28 Issue | Zarb-e-Jamhoor e-Newspaper | 17-23 Jul, 2011

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INTERNATIONAL GOP trade debt plan demands: OBAMA (Google News) WASHINGTON — Congress must raise the $14.3 trillion limit on borrowing by August 2 or the government will run out of money to pay its bills, causing turmoil in global financial markets and

Constitution Day SOUTH KOREA - July 17

Constitution Day (제헌절) in South Korea is on July 17, the day that the Korean Constitution was proclaimed in 1948. The date was deliberately chosen to match the founding date of July 17 of the Joseon Dynasty.

Background

Although Korea was liberated from Japanese rule at the end of World War II on August 15, 1945, the peninsula was caught in the middle of the Cold War between Russia and the United States and it was only in 1948 when a democratic election for National Assembly members was held separately in South Korea. The elected assembly members set upon creating a constitution, and decided upon a presidential and unicameral system. The constitution was formally adopted and promulgated by President Syngman Rhee on July 17, 1948.

Holiday

Constitution Day was proclaimed a national holiday on October 1, 1949, with the creation of the National Holiday Law. A commerative ceremony is held with the President, Chairman of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the original constitutional assembly members in attendance, and citizens hang the national flag in commemoration. Special activities such as marathons are often held.

Since 2008, Constitution Day in South Korea is no longer a "no work" public holiday, following the restructure of laws regarding the public sector with a 40-hour work week. It is still a national holiday for commemoration.

Munoz Rivera Day PUERTO RICO - July 17

Luis Muñoz Rivera (July 17, 1859 – November 15, 1916) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico.

In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part of the leadership of a newly formed Autonomist Party. In 1889, he successfully ran a campaign for the position of delegate in the district of Caguas. Subsequently, Muñoz Rivera was a member of a group organized by the party to discuss proposals of autonomy with Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, who would grant Puerto Rico an autonomous government following his election. He served as Chief of the Cabinet of this government.

On August 13, 1898, the Treaty of Paris transferred possession of Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States and a military government was established. In 1899, Muñoz Rivera resigned his position within the cabinet and remained inactive in politics for some time. In 1909, he was elected as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico and participated in the creation of the JonesShafroth Act, proposing amendments before its final approval. Shortly after, Muñoz Rivera contracted an infection and traveled to Puerto Rico, where he died on November 15, 1916. His son, Luis Muñoz Marín would subsequently become involved in politics, becoming the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.

Early life

Luis Muñoz Rivera was born in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, to Luis Muñoz Barrios and Monserrate Rivera Vazquez. He was the couple's first child and a banquet was offered in celebration. He came from a middle-class family and therefore was not part of Puerto Rico's aristocracy. His father came from one of the first patriarchal lines in Puerto Rico's politics. His grandfather, Luis Muñoz Iglesias was born October 12, 1797 in Villota del Duque, Palencia, Castile and León, of Luis Muñoz Rivera, loSpain from a well-to-do family and served in the Spanish Army where he received several recog- Statue at a park which bears his nitions after participating against Simón Bolívar during the Admirable Campaign and followed cated his commanding officer Miguel de la Torre to Puerto Rico. He settled in a 400-acre (1.6 km2) name. farm in Cidra, Puerto Rico married María Escolástica Barrios and fathered twelve children. He became the town's first mayor from 1818 to 1820 and again in 1840 to 1850.

During Muñoz Rivera's childhood, Barranquitas was a small rural town, the family's house was moderately big for the time's standards, it was built with wood and its roof was made with zinc. When he was four, his mother educated him by using material from a private library owned by his father. Muñoz Rivera had completed the education offered in the town's school, finishing first in his class, by the time that he was ten years old. He was educated in Spanish and French, and took music classes with Jorge Colombani. His father then proceeded to contract private tutors to continue his instruction. Muñoz Rivera was a serious student, with a strong interest for Miguel de Cervantes' works, in particular Don Quixote. Other authors that he studied include Fernando de Herrera, Tirso de Molina, Luis de Góngora, and Lope de Vega.

When Muñoz Rivera was twelve years old, his mother fell ill and died. By this time, the family had grown to include nine more siblings, which he was left in charge of tutoring. When he was fourteen, Muñoz Rivera was managing legal documents, working with the local church's clergy and helping his father in a store. At the time Puerto Rico was under Spanish colonial rule, there were not any higher-learning institutions in the main island. Most families sent their children to Cuba (University of la Habana founded in 1728), Europe or North America to complete their university education. Muñoz Rivera wanted to travel to Spain and study law, but his father wanted him to take care of the family's business.

Political career

Early involvement in politics and poetry:

Early in his life, Muñoz Rivera began writing poetry. However, he did not publish any of his work until he was 23 years old. In 1882, Mario Braschi, an editor working for a newspaper named El Pueblo, accepted to publish a poem titled ¡Adelante!. Braschi advised Muñoz Rivera to continue writing, urging him to concentrate on science and politics, instead of authoring love poems. Muñoz Rivera then began writing about Puerto Rico's political status, promoting the necessity of an autonomous government.

Even though his father was a member of the Conservative Party, Muñoz Rivera decided to follow his uncle, Vicente Muñoz Barrios ideals and in 1883 joined the Liberal Party. While working within the organization, Muñoz Rivera established a store along Quintín Negrón Sanjurjo, which had limited success. He gained the confidence of the Liberal Party and was named president of Barranquitas' committee and became a member of the municipal council. In 1885, Muñoz Rivera ran for a position in the Juana Diaz district's representation in the Provincial Assembly, but he was not elected. That same year, he began publishing his writings in newspapers and magazines, includingEl Clamor del Pueblo, La Revista de Puerto Rico and El Pueblo. Other poems published by Muñoz Rivera were: Retamas, Tropicales,Horas de Fiebre, El paso del déspota, Minha terra, Cuba rebelde, A cualquier compatriota, Las campanas, Turba multa, Alea jacta est,Judas, El general, Abismos, Patriota, Himno, Parias and Poemas Liricos.

Establishing an autonomous government: In January 1887, members of the Liberal Party organized a convention in Coamo where they discussed the reorganization of the party. In this activity he met Román Baldorioty de Castro, who became his mentor, regarding Muñoz Rivera as a "disciple". A new party called the Autonomist Party was created following this reunion, which also included José Celso Barbosa and José de Diego. The organization's ideology pursued the creation of a separate government for Puerto Rico, while keeping some relationship with Spain.

The Autonomist Party's base grew rapidly, in part due to Muñoz Rivera's writings and speeches directed toward the jíbaro population. The Conservative Party considered this a threat and closed the newspapers where he published his work, sending part of their staff to jail in Fort San Felipe del Morro. After Francisco Cepeda Taborcias, editor of La Revista de Puerto Rico's was jailed, the position was offered to Muñoz Rivera, who accepted it. After being released from prison, Cepeda criticized Baldorioty de Castro's policies. Cepeda was elected secretary of the party and Baldorioty de Castro was named honorary president. This action angered Muñoz Rivera, who challenged him to a duel. Cepeda originally accepted the challenge, but later declined the same once the preparations were underway, losing his position within the party's hierarchy.

As 1887 progressed, the conflicts between liberals and conservatives worsened, with governor Palacio ordering the arrest of more than a hundred liberals. The political tension increased and the year became known as "The Terrible Year". Palavio also prohibited any person from leaving Puerto Rico with the intention of preventing any actions from Spain. However, the liberals were able to send Juan Arrillaga Roque to Madrid, where he made the situation public. Upon learning of this, Alfonso XII replaced Palacio with Juan Contreras Martinez. In 1889, Muñoz Rivera was nominated as the Liberal Party's delegate for the district of Juana Diaz. However, his father was nominated for the same position by the Conservative Party and he moved his nomination to the district of Caguas out of respect. He won the election, which was admitted with the conservatives' opposition.

On July 1, 1890, he founded the party's newspaper, La Democracía. The publication was mostly directed towards politics, but it also included poetry and stories published by Puerto Rican artists. The newspaper brought immediate controversy, which eventually led to Muñoz Rivera's arrest. Protest were organized throughout Puerto Rico and he was released after his father paid 15,000 pesetas as bond. Muñoz Rivera sold his half of the store, in order to raise funds for the publication's establishment.

In 1893, he married Amalia Marín in a ceremony that took place in Ponce Cathedral. Later that year, he traveled to Spain to learn about its political system. There he realized that Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, president of the Fusion Party, was the better option to help in this task.While in Spain, Muñoz Rivera received notice that his father had died, which heavily affected him.

Upon returning to Puerto Rico, he published an article about his father in La Democracia. He subsequently noticed that his travel had caused controversy within the Autonomist Party, which became divided between followers of Barbosa and Muñoz Rivera, with the two factions becoming known as Muñocistas andBarbosistas.

Barbosa's group opposed allying with Sagasta, claiming that he was a monarchist while they were supporting the establishment of a republic. Meanwhile, Muñoz Rivera participated in the writing of the Plan de Ponce which proposed administrative autonomy for the island. After several debates, the Autonomist Party agreed to send four men to reunite with Libera Fusion Party in the organization's behalf, including Muñoz Rivera. Sagasta proposed that if he won the premiership of Spain, Puerto Rico would receive a Chapter of Autonomy which would gave it the same degree of sovereignty that the providences had. Upon learning of this, most of the Barbosistas resigned, forming a new institution named the Orthodox Autonomist Party. Sagasta won and in December 1897 he granted the promised autonomous government. Muñoz Rivera changed the party's name to Liberal Party of Puerto Rico and served as Secretary of Grace, Justice and Government and Chief of the Cabinet for the independent Government of Puerto Rico.

American invasion and military government: On February 18, 1898, Muñoz Rivera's son, Luis Muñoz Marín, was born. By this time the family had moved to Old San Juan, where Luis was born. On February 16, 1898, Barbosa rushed to Muñoz Rivera's home. He had just learned that the American vessel USS Maine had sunk off the coast of Cuba, which would most likely spark a war between Spain and the United States. Barbosa expected the American government to grant Puerto Rico autonomy if the gained control. However, Muñoz Rivera was saddened by the news, knowing that the United States was planning to build a canal in Panama, and that Puerto Rico would be a strategic location to protect the structure. Barbosa insisted that this would not happen, continuing his support towards a military operation.

On May 12, 1898, the United States Navy bombarded San Juan, initiating the Puerto Rican Campaign. Initially, the Liberal Party supported the Spanish government, although several members agreed with Barbosa. Muñoz Rivera took possession of Chief of the Cabinet's position for the Autonomous Government on July 21. Four days later, on July 25, the United States Army landed in Guánica led by Nelson A. Miles, beginning the land offensive. On August 13, the signing of the Treaty of Paris was made public, bringing a halt to all military offensives in Puerto Rico. As part of this amnesty, Spain ceded Cuba and Puerto Rico, converting the archipelago into a possession of the United States under military governorship. The Barbosistas welcomed the American government, but Muñoz Rivera expected them to keep Puerto Rico as a possession. He refused to cooperate with the military government and returned to Barranquitas, where he wrote a poem titled Sísifo, comparing Puerto Rico's political situation to Sisyphus' punishment. He subsequently returned to San Juan, accepting a request made by John R. Brooke to continue in his office within the new cabinet. Muñoz Rivera assisted in establishing an insular police. Brooke was replaced by Guy Vernon Henry as military governor. Following this change, both men began having violent discussions, with each one trying to push their positions. Muñoz Rivera would vocally debate several of Brooke's decisions, with both communicating via an interpreter.

On February 4, 1899, he resigned from the position of president of the Council of Secretaries. Puerto Rico was experiencing a serious economic crisis, many problems arising from the population's inability to communicate with the Americans. Universal election suffrage was canceled, reducing the voting population by more than 85%. Henry eventually dissolved the Cabinet, removing the final remnants of recognition of the autonomous government established under Spanish rule. Muñoz Rivera opposed the military structure and promoted autonomy. Later that year, he founded the newspaper El Territorio, which voiced the concerns of landowners that where being affected by a blockade imposed by the United States. On April 12, 1900, William McKinley signed the Foraker Act, which proposed the end of the military government and the establishment of a civil government. A Supreme Court was created with five members, all of which were American functionaries appointed by the United States President. The position of Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico was also enacted. TheBarbosistas considered this law an advance, eventually creating a new institution named the Republican Party of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Rivera published heavy criticism towards them in El Diario, which angered the members of the new organization. Rumors of an assassination attempt became widespread, and several of his friends visited his house armed. A discussion between both sides concluded with gunfire, leaving no one injured, some of the perpetrators escaped. Muñoz Rivera and those present were arrested and charged with "armed assault", but the charge was dropped when he established that he acted in self-defense. The Foraker act failed to prevent the monopolization of land, and allowed four American corporations to control of most of Puerto Rico's agricultural terrains.

Last years, death and legacy: The United States eventually designed a program to "Americanize" Puerto Rico. One day

while working for an article in El Diario, a friend of Muñoz Rivera brought a newspaper informing that all education in Puerto Rican public schools would be taught in English. He was surprised by the announcement, expressing that the plan would fail due to lack of teachers with knowledge in the language. Muñoz Rivera began publishing articles directed towards the jíbaro population, in which he promoted self-government for Puerto Rico.

In 1901, a group of statehood supporters broke into the El Diario's building, vandalizing most of the equipment. Following this incident, the family moved to Caguas where he reopened La Democracia. After receiving further threats from the statehood movements, Muñoz Rivera decided to move to New York City, not before leaving the paper's editing in charge of one of his followers. There he founded the bilingual newspaper Puerto Rico Herald, in which he heavily criticized the United States' stance on Puerto Rico. During the following years, the family constantly traveled between both locations. Muñoz Rivera, together with Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, Antonio R. Barceló and José de Diego, founded the Union of Puerto Rico party, which won the election in 1904. Following the party's victory, he was selected as a member the House of Delegates.

In 1910, Muñoz Rivera ran for Resident Commissioner in the United States House of Representatives representing the Union of Puerto Rico party, and served from 1911 to 1916. After spending nearly a year perfecting his English, Muñoz Rivera began forming friendships with some congressmen. Among these were Henry L. Stimpson and Felix Frankfurter. In 1915 Muñoz Rivera proposed granting Puerto Rico greater autonomy without requesting independence from the United States, and equal rights without becoming a state. His proposal was greeted by opposition from many members of his party including José de Diego. Still in the end, his party agreed on his proposal.

On March 2, 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act was signed, granting United States citizenship to Puerto Ricans and creating a bicameralLegislative Assembly. Still, he was not pleased with the Jones Act since the judicial and executive branches were still controlled by the United States. On March 16, 1916, he gave a speech in the house floor that seemed to argue in favor and against American citizenship.He declared that if the earth were to swallow the island, Puerto Ricans would prefer American citizenship to any citizenship in the world. But as long as the island existed, the residents preferred Puerto Rican citizenship.

Shorty afterwards, he became ill and returned to Puerto Rico to recuperate. In late 1916, Eduardo Georgetti, a friend of the family, summoned his wife and son to Puerto Rico and informed them that he was suffering from an infection that had begun in the galbladder, before expanding throughout his body. Luis Muñoz Rivera died on November 15, 1916 in the town of Luquillo, before the Jones Act was enacted into law. When he died, the town's bells were tolled and La Borinqueña was sung by those present. The funeral procession began five days after his death, and traveled throughout Puerto Rico and was attended by thousands of people. Jíbaros traveled between municipalities to attend the activity. His remains were laid to rest at San Antonio De Paduas Cemetery in Barranquitas, where he requested to be buried. Muñoz Rivera's son, Luis Muñoz Marín, also became an important figure in politics, taking part in the foundation of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and becoming the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.

Edgar Degas' Birthday - July 19 FRANCE Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), born Hi-

laire-Germain-Edgar De Gas (French pronunciation: [ilɛʁ ʒɛʁmɛnɛdɡɑʁ dəˈɡɑ]), was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called arealist. A superb draughtsman, he is especially identified with the subject of the dance, and over half his works depict dancers.

These display his mastery in the depiction of movement, as do his racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and depiction of human isolation.

Early in his career, he wanted to be a history painter, a calling for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course, and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern life.

Early life

Se po a Degas au po e u Degas was born in Paris, France, the eldest of five children sa n 1855 of Célestine Musson De Gas and Augustin De Gas, a banker.

The family was moderately wealthy. His mother died when Degas was thirteen, after which his father and grandfather were the main influences on his early life. At age eleven, Degas (in adulthood he abandoned the more pretentious spelling of the family name) began his schooling with enrollment in the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, graduating in 1853 with a baccalauréat in literature.

Degas began to paint early in life. By eighteen, he had turned a room in his home into an artist's studio, and in 1853 he registered as a copyist in the Louvre. His father, however, expected him to go to law school. Degas duly enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris in November 1853, but made little effort at his studies. In 1855, Degas met Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, whom he revered, and whose advice he never forgot: "Draw lines, young man, and still more lines, both from life and from memory, and you will become a good artist." In April of that same year, Degas received admission to the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied drawing with Louis Lamothe, under whose guidance he flourished, following the style of Ingres. In July 1856, Degas traveled to Italy, where he would remain for the next three years. In 1858, while staying with his aunt's family in Naples, he made the first studies for his early masterpiece, The Bellelli Family. He also drew and painted numerous copies after Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, and other artists of the Renaissance but, contrary to conventional practice, he usually selected from an altarpiece a detail that had caught his attention—a secondary figure, or a head which he treated as a portrait.

Artistic career

Upon his return to France in 1859, Degas moved into a Paris studio large enough to permit him to begin painting The Bellelli Family—an imposing canvas he intended for exhibition in the Salon, although it remained unfinished until 1867. He also began work on several history paintings: Alexander and Bucephalus and The Daughter of Jephthah in 1859–60; Sémiramis Building Babylon in 1860; and Young Spartansaround 1860. In 1861, Degas visited his childhood friend Paul Valpinçon in Normandy, and made the earliest of his many studies of horses. He exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1865, when the jury accepted his painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages, which attracted little attention. Although he exhibited annually in the Salon during the next five years, he submitted no more history paintings, and hisSteeplechase—The Fallen Jockey (Salon of 1866) signaled his growing commitment to contemporary subject matter. The change in his art was influenced primarily by the The Dance C ass La C asse de example of Édouard Manet, whom Degas had met in 1864 Danse 1873–1876 o on can (while both were copying the same Velázquezportrait in the vas by Edga Degas Louvre, according to a story that may be apocryphal).

At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Degas enlisted in the National Guard, where his defense of Paris left him little time for painting. During rifle training his eyesight was found to be defective, and for the rest of his life his eye problems were a constant worry to him.

After the war, in 1872, Degas began an extended stay in New Orleans, Louisiana, where his brother René and a number of other relatives lived. Staying in a house on Esplanade Avenue, Degas produced a number of works, many depicting family members. One of Degas's New Orleans works, A Cotton Office in New Orleans, garnered favorable attention back in France, and was his only work purchased by a museum (that of Pau) during his lifetime.

Degas returned to Paris in 1873. The following year his father died, and in the subsequent settling of the estate it was discovered that Degas's brother René had amassed enormous business debts. To preserve the family name, Degas was forced to sell his house and a collection of art he had inherited. Dependent for the first time in his life on sales of his artwork for income, he produced much of his greatest work during the decade beginning in 1874. By now thoroughly disenchanted with the Salon, Degas joined forces with a group of young artists who were intent upon organizing an independent exhibiting society. The first of their exhibitions, which were quickly dubbed Impressionist Exhibitions, was in 1874. The Impressionists subsequently held seven additional shows, the last in 1886. Degas took a leading role in organizing the exhibitions, and showed his work in all but one of them, despite his persistent conflicts with others in the group. He had little in common with Monet and the other landscape painters, whom he mocked for painting outdoors. Conservative in his social attitudes, he abhorred the scandal created by the exhibitions, as well as the publicity and advertising that his colleagues sought. He bitterly rejected the label Impressionist that the press had created and popularized, and his insistence on including non-Impressionist artists such as Jean-Louis Forain and Jean-François Raffaëlli in their exhibitions created rancor within the group, contributing to their eventual disbanding in 1886.

As his financial situation improved through sales of his own work, he was able to indulge his passion for collecting works by artists he admired: old masters such as El Greco and such contemporaries as Manet, Pissarro, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. Three artists he idolized, Ingres, Delacroix, and Daumier, were especially well represented in his collection.

In the late 1880s, Degas also developed a passion for photography. He photographed many of his friends, often by lamplight, as in his double portrait of Renoir and Mallarmê. Other photographs, depicting dancers and nudes, were used for reference in some of Degas's drawings and paintings.

As the years passed, Degas became isolated, due in part to his belief that a painter could have no personal life. The Dreyfus Affaircontroversy brought his anti-Semitic leanings to the fore and he broke with all his Jewish friends. His argumentative nature was deplored by Renoir, who said of him: "What a creature he was, that Degas! All his friends had to leave him; I was one of the last to go, but even I couldn't stay till the end."

Although he is known to have been working in pastel as late as the end of 1907, and is believed to have continued making sculpture as late as 1910, he apparently ceased working in 1912, when the impending demolition of his longtime residence on the rue Victor Massé forced a wrenching move to quarters on the boulevard de Clichy. He never married and spent the last years of his life, nearly blind, restlessly wandering the streets of Paris before dying in September 1917.

Sculpture

Degas's only showing of sculpture during his life took place in 1881 when he exhibited The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer, only shown again in 1920; the rest of the sculptural works remained private until a posthumous exhibition in 1918. Degas scholars have agreed that the sculptures were not created as aids to painting, although the artist habitually explored ways of linking graphic art and oil painting, drawing and pastel, sculpture and photography. Degas assigned the same significance to sculpture as to drawing: "Drawing is a way of thinking, modelling another".

After Degas's death, his heirs found in his studio 150 wax sculptures, many in disrepair. They consulted foundry owner Adrien Hébrard, who concluded that 74 of the waxes could be cast in bronze. It is assumed that, except for the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, all Degas bronzes worldwide are cast from surmoulages (i.e., cast from bronze masters). A surmoulage bronze is a bit smaller, and shows less surface detail, than its original bronze mold. The Hébrard Foundry cast the bronzes from 1919–1936, and closed down in 1937, shortly before Hébrard's death.

In 2004, a previously unknown cache of 73 plaster casts created from wax originals sculpted by Degas was discovered. Although not previously catalogued, the casts were consistent with the 73 originals that Degas’s heirs gave to Hébrard Foundry in 1918. Art scholars are not in agreement as to what these casts actually are. Walter F. Maibaum, an authority on 19th and 20th century European art, said: “The moment I gazed upon these remarkable plasters I instantly knew that everything that had been written about Degas’ sculptures in the past had to be reconsidered”. After examining them, Dr. Gregory Hedberg, Director of European Art for Hirschl and Adler Galleries in New York, concluded that the entire group of plasters were made during Degas’s lifetime between 1887 and 1912 by the artist’s close friend Albert Bartholomé whom he entrusted with the task. It appears, from their condition and provenance, that no bronzes were ever cast from these 73 plasters.

Plans to cast the newly discovered Degas sculptures, which differ in the rendering of details from the Hébrard casts, have created disagreement among Degas scholars and admirers, some of whom are reserving judgment regarding the authenticity of the plasters.

Personality and politics

Degas, who believed that "the artist must live alone, and his private life must remain unknown",lived an outwardly uneventful life. In company he was known for his wit, which could often be cruel. He was characterized as an "old curmudgeon" by the novelist George Moore, and he deliberately cultivated his reputation as a misanthropic bachelor. Profoundly conservative in his political opinions, he opposed all social reforms and found little to admire in such technological advances as the telephone. He fired a model upon learning she was Protestant. Although Degas painted a number of Jewish subjects from 1865 to 1870, his anti-Semitism became apparent by the mid 1870s. His 1879 painting At The Bourse is widely regarded as strongly antiSemitic, with the facial features of the banker taken directly from the anti-Semitic cartoons rampant in Paris at the time.

The Dreyfus Affair, which divided Paris from the 1890s to the early 1900s, further intensified his anti-Semitism. By the mid 1890s, he had broken off relations with all of his Jewish friends, publicly disavowed his previous friendships with Jewish artists, and refused to use models who he believed might be Jewish. He remained an outspoken anti-Semite and member of the anti-Semitic "Anti-Dreyfusards" until his death.

Reputation

During his life, public reception of Degas's work ranged from admiration to contempt. As a promising artist in the conventional mode, Degas had a number of paintings accepted in the Salon between 1865–1870. These works received praise from Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and the critic, Castagnary.

He soon joined forces with the Impressionists, however, and rejected the rigid rules, judgements, and elitism of the Salon—just as the Salon and general public initially rejected the experimentalism of the Impressionists.

Degas's work was controversial, but was generally admired for its draftsmanship. His La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, or Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, which he displayed at the sixth Impressionist exhibition in 1881, was probably his most controversial piece; some critics decried what they thought its "appalling ugliness" while others saw in it a "blossoming".

In part Degas' originality consisted in disregarding the Po a o M ss Cassa Sea ed smooth, full surfaces and contours of classical sculpture ... Ho d ng Ca ds 1876–1878 [and] in garnishing his little statue with real hair and clothing made to scale like the accoutrements for a doll. These relatively "real" additions heightened the illusion, but they also posed searching questions, such as what can be referred to as "real" when art is concerned.

The suite of pastels depicting nudes that Degas exhibited in the eighth Impressionist Exhibition in 1886 produced "the most concentrated body of critical writing on the artist during his lifetime ... The overall reaction was positive and laudatory".

Recognized as an important artist in his lifetime, Degas is now considered "one of the founders of Impressionism". Though his work crossed many stylistic boundaries, his involvement with the other major figures of Impressionism and their exhibitions, his dynamic paintings and sketches of everyday life and activities, and his bold color experiments, served to finally tie him to the Impressionist movement as one of its greatest early artists.

His paintings, pastels, drawings, and sculptures are on prominent display in many museums.

Although Degas had no formal pupils, he greatly influenced several important painters, most notably Jean-Louis Forain, Mary Cassatt, and Walter Sickert; his greatest admirer may have been Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotageand other charges, and sentenced to life in prison. Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president from 1994 to 1999, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation.

In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name; or as tata (Xhosa:father). Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993Nobel Peace Prize.

Early life

Nelson Mandela belongs to a cadet branch of the Thembu dynasty, which reigns in theTranskei region of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. He was born in Mvezo, a small village located in the district of Umtata. He has Khoisan ancestry on his mother's side. Hispatrilineal great-grandfather Ngubengcuka (who died in 1832), ruled as the Inkosi Enkhulu, or king, of the Thembu people. One of the king's sons, named Mandela, became Nelson's grandfather and the source of his surname. However, because he was only the Inkosi's child by a wife of the Ixhiba clan (the so-called "Left-Hand House"), the descendants of his branch of the royal family were not eligible to succeed to the Thembu throne.

Mandela's father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, served as chief of the town of Mvezo. However, upon alienating the colonial authorities, they deprived Mphakanyiswa of his position, and moved his family to Qunu. Despite this, Mphakanyiswa remained a member of the Inkosi's Privy Council, and served an instrumental role in JongMande a n 2008 intaba Dalindyebo's ascension to the Thembu throne. Dalindyebo would later return the favour by informally adopting Mandela upon Mphakanyiswa's death.Mandela's father had four wives, with whom he fathered thirteen children (four boys and nine girls).

Mandela was born to his third wife ('third' by a complex royal ranking system), Nosekeni Fanny. Fanny was a daughter of Nkedama of the Mpemvu Xhosa clan, the dynastic Right Hand House, in whose umzi or homestead Mandela spent much of his childhood. His given name Rolihlahla means "to pull a branch of a tree", or more colloquially, "troublemaker".

Rolihlahla Mandela became the first member of his family to attend a school, where his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the English name "Nelson".

When Mandela was nine, his father died of tuberculosis, and the regent, Jongintaba, became hisguardian. Mandela attended a Wesleyan mission school located next to the palace of the regent. Following Thembu custom, he was initiated at age sixteen, and attended Clarkebury Boarding Institute.Mandela completed his Junior Certificate in two years, instead of the usual three. Designated to inherit his father's position as a privy councillor, in 1937 Mandela moved to Healdtown, the Wesleyan college inFort Beaufort which most Thembu royalty attended.

At nineteen, he took an interest in boxing and running at the school.

After enrolling, Mandela began to study for a Bachelor of Arts at the Fort Hare University, where he metOliver Tambo. Tambo and Mandela became lifelong friends and colleagues. Mandela also became close friends with his kinsman, Kaiser ("K.D.") Matanzima who, as royal scion of the Thembu Right Hand House, was in line for the throne of Transkei, a role that would later lead him to embrace Bantustanpolicies. His support of these policies would place him and Mandela on opposing political sides. At the end of Nelson's first year, he became involved in a Students' Representative Council boycott against university policies, and was told to leave Fort Hare and not return unless he accepted election to the SRC. Later in his life, while in prison, Mandela studied for a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London External Programme.

Shortly after leaving Fort Hare, Jongintaba announced to Mandela and Justice (the regent's son and heir to the throne) that he had arranged marriages for both of them. The young men, displeased by the arrangement, elected to relocate to Johannesburg. Upon his arrival, Mandela initially found employment as a guard at a mine.

However, the employer quickly terminated Mandela after learning that he was the Regent's runaway ward. ManNe son Mande a c ca 1937 dela later started work as an articled clerk at a Johannesburg law firm, Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman, through connections with his friend and mentor, realtor Walter Sisulu. While working at Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman, Mandela completed his B.A. degree at the University of South Africa via correspondence, after which he began law studies at the University of Witwatersrand, where he first befriended fellow students and future anti-apartheid political activists Joe Slovo, Harry Schwarz and Ruth First. Slovo would eventually become Mandela's Minister of Housing, while Schwarz would become his Ambassador to Washington. During this time, Mandela lived in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg.

Political activity

After the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party, which supported the apartheid policy of racial segregation, Mandela began actively participating in politics. He led prominently in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People, whose adoption of the Freedom Charter provided the fundamental basis of the anti-apartheid cause. During this time, Mandela and fellow lawyer Oliver Tambo operated the law firm of Mandela and Tambo, providing free or low-cost legal counsel to many blacks who lacked attorney representation.

Mahatma Gandhi influenced Mandela's approach, and subsequently the methods of succeeding generations of South African anti-apartheid activists. (Mandela later took part in the 29–30 January 2007 conference in New Delhi marking the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's introduction of satyagraha (non-violent resistance) in South Africa).

Initially committed to nonviolent resistance, Mandela and 150 others were arrested on 5 December 1956 and charged with treason. The marathon Treason Trial of 1956–1961 followed, with all defendants receiving acquittals. From 1952–1959, a new class of black activists known as the Africanists disrupted ANC activities in the townships, demanding more drastic steps against the National Party regime. The ANC leadership under Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu felt not only that the Africanists were moving too fast but also that they challenged their leadership. The ANC leadership consequently bolstered their position through alliances with small White, Coloured, and Indian political parties in an attempt to give the appearance of wider appeal than Mande a mee ng w h US P es the Africanists. The Africanists ridiculed the 1955Freedom Charter Kliptown Conference for the concession of den B C n on n 1993 the 100,000-strong ANC to just a single vote in a Congressional alliance. Four secretaries-general of the five participating parties secretly belonged to the reconstituted South African Communist Party (SACP). In 2003 Blade Nzimande, the SACP General Secretary, revealed that Walter Sisulu, the ANC Secretary-General, secretly joined the SACP in 1955 which meant all five Secretaries General were SACP and thus explains why Sisulu relegated the ANC from a dominant role to one of five equals.

In 1959, the ANC lost its most militant support when most of the Africanists, with financial support from Ghana and significant political support from the Transvaal-based Basotho, broke away to form the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) under the direction of Robert Sobukwe and Potlako Leballo.

Armed anti-apartheid activities

In 1961 Mandela became leader of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated Spear of the Nation, and also abbreviated MK), which he co-founded. He coordinated sabotage campaigns against military and government targets, making plans for a possible guerrilla war if the sabotage failed to end apartheid. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad and arranged for paramilitary training of the group.

Fellow ANC member Wolfie Kadesh explains the bombing campaign led by Mandela: "When we knew that we [sic] going to start on 16 December 1961, to blast the symbolic places of apartheid, like pass offices, native magistrates courts, and things like that ... post offices and ... the government offices. But we were to do it in such a way that nobody would be hurt, nobody would get killed." Mandela said of Wolfie: "His knowledge of warfare and his first hand battle experience were extremely helpful to me."

Mandela described the move to armed struggle as a last resort; years of increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had not and could not achieve any progress.

Later, mostly in the 1980s, MK waged a guerrilla war against the apartheid government in which many civilians became casualties. Mandela later admitted that the ANC, in its struggle against apartheid, also violated human rights, sharply criticising those in his own party who attempted to remove statements supporting this fact from the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Until July 2008 Mandela and ANC party members were barred from entering the United States—except to visit the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan—without a special waiver from the US Secretary of State, because of their South African apartheid government era designation as terrorists.

Arrest and Rivonia trial

On 5 August 1962 Mandela was arrested after living on the run for seventeen months, and was imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort. The arrest was made possible because the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) tipped off the security police as to Mandela's whereabouts and disguise.

Three days later, the charges of leading workers to strike in 1961 and leaving the country illegally were read to him during a court appearance. On 25 October 1962, Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison.

While Mandela was imprisoned, police arrested prominent ANC leaders on 11 July 1963, at Liliesleaf Farm, Rivonia, north of Johannesburg.

Mandela was brought in, and at the Rivonia Trial they were charged by the chief prosecutor Dr. Percy Yutar with four charges of the capital crimes of sabotage (which Mandela admitted) and crimes which were equivalent to treason, but easier for the government to prove. They were also charged with plotting a foreign invasion of South Africa, which Mandela denied. The specifics of the charges to which Mandela admitted complicity involved conspiring with the African National Congress and South African Communist Party to the use of explosives to destroy water, electrical, and gas utilities in the Republic of South Africa.

Bram Fischer, Vernon Berrange, Joel Joffe, Arthur Chaskalson and George Bizos were part of the defence team that represented the main accused.

Harry Schwarz represented Jimmy Kantor, who was not a member of the ANC or MK; Kantor was acquitted long before the end of the trial. Harold Hanson was brought in at the end of the case to plead mitigation.

In his statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the trial on 20 April 1964 at Pretoria Supreme Court, Mandela laid out the reasoning in the ANC's choice to use violence as a tactic. His statement described how the ANC had used peaceful means to resist apartheid for years until the Sharpeville Massacre. That event coupled with the referendum establishing the Republic of South Africa and the declaration of a state of emergency along with the banning of the ANC made it clear to Mandela and his compatriots that their only choice was to resist through acts of sabotage and that doing otherwise would have been tantamount to unconditional surrender. Mandela went on to explain how they developed the Manifesto of Umkhonto we Sizwe on 16 December 1961 intent on exposing the failure of the National Party's policies after the economy would be threatened by foreigners' unwillingness to risk investing in the country. He closed his statement with these words: "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

All except Rusty Bernstein were found guilty, but they escaped the gallows and were sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 June 1964.

Imprisonment

Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island where he remained for the next eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison. While in jail, his reputation grew and he became widely known as the most significant black leader in South Africa. On the island, he and others performed hard labourin a lime quarry. Prison conditions were very basic. Prisoners were segregated by race, with black prisoners receiving the fewest rations. Political prisoners were kept separate from ordinary criminals and received fewer privileges. Mandela describes how, as a D-group prisoner (the lowest classification) he was allowed one visitor and one letter every six months. Letters, when they came, were often delayed for long periods and made unreadable by the prison censors.

Whilst in prison Mandela undertook study with the University of London by correspondence through its External Programme and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was subsequently nominated for the position of Chancellor of the University of London in the 1981 election, but lost to Princess Anne.

In his 1981 memoir Inside BOSS secret agent Gordon Winter describes his involvement in a plot to rescue Mandela from prison in 1969: this plot was infiltrated by Winter on behalf of South African intelligence, who wanted Mandela to escape so they could shoot him during recapture. The plot was foiled by British Intelligence.

In March 1982 Mandela was transferred from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison, along with other senior ANC leaders Walter Sisulu, Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathrada and Raymond Mhlaba.It was speculated that this was to remove the influence of these senior leaders on the new generation of young black activists imprisoned on Robben Island, the so-called "Mandela University". However, National Party minister Kobie Coetsee says that the move was to enable discreet contact between them and the South African government.

In February 1985 President P.W. Botha offered Mandela his freedom on condition that he 'unconditionally rejected violence as a political weapon'.

Coetsee and other ministers had advised Botha against this, saying that Mandela would never commit his organisation to giving up the armed struggle in exchange for personal freedom. Mandela indeed spurned the offer, releasing a statement via his daughter Zindzi saying "What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts."

The first meeting between Mandela and the National Party government came in November 1985 when Kobie Coetsee met Mandela in Volks Hospital in Cape Town where Mandela was recovering from prostate surgery. Over the next four years, a series of tentative meetings took place, laying the groundwork for further contact and future negotiations, but little real progress was made.

In 1988 Mandela was moved to Victor Verster Prison and would remain there until his release. Various restrictions were lifted and people such as Harry Schwarz were able to visit him. Schwarz, a friend of Mandela, had known him since university when they were in the same law class. He was also a defence barrister at the Rivonia Trial and would become Mandela's ambassador to Washington during his presidency.

Throughout Mandela's imprisonment, local and international pressure mounted on the South African government to release him, under the resounding slogan Free Nelson Mandela! In 1989, South Africa reached a crossroads when Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced as president

by Frederik Willem de Klerk. De Klerk announced Mandela's release in February 1990.

Mandela was visited several times by delegates of the International Commit ee o he Red C oss wh e a Robben s and and a e a Po smoo p son Mande a had h s o say abou he v s s o me pe sona y and hose who sha ed he expe ence o be ng po ca p sone s he Red C oss was a beacon o human y w h n he da k nhumane wo d o po ca mp sonmen

Release

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Negotiations

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Presidency of South Africa

Sou h A ca s s mu ac a e ec ons n wh ch u en anch semen was g an ed we e he d on 27 Ap 1994 The ANC won 62% o he vo es n he e ec on and Mande a as eade o he ANC was naugu a ed on 10 May 1994 as he coun y s s b ack P es den w h he Na ona Pa y s de K e k as h s s depu y and Thabo Mbek as he second n he Gove nmen o Na ona Un y As P es den om May 1994 un June 1999 Mande a p es ded ove he ans on om m no y u e and apa he d w nn ng n e na ona espec o h s advocacy o na ona and n e na ona econc a on Mande a encou aged b ack Sou h A cans o ge beh nd he p ev ous y ha ed Sp ngboks he Sou h A can na ona ugby eam as Sou h A ca hos ed he 1995 Rugby Wo d Cup Th s s he heme o he 2009 m nv c us A e he Sp ngboks won an ep c na ove New Zea and Mande a p esen ed he ophy o cap a n F anco s P enaa an A kane wea ng a Sp ngbok sh w h P enaa s own numbe 6 on he back Th s was w de y seen as a ma o s ep n he econc a on o wh e and b ack Sou h A cans A e assum ng he p es dency one o Mande a s adema ks was h s use o Ba k sh s known as Mad ba sh s even on o ma occas ons n Sou h A ca s s pos apa he d m a y ope a on Mande a o de ed oops n o Leso ho n Sep embe 1998 o p o ec he gove nmen o P me M n s e Paka ha Mos s Th s came a e a d spu ed e ec on p omp ed e ce oppos on h ea en ng he uns ab e gove nmen Commen a o s and c cs nc ud ng A DS ac v s s such as Edw n Came on have c c sed Mande a o h s gove nmen s ne ec veness n s emm ng he A DS c s s A e h s e emen Mande a adm ed ha he may have a ed h s coun y by no pay ng mo e a en on o he H V A DS ep dem c Mande a has s nce spoken ou on seve a occas ons aga ns he A DS ep dem c

Lockerbie trial

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remains unpopular with conservatives. On Thursday evening Obama gave lawmakers 24-36 hours to get back to him with proof of a plan to go forward. He could call for further talks on Saturday or

(Google News) July 16, 201, India has been reticent to point the finger at its western neighbour as investi-

militants -- are active. Speculation about who might have carried out the attacks has focused on "home-

President Aquino brings dream of owning a home a reality for military, police personnel

NICARAGUA-July 19

Liberation Day is similar to Independence Day. It marks the date of the liberation of a country from occupation by another country, or the date of a revolution that overthrew the existing system in the country and replaced it by another. In Nicaragua, a Central American democratic republic, Liberation Day is observed on July 19th. The day commemorates the flight of the Somoza family from Nicaragua on this day in 1979.

HISTORY

The family of Anastasio Somoza had ruled the country as a dictatorship between the years 1937 and 1979. The Somoza family’s coming to power was actually facilitated by the US-influenced pact of 1927 according to which there would be the formation of a National Guard that would replace the small individual armies which had ruled parts of the country for many years.

General Sandino was the only Nicaraguan who refused to sign this pact and fought the US Marines for more than five years from his base in the mountains of Las Segovias.

When the US Marines finally left the country after an agreement with the guerrilla Sandinistas, the National Guard was left in control of the state and Anastasio Somoza Garcia held the highest position in the National Guard. Somoza’s foresight made him fear a future armed attack from General Sandino, and on basis of this fear, Somoza invited Sandino to a meeting in Managua, and Sandino was assassinated by the National Guard on 21st February, 1934.

The dictatorship began of the Somoza family as, after having his most potent rival killed, Somoza took control of the country and destroyed any potential armed revolt. Somoza himself was assassinated by a Nicaraguan poet named Rigoberto López Pérez, and was succeeded by his eldest son Luis Somoza Debayle. Luis Somoza’s brother Anastasio Somoza Debayle was made the leader of the National Guard. Luis Somoza died of a heart attack in 1967 and was succeeded by Rene Schick who was more or less a puppet president as Anastasio Somoza held control of the National Guard. Somoza officially took charge of the presidency soon afterwards.

Meanwhile, in 1961, Carlos Fonseca, a young student inspired by the ideals of the late General Sandino, formed the Sandinista National Liberation Front which eventually ousted Somoza and took power on 19th July 1979. Somoza abandoned the country and finally landed in Paraguay, only to be assassinated by members of the Argentinian Revolutionary Workers’ Party in September 1980.

A man reads a newspaper with details of the bomb explosions at Zaveri bazaar area, near one of the bomb explosion sites, in Mumbai, India.

P es den Obama conduc s a mee ng w h cong ess ona eade sh p on de c educ on n he Cab ne Room o he Wh e House Ju y 14 2011 P c u ed w h Obama a e L R House M no y Leade Nancy Pe os D CA House Speake John Boehne R OH Sena e Ma o y Leade Ha y Re d D NV and Sena e M no y Leade M ch McConne R KY potentially forcing the United States into another recession.

Congressional leaders met with fellow lawmakers on Friday to gauge support for a deal, but movement appeared limited. Republicans want a deficit-cutting deal in order to raise the debt limit, but they disagree with Democrats on how to do it. The White House wants some tax increases on wealthy Americans to be part of a package; Republicans reject that.

"The truth is, you can't solve our deficit without cutting spending," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday.

"But you also can't solve it without asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share -- or without taking on loopholes that give special interests and big corporations tax breaks that middle-class Americans don't get." Republicans in the House of Representatives said they would vote next Tuesday on a bill to raise the debt ceiling by the $2.4 trillion Obama has requested as long as Congress adopted a balanced budget amendment -- an

Congress to spend, can we constrain the growth of the federal government," he said in the weekly Republican address. "The solution to a spending crisis is not tax increases. Yet, Washington has consistently demonstrated that it cannot control its urge to spend."

As the two sides bicker, the consequences of not reaching a debt deal are looming. Ratings agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's have signaled they may cut the gold-plated U.S. credit rating if the borrowing limit is not raised and deficit-reduction measures are not laid out. The White House and congressional leaders have tried to reassure markets that the United States would not default on its debt. A backup plan put forward by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell may be the solution all sides embrace if a big deal cannot be reached. McConnell's plan would establish a legal framework to raise the debt limit and put nearly all the burden on Obama to carry it out. Senate Democrats are working to modify the plan, but it

Sunday if needed. The president spelled out the consequences of default in a news conference on Friday. "We could end up with a situation, for example, where interest rates rise for everybody all throughout the country, effectively a tax increase on everybody," he said. "Whether you're using your credit or you're trying to get a loan for a car or a student loan, businesses that are trying to make payroll, all of them could end up being impacted as a consequence of a default." Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said Obama had to embrace "real" spending cuts. "The White House must step up and embrace real spending reforms and cuts that will show job creators America is finally serious about addressing the debt," he said in a statement after Obama's press conference. Democrats and Republicans must lock arms together in the days ahead and take real action to stop the spending binge that has put our nation in economic jeopardy."

Libyan Rebels Breach Brega

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Liberation Day in Nicaragua is taken very seriously and is celebrated enthusiastically by the citizens, most of whom had witnessed the rise to power of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. The day is celebrated like Independence Day in any other country- with parades, speeches, singing of the national anthem, hoisting of the national flag and even fireworks.

Martyr's Day Myanmar / Burma - July 19

Martyrs' Day is a national Burmese holidayobserved on 19 July to commemorate Gen. Aung San and six other leaders of the preindependence interim government – Thakin Mya, Ba Cho, Abdul Razak, Ba Win, Mahn Ba Khaing and Sao San Tun – all of whom were assassinated on that day in 1947. It is customary for highranking government officials to visit the Martyrs' Mausoleum in Yangon in the morning of that day to pay respects.

History

On this day in 1947 at approximately 10:37 am, Burma Standard Time, several of Burma's independence leaders were gunned down by a group of armed men in uniform while they were holding a cabinet meeting at the Yangon in downtown Yangon. The assassinations were planned by a rival political group, and the leader and alleged mastermind of that group Galon U Saw, together with the perpetrators, were tried and convicted by a special tribunal presided by Kyaw Myint with two other Barristers-at-law, Aung Thar Gyaw and Si Bu. In a judgment given on 30 December 1947 the tribunal sentenced U Saw and a few others to death and the rest were given prison sentences.

Appeals to the High Court of Burma by U Saw and his accomplices were rejected on 8 March 1948. In a judgment written by Supreme Court Justice E Maung (1898–1977) on 27 April 1948 the Supreme Court refused leave to appeal against the original judgment. (All the judgments of the tribunal, the High Court and the Supreme Court were written in English. The judgment of the tribunal can be read in "A Trial in Burma" by DrMaung Maung (Martinus Njhoff, 1963) and the judgment of the High Court and Supreme Court can be read in the 1948 Burma Law Reports.)

The President of Burma Sao Shwe Thaik refused to pardon or commute the sentences of most of those who were sentenced to death, and U Saw was hanged inside Rangoon's Insein jail on 8 May 1948. A number of perpetrators met the same fate. Others, who had played relatively minor roles and were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, also spent several years in prison.

The assassinated were: Aung San, Prime Minister 1.

Ba Cho, Minister of Information 2.

Mahn Ba Khaing, Minister of Industry 3.

Ba Win, Minister of Trade 4.

Thakin Mya, Minister of Home Affairs 5.

Abdul Razak, Minister of Education and Na6. tional Planning Sao San Tun, Minister of Hills Regions 7.

8.

Ohn Maung, Deputy Minister of Transport 9.

Ko Htwe, Bodyguard of Razak Tin Tut, Minister of Finance, was seriously wounded but survived. Many Burmese believe that the British had a hand in the assassination plot one way or another; two British officers were also arrested at the time and one of them charged and convicted for supplying an agent of U Saw with arms and munitions enough to equip a small army, a large part of which was recovered from a lake next to U Saw's house in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

Soon after the assassinations, Sir Hubert Rance, the British governor of Burma appointed U Nu to head an interim administration and when Burma became independent on 4 January 1948, Nu became the first Prime Minister of independent Burma. July 19 was designated a public holiday and to be known as Martyr's Day.

Revolution Day EGYPT - July 23

Revo u on Day e e s o he pub c ho day n Egyp on 23 Ju y he ann ve sa y o he Egyp an Revo u on o 1952 s he b gges secu a pub c ho day n Egyp Annua ce eb a ons ma k ng he Revo u on beg n on he p eced ng even ng as he even ng o 22 Ju y 1952 was when he F ee O ce s Move men ed by Muhammad Nagu b and Gama Abde Nasse commenced he m a y coup d é a ha aunched he Rev o u on and u ma e y ed o he abd ca on o K ng Fa ouk he penu ma e K ng o Egyp and Sudan The pub c ho day se s cha ac e sed by a ge and e abo a e ce eb a ons nc ud ng e ev sed conce s w h heav y na ona s c hemes and m a y pa ades

Independence Day COLOMBIA - July 20 ndependence Day s ce eb a ed n many coun es o

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History

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A L byan ebe mon o s Kadha oya s o ces as a sand s o m sweeps he dese ou pos o Twama 30 km sou h eas o he wes e n s ongho d Z n an on Ju y 15 2011 The one ou pos s he as de ens ve pos on o he ebe s n he sou h o he Na usa moun a ns (Google News) July 16, 2011, Libyan rebels say they breached the strategic town of Brega overnight, after dozens of countries gave rebels a political boost by officially recognizing Libya's rebel Transitional National Council as the legitimate authority of the North African nation. Rebels said Saturday their forces entered the front-line oil town and were preparing for a renewed offensive later in the day. They have reported a number of casualties from the recent fighting. The battles raged as more than 30 countries, including the United States, recognized the rebels' TNC Friday and declared Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi politically illegitimate. Western and regional powers made the declara-

tion in Istanbul as they met to map strategies to strengthen the Libyan opposition group in its bid to oust Gadhafi from his 42-year reign.

Gadhafi dismissed the significance of the diplomatic recognition in an audio speech broadcast to thousands of supporters in the town Zlitan. He called on supporters to "trample" on those "worthless" recognitions. The international officials said they would deal with the rebel council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya until a new interim authority is installed.

The diplomatic recognition by the international Contact Group on Libya gives the rebels significant new official standing in the world, and important new funding. Several Western powers had already

recognized the rebels. The U.S. and its allies will be able to help fund the rebels with part of the Libyan assets they have seized over the last several months, including more than $30 billion frozen in American banks. Until now, the U.S. government, while participating in the NATO-led air attacks on Gadhafi's military operations, has provided financial assistance for refugees and nonlethal aid for the rebels. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who traveled to Istanbul, said the Obama administration will assist in planning for a post-Gadhafi, democratic Libya and help with humanitarian financial assistance to the Libyan people.

Syria rights group: 41 killed in 'Friday of Freedom Prisoners' protests (Google News) Violence

continues over weekend as Syrian forces kill one and wound five after opening fire at prodemocracy demonstrators in Albu Kamal near Iraq border, activists and residents report.

Forty-one people were killed in "Friday of Freedom" protests across Syria that were broken up by security forces using live ammunition, a human rights group said Saturday. The day was dubbed "Friday of Freedom Prisoners," in honor of those jailed during months of protests called for political reform and on President Bashar Assad to step down. The death toll was initially given as 27 by activists documenting the protests, but on Saturday, National Organization for Human Rights said 27 people were killed in the capital Damascus and its suburbs alone, with more killed in the central city of Homs, Idlib in the north, and Daraa in the south.

The official SANA news agency meanwhile reported that 12 civilians and security personnel were killed by armed groups "who opened fire on gatherings of civilians following the Friday prayers."

Syrian forces continued to crack down on protesters Saturday, killing one and wounded five when they opened fire at pro-democracy demonstrators in the eastern border town of Albu Kamal near Iraq's Sunni heartland, activists and residents said. "Military Intelligence patrols fired on a crowd at the main square. More people are now gathering there. This is a tribal province and inhabitants do not take killings

gators probe the deadly triple bombing that struck Mumbai earlier this week. But analysts say it may be difficult to rule out links to Pakistani militants in the terrorist attacks.

Wednesday's bombings killed 17 people and injured 131 others, making them the deadliest on Indian soil since the November 2008 siege of Mumbai, in which 166 people died.

Investigators have descended on the three neighbourhoods where near simultaneous blasts erupted in the country's financial capital Wednesday evening, reviewing video from surveillance cameras and searching for forensic evidence as monsoon rains washed down the city's streets. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Indian officials have refused to speculate on who may be behind them.

"All angles will be examined without any predetermination," Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said at a news conference in Mumbai on Thursday. "All groups hostile to India are on the radar." Terrorist bombings are nothing new in the world's second most populous nation, where a number of radical groups -- including Maoist rebels, Kashmiri separatists and Islamic

grown" Islamic militants in India. But that may not mean they were operating without assistance from groups based elsewhere on the subcontinent. "From my point of view, any Islamist militant actor in India is likely to have some sort of relationship with Pakistan-based entities," said Kamran Bokhari, an analyst with global intelligence firm Stratfor. Bokhari said Pakistani militants have a particular interest in stoking tensions between India and Pakistan to divert attention from their activities, and to shift Islamabad's focus away from the war in Afghanistan. "The bottom line is, what will the Indians determine -- is there a Pakistani link or not?" he told CTVNews.ca. "That's the million-dollar question." Tensions rose between India and Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which Islamabad eventually admitted had been planned partly on its territory.

But speculation about who carried out Wednesday's bombings has focused on the Indian Mujahideen, which has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in the country since 2007. Counterterrorism officers in Kolkata have been hunting for a suspected member of that

vestigation goes on, reluctance on the part of Indian officials to level accusations suggests that "the government is especially concerned over jumping to any conclusion which is not evidence-based," said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, a senior fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies who has served on India's National Security Council Secretariat. Indian authorities need to consider "all options" including Pakistan-based groups, Roy-Chaudhury said by phone from London, England. "But I tend to think we need to look inwards more," he added. New Delhi took a number of steps to shore up its counterterrorism apparatus in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, better equipping and training police, and creating institutions to more quickly respond to and investigate terrorist attacks. But it hasn't been enough, Roy-Chaudhury said. For instance, "there is no excuse" for India's police, military and intelligence agencies failing to share information. "What the heck has been going on for the past two-plus years here?" he asked. "I think there needs to be introspection really to see what went wrong."

Mumbai terror attack underscores India's vulnerability (Google News) Even before the country could ascertain the implications of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's much-awaited cabinet reshuffle, especially since it is supposedly the last major one before the next general election, the Mumbai blasts reminded it yet again of its dangerous neighbourhood and volatile domestic scene.

For the present, the terrorist outrage appears to be the handiwork of an indigenous group, probably the Indian Mujahideen. But the curious coincidence of these attacks taking place on the 13th and 26th of a month points to the Pakistanbased Lashkar-e-Taiba's hand. Before the multiple explosions in Mumbai on Sep 13, the German bakery in Pune was a terrorist target on Feb 13, 2010, before which occurred the horrendous Mumbai massacres of the Pakistani suicide bombers on Nov 26, 2008. The year 2008 was one of the worst for India since, besides the Mumbai carnage, there were six blasts in New Delhi on Sep 13 of that year, in which 26 people were killed. Two months earlier, on July 26, 2008, there were as many as 20 explosions in Ahmedabad, killing 57, while 68 were killed in Jaipur on May 13. There were other outrages, too, in addition to these ones on various days of the month, but the choice of the 13th this time is indicative of a particular group. The fact, however, that India has experienced no more than two major terrorist attacks in the nearly three years after 26/11 is a sign that the security situation has improved since the days of the "spectacularly inept" Shivraj Patil, to use the Wikileaks quote about the former home

minister. There were minor ones, of course, as in Varanasi on Dec 7, 2010, in which two people were killed. But one probable reason for the improvement is that Pakistan may have decided to rein in its jehadis because of the realisation that another Mumbai-style attack will earn it the wrath of the world as never before. However, there is every reason to believe that P Chidambaram has proved himself to be a competent home minister.

That is undoubtedly the reason why Manmohan Singh did not change his portfolio despite a brief speculation that he may be shifted back to finance. The prime minister's decision to leave the Big Four - home, finance, defence and external affairs ministers - untouched may indicate a high level of satisfaction with their performance in the opinions of both Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

At the same time, it is probably also true that apart from Chidambaram in home, Pranab Mukherjee in finance and AK Antony in defence, the Congress's cupboard is quite bare where efficient ministers are concerned. Even in the case of the external affairs minister, SM Krishna, it is no secret that his tenure hasn't been a notable success.

While his gentlemanly demeanour is a plus point, he has all the makings of a stop-gap arrangement, except that the party seems to have no one else at the senior level to turn to. For instance, Sushil Kumar Shinde has failed to make a mark in the power portfolio and Vilasrao Deshmukh has damaged his own resume by his failures as the Maharasthra chief minister before and during 26/11 and subsequently

earning a judicial reprimand for the alleged misuse of his official position. At the next level, Jairam Ramesh has been too busy hitting the headlines with his controversial stances on environment earlier and land acquisition now to be a serious contender for a responsible post. Of the others, Veerappa Moily's mild tantrums after his ministry was changed and Gurudas Kamat's major outburst also rule them out.

Even if the near-permanent status of the Big Four shows that the Congress is not brimming over with talent, it does give an opportunity to them to focus on their jobs for the next few years. In the context of the Mumbai blasts, the fact that Chidambaram will have a relatively undisturbed tenure is to be welcomed because it will enable him to put in place an effective counter-terrorism and also counter-insurgency strategy since the Maoists, too, pose a grave threat. Where terrorism is concerned, the home minister's brief overlaps with that of the external affairs minister because of the Pakistan factor. Even as the ministerial level contacts continue between New Delhi and Islamabad, both sides cannot be unaware that they are passing through a transitional phase in view of the changing scene in the Af Pak region. As Pakistan's relations with the US hit a rough patch with the stoppage of American aid, the uncertain conditions in Afghanistan presaged by Ahmed Wali Karzai's assassination are a warning to India. Even if India has staved off a majority of the terrorist attacks, as Rahul Gandhi has claimed, the ordinary people will have to live in fear of sudden outrages in the foreseeable future.

(PR) President Benigno S. Aquino III today fulfilled the dreams of the men and women in uniform to own a home in a community equipped with decent amenities that will help provide the enlisted personnel peace of mind while serving the country. Fulfilling a promise to boost the morale and uplift the living standards of men and women in uniform, President Aquino today distributed Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allocation (CELAs) to the initial batch of qualified enlisted personnel who form part of the AFP/PNP Housing Program’s first phase that targets the completion of 21,800 units within the year. In his speech, the President recognized the diligent efforts of the AFP and PNP in protecting the citizenry and ensuring peace and harmony. “Before we expect our enlisted men and women to serve our community and our country, we must make sure their family is well taken care of and safe,” he told military and police representatives and local officials of Barangay Looc, Calamba City.

Barangay Looc is the site of 1,500 units on 9.5 hectares developed by Malate Construction & Development Corporation, which represents part of a total of 21,800 units to be completed by this year. Simultaneous awardings were also conducted in the AFP/PNP Bocaue Hills Housing Project, Batia, Bocaue, Bulacan and Barangay Pinugay, Baras, Rizal. President Aquino promise to ensure the well-being of military and police personnel was made during the 25th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA Revolution. He subsequently issued Administrative Order 9, last April 11 ordering the National Housing Authority (NHA) to formulate, implement and manage housing projects for 20,000 military and police personnel. The AO directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to give priority in providing funds for the P4.2 billion housing program. The AFP/PNP housing sites are in various stages of construction in Luzon. These include Bocaue, San Jose del Monte and Norzagaray in Bulacan; Baras and Rodriguez in Rizal and in the south, Calamba Laguna, Trece Martires and Gen. Trias, Cavite. Sites in Visayas and Mindanao have already been identified and will soon be on the drawing board to mark subsequent phases of the program. The National Housing Authority under the leadership of General Manager Atty. Chito M. Cruz will administer the housing project.

As a total community package, the NHA has earmarked as priority physical development works and community facilities to include a 3-story (15 classroom) school building, day care center/health center, basketball court, wet market, tricycle terminal, police outpost and materials recovery facility and livelihood opportunities. According to the NHA, there are now about 19,000 applications lodged at the AFP/PNP housing boards. The NHA expects demand to exceed the 20,000 units currently programmed. This AFP/PNP Housing Program will largely provide permanent housing and security of tenure to the military and police personnel whose need for housing must be addressed immediately by the Aquino administration. President Aquino, Vice President and Housing and Urban DeCoordinating Council velopment (HUDCC) Chair Jejomar C. Binay and some government and local officials, and the military and police were on hand to participate and witness the awarding of CELAs. Following the awarding ceremony, the President also inspected model units and turned over keys of the housing units to housing beneficiaries. Average lot size of these housing units is 36 sq. meters – 40 sq. meters. Physical development works and provision of community facilities such as 3 storey (15 classroom) school building, day care center/health center, multipurpose/basketball covered court, wet market, tricycle terminal, police outpost and materials recovery facility and livelihood opportunities are being prioritized by the NHA as part of the program total package. Power will be provided by MERALCO individual power service connection and water system thru the existing water providers within the area.

Aquino assures families of Maguindanao massacre victims there will be no deal with Zaldy Ampatuan

(PR) 15 Jul 2011, President Benigno Aquino III assured the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre that he will do everything in his power to give them justice following a meeting in Malacanang on Thursday.

“In the meeting a while ago with the victims, the President said ‘I will do everything possible to get justice.’ And that’s his commitment to the families of the massacre victims. That’s the commitment from the President himself,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in the press briefing at the Palace after the meeting. At the same time, Maguindanao Gov. Ismael Mangudadatu, whose wife was one of the victims, said the President assured them that the fight for the Manguindanao massacre case will continue and the President will remain on their side.

He added that the President as well as Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo made it clear that there is no compromise between the Palace and Ampatuans regarding the Maguindanao massacre case.

Mangudadatu, who together with other families of victims opposed suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan becoming a state witness in the gruesome Maguindanao killings. He said the President wants Zaldy Ampatuan to talk more so that the government gets more information on the massacre incident and other cases. It was reported that Zaldy Ampatuan has sent feelers stating his desire to become a state witness in the massacre case although the justice department rejected it. De Lima said during the press briefing that nobody knows the real intention or the motive of Zaldy Ampatuan for revealing information about alleged graft of the Arroyos and the cheating during the 2007 senatorial elections. “Pero ang posisyon lang natin ay ito: Anuman ‘yan… totohanan man ‘yan o hindi, pagdating sa massacre case ay magiging maingat tayo because we cannot sacrifice this trial for anything. Because this is supposed to be the trial of the century, the litmus test of the Philippine justice system,” she said. “Kasasabi lang din ni Pangulong Noy na, ‘If we fail in this case then the entire justice system of this country also fails,’” she said, adding that the President wants the trial finished within his term. According to lawyer Nena Santos, the lawyers for the Mangudadatus, Zaldy Ampatuan is a principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre case.

He is also facing a plunder case as well as a graft and corruption case at the Office of the Ombudsman.

“There is also a separate antimoney laundering case against him filed at the Court of Appeals.

And he could possibly be charged with tax evasion, and other cases that he himself opened, like election fraud,” the lawyer said. At least 57 people, including 32 journalists, were killed in November 2009 in Maguindanao in the run up to the 2010 elections. The Ampatuans, close allies of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were tagged as the main suspects. The trial has been ongoing although some of the main suspects have yet to be arraigned while there are other suspects who remain at large.

Palace allays fears over tension in West Philippine Sea (PR) Malacanang allayed fears over the tension in the West Philippine Sea saying diplomats from claimant countries continue their dialogue to resolve the issue peacefully. “There is nothing to be worried about now.

The diplomats are speaking and talking to each other discussing these and Presidential things,” Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday. Lacierda also said they are leaving the issue to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the diplomatic channels to settle it in the best interest of all the parties. He said that there is a current consensus among the members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) who support the Philippine position to advance its Spratly claim through multi-lateral discussion and diplomatic means.

He likewise said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has proposed for a rules-based regime in the conduct of claimant countries in the West Philippine Sea. President Aquino may

bring up the issue with his Chinese counterpart if the planned trip to China materializes, Lacierda stressed.

Earlier, Malacanang welcomed reports that said both China and the Philippines agreed to work together to ensure peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea following the visit of Secretary del Rosario to China a week ago. It was reported that the and China Philippines agreed to preserve their broad relations by not letting disputes over territory in the West Philippine Sea affect diplomatic ties. Del Rosario and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also agreed that the two countries would work together to ensure stability in those waters. Aside from China, the Philippines and Vietnam, other claimant countries include Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The Spratlys, a chain of barren, largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks in the West Philippine Sea, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. It also has busy sea lanes for global trade and commerce.

Malacanang says Catholic Church is government’s partner in promoting welfare of Filipinos

(PR) Malacanang said the Catholic Church is a partner in promoting the welfare of the Filipinos as it looked forward to work together with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) under the leadership of its new president Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

During a press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda described the relations between the Aquino government and the Catholic Church as “good.”

“The Catholic Church is a fellow stakeholder in promoting the welfare of the Filipino people,” Lacierda said following the election of Palma as the new CBCP president during the 103rd Plenary Assembly at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila last July 9.

Lacierda expressed the belief that with the election of Palma and other new officers of the CBCP will enable for the government “to renew its cordial relation with the Church.”

“We in fact would like to extend a hand of friendship to the Church. We are both after the welfare of the Filipino people and we should work together for transparency,” Lacierda.

According to the CBCP Statutes, Palma will assume his position as CBCP president on December 1, 2011. He will succeed Tandag Bishop Nereo P. Odchimar, who did not seek reelection.

The CBCP website posted that the new CBCP President comes from the Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo.

Palma was ordained to the priesthood on August 21, 1976 and named Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu on November 28, 1997. At age 47, he was ordained to the episcopacy and named bishop of the Diocese of Calbayog on January 13, 1999. He became Archbishop of Palo on March 18, 2006 and later appointed Archbishop of Cebu on October 15, 2010.

Elected new CBCP Vice President is Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.

Dumaguete Bishop John Du was elected Treasurer succeeding Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco.

The assembly also elected Msgr. Joselito Asis, then assistant secretary general and assistant treasurer, as Secretary General succeeding Msgr. Juanito Figura who will now return to the Archdiocese of Jaro.

Ambassador Cu s a Mee s w h Con gressman Ruppersberger o Mary and

PR 13 JULY 2011 WASH NGTON D C Ph pp ne Am bassado o he Un ed S a es Jose L Cu s a J d scussed ade and secu y ma e s du ng h s mee ng on Ju y 7 w h Rep esen a ve Cha es A be Du ch Ruppe sbe ge he U S Democ a c Rep esen a ve o Ma y and s 2nd con g ess ona d s c The d s c cove s pa s o Ba mo e Coun y Anne A unde Coun y Ha o d Coun y and Ba mo e C y nc ud ng Dunda k Towson and Seve n Rep e sen a ve Ruppe sbe ge s Rank ng Membe o he Pe manen Se ec Comm ee on n e gence and Membe o he Comm ee on A med Se v ces Rep esena ve Rup pe sbe ge v s ed he Ph pp nes n Augus 2007 and me w h Ame can oops n Zamboanga and Ph pp ne gove n men o c a s He auded he emendous epu a on o F p nos o wo k e h c and spoke abou h s p de o n a ng a Ph pp ne es va n h s d s c He a so ook no e o he SAVE Ou ndus es Ac and o e ed adv ce o Ambassado Cu s a on how o ge h ough he US Cong ess He c ed he mpo ance o he suppo exp essed by Sec e a y H a y C n on o he b

Somali terror group linked to Al Qaeda 'recruited 21 men in Minnesota' (Google News) A Somali terror said: 'The defendant and his congroup has allegedly recruited more spirators strove to keep the plan sethan 20 young men from Minnesota cret, reminding members not to to fight against the Ethopian army. discuss it with anyone outside of Details of how a carefully-organised the conspiracy, and policing entry Islamist cell raised money, created into the group. Mohamed and the fake itineraries and held secret other 17 men who have been meetings have emerged ahead of the trial of one suspected leader. Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, is one of 18 men charged with recruiting young Somalis from Minneapolis to join terror group alShabab, which has links to Al Qaeda.

Since 2007, at least 21 men have left Minnesota for Somalia, where they arrived at safehouses and were Rec u men P osecu o s say a M nneso a given AK-47s and ce a anged o send oca Soma s o gh o weapons training, court he A Qaeda nsp ed a Shabab g oup documents claim, before fighting charged allegedly went to malls and Ethiopian troops. Back in Min- apartments, falsely telling members nesota, members of the cell raised of the Somali community they were money for their trip by duping the raising money to build a mosque or Somali community into thinking the help relief efforts in their home cash was to give aid to their home country.

Syrian anti-government protesters hang a banner in Arabic that reads 'thank you Al-Jazeera and Shaam

lightly," said one of the activists, who gave the name of the dead protester as Hayan Mohsen alBahr. The National Organization for Human Rights, in a statement said: "We declare our full support for Syrians to the right to assembly, to peaceful protests expressing their legitimate demands." It urged the government to quickly to implement these demands and "held authorities responsible to violence and bloodshed in the streets."

More than 1 million Syrians participated in Friday's protests, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The figure could not be independently verified.

Since mid-March, more than 1,440 civilians and 350 members of security have been killed by security forces during unprecedented protests, human rights groups say.

But the government disputes the figures and blames "armed thugs" and foreign conspirators for the unrest. London's Times newspaper

reported Saturday 'A serious arms build-up' London’s Times newspaper reported Saturday that the Assad regime is "engaged in a serious arms build-up," in the words of an Israeli intelligence official quoted by the newspaper. The missiles acquired by Hezbollah “bring all of Israel, Jordan and large parts of Turkey within Hezbollah's range,” according to other western officials also cited by the Times.

The Syrian Embassy in London responded to the report, saying they had no knowledge of the reports claims, according to an Army Radio report. In June, French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Hezbollah had moved hundreds of missiles from storage sites in Syria to bases in eastern Lebanon. According to Le Figaro, Hezbollah moved the missiles due to the concern that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad will fall and that a new Syrian government will cut off ties with Hezbollah.

Jewish boy's parents sought community's help first (Google News) When an 8-yearold boy from an insulated, ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn failed to make it home from day camp, his parents' first call was not to police, but to the Shomrim patrol, a local volunteer group whose name means "guardians" in Hebrew. Hasidic areas like Borough Park, where a Shomrim-organized search party looked for Leiby Kletzky, are worlds unto themselves. Members have a distinctive appearance — wigs and modest dresses for the women, beards and side curls for the men.

They send their children to Jewish schools, speak Yiddish as a first language and shun modern distractions like television. Yet another

distinction is the patrols, which residents turn to first because "they know the community, they speak the language, they have the trust of the entire community," said Isaac Abraham, a leader of the ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn's Williamsburg section. The search party for Leiby grew to as many as 5,000 people and served as a window into the tradition in these ultra-Orthodox communities of relying on one another. Neighbors looking for the boy stopped knocking on doors Wednesday when his remains were found and police arrested Levi Aron, a hardware supply clerk who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he killed Leiby and dismembered him. Despite the

tragic end, the search was a powerful example of the value of Shomrim and similar patrols to their communities, said state Sen. Eric Adams, a retired New York Police Department captain who represents a neighboring Brooklyn district. "The community patrols have the manpower that can immediately go into the crevices of a community that police may not even be aware of," he said. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly praised the group and said he understood that there was a tradition in the Hasidic community of notifying the citizen patrols first. But Kelly said he wished the Kletzky family had called 911 at the same time.

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PHILIPPINE BULLETIN

group who disappeared days before the bombing, The Times of India reported early Saturday. While the in-

Liberation Day

Page: 2

Nelson Mandela`s Birthday South Africa - July 18 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]; born 18 July 1918)served as President

unlikely prospect. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who has introduced such a measure in the Senate, said it would help rein in spending. "Only by restoring constitutional restraints on the ability of

Questions over Pakistan loom in Mumbai terror probe

P osecu o s have cha ged 18 men n M nneapo s w h he p ng o send young Soma s o gh w h a Shabab aga ns he E h op ans country. Mohamed never travelled The money actually went to the to Somalia, but he is accused of travellers, who planned to join one helping others who did. His lawyer group member's relative - a senior has dismissed the allegations as member of al-Shabab - in Somalia. ridiculous. Peter Wold said: 'Omer The group stopped two recruits was never involved in terrorism. It from leaving Minnesota in the fall of certainly stirs the public sentiment 2007 because they were too young, to suggest that, but it is not part of and decided their disappearance this case, not a part of Omer, and would draw attention to the plan, that will be abundantly clear.' So- the documents said. It read: 'They malia has not had a functioning challenged members of the congovernment since 1991, when war- spiracy who had planned to travel, lords overthrew a socialist dictator questioning their commitment, dedand then turned on each other, ication, and knowledge of both the causing chaos in the African nation religion and events in Somalia, beof about seven million people. In fore ultimately assisting them with 2006, Ethiopian soldiers occupied the trip. In Minneapolis, the conspirparts of Somalia and an Islamic mil- acy focused on travelling and funditant group called al-Shabab fought ing trips and in Somalia, it focused

A coun y d v ded Soma gove nmen so d e s pa o he emp y s ee s o Mogad shu du ng c ashes w h s am s nsu gen s against them. on the use of safe-houses and The U.S. declared al-Shabab a ter- weapons training, prosecutors said. rorist organisation in early 2008. Of- Some Minneapolis men helped ficials had long suspected the clear brush for a training camp, and group had ties to Al Qaeda, but it some participated in a July 2008 was not confirmed until 2010, when ambush of Ethiopian troops along a al-Shabab officially aligned itself road in Somalia. The preparations with the terror group. According to and the ambush were filmed as part prosecutors, from September 2007, of a propaganda video. Prosecutors Mohamed and others conspired to say in that video, a man from Minraise money to send men to Soma- neapolis encourages more men to lia so they could oust the Ethiopians join the fighters in Somalia. Mowith violence. Others were also re- hamed's trial starts on Tuesday with cruited to the cause. The group jury selection. held meetings at mosques and restaurants, and took measures to keep things secretive. Prosecutors

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Birthday of Crown Prince Haakon Norway-July 20

St. Elijah's Day BULGARIA - July 20

Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈˈhoː.kɔn]; born on 20 July 1973 inOslo, full name Haakon Magnus) is the heir apparent to the throne of Norway. On birth he was named Prince Haakon Magnus but it was stressed in the announcement that he would go by the name Haakon.

He became Crown Prince Haakon when his father ascended to the crown as Harald V in 1991. If Crown Prince Haakon becomes King, he will be known as Haakon VIII of Norway.

Education and military life

Haakon served in the Royal Norwegian Navy undertaking his first-level officer's education at theNorwegian Naval Academy, followed by a year aboard missile torpedo boats and other vessels. He then went abroad, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999. Haakon later attended lectures at the University of Oslo and took the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil servant introductory course in 2001. He completed his education in 2003 at the London School of Economics, where he was awarded an MSc in development studies, specialising in international trade and Africa.

Marriage

Haakon married commoner and mother Mette-Marit single Tjessem Høiby on 25 August 2001, at Oslo Cathedral, who upon her marriage became Crown Princess. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was the best man. When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Høiby was announced, many Norwegians felt that the Crown Prince’s choice of wife was inappropriate. This was primarily about her being a single mother, but information concerning her involvement in the Rave scene in Oslo, which included a significant drug-subculture, also added to the controversy. In addition, the father of her child was convicted of drugrelated offences. In a heartfelt press conference before the wedding the Crown Princess explained about her past, saying among other things that her youthful rebelliousness might have been stronger than most young people. Although some still find her inappropriate as a future leader of the country, the issue of Mette-Marit's past has largely been laid to rest in Norwegian public discourse.

Issue

 Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra born on 21 January 2004, in Oslo.  His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus born 3 December 2005 in Oslo.

Royal duties

Beginning Tuesday afternoon 25 November 2003, and ending in the evening of 12 April 2004, Haakon was the country's regent, during the King's treatment for cancer and the subsequent convalescence period. Likewise, Haakon was Norway's regent from 29 March 2005 until the King had fully recovered from the heart surgery he underwent on 1 April. This period ended on 7 June.

In January 2006, Haakon (along with the Norwegian Royal Family) revised his patronage list.

He now has twelve patronage roles in his portfolio including the annual Bjørnson literary festival. The patronage roles will last for five years, after which they will be up for renewal and other groups can apply for Royal support.

Global Dignity

In 2006, Haakon established Global Dignity with Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant.

Global Dignity is an independent, nonpolitical organization that promotes the universal right of every human being to lead a dignified life.

Personal interests

The Crown Prince was involved in several sports and seemed to take a particular liking to windsurfing; however, he has not engaged in serious competitions. Haakon is known as a big music fan. When he was younger, he attended music festivals all over Europe, including theRoskilde Festival in Denmark and the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway.

However, he has been part of Olympics ceremonies. In 1994, the Crown Prince and his father played roles during the opening ceremony in Lillehammer. While the King declared open the Games, the Crown Prince lit the cauldron, paying tribute to his father and grandfather having served as Olympians. He attended the opening ceremony in Vancouver.

Birthday of King Sobhuza II

SWAZILAND - July 22

Ngwenyama Sobhuza II (July 22, 1899 – August 21, 1982) was the Paramount Chief and laterKing of Swaziland. He was the son of Ngwane V.

Biography

Sobhuza succeeded Ngwane V as Paramount Chief of Swaziland on December 10, 1899, when he was only a few months old.

His grandmother, Labotsibeni Mdluli, acted as regent until December 22, 1921. His nominal reign of 82 years, 9 months is the longest precisely datedmonarchical reign on record and the longest documented reign of any monarch since antiquity. Only Pepi II Neferkare of Ancient Egypt and Taejo of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeoare claimed to have reigned longer, though these claims are disputed.

Sobhuza's personal reign of over 60 years (1921–82) saw Swaziland's independence from Great Britain in 1968, after which he was styled King of Swaziland. When the kingdom became independent, it was considered possible that the existing tribal government could be modified into a constitutional monarchy. This existed for some time, until April 12, 1973, when he repealed the constitution and dissolved parliament, making himself absolute ruler.

King Sobhuza continued the tribal practice of keeping many wives. According to the Swaziland National Trust Commission, "King Sobhuza II married 70 wives, and had over 400 children between 1920 and 1970. About 180 children survived infancy, and ninety seven sons and daughters are alive as of July 2000. When he died he had over 1000 grandchildren.

In the early 1980s he attempted to gain control over KaNgwane, a Bantustan set up by theSouth African apartheid government.

Sobhuza died in 1982, having appointed Prince Sozisa Dlamini to serve as 'Authorized Person', advising a regent after his death. The first regent was Queen Dzeliwe, but after a power struggle Sozisa deposed her and replaced her by Queen Ntombi, while at the same time Ntombi and Sobhuza's young son Mswati was designated as Crown Prince. Mswati was crowned as king in 1986.

A son-in-law was King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu of the Zulu Nation, who married Sobhuza's daughter Mantfombi Dlamini.

A daughter-in-law is Zenani Mandela, the daughter of South African President Nelson Mandela of a cadet branch of the Thembu dynasty, who is married to one of Sobhuza's many sons.

Constitution Day URUGUAY - July 18 u on o a coun y s a se o egu a ons o he adm n s a on o

A Cons ha coun y The unc on ng o a gove nmen n any coun y s h gh y dependen on he coun y s Cons u on as spec es he powe s unc ons espons b es and du es o he gove nmen and a so spec es he gh s and du es o c zens o he coun y The Cons u on o a coun y may be cod ed ha s con a ned n a s ng e documen o uncod ed and may be w en o may be unw en U uguay has a cod ed w en Con s u on

HISTORY

n U uguay Cons u on Day s ce e b a ed on Ju y 18 U uguay s no he on y coun y o ce eb a e a Cons u on Day a spec c day o commem o a e he s gn ng p omu ga on o adop on o he Cons u on o a pa cu a coun y s obse ved n seve a coun es o he wo d The Cons u on Day o U uguay s o c a y known as Ju a de a Cons uc ón de a Repúb ca O en a de U uguay Cons u on Day has been obse ved n U uguay s nce 1830 when U uguay adop ed s s Cons u on P esen y commemo a es he Cons u on o 1951 wh ch es ab shed a co eg a e o m o gove nmen n he coun y

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Cons u on Day s a pub c ho day n U uguay No ma y he coun y s P es den V ce P es den m n s e s eg s a o s and common c zens a end he ce eb a ons The ce eb a ons a e ma ked by p ay ng o he na ona an hem and speeches made by po ca eade s The med a cove age o he Cons u on Day n U uguay s ex haus ve Apa om he o c a ce eb a ons he e a e soc a even s o gan sed by he c zens o commemo a e he day Races pa ades a es ma a hons and ma ches a e common even s Pa c pa on n such ac v es s no compu so y bu c zens pa c pa e w ng y s nce h s s a day o g ea na ona p de and g o y and commem o a on o h s day by he c zens o U uguay s na u a A so h s s a wonde u occas on o he c zens o he coun y o n e ac w h he e ow coun ymen

Govt approves national energy strategy 13 Ju 2011 Goog e News Hunga y s gov e nmen on Wednes day app oved a s a egy o ensu e he secu y sus a nab y and econom c compe veness o he coun y s ong e m ene gy supp y he Na ona Deve opmen M n s e sa d The gove nmen w subm he Na ona Ene gy S a egy o Pa amen he m n s y sa d The s a egy gua an ees he secu y o supp y and akes n o accoun even he cos ee sma es men s s a va da on

Family and heritage

The godparents of Haakon the Crown Prince of Norway are King Olav V of Norway, Princess Astrid of Norway, Prince Carl Bernadotte, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal. As a descendant of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Haakon is also in line to the throne of each of the sixteen Commonwealth Realms. He is a third cousin to Charles, Prince of Wales, present heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth Realms.

Haakon has one sibling, Princess Märtha Louise (born 1971). In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was altered, granting absolute primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. This was not, however, done retroactively (as, for example, Sweden had done in 1980), meaning that Haakon continues to take precedence over his older sister.

HUNGARIAN BULLETIN o env onmen a con s de a ons and en su es ha Hunga y makes a con bu on on a sca e o n e na ona p opo ons o so ve g oba p ob ems To ach eve hese goa s Hunga y mus educe s dependence on ene gy mpo s n pa h ough d ve s y ng supp y ou es mus s eng hen he o e o he s a e cu down on he amoun o househo d ncome ha goes owa d ene gy b s and o e ncen ves o ene gy compa n es o make domes c

deve opmen s he The m n s y sa d s a egy seeks o n c ease use o enew ab e ene gy esou ces ma n a n he cu en capac y o gene a e nuc ea ene gy de ve op eg ona ene gy n as uc u e es ab sh new sys ems o ene gy ns u ons and p omo e ene gy e c ency and ene gy sav ngs Pa amen w deba e he ene gy s a egy n he au umn and s expec ed o ap p ove n a eso u on

Hungary sets ups OECD National Council This is one of the holidays for protecting against thunder and hail. In the folk belief Saint Elija rules over the lightning and thunders. He roams about the sky by a golden chariot with the aim to kill the Lamia that grazes the cornfields.

Saint Elija hurls fire arrows at her - thunders and lightning.

If there is only lightning, then people say that this is a fire that comes out from the nostrils of the horses that are harnessed in the chariot.

On Saint Elija's Day a sacrifice is made - the oldest cock.

In some places fairs and sacrifices are offered. This is the day of fur-dressers, leather-workers and tile-makers..

On the 20th July Bulgaria marks "Ilinden" - the day of the Holy Prophet Iliya /Elija/, or Saint Elija’s Day. In Bulgaria, this is also Name's Day for those named Iliya, Iliyan or Iliyana.

In Bulgarian folklore, the face of Prophet Iliya is a hybrid of Christian and pagan mythology. He is believed to be the master of summer storms, hail, rain, thunder and dew. Icons usually picture him riding in a gold-plated chariot, with four white horses in harness.

The hottest summer days in Bulgaria usually come in the middle of the month of July. Traditional folk calendar marks these days, called Gorestnitsi or Hot Days, on July 15, 16 and 17 and on July 20 - the holiday of Saint Elija – Saint Elija’s Day. How are these holidays celebrated, here are some details from Radio Bulgaria.

The summer sun gets red hot, the air heats up, scorching heats destroy almost everything alive. It is as if the celestial fire has descended upon the earth. Thunderstorms set cornfields and dry meadows on fire. The sun and the fire, otherwise honoured by villagers as life-giving, turn up deadly. During the three days called Gorestnitsi, no one comes out in the field to work because according to olden beliefs fire will descent from the sky to set the sheaves ablaze. Legend has it, whoever pays no respect to these fiery holidays will end up with his house destroyed by fire.

In by-gone times, on the third day of the Gorestnitsi, called Saint Marina of Fire, households should rekindle the fire in the hearth. The fire in the fireplace is put out and a new one is made in a ritual way – by rubbing two wooden pieces against each other. Housewives take some of the new fire, also called “living”, to their home. This ritual is said to symbolize the renewal of life, a fresh new life cycle.

Saint Elija is revered as the patron of celestial fire. Legend has it, he holdspower over lightning and thunderbolts.

That iswhy, he is called “the Thunderer” in some parts of Bulgaria. According to a folklore song, Saint Elija became the master of the fire element when in ancient times the world was shared out among 4 saints. Another folklore song tells the story of Saint Elija chasing a dragon with a gold, fiery chariot. When the saint shoots arrows after the dragon, people on the earth perceive these arrows as bolts of lightning, while the rattling of the chariot’s wheels sounds like thunders.

People express their gratitude to Saint Elija for having their fields protected from the dragon and show their veneration of his power to master celestial fire by celebrating Saint Elija’s Day. The votive offering prepared on this day is impressive – a bull is ritually sacrificed. In some villages, if there is a tree stricken by a lightning, people sneak through the burnt hollow. Old belief has it, only the righteous are able to pass through easily.

Ancient Greek philosopher Herodotus writes about a ritual performed by the ancient inhabitants of Bulgarian lands – the Thracian tribes. Thracian archers would step outside and point their arrows to the sky. Thus, they believed they would help their god defeat in a battle a foreign god. This ancient ritual has been preserved by folklore traditions.

The holiday is connected with the Slavic god of thunder and lightning – Perun - and by the same token, to Zmey, the good dragon of the Makaveyan Days.

Folk tradition requires that to honour Elija the Thunderer we must kill the oldest rooster. In this way roosters in the house become younger. Same thing happens with the “roosters” in the village – on this day is the inauguration of new marriageable lads. This takes place in the village square before young and old. When a lad decides that he is old enough to keep house and raise a family, at the horo dance in the evening the oldest bachelor in the village takes from the lad’s mother or female relative a new red sash and ritually girds it on the lad.

The bachelor holds one end of the sash, the lad takes the other end, puts it under his breast and turns round until the sash is girded on. Meanwhile the old bachelor blesses: “E-hey! As this sash is winding round, so the lasses wind round you!” “Amen!” say the others and the "twisted" horo dance starts.

The old bachelor introduces the lad into the horo and he acquires the status of a bachelor who can flirt with the lasses without being funny in the eyes of the other young men. Then people go to the temple and eat together at table. Young women don’t wash themselves on that day because the Dragon will fall in love with the one that has washed herself. In addition to those bearing the name of the saint (Iliya, Iliana, Iliyan, Ilko, Ilka), this is the day of curriers, furriers, makers of packsaddles and roofing tiles.

Saint Elijah’s Day

On July 20 the eastern Orthodox Church in Bulgaria reveres the memory of Saint Prophet Elijah, one of the greatest Old Testament righteous men, a powerful dissembler of paganism, forerunner of the true faith in the one and only God. The Christian church has, since very early times, called him “Prophet and prophesier of God’s great deeds”, “Angel in flesh” and “Precursor of Christ’s second coming”.

Prophet Elijah of the Old Testament lived some 900 years before Christ’s birth, a native of the town of Thesbia in Palestine. When he was born his father had a vision of august men congratulating him, wrapping the newborn infant in fiery swaddling clothes and then feeding him with helpings of fire. Deeply disturbed he ran to the priests in Jerusalem to tell them about his vision. They heard him out and pronounced: “Stay calm, you son will live in light and will stand in judgment on the Israeli people by means of fire and sword”. People of all times have revered his moral elevation and spiritual closeness with God. His steps in Palestine have to this day been considered sanctified by his power.

The Day of Saint Prophet Elijah is among the best revered feast days in Bulgaria. Many a church across the country, especially so in South western Bulgaria, are consecrated to the Prophet Elijah and graced by an icon of the Prophet. Practicing Christians honour the saint, who is a patron of lightning and thunder, keeping fire away from farmed fields. Saint Elijah brings rain and water; he protects life. This accounts for Saint Elijah’s traditional appellation of “the Thunderer”. In the popular mind he would race his golden chariot in the heavens shooting fire arrows.

Saint Elijah’s Day or Illinden in Bulgarian is the bestloved summertime feast day in the long and sultry days of harvesting. On this day old people would recount tales or sing songs about the Saint Prophet Elijah, racing six stallions in a chariot up in the heavens, obtaining by prayer good health and welfare, good weather and bounty for the hard-working people. Elijah’s namesakes, that is the people named after him, and tradesmen such as furriers, saddlers and bakers, are said to be happiest on the day as Saint Prophet Elijah is their patron. On Saint Elijah’s day farmers traditionally set up prayers for rain. In certain parts of the country the great evil, the Dragon, symbol of draught, would be hunted down and away in a special ritual on the day preceding Saint Prophet Elijah’s feast.

Two churches in the capital are consecrated to Saint Prophet Elijah. One of them is in the suburb of Knyajevo, running up the low hilly lands of the Vitosha Mountain, overlooking Sofia, built in the late 19th century. The churchyard hosts the tomb of Bali Effendi, a renowned Muslim priest and medicine man, who lived and provided cure to the ill here in the 16th century.

The place is revered both by Muslims and Christians, who come to pay their respects in greatest numbers on 2 August, which is Saint Prophet Elijah’s day old style.

Saint Ilia was a Judaic prophet and a wandering hermit, who lived in the time of the Israeli king of Ahav and queen Iesavel (Isabel). They worshipped the pagan god Vaal (Baal). Saint Ilia predicted horrible drought would befall the lands of the pagan king, which would be God’s way of punishing him for his sins. His prophecy came true and the Israeli people were tortured by drought for three and a half years. Only then did God show his mercy and sent his prophet to announce the end of the disaster. Saint Ilia is worshipped by all Christians as one of the greatest biblical prophets, along with Moses. His life story tells how, when he died, a fiery chariot, pulled by fiery horses, took him to the skies. This is how the saint is depicted by icon-painters – in a gold-plated sky chariot, pulled by four white horses.

In the Christianized mythological believes, when the world was divided, Saint Ilia took the “summer thunders and storms”; he is the master of all summer sky elements and hailstorms. Ilinden (or the day of Saint Ilia) is celebrated as the day of the most important saint –“hailstormer”. In his honour, people make offerings by slaughtering the oldest rooster and baking round loafs for him. All-village fairs are organized. Ilinden is also the holiday of all members of the guild of curriers, furriers, packsaddle-makers, and tile-makers.

12 Jul 2011 (Google News) The Hungarian government has created a professional forum for ministries and other state organizations to take better advantage of Hungary's membership in

the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the head of the new body announced on Tuesday. OECD National Council head Balázs Hídvéghi said Hungary would ex-

press its opinion more firmly than before in the OECD. At the same time, it will more efficiently use the OECD's accumulated experience and databases, he added.

Hungary sets ups OECD National Council 12 Ju 2011 Goog e News The n e na ona Ene gy Agency EA on F day p a sed Hunga y s ene gy po c es o s con bu ons o eg ona ene gy secu y wh e u g ng he coun y o do mo e on ene gy s a egy n a ev ew o Hunga y s ene gy po c es pub shed F day he EA ecommended o do mo e o a ac ene gy nves men s and mp ove ene gy e c ency n he yea s ahead as we as avo d u y p ce subs d es A a o n p ess con e ence n Budapes w h Hunga y s M n s e o Na ona Deve opmen Tamas Fe eg EA Ex ecu ve D ec o Nobuo Tanaka sa d ha "Hun ga y s we p aced o mp ove eg ona secu y by ca a yz ng he deve opmen o c ose y n eg a ed ma ke s o e ec c y and na u a gas " Na u a gas p o v des an unusua y h gh sha e o ene gy supp y n Hunga y and mos gas comes om Russ a h ough one ou e Fo ow ng he supp y d s up on n 2006 he Hunga an gove nmen enhanced s o age capac y and has cons de ed va ous op ons o d ve s y

supp y ou es as we as deve oped c oss bo de connec ons w h ne ghbo ng coun es Fe eg sa d ha a he ecommenda ons om he EA we e ve y we ounded and accep ab e a hough "un o una e y no a can be u y m p emen ed a hs s age " The EA epo ecommended ha Hunga y encou ages nves men s n s en e gy n as uc u e wh ch nc udes an age ng gene a ng capac y "The gove nmen shou d ensu e p e d c ab e and a ac ve amewo k cond ons o such nves men " Tanaka sa d Hunga y s cons de ng he up g ad ng o an ex s ng nuc ea powe p an n Paks n cen a Hun ga y and hence ma n a ns nuc ea powe n s na ona ene gy m x "Hunga y shows p ag ma sm when cons d e ng ow ca bon o ms o powe gene a on nc ud ng nuc ea and enewab e ene gy " Tanaka sa d "The ex en o wh ch nuc ea capac y w be ex ended shou d be c a ed w hou unnecessa y de ay as w have b oad mp ca ons o he v ab y

o o he cu en and u u e base oad ech no og es " he added Tanaka a so sa d ha a hough pe cap a ene gy consump on s we be ow he EU av e age Hunga y has a ge po en a o m p ov ng ene gy e c ency Hunga y a so shou d use consume p ces o e ec c y gas and d s c hea o encou age e c en use acco d ng o Tanaka "P ces ha u y e ec cos wou d a so encou age new compan es o en e he Hunga an ma ke and nves n n as uc u e deve opmen The gov e nmen shou d abo sh subs d es o ene gy use and e p ace hem w h d ec suppo o hose n need " Tanaka con c uded Re e ng o he EA ecommenda on on abo sh ng con sume subs d es o u y p ces Fe eg sa d " s no he o e o he EA o ook n o he spec a na u e o he Hunga an ma ke om he po n o v ew o he ea demand o he Hunga an peop e and he ene gy p ces ha a e a o dab e o he Hunga an popu a on "

Jabil Circuit opens new manufacturing, warehouse unit in Hungary (Google News) The new inaugurated facility, which includes warehouse and production units, sprawls on 4,500 square metres and currently employs a 35-strong staff. The Floridabased EMSprovider set up the facility, which will supply Jabil’s other units in Tiszaújváros (Hungary) and Ukraine, at the cost of HUF 612 million. Jabil Circuit received a HUF 297 million (EUR 1.1 million) grant from Hungary’s Regional Operative Programme. Jabil is

an electronic product solutions company providing comprehensive electronics design, manufacturing and product management services to global electronics and technology companies. It has facilities in 24 countries and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. According to an offic i a l announcement made in early June, Jabil is to create 670 new jobs at its plant in Tiszaújváros. The EUR 23 million investment, which

will be financed from Jabil’s own resources, is to be completed by the end of this year. The Hungarian government will grant Jabil a subsidy.

Although its exact size was not revealed, Zsolt Becsey, state secretary at the Economy Ministry, said it did not not reach one million forint per new job. Becsey also said Jabil would be granted a corporate income tax break, which would be much bigger than the cash support.

SPECIAL FOCUS

Revamps Public Media Hungary Goog e News BUDAPEST — Hunga y s mov ng ahead w h p ans o

ay o one h d o he wo ke s a s s a e un med a ou e s say ng wan ed o s eam ne and cen a ze ope a ons Bu c cs see he move as ano he e o by he gove nmen o c ack down on ee speech W h o e gn ocus sh ng away om Hunga y a e s o a ng s x mon h Eu opean Un on p es dency ended on June 30 he gove nmen has em ba ked on a p e announced ove hau o s a e news agency MT he wo s a e un e ev s on compan es and he s a e ad o Med a se v ce suppo and asse managemen und MTVA es ab shed ecen y o manage he pub c med a w ay o some 550 med a wo ke s n Augus and a o a o 1 000 by he end o h s yea Cu en y 3 300 peop e a e emp oyed n he pub c med a Th ough he evamp he gove nmen sa d wan s o a ona ze he sec o nc ease s e c ency and educe ove aps Wh e s no ma o new gove nmen s n Hunga y o ep ace op pub c med a execu ves obse ve s have sa d he sca e and dep h o he changes o he popu s F desz gove nmen wh ch came n o powe abou a yea ago a e ad ca Pub c med a has neve been o a y ndependen n Hunga y bu now sn ndependen n a ve y b un and p m ve way Ba azs Nagy Nava o p es den o he pub c med a ade un ons counc o KozSza o d Dow Jones Newsw es Repo e s n cha ge o mak ng e ev s on and ad o p og ams as we as newscas s w be d sm ssed n a ge numbe s Nagy Nava o sa d add ng ha eve y h d news ed o and eve y second ass s an news ed o w be a d o Some 40% o hose o be e go a e ove 50 yea s o d w h s m chances o nd ng new obs be o e e emen wh e ha age g oup sn ove ep esen ed ove a he sa d The F desz gove nmen has appo n ed a se es o new med a execu ves o ove see he swa hes o ayo s wh ch w nc ude he d s m ssa s o en e bu eaus and ed o a s a s MTVA sa d ha he o d sys em o pub c med a was was e u and opaque w h se v ces ha a ac ed s gn can y owe aud ences han des ab e The MT news cen e was es ab shed based on he med a aw The MT news cen e ope a es a un ed and common ne wo k o epo e s wh ch supp es news o a MTVA news ou e s MTVA spokeswoman Agnes Cse ha sa d n an ema ed s a emen Hunga y s new med a aw ha came n o e ec h s yea has d awn w desp ead c c sm o es c ng he eedom o speech and nc eas ng med a con o s The gove nmen has epea ed y e used hose c a ms Ms Cse ha d sm ssed he c a ms ha po ca cons de a ons may ay beh nd he d sm ssa s Those who be eve ha he 550 peop e who have been handed he p e m na y d sm ssa s p a e v c ms o a po ca c eanup a e su e y awa e o hose peop e s po ca ean ngs We don we have no such eg s y Ms Cse ha sa d

Hungary: Towns Destroyed In Red Toxic Sludge Slowly Rebuild

15 Jul 2011 (Google News) Nine months after a flood of toxic red sludge devastated Kolontar and surrounding villages, the country has built 112 new homes for the displaced. Those who got new homes recently moved into new houses built in Hungarian folk style. Some 125 families bought used homes in the area, and around 80 others chose to receive cash compensation. However, for those who lost their family members, the new houses are just a beginning of a long recovery process. “We’ve been given a home which I’m grateful for, and materially we’ve been properly compensated,” Istvan Fuchs, a retired former transportation company manager, who lost his mother in the red sludge disaster told

Medvedev, Merkel to meet in Hannover July 18-19 MOSCOW, July 13 (PR) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Hannover on July 1819 on the sidelines of the 13th round of the Russian-German interstate high-level consultations, the Kremlin press service reported on Wednesday.

Medvedev and Merkel are also expected to meet participants in the Russian-German

Research and Markets: Hungary Oil Markets, 2011 - Analyze the latest news and financial deals in the oil sector

15 Jul 2011 (Google News) This profile is the essential source for top-level energy industry data and information. The report provides an overview of each of the key sub-segments of the energy industry in Hungary. It details the market structure, regulatory environment, infrastructure and provides historical and forecasted statistics relating to the supply/demand balance for each of the key sub-segments. It also provides information relating to the crude oil assets (oil fields, refineries, pipelines and storage terminals) in Hungary. The report compares the investment environment in Hungary with other countries in the region. The profiles of the major companies operating in the crude oil sector in Hungary together with the latest news and deals are also included in the report.

Scope Historic and forecast data relating to production, con• sumption, imports, exports and reserves are provided for each industry sub-segment for the period 2000-2020.

Historical and forecast data and information for all the • major oil fields, refineries, pipelines and storage terminals in Hungary for the period 2000-2015.

Operator and equity details for major crude oil assets • in Hungary.

Key information relating to market regulations, key en• ergy assets and the key companies operating in Hungary's energy industry.

Information on the top companies in the Hungary in• cluding business description, strategic analysis, and financial information.

Product and brand updates, strategy changes, R&D • projects, corporate expansions and contractions and regulatory changes.

Key mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, private • equity and venture capital investments, and IPOs. Companies Mentioned: MOL Group • Exxon Mobil Corporation • JKX Oil & Gas plc •

PICTURE NEWS

forum, “St. Petersburg Dialogue”, and businessmen of both countries, the press service said. Earlier, presidential chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin said, “The ministries and agencies coordinated the agenda. Both parties are completing the work on documents due to be signed after the summit.” The interstate consultations “are the major political event of the year in

Russia, Switzerland sign Declaration on Cooperation

(PR) KOLOMNA, July 13 - Russia and Switzerland have signed a Declaration on Cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs of the Swiss onfederation. In the presence of the presidents of the two countries- Dmitry Medvedev and Micheline Calmy-Rey, the document was signed by Russian Minister for Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina and Swiss Federal Councillor for Economics Johann Schneider- Ammann. "The document stipulates our intentions in the sector of innovations, investment promotion and develop-

Russian-German relations”, he added. The format of such meetings is long-standing.

The interstate consultations were launched in 1998, when Boris Yeltsin was Russia’s first president. These top-level consultations are traditionally held once a year in Russia and Germany in turns. St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg hosted the Russian-German consultations in 2008 and

ment of advanced technologies. The Declaration complements a three year plan of economic cooperation between Russia and Switzerland, but is aimed at modernization of the sectors of priority importance as defined by the presidential commission for modernization and economic development," Elvira Nabiullina told Itar-Tass. Before the signing ceremony President Medvedev and Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey briefly discussed the current situation in bilateral cooperation and prospects for its development. Medvedev highly assessed the opening of a modern concrete production "as a kind of symbol of bilateral cooperation". "This is a very good production, and I want to thank all who took part in its establishment," Medvedev said.

Diplomats expect progress on Russia, EU visa-free deal (PR) At their meeting on Tuesday, top Russian and European negotiators on bilateral visa-free travel agreements may finish the list of joint measures needed to mutually scrap visas.

Vladimir Voronkov, director of the foreign ministry's European Cooperation Department and Russia's chief negotiator on visa-free travel deal with Europe, will meet with European Commission Director General for Home Affairs Stefano Manservisi. "Today it might be announced that we finished work to edit

Medvedev declares July 12 day of national mourning

the Associated Press. “But no one, no institution, can compensate me morally or emotionally”.

Residents who opted for new homes recently moved into new houses. A 57-year-old local woman said her new house was "beautiful," but she preferred the part of the village she lived in before the disaster, because it was quiet and calm. "We'll get used to it," she told the All Hungary News. Owners of homes destroyed in the disaster are being compensated by the state. They can decide if they wanted a new house in their old village, one built somewhere else, or to move into a used apartment or house. In total, the disaster has cost the Hungarian state around €158 million in damages and reconstruction costs. The caustic, scarlet material was stored in a massive pool belonging to a MAL Hungarian Aluminum Production and Trade Company. On October 4 last year, the northern wall of the reservoir collapsed and in just minutes up to 700,000 cubic meters (24.7m cu ft) of red toxic mud swept through three towns. Ten people have died as a result of the accident, and around 150 people were injured, most of them receiving burns. Police are still investigating the incident that escalated to the environmental disaster, and four people, including one of MAL's directors, have been questioned by Hungarian national investigation authorities.

RUSSIAN BULLETIN

GORKI, July 11 (PR) — President Dmitry Medvedev has declared Tuesday, July 12, a day of national mourning due to the sunken MS Bulgaria. “I’ve decided to declare Tuesday, July 12, a day of national mourning,” Medvedev said at a meeting devoted to the tragedy on the Volga River. The Russian head of state expressed condolences to the next of kin. The participants in the meeting observed a minute of silence for the dead victims of the sunken MS Bulgaria.

President Dmitry Medvedev has decided to create a state commission to clear up the circumstances of the MS Bulgaria tragedy. The commission will be headed by Transport Min-

this document, which paves the way to a visa-free regime," a source in the Russian embassy in the EU said.

He said the document could be approved either at the Russia-EU summit in Brussels late this year, or at a meeting of the standing Russia-EU partnership council at the level of justice and interior ministers, due in October. President Dmitry Medvedev said in midJune the stage-by-stage plan to lift the visa requirement will be finalized by the end of July.

ister Igor Levitin. “I instructed the government to set up a state commission to investigate all circumstances of the tragedy in Tatarstan. The minister of transport [Igor Levitin] should be head of the commission,” Medvedev said on Monday. Addressing Igor Levitin, Medvedev said he should leave for Tatarstan in order to study all circumstances and take necessary decisions, including organisational and economic ones.

Speaking at the meeting, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 208 people on board the Bulgaria passenger ship that sank in Tatarstan on Sunday. He said “all witnesses who were on board the ship have been examined, and we have found out that there were 208 people on board,” Shoigu said at a session chaired by the president.

He said the initial reports

GORKI, July 11 (PR) — President Dmitry Medvedev has declared Tuesday, July 12, a day of national mourning due to the sunken MS Bulgaria. “I’ve decided to declare Tuesday, July 12, a day of national mourning,” Medvedev said at a meeting devoted to the tragedy on the Volga River. The Russian head of state expressed condolences to the next of kin. The participants in the meeting observed a minute of silence for the dead victims of the sunken MS Bulgaria. President Dmitry Medvedev has decided to create a state commission to clear up the circumstances of the MS Bulgaria tragedy. The commission will be headed by Transport Minister Igor Levitin. “I instructed the government to set up a state commission to investigate all circumstances of the tragedy in Tatarstan. The minister of transport [Igor Levitin] should be head of the commission,” Medvedev said on Monday. Addressing Igor Levitin, Medvedev said he should leave for Tatarstan in order to study all circumstances and take necessary decisions, including organisational and economic ones.

Speaking at the meeting, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 208 people on board the Bulgaria passenger ship that sank in Tatarstan on Sunday. He said “all witnesses who were on board the ship have been examined, and we have found out that there were 208 people on board,” Shoigu said at a session chaired by the president. He said the initial reports putting the number of people at 180 were not exact as there had been 25 more unregistered passen-

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin Meets with Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi

12 Jul 2011 (PR) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Alexei Borodavkin received on July 12 the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia, Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi at his request. During their conversation they discussed topical issues in the development of Russian-Iranian bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on a number of international and regional problems.

Russia, US completing visa agreement - Lavrov Russia and the United States are completing an agree-

ment on the easing of visa regimes between the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"This agreement will permit tourists and businessmen to obtain long-term multiple entry visas, and also envisages one-year multiple entry visas for people visiting the United States and Russia on official business," Lavrov said in a TV interview. He added that the two sides are also discussing visa application processing terms and the list of documents needed for visa enquiries. "We want this list to be concrete and as short as possible," Lavrov said. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed scrapping visa restrictions between the two countries altogether during a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Moscow in March. However, Lavrov said Russia and the U.K. were no closer to easing visa requirements. London insists that Moscow extradiate Andrei Lugovoi, whom it suspects of the murder of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, before a deal can be reached. Lugovoi is a member of Russia's lower house of parliament and enjoys immunity from prosecution in Russia.

putting the number of people at 180 were not exact as there had been 25 more unregistered passengers on board.

“We still have to look into how they got there,” Shoigu said. The MS Bulgaria, which sank on the Volga River on Sunday, passed a scheduled examination in the middle of June and was recognized suitable for operation, the Russian Transport Ministry reported. “According to the Russian inland water transport register, the MS Bulgaria passed a scheduled examination on June 15, 2011. The ship was found operational in all features,” the ministry reported. The life rafts and boats on the vessel were intended for 156 people. The ship had also 177 rescue jackets, including those for children. “The rescue equipment met the requirements of the Russian inland water transport register,” the

Medvedev declares July 12 day of national mourning gers on board. “We still have to look into how they got there,” Shoigu said. The MS Bulgaria, which sank on the Volga River on Sunday, passed a scheduled examination in the middle of June and was recognized suitable for operation, the Russian Transport Ministry reported.

“According to the Russian inland water transport register, the MS Bulgaria passed a scheduled examination on June 15, 2011. The ship was found operational in all features,” the ministry reported. The life rafts and boats on the vessel were intended for 156 people. The ship had also 177 rescue jackets, including those for children. “The rescue equipment met the requirements of the Russian inland water transport register,” the ministry reported. The vessels built more than 25 years ago are subjected to annual sailing inspections, which include the examination of the sailing, rescue and radio navigation equipment. The ministry confirmed that the motor ship was built in Czechoslovakia in 1955 and was not reequipped since then. “The architectural and structural design was being kept under the design project,” a source in the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the vessel passed an inspection of the hull, sailing and electric onboard equipment at the Perm shipyard between the navigation seasons in 2007. “The motor ship was found in an operational technical condition then. No major malfunctions were found in its technical condition from 2007 to 2011,” the press service of the Transport Ministry said.

2010 and Munich hosted the event in 2009. The consultations in Hannover will be the 13th round of the interstate consultations next week. The delegations will be led by President Medvedev and Chancellor Merkel. The bilateral interstate consultations are also held simultaneously in time with the St. Petersburg Dialogue public forum.

ministry reported. The vessels built more than 25 years ago are subjected to annual sailing inspections, which include the examination of the sailing, rescue and radio navigation equipment. The ministry confirmed that the motor ship was built in Czechoslovakia in 1955 and was not reequipped since then.

“The architectural and structural design was being kept under the design project,” a source in the ministry said. Meanwhile, the vessel passed an inspection of the hull, sailing and electric onboard equipment at the Perm shipyard between the navigation seasons in 2007. “The motor ship was found in an operational technical condition then.

No major malfunctions were found in its technical condition from 2007 to 2011,” the press service of the Transport Ministry said.

Transcript of Opening Remarks by Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, at a Meeting with President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan

8 Jul 2011 (PR) Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I would like to covey the warmest regards from Dmitry Medvedev. Following the discussion held in Kazan the President of Russia has prepared a message to you and Serzh Sargsyan with his proposals on a vision for solving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which was recently discussed in the format of the three presidents and with participation by the representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Russia, the United States and France. I am pleased to convey these proposals to you. Hopefully, after studying them, you will respond to the ideas suggested.

I fully share your position on the development of Russian-Azerbaijani elations. In a few days’ time the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan will come to Russia on an official visit. There will be an exchange of instruments of ratification for the State Border Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a number of decisions will be adopted aiming at bolstering our foreign policy cooperation. Once again thank you for the opportunity to meet and convey the proposals on behalf of the President of Russia.

(Online) July 12, 2011. A man sleeps under an insect net in a camp for victims of floods in Sukkur, Pakistan. He has been (Online) July 8, 2011. As Atlantis takes to the skies for the final flight of a homeless for almost a year. 5 million people are at risk of being U.S. space shuttle, it begins its roll program, which aligns it properly to (Online) July 8, 2011. Egyptian demonstrators perform the displaced by flooding this year, following poor reconstruction after enter orbit.. weekly Friday prayer before a rally in downtown Cairo's Tahrir the historic 2010 disaster.

Square. Tens of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets (Online) July 9, 2011. Children stretch during a ballet lesson at across the country to defend the uprising that toppled presia dancing school in Hefei, Anhui province, China. dent Hosni Mubarak, directing their anger at the new military rulers over the slow pace of reform.

(Online) July 10, 2011. Members of a Somali family are overtaken by dust as they try to build a makeshift shelter on the outskirts of the Dagahaley camp, the world’s largest refugee settlement, outside Dadaab, Kenya. The drought in Somalia has been called the worst humanitarian disaster in the world by U.N. officials.

(Online) July 12, 2011. This 15-ft., 3,300-lb. great hammerhead shark was caught in Australian waters as a bycatch by commercial fishermen in March 2010. Now housed in a specially designed refrigerated unit, it’s being exhibited at the aquarium in Melbourne to raise shark conservation awareness.

(Online) July 10, 2011. Southern Sudanese crowd tightly together to watch the Republic of South Sudan's first national soccer match in the capital of Juba on Sunday. The game, played against Kenya, came just one day after South Sudan declared its independence from the north following decades of costly civil war. The declaration makes South Sudan the world's 193rd country.

(Online) July 14, 2011. A French Rafale jet (R) flanked by two Mirage 2000-N flies over La Defense district, western Paris (background the Arch of La Defense) during the Bastille Day military parade.