died of cholera. With his supervising lawyer dead, Macdonald remained at the cousin's law office in Hallowell (today Picton, Ontario). In 1835, Macdonald returned to Kingston, and even though not yet of age nor qualified, began his practice as a lawyer, hoping to gain his former employer's clients. Macdonald's parents and sisters also returned to Kingston, when Hugh Macdonald became a bank clerk.

Soon after Macdonald was called to the Bar in February 1836, he arranged to take in two students; both became, like Macdonald,Fathers of Confederation. Oliver Mowat became premier of Ontario, and Alexander Campbell a federal cabinet minister and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. One early client was Eliza Grimason, an Irish immigrant then aged sixteen, who sought advice concerning a shop she and her husband wanted to buy. Grimason would become one of Macdonald's richest and most loyal supporters, and may have also become his lover. Macdonald joined many local organisations, seeking to become well known in the town. He also sought out high-profile cases, representing accused child rapist William Brass. Brass was hanged for his crime, but Macdonald attracted positive press comments for the quality of his defence. According to his biographer, Richard Gwyn: As a criminal lawyer who took on dramatic cases, Macdonald got himself noticed well beyond the narrow confines of the Kingston business community. He was operating now in the arena where he would spend by far the greatest part of his life --- the court of public opinion. And while there he was learning the arts of argument and of persuasion that would serve him all his political life.

Legal prominence, 1837–1843:

All Upper Canadians between 18 and 60 years of age were members of the Sedentary Militia, which was called into active duty during the Rebellions of 1837. Macdonald served as a private in the militia, patrolling the area around Kingston, but the town saw no real action and Macdonald was not called upon to fire on the enemy.

Although most of the trials resulting from the Upper Canada Rebellion took place in Toronto, Macdonald represented one of the defendants in the one trial to take place in Kingston. All the Kingston defendants were acquitted, and a local paper described Macdonald as "one of the youngest barristers in the Province [who] is rapidly rising in his profession".

In late 1838, Macdonald agreed to advise one of a group of American raiders who had crossed the border to liberate Canada from what they saw as the yoke of British colonial oppression. The inept invaders had been captured after the Battle of the Windmill (nearPrescott, Ontario), in which 16 Canadians were killed and 60 wounded. Public opinion was inflamed against the prisoners, as they were accused of mutilating the body of a dead Canadian lieutenant. Macdonald biographer Donald Creighton wrote that Kingston was "mad with grief and rage and horror" at the allegations. Macdonald could not represent the prisoners, as they were tried by court martial and civilian counsel had no standing. At the request of Kingston relatives of Daniel George, paymaster of the ill-fated invasion, Macdonald agreed to advise George, who, like the other prisoners, had to conduct his own defence.George was convicted and hanged. According to Macdonald biographer Donald Swainson, "By 1838, Macdonald's position was secure. He was a public figure, a popular young man, and a senior lawyer."

Because of the unrest, the British Parliament merged Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada effective in 1841; Kingston became the initial capital of the new province; Upper Canada and Lower Canada became known as Canada West and Canada East.

Macdonald continued to expand his practice while being appointed director of many companies, mainly in Kingston. Macdonald became both a director of and a lawyer for the new Commercial Bank of the Midland District. Throughout the 1840s Macdonald invested heavily in real estate, including commercial properties in downtown Toronto. Meanwhile, he was suffering from some illness, and in 1841, his father died. Sick and grieving, he decided to take a lengthy holiday in Britain in early 1842. He left for the journey well supplied with money, as he spent the last three days before his departure gambling at the card game loo and winning substantially. Sometime during his two months in Britain, he met his first cousin, Isabella Clark.

As Macdonald did not mention her in his letters home, the circumstances of their meeting are not known. In late 1842, Isabella journeyed to Kingston to visit with a sister. The visit stretched for nearly a year before John and Isabella Macdonald married on 1 September 1843.

Political rise, 1843–1864

Parliamentary advancement, 1843–1857:

In February 1843, Macdonald announced his candidacy for the post of alderman in Kingston's Fourth Ward. On 29 March 1843, Macdonald celebrated his first election victory, with 156 votes against 43 for his opponent, a Colonel Jackson. He also suffered what he termed his first downfall, as his supporters, carrying the victorious candidate, accidentally dropped him onto a slushy street.

In March 1844, Macdonald was asked by local businessmen to stand as Conservative candidate for Kingston in the upcoming legislative election. Macdonald followed the contemporary custom of supplying the voters with large quantities of alcohol. In the era preceding the secret ballotwhen votes were publicly declared, Macdonald defeated his opponent, Anthony Manahan, by 275 "shouts" to 42 when the two-day election concluded on 15 October 1844. At that time, the Legislative Assembly met in Montreal. Macdonald was never an orator, and especially disliked the bombastic addresses of the time. Instead, he found a niche in becoming an expert on election law and parliamentary procedure.

In 1844, Isabella fell ill. She recovered, but the illness recurred the following year, and she became an invalid. John Macdonald took his wife to Savannah, Georgia, in the United States in 1845, hoping that the sea air and warmth would cure her ailments.

Although John Macdonald was able to return to Canada after six months, Isabella remained in the United States for three years. He visited her again in New York at the end of 1846, and returned several months later when she informed him she was pregnant. In August 1847 their son John Alexander Macdonald Jr. was born, but as Isabella remained ill, relatives cared for the infant.

Although he was often absent due to his wife's illness, Macdonald was able to gain professional and political advancement.

In 1846, he was made a Queen's Counsel. The same year, he was offered the non-cabinet post of Solicitor General, but declined it. In 1847, theJoint Premier, William Henry Draper, appointed Macdonald as Receiver General. Accepting the government post required Macdonald to give up his law firm income and spend most of his time in Montreal, away from Isabella.

When elections were held in December 1847 and January 1848, Macdonald was easily reelected for Kingston, but the Conservatives lost seats and were forced to resign when the legislature reconvened in March 1848. Macdonald returned to Kingston when the legislature was not sitting, and Isabella joined him there in June. In August, the child John Jr. died suddenly.

In March 1850 Isabella Macdonald gave birth to another boy, Hugh John Macdonald, and his father wrote, "We have got Johnny back again, almost his image." Macdonald began to drink heavily around this time, both in public and in private, which Patricia Phenix, who studied Macdonald's private life, attributes to his family troubles.

The Liberals, or Grits, maintained power in the 1851 election, but soon, they were divided by a parliamentary scandal. In September, the government resigned, and a coalition government uniting parties from both parts of the province under Sir Allan MacNab took power. Macdonald did much of the work of putting the government together and served as Attorney General. The coalition which came to power in 1854 became known as the Liberal-Conservatives (referred to, for short, as the Conservatives). In 1855, George-Étienne Cartier of Canada East (today Quebec) joined the Cabinet. Until Cartier's 1873 death, he would be Macdonald's political partner. In 1856, MacNab was eased out as premier by Macdonald, who became the leader of the Canada West Conservatives. Though the most powerful man in the government he remained as Attorney General, with Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché as premier.

Colonial leader, 1857–1864:

In July 1857, Macdonald departed for Britain to promote Canadian government projects.On his return to Canada, he was appointed premier in place of the retiring Taché, just in time to lead the Conservatives in a general election. Macdonald was elected in Kingston by 1,189 votes to 9 for John Shaw, who was subsequently hanged in effigy; however, other Conservatives did badly in Canada West, and only French-Canadian support kept Macdonald in power. On 28 December, Isabella Macdonald died, leaving John A. Macdonald a widower with a seven-year-old son. Hugh John Macdonald would be principally raised by his paternal aunt and her husband.

In 1856, the Assembly had voted to move the seat of government permanently to Quebec City. Macdonald had opposed that, and used his power to force the Assembly to reconsider in 1857. Macdonald proposed that Queen Victoria decide which city should be Canada's capital. Opponents, especially from Canada East, argued that the Queen would not make the decision in isolation; she would be bound to receive informal advice from her Canadian ministers. Nevertheless, Macdonald's scheme was adopted, with Canada East support assured by allowing Quebec City to serve a three-year term as the seat of government before the Assembly moved to the permanent capital. Macdonald privately asked the Colonial Officeto ensure that the Queen would not respond for at least 10 months, or until after the general election. In February 1858, the Queen's choice was announced, much to the dismay of many legislators from both parts of the province: the isolated Canada West town of Ottawa.

On 28 July 1858, an opposition Canada East member proposed an address to the Queen informing her that Ottawa was an unsuitable place for a national capital. Macdonald's Canada East party members crossed the floor to vote for the address, and the government was defeated. Macdonald resigned, and the Governor General, Sir Edmund Walker Head, invited opposition leader George Brown to form a government. Under the law at that time, Brown and his ministers lost their seats in the Assembly by accepting office, and had to faceby-elections. This gave Macdonald a majority pending the by-elections, and he promptly defeated the government. Head refused Brown's request for a dissolution of the Assembly, and Brown and his ministers resigned. Head then asked Macdonald to form a government. The law allowed anyone who had held a ministerial position within the last thirty days to accept a new position without needing to face a by-election; Macdonald and his ministers accepted new positions, then completed what was dubbed the "Double Shuffle" by returning to their old posts. In an effort to give the appearance of fairness, Head insisted that Cartier be titular premier, with Macdonald as his deputy.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Canada enjoyed a period of great prosperity. The railroad and telegraph improved communications. According to Macdonald biographer Richard Gwyn, "In short, Canadians began to become a single community."

At the same time, the provincial government became increasingly difficult to manage. An act affecting both Canada East and Canada West required a "double majority"—a majority of legislators from each of the two sections of the province. This led to increasing deadlock in the Assembly. The two sections each elected 65 legislators, even though Canada West had a larger population. One of Brown's major demands was "rep by pop", that is, representation by population, which would lead to Canada West having more seats, and was bitterly opposed by Canada East.

The American Civil War led to fears in Canada and in Britain that once the Americans had concluded their internecine warfare, they would invade Canada again. Britain asked the Canadians to pay a part of the expense of defence, and a Militia Bill was introduced in the Assembly in 1862. The opposition objected to the expense, and Canada East representatives feared that French-Canadians would have to fight in a British-instigated war. At the time, Macdonald was drinking heavily, and he failed to provide much leadership on behalf of the bill. The government fell over the bill, and the Grits took over under the leadership of John Sandfield Macdonald (no relation to John A. Macdonald). John A. Macdonald did not remain out of power long; the parties remained closely matched, with a handful of independents able to destroy any government. The new government fell in May 1863, but Head allowed a new election, which made little change to party strength. In December 1863, Canada West MP Albert Norton Richards accepted the post of Solicitor-General, and so had to face a by-election. John A. Macdonald campaigned against Richards personally, and Richards was defeated by a Conservative. The switch in seats cost the Grits their majority, and they resigned in March. John A. Macdonald returned to office with Taché as titular premier. The Taché-Macdonald government was defeated in June. The parties were deadlocked to such an extent that, according to Swainson, "It was clear to everybody that the constitution of the Province of Canada was dead".

Confederation of Canada, 1864–1867 As his government had fallen again, Macdonald approached the new Governor General, Lord Monck, and obtained a disso-

lution. Before he could act on it, he was approached by Brown through intermediaries; the Grit leader felt that the crisis gave the parties the opportunity to join together for constitutional reform. Brown had led a parliamentary committee on confederation among the British North American colonies, which had reported back just before the Taché-Macdonald government fell.

Brown was more interested in representation by population; Macdonald's priority was a federation that the other colonies could join. The two compromised and agreed that the new government would support the "federative principle"–a conveniently elastic phrase. The discussions were not public knowledge, and Macdonald stunned the Assembly by announcing that the dissolution was being postponed because of progress in negotiations with Brown—the two men were not only political rivals, but were known to hate each other.

The parties resolved their differences, joining in the Great Coalition, with only the Parti Rouge of Canada East, led by JeanBaptiste-Éric Dorion, remaining apart. A conference, called by the Colonial Office, was scheduled for 1 September 1864 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; the Maritimes were to consider a union. The Canadians obtained permission to send a delegation to what became known as the Charlottetown Conference. Macdonald, Cartier, and Brown led the Canadians in Charlottetown. At the conclusion of the conference, the Maritime delegations expressed a willingness to join a confederation if the details could be worked out.

In October 1864 delegates for confederation met in Quebec City for the Quebec Conference, where the Seventy-Two Resolutions were agreed to—they would form the basis of Canada's government. The Great Coalition was endangered by Taché's 1865 death: Lord Monck asked Macdonald to become premier, but Brown felt that he had as good a claim on the position as his coalition partner. The disagreement was resolved by appointing another compromise candidate to serve as titular premier, Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau.

In 1865, after lengthy debates, Canada's Legislative Assembly approved confederation by 91 votes to 33. However, none of the Maritimes had approved the plan. In 1866, Macdonald and his colleagues financed pro-confederation candidates in the New Brunswick general election, resulting in a pro-confederation assembly. Shortly after the election, Nova Scotia's premier, Charles Tupper, pushed a pro-confederation resolution through that colony's legislature. A final conference, to be held in London, was needed before the British Parliament could formalise the union. Maritime delegates left for London in July 1866, but Macdonald, who was drinking heavily again, did not leave until November, angering the Maritimers. In December 1866, Macdonald both led the London Conference, winning acclaim for his handling of the discussions, and wooed and won his second wife, Agnes Bernard. Agnes Bernard was the sister of Macdonald's private secretary, Hewitt Bernard; the couple first met in Quebec in 1860, but Macdonald had seen and admired her as early as 1856. In January 1867, while still in London, he was seriously burned in his hotel room when his candle set fire to the chair he had fallen asleep in, but Macdonald refused to miss any sessions of the conference. In February, he married Agnes at St George's, Hanover Square. On 8 March, the British North America Act, which would serve Canada as a constitution for over a century, passed the House of Commons (it had previously passed the House of Lords). Queen Victoria gave the bill Royal Assent on 29 March 1867.

Macdonald had favoured the union coming into force on 15 July, fearing that the preparations would not be completed any earlier. The British favoured an earlier date, and on 22 May, it was announced that the Dominion of Canada would come into existence on 1 July.Lord Monck appointed Macdonald as the new nation's first Prime Minister. With the birth of the Dominion, Canada East and Canada West became separate provinces, known as Quebec and Ontario. Macdonald was knighted on that first observance of what came to be known as Canada Day, 1 July 1867.

Prime Minister of Canada First term, 1867–1871:

Macdonald and his government faced immediate problems upon formation of the new country. Much work remained to do in creating a federal government. Nova Scotia was already threatening to withdraw from the union; the Intercolonial Railway, which would both conciliate the Maritimes and bind them closer to the rest of Canada, was not yet built. Anglo-American relations were in a poor state, and Canadian foreign relations were matters handled from London. The withdrawal of the Americans in 1866 from the Reciprocity Treaty had increased tariffs on Canadian goods in US markets. Much of present-day Canada remained outside confederation—in addition to the separate colonies of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and British Columbia, which remained governed by the British, vast areas in the north and west belonged to the British and to the Hudson's Bay Company. American and British opinion was that the experiment of Confederation would quickly unravel, and the nascent nation absorbed by the United States.

In August 1867, the new nation's first general election was held; Macdonald's party won easily, with strong support in both large provinces, and a majority from New Brunswick. Parliament convened in November, surprisingly without Brown, who was defeated in Ontario and never served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada. By 1869, Nova Scotia had agreed to remain part of Canada after a promise of better financial terms—the first of many provinces to negotiate concessions from Ottawa. Pressure from London and Ottawa failed to gain the accession of Newfoundland, whose voters rejected a Confederation platform in a general election in October 1869.

In 1869, John and Agnes Macdonald had a daughter, Mary. It soon became apparent that Mary had ongoing developmental issues. She was never able to walk, nor did she ever fully develop mentally. Hewitt Bernard, Deputy Minister of Justice and Macdonald's former secretary, also lived in the Macdonald house in Ottawa, together with Bernard's widowed mother. John Macdonald himself fell ill in 1870 with a gallstone which took him two months to pass. He convalesced in Prince Edward Island, most likely conducting discussions aimed at drawing the island into Confederation at a time when some there supported joining the United States. The island joined Confederation in 1873.

Macdonald had once been tepid on the question of westward expansion of the Canadian provinces; as Prime Minister he became a strong supporter of a bicoastal Canada. Immediately upon Confederation, he sent commissioners to London who in due course successfully negotiated the transfer of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to Canada. The Hudson's Bay Company received $1,500,000, and retained some trading posts as well as one-twentieth of the best farmland. Prior to the effective date of acquisition, the Canadian government faced unrest in the Red River Colony (today southeastern Manitoba, centred on Winnipeg). The local people, including the Métis, were fearful that rule would be imposed on them which did not take into account their interests, and rose in the Red River Rebellion led by Louis Riel. Unwilling to pay for a territory in insurrection, Macdonald had troops put down the uprising before the 15 July 1870 formal transfer, but as a result of the unrest, the Red River Colony joined Confederation as the province of Manitoba, while the rest of the purchased lands became the North-West Territories.

Macdonald also wished to secure the Colony of British Columbia. There was interest in the United States in bringing about the colony's annexation, and Macdonald wished to ensure his new nation had a Pacific outlet. The colony had an extremely large debt that would have to be assumed should it join Confederation. Negotiations were conducted in 1870, principally during Macdonald's illness and recuperation, with Cartier leading the Canadian delegation. Cartier offered British Columbia a railroad linking it to the eastern provinces within 10 years. British Columbia quickly agreed and joined Confederation in 1871. The Canadian Parliament ratified the terms after a debate over the high cost that cabinet member Alexander Morris described as the worst fight the Conservatives had had since Confederation.

There were continuing disputes with the Americans over deep-sea fishing rights, and in early 1871, an Anglo-American commission was appointed to settle outstanding matters between the British (and Canadians) and the Americans. Canada was hoping to secure compensation for damage done by Fenians raiding Canada from bases in the United States. Macdonald was appointed a British commissioner, a post he was reluctant to accept as he realised Canadian interests might be sacrificed for the mother country. This proved to be the case; Canada received no compensation for the raids and no significant trade advantages in the settlement, which required Canada to open her waters to American fishermen. Macdonald returned home to defend the Treaty of Washington against a political firestorm.

Second term and Pacific Scandal, 1872–1873:

In the run-up to the 1872 election, Macdonald had yet to formulate a railway policy, or to devise the loan guarantees that would be needed to secure the construction. During the previous year, Macdonald had met with potential railway financiers such as Hugh Allan and considerable financial discussion took place. Nevertheless, the greatest political problem Macdonald faced was the Washington treaty, which had not yet been debated in Parliament.

In early 1872, Macdonald submitted the treaty for ratification, and it passed the Commons with a majority of 66. The general election was held through late August and early September (future Canadian elections would be conducted, for the most part, on one day). Redistribution had given Ontario increased representation in the House; Macdonald spent much time campaigning in the province, for the most part outside Kingston. Widespread bribery of voters took place throughout Canada, a practice especially effective in the era when votes were publicly declared; in future elections the secret ballot would be used.

Macdonald and the Conservatives saw their majority reduced from 35 to 8. The Liberals (as the Grits were coming to be known) did better than the Conservatives in Ontario, forcing the government to rely on the votes of Western and Maritime MPs who did not fully support the party.

Macdonald had hoped to award the charter for the railway in early 1872, but negotiations dragged on between the government and the financiers. Macdonald's government awarded the Allan group the charter in late 1872. In 1873, when Parliament opened, Liberal MP Lucius Seth Huntington charged that government ministers had been bribed with large, undisclosed political contributions to award the charter. Documents soon came to light which substantiated what came to be known as thePacific Scandal. The Allan-led financiers, who were secretly backed by the United States's Northern Pacific Railway, had donated $179,000 to the Tory election funds, they had received the charter, and Opposition newspapers began to publish telegrams signed by government ministers requesting large sums from the railway interest at the time the charter was under consideration. Macdonald had taken $45,000 in contributions from the railway interest himself. Substantial sums went to Cartier, who waged an expensive fight to try to retain his seat in Montreal East (he was defeated, but was subsequently returned for the Manitoba seat of Provencher). During the campaign Cartier had fallen ill with Bright's disease, which may have been causing his judgment to lapse; he died in May 1873 while seeking treatment in London.

Even before Cartier's death, Macdonald attempted to use delay to extricate the government. The Opposition responded by leaking documents to friendly newspapers. On 18 July, three papers published a telegram dated August 1872 from Macdonald requesting another $10,000 and promising "it will be the last time of asking". Macdonald was able to get a prorogation of Parliament in August by appointing a Royal Commission to look into the matter, but when Parliament reconvened in late October, the Liberals, feeling Macdonald could be defeated over the issue, applied immense pressure to wavering members.

On 3 November, Macdonald rose in the Commons to defend the government, and according to his biographer P.B. Waite, gave "the speech of his life, and, in a sense, for his life". He began his speech at 9 p.m., looking frail and ill, an appearance which quickly improved. As he spoke, he consumed glass after glass of gin and water. He denied that there had been a corrupt bargain, and stated that such contributions were common to both political parties. After five hours, Macdonald concluded, I leave it with this House with every confidence. I am equal to either fortune. I can see past the decision of this House either for or against me, but whether it be against me or for me, I know, and it is no vain boast to say so, for even my enemies will admit that I am no boaster, that there does not exist in Canada a man who has given more of his time, more of his heart, more of his wealth, or more of his intellect and power, as it may be, for the good of this Dominion of Canada.

Macdonald's speech was seen as a personal triumph, but it did little to salvage the fortunes of his government. With eroding support both in the Commons and among the public, Macdonald went to the Governor General, Lord Dufferin on 5 November and resigned; Liberal leader Alexander Mackenzie became the second Prime Minister of Canada. Following the resignation, Macdonald returned home and told his wife Agnes, "Well, that's got along with", and when asked what he meant, told Agnes Macdonald of his resignation, and stated, "It's a relief to be out of it." He is not known to have spoken of the events of the Pacific Scandal again. When Macdonald announced his resignation in the Commons, Conservative and Liberal MPs traded places on the benches of the House of Commons, though one Conservative MP, British Columbia's Amor de Cosmos remained in his place, thereby joining the Liberals.

On 6 November 1873, Macdonald offered his resignation as party leader to his caucus; it was refused. Mackenzie called an election for January 1874; the Conservatives were reduced to 70 seats out of the 206 in the Commons, giving Mackenzie a massive majority. The Conservatives bested the LIberals only in British Columbia; Mackenzie had called the terms by which the province had joined Confederation "impossible". Macdonald was returned in Kingston but was unseated on an election contest when bribery was proven; he won the ensuing by-election by 17 votes. According to Swainson, most observers viewed Macdonald as finished in politics, "a used-up and dishonoured man".

Opposition, 1873–1878:

Macdonald was content to lead the Conservatives in a relaxed manner in opposition and await Liberal mistakes. He took long holidays and resumed his law practice, moving his family to Toronto and going into partnership with his son Hugh John.

One mistake that Macdonald believed the Liberals had made was a free-trade agreement with Washington, negotiated in 1874; Macdonald had come to believe that protection was necessary to build Canadian industry. The Panic of 1873 had led to a worldwide depression; the Liberals found it difficult to finance the railroad in such a climate, and were generally opposed to the line anyway—the slow pace of construction led to British Columbia claims that the agreement under which it had entered Confederation was in jeopardy of being broken.

By 1876, Macdonald and the Conservatives had adopted protection as party policy. This view was widely promoted in speeches at a number of political picnics, held across Ontario during the summer of 1876. Macdonald's proposals struck a chord with the public, and the Conservatives began to win a string of by-elections. By the end of 1876, the Tories had picked up 14 seats as a result of by-elections, reducing Mackenzie's Liberal majority from 70 to 42. Despite the success, Macdonald considered retirement, wishing only to reverse the voters' verdict of 1874—he considered Charles Tupper his heir apparent.

When Parliament convened in 1877, the Conservatives were confident and the Liberals defensive. After the Tories had a successful session in the early part of the year, another series of picnics commenced in a wide belt around Toronto. Macdonald even campaigned in Quebec, which he had rarely done, leaving speechmaking there to Cartier. More picnics followed in 1878, promoting proposals which would come to be collectively called the "National Policy": high tariffs, rapid construction of the transcontinental railway (the Canadian Pacific Railway or CPR), rapid agricultural development of the West using the railroad, and policies which would attract immigrants to Canada. These picnics allowed Macdonald venues to show off his talents at campaigning, and were often lighthearted—at one, the Tory leader blamed agricultural pests on the Grits, and promised the insects would go away if the Conservatives were elected.

The final days of the 3rd Canadian Parliament were marked by explosive conflict, as Macdonald and Tupper alleged that MP and railway financier Donald Smith had been allowed to build the Pembina branch of the CPR (connecting to American lines) as a reward for betraying the Conservatives during the Pacific Scandal. The altercation continued even after the Commons had been summoned to the Senate to hear the dissolution read, as Macdonald spoke the final words recorded in the 3rd Parliament: "That fellow Smith is the biggest liar I ever saw!"

The election was called for 17 September 1878. Fearful that Macdonald would be defeated in Kingston, his supporters tried to get him to run in the safe Conservativeriding of Cardwell; having represented his hometown for 35 years, he stood there again. In the election, Macdonald was defeated in his riding by Alexander Gunn, but the Conservatives swept to victory. Macdonald remained in the House of Commons, having quickly secured his election for Marquette, Manitoba; elections there were held later than in Ontario. His acceptance of office vacated his parliamentary seat, and Macdonald decided to stand for the British Columbia seat of Victoria, where the election was to be held on 21 October. Macdonald was duly returned for Victoria, although he had never visited either Marquette or Victoria.

Third and fourth terms, 1878–1887:

Part of the National Policy was implemented in the budget presented in February 1879. Under that budget, Canada became a high-tariff nation like the United States and Germany. The tariffs were designed to protect and build Canadian industry— finished textiles received a tariff of 34%, but the machinery to make them entered Canada free. Macdonald continued to fight for higher tariffs for the remainder of his life. As the budget moved forward, Macdonald studied the railway issue, and found the picture unexpectedly good. Although little money had been spent on the project under Mackenzie, several hundred miles of track had been built and nearly the entire route surveyed. In 1880, Macdonald found a syndicate, led by George Stephen, willing to undertake the CPR project. Donald Smith (later Lord Strathcona) was a major partner in the syndicate, but because of the ill will between him and the Conservatives, Smith's participation was initially not made public, though it was well-known to Macdonald. In 1880, the Dominion took over Britain's remaining Arctic territories, which extended Canada to its presentday boundaries, with the exception of Newfoundland, which would not enter Confederation until 1949. Also in 1880, Canada sent its first diplomatic representative abroad, Sir Alexander Galt as High Commissioner to Britain. With good economic times, Macdonald and the Conservatives were returned with a slightly decreased majority in 1882. Macdonald was returned for the Ontario riding of Carleton.

The transcontinental railroad project was heavily subsidised by the government. The CPR was granted 25,000,000 acres (100,000 km2; 39,000 sq mi) of land along the route of the railroad, and $25,000,000 from the government. In addition, the government was pledged to build $32,000,000 of other railways to support the CPR. The entire project was extremely costly, especially for a nation with only 4.1 million people in 1881. Between 1880 and 1885, as the railway was slowly built, the CPR repeatedly came close to financial ruin. Not only was the terrain in the Rocky Mountains difficult, the route north of Lake Superior proved treacherous, as tracks and engines sank into the muskeg. When Canadian guarantees of the CPR's bonds failed to make them salable in a declining economy, Macdonald obtained a loan to the corporation from the Treasury—the bill authorizing it passed the Senate just before the firm would have become insolvent.

As the transcontinental railway neared completion, the Northwest again saw unrest. Many of the Manitoban Métis had moved into the territories. Negotiations between the Métis and the Government to settle grievances over land rights proved difficult, Riel had lived in exile in the United States since 1870, he journeyed to Regina with the connivance of Macdonald's government, who believed he would prove a leader they could deal with. Instead, the Métis rose the following year under Riel in the North-West Rebellion. Macdonald put down the rebellion with militia troops transported by rail, and Riel was captured, tried for treason, convicted, and hanged. Macdonald refused to consider reprieving Riel, who was of uncertain mental health. The hanging of Riel proved bitterly controversial, and alienated many Quebecers (like Riel, Catholic and culturally French Canadian) from the Conservatives—they would realign with the Liberals by the turn of the 20th century. Transporting troops helped the CPR raise money. The railroad was completed on 7 November 1885; Macdonald was notified by CPR manager William Van Horne, who wired him from Craigellachie, British Columbia, where the last spike was driven home.

In the summer of 1886, Macdonald traveled for the only time to western Canada, traveling from town to town by private railway car, and addressing large crowds, until reaching Vancouver. Macdonald traveled with his wife, and to get a better view, the two would sometimes sit in front of the locomotive on the train's cowcatcher. On 13 August 1886, Macdonald used a silver hammer and pounded a gold spike to complete the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway.

In 1886, another dispute arose over fishing rights with the Americans. United States vessels had been using treaty provisions allowing them to land in Canada to take on wood and water as a cover for clandestine inshore fishing. Several vessels were detained in Canadian ports, to the outrage of Americans, who demanded their release. Macdonald sought to pass a Fisheries Act which would override some of the treaty provisions, to the dismay of the British, who were still responsible for external relations. The British government instructed the Governor General, Lord Lansdowne, to reserve Royal Assent for the bill, effectively placing it on hold without vetoing it. After considerable discussion, the British government allowed Royal Assent at the end of 1886, and indicated it would send a warship to protect the fisheries if no agreement was reached with the Americans.

Fifth and sixth terms, 1887–1891; death:

Fearing continued loss of political strength as poor economic times continued, Macdonald planned to hold an election by the end of 1886, but had not yet issued the writ when an Ontario provincial election was called by Macdonald's former student, Liberal Ontario Premier Oliver Mowat. The provincial election was seen as a bellwether for the federal poll. Despite considerable campaigning by the Prime Minister, Mowat's Liberals were returned in Ontario, and increased their majority. Macdonald finally dissolved Parliament on 15 January 1887 for an election on 22 February. During the campaign, Macdonald suffered another blow when the Quebec provincial Liberals were able to form a government (four months after the October 1886 Quebec election), forcing the Conservatives from power in Quebec City. Nevertheless, Macdonald and his cabinet campaigned hard in the winter election, with Tupper (the new High Commissioner to London) postponing his departure to try to bolster Conservative hopes in Nova Scotia. The Liberal leader, Edward Blake, ran an uninspiring campaign, and the Conservatives were returned nationally with a majority of 35, winning easily in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. The Tories even took a narrow majority of Quebec's seats despite resentment over Riel's hanging. Macdonald became MP for Kingston once again. Even the younger ministers, such as future Prime Minister John Thompson, who sometimes differed with Macdonald on policy, admitted the Prime Minister was an essential electoral asset for the Conservatives.

Blake, whom Macdonald biographer Gwyn describes as the Liberal Party's "worst campaigner untilStéphane Dion early in the twenty-first century", resigned after the defeat, to be replaced by Wilfrid Laurier. Under Laurier's early leadership, the Liberals, who had accepted much of the National Policy under Blake while questioning details, rejected it entirely, calling for "unrestricted reciprocity", or free trade, with the United States. Advocates of Laurier's plan argued that north–south trade made more economic sense than trying to trade across the vast, empty prairies, using a CPR which was already provoking resentment for what were seen as high freight rates. Macdonald was willing to see some reciprocity with the United States, but was reluctant to lower many tariffs. American advocates of what they dubbed "commercial union" saw it as a prelude to political union, and did not scruple to say so, causing additional controversy in Canada.

Macdonald called an election for 5 March 1891. The Liberals were heavily financed by American interests; the Conservatives drew much financial support from the CPR. The 76-year-old Prime Minister collapsed during the campaign, and conducted political activities from his brother-in-law's house in Kingston. The Conservatives gained slightly in the popular vote, but their majority was trimmed to 27. The parties broke even in the central part of the country but the Conservatives dominated in the Maritimes and Western Canada, leading Liberal MP Richard John Cartwright to claim that Macdonald's majority was dependent on "the shreds and patches of Confederation". After the election, Laurier and his Liberals grudgingly accepted the National Policy, and when Laurier himself later became Prime Minister, he adopted it with only minor changes.

Several weeks of rest after the election seemed to restore Macdonald to health. However, in late May, he suffered a stroke, which left him partially paralysed. Vehicles and vessels passing his Ottawa home, Earnscliffe, did so as quietly as possible, while the nation followed the reports from Macdonald's sickroom. "The Old Chieftain" lingered for days, remaining mentally alert, before dying in the late evening of Saturday, 6 June 1891. Thousands filed by his open casket in the Senate Chamber; his body was transported by funeral train to his hometown of Kingston, with crowds greeting the train at each stop. On arrival in Kingston, Macdonald lay in state again in City Hall, wearing the uniform of an Imperial Privy Counselor. He was buried in Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston, his grave near that of his first wife, Isabella.

Wilfrid Laurier paid tribute to Macdonald in the House of Commons: In fact the place of Sir John A. Macdonald in this country was so large and so absorbing that it is almost impossible to conceive that the politics of this country, the fate of this country, will continue without him. His loss overwhelms us.

Legacy and tributes

Macdonald served just under 19 years as Prime Minister, a length of service only surpassed by William Lyon Mackenzie King. Unlike his American counterpart, George Washington, no cities or political subdivisions are named for Macdonald (with the exception of a small Manitoba village), nor are there any massive monuments. A peak in the Rockies, Mount Macdonald at Rogers Pass, is named for him. In 2001, Parliament designated 11 January as Sir John A. Macdonald Day, but the day is not a federal holiday and generally passes unremarked. Macdonald appears on the present Canadian ten-dollar bill. He also gives his name to Ottawa's Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and Ontario Highway 401 (the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway), though these facilities are rarely referred to using his name.

A number of sites associated with Macdonald are preserved. His gravesite has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Bellevue House in Kingston, where the Macdonald family lived in the 1840s, is also a National Historic Site administered byParks Canada, and has been restored to that time period. His Ottawa home, Earnscliffe, still stands and is today the official residence of the British High Commissioner to Canada. Statues have been erected to Macdonald across Canada; one stands on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. A statue of Macdonald stands atop a granite plinth originally intended for a statue of Queen Victoria in Toronto's Queen's Park, looking south on University Avenue. Macdonald's statue also stands in Kingston's City Park; the Kingston Historical Society annually holds a memorial service in his honour.

Conservative Senator Hugh Segal believes that Macdonald's true monument is Canada itself: "Without Macdonald we'd be a country that begins somewhere at the Manitoba-Ontario border that probably goes throughout the east. Newfoundland would be like Alaska and I think that would also go for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. We'd be buying our oil from the United States. It would diminish our quality of life and range of careers, and our role in the world would have been substantially reduced." Macdonald's biographers note his contribution to establishing Canada as a nation. Swainson suggests that Macdonald's desire for a free and tolerant Canada became part of its national outlook: "He not only helped to create Canada, but contributed immeasurably to its character." Gwyn said of Macdonald, his accomplishments were staggering: Confederation above all, but almost as important, if not more so, extending the country across the continent by a railway that was, objectively, a fiscal and economic insanity ... On the ledger's other side, he was responsible for the CPR scandal, the execution of Louis Riel, and for the head tax on Chinese workers. He's thus not easy to scan. His private life was mostly barren. Yet few other Canadian leaders—Pierre Trudeau, John Diefenbaker for a time, Wilfrid Laurier—had the same capacity to inspire love.

HUNGARY C e nt r a l Eur ope m us t be c om e s t r onge r, s a y s Zs olt N é m e t h

(Online 04 Jan) ‘We need to make Central Europe stronger, and we can achieve that through reinforcing our solidarity” – Zsolt Németh told the Public Radio concerning the prospects of Hungary’s neighbourhood policy.

The Hungarian Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Central European states share significant interests. For instance, they all have an interest in that the European Union should not decrease the financial resources for the Cohesion Fund because that would be disadvantageous for the economic development of these countries.

Zsolt Németh pointed out that Hungary had done a lot to promote the development of regional infrastructure. Among others, the con-

nection of energy networks among the countries of Central Europe is on the agenda.

State Secretary Zsolt Németh stressed that programs aimed at connecting such networks generate more solidarity, which could be seen, for instance, in the recent improvement of Hungarian-Slovak relations that downplayed the differences concerning the Slovak language law and the citizenship law.

He stated that bilateral relations were in the process of „capital accumulation”.

Confidence must be built first in order to achieve diplomatic successes.

As regards Hungarian-Romanian relations the Hungarian Parliamentary State Secretary stated that Hungary was committed to maintaining the friendly relation-

ship that characterized the previous years.

Relations would become tense without the foundation of mutual respect, he said.

The statement made by Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta recently that he – unlike the Hungarian Prime Minister – was a democrat, he appreciated ethnic minorities and respected the opposition, was not very promising.

Hungarian-Serbian relations have been developing on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation.

Serbia can rely on Hungary in the process of its European integration.

As regards Ukraine, Zsolt Németh emphasized that energy cooperation would have to be advanced between the two countries.

Another positive employment figure: KSH (Online 04 Jan) According to this morning's information summary from the Central Statistical Office (KSH), positive trends are continuing with regard to employfigures, ment which play a determining role in government policy.

28-month The continuous rise in employment rates remains uninterrupted for the per i o d September-November 2012, compared to the same period in the previous year, according to the latest KSH announcement.

The number of people between the ages of 15 and 74 in employment has increased by 55 thousand to 3 million 925 thousand from 3 million 870 thousand in the previous year, and accordingly, the employment rate has risen to 51.3 percent.

With regard to the 15-64 age group, the data shows a similar trend with an increase of 56 thousand to 3 million 891 thousand from 3 million 835 thousand in the previous year, increasing the em-

N e w

ployment rate for the group to 58.1 percent.

According to the latest employment statistics from the KSH, the yearly comparison of emrates ployment rose for the 28th consecutive time during the period September-November 2012.

The number in employment rose by 1.4 percent (year-year) in the 15-74 age range, meaning that the employment rate for this age group rose by 0.9 percentage points to 51.3 percent from 50.4 percent in last year's similar period. The 15-64 age group experienced a similar increase in yearly comparison, with the employment rate for the group increasing from 56.7 percent to 58.1 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.

With regard to changes in employment rates by sex, the data shows that the indices for both sexes have improved. The employment rate for men between the ages of 15 and 64 increased by 1.5 percent to 63.7 percent compared

to the similar period last year, while the employment rate in the case of women showed an increase of 1.3 percent (52.7%) The Government's market labour measures have proved for over two years now that, despite the negative effects of the unfavourable external market environment that has been continuously present since the change in government, they are capable of sustaining positive trends and further increasing the employment rate.

As a result of measures that centre on increasing employment, some 100 thousand more people were in employment in September-October 2012 than there were two years ago, when the number of people in public employment was at a similar level, in addition to which the number of people in employment during the period since the Government took power has increased by some 160 thousand people.

wa s t e m a na ge m e nt r e gula t ions

(Online 03 Jan) Some of the implementation regulations of the new Waste Management Act that came into force on January 1 have issued. been Among others, the new regulations concern the distribution of packaging materials, the returning and recycling of packaging materials, the receipt of electric electronic and that equipment become has waste, and the handling of cars that have been removed from circulation.

When collecting mixed waste, public services must make at least two sizes of bins available to property owners. Bins may only be kept on property public while awaiting emptying.

No packaging materials may be sold which include a total heavy metal concentration that exceeds 0.01 percent by weight.

This regulation does not apply to lead crystal packaging materials, or to glass used for packaging that is made out of glass tiles, providing that no heavy metals were added during the production process.

Excluding minimum amounts of packaging, manuare facturers obliged to accept all returned packaging materials.

55 percent of waster packaging materials must be reused as similar materials. Distributors are also obliged to accept returned packaging materials if the size of their shops 500 exceeds square metres.

Manufacturers are not only obliged to waste receive electric and elecproducts tronic that they produce, but also goods produced by other manufacturers if such products are similar to those produced by the receiver with regard to character and function. Manufacturers are also obliged to receive goods offered by distributors, and to bear the handling costs. This year, the ratio of recycling for large household appliances, small appliances and IT equipment is 75, 50 and 65 percent, respectively.

When selling new or used cars, manufacturers and distributors must in all cases inform the buyer of where and under what conditions it may

be returned if the becomes car waste. Cars that have been removed from circuor the lation owners of which wish to remove form circulation are regarded as waste.

Manufacturers and distributors must establish a network return which is available at a maximum of 50 kilometres from anywhere by road.

The return site may be the car dealership's site of but operations, also a wrecking yard or other place that deals with such issues professionally. However, cars may only be disassembled by wrecking yards.

If the wrecking yard can make use of parts from the car, it shall be obliged to pay for the car. The regulations state only that the price should conform to the market price.

The manufacturer shall also be obliged to accept returned batteries.

Manufacturers must establish special return sites, the density of which must be in proportion to the population of the settlement.

Naturalisation procedure to be Simplified (Online 03 Jan) The simplified naturalisation procedure was introduced on January 2, 2011, and 363,795 applications have been submitted to Budapest over the past two years, with a further few thousand still on the way, meaning a total of around 370 thousand applicants. Interest remains high, something that is mirrored in the number of appointments made.

If the current tendency continues, our five hundred thousandth compatriot will submit their application, and may take their oath and receive Hungarian citizenship within the current parliamentary cycle.

Thanks to the efforts of the Hungarian public administration system, the currently very short administrative deadlines are successfully being kept to and over 360 thousand people have now taken their citizen-

ship oath.

The majority of applicants are Hungarians from Transylvania and Vojvodina, but so far citizens from a total of 65 countries have applied for naturalisation at a total of 73 diplomatic representative offices abroad. In general, many applications are submitted at Hungarian Embassies and Consulates, where interest in naturalisation has increased significantly both nominally and proportionally, rising from 38.6 percent to 57 percent of all cases. The most applications were submitted in Csíkszereda (Miercuria Ciuc), Kolozsvár (Cluj) and Szabadka (Subotica).

Parliament has adopted Act CCVII of 2012 aimed at the realisation of the Magyary Simplification Programme, while the related implementation decrees will be issued in the coming days. The new legislation

radically simplifies procedures relating to the registration of births (including the domestic registration of foreign births), public records and citizenship, which means simplified administrative procedures and fewer administrative burdens.

We regard openness towards the Hungarian peoples in the diaspora, the cultural and economic significance of which is also immeasurable, as a national policy goal. In accordance with the announcements made at the sessions of the Hungarian Permanent Council (MÁÉRT) and the Diaspora Council, we will be visiting the diaspora's organisations personally in 2013 through our representatives, who will help to preserve and reinforce them with respect to the Hungarian language and culture, and will also be at their disposal in relation to citizenship issues.

Hungary earmarks HUF 268bn for upgrading hospitals, clinics (Online 03 Jan) Hungary has earmarked 268 billion forints (EUR 0.92bn) for upgrading and extending regional hospitals and outpatient clinics this year, the National Development Agency (NFÜ) said in a statement on Thursday.

Of this amount, 223 billion forints worth of

investment is already covered by contracts while 45 billion forints will be open to bids. Of the latter amount, 10 billion forints will be ploughed into developing oncological centres with the aim of reducing mortality caused by malignant tumours, a priority in Hungary, NFÜ said.

Thirty-five billion

forints will go towards restructuring outpatient and hospital care, it said.

In line with the EU directive for supporting less developed areas, all regions except for Budapest and Pest County will have access to these funds, the agency said.

M a jor c ha pt e r of H unga r y ’s r ole in A f gha nis t a n t o be c los e d in 2 0 1 3

(Online 03 Jan) Minister of DeCsaba fence Hende said Hungary's military had been able to "maintain its capabilities" in 2012 amid limited financial possibilities.

In an end-year interview to HunNews garian Agency MTI, Minister Hende said on Sunday that the ministry was working on plans to maintain helicopter capabilities and resolving the situation of military cargo planes, which will be among the most important defence tasks of 2013.

He added that the Hungarian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) would be withpermadrawn from nently in Afghanistan spring 2013, but training and contasks sultation would continue in the country.

"A major chapter of Hungary's role [in Afghanistan]

will be closed; the PRT had carried out its duties succoncessfully, tributing to the development of Baghlan province and the improvement of the living standards of local he residents," said, adding that the Military Advisory Team (MAT, earlier OMLT) will move to Mazar-iSarif with an updated programme of operation.

As of January 1, 2013, a new and important military task would be water transport, Minister the pointed out, to help hundreds of of thousands Hungarians living in arsenic-contaminated areas to water. drinking The production of new water cleaning equipment to help the mission has started, he said.

Minister Hende stated that the military is working on increasing its voluntary reserve

unit, which should reach a limit of 8 000 men assigned by Parliament by 2014. He also mentioned it as a success that exHungary tended a lease on Gripen fighter jets for another ten years until 2026, spending half of what it had over past ten the years.

He added that the site of a third 3D locator had been chosen, the village of Medina had accepted the construction of the NATO air defence radar base and foundation the stone had been laid in October 2012. about Talking Hungarian-developed Unmanned Vehicles Aerial (UAVs), Minister Hende highlighted that drones have helped complete reconnaissance, disaster-control and rescue missions in 2012.

Administrative district offices formed (Online 03 Jan) District offices were reintroduced on 1 January (thirty years after the abolition of the system of administrative districts), within a new organisational structure and with new goals. There are 175 district offices outside Budapest, and twenty-three in the capital.

These will carry out administrative below tasks county level.

The offices will primarily take over the following tasks from local councils: clerical and registration duties; child protecand tion guardianship matters; and some social, environmental and cons e r v a t i o n management issues. Within district offices there are specialist administrative units with dealing guardianship mat-

ters, veterinary and food-related supervision, district land offices and district labour offices. Office directors were sworn in at a ceremony in Budapest on 17 December.

The appointees include eleven former mayors, who therefore are obliged to resign from their mayoral posts within fifteen days. Local election offices then anwill nounce by-elections. Seven office directors are also Members of Parliament, but they can retain their until mandates the next parliamentary elections.

Initially three of the 198 district offices have only acting directors.

Fifty-two per cent of directors are nearly women, are two-thirds lawyers, and the average time they

have spent so far in public administration is twelve years. More than sixty have already worked as notaries.

The Government decided on formation of administrative districts in September 2011.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice has called the initiative an important milestone in a comprehensive transformation of public administration serving the public good and the promoting ideal of ‘the good state’. It has been stated that the goal is to create modern adminisdistricts trative that help reduce costs to society, and that operate more effectively and with more attention to the needs of the public.

More than HUF 900 million to support the social integration of homeless people (Online 03 Jan) In order to promote the social inclusion of people living on the streets, the Government is making a total of HUF 917 million available within the framework of the New Széchenyi Plan.

The tender primarily aims at sup-

porting the housing, independent living and personalised training of the homeless in order to create the basis of their employability. The project provides support for institutions to assess the needs of affected groups, to provide lifestyle

counselling and housing to them and to facilitate their training and employment.

Applicants may apply for grants between HUF 8 and 140 million and shall undertake to help 10 to homeless 150 persons.

370 000 people applied for Hungarian citizenship over the past two years (Online 02 Jan) A total of 370 000 people applied for Hungarian citizenship over the past two years and the rejection rate was below 1.5%, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén told Hun-

garian News Agency MTI on Wednesday.

"In 2013, our focus will be on Hungarians living in the West," he said. Under the Julianus and Kőrösi Csoma programmes,

Hungarian communities will be offered help in keeping their Hungarian identity and language, including nurturing objectives connected with Hungarian culture.

Zs olt Se m jé n: ‘D ua l c it ize ns hip is popula r in t he We s t e r n dia s por a ’ (PR) On the public radio station Kossuth Rádió, Zsolt Semjén said that nearly 370,000 people have applied for dual Hungarian citizenship, and more than 300,000 have already sworn the

citizenship oath.

The Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for Hungarian communities abroad said that interest in simplified naturalisation is also increasing in the Western diaspora.

Mr. Semjén said that the total number of applications is now approaching 370,000, and between 300,000 and 310,000 have already sworn the oath of citizenship.

A n out look on t he m os t im por t a nt m e a s ur e s t a k e n t o inc r e a s e e m ploy m e nt a nd t o s t r e ngt he n SM Es (Online 03 Jan) The Hungarian Government has been following a political and legislative agenda which aims at expanding employment, maintaining budget discipline at an economic level as well as equal burdensharing within society.

The expansion of employment has been defined as a priority of the Government’s economic and development policy.

To this end, a Job Protection Action Plan was launched last summer, incorporating a ten-point agenda to support the employment of those under the age of 25 or over the age of 55, the long-term unemployed, unskilled workers and mothers returning from maternity leave. Its measures include cutting social contribution tax and vocational training contributions for these prioritized groups as well as reducing the burdens of micro- and small enterprises and cutting their red tape. A sum of HUF 300bn has been secured for the programme, which does not affect the overall budget.

Employment has been on a growing path during the past two years.According to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), in August-October 2012 the number of employed was 3 million 935 thousand, which is 71 thousand more than one year ago and a 160 thousand increase since 2010. The Job Protection Action Plan will certainly further improve domestic employment data.

The Government has also given significant support to investment projects which result in the creation of new jobs. It is necessary for 5.5

million people to hold a regular job and pay taxes in order to move forward on the path of economic growth. In 2012, long-term strategic partnership pacts have been concluded with several large firms which play an important role in the Hungarian economy. Agreements have so far been signed with the local subsidiaries of Coca-Cola, Alcoa-Köfém, Daimler, Suzuki, Hankook, General Electric, Microsoft, Stadler and Tesco, and with Hungarian pharmaceutical giant Gedeon Richter.

To ensure a business-friendly environment, in 2010 the Government reduced corporation tax from 19% to 10% as well as the administrative burdens of businesses, by some HUF 500 billion, and simplified the licensing procedures of projects and public procurements. The re-organisation of the vocational training system is also underway so that Hungary will be able to offer highly-trained experts to projects and businesses moving to the country.

As of 1 January 2013, the general minimum wage will also increase.The Cabinet has approved a proposed rise in the guaranteed minimum wage for unskilled workers to HUF 98 000 (EUR 346) per month from 93 000 and to 114 000 from 108 000 for skilled labour.

According to trade unions, this will enhance the purchasing power of families by 2.2%.

The decision was made following a meeting of a consultative body consisting of representatives of the Government, the National Association of Entrepreneurs and E m p l o y e r s

(VOSZ) and the National Trade Unions' Association (MSZOSZ).

Last week, Parliament approved the introduction of two new tax forms which aim at simplifying the operation of small enterprises.The small taxpayers’ itemised tax is designed for enterprises with a yearly income of less than HUF 6 million. The tax payable is HUF 50 thousand per month for those employed full-time and HUF 25 thousand for those working part-time.

The tax replaces the enterprise's corporate tax, as well as personal income tax and contributions and the social contribution tax payable on them for those registered as small taxpayers, and also healthcare and vocational training contributions, making it a simple, tax-saving method of tax for small enterprises.

The tax base in the case of small enterprise tax, on the other hand, is determined as the sum of the company's cash income and personnel-related payments. Its rate is 16% of the tax base. It replaces several contributions such as the social contribution tax, the vocational training contribution and corporate tax. Head of the Federation of Hungarian Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ) Ferenc Dávid stated that the introduction of the two new tax forms would be beneficial to businesses.

According to the announcement made by the National Tax and Customs Office (NAV), 47 thousand and 5 thousand applications have been submitted so far with relation to small taxpayers' itemised tax and small enterprise tax, respectively.

János Lázár to coordinate the settlement of Jewish communities’financial compensation claims

(Online 03 Jan) The Government appointed has State Secretary in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár to prepare and coordinate the protasks fessional related to the settlement of the fin a n c i a l compensation claims of Jewish communities as well as cultural, educational, historical fact-revealand ing tradition-keeping

activities concerning Jewish communities.

According to the resolution, the task of State Secretary János Lázár is among others to discuss compensation claims with representathe tives of Jewish communities in relation to deceased victims with no successors. He is in charge of coordinating the negotiations on the of settlement these claims as

well as dialogue minbetween istries.

The State Secretary will hold negowith tiations representatives of Jewish organizations regularly, on at least a quarterly basis.

It has also been declared recently that Holocaust survivors' life annuare to ities increase by 50 percent from January, 2013.

The country’s renewal shall be judged by future generations

(Online 02 Jan) The necessity of decisions can only be judged with appropriate objectivity by posterity Government Spokesperson András Giró-Szász said in an interview to Hungarian daily Magyar Hírlap.

The Spokesperson said in the interview on Monday that the Government’s success is indicated by the fact that according to the European Commission’s report, the Hungarian economy is in the stable medium and longterm perspective.

The country has not received such

an evaluation from the European Union in the past ten years.

He pointed out that pensions will retain their purchasing power in 2013 and the minimal wage will rise by 5.4%, while household energy prices will see a decrease for the first time in 40 years.

Talking about the swift restructuring process, the Gove r n m e n t Spokesperson pointed out that was Hungary showing budgetary, economic and social problems similar to that of EuroSouthern pean countries,

with the Fidesz-led government leading Hungary out of the crisis at the last minute. Hungary has developed into a country with the power to enforce its interests, he added.

Regarding the recent students rallies, Giró-Szász stated that the Government aims to create a reasonable, efficient and effective cost higher education system, and also plans to increase its funding. Therefore it is in everyone’s interest that take changes place as soon as possible.

Hungary PM to discuss energy with Russia's Medvedev (Online 04 Jan) Hungary's prime minister is set to discuss energy issues with his Russian counterpart at the end of January, Hungarian daily Nepszabadsag reported Friday, citing unnamed sources.

Preparations have been made for Viktor Orban's visit to Moscow and talks with Dmitry Medvedev about the Hungarian section of the planned South Stream natural gas pipeline.

Hungary relies on Russian natural gas and the talks may also deal with

the transportation of Russian gas to Hungary, Nepszabadsag said.

Russia is the only country that supplies gas to Hungary; in 2011, its gas exports totaled 6.26 billion cubic meters.

Hungary late last year signed a letter of intent to buy the Hungarian gas transport arm of German energy major E.ON SE and thus gained the opportunity to re-negotiate its gas transport contract – that expires in 2015 – directly with Russia.

Talks could also involve the expan-

sion of Hungary's only nuclear plant MVM Paksi Atomeromu Zrt. A tender to expand the plant was delayed from the planned tender call in late 2011. It is likely that a Russian company will bid for the project with an estimated investment of 2 trillion-4 trillion Hungarian forints ($9.03 billion$18.06 billion).

A government official said details of Mr. Orban's trip would be made available nearer the time, state news agency MTI reports.

Zsuzsanna Répás: ‘2012 was the year of implementation for policy on Hungarian communities abroad’ (PR) According to Zsuzsanna Répás, 2012 was the year of implementation for policy on Hungarian communities abroad. In an interview given to the Hungarian News Agency MTI, in which she looked back on the past year, the Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian communities abroad said that implementation of programmes took place in 2012 on the basis of the previous year’s work. She said that the year’s most important programme – the ’Year of Hungarian Nursery Schools Abroad – was launched on the basis of the strategic document adopted in 2011, and that the programme has been extremely successful. She noted that this field had

been unjustly neglected in previous times, despite its influence in many areas. She added that realising the programme (worth approximately HUF 100 million), has involved settlements in the Carpathian Basin which up until now have been ignored; nursery school teachers in the Carpathian Basin have also been brought together as a community.

Mrs. Répás said that she would like to continue the professional work, adding that January will see the launch of the programme known as the Year of Elementary School Children, which is also expected to receive approximately HUF 100 million in funding.

The Deputy State Secretary said that

this programme will be far more complex than the Year of Nurseries, because problems in individual regions are distinct, and so are the tasks needed to address them. At the same time it is important to find the common theme which will form the backbone of the programme – this will be community building.

The Deputy State Secretary said that there will be a continuation of the Without Borders! programme, which has offered travel opportunities to 15-17,000 secondary school pupils.

She said that it remains the goal for every Hungarian school student to be able to take part in a study trip beyond the borders.

Zsolt Németh: Substantial results related to Hungarian communities abroad (PR) According to Zsolt Németh, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government has achieved substantial results in the area of Hungarian communities abroad over the last year, particularly in education policy, development of areas in border regions, symbolic issues similar to the case of the ‘Temerin Boys’, and also in consolidating the system of institutions for Hungarian communities

abroad.

In an interview given to the Hungarian News Agency MTI in which he looked back over the past year, the State Secretary said that in 2012 there were elections in every neighbouring country with a substantial Hungarian community. Therefore the year has brought fundamental changes, new situations have been created everywhere, and these require individualised approaches.

He said that Hun-

garian organisations beyond the borders in neighbouring countries are special partners for the Hung a r i a n government, and therefore efforts are being made to involve them in debates on diplomatic initiatives related to Hungarian communities abroad. He said that the Government supports the united action of these organisations, and strengthening their co-operative efforts.

H unga r ia n ha s not be c om e a r e giona l la ngua ge in Tr a ns c a r pa t hia (PR) At its sitting on 21 December, the Transcarpathian County Council once again considered the question of the implementation of the Act on state language policy. At its meeting in Ungvár/ Uzshorod, the General Assembly did not, however, designate Hungarian as a regional language in Transcarpathia. Once again, the members decided that the Transcarpathian County Council has no remit to assign the status of regional language, whatever language is under consideration.

Those being considered were Hungarian, Romanian and Rusyn. It was stated that local government bodies must decide on these questions. In its decision on the local use of the Ukrainian Act on language, the County Council only recognised that, in addition to Ukrainian, Hungarian – together with Romanian and Rusyn – is a widespread language in the region, and that relevant local councils must take account of this.

Meanwhile, only around five months after the new Act on languages came into

force, the Party of Regions has stated its intention to amend the law.

The co-author of the Act on language, Vadim Kolesnichenko, submitted the proposed amendment to Parliament. Officially the aim of amending the Act on language and other regulations is ‘perfection of state policy on language’, but there was no specific statement on the details of the planned amendments. Many regarded the new language law’s adoption last summer to be merely a part of the then general election campaign.

The new Romanian government has a Hungarian state secretary (PR) András Király, a representative of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in R o m a n i a (DAHR/RMDSZ) , has once again been appointed as a state secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Education. Up until now he has been responsi-

ble for primary and secondary education in minority lang u a g e s .

Although it has not been a part of the government in Bucharest since last May, the DAHR has agreed with the governing Social-Liberal coalition that its

state secretaries responsible for minority affairs should keep their posts. In addition to Education State Secretary András Király, Attila Markó is director (at state secretary level) of the Office for Interethnic Relations.