Worldwide Events; Zarb-e-Jamhoor Newspaper; 113 issue; 03 - 09 Mar, 2013

Declaration of Establishment of Authority of the People Libya - M a r 0 3

On March 2, Libyans celebrate Declaration of Jamahiriya Day, also known as Declaration of the People's Authority Day . In observance of this public holiday, schools and businesses are closed throughout the country. Citizens attend speeches and rallies in honor of the founding of the Jamahiriya, which has no official translation. The term, which is derived from the Arab word for republic, roughly means "state of the masses," "people's authority," or "people's power."

The term Jamahiriya was created by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, who defined it as a "state run by the people without a government" and characterized it as a political advancement for all humankind. This political philosophy is sometimes termed the Third Universal Theory and is an amalgamation of socialism and Islam. On September 1, 1969, Qaddafi staged a coup d'État, overthrowing the Libyan monarchy and establishing a socialist, Islamic republic. Upon taking power he changed the name of the country to the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

In theory, under Jamahiriya, Libya would be ruled by the people themselves through local councils. In practice, however, Libya is governed by an authoritarian state.

HUNGARY HDF provincial reconstruction team hands over last development project in Afghanistan

PM nom ina t e s Gy ör gy Ma tolc s y to t he pos t of C e ntr a l B a nk gov e r nor

Martyr's Day Malawi - M a r 0 3

Every year, Malawi, formerly known as Nyasaland, a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, celebrates Martyr’s Day every third day of March yearly to commemorate the popular uprising in Malawi protesting British colonial rule.

This resistance has caused the lives of more than forty men during the revolution. It is this day when the country mourns those whose lives were perished just to liberate the country from the foreign rule.

History

In 1953, Malawi and its neighbour country Nyasaland (present day Malawi), formed a confederation called Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, in an effort to halt the discriminatory policy applied against the African population in Rhodesia and for fear that it may also spread and eventually be adopted in Nyasaland. Dr. Hastings Kamuz Banda became one of the prominent figures of the revolt who immediately became the first president of Malawi in 1966, two years after the declaration of Independence of Malawi.

The popular revolt started when John Chilembwe, a US trained Malawian soldier, revolted against the British in 1915 when African soldiers were forced to serve the British colonial army. Chilembwe, along with other brave men during that time, began taking offensives against the British colonial government forces during that time. The war ended only when Chilembwe was assassinated along the borders of the Portuguese-controlled African republic Mozambique and the country in the same year.

Numerous wars and power struggles happened in the Nyasaland and Rhodesia region after the initial war ensued which led to the then Queen of England in 1959 declaring state of emergency on these African protectorate territories in an effort to finally put an end to the rebellion. The first president installed during that time was sent for exile in Zimbabwe and put behind bars during the rebellion.

One of the most momentous incidents during the rebellion is the massacre that happened in northern lakeshore in Nkhatabay where, more or less, 30 people have died. The British colonial army gunned down and killed unarmed African natives who were peacefully demanding negotiations for the eventual independence of the Nyasaland. The rather peaceful negotiation turned out to be a bloody massacre of people who were killed by riffle bullets and some drowned in Lake Malawi.

After the dissolution of The Federation (1963), Nyasaland finally gained independence from the government of Britain and was renamed Malawi. The country prospered during Banda’s rule until he was deposed in 1994 after a new president was elected (Bakili Muluzi) under the new multiparty system.

Celebrations

Martyrs’ Day is considered as a national holiday in Malawi. During the celebration, public offices including schools and some private companies are closed. The government conduct ceremonial speeches to commemorate those whose lives were lost during the rebellion leading to the independence of the state. The president and other public officials attend local gatherings remembering the fallen heroes including the laying of wreaths on monuments dedicated to the popular personalities of the liberation.

National Anthem Day U.S. - M a r 0 3

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.

The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London. "The Anacreontic Song" (or "To Anacreon in Heaven"), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. Set to Key's poem and renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner", it would soon become a well-known American patriotic song.

With a range of one and a half octaves, it is known for being difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889, and by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 U.S.C. § 301), which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.

Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. "Hail, Columbia" served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", whose melody is identical to "God Save the Queen", the British national anthem, also served as a de facto anthem. Following the War of 1812 and subsequent American wars, other songs would emerge to compete for popularity at public events, among them "The Star-Spangled Banner".

National Day Bulgaria - Mar 03

In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of theRusso-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of 3 March 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which finished in 1396. According to this treaty, the Ottoman Empire was deprived of a big part of its territory, which were given to the client state - Bulgaria.

In the same year, at Berlin congress, Treaty of Berlin (1878) was adopted, according to which, the territories of the Bulgarian state, created as of San Stefano's treaty were divided into three parts: the first part was the Principality of Bulgaria which functioned independently but nominally within the Ottoman Empire, this was limited to Moesia and neighbouring areas of the capital Sofia; the second part created was to be an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire - Eastern Rumelia; the third and the largest part - Macedonia and Lozengrad were given back to the Ottoman Empire, also some outlands were given to Serbia and Romania. The seized territories from Bulgaria after Berlin congress - most of Macedonia, Thrace, etc. were with an ethnic Bulgarian majority. On September 6, 1885, Eastern Rumelia became part of Princiapality of Bulgaria after a bloodless unification, though still de jure within the Ottoman Empire.

The third Bulgarian state gained full sovereignty from the Ottoman Empire on 22 September 1908 when declaring independence.

The term is, however, partially inaccurate, as it only refers to the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, the second liberation of Bulgaria. After the conquest of the First Bulgarian Empire in 1018, the first liberation of Bulgaria, led to the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire, happened in the year 1185 as a consequence of the Uprising of Asen and Peter against the Byzantine Empire.

National Unity Day Sudan - Mar 03

Sudan celebrates Unity Day yearly every 3rd of March. It is a celebration of peace and unity in all regions of Sudan, particularly the North and parts of South which suffered heavy strife during the civil war. Although the Addis Ababa Agreement made in Ethiopia slightly ended the civil war, the signing of the accord was instrumental in the establishment of the present day Unity Day celebration in the country.

The two-decade war between North and South Sudan ended in 2005, ultimately forming a unity government. But at present, the United Nation has become wary about the increasing tensions happening between the North and autonomous south after the latter calls for a total independence from the North through a separation referendum happening in 2011.

A referendum is underway which will decide on the faith of the two sides and the nation as a whole.

History

Sudan has long been under the rule of Britain until its formal independence in 1956. The independence is a product of an agreement between Britain and Egypt to give Sudan the opportunity for self-governance and national identity in 1953.

The start of the first parliament in 1954 concentrated most of the development and progress in the North while neglecting most parts of the South. This unequal distribution of development interest in the region later formed a lasting cancer dividing Sudan into an Arab-laden north and mainly Christian and ethnic Nilotic people of South.

The 17 year long war ended on 1972 (1955-1972) after the South was given autonomy on its internal affairs after the signing of Addis Ababa agreement in Ethiopia. However, another war broke out in 1983 after the two regions once again suffered from another political and military tension.

The newly drafted constitution in 2005 temporarily ended the civil war while waiting for final referendum in 2005.

Currently, the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged the current president Omar al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war particularly due to widespread genocide on the Southern region of Sudan. The country has severed international and diplomatic relations with its neighbouring African countries including Chad.

Sudan is member to the some international organizations including the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), the Arab League, and Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), among others.

Celebrations Sudan celebrates Unity Day with public cultural shows, parades, and events. Public and private companies including

students from various schools participate in cultural shows and parades in the street which commemorates the unity of the entire region and the preservation of peace and fuelling progress. Since Unity Day is a national holiday, government offices do not operate and while some private offices may choose to close.

Hina Matsuri Japan - Mar 03

The Japanese Doll Festival (雛祭り Hina-matsuri), or Girls' Day, is held on March 3.Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形hinaningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

Origin and customs

The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi ( 雛流しlit. "doll floating"), in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine (part of the Kamo Shrine complex in Kyoto) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them.

The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented rice. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served. Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clams still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, be- Seven-tiered Hina doll set cause a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so.

Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter.

Placement

Photo: Tünde Rácz (Online 26 Feb) Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF Joint Force Command recently handed over the last development project of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT), the 12 renovated classrooms of the Hazrat Zaid primary school. (Reporting from the spot!)

The PRT had the local entrepreneurs renovate 12 classrooms in the 36-classroom educational institution in a value of USD 20,000. As part of the project – which was funded by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – they also bought benches, blackboards and school equipment for the schoolchildren.

In his speech delivered at the ceremony, László Domján said that he had been one of the first Hungarian soldiers to visit the province in the summer of 2005 in order to survey the scope of potential tasks to be executed by the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Now, seven and a half years later, the change is visible in the province, and the project – which is handed over here and now – is one element of this development.

The top tier holds two dolls, known as imperial dolls (内裏雛 (だいり びな) dairi-bina). These are the Emperor (御内裏様 Odairi-sama) holding a ritual baton (笏 shaku) and Empress (御雛様Ohime-sama) holding a fan. The words dairi means "imperial palace", and hime means "girl" or "princess".

The dolls are usually placed in front of a gold folding screen byōbu (屏風) and placed beside green Japanese garden trees.

Optional are the two lampstands, called bonbori (雪洞), and the paper or silk lanterns that are known as hibukuro ( 火袋), which are usually decorated with cherry or ume blossom patterns.

Complete sets would include accessories placed between the two figures, known as sanbō kazari(三 方 飾 ), composing of two vases of artificial peach branch kuchibana (口 花).

The traditional arrangement had the male on the right, while modern arrangements had him on the left (from the viewer's perspective).

Second platform:

The second tier holds three court ladies sannin kanjo (三人官女). Each holds sake equipment. From the viewer's perspective, the standing lady on the right is the long-handled sake-bearerNagae no chōshi (長柄の銚子), the standing lady on the left is the backup sake-bearer Kuwae no chōshi (加えの銚子), and the only lady in the middle is the seated sake bearer Sanpō (三方).

Accessories placed between the ladies are takatsuki (高坏), stands with round table-tops for seasonal sweets, excluding hishimochi.

Third platform:

The third tier holds five male musicians gonin bayashi (五人囃子). Each holds a musical instrument except the singer, who holds a fan.

Left to right, from viewer's perspective, they are the: Small drum Taiko (太 鼓 ), 1. seated, Large drum Ōtsuzumi (大 鼓 ), 2. standing, Hand drum Kotsuzumi (小 鼓 ), 3. standing, Flute Fue (笛), or Yokobue (横笛 4. ), seated, Hinamatsuri store display in Los Angeles, California Singer Utaikata (謡い方), hold- featuring all 7 tiers.

5. ing a folding fan sensu (扇子), standing.

Fourth platform:

Two ministers (daijin) may be displayed on the fourth tier: the Minister of the Right (右大臣 Udaijin) and the Minister of the Left (左大臣Sadaijin). The Minister of the Right is depicted as a young person, while the Minister of the Left is much older. Also, because the dolls are placed in positions relative to each other, the Minister of the Right will be on the viewer's left and the Minister of the Left will be on the viewer's right. Both are sometimes equipped with bows and arrows.

Between the two figures are covered bowl tables kakebanzen (掛盤膳), also referred to as o-zen (お膳), as well as diamond-shaped standshishidai (菱台) bearing diamond-shaped ricecakes hishimochi (菱餅). Hishidai with felineshaped legs are known as nekoashigata hishidai(猫足形菱台).

Just below the ministers: on the rightmost, a mandarin orange tree Ukon no tachibana (右近の橘), and on the leftmost, a cherry blossom tree Sakon no sakura (左近の桜).

Fifth platform:

The fifth tier, between the plants, holds three helpers or samurai as the protectors of the Emperor and Empress.

From left to right (viewer's perspective): 1.

Maudlin drinker nakijōgo (泣き上戸), 2.

Cantankerous drinker okorijōgo (怒り上戸), and 3.

Merry drinker waraijōgo (笑い上戸)

Other platforms:

On the sixth and seventh tiers, a variety of miniature furniture, tools, carriages, etc., are displayed.

Sixth platform:

These are items used within the palatial residence. tansu (箪笥) : chest of (usually five) drawers, sometimes with swinging outer covering doors. nagamochi (長持) : long chest for kimono storage. hasamibako (挟箱) : smaller clothing storage box, placed on top of nagamochi. kyōdai (鏡台) : literally mirror stand, a smaller chest of drawer with a mirror on top. haribako (針箱) : sewing kit box.

Elsewhere

The Hinamatsuri is also celebrated in Florence (Italy), with the patronage of the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Institute and the historical Gabinetto Vieusseux.

Song of Hinamatsuri The song is sung as a celebration of the festival. Its lyrics are as follows: Ākyāri o-tsuke māsho bonborini O-hānā o-agemasho momo no hana Gonin-bayashi no fue taiko Kyō wa tano shi hinamatsuri

Collectors Joseph Alsop, in his pioneering work on the history of art collection provides, the following definition: “To collect is

to gather objects belonging to a particular category the collector happens to fancy; and art collecting is a form of collecting in which the category is, broadly speaking, works of art.” (Scott, 2008). Japanese dolls, Hina are broken down into several subcategories. Two of the most prominent are Girl’s Day, hina-ningyo, and the Boy’s Day musha-ningyo, or display dolls, sagu-ningyo, gosho-ningyo, and isho-ningyo (Scott, 2008). Collections can be categorized by the material they are made of such as wood dolls kamo-ningyo and nara-ningyo and, clay forms such as fushimi-ningyo and Hakata ningyo.

In the nineteenth century ningyo were introduced to the West. Doll collecting has since become a popular pastime in the West (Scott, 2008). Famous well known collectors from the West include individuals such as James Tissot (1836–1902), Jules Adeline (1845–1909), Eloise Thomas (1907–1982), and Samuel Pryor (1898–1985). James Tissot was known to be a religious history painter. In 1862, after attending a London Exhibition, he was drawn to Japanese Art. During the 1860s Tissot, was known as one of most important collectors of Japanese art in Paris. His collections included kosode-style kimonos, paintings, bronze, ceramics, screens and a number bijan-nigyo (dolls from late Edo period) (Scott, 2008). Adeline was known as a working artist and he is also known as “Mikika”. Adeline produced many works throughout his career as a working artist. He is best known for his “etchings” and received the Cross of the Legion of Honor for his Vieuex-Roven “Le Parvis Notre-Dame”. Unlike Tissot, Adeline is recognized as a true collector. A majority of Adeline’s collection consisted of ningyo, and only a few prints.

During the Meiji Era, three men became pioneers in collecting ningya, Kurihara Sokosut (1851-113), Nishizawa, Senko (1864–1914), and Tsuboi Shogoro (1863–1913). The three men are referred to as “Gangu san Ketsu” (The Three great toy collectors). They introduced a systematic approach to collecting ningyo, in an effort to preserve and document the various forms of ningyo (Scott, 2008). Shimizu Seifu, an artist and calligrapher, put his artistic ability to use by creating an illustrated catalog of his own collection of 440 ningyo dolls. The illustration was published in (1891) under the title “Unai no tomo”. Nishizawa Senko, a banker, gathered a significant collection on hina-ningyo.

He was an active researcher, collector of stories, documents, and information relating to the development of hinaningyo during the Edo period. Senko’s son Tekiho (1889–1965) inherited his collection but, a great portion of the collection was lost in the Kanto earthquake of 1932. (Scott, 2008). Tsuboi Shogoro, the first appointed Professor of Anthropology at the Tokyo Imperial University (Yamashita, Bosco, & Seymour, 2004), was the most trained of the three, and he brought a scientific element to the collecting of ningyo. Dolls have been a part of Japanese culture for many years; and the phenomenon of collecting them is still practiced. Many collections are preserved in museums including thePeabody Essex Museum, Kyoto National Museum, and the Yodoko Guest House.

Missionary Day - M a r 0 5 French Polynesia

French Polynesia observes annual celebration of Missionary Day every 5th of March. The holiday marks the celebration of the first missionaries who entered the shore of the French Colonial Island or ‘Arrivée de l’Evangile’ in French in 1797.

History The entire French Polynesian islands were not es-

tablished until 1889 when it was put under French administration as its legal protectorate. The whole islands sprawling for about 5.2 million square kilometres is located in the eastern South Pacific which is almost the size of Europe excluding the Eurasia. There are only around 250,000 people who currently inhabit the island.

Various evidences proves that the island was inhabited by the first Polynesians back in AD 300, specifically the Marquesas Islands, and AD 800 at the Society Islands. Several Europeans came into the islands including Portuguese explorer sailing for the Spanish crown, Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan first sailed to the Island on 1521 passing through Pukapuka, Jakob Roggeveen (Bora Bora) in 1772, Samuel Wallis in 1767, including the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768 and James Cook in 1769.

Spanish priests were among the first Christian missionaries who came in the French Polynesia’s shores; particularly the island of Tahiti in 1774 but permanent settlement of missionaries did not happen until 1797 by the ministers of the London Missionary Society. The declaration of France protectorate status on the island gave way to the missionary practice in the island in 1842. The momentous event culminating to allowing missionary work in the region is now widely celebrated as Missionary Day in French Polynesia.

Celebrations During the holiday, various events and cultural shows are held in the street particularly the traditional re-enactment

of the arrival of the first missionaries in the island in 1797 at the Willy Bambridge Stadium complex in Papeete, in Tahiti, as well as on Afareaitu in Moorea. Concerts and various stage shows are free for public to enjoy.

Customs Chiefs Day Vanuatu - M a r 0 5

In Vanuatu’s calendar of events, Chief’s Day is celebrated annually every 5th of March. The country observes the holiday to recognize the power on chieftains or locally known as ‘Jifs’ on matters concerning politics, economy, judiciary, among others.

History Vanuatu is an Island nation spread across the

South Pacific Ocean just east of Northern Australia. This archipelago, of volcanic origin, was inhabited by Melanesian people, a region south of Vanuatu, before the Islands were occupied by the Europeans in 1880, particularly by the French and British, and claimed the archipelago under a British-French ‘condominium’ status as allowed by the International law. The condominium status allowed sharing of powers by the two countries.

The two European superpowers called the country the ‘New Hebrides.’ The continued sharing of power over the region continued until a call for liberation in 1970 eventually brought independence to the country in 1980.

Chieftainship is still a popular figure in Vanuatu although the government is formed around parliamentary democracy backed up by a constitution. ‘Malvatu Mauri’ is the lead National Council of Chiefs in the country with a leader elected by the representatives of the district council of chiefs. The primary purpose of this council is to feed the prevailing government with guide or direction that touch base on the interest of the ni-Vanuatu language and culture.

The chiefs in each village are highly regarded to have authority on all matters of Vanuatu life. They form the smallest political unit of Vanuatu society and are the most influential in the clan. To recognize the Jifs in their critical role in the country’s political system and in Vanuatu’s way of life, the Custom Chief’s Day was proclaimed to be celebrated every 5th of March yearly in 1977.

Celebrations Lavish feast is done in each village in celebrating the Custom Chief’s Day. Each village hold their own festivity during

the holiday including cultural shows and programs in public entertainment centres. Organized sports activities and matches are also held. Public entertainments such as carnivals are also available during the holiday.

Foundation Day N or folk Is la nd - M a r 0 6

Foundation Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the founding of a nation or state. This day is for countries that came into existence without the necessity of gaining Independence. Older countries that use some other event of special significance as their national day.

This signals the use of a ”class” of National Days, that are equally important in the foundation of the nation, and a ”class” of less important official public holidays.

This holiday can be symbolized by the date of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (birthday, accession, removal, etc.) as the starting point of the nation's history. Often the day is not called "Foundation Day" but serves and can be considered as one.

Foundation Day on Norfolk Island on March 6, commemorating the First Fleet settlement under Philip Gidley King in 1788.

PRT significantly contributed to improving the circumstances of education in Baghlan Province. Over the last six years, the PRT has implemented close to 400 education-related projects. During this time, through its educational programs the government of Hungary built eight primary schools (usually six or eight grades) and extended or renovated another 14, and also supplied them with various pieces of school equipment (for example: benches, blackboards, other pieces of equipment etc.).

The construction of the 24-classroom Zaman Khil School was one of the largest educational projects of the PRT. The educational programs of the PRT involved around 40-50 thousand children of school age, including 20 thousand girls. The PRT’s educational projects have improved gender equality in Baghlan Province.

The improvement in the infrastructural conditions of education involved 15 per cent of school-age children in the province.

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(Online 01 Mar) Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced today that Minister György Matolcsy is the nominee for Central Bank governor to replace András Simor. The Ministry for National Economy will be headed by Minister without portfolio Mihály Varga, who was responsible for liaising with certain international financial organisations.

The nomination of the Minister came as no surprise to financial analysts and the market, who expect the bank to make further base rate cuts. According to an analyst, the nomination of Mihály Varga as economy minister is a positive message to markets because he is expected to make economic policy more predictable, transparent and credible.

Another expert said that the central bank with its new governor is likely to become more active and it is possible that the banking sector will receive medium and long-term resources with new conditions from the central bank,

which may boost lending to a certain extent.

At present, the most important thing is to ensure that Hungary performs well in terms of economic growth. The necessary means to achieve this are partly in the hands of Government and partly at the disposal of the Central Bank’s Monetary Council, and they need to be harmonised to some extent, the Prime Minister stressed.

He also announced that Minister without portfolio Mihály Varga will replace György Matolcsy as Minister for National Economy. Until now, he had been responsible for talks with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union on precautionary financial assistance.

The Prime Minister noted that the Government’s economic agenda will not change. Accordingly a cut in personal income tax to below 10 percent is planned. Instead of taxing income, emphasis must be placed on taxing consumption, he added. He also reit-

erated that the recent dollar-based bond issue has put an end to debates about Hungary’s finances, showing that the country can stand on its own feet.

Minister Matolcsy expressed his views about the central bank in an interview in January, saying that more creative monetary measures could be used to boost economic growth without endangering financial stability or increasing inflation. At the same time, he stressed the importance of being “extremely cautious” in its actions due to the country's indebtedness and turbulent market conditions.

Governor Simor's six-year mandate at the helm of the central bank expires on Saturday. In line with the related legislation, the governor and the vice-governors of the National Bank, i.e. the internal members of the Monetary Council, will be appointed by the President of the Republic following a hearing in front of Parliament's standing committee on economic issues.

New air traffic control centre opened

o Jánosha ma g ons Sz ge vá Sa kad Mezőcsá Ózd and Csenge a e o be suppo ed The M n s e o Human e s m sou ces ema ked ha po an o educa e pa en s on how o p ov de o he ch s a so m d en add ng ha po an o ans o m he ch d p o ec on sys em mean ng ha om 2014 he ma o y o s a e suppo ed ch d en unde 12 w be p aced unde he su pe v s on o os e pa en s n s ead o ns u ons

Independence Day Ghana - M a r 0 6

Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire.

Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms, including the inland Ashanti Empire, the Akwamu, the Akyem, the Bonoman, the Denkyira, and the Fante among others. Non-Akan states created by the Ga and Ewe also existed as did states by the Gonja, Dagomba and others. Prior to contact with Europeans trade between the Akan and various African states flourished due to Akan's gold wealth.

Trade with European states began after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874 over parts but not all of the country.

The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the second sub-Saharan African nation to do so, after Liberia who had gained independence over a century before on 26 July 1847.

The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa. Ghana is a member of the United Nations, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and an associate member of La Francophonie. Ghana is the third largest producer of cocoa in the world after Indonesia and Ghana is also home to Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area. The economy of Ghana has been listed as The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011 with an economic growth of about 20.146% for the year 2011 in economic research led by Economy Watch with data coming from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growth in constant prices in the national currency.

Photo: Gergely Botár (Online 28 Feb) HungaroControl Air Traffic Service Ltd's new Control Centre was inaugurated in Budapest on Wednesday, from which air traffic controls will work using Europe's most advanced air traffic control software.

Within the framework of the 13 billion

CEO Kornél Szepessy told reporters that European air traffic control is going through dynamic changes, the unified European airspace project is encouraging service providers to become more efficient, and they must also expect a significant increase in traffic. Accordingly, HungaroControl is

and may also contribute to it retaining its independence in the future.

General Manager of Eurocontrol Frank Brenner also stressed the developments in European air traffic control, stating that both the financial and air traffic situation is very difficult; air traffic fell by 4.4. percent in 2012,

Etymology

The word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire.

Geographically, the Ghana Empire was approximately 500 miles (800 km) north and west of modern Ghana, and it ruled territories in the area of the Sénégal River and east towards the Niger River, in modern Senegal, Mauritania and Mali.

Ghana was adopted as the legal name for the Gold Coast combined with British Togoland upon gaining autonomy on 6 March 1957.

History

There is archaeological evidence showing that humans have lived in presentday Ghana since the Bronze Age. However, until the 11th century, the majority of modern Ghana's area was largely unoccupied. Although the area of present-day Ghana has experienced many population movements, the major ethnic groups in Ghana today were firmly settled by the 16th century. By the early 11th century, the Akan were firmly established in a state called Bonoman, for which the Brong-Ahafo Region region is named. The Mole-Dagbane as well as the Mossi states were well established by the 16th century, with the Gonja state being established by the 17th Century.

From the 13th century, numerous groups emerged from what is believed to 16th – 17th Century Akanhave been the Bonoman area, to create several Akan States, mainly based on Terracotta gold trading. These states included Denkyira, Akwamu, and Akyem. By the 19th century, most of modern Ghanaian territory was included in the Empire of Ashanti, one of the most influential states in sub-Saharan Africa prior to colonial rule. The Ashanti government operated first as a loose network, and eventually as a centralized kingdom with an advanced, highly specialized bureaucracy centred inKumasi. It is said that at its peak, the Asantehene could field 500,000 troops, and it had some degree of military influence over all of its neighbours.

Early European contact by the Portuguese, who came to Ghana in the 15th century, focused on the extensive availability of gold. The Portuguese first landed at a coastal city inhabited by the Fante nation-state, and named the place Elmina. In 1481, King John II of Portugal commissioned Diogo d'Azambuja to build Elmina Castle, which was completed in 3 years. The Portuguese aim was to trade for Akan gold.

By 1598, the Dutch had joined them, building forts at Komeda and Kormantsi. In 1617, they captured the Olnini Castle from the Portuguese, and Axim in 1642 (Fort St Anthony). Other European traders had joined in by the mid17th century, largely English, Danes and Swedes. English merchants, impressed with the gold resources in the area, named it the Gold Coast, while French merchants, impressed with the trinkets worn by the coastal people, named the area to the west "Côte d'Ivoire", or Ivory Coast.

More than thirty forts and castles were built by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Spanish merchants. The Gold Coast was known for centuries as 'The White Man's Grave', because many of the Europeans who went there died of malaria and other tropical diseases. After the Dutch withdrew in 1874, Britain made the Gold Coast a protectorate.

Following conquest by the British in 1896 until independence in March 1957, the territory of modern Ghana, excluding the Volta Region (British Togoland), was known as the Gold Coast.

Many wars occurred between the colonial powers and the various nation-states in the area, including the 1806 Ashanti-Fante War, and the continuous struggle by the Ashanti against the British in many wars. The Ashanti defeated the British a few times, but eventually lost with the Ashanti-British War in the early 1900s. Even under colonial rule, the chiefs and people often resisted the policies of the British; however, moves toward decolonization intensified after World War II. In 1947, the newly formed United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) called for "self-government within the shortest possible time."After rioting increased in 1948, the members of the United Gold Coast Convention were arrested, including future prime minister and president Kwame Nkrumah. Later, Nkrumah formed his own party, the Convention People's Party (CPP) with the motto "self government now." He began a 'Positive Action' campaign and gained the support of rural and working class people. He was again imprisoned for being the leader of a party that caused boycotts, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience. After winning a majority in the Legislative Assembly in 1952, Nkrumah was released and appointed leader of government business. After further negotiations with Britain, on 6 March 1957 at 12 a.m. Nkrumah declared Ghana "free forever".

The Flag of Ghana, consisting of the colours red, gold, green, and the black star, became the new flag in 1957. Designed by, Theodosia Salome Okoh, the red represents the blood that was shed towards independence, the gold represents the mineral wealth of Ghana, the green symbolises the rich agriculture, and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation. Formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and British (formerly German) Togoland by a United Nations sponsored plebiscite in 1956, Ghana became the second sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence in 1957 after Liberia who had gained its independence over a century before on 26 July 1847.

Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister, and then president of the modern Ghanaian state, as an anti-colonial leader, sought a united Africa that would not drift into neo-colonialism. He was the first African head of state to promote Pan-Africanism, an idea he came into contact with during his studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (United States), at the time when Marcus Garvey was becoming famous for his "Back to Africa Movement." He merged the teachings of Garvey and the African-American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois into the formation of the modern day Ghana.

Ghana's principles of freedom and justice, equity and free education for all, irrespective of ethnic background, religion or creed, borrow from Nkrumah's implementation of Pan-Africanism.

Although his goal of African unity was never realised, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he is now known, played an instrumental part in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, which was succeeded in 2002 by the African Union. His achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebrations, and the day was instituted as a public holiday. Dr. Nkrumah's government was subsequently overthrown by the military while he was abroad in February 1966. Former Central Intelligence Agency employee John Stockwell alleges that the CIA had an effective hand in forcing the coup.

A series of subsequent coups from 1966 to 1981 ended with the ascension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings in 1981.

These changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981, and the banning of political parties. The economy suffered a severe decline soon after, and many Ghanaians migrated to other countries.

Kwame Darko negotiated a structural adjustment plan with the International Monetary Fund, changing many old economic policies, and the economy began to recover. A new constitution restoring multiparty politics was promulgated in 1992; Rawlings was elected as president then, and again in 1996. The Constitution of 1992 prohibited him from running for a third term, so his party, the National Democratic Congress, chose his Vice President, John Atta Mills, to run against the opposition parties. Winning the 2000 elections, John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party was sworn into office as president in January 2001, and beat Mills again in 2004, thus also Independence Arch, Ghana serving two terms as president.

In 2009, John Atta Mills took office as President of Ghana with a difference of about 40,000 votes (0.46%) between his party, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, marking the second time that power had been transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another, and securing Ghana's status as a stable democracy.

In 2011, John Atta Mills won the NDC congress when he ran against Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for the National Democratic Congress flagbearership. He won by 2,771 votes, representing 96.9% of the total votes cast.

Photo: Gergely Botár forint so-called ANS III development project, air traffic controllers are moving to a new building on Igló Road and their MATIAS (Magyar Automated and Integrated Air Traffic System) software has also been updated.

According to the Minister, the projects develops the travel infrastructure of not just Hungary, but also of the region, and contributes to increasing the competitiveness of air traffic control and the operation of the Central European functional airspace block.

She also noted that HungaroControl is one of the most successful stateowned businesses, which shows that the state may also be a good head of business and a state-owned company is also capable of working at a world-class level.

making its operations more efficient, and conforming them to market demand in the long term; this is the aim of the ANS III project, in addition to encouraging the unification of European airspace.

Mr. Szepessy also noted that the move to the new building is enabling HungaroControl to use its old air traffic control centre as an education centre for European air traffic control, by establishing a training centre and a research and development unit there. The education centre will house the emergency centre, the Entry Point Central Academy, and the regional research and development and simulation centre. The completion of the project enables the company to conform to EU requirements

but an increase in traffic of 3 percent is expected for 2013. Under such circumstances it is an advantage that HungaroControl is investing and developing, above and beyond the fact that its air traffic indices are otherwise excellent. In addition, the inauguration of the new Control Centre also means that HungaroControl plays a leading roll in the Central European functional airspace block, and is expanding its services beyond the country's natural borders.

Following the press conference, Mrs. László Németh and Kornél Szepessy symbolically switched off the old control centre with the press of a button, before visiting the new building, which air traffic controllers have been working in since December.

Ge r m a n-H unga r ia n f r ie nds hip r e m a r k a bly s t r ong: K um in (Online 01 Mar) The measures of the Hungarian Government and the reasons behind them are understood considerably better in Germany now, while the two countries’ friendship remains remarkably strong, said the Deputy State Secretary for International Communications Ferenc Kumin following his meetings with journalists, politicians and researchers in Berlin.

During his visit, the Hungarian official held talks with Speaker of the German Government Steffen Seibert and representatives of the German-Hungarian Parliamentary Group of the Bundestag, as well as also meeting with journalists from renowned economic and political media sources.

Deputy State Secretary Kumin participated on Deutschlandradio’s editorial board meeting and discussed various issues with lead researches from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

Regarding his meeting with Steffen Seibert, one of the closest colleagues of Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said the German official informed him that Germany is also in a difficult situation

regarding the international press. In some cases, the country is also often drawn up in an unjust, disproportionate and distorted way, which is another similarity between the two nations, Deputy State Secretary Kumin added.

He emphasised that one can sense that German-Hungarian friendship remains remarkably strong and undisturbed. This relationship is a valuable resource that one has to work on maintaining it in these exceptional circumstances, he added. Talking about his meetings, Deputy State Secretary Kumin highlighted that some of the reoccurring criticisms have been cleared up, as the German media follows Hungarian events closely, but sometimes lacks what is necessary to see the whole picture. He stated that hopefully the missing pieces have now been put into place and key players are now able see the situation more accurately. As an example, he mentioned that German journalists asked him about the introduction of voter pre-registration, after which he had the opportunity to inform them that it will not be introduced. This seemed to be new information to

most of the audience, he added.

The Deputy State Secretary pointed out that his counterparts were mostly interested in the rule of law in Hungary, especially the planned amendments to the Fundamental Law and the role of the Constitutional Court.

With regard to these issues, he was able to serve with good news, which seemed to reassure them, he stated.

Talking about the economy, the Hungarian official informed his meeting partners that, as opposed to the forecast of the European Commission, Hungary will keep its deficit under 3% and aims to have the Excessive Deficit Procedure against the country terminated this summer. He also emphasised that German investment is welcomed in Hungary, adding that experts also generally acknowledge the results achieved in stabilising the budget situation.

Deputy State Secretary Kumin highlighted that Germany has a particular interest in the integration of the Roma minority, adding that in this field some of the Hungarian Government’s measures came as a surprise, while additional information helped clear up misunderstandings.

Hungary an advocate for Lebanese stability

World Day of Prayer Worldwide - M a r 0 6

The Kantō region and Kansai region have different placement orders of the dolls from left to right, but the order of dolls per level are the same.

The term for the platform in Japanese is hina dan (雛壇). The layer of covering is called dankake (段掛) or simply hi-mōsen (緋毛氈), a red carpet with rainbow stripes at the bottom.

First platform, the top:

In the course of the renovation, the 12-classroom part of the building has received a new roof, the earlier walls have been reinforced and painted, and doors and windows have been purchased. The mains power system – which had previously been absent – has been built in the classrooms, so from now on each has two lamps and a fan.

Around 2500 girls and 500 boys attend the Hazrat Zaid school, where 94 teachers teach the pupils in three turns. The first two educational groups consist of girls. The classes for girls in the middle school run from 6:30 am. to 9:00 am. in the school, and are followed by the junior classes for the girls, which run from 9:00 am. to 1:00 pm. From 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm. the schoolboys occupy the classroom.

Firs-lieutenant V., the officer supervising the details of the projects told us that the teachers of the school, the children’s parents and the leader of the local Shura had assisted with the school renovation in the form of community service. During the more than six years of its operation, the

The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen’s initiative. It is run under the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action,” and is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March. The movement aims to bring together women of various races, cultures and traditions in a yearly common Day of Prayer, as well as in closer fellowship, understanding and action throughout the year.

History The Women's World Day of Prayer started in the USA in 1884.

When Mary Ellen James called for a day of prayer in 1887, she was not planning a great worldwide movement, destined to become the largest ecumenical movement in the world organised and led by women. She was simply reacting, as a Christian, to the society in which she lived. The wife of a Presbyterian minister in New York and the mother of seven children, Mary Ellen was aware of the problems faced by many women around her, particularly new immigrants to America - the awful slums with their poverty, unemployment, poor housing, lack of health or educational facilities. Something had to be done.

Two years later, two Baptists called together a Day of Prayer for the World Mission. The Day of Prayer initiated by these two women expanded to neighboring countries, then on to Europe and other continents.

Since 1927 the day is known as Women’s World Day of Prayer.

Aims

Through the World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged to become aware of the other countries and cultures and no longer live in isolation. They are also encouraged take up the burdens of other people, to sympathize with the problems of other countries and cultures and pray with and for them. They are further encouraged to become aware of their talents and use them in the service of society. The World Day of Prayer aims to demonstrate that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.

Program

Every year, worship service focuses on a different country and a specific theme. World Day of Prayer National/Regional Committees of that country prepare the order of worship on these themes to be used on the next World Day of Prayer.

On the first Friday of March, then, in services all over the world that country becomes the focus of prayer and understanding. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, women worldwide learn how their sisters of other countries, languages and cultures understand the biblical passages in their context. They learn of the concerns and needs of those women and to empathize and feel in solidarity with them.

Photó: MTI/epa/Vael Hamzeh (Online 28 Feb) Opening towards the Arab world is an important element of Hungarian foreign policy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told his counterpart Najib Mikati in Beirut on Thursday.

"There can be no stability in the region without a stable Lebanon", he added.

The Hungarian Prime Minister is currently on an official visit in Lebanon, where he also met with the President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih

Berri. The Hungarian delegation also includes, amongst others, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó and Minister of State for National Economy Zoltán Cséfalvay, as well as 36 Hungarian businessmen.

Hungary considers Lebanon as a key player in the Arab world, that is open to developing business ties, the Prime Minister told a press conference. He also stated that within the

European Union Hungary is an advocate of Lebanese stability and will propose that the issue be put on the agenda of the April meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Prime Minister Mikati highlighted that the situation in the Middle East, including the flood of Syrian refugees to Lebanon, was also discussed at their meeting. He stressed the need to achieve political peace in Syria as soon as possible.

Nyíregyháza Roma inclusion program exemplary: Minister Balog

International Women's Day Worldwide - M a r 0 8

International Women's Day (IWD), originally is called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

History The first national Women's Day was observed on 28 Febru-

ary 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In August 1910, an International Women's Conference was organized to precede the general meeting of the Socialist Second International in Copenhagen. Inspired in part by the American socialists, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an annual 'International Woman's Day' (singular) and was seconded by Clara Zetkin, although no date was specified at that conference. Delegates (100 women from 17 countries) agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights, including suffrage, for women. The following year, on 18 March, 1911, IWD was marked for the first time, by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone, there were 300 demonstrations In Vienna, women paraded on the Ringstrasse and carried banners honouring the martyrs of the Paris Commune. Women demanded that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office. They also protested against employment sex discrimination. Americans continued to celebrate National Women's Day on the last Sunday in February.

In 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February (by Julian calendar then used in Russia). In 1917 demonstrations marking International Women's Day in St.Petersburg on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on theGregorian calendar) initiated the February Revolution.

Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in the Soviet Union, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSRPresidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women's Day was declared a non working day in the USSR "in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and also marking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace.

But still, women's day must be celebrated as are other holidays."

From its official adoption in Russia following the Soviet Revolution in 1917 the holiday was predominantly celebrated in communist and socialist countries. It was celebrated by the communists in China from 1922, and by Spanish communists from 1936. After the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 the state council proclaimed on December 23 that March 8 would be made an official holiday with women in China given a half-day off.

In the West, International Women's Day was first observed as a popular event after 1977 when the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace.

In modern culture The day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso,Cambodia, China (for

women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia (for women only), Madagascar (for women only), Moldova,Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.

In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria the day is not a public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. On this day it is customary for men to give the women in their lives – mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. – flowers and small gifts. In some countries (such as Bulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

In Armenia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned. Instead, April 7 was introduced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood’. The new holiday immediately became popular among Armenians, as it commemorates one of the main holidays of the Armenian Church, the Annunciation. However, people still kept celebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resulted in the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7.

In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women.Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of the most common March 8 presents in Russia and Albania.

In many countries, such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria,Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova,Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia, the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women also sometimes get gifts from their employers. Schoolchildren often bring gifts for their teachers, too.

In countries like Portugal groups of women usually celebrate on the night of 8 March in "women-only" dinners and parties. In Pakistan working women in formal and informal sectors celebrate International Women's Day every year to commemorate their ongoing struggle for due rights, despite facing many cultural and religious restrictions. Some women working for change in society use IWM to help the movement for women's rights. In Poland, for instance, every IWD includes large feminist demonstrations in major cities.

In 1975, which was designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to, and began sponsoring, International Women's Day. The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom.

Since 2005, IWD has been celebrated in Montevideo, either on the principal street, 18 de Julio, or alternatively through one of its neighbourhoods. The event has attracted much publicity due to a group of female drummers, La Melaza, who have performed each year.

Today, many events are held by women's groups around the world. The UK-based marketing company Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events so that women and the media can learn about local activity. Many governments and organizations around the world support IWD. 70% of those living in poverty are women, Oxfam GB encourages women to Get Together on International Women's Day and fundraise to support Oxfam projects, which change the lives of women around the world. Thousands of people hold events for Oxfam on International Women's Day, join the celebration by visiting the website and registering your event! - International Women's Day, what better excuse to Get Together!

Controversies

In some cases International Women's Day has led to questionable practices that discriminated against men. For example Tower Hamlets Council closed off one of its libraries to all males to "celebrate" the occasion, forcing them to travel elsewhere, going as far as even banning male staff from the premises.

In Communist Czechoslovakia, huge Soviet-style celebrations were held annually. After the fall of Communism, the holiday, generally considered to be one of the major symbols of the old regime, fell into obscurity. International Women's Day was re-established as an official "important day" by the Parliament of the Czech Republic only recently, on the proposal of the Social Democrats and Communists. This has provoked some controversy as a large part of the public as well as the political right see the holiday as a relic of the nation's Communist past. In 2008, the Christian conservative Czechoslovak People's Party's deputies unsuccessfully proposed the abolition of the holiday. However, some non-government organizations consider the official recognition of International Women's Day as an important reminder of women's role in the society.

International Women's Day sparked violence in Tehran, Iran on March 4, 2007, when police beat hundreds of men and women who were planning a rally. Police arrested dozens of women and some were released after several days of solitary Female members of the Australian confinement and interrogation. Shadi Sadr Mahbubeh Abbas- Builders Labourers Federation march gholizadeh and several more community activists were re- on International Women's Day 1975 in leased on March 19, 2007, ending a fifteen day hunger strike.

Sydney

Apocrypha A popular apocryphal story which surfaced in French Communist circles claimed that women from clothing and textile

factories had staged a protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City. The story alleged that garment workers were protesting against very poor working conditions and low wages and were attacked and dispersed by police. It was claimed that this event led to a rally in commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 1907. Temma Kaplan explains that "neither event seems to have taken place, but many Europeans think March 8, 1907 inaugurated International Women's Day." Speculating about the origins of this 1857 legend, Liliane Kandel and Françoise Picq suggested it was likely that (in recent times) some felt it opportune to detach International Women's Day from its basis in Soviet history and ascribe to it a more "international" origin which could be painted as more ancient than Bolshevism and more spontaneous than a decision of Congress or the initiative of those women affiliated to the Party.

Baron Bliss Day Belize - M a r 0 9

Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926), was a British-born traveller who willed some two million U.S. dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of British Honduras, now Belize.

The Bliss Institute (a performing arts centre that was previously a museum, research centre and library in Belize City) was part of the benefits from this endowment, as were the city's Bliss Lighthouse (where Bliss's tomb is located), the Bliss School of Nursing and various other medical facilities around the country.

Belize celebrates Baron Bliss Day each March 9 in his honour.

Bliss's early personal history as well as the origin of his "Baron" title is uncertain. He styled himself "Fourth Baron Bliss of the Kingdom of Portugal"; there is some speculation that the original Portuguese title was Barão de Barreto. He was born into a wealthy Suffolk family and was rumoured to have been disinherited for keeping a hansom cab waiting. He subsequently made a substantial fortune speculating in petroleum shares. Unfortunately, he contracted polio and decided to travel the world in a luxury yacht. After spells in the Bahamas, Trinidad and Jamaica, he arrived in Belize harbour, where he found a climate which suited him. He was extremely fond of the local people, and despite the fact that because of his physical infirmity he never set foot on Belizean soil, he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune for the benefit of the people of British Honduras.

Photo: Károly Árvai (Online 26 Feb) Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog and United States Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis paid a visit to Nyiregyhaza on Tuesday to learn about social inclusion programmes for local Roma.

They visited a primary school that provides integrated education to Roma and non-Roma pupils as well as to local homes which have been refurbished or are awaiting an upgrade under a housing rehabilitation programme in the area.

"What has been carried out in Nyire-

gyhaza under the 410-million-forint (EUR 1.4m) programme is exemplary," Minister Balog told a press conference held with the ambassador.

He said that under the programme 18 Roma families had moved into homes many of them had refurbished themselves as part of a scheme whereby the companies which carried out the work offered them employment.

Minister Balog also mentioned an EUfinanced project for training one thousand Roma women to work in social and child care as well as two other

EU-funded programmes for training unemployed Roma.

Ambassador Kounalakis welcomed the Government's efforts to improve the situation of disadvantaged families through innovative projects. The socially challenged and their social integration is a major challenge not only in Hungary but also in the United States, she said.

She presented the embassy's Active Citizenship Award to a local representative of the Human-Net Foundation specialising in labour training.

Pr im e M inis te r Vik tor Or bá n’s a nnua l s t a t e - of -t he - na t ion s pe e c h Részletes idegen nyelvu hírösszefoglaló (angol) 2013. február / 4. – március 13. kiadás Idopont: 2013. 2. 26.

Viktor Orbán’s annual stateofthenation speech Friday, 22 February 2013 Deeply estimated President Pál Schmitt and Madame Katalin! Distinguished Madame Dalma! Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish you a good afternoon!

It is easy to talk after a minister but difficult to do so after a clergyman. What could one say following the words of a Servant of God? Perhaps the best would be, dear Friends, if it would be not myself who gives this stateofthenation speech – anyhow, adventurouslyminded experimenters are becoming all the more common , but if I would let the year to assess itself by asking it to reveal what happened in 2012. Perhaps it would begin with mentioning that 90 300 babies were born in 2012; that is 2 251 more than during the previous year. We could attribute this growth to the measures aimed at the protection of children and families that were abolished by the Socialists and reinstalled by us, or to the new familyfriendly taxation system. But by taking note of nothing but this, we could easily get caught up in the world of petty political battles when possibly something fundamentally important is happening. I would like to believe that there is more in the background than a few – otherwise noteworthy – governmental measures.

Babies have been feeling in the mood to be born. Perhaps this is a major signal to call our attention, a strong warning or maybe a true encouragement; perhaps they already know something we don’t.

They know that although we awoke to snowfall, spring is imminently approaching and the tightfisted present will be replaced by a more generous future. A future which will leave the shockwaves of the European crisis behind and hold something encouraging, full of hope and pointing upwards, something more prosperous, more cheerful and perhaps even happier. It could well be that, in accordance with our plans, 2013 will indeed be the year of takeoff. The other day, I read in a report entitled Better Life Index – such actually exists , which is published

by OECD, a forum of the thirtyfour most developed countries of the world, pointing out that sixtynine per cent of Hungarian feel that their average day holds more positive experiences than unpleasant observations. On a scale of one to ten, Hungarians evaluated their quality of life at 4.9, or, let us say, five points. Is this a high or a low score? This is the question.

The average of the thirtyfour nations examined is eighty per cent and 6.7 points.

From this perspective, our figure is low. If we view the issue in the light of the past one hundred years endured by the Hungarians, the impression conferred is different. During the one hundred years that are behind us, Hungarians were forced to experience that Hungary’s economy resembles Déva Castle, depicted in the folk ballad Komíves Kelemen: what we built until noon fell down by the evening and what we built until the evening fell down by the morning. On a different note, literature sprung to the mind of fortythree per cent of Hungarians when questioned about their associations with the world “culture”, as opposed to the EU average of a meagre twentythree per cent, and the use of libraries has not declined even during the difficult years behind us. Thus, there is still hope. It remains “legal” to refer to Komuves Kelemen in political language. So, what our greatgreatgrandfathers built was swept away by World War I and the peace system that followed it.

What our greatgrandfathers built was swept away by World War II and the peace system. What our grandparents and parents built was swept away by the incompetent economic policies of the Communist system which lured us into a debt trap and confined the entire country to a caged existence. The failure of Socialism took its toll on the economy even if Hungary was a reservation in the Eastern part of Europe which seemed to be an unsteady mixture of a forced labour camp and a trade union holiday resort.

And finally, what we constructed after the change of political system until 2002 fell down between 2002 and 2010. If we think of our nerveendings, corroded by historical life experiences much in the like of a wornout brake cable of a bicycle, a result of “halfsatisfaction” in a qualityoflife survey is not so bad after all.

What is more important than numerical indicators is the lesson learnt, which has to be repeated time and again. At the time of the transition to democracy, there was a consensus overarching divides between political parties and political views, a common promise – what promise! – a pledge which we, those in charge of the country’s affairs, made jointly to the Hungarian people. We will never again commit the mistake of the Kádár leadership and the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party; we will never finance welfare allowances to the expense of public debt.

Despite being poor or drifting into straitened circumstances, we will not use foreign loans to pay for social security payments, benefits or uncovered rises in salaries; to put it earnestly, this pledge was kept until 2012. The underlying reason of the collapse of the Hungarian economy in 2008 was that after 2002, the Socialists abandoned this historical common understanding. The consequences of this we now; eventually a substantial part of pensions, family allowances and wages was lost. I know you have heard this from me on hundreds of occasions.

Because I am familiar with our kind, I also know that Hungarians dislike “spoonfed talk”. When I visited Cegléd not so long ago, word had it that a wife preparing for the fiftieth anniversary of her marriage, her golden wedding, resentfully complained to her husband that he never talks about his love for her. Hearing this, the old man replied only: I said it to you once, if things will change, I’ll tell you.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

Despite all this, the world of politics is such that they are things which we must repeat time and again, if needs be it, for a hundred times. Yes, my dear Friends, an economy based on state indebtedness is capable of nothing more than building a papiermâché theatre scenery of affluence, which is blown over and destroyed by the first fiercer windstorm.

Siren’s melodies are followed by a bitter, even despairing awakening. One who claims that every forint spent will not, sooner or later, have to be earned is deceiving both the people and himself. This is the truth, the fundament, which we have used as a base for Hungary’s policies since 2010, hence also in 2012.

Therefore, we can or perhaps even should, albeit with the necessary modesty but also supported by substantial reason, in the reservedly prideful manner of a caring housewife, deem it a success that our homeland reduced the level of its indebtedness in 2012; of the twentyeight EU member states, only five of us managed this. We succeeded in keeping our finances under control; our country even outperformed most European nations. Do not be confused by the European Union’s anticipations of the moment; for example, they have not in one instance managed to correctly forecast our budgetary deficit.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them, perhaps they’ll get it right at long last. What’s more, we’ll step in to help them out: the deficit will be below three per cent this year too. The rate of public debt is, of course, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, still high, even if it’s not up to our mouths anymore, it still reaches up until our breasts, the devil take it. But he won’t, so this is again a piece of work that has to be done by us.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

If it is true that the babies too suspect that the world is changing for Hungary, perhaps the adults have also noticed. They notice and then they don’t fall for the bravadoes of the old, illreputed masters of citing hatred, for featherbrained and dishevelled political jugglery, but rather look round. They look round at home, in

the country, in the country, in the world and in their very souls.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear Friends!

Many look at things as they are and ask: why? Others look at things as they should be and ask: why not? And then they settle down to the task. They are the disciples of Márai (correctly: Géza Ottlik), who wrote: “One must not adapt to the world, not reorganise the things in it that are already there but constantly add something.” This is how greatness is born. We Hungarians have contributed a great deal to the world but seldom talk of our outstanding accomplishments, Hungarians’ accomplishments. We are prone to forget about them despite the fact that the Hungarian always, even in hard times, has the ability to create; to bring about and call into being striking and remarkable things. The nation has always been abundant in individual accomplishments and successes, in such achievements, and through these it contributed not only to its own domain but also to the world. This is how the chess machine, the ballpoint pen, the dynamo, the electrified railway, the holograph, the telephone exchange, the Rubik’s cube and an endless amount of further innovations, inventions and records came to the world. These are all Hungarian triumphs.

Let us take last year as an example.

Everyone has heard of the sensational successes of Hungarian Olympians in London. But do we know who won the Abel Prize, which is regarded to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics, in 2012? It was presented to Endre Szemerédi, whom we here take the opportunity to congratulate. Do we know that at the International Puzzle Party, the “Olympics” of logic games, the grand prize was won by, for the first time, a Hungarian designer, for his logic game named “Smartegg”, which is hailed as the successor of the Rubik’s cube. God bless András Zagyvai too! Are we aware, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, that one out of the world’s ten best chefs is a Hungarian? Do we know that a Hungarian ship, anchored on the River Danube, has been chosen as the best music club in the world? Have we heard that the gold medallist and absolute winner of the International Physics Olympiad was one of our secondary school students from Pécs? Or do we know that at the European championship of skilled workers – this is a field which we don’t pay enough attention to – we collected as much as five gold medals in professions such as cabinetmaking and carpentry, corporate informatics or timber industry technologies? Let us salute these talented young Hungarian skilled workers too!

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

But Hungarians are not only capable of worldstandard performance as individuals. There are times in which the entire Hungarian nation joins its strength, its talent, its courage and we create something lasting together. The Conquest of the Carpathian Basin was a great joint effort of the Hungarians – while dozens of peoples disappeared under the waves of migration. Saint Stephen’s foundation of the Christian Hungarian state was also a major common undertaking, as was the reconstruction of a country reduced to rubble by the Mongol invasion and later halting the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. The Revolution of 1848 against Habsburg absolutism and annexation is another great Hungarian accomplishment, as is our 1956 Revolution, by which we exposed the true nature of Communism to the world and hammered in the first and the most important nail into the coffin of the Soviet empire. And, my dear Friends, the situation is that yet again we are seeing the birth of a new Hungarian accomplishment. We must say this modestly and quietly, with respect to the predecessors to whom we cannot reach up to, but nevertheless we must say it. During the past one hundred years, Hungary rarely had control over its own affairs. Its actions were typically constrained by external conditions – at the mercy of the Great Powers, the tyrannical authority of foreign occupiers and subsequently the interests of international economic and financial circles and banks.

We were not doing what we ourselves wanted to do according to our own interests, but instead we did what others wanted us to do. To use a fashionable phrase, we were socialised in this environment. We learnt how to be “small”, to exist cowering under a carpet, heads down, with our eyes looking aside. But in 2010, we arrived at a turningpoint for the first time for a long while. In 2010, we decided that if the opportunity won’t come knocking on our door, we were break a door into the wall. We embarked upon transforming Hungary into a country where people who get up in the morning and earn what they have are the ones who get on in life. And what they can’t find they create. We wanted a Hungary in which, faced by difficulties, we don’t say to each other, “Leave it!”, but rather “Let’s show them!”. For years on end, we saw that people were constantly forced to give things up, while themselves where encouraged to take away from elsewhere, to give up their own future by taking on loans. They were encouraged to live off benefits instead of work. For years and years, more money could be collected by claiming benefits than by working. Pure madness! They advocated the idea that having a family is a project predestinated to fail, that our work is practically purposeless, that there is no demand for our professional knowledge on the labour market and there is nothing we can add to the world. Hungary best resembled a dilapidated apartment block from which tenants are constantly threatened by eviction. Then, at long last, in 2010, Hungary took its fate into its own hands. We, Hungarians started doing and accomplishing things that are in our interests and not doing things others expect of us.

We stopped following the advice of kibitzers. We ignored them politely – after all, we are a civic party but decisively.

Somehow in the manner of Mark Twain, who wrote that he occasionally goes to the doctor for an examination because the doctor too wants to live, then to the chemist’s with the prescription to fetch the medicine, because the chemist also wants to live. Then he pours the medicine into the sewer – because he too wants to live.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The time was ripe for us to pronounce that weakness is no answer. It was high time to follow the most common remonstrance of the master to his pupil: do not fear! And despite a crisis raging since 2008, despite inheriting heaps of debt and a ruinous economic and social life, we didn’t allow weakness to overcome us.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

Someone who is scared gets bitten by the dog and is thrown off by the horse, but even by a foot scooter. A nation of cowards has no place under the sun, but no friend or ally either, because it can’t be trusted. The coward doesn’t even have trust in himself, and if he doesn’t trust himself, why should others do so? In 2010, the Hungarian people came to terms with the fact that constant alignment, humble adaptation and allpervasive submission, in other words, weakness, are not a solution but the problem itself. This was the turningpoint; it was under these conditions and for this reason that Europe’s only twothirds parliamentary majority came into being, which serves as a clear proof of national cooperation visible even from distant capitals. Even if not all were impressed, everyone understood that a new era had begun for the Hungarians. And since then, we accomplished everything the worshippers of weakness said was impossible. These were the beginnings of the new common Hungarian undertaking, the creation of a strong Hungary fit for the twentyfirst century.

Highly estimated Ladies and Gentlemen!

We are building a country in which people don’t work for the profit of foreigners.

A country in which we will not be told how

to live our lives, what can be in our Constitution and when we can increase wages, by bankers and foreign bureaucrats. A country in which noone can force the interests of others upon the Hungarian people.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

Twentiethcentury Hungarian economic history is often described as a succession of twentyyear cycles. These sometimes begin badly but end well; in the Seventies, the beginnings meant growing indebtedness, but the culmination was the arrival of freedom in 1990. In other cases, they start promisingly but end miserably; in 1990, we set out on the path of freedom and a market economy but ended up at the edge of a financial abyss. Our next twenty years had its beginnings in the shadow of economic collapse in 2010 but could end well. The novelty of the twentyfirst century is that the rapidity of changes, together with their deepness and the intensifying competition between nations, sweeps away competitors lacking a clear outlook for the future and plans based upon such an outlook. We lived through the twenty years between 1990 and 2010 together. Although we did decompose the past, we failed to build the future; we describe these two decades as chaotic because we were stuck between two worlds. For this reason, a clear concept of the future, the next twenty years, is of utmost importance, and to direct our political and economic decisions, along with our social policy, towards achieving these goals.

Our plan is to put an end to the country’s dependence upon external financial resources. We will do away with Hungary’s unbalanced reliance upon foreign energy suppliers. We will rescue, or rather help, everyone out of the perils of indebtedness in foreign currencybased loans. The decline of the country’s population will be halted. Each and every person will find employment who wishes to work in his or her home country. In the process of reindustrialisation, Hungarian industry will be linked to the German industrial sector.

The level of cost of capital, energy and information for domestic enterprises will be lower than that of our competitors. Ten thousand middlesized, highly competitive firms, producing for export, will be built up. Fifteen to twenty Hungarianowned regional multinationals will provide stimulus for the global expansion of the Hungarian economy, while public debt will decrease to below fifty per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. Four to five per cent of the GDP will be spent on innovation and research. Several of our universities will be among the best two hundred in the world. In the field of science, music and sport, we will achieve rankings far exceeding what would be proportionate to our population; we will again be a nation renowned for its culture. In a cultural, legal and spiritual sense alike, we will integrate Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin and elsewhere the world, taking advantage of the technological opportunities provided by the modern age; in other words, we will use this scattered existence as a base for building a nation spanning the entire world. As a result of all this, the standard of life enjoyed

by Hungarian families will exceed the European average. This vision for the future will be turned into reality through carefully painstakingly elaborated plans, a reorganised state, dedicated experts and a society willing and able to work.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

This twentyyear perspective is, of course, both impressive and exciting, there are only eighteen years left to go, but the questions “What about now?” and “What will happen to us tomorrow?” are even more gripping. Once Ronald Reagan was recorded as saying at his first cabinet meeting: I hate two things, inflation and Communism, do something about it. Our task, the task faced by the Hungarian government is not this simple. Our task is far more complicated than this. Nonetheless, I am able to the part of the country’s public opinion to whom it is of interest that Hungary is performing better than it did earlier and is more effective in finding a solution to the economic crisis than most European nations. This is Hungary’s success. This is the success of Hungary, the achievement of the people living here, in other words, of all of us, even the opposition, because regardless of political convictions, it will be beneficial to all, everyone will be a winner. I know it is difficult to win over generations brought up on internationalism for the national thought, but maybe once they will understand that although our parties can be in opposition, the homeland cannot. It happens that one is ordered off the commander’s position or from behind the steeringwheel – I for one could tell stories about this , but the ship is joint property, meaning that even in this event one must keep on rowing instead of meddling peevishly with the drill in the bilge.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

I can tell you that Hungary is doing better in decreasing the everyday burdens borne by citizens than during the previous twenty years. Under the Socialist governments, public utility costs were constantly on the rise; the price of natural gas increased threefold, while the cost of electricity doubled. From January 2013, each Hungarian household pays ten per cent less for natural gas, electricity and distance heating. Cutting public utility costs is a move unprecedented for decades in Hungary. We are doing better but not well enough. For this reason, we will continue to decrease living expenses in the course of 2013. Hungary is standing up for its interests more effectively than before 2010. Since our accession to the European Union, we have never managed to secure as much in funding from the EU budget as now. Furthermore, the total value of the EU budgetary framework has fallen, meaning that we can pour ourselves more from a smaller barrel. One of the fruits of this dignified bravery was that we took the opportunity to form an alliance with a dozen countries. This cooperation would have been impossible if we would have spent our time lurking under the table like some tailwagging hound, waiting for a juicier chunk to fall down somewhere. Who would strike an alliance with a cowardly starveling? We are performing better but still not well enough; therefore, we will channel sixty per cent of European Union funds directly into the economy during the next seven years. Hungary is also doing better with regard to the support of families. Prior to 2010, the Socialist cabinet systematically cut back family allowances. First, they abolished tax concessions after children; then they lowered the duration of paid maternity leave to two years. From 2011, we reinstalled this to its earlier level of three years and introduced a familyfriendly taxation system for families with children, which is more favourable than all forms of support so far. We are performing better, but still not well enough. As the situation of lowincome families is especially hard, an action plan will be introduced in the second half of 2013, directed at improving the position of people living off wages and salaries. Hungary is doing better than the majority of European countries in the field of protecting pensions, too. While the value of pensions decreased in several European nations due to the crisis, Hungary succeeded in protecting and even increasing the purchasing power of pensions. As we can well remember, the Socialist cabinet shifted the responsibility of bearing the burdens of the crisis to senior citizens. We will not allow the standard of life of the elderly to fall. I regard their protection in times of crisis as a test of the new era and the nowstrengthened Hungary. If we manage to do this, the elderly generation will feel directly, through its own experiences, that their grandchildren and children are not talking to the wind.

Certainly, the opinion of our parents is the most authoritative to many of us and we aspire exactly to their admiration. We want to hear them tell us: “Good job, son!”

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

In comparison to the period before 2010,

Hungary has also made progress regarding the appreciation of work. The average wage is rising, and – according to data published today – has reached a gross monthly sum of 223 000 forints, which is otherwise very low in a European perspective. Since the change of government, we have already increased the minimum wage by 24 500 forints, and, contrary to all claims and lies to the opposite meaning, the wage of those employed in public works schemes was in excess of 73 200 forints. We are doing better, but still not well enough. This recognition led us to decide upon broadening the scope of the job protection action plan, which took effect in January, sometime around the midcourse of the running year. With respect to the operation of the police force, Hungary’s performance has also improved; since the new cabinet took oath, we increased the number of policemen by 3 500 while cleansing police m

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