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INTERNATIONAL Obama furious as Boehner walks away from debt talks

Simón Bolívar

Bolivar Day VENEZUELA - July 24

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar (Spanish pronunciation: [siˈmon boˈliβar]; July 24, 1783,Caracas, Venezuela – December 17, 1830, Santa Marta, Colombia) was a Venezuelan military and political leader. Together with José de San Martín, he played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians in South American history.

Following the triumph over the Spanish Monarchy, Bolívar participated in the foundation of the first union of independent nations in Latin America, which was named Gran Colombia, and of which he was president from 1819 to 1830. Bolívar remains regarded in Hispanic America as a hero, visionary, revolutionary, and liberator. During his lifetime, he led Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela to independence, and helped lay the foundations for democratic ideology in much of Hispanic America.

Bolivar family

The surname Bolívar derives from the Bolívar aristocrats who came from a small village in the Basque Country, Spain, called La Puebla de Bolívar. His father came from the male line of the de Ardanza family. His maternal grandmother, however, was descended from some families from the Canary Islands that settled in the country.

The Bolívars settled in Venezuela in the sixteenth century. His first South American Bolivar ancestor was Simón de Bolívar (or Simon de Bolibar; the spelling was Oil pa int ing by R ic a r do not standardized until the nineteenth century), who lived A c e v e do B e r na l and worked with the governor of the Santo Domingo from 1550 to 1570. When the governor of Santo Domingo was reassigned to Venezuela in 1589, Simón de Bolívar came with him. As an early settler in Caracas Province, he became prominent in the local society, and he and his descendants were granted estates, encomiendas, and positions in the Caracas cabildo.

The social position of the family is illustrated by the fact that when the Caracas Cathedral was built in 1594, the Bolívar family had one of the first dedicated side chapels. The majority of the wealth of Simón de Bolívar's descendants came from the estates. The most important of these estates was a sugar plantation with an encomienda that provided the labor needed to run the estate. In later centuries, slave and free black labor would have replaced most of the encomienda labor. Another portion of Bolivar wealth came from the silver, gold, and more importantly, copper mines in Venezuela. In 1632, small gold deposits first were mined in Venezuela, leading to further discoveries of much more extensive copper deposits. From his mother's side, the Palacios family, Bolívar inherited the copper mines at Cocorote. Slaves provided the majority of the labor in these mines.

Toward the end of the seventeenth century, copper exploitation became so prominent in Venezuela that it became known as Cobre Caracas("Caracas copper"). Many of the mines became the property of the Bolívar family. Bolívar's grandfather, Juan de Bolívar y Martínez de VilMonument to Simón Bolívar legas, paid 22,000 ducats to the monastery at Santa Maria de Montserrat in 1728 for a title of in the land of his ancestors nobility that had been granted by the king,Philip V of Spain, for its maintenance. The crown never issued the patent of nobility, and so the purchase became the subject of lawsuits that were still going on during Bolívar's lifetime, when independence from Spain made the point moot. (If successful, Bolívar's older brother, Juan Vicente, would have become the Marqués de San Luis and Vizconde de Cocorote.) Bolívar was able to use his family's immense wealth to finance his revolutionary efforts.

Early life

Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, Captaincy General of Venezuela (now the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela), on July 24, 1783 and he was baptized as Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios. His mother was Doña María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco and his father was Coronel Don Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte. He had two older sisters and a brother: María Antonia, Juana, and Juan Vicente. Another sister, María del Carmen, died at birth.

The circumstances of Bolívar's parents forced them to entrust the baby Simón Bolívar to the care of Doña Ines Manceba de Miyares and the family's slave la negra Hipolita. A couple of years later Bolívar returned to the love and care of his parents, but this traumatic experience would have a severe effect on Bolívar's life. By his third birthday, his father Juan Vicente had died.

Bolívar's father died when Bolívar was two and a half years old. Bolívar's mother, Maria Concepción de Palacios y Blanco, died when he was approaching nine years of age. He then was placed in the custody of a severe instructor, Miguel José Sanz, but this relationship did not work out and he was sent back to his home. In an effort to give Bolívar the best education possible, he received private lessons from the renowned professors Andrés Bello, Guillermo Pelgrón, Jose Antonion Negrete, Fernando Vides, Father Andújar, and the most influential of all, Don Simón Rodríguez, formerly known as Simón Carreño. Don Simón Rodriguez was later to become Bolívar's friend and mentor, and he instilled in the young man the ideas of liberty, enlightenment, and freedom.

In the meantime, all the love, affection, and attention given to Bolívar was from his nanny, Hipólita. Hipólita gave the young Bolívar all the affection he needed and indulged him in all his wishes and desires. His instructor Don Simón understood the young Bolívar's personality and inclinations, and tried from the very beginning to be an empathetic friend. They took long walks through the countryside and climbed mountains. Don Simón taught Bolívar how to swim and ride horses, and, in the process, taught him about liberty, human rights, politics, history, and sociology.

Military career

When Bolívar was fourteen, his private instructor and mentor Simón Rodríguez had to abandon the country, as he was accused of being involved in a conspiracy against the Spanish government in Caracas. Thus, Bolívar entered the military academy of the Milicias de Veraguas, which his father had directed as colonel years earlier. Through these years of military training, he developed his fervent passion for armaments and military strategy, which he later would employ on the battlefields of the wars of independence. A few years later, while in Paris, Bolívar witnessed the coronation of Napoleon in Notre Dame, and this majestic event left a profound impression upon him. From that moment he wished that he could emulate similar triumphant glory for the people of his native land.

El Libertador

Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807.

In 1813 he was given a military command in Tunja, New Granadahi easton (today Colombia), under the direction of the Congress of United Provinces of New Granada, which had formed out of the juntas established in 1810.

This was the beginning of the famous Admirable Campaign. He entered Méridaon May 23, where he was proclaimed as El Libertador. That event was followed by the occupation of Trujillo on June 9. Six days later, on June 15, he dictated his famous Decree of War to the Death. Caracas was retaken on August 6, 1813 and Bolívar was ratified as "El Libertador", thus proclaiming therestoration of the Venezuelan republic. Due to the rebellion of José Tomás Boves in 1814 and the fall of the republic, he returned to New Granada, where he then commanded a force for the United Provinces and entered Bogotá in 1814, recapturing the city from the dissenting republican forces ofCundinamarca. He intended to march into Cartagena and enlist the aid of local forces in order to capture Royalist Santa Marta. In 1815, after a number of political and military disputes with the government of Cartagena, however, Bolívar fled to Jamaica, where he was denied support and an attempt was made on his life, after which he fled to Haiti, where he was granted sanctuary and protection. He befriended Alexandre Pétion, the leader of the newly independent country, and petitioned him for aid.

In 1817, with Haitian soldiers and vital material support (on the condition that he abolish slavery), Bolívar landed in Venezuela and captured Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar). At that time, Venezuela remained a captaincy of Spain, however, and Bolívar decided that he would first fight for the independence of New Granada (which was a vice royalty), intending later to consolidate the independence of Venezuela and other less politically important Spanish territories.

The campaign for the independence of New Granada was consolidated with the victory at the Battle of Boyacá in 1819. From this newly consolidated base of power, Bolívar launched outright independence campaigns in Venezuela and Ecuador, and these campaigns were concluded with the victories at the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 and the Battle of Pichincha in 1822. On September 7, 1821 the Gran Colombia(a state covering much of modern Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador) was created, with Bolívar as president and Francisco de Paula Santander as vice president.

On July 26 and 27 of 1822, Bolívar held the Guayaquil conference with the Argentinian General José de San Martín, who had received the title of Protector of Peruvian Freedom in August 1821 after having partially liberated Peru from the Spanish. Thereafter, Bolívar took over the task of fully liberating Peru. The Peruvian congress named him dictator of Peru on February 10, 1824, which allowed Bolívar to reorganize completely the political and military administration. Assisted by Antonio José de Sucre, Bolívar decisively defeated the Spanish cavalry at the Battle of Junín on August 6, 1824. Sucre destroyed the still numerically superior remnants of the Spanish forces at Ayacucho on December 9, 1824.

On August 6, 1825, at the Congress of Upper Peru, the "Republic of Bolivia" was created. Bolívar is thus one of the few men to have a country named after him.

Proclamation of dictatorial power

Bolívar had great difficulties maintaining control of the vast Gran Colombia. In 1826, internal divisions had sparked dissent throughout the nation, and regional uprisings erupted in Venezuela. The new South American union had revealed its fragility and appeared to be on the verge of collapse. To preserve the union, an amnesty was declared and an arrangement was reached with the Venezuelan rebels, but this increased the political dissent in neighboring New Granada. In an attempt to keep the nation together as a single entity, Bolívar called for a constitutional convention at Ocaña during April 1828.

Bolívar's dream had been to engender an American Revolution-style federation among all the newly independent republics, with a government set up solely to recognize and uphold the rights of the individual. This dream had succumbed to the pressures of particular interests throughout the region, which rejected that model and had little or no allegiance to liberal principles. For this reason, and to prevent a break-up, Bolívar sought to implement a more centralist model of government in Gran Colombia, including some or all of the elements of the Bolivian constitution he had written, which included a lifetime presidency with the ability to select a successor (although theoretically, this presidency was held in check by an intricate system of balances). This move was considered controversial in New Granada and was one of the reasons the deliberations in favor of such a constitution met with strong opposition at the Convention of Ocaña, which met from April 9 to June 10, 1828. The convention almost ended up drafting a document which would have implemented a radically federalist form of government, which would have greatly reduced the powers of a central administration. Unhappy with what would be the ensuing result, pro-Bolívar delegates withdrew from the convention, leaving it moribund.

After the failure of this congress to write a new constitution, Bolívar proclaimed himself dictator on August 27, 1828 through the Decree of Dictatorship. He considered this as a temporary measure, as a means to reestablish his authority and save the republic, although it increased dissatisfaction and anger among his political opponents. An assassination attempt on September 25, 1828 failed, thanks to the help of his lover, Manuela Sáenz. Bolivar afterward described Manuela as Libertadora del Libertador (the liberator of the liberator). Although Bolívar emerged safely from the attempt, this nevertheless greatly affected him.

Dissent continued, and uprisings occurred in New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador during the next two years.

Death

Saying, "all who served the Revolution have plowed the sea", Bolívar finally resigned his presidency on April 27, 1830, intending to leave the country for exile in Europe, possibly in France. He already had sent several crates (containing his belongings and writings, which he had selected) ahead of him to Europe, but he died before setting sail.

On December 17, 1830, at the age of forty-seven, Simón Bolívar died after a painful battle with tuberculosis in the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta, Gran Colombia (now Colombia). On his deathbed, Bolívar asked his aide-de-camp, General Daniel F. O'Leary to burn the remaining, extensive archive of his writings, letters, and speeches. O'Leary disobeyed the order and his writings survived, providing historians with a vast wealth of information about Bolívar's liberal philosophy and thought, as well as details of his personal life, such as his longstanding love affair with Manuela Sáenz. Shortly before her own death in 1856, Sáenz augmented this collection by giving O'Leary her own letters from Bolívar.

His remains were buried in the cathedral of Santa Marta. Twelve years later, in 1842, at the request of President José Antonio Páez, they were moved from Santa Marta to Caracas, where a monument was set up for his interment in the National Pantheon of Venezuela. The 'Quinta' near Santa Marta has been preserved as a museum with numerous references to his life. In 2010, symbolic remains of Bolivar's lover, Manuela Sáenz, were interred by his side during a national ceremony reuniting them and honoring her role in the liberations.

On January 2008, President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez set up a commission to investigate theories indicating that Bolívar could have been the victim of an assassination. In April 2010, infectious diseases specialist Paul Auwaerter studied existing records of Bolivar's symptoms and concluded that he may have suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning, but considered that both acute poisoning and murder were unlikely. In July 2010, Bolívar's body was ordered to be exhumed to advance the investigations.

Political beliefs

He was an admirer of both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. He admired Thomas Jefferson and sent his nephew to the University of Virginia, which was founded and designed by Jefferson. Bolívar differed, however, in political philosophy from the leaders of the revolution in the United States on two important matters. First of all, he was staunchly anti-slavery, despite coming from an area of Spanish America that relied heavily on slave labour. Second, while he was an admirer of the United States, he did not believe that its governmental system could function in Latin America.

He felt that the US had been established in land especially fertile for democracy. By contrast, he referred to Spanish America as having been subject to the "triple yoke of ignorance, tyranny, and vice". If a republic could be established in such a land, in his mind, it would have to make some concessions in terms of liberty. This is shown when Bolívar blamed the fall of the first republic on his subordinates trying to imitate "some ethereal republic" and in the process, not paying attention to the gritty political reality of South America.

Among the books accompanying him as he traveled were, Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations", Voltaire's"Letters", and when he wrote the Bolivian Constitution, Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws. His Bolivian constitution placed him within the camp of what would become Latin American conservatism in the later nineteenth century. The Bolivian Constitution had a lifelong presidency and a hereditary senate, essentially recreating the British unwritten constitution, as it existed at the time, without formally establishing a monarchy. It was his attempts to implement a similar constitution in Gran Colombia that led to his downfall and rejection by 1830.

Regarding his immigration policy for Colombia, he viewed the immigration of North-Americans and Europeans as necessary, (except for the Spanish, who were expelled) for improving the country's economy, arts, and sciences, following the steps of the Latin-American criolloelites, who accepted without questions many of the evolutionist, social, and racial theories of their time.

Freemasonry

Similar to some others in the history of American Independence (George Washington, José de San Martín, and Francisco Miranda), Simón Bolívar was a Freemason. He was initiated in 1803 in the Masonic Lodge Lautaro which operated in Cadiz, Spain. It was in this lodge that he first met some of his revolutionary peers, such as José de San Martín. In May 1806 he was conferred the rank of Master Mason in the "Scottish Mother of St. Alexander of Scotland" in Paris. During his time in London, he frequented "The Great American Reunion" lodge in London, founded by Francisco de Miranda. In April 1824, Simón Bolívar was given the 33rd degree of Inspector General Honorary.

Fiesta de Santiago PERU - July 24 The festivities celebrated in honour of the patron saint of Spain and Galicia reach their peak

during the so-called “Fuego del Apóstol” (Apostle’s Fireworks), the Offering to the Saint and the exciting ceremony when the "Botafumeiro" is swung in the Cathedral.

According to legend, it was the discovery of the remains of Saint James the Apostle that led to the creation of the Galician capital. Santiago de Compostela would soon become a holy city on a par with Jerusalem and Rome, as well as a site of pilgrimage that eventually gave rise to the “Way of Saint James”, which nowadays has World Heritage status.

The feast day of Saint James is 25 July, but the festivities start some ten days earlier with the presentation of a full programme of exhibitions, theatre performances, street theatre and concerts. At 12 noon on 24 July, the cathedral bells ring out as a taste of the event that will occur that night. The Plaza del Obradoiro square fills with light and colour in a spectacle that transports visitors to a magical world: the fireworks in honour of the Apostle are accompanied by incredible pyrotechnical effects that represent the Gothic façade of the Cathedral. Regional dances and bagpipes are also part of the festivities. Concerts and open-air celebrations fill every part of the city to celebrate Saint James’s Day. The Offering to the Saint and the Botafumeiro take place inside the Cathedral. The latter is a large ceremonial incense burner that is swung vigorously over the smaller crossing, filling it with the smell of incense.

Jose Barbosa Day RICO - July 24 PUETRO Dr. José Celso Barbosa (July 27, 1857 – September 21,

1921) was a medical Physician,sociologist, and political leader of Puerto Rico. Known as "The father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico movement", Barbosa was also the first Puerto Rican with an American (United States) medical degree.

Early years

He was born in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

Barbosa received both his primary and secondary education in Puerto Rico. He was the first person who had both black ancestry and white ancestry to attend Puerto Rico's prestigious Jesuit Seminary.

After graduating from the Seminary, Barbosa tutored private students to save money to attend college. In 1875, he moved to New York to attend prep school where he learned English in a year.

His goal in life was to become a lawyer, but after a bout with pneumonia in New York City, his doctor recommended he study medicine rather than law. In 1877, he was admitted to the medical school of the University of Michigan. Barbosa graduated valedictorian of the class of 1880. He returned to the island where he set up his practice in his native hometown.

First Puerto Rican with an American medical degree

D r. J os é C e ls o The Spanish government did not recognize BarB a r bos a bosa's medical degree as it was not from one of the European universities. It took the intervention of the American consul to the island for Barbosa's degree to be recognized. Barbosa was the first person in the entire island with an American medical degree. Barbosa practiced medicine all over the island, and introduced the novel idea of employers paying a fee for the future health care needs of their employees (a very early health insurance system). In 1893, Barbosa founded the first Puerto Rican cooperative and named it "El Ahorro Colectivo".

Political career

Barbosa was a member of the Autonomous Party led by Román Baldorioty de Castro but left the party because of ideological differences.

In 1898, when the United States bombarded and blockaded San Juan during the Spanish– American War Barbosa together with other doctors who lived in Bayamon, traveled to the town of Cataño and boarded a ferry headed towards San Juan. Barbosa, as member of the Red Cross, went to the aid of the wounded Puerto Rican and Spanish soldiers. The ferry trip which crossed San Juan Bay was dangerous since they came close to being hit by cannon fire. Barbosa and those with him were recommended by the Spanish government to be decorated with theCruz de la Orden del Mérito Naval (The Naval Cross of the Order of Merit) for their bravery.

On July 4, 1899, Barbosa formed the pro-statehood Puerto Rican Republican Party as a reaction to the outcome of the Spanish-American War in which Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States. He became known as the father of the "Statehood for Puerto Rico" movement.

Later years

On June 5, 1900, President William McKinley named Barbosa, together with Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, José de Diego, Manuel Camuñas and Andrés Crosas to an Executive Cabinet under U.S. appointed Governor B us t of D r. B a r bos a Charles H. Allen. The Executive Cabinet also included six American members. Barbosa served in Executive Cabinet until 1917 and as a member of the Puerto Rican Senate from 1917 to 1921. In 1907, he established the newspaper "El Tiempo", the first bilingual newspaper on the island. José Celso Barbosa died in San Juanon September 21, 1921. He was laid to rest in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in Old San Juan. His daughter Pilar Barbosa would one day become a renowned historian, the Official Historian of Puerto Ricofrom 1993 to 1997 and a political activist who would carry on her father's work.

Recognition

In honour of Barbosa's accomplishments, Puerto Rico has declared his birthday, July 27, an official holiday. Barbosa's house in Bayamón has been converted into a museum in which many of his awards, certificates, books and other artifacts of interest are exhibited. On July 20, 2006 the House of Representatives approved the Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa Post Office Building Designation Act to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Avenida RL Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, as the Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa Post Office Building. On August 1, 2006, the President of the United States, George W. Bush signed the bill. It's now Public Law 109-253.

Pioneer Day (Utah) US - July 24 Pioneer Day (also archaically called the Day of Deliverance) is an official holiday celebrated on

July 24 in the U.S. state of Utah, with some celebrations in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Youngand the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities help commemorate the event. Similar to July 4th, most governmental offices and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day. In addition to being an official holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day is considered a special occasion by many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). On Pioneer Day, some Latter-day Saints walk portions of the Mormon Trail or reenact entering the Salt Lake Valley by handcart. Latter-day Saints throughout the United States and around the world may celebrate July 24 in remembrance of the LDS Churches' pioneer era, with songs, dances, and pioneer related activities.

While the holiday has strong links to the LDS Church, it is a celebration of everyone, regardless of faith and nationality, who emigrated to the Salt Lake Valley during the pioneer era, which is generally considered to have ended with the 1869 arrival of the transcontinental railroad. Notable non-LDS American pioneers from this period include Episcopal Bishop Daniel Tuttle, who was responsible for Utah's first non-Mormon schools (Rowland Hall-St. Mark's) and first public hospital (St. Mark's) in the 19th century. The Intertribal Powwow at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City honors the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the area's American Indians, helping Utahns to gain a deeper understanding of the region's history.

The holiday generates a great deal of road traffic; Utah Department of Public Safety statistics demonstrate that Pioneer Day has the second highest holiday traffic fatality rate in Utah, with the earlier July 4 Independence Day having the highest rate.

History

The earliest precursor to Pioneer Day celebrations in Utah occurred on July 24, 1849, when the Nauvoo Brass Band led a commemoration of the second anniversary of the Latter-day Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley.

The first celebration of Pioneer Day in 1857 was interrupted with news of the approach of Johnson's Army, heralding the beginning of the Utah War. During the following occupation of the Utah Territory by federal troops, Pioneer Day was not celebrated. Once President Abraham Lincoln initiated a hands-off policy on Utah in 1862 during the American Civil War Pioneer Day was once again observed, and expanded into the surrounding areas as the Mormon Corridor spread throughout the Intermountain West. In 1880, Latter-day Saints commemorated the Golden Jubilee of the church's formal organization in 1830; tens of thousands of people in hundreds of communities participated in very enthusiastic festivities.

In the years that followed, federal enforcement efforts of anti-polygamy laws (including the 1882 Edmunds Act) resulted in greatly subdued celebrations. The 1886 commemoration was particularly notable for its mourning theme, with the Salt Lake Tabernacle decorated in black instead of the usually colorful bunting, and the eulogizing of Latter-day Saints who were in hiding or imprisoned for polygamy offenses.

By 1897, the celebration included not only the 50th anniversary of the initial arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, but also the end of the polygamy issue, the completion of the Salt Lake Temple, and statehood for Utah.

The centennial in 1947 and the sesquicentennial in 1997 were especially large celebrations in Utah. One writer indicated that the 1947 celebrations seemed to incorporate the entire year, with July 24 only being an apex to the events.

Constitution Day PUETRO RICO - July 25

Constitution Day is the day celebrated to show respect and honor to the constitution of the country. This is celebrated annually once a year on the day when the constitution of the country is made or when any change has occurred in the monarchy of the constitution. Constitution Day of Puerto Rico is celebrated on July 25.

History

Every country has got its constitution and fundamental rights of the individuals are embedded in those constitution. The constitution of Puerto Rico consists of basically nine articles. These articles will help you to know about the structure of government in details along with the function of different institutions it has, Bills of the rights and many information regarding the common wealth.

Being a part of commonwealth of United States,

Foundation of Guyaquil Day

ECUADOR-July 25

Guayaquil (pronounced [ɡwaʝaˈkil]), officially Santiago de Guayaquil (pronounced [sanˈtjaɣo ðe ɣwaʝaˈkil]), is the

phasis now will be on simply ending the crisis before Aug. 2, which the White House and the Republican leadership have said is essential.

But even with that general agreement, the goal of lifting the ceiling is fraught with partisan traps.

Obama is insisting that the debt ceiling extension be large enough to ensure that the issue does not arise again until after the 2012 elections, while Republicans would like to see the president be forced to seek extensions repeatedly.

Negotiators planned to work through the weekend to devise a backup proposal to be presented to the House and Senate by Monday.

Obama held an unscheduled news conference in which he scolded Republicans, complaining that leaders are unwilling to take on the party's most conservative voices to reach a deficit reduction deal that voters favor.

"It's hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away from this kind of deal," Obama said. "This was an extraor-

dinarily fair deal. ... Can they say 'yes' to anything?"

Boehner, holding his own unscheduled news conference, repeated his critique of the president and his aides, equating their bargaining approach to "a bowl of JellO." Republicans have demanded substantial budget cuts in exchange for their vote to raise the debt ceiling, but polls show Americans increasingly prefer the "balanced approach" Obama has sought: reducing deficits with a combination of spending cuts and new taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Republican officials said a week of renewed discussions broke down as the White House insisted on revenues from new taxes. Republicans were interested in proposals for overhauling the tax system advanced by the White House, but insisted on making the spending cuts first. That stance caused a revolt among Democrats once it was floated by the White House midweek. The Democratic-led Senate particularly resisted.

Militants in Somalia reject aid groups C it y of Gua y a quil, Ec ua dor largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, with a metro area population exceeding 3.3 million[] at the end of 2009, as well as that nation's main port. The city is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of thenamesake canton.

Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. Because of its location, the city is the center of Ecuador's business and manufacturing industries.

(Google News) MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia vowed to keep most international aid workers out of the

number of Somalis who arrived in Mogadishu this month - 21,100 - is more than four times the number that arrived in June and more than

Ali Mohamud Rage said aid agencies the group had previously banned are still barred from operating in areas under its control.

History

Guayaquil was founded on July 25, 1538 with the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil (Most Noble and Most Loyal City of St. James of Guayaquil) by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Even before it was founded by the Spanish, it already existed as a native village.

In 1600 Guayaquil had a population of about 2,000 people; by 1700 the city had a population of over 10,000.

In 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George d'Hout (English) and Picard and (FrenchGroniet men). Of the more than 260 pirates, 35 died and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded. The Gua y a quil's wa t e r pirates took local women as concu- f r ont a r ound 1 9 2 0 . bines.

In 1709, the English captains Woodes Rogers, Etienne Courtney, and William Dampier along with 110 other pirates, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom; however, they suddenly departed without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.

On October 9, 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians, supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva", a battalion quartered in Guayaquil, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain, becoming Provincia Libre de Guayaquil, and José Joaquín de Olmedo was named Jefe Civil (Civil Chief) of Guayaquil. This would prove to be a key victory for the Ecuadorian War of Independence.

On July 26, 1822, José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar held a famous conference in Guayaquil to plan for the independence of Spanish South America.

In 1829, the city was invaded by the Peruvian Army, which occupied it for seven months.

In 1860, the city was the site of the Battle of Guayaquil, the last of a series of military conflicts between the forces of the Provisional Government, led by Gabriel García Morenoand General Juan José Flores, and the forces of the Supreme Chief of Guayas, General Guillermo Franco, whose government was recognized as possessing sovereignty over the Ecuadorian territory by Peruvian presidentRamón Castilla.

Large portions of the city were destroyed by a major fire in 1896.

On July 8, 1898, the Guayaquil City Hall "Muy Ilustre Municipalidad de Guayaquil" officially recognized the anthem written by José Joaquín de Olmedo in 1821, with the music composed by Ana Villamil Ycaza in 1895, as the "Himno al 9 de Octubre" Canción al Nueve de Octubre, most widely known now as the "Himno a Guayaquil" (Guayaquil Anthem).

Galicia National Day SPAIN - July 24

Dia Nacional de Galicia ("National Day of Galicia") is when the autonomous community of Galicia celebrates its national holiday. It falls on the 25th of July.

It is also called Día da Patria Galega ("Day of the Galician FatherFlag of Galicia land"), or simply Día de Galicia /Día de Galiza ("Galicia's Day"). Yet, the official full denomination is the "National Day of Galicia", as established by the Galician government in 1979.

History of the celebration

The origins of the celebration can be traced back to 1919, when the Assembly of the Galicianist organization Irmandades da Fala met in the Galician capital, Santiago de Compostela. It was then decided to celebrate the National Day on the 25th of July of the following year. The date was chosen as it is the day dedicated to Saint James, patron saint of both Galicia and the Galician capital city.

It was celebrated openly Coat of arms of until the Francoist dictaGalicia (1939-1977), torship when any display of non-Spanish nationalism was prohibited. During that time the National Day would still be celebrated as such by the Galician emigrant communities abroad. In Galicia, the Galicianists would gather with the pretext of offering a Mass for Galician poetess and literary icon Rosalia de Castro. Curiously enough, the Francoist regime institutionalized the religious celebration of Saint James as the "patron saint of Spain".

Nonetheless, from 1968 Galicianists attempted to celebrate the day in Compostela, still during the dictatorship.

The Partido Socialista de Galicia ("Galician Socialist Party") and the Unión do Povo Galego ("Galician People's Union") called for public political demonstrations every 25th of July. These demonstrations would invariably result in riots with the Spanish police. Even during the first years of democracy, after 1977, any demonstration organised by the Asemblea Nacional-Popular Galega and the BN-PG (later transformed into the Galician Nationalist Bloc) would still be forbidden. It is only during the mid 1980s when the National Day started to, gradually, be celebrated with some degree of normality. Although, the events from the late 1960s onwards transformed the National Day celebrations into a date with deep political implications. At present, Galician political parties (mostly nationalist, but not only) organise large demonstrations at the capital city and/or a number of activities to commemorate the day.

The political and institutional activities are normally all based in Santiago de Compostela, and the day is an official public holiday celebrated with solemnity by the Galician government. Apart from that, a number of festivities take place from the night of the 24th until high hours in the morning of the 26th, celebrated by many.

its constitution is forced to stick to the postulates of the U.S. constitution.

The constitution was headed towards the government on March 3, 1952 and the whole process took few months and on July 25, it was made effective and the day came to be known as Commonwealth Constitution Day in the history of Puerto Rico.

The constitution was framed with a bit changes and giving Puerto Ricans a high degree of autonomy. The preamble of the constitution is made only to make the people understand rationale behind the constitution and even the loyalty of the constitution towards the principles of the Federal Constitution.

As there are several articles, let us know in brief what each article deals with. The first article starts with establishing or making up the new government for Puerto Rico. Second one tells about your rights and even makes it clear that all men are

equal before the law, they are not discriminated on basis of anything whether caste, creed or color. Article three provides you with the legislative power and gives details about Bicameral legislature. The rest of the articles also have much stored in it.

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Puerto Rico is a part of the constitution of US. So, it also celebrates and enjoys all the public holidays of the US. It has a republican form of government and the head of the state is none other than the president of the United States. The approval day i.e. July 25, of commonwealth constitution brought about great changes in the civil government of the Puerto Rico islands. Islands are also known for its culture, festivals, sports and many more.

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A Somali mother waited for aid at a refugee camp yesterday in Mogadishu, where an ongoing civil war rages. The country’s prolonged drought has devolved into famine. country despite a worsening famine, and the UN warned yesterday that 800,000 children could die in the region from starvation.

Frustrated aid groups said they want to deploy more food assistance in Somalia but do not have the necessary safety guarantees to do so. The anarchic country has been mired in conflict for two decades and its capital is a war zone.

The renewed threat from Al Shabab means that only a handful of agencies will be able to respond to the hunger crisis in militant-controlled areas of southern Somalia.

And the largest provider of food aid - the UN World Food Program - is not among those allowed inside.

The UN fears tens of thousands of people have died in the famine, which has forced Somalis to walk for days to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

The World Food Program said yesterday that it will provide food for 175,000 people in the Gedo region of southwest Somalia and to 40,000 people in the Afgoye corridor northwest of Mogadishu.

Internally displaced Somalis have been heading to the capital. The

10 times the number that arrived in May, according to the UN. UNICEF, one of the few groups that does operate in Al Shababcontrolled areas, said it will deliver “unprecedented supplies’’ across the region.

“If we are to save lives, we need to act now, to bring in massive quantities of medicines, vaccines, nutrition supplies into the region as quickly as we are able and then get them out to the children who need it most,’’ said Shanelle Hall, director of UNICEF’s supply division.

Somalia is the most dangerous country in the world to work in, according to the UN’s World Food Program, which has lost 14 relief workers in the past few years.

WFP pulled out of Islamist-controlled southern Somalia after rebels demanded cash payments and other concessions.

Al Shabab began to ban aid agencies in 2009, fearing the groups could host spies or promote a way of life contrary to Islamic beliefs.

Earlier this month, Al Shabab appeared to indicate it would soften its stance amid the hunger crisis.

But yesterday, spokesman Sheik

He said the UN’s declaration of famine in parts of Somalia this week is politically motivated and “pure propaganda.’’

The World Food Program is trying to resolve the impasse.

“We are appealing to all parties for immediate access to save lives.

We want to go in there. We’re ready to move,’’ said spokesman David Orr. The United Nations estimates that more 11 million people in East Africa are affected by the drought, with 3.7 million in Somalia among the worst-hit because of the ongoing civil war in the country.

Somalia’s prolonged drought devolved into famine in part because neither the Somali government nor many aid agencies can fully operate in areas controlled by Al Shabab.

On Wednesday, the UN declared a famine in the Bakool and Lower Shabele regions of southern Somalia.

WHO’s representative for Somalia warned yesterday that the conditions for declaring a famine are expected to be reached soon in two further parts of southern Somalia Juba and Bay.

One dead, 30 injured in New York bus crash (Google News July 23, 2011)

Canadian driver had suspended license.

Authorities are investigating what led to a fiery crash between a tour bus from Ontario and a tractor trailer Friday morning on a highway in upstate New York - a collision that killed one person and sent dozens of Canadians to hospital.

The driver of the truck died and 46 Canadians on board the bus were taken to hospital after the crash, which left behind the charred remains of the two vehicles. Fifteen

people required treatment.

Police said the bus, which had experienced some technical issues, was attempting to pull back onto the highway around 1: 20 a.m., in Junius, New York, when it was rear-ended by the truck.

The driver of the truck - Timothy Hume, 59, of Dryden, Michigan died at the scene. The bus, carrying 52 passengers, was driven by Rene Bisson, 60, from Welland, Ont., police said.

A police spokesman said Friday that Bisson will be charged for driv-

ing with a suspended licence. He is accused of having been unauthorized to drive in New York state following two speeding infractions, in 2003 and 2006.

Police Maj. Mark Koss said most of the injured went to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and Upstate University Medical Center in Syracuse.

Of the patients taken to Strong, two were listed in satisfactory condition and two were being evaluated.

Three other passengers on the bus were treated and released.

(Google News) July 22, 201, OSLO — A lone political extremist bombed the government center here on Fri-

tual act remains to be seen.”

He said the suspect had also been seen in Oslo before the explosions.

PHILIPPINE BULLETIN

for the fact that many Norwegians were on vacation and many more had left their offices early for the

hopes Palace court speeds up Maguindanao case massacre trial

Aquino directs Deles to implement closure pact with Cordillera People’s Liberation Army

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. day, killing 7 people, the police said, before heading to an island summer camp for young members of the governing Labor Party and killing at least 80 people.

The police arrested a 32-year-old Norwegian man in connection with both attacks, the deadliest on Norwegian soil since World War II. The explosions in Oslo, from one or more bombs, turned the tidy Scandinavian capital into a scene reminiscent of terrorist attacks in Baghdad or Oklahoma City, panicking people and blowing out windows of several government buildings, including one housing the office of the Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, who was unharmed.

The state television broadcaster, citing the police, said seven people had been killed and at least 15 wounded in the explosions, which they said appeared to be an act of domestic terrorism.

Even as the police locked down a large area of the city after the blasts, the suspect, dressed as a police officer, entered the youth camp on the island of Utoya, about 19 miles northwest of Oslo, a Norwegian security official said, and opened fire.

“He said it was a routine check in connection with the terror attack in Oslo,” one witness told VG Nett, the Web site of a national newspaper.

Of the at least 80 people killed on the island, some were as young as 16, the police said on national television early Saturday.

Terrified youths jumped into the water to escape. “Kids have started to swim in a panic, and Utoya is far from the mainland,” said Bjorn Jarle Roberg-Larsen, a Labor Party member who spoke by phone with teenagers on the island, which has no bridge to the mainland. “Others are hiding. Those I spoke with don’t want to talk more. They’re scared to death.”

Many could not flee in time.

“He first shot people on the island,” a 15-year-old camper named Elise told The Associated Press. “Afterward he started shooting people in the water.”

Most of the campers were teenagers but there were also adults on the island, who may have been among the victims.

After the shooting the police seized a 32-year-old Norwegian man on the island, according to the police and Justice Minister Knut Storberget. He was later identified as AnBehring Breivik and ders characterized by officials as a rightwing extremist, citing previous writings including on his Facebook page.

The acting police chief, Sveinung Sponheim, said the suspect’s Internet postings “suggest that he has some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views, but if that was a motivation for the ac-

The police and other authorities declined to say what the suspect’s motivations might have been, but many speculated that the target was Mr. Stoltenberg’s liberal government.

“The police have every reason to believe there is a connection between the explosions and what happened at Utoya,” the police said.

They said they later recovered explosives on the island.

Mr. Breivik had registered a farm-related business in Rena, in eastern Norway, which the authorities said allowed him to order a large quantity of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, an ingredient that can be used to make explosives. Authorities were investigating whether the chemical may have been used in the bombing.

A Facebook page matching his name and the photo given out by the police was set up just a few days ago. It listed his religion as Christian, politics as conservative. It said he enjoys hunting, the video games World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2, and books including Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and George Orwell’s “1984.”

There was also a Twitter account apparently belonging to Mr. Breivik.

It had one item, posted last Sunday: “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.”

As the investigations continued, the police asked people to leave the center of Oslo, stay indoors and limit their cellphone use. They also said they would initiate border checks.

The attacks bewildered a nation better known for its active diplomacy and peacekeeping missions than as a target for extremists.

In Oslo, office workers and civil servants said that at least two blasts, which ripped through the cluster of modern office buildings around the central Einar Gerhardsen plaza, echoed across the city in quick succession around 3:20 p.m. local time.

Giant clouds of light-colored smoke rose hundreds of feet as a fire burned in one of the damaged structures, a six-story office building that houses the Oil Ministry.

The force of the explosions blew out nearly every window in the 17-story office building across the street from the Oil Ministry, and the streets on each side were strewn with glass and debris. The police combed through the debris in search of clues.

Mr. Stoltenberg’s office is on the 16th floor in the towering rectangular block, whose facade and lower floors were damaged. The Justice Ministry also has its offices in the building.

Norwegian authorities said they believed that a number of tourists were in the central district at the time of the explosion, and that the toll would surely have been higher if not

weekend.

“Luckily, it’s very empty,” said Stale Sandberg, who works in a government agency a few blocks down the street from the prime minister’s office.

After the explosions, the city filled with an unfamiliar sense of vulnerability. “We heard two loud bangs and then we saw this yellow smoke coming from the government buildings,” said Jeppe Bucher, 18, who works on a ferry boat less than a mile from the bomb site. “There was construction around there, so we thought it was a building being torn down.”

He added, “Of course I’m scared, because Norway is such a neutral country.”

American counterterrorism officials cautioned that Norway’s own homegrown extremists, with unknown grievances, could be responsible for the attacks.

Initial reports focused on the possibility of Islamic militants, in particular Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or Helpers of the Global Jihad, cited by some analysts as claiming responsibility for the attacks. American officials said the group was previously unknown and might not even exist.

There was ample reason for concern that terrorists might be responsible. In 2004 and again in 2008, the No. 2 leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman alZawahri, who took over after the death of Osama bin Laden, threatened Norway because of its support of the American-led NATO military operation in Afghanistan.

Norway has about 550 soldiers and three medevac helicopters in northern Afghanistan, a Norwegian defense official said. The government has indicated that it will continue to support the operations as long as the alliance needs partners on the ground.

Terrorism specialists said that even if the authorities ultimately ruled out Islamic terrorism as the cause of Friday’s assaults, other kinds of groups or individuals were mimicking Al Qaeda’s brutality and multiple attacks.

“If it does turn out to be someone with more political motivations, it shows these groups are learning from what they see from Al Qaeda,” said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism researcher at the New America Foundation in Washington. “One lesson I take away from this is that attacks, especially in the West, are going to move to automatic weapons.”

Muslim leaders in Norway swiftly condemned the attacks. “This is our homeland, this is my homeland,” said Mehtab Afsar, secretary general of the Islamic Council of Norway. “I condemn these attacks, and the Islamic Council of Norway condemns these attacks, whoever is behind them.”

(PR) Jul 22, 2011, President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to craft the guidelines for the implementation of the closure agreement between the government and the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) and its political wing, the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA).

Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., who chairs the Security, Justice, and Peace Cabinet Cluster, said on Friday that the President signed on July 19, 2011 Executive Order No. 49 to facilitate the smooth return to the fold of the law of the CPLA and help its members start a new life.

The Chief Executive witnessed the signing on July 4 of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the OPAPP and the CBA-CPLA for the final disposition of the latter’s arms and armed forces and its transformation into a potent socio-economic organization.

“The MOA aims to finalize peace negotiations with the CBA-CPLA as it intends to wind down and close commitments under Administrative Order No. 18 through the provision of a livelihood program for the rest of the CPLA and put closure to the Mount Data Peace Accord, which was forged between the government and the CPLA 25 years ago,” Ochoa said.

The EO, the Executive Secretary explained, mandates concerned government agencies to implement the closure pact and promote coherent and consistent policies in dealing with the the CPLA. Ochoa said the OPAPP is directed to establish the guidelines to fully implement the MOA under EO 49, while the Department of National Defense and the AFP are directed to devise a process that will conclude the implementation of livelihood programs under AO 18 within six months from the effectivity of the executive order.

According to Ochoa, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles is the primary overseer of the implementation of the MOA, while other departments and governmentowned and -controlled corporations are enjoined to extend full assistance and cooperation to the OPAPP to help it carry out the closure agreement.

Out of the 1,200 CPLA members covered by administrative order, 408 armed members opted not to be integrated into the AFP or CAFGU, and will instead be the beneficiaries of livelihood programs. The DND, AFP and the OPAPP have been tasked to conduct an appropriate inventory to ensure that all CPLA members covered by AO 18 will be served by the government.

Ochoa said that the final implementation of livelihood programs under AO 18 will be funded by the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), a convergence framework through which the national government, local government units and multilateral and bilateral agencies will provide assistance to identified conflict-related areas focused on responsible governance, improved delivery of basic services, sustainable development and economic reconstruction, and security sector reforms.

Ochoa also added that the President stressed that improving the economy of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was a necessary component of the closure pact.

“The next step after winning the peace is ensuring the prosperity of the area, and the national government will be doing its part to spur economic development in the Cordilleras to provide more opportunities in the region,” Ochoa said.

(PR) 22 Jul 2011, Malacanang hopes that the Maguindanao massacre trial could move faster to eventually put closure to the case considered as the “trial of the century.”

In a regular press briefing at the Palace on Friday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Malacanang is equally frustrated as the Filipino public with the snailpaced Maguindanao massacre case trial.

“We are just frustrated with the pace of the Maguindanao massacre case. As a result of the pace na medyo may kabagalan kami po ang napagbubuntunan. In fact in the last survey last March masama po ang rating ng executive branch dahil akala po ng taumbayan kami po ang may hawak ng kaso,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said the Palace hopes for the trial to move a bit faster without sacrificing due process so that it would be appreciated not only by other branches of government but also by the Filipino people as a whole.

“Right now live na po ang media coverage sa Ampatuan massacre case kaya sana tumakbo nang mas mabilis yung kaso,” he said.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has recently 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 with them in Malacanang.

In another press conference at the Palace recently, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said her department is exercising extra caution in handling statements made by suspended ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan who disclosed new information about election cheating in the region in 2004 and 2007.

De Lima said the government cannot sacrifice the massacre trial for anything, as it may well serve as the litmus test for the Philippine justice system.

The President himself said that if the government fails 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.

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.

US-Asia Institute Officials Pay a Courtesy Call on Ambassador Cuisia (PR)19 JULY 2011, WASHINGTON, D.C. Representatives of the US-Asia Institute recently met with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to strengthen the Institute’s partnership with the Embassy and to engage the Embassy in its various programs and projects.

Founded in 1979, the USAsia Institute is a nongovernmental organization devoted to fostering understanding, and bolstering ties between the people and

governments of the U.S. and Asia. The Institute promotes the examination of economic, political, cultural, and strategic issues vital to U.S.Asia relations through conexchange ferences, programs, symposiums, and publications. The Institute serves as a forum for a broad spectrum of viewpoints and hosts gatherings of American and Asian officials, businesspeople, and academics. (END) commerce.

F om e o gh US As a ns u e USA V ce P es den and Execu ve D ec o Ma y Sue B s se USA Cha man Ma on Young Ambassado Jose L Cu s a J USA P es den Ken Lucken USA V ce P es den o n e na ona and Gov e nmen A a s Robe F Jo dan and M n s e o Leg s a ve A a s A e Peña anda

Malacanang says constitutional amendment not needed to boost investments

(PR) 22 JULY 2011, There is no need to amend the country’s Constitution at this time to attract foreign investments Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“We have a Constitution that we have to observe and the 60-40, [ownership provision] and we have to understand that it is always been there, the advocacy to amend the Constitution. We believe that there is no priority right now, there is no need to amend the Constitution and we stand by that position,” Lacierda said during the regular press briefing on Friday in Malacanang.

Lacierda was asked by Palace reporters about the complaints of foreign investors on the cancellation of contracts by the Philippine government that have already been awarded. Also, the 60-40 ownership provision of the Constitution hampers investments to flow into the country.

But Lacierda defended the cancellation of several contracts noting that those projects sealed during the past leadership were found questionable by the present administration.

Lacierda also said the Aquino administration promised to even the business playing field to all the players.

It can be recalled that the President canceled the P18.5-billion Laguna de Bay dredging project awarded to a Belgian company following a thorough review by his economic managers. The President believes the project will not rehabilitate the lake despite the huge project cost.

The contract signed by the Arroyo leadership with the Belgian firm Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon (BDZ), is different from the Aquino administration’s public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

DPWH moves o mprove mage

PR 22 JULY 2011 The Depa men o Pub c Wo ks and H ghway DPWH s mp emen ng agency w de e o ms o mp ove he de ve y o se v ce o he peop e as we as o change s mage om be ng one o he mos co up gov e nmen ns u ons o he mos e ec ve e c en and hon es Du ng he P p nas Na n on Cab ne C us e on Good Gov e nance and An Co up on Fo um n Ma acañang on Tues day Pub c Wo ks Sec e a y Roge o S ngson sa d ha he agency has mp emen ed a ans o ma on e o m and an co up on p og am n he depa men o add ess he ns u ona zed co up on a he DPWH The new ba ec y o he DPWH s Le us do he gh p o ec a he gh cos and a he gh qua y He sa d s emm ng co up on beg ns by choos ng he gh p o ec and by awa d ng he p o ec o he gh b dde cho sen h ough a anspa en b dd ng p ocess Ang una nam ng p na upad s wha we e e o as he ans o ma on e o m and an co up on p og am A am naman na n how ns u ona zed he co up on and how sys em c has been n he DPWH So choos ng he gh p o ec s he s a o h s ans o ma on S ngson sa d Nex s ensu ng ha he gh cos o each p o ec s above boa d To do h s S ngson sa d A ou p o ec s a e be ng mp e men ed w h u anspa ency wh ch en a s open ng up a ansac ons w h n he depa men o he pub c S ngson po n ed ou ha o ensu e he gh qua y o wo k o a he depa men s p o ec s wou d en a he he p o he peop e and c v g oups Th s s whe e we y o engage c v soc e y and we have many engagemen s and ag eemen s w h c v soc e y dah ka angan s ang umu ong S ngson sa d H nd nam n kayang ban ayan yung da awang bo mah g na p oyek o na onw de They have o pa c pa e he added S ngson sa d ha w h he mp emen a on o h s p og am he s con den he DPWH w be ab e o mee s a ge o pav ng he coun y s p ma y oads by 2014 wh e he sec onda y oads w be n shed by 2016

Obama ending ban on gays serving openly in the military (Google News July 23, 2011) Reporting from Washington— As the Obama administration moves to end the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, the Pentagon is still grappling with major questions about how it will in-

senior military officers would urge Congress to revise the statutes, but he acknowledged that could be a difficult fight, especially with Republicans in control of the House, "because it might be seen as a back door" way of getting Congress to

U.S. struggles to free money for Libyan rebels (Google News July 22) Despite newly won diplomatic recognition from the United States, Libyan rebels could face a long wait for promised financial relief, say U.S. officials who cite a thicket of red tape that continues to ensnare most of the $34 billion in frozen Libyan assets held in U.S.-controlled bank accounts.

Obama administration officials held at least two rounds of meetings over the past week to explore ways to free the money, which the opposition Transitional National Council says it urgently needs to pay salaries and buy ammunition and other critical supplies. But so far, State and Treasury department officials have identified only a small fraction of the vast Libyan holdings that can be quickly freed for the rebels, according to current and former officials familiar with the talks.

Even that modest sum—estimated by some officials to be as little as a few hundred million dollars—will likely be released slowly because of bankers’ concerns about possible legal risks in handing over money to someone other than the account holder, the officials said.

“All these institutions want assurances that they’ll be protected,”

said one U.S. government official who insisted on anonymity in describing internal discussions about money for the rebels. “This is something that is going to take some time.”

The surprising difficulties over releasing money are latest in a series of frustrations for the rebel group, which had hoped that diplomatic recognition would lead to the freeing of billions of dollars in frozen assets controlled by autocratic leader Moammar Gaddafi. TNC officials say billions are needed urgently to keep the transitional government afloat and allow their troops to press their their fivemonth-long fight against Gaddafi loyalists.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced on July 15 that the United States would recognize the TNC as Libya’s official government, a move that itself followed months of legal wrangling over whether Washington could grant formal recognition to a group that does not control large swaths of the country.

But while the rebels hailed Clinton’s announcement, the opposition group has seen few benefits so far.

On Friday, the TNC’s representative in Washington was still waiting

for word on when he could move into the empty Libyan Embassy.

Ali Aujali, who was Gaddafi’s ambassador before resigning earlier this year, said he needed “just the State Department to finalize the issue” before he moved back in.

Aujali met with State Department officials this week to implore them to unfreeze some of the Libyan assets in U.S. institutions. But he acknowledged afterward that it would take weeks before the rebels would see the cash.

“The money is realy needed in Libya, badly needed,” he said. “I think the Americans recognize this is very important,” he said, adding that the U.S. diplomatic recognition “will help many other countries to change their position to send the money” to the TNC. Officials with the TNC have said they are not seeking the immediate handover of all $34 billion in frozen assets, a sum they acknowledge the council may not yet be able to handle. But Aujali said at least $4 billion was needed by his government would ensure that markets were stocked with critical supplies and the TNC could maintain credibility with the population. The rebels also need weapons, he said.

Woman cuts off husband s penis and grinds it up in disposal Goog e News Ju y 23 Ba was se a $1 m on F day o a Ca o n a woman cha ged w h cu ng o he husband s pen s w h a k chen up n a kn e and g nd ng ga bage d spose be o e ca ng 911 Ca he ne K eu 48 s cha ged w h o u e and agg ava ed mayhem o a eged y y ng he husband s egs and a ms o he bed whe e he s ep hen pu ng down h s pan s and seve ng h s pen s She hen ook he pen s o he k chen pu down he ga bage d sposa and u ned on Goog e epo s The nc den wh ch happened on Ju y 11 was spa ked by an a gu men he coup e had ove gues s who we e s ay ng a he house n Ga den G ove a Los Ange es sub

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US warns Malawi on aid after riots Goog e News WASH NG TON — The Un ed S a es wa ned F day was ev ew ng a $350 m on g an o Ma aw a e dead y p o es s and p essed P es den B ngu wa Mu ha ka o espec dem oc a c p nc p es Mu ha ka p om sed good gove nance n Ap when he s gned he g an om he M enn um Cha enge Co po a on a US gove nmen body ha ass s s deve op ng coun es ha comm o s anda ds on democ acy and bas c gh s The agency wa ned ha L ongwe s use o o ce ca s n o ques on he gove n men s comm men o good

gove nance p nc p es and sa d was assess ng he a d wh ch wou d go mos y owa d mp ov ng he powe sec o MCC expec s he gove n men o Ma aw o ma n a n and demons a e a comm men o democ acy and he u e o aw sa d n a s a e men n gh o h s week s even s MCC s c ose y mon o ng he ac ons o he gove nmen o Ma aw and ev ew ng MCC ope a ons The agency sa d o ned he es o he US gove nmen n ca ng on he peop e and he gove nmen o Ma aw o e ma n comm ed o he p nc p es o democ acy and o

d sag eemen s exp ess h ough peace u means The S a e Depa men con demned he use o o ce on Thu sday Some 18 peop e have been k ed as so d e s ed o s op p o es s ha ac cused Mu ha ka o m sman ag ng he economy and amp ng on democ a c gh s Mu ha ka 77 had ea ned p a se n h s s e m o end ng a am ne w h popu a bu expens ve e ze subs d es he eade de an y Bu wa ned F day ha u u e p o es s wou d ace he w a h o gove nmen

Ac ve and o me m a y se v ce membe s ma ch n San D ego s Gay P de Pa ade ea e h s mon h P es den Obama has o de ed ha he he ban on gays se v ng open y n he m a y be abo shed Sep 20 tegrate them into the ranks.

President Obama notified Congress on Friday that the ban would be abolished on Sept. 20 and said that it could be done without harming the military's readiness. Congress required the certification when it voted in December to repeal the 17-year-old policy that requires discharging openly gay and lesbian service members.

"As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement.

But numerous issues remain about extending benefits to gays and lesbians, same-sex housing and how the military will resolve discrimination complaints by gay service members. Those challenges are likely to remain sources of tension, lawsuits and policy controversy for years, according to legal experts and gay rights activists.

Even more uncertain is how quickly a conservative institution that for years has forced gays to keep their sexual orientation secret — and often tolerated homophobic slurs — can adapt to a new environment in which gays will live and work openly with straight service members, including in combat.

"This is the most significant cultural change that the troops will encounter since women were admitted to the service academies and President Truman signed the executive order outlawing segregation," said Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that represents gay service members. "There are going to be some bumps in the road, perhaps some disruptions, but I believe these will be isolated incidents."

Marine Maj. Gen. Steve Hummer, who leads the Pentagon team implementing the repeal, said Friday that 1.9 million service members — more than half the military's activeduty and reserve force — have completed anti-harassment training since March. Most of the rest are likely to complete the training by the end of September, he said.

With the lifting of the ban, "there will be zero tolerance for harassment, violence or discrimination of any kind," said Clifford L. Stanley, the Defense Department undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

But current law prohibits the Pentagon from offering many health, housing and education benefits to married same-sex couples. The major impediments are the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits giving federal benefits to same-sex couples, and a separate federal statute governing the armed forces that defines a spouse as a "husband" or a "wife."

Sarvis said he was hopeful that

recognize same-sex marriage.

Gay rights activists also are urging Obama to issue an executive order explicitly banning discrimination against gay and lesbian service members, extending them the same protections available to women and minorities in uniform.

Hummer said he did not think such an order was necessary.

Pentagon officials have said that discrimination complaints related to sexual orientation can be raised up the chain of command or with the inspector general, but that they do not envision making gay and lesbian service members a "protected class," as women and minorities are, which would enable them to lodge formal employment discrimination complaints.

"You're depending on your commander to be fair and to take care of you, and in most cases that will be sufficient," but in "those rare cases where there will be alleged or real discrimination," specific protections are needed, Sarvis said.

Young service members are much more comfortable with the idea of serving with openly gay comrades than those who have been in the military for decades, several analysts said. But opposition to lifting the ban remains prevalent in some parts of the military, especially combat units, Pentagon surveys suggest.

Unit commanders will have latitude to shift room assignments and take other steps to separate gay and straight soldiers, but Pentagon officials said there would be no separate facilities or quarters based on sexual orientation.

Elaine Donnelly, who heads the Center for Military Readiness, a group that opposed efforts to repeal the ban, said in a statement: "History will hold accountable President Obama, members of the previous lame-duck Congress, and gay activists who misused the federal courts in order to impose … policies that will undermine morale and readiness in the all-volunteer force."

More than 13,000 service members have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation since Congress passed a statute in 1993 prohibiting openly gay service members from serving.

Jeremy Johnson, a 10-year Navy veteran who was discharged in 2007 after disclosing he was gay, said in an interview that, at least initially, disparities in benefits would matter less to gay and lesbian service members than to activists, who have long pressed for the military to adopt nondiscriminatory policies.

With the lifting of the ban imminent, Johnson has applied to rejoin the Navy as a reservist.

"Folks who are interested in full equality will push harder for benefits now," he said. "But for those who want to go back in, it's not about the benefits."

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Independence Day PERU - July 28 Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua: Perú; Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru

Revolution Day CUBA-July 27

(Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east

by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing.

Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a high Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 31%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.

The Peruvian population, estimated at 29.5 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua or other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

Etymology

The word Peru is derived from Birú, the name of a local ruler who lived near the Bay of San Miguel, Panama, in the early 16th century. When his possessions were visited by Spanish explorers in 1522, they were the southernmost part of the New World yet known to Europeans. Thus, when Francisco Pizarro explored the regions farther south, they came to be designated Birú or Peru. The Spanish Crown gave the name legal status with the 1529Capitulación de Toledo, which designated the newly encountered Inca Empire as the province of Peru. Under Spanish rule, the country adopted the denomination Viceroyalty of Peru, which became Republic of Peru after the Peruvian War of Independence.

History

The earliest evidences of human presence in Peruvian territory have been dated to approximately 9,000 years BCE. The oldest known complex society in Peru, the Norte Chico civilization, flourished along the coast of the Pacific Ocean between 3,000 and 1,800 BCE.These early developments were followed by archaeological cultures such as Cupisnique,Chavin, Paracas, Mochica, Nazca, Wari, and Chimú. In the 15th century, the Incas emerged as a powerful state which, in the span of a century, formed the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Andean societies were based on agriculture, using techniques such as irrigation and terracing; camelid husbandry and fishing were also important. Organization relied on reciprocity and redistribution because these societies had no notion of market or money.

In 1532, a group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro defeated and captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa. Ten years later, the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of Peru, which included most of its South American colonies. Viceroy Francisco de Toledo reorganized the country in the 1570s with silver mining as its main economic activity and Amerindian forced labor as its primary workforce. Peruvian bullion provided revenue for the Spanish Crown and fueled a complex trade network that extended as far as Europe and the Philippines. However, by the 18th century, declining silver production and economic diversification greatly diminished royal income. In response, the Crown enacted the Bourbon Reforms, a series of edicts that increased taxes and partitioned the Viceroyalty of Peru. The new laws provoked Túpac Amaru II's rebellion and other revolts, all of which were defeated.

In the early 19th century, while most of South America was swept by wars of independence, Peru remained a royalist stronghold. As the elite hesitated between emancipation and loyalty to the Spanish Monarchy, independence was achieved only after the military campaigns of José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar. During the early years of the Republic, endemic struggles for power between military leaders caused political instability. National identity was forged during this period, as BoliCongress sits in the Palacio Legislativo in varian projects for a Latin American Confederation floundered and a union with Bolivia proved Lima. ephemeral. Between the 1840s and 1860s, Peru enjoyed a period of stability under the presidency of Ramón Castilla through increased state revenues from guano exports. However, by the 1870s, these resources had been squandered, the country was heavily indebted, and political in-fighting was again on the rise.

Peru was defeated by Chile in the 1879–1883 War of the Pacific, losing the provinces of Arica and Tarapacá in the treaties of Ancón and Lima.

Internal struggles after the war were followed by a period of stability under the Civilista Party, which lasted until the onset of the authoritarian regime of Augusto B. Leguía. The Great Depression caused the downfall of Leguía, renewed political turmoil, and the emergence of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The rivalry between this organization and a coalition of the elite and the military defined Peruvian politics for the following three decades.

In 1968, the Armed Forces, led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado, staged a coup against president Fernando Belaunde. The new regime undertook radical reforms aimed at fostering development but failed to gain widespread support. In 1975, Velasco was forcefully replaced as president by General Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who paralyzed reforms and oversaw the reestablishment of democracy. During the 1980s, Peru faced a considerable external debt, ever-growing inflation, a surge in drug trafficking, and massive political violence. Under the presidency of Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), the country started to recover; however, accusations of authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights violations forced his resignation after the controversial 2000 elections. Since the end of the Fujimori regime, Peru has tried to fight corruption while sustaining economic growth; since 2006 the president is Alan García. In 2011, Ollanta Humala was elected the new president of Peru; he will assume office on July 28, 2011.

Olavsoka Eve FEROE ISLANDS - July 28 he Fa oe s ands ce eb a ed on Ju y 29 s he day when Løg ng he

Ó avsøka s a na ona ho day o Fa oese Pa amen opens s sess on The e a mean ng s Sa n O a s Wake v g a sanc O av n La n om Sa n O a s dea h a he Ba e o S k es ad n 1030 see O sok bu he Løg ng p eda es h s even L ke seve a o he Fa oese ho days he vøka beg ns he even ng be o e so Ó avsøka a ways s a s on Ju y 28 w h an open ng ce emony Ó avsøka s he day o he yea when many Fa oese c owd n o he cap a Tó shavn The e he na ona ow ng compe on na s a e he d wh ch s one o he h gh gh s n Fa oese spo s n add on he e a e a exh b ons o k mus c and Fa oese cha ndance pe o mances The sa u e o Ó avsøka n Fa oese s Góða Ó avsøku Good S O a s Wake The s amps shown on he gh we e ssued by Pos ve k Fø oya on 18 May 1998 and he a wo k was p oduced by Edwa d Fug ø

The Olavsoka concert on 27 July

Some o he es v es s a some days be o e depend ng on wh ch day n he week Ó avsøka s The e s usua y a so an O avsoka conce n Tó shavn on 27 Ju y n he even ng n 2010 he conce s a ed a 20 00 and ended a a ound 3 n he mo n ng acco d ng o he schedu e

The Olavsoka Eve Procession Tinghúsvøllur on 28 July

and

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The Olavsoka Boat Race on 28 July

The O avsoka Boa Race s a ways he d on he eve o O avsoka on 28 Ju y Be o e he Ó avsøka es va he e have been seve a o he v age es va s a ound he s ands whe e he Fa oese boa ace has been go ng on s a ng a he No ðoyas evna n K aksv k wh ch s e he n he beg nn ng o June o n he end o May n he end o June he e s an s and es va n Suðu oy wh ch s ca ed Jóansøka Th s es va s ce eb a ed eve y second yea s he d n Tvø oy odd yea s and eve y second yea s n Vágu even yea s The ow ng compe on on Jóansøka s a ways he d on a Sa u day The Fa oese boa ace s n seve a pa s d v ded n o g oups o ch d en boys g s men and women The boa aces a e a so g ouped by he s ze o he boa s A he boa s a e wooden ow ng boa s he ow ng peop e a e s ng oge he wo and wo and one pe son s s ee ng he boa n he back o he boa n Fa oese he boa s a e ca ed 5 manna ø 6 manna ø 8 manna ø and 10 manna ø The boa s who w n he O avsoka Boa Race w n a ophy and he boa s who become Fa oese Champ ons a so w n ano he ophy Some mes he same boa s he w nne o bo h oph es The ow ng peop e who w n a so ge meda s The d s ance wh ch he boa s a e ow ng s 1 000 me e s a he O av soka Boa Race excep o he ch d en who ow a sho e d s ance n some p aces he a ge boa s ow onge d s ances The 8 manna ø ow 1 500 me e s and he 10 manna ø ow 2 000 me e s Bu h s s no poss b e n Tó shavn

The Olavsoka Procession and The Olavsoka Cantata on 29 July

On 29 Ju y he Fa oese Log ng pa amen w open aga n a e he summe ho day The Fa oese P me M n s e Løgmaðu w g ve h s speech and he po c ans w have he oppo un y o commen on he o ow ng days Bu be o e he open ng o he Løg ng he e s a ce emony wh ch s a s us be o e 11 n he mo n ng whe e he Fa oese p es s he membe s o he Fa oese Pa amen he head o he Po ce some Dan sh o c a s and some o he mpo an peop e w wa k n p ocess on o he Ca hed a o Tó shavn Dómk k an ea e ca ed Havna K k a A e he se v ce n he chu ch hese peop e w wa k n p ocess on o he House o Pa amen wh ch s ca ed T nghús ð They w ne up us ou s de he T nghús ac ng he c owd o peop e who a e s and ng a ound he T nghúsvø u And hen s me o some c ass ca mus c and cho mus c he O avsoka Can a a wh ch s a s a 12 o us a e 12 n 2009 was he 100 yea b hday o he Mun c pa y o Tó shavn and one o he mos amous Fa oese compose s Sunn e Rasmussen composed and d ec ed he O avsoka Can a a wh ch was based on he h s o y o Fa oese mus c Sun e Rasmussen d ec ng he O avsoka Can a a back o he Fo k Songs and he Psa ms o K ngo and up o he p esen me w h mode n 2009 mus c The e we e 160 cho s nge s wh ch came om a o he coun y

Independence Day VANUATU - July 30 Eng sh vɑ nu ɑ u vah noo AH oo o

Vanua u B s ama PA vanua u væn wɑ u van WAH oo o c a y he Repub c o Vanua u F ench Répub que de Vanua u B s ama R pab k b ong Vanua u s an s and na on oca ed n he Sou h Pac c Ocean Thea ch pe ago wh ch s o vo can c o g n s some 1 750 k ome es 1 090 m eas o no he nAus a a 500 k ome es 310 m no heas o New Ca e don a wes o F and sou heas o he So omon s ands nea New Gu nea Vanua u was s nhab ed by Me anes an peop e Eu opeans d scove ed he s ands n 1605 w h he a va o a Span sh exped on ed by Fe nandes de Que ós n Es p u San o n he 1880s F ance and he Un ed K ngdom c a med pa s o he coun y and n 1906 hey ag eed on a amewo k o o n y manag ng he a ch pe ago as he New Heb des h ough a B sh F ench Condom n um An ndependence movemen a ose n he 1970s and he Repub c o Vanua u was c ea ed n 1980

History

The p eh s o y o Vanua u s obscu e a chaeo og ca ev dence suppo s he common y he d heo y ha peop es speak ng Aus ones an anguages s came o he s ands some 4 000 yea s ago Po e y agmen s have been ound da ng back o 1300–1100 BCE The Vanua u g oup o s ands was d scove ed by Eu opeans n 1606 when he Po uguese exp o e Ped o Fe nandes de Que ós wo k ng o he Span sh C own a ved on Esp u San o and ca ed La Aus a a de Esp u San o o The Sou he n Land o he Ho y Sp h nk ng he had a ved n Te a Aus a s o Aus a a Eu opeans d d no e u n un 1768 when Lou s An o ne de Bouga nv e ed scove ed he s ands n 1774 Cap a n Cook named he s ands heNew Heb des a name ha as ed un ndependence n 1825 ade Pe e D on s d scove y o sanda wood on he s and o E omango began a ush o mm g an s ha ended n 1830 a e a c ash be ween mm g an s and Po ynes an wo ke s Du ng he 1860s p an e s n Aus a a F New Spa n and he Samana s ands n need o abo e s encou aged a ong e m nden u ed abo ade ca ed b ack b d ng A he he gh o he abo ade mo e han one ha he adu ma e popu a on o seve a o he s ands wo ked ab oad F agmen a y ev dence nd ca es ha he cu en popu a on o Vanua u s g ea y educed compa ed o p e con ac mes was n he 19 h cen u y ha bo h Ca ho c and P o es an m ss ona es a ved on he s ands Se e s a so came ook ng o and on wh ch o es ab sh co on p an a ons When n e na ona co on p ces co apsed p an e s sw ched o co ee cocoa bananas and mos success u y co conu s n a y B sh sub ec s om Aus a a made up he ma o y bu he es ab shmen o he Ca edon an Company o he New Heb des n 1882 soon pped he ba ance n avo o F ench sub ec s By he u n o he cen u y he F ench ou num be ed he B sh wo o one The umb ng o F ench and B sh n e es s n he s ands b ough pe ons o one o ano he o he wo powe s o annex he e o y n 1906 howeve F ance and he Un ed K ngdom ag eed o adm n s e he s ands o n y Ca ed he B sh F ench Condom n um was a un que o m o gove nmen w h sepa a e gove nmen a sys ems ha came oge he on y n a o n cou Me anes ans we e ba ed om acqu ng he c zensh p o e he powe Cha enges o h s o m o gove nmen began n he ea y 1940s The a va o Ame cans du ng Wo d Wa w h he n o ma demeano and e a ve wea h was n s umen a n he se o na ona sm n he s ands The be e n a my h ca mess an c gu e named John F um was he bas s o an nd genous ca go cu a movemen a emp ng o ob a n ndus a goods h ough mag c p om s ng Me anes an de ve ance Today John F um s bo h a e g on and a po ca pa y w h a membe n Pa amen The s po ca pa y was es ab shed n he ea y 1970s and o g na y was ca ed he New Heb des Na ona Pa y One o he ounde s was Fa he Wa e L n who C nde p a n o Moun Yasu on Tanna s and a e became P me M n s e Renamed he Vanua aku Pa n 1974 he pa y pushed o ndependence n 1980 am ds he b e Coconu Wa he Repub c o Vanua u was c ea ed Du ng he 1990s Vanua u expe enced po ca ns ab y wh ch even ua y esu ed n a mo e decen a zed gove nmen The Vanua u Mob e Fo ce a pa am a y g oup a emp ed a coup n 1996 because o a pay d spu e The e we e a ega ons o co up on n he gove nmen o Max me Ca o Ko man New e ec ons have been ca ed o seve a mes s nce 1997 mos ecen y n 2004

Geography

(Google News) WASHINGTON — Hopes for a historic budget deal to increase the federal debt limit unraveled Friday when House Speaker John Boehner abruptly withdrew from talks, provoking a furious response from President Obama, who summoned political leaders for an emergency meeting.

"We have now run out of time," Obama said, demanding that the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress convene at the White House today to explain what they will do to avoid default.

Boehner, of Ohio, who has been under enormous pressure from the conservatives in the House Republican majority, blamed the breakdown on Obama's insistence that any deal include new revenues as well as spending cuts.

Boehner said the two had "different visions of our country."

The end of the Boehner-Obama talks means that the effort to prevent a default will enter a new phase. Instead of using the crisis of a debt ceiling deadline to force both sides to devise a large-scale deficit reduction package, the em-

At Least 80 Dead in Norway Shooting

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Guanacaste Day COSTA RICA - July 25

The annexation of Guanacaste also known as Guanacaste Day is celebrated in Costa Rica on 25th July every year.

HISTORY

C ockw se om op e De a men o he Cuban A my a n a he Ba e o San a C a a Decembe 1958 Ba s a s po ce o ces shoo ng a ebe suppo e s n Havana Janua y 1958 26 h o Ju y Movemen ebe s a v ng v c o ous n Havana Janua y 1959 assau on he po ce s a on du ng he Ba e o San a C a a The Cuban Revolution was a successful armed revolt by Fidel Castro's26th of July Movement, which overthrew the US-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959, after over five years of struggle.

Pre-1956

The Cuban revolution began when well armed rebels attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago and the barracks in Bayamo on 26 July 1953. The exact number of rebels killed is debatable; however, in his autobiography, Fidel Castro claims that five were killed in the fighting, and an additional fifty-six were killed later by the Batista regime. Among the dead was Abel Santamaría, second-in-command of the assault on the Moncada Barracks, who was imprisoned, tortured, and executed on the same day as the attack. The survivors, among them Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl Castro Ruz, were captured shortly afterwards. In a highly political trial, Fidel Castro spoke for nearly four hours in his defense, ending with the words; "Condemn me, it does not matter. History will absolve me." Fidel Castro was sentenced to 15 years in the Presidio Modelo prison, located on Isla de Pinos; Raúl was sentenced to 13 years.

In 1955, under broad political pressure, the Batista regime freed all political prisoners in Cuba – including the Moncada attackers. Batista was persuaded to include the Castro brothers in this release in part by Fidel's Jesuit childhood teachers.

The Castro brothers had joined with other exiles in Mexico to prepare a revolution to overthrow Batista, receiving training from Alberto Bayo, a leader of Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. During this period, Fidel met and joined forces with the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

December 1956 to mid-1958

The yacht Granma arrived in Cuba on 2 December 1956, carrying the Castro brothers and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement. It arrived two days later than planned because the boat was heavily loaded, unlike during the practice sailing runs. This dashed any hopes for a coordinated attack with the llano wing of the movement. After arriving and exiting the ship, the band of rebels began to make their way into theSierra Maestra mountains, a range in southeastern Cuba. Three days after the trek began, Batista's army attacked and killed most of the Granma participants, but a small number escaped. While the exact number is in dispute, no more than twenty of the original eighty-two men survived the initial bloody encounters with the Cuban army and succeeded in fleeing into the Sierra Maestra mountains. The group of survivors included Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Raúl Castro, and Camilo Cienfuegos. The dispersed survivors, alone or in small groups, wandered through the mountains, looking for each other. Eventually, the men would link up again – with the help of peasant sympathizers – and would form the core leadership of the guerrilla army. Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria (the sister of Abel Santamaria) were among the female revolutionaries who assisted Fidel Castro in the mountains.

On 13 March 1957, a separate group of revolutionaries – the anticommunist Revolutionary Directorate (RD;Directorio Revolucionario), composed mostly of students – stormed the Presidential Palace in Havana, attempting to assassinate Batista and decapitate the regime. The attack was suicidal. The RD's leader, student Jose Antonio Echeverria, died in a shootout with Batista's forces at the Havana radio station he had seized to spread the news of Batista's death. The handful of survivors included Dr. Humberto Castello (who later became the Inspector General in the Escambray), and Rolando Cubela and Faure Chomon (later Commandantes of the 13 March Movement, centered in the Escambray Mountains of Las Villas Province).

Thereafter, the United States imposed an economic embargo on the Cuban government and recalled its ambassador, weakening the government's mandate further. Batista's support was limited to communists, primarily the Popular Socialist Party, but even they began to withdraw their long-term support in mid-1958.

The regime resorted to often brutal methods to keep Cuba's cities under government control.

However, in the Sierra Maestra mountains, Castro, aided by Frank País, Ramos Latour, Huber Matos, and many others, staged successful attacks on small garrisons of Batista's troops. Che Guevara and Raúl Castro helped Fidel to consolidate his political control in the mountains, often through execution of suspected Batista loyalists or other rivals of Castro's. In addition, poorly armed irregulars known as escopeteros harassed Batista's forces in the foothills and plains of Oriente Province. Theescopeteros also provided direct military support to Castro's main forces by protecting supply lines and by sharing intelligence. Ultimately, the mountains came under Castro's control.

In addition to armed resistance, the rebels sought to use propaganda to their advantage. A pirate radio station called Rebel Radio (Radio Rebelde) was set up in February 1958. Castro and his forces broadcast their message nationwide within enemy territory. The radio broadcasts were made possible by Carlos Franqui, a previous acquaintance of Castro who subsequently became aCuban exile in Puerto Rico.

During this time, Castro's forces remained quite small in numbers, sometimes less than 200 men, while the Cuban army and police force numbered between 30,000 and 40,000 in strength.

Yet, nearly every time the Cuban military fought against the revolutionaries, the army was forced to retreat. An arms embargo – imposed on the Cuban government by the United States on 14 March 1958 – contributed significantly to the weakness of Batista's forces. The Cuban air force rapidly deteriorated: it could not repair its airplanes without importing parts from the United States.

Batista finally responded to Castro's efforts with an attack on the mountains called Operation Verano, known to the rebels as la Ofensiva. The army sent some 12,000 soldiers, half of them untrained recruits, into the mountains. In a series of small skirmishes, Castro's determinedguerrillas defeated the Cuban army. In the Battle of La Plata, which lasted from 11 July to 21 July 1958, Castro's forces defeated an entire battalion, capturing 240 men while losing just 3 of their own. However, the tide nearly turned on 29 July 1958, when Batista's troops almost destroyed Castro's small army of some 300 men at the Battle of Las Mercedes. With his forces pinned down by superior numbers, Castro asked for, and received, a temporary cease-fire on 1 August. Over the next seven days, while fruitless negotiations took place, Castro's forces gradually escaped from the trap. By 8 August, Castro's entire army had escaped back into the mountains, and Operation Verano had effectively ended in failure for the Batista government.

Mid-1958 to January 195

"The enemy soldier in the Cuban example which at present concerns us, is the junior partner of the dictator; he is the man who gets the last crumb left by a long line of profiteers that begins in Wall Street and ends with him. He is disposed to defend his privileges, but he is disposed to defend them only to the degree that they are important to him. His salary and his pension are worth some suffering and some dangers, but they are never worth his life. If the price of maintaining them will cost it, he is better off giving them up; that is to say, withdrawing from the face of the guerrilla danger."

On 21 August 1958, after the defeat of Batista's ofensiva, Castro's forces began their own offensive. In the "Oriente" province (in the area of the present-day provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Guantánamo and Holguín) Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro and Juan Almeida Bosque directed attacks on four fronts. Descending from the mountains with new weapons captured during the ofensiva and smuggled in by plane, Castro's forces won a series of initial victories. Castro's major victory at Guisa, and the successful capture of several towns including Maffo, Contramaestre, and Central Oriente, brought the Cauto plains under his control.

Meanwhile, three rebel columns, under the command of Che Guevara,Camilo Cienfuegos and Jaime Vega, proceeded westward toward Santa Clara, the capital of Villa Clara Province.

Batista's forces ambushed and destroyed Jaime Vega's column, but the surviving two columns reached the central provinces, where they joined efforts with several other resistance groups not under the command of Castro. According to Faria, when Che Guevara's column passed through the province of Las Villas, and specifically through the Escambray Mountains – where the anticommunist Revolutionary Directorate forces (who became known as the 13 March Movement) had been fighting Batista's army for many months – friction developed between the two groups of rebels. Nonetheless, the combined rebel army continued the offensive, and Cienfuegos won a key victory in the Battle of Yaguajay on 30 December 1958, earning him the nickname "The Hero of Yaguajay".

On 31 December 1958, the Battle of Santa Clara took place in a scene of great confusion.

The city of Santa Clara fell to the combined forces of Che Guevara, Cienfuegos, Revolutionary Directorate (RD) rebels led by Comandantes Rolando Cubela, Juan ("El Mejicano") Abrahantes, and William Alexander Morgan. News of these defeats caused Batista to panic. He fled Cuba for the Dominican Republic just hours later on 1 January 1959. Comandante William Alexander Morgan, leading RD rebel forces, continued fighting as Batista departed, and had captured the city of Cienfuegos by 2 January. Castro learned of Batista's flight in the morning and immediately started negotiations to take overSantiago de Cuba. On 2 January, the military commander in the city, Colonel Rubido, ordered his soldiers not to fight, and Castro's forces took over the city. The forces of Guevara and Cienfuegos entered Havana at about the same time. They had met no opposition on their journey from Santa Clara to Cuba's capital. Castro himself arrived in Havana on 8 January after a long victory march. His choice for president, Manuel Urrutia Lleó, took office on the 3rd.

Post-1959: After the revolution

Castro later travelled to the United States to explain his revolution. He said, "I know what the world thinks of us, we are Communists, and of course I have said very clearly that we are not Communists; very clearly."

Hundreds of suspected Batista-era agents, policemen and soldiers were put on public trial for human rights abuses and war crimes, including murder and torture. Most of those convicted in revolutionary tribunals of political crimes were executed by firing squad, and the rest received long prison sentences. One of the most notorious examples of revolutionary justice was the execution of over 70 captured Batista regime soldiers, directed by Raúl Castro after the capture of Santiago.

For his part in Havana, Che Guevara was appointed supreme prosecutor in La Cabaña Fortress.

This was part of a large-scale attempt by Fidel Castro to cleanse the security forces of Batista loyalists and potential opponents of the new revolutionary regime. Others were fortunate enough to be dismissed from the army and police without prosecution, and some high-ranking officials in the ancien régime were exiled as military attachés.

In 1961, after the US-backed Bay of Pigs Invasion, the new Cuban government nationalized all property held by religious organizations, including the dominant Roman Catholic Church. Hundreds of members of the church, including a bishop, were permanently expelled from the nation, with the new Cuban government being declared officially atheist. Faria describes how the education of children changed as Cuba officially became an atheist state: private schools were banned and the progressively socialist state assumed greater responsibility for children.

According to geographer and Cuban Comandante Antonio Núñez Jiménez, 75% of Cuba’s best arable land was owned by foreign individuals or foreign (mostly U.S.) companies. One of the first policies of the newly formed Cuban government was eliminating illiteracy and implementing land reforms. Land reform efforts helped to raise living standards by subdividing larger holdings into cooperatives. Comandante Sori Marin, nominally in charge of land reform, objected and fled, but was eventually executed. Many other non-Marxist, anti-Batista rebel leaders were forced in to exile, purged in executions, or eliminated in failed uprisings such as that of the Beaton brothers.

Shortly after taking power, Castro also created a Revolution5 Ma ch 1960 Memo a se v ce ma ch o v c ms o he La ary militia to expand Coub e exp os on n Havana On he a e o he pho o s F de his power base Cas o wh e n he cen e s Che Gueva a among the former rebels and the supportive population. Castro also initiated Committees for the Defense of the Revolution or CDRs in late September 1960. Government informants became rampant within the population. CDRs were tasked with keeping "vigilance against counter-revolutionary activity." Local CDRs were also tasked with keeping a detailed record of each neighborhood’s inhabitants' spending habits, level of contact with foreigners, work and education history, and any "suspicious" behavior. One of the persecuted groups were homosexual men. The Cuban dissident and exileReinaldo Arenas wrote about such persecution in his autobiography, "Antes Que Anochezca", the basis for the film Before Night Falls.

In February 1959, the Ministry for the Recovery of Misappropriated Assets (Ministerio de Recuperación de Bienes Malversados) was created. Cuba began expropriating land and private property under the auspices of the Agrarian Reform Law of 17 May 1959. Cuban lawyer Mario Lazo writes that farms of any size could be and were seized by the government. Land, businesses, and companies owned by upper- and middle-class Cubans were also nationalized, including the plantations owned by Fidel Castro's family. By the end of 1960, the revolutionary government had nationalized more than $25 billion worth of private property owned by Cubans. Cuba also nationalized all foreign-owned property, particularly American holdings, in the nation on 6 August 1960. The United States, in turn, responded by freezing all Cuban assets in the United States, severing diplomatic ties, and tightening the embargo on Cuba, which is still in place as of 2011. In response to the acts of the Eisenhower administration, Cuba turned to the Soviet Union for support.

"The greatest threat presented by Castro’s Cuba is as an example to other Latin American states which are beset by poverty, corruption, feudalism, and plutocratic exploitation ... his influence in Latin America might be overwhelming and irresistible if, with Soviet help, he could establish in Cuba a Communist utopia."

– Walter Lippmann, Newsweek, 27 April 1964 In July 1961, the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (IRO) was formed by the merger of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement, the People's Socialist Party led by Blas Roca, and the Revolutionary Directorate of 13 March led by Faure Chomón. On 26 March 1962, the IRO became the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution (PURSC) which, in turn, became the Communist Party of Cuba on 3 October 1965, with Castro as First Secretary.

Many attempts were made by the United States to overthrow Cuba's government in the wake of the revolution. One of the most notorious was the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. After the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the United States promised to never invade the island. A series of desperate but unsuccessful rebellions by former Batista supporters, known as theWar Against the Bandits, continued until about 1965.

Guanacaste was annexed From Nicaragua in the year 1824. This moment has had significant impact on the history of the region in general. Guanacaste has always been a major coffee exporting region along with the rest of Costa Rica. In 1823, the regions of Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras declared themselves as independent nations. But while Costa Rica Prospered the other nations were war torn. Guanacaste hence, in 1824, requested that they be annexed and made a part of Costa Rica, instead of Nicaragua. The natives of Guanacaste believed in Costa Rican values and that it held a brighter future for them, than under Nicaraguan rule.

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Hence the annexation of Guanacaste is viewed as the triumph of democracy. This day is grandly celebrated in Costa Rica and is deeply entrenched in their systems. Numerous celebrations are planned and hosted on this day, throughout the country. Parades and traditional folk dances are performed while children are educated on the strong family values and traditional values of Costa Rica. Another aspect of the celebrations is the bullfights that occur. In addition, the whole week leading to July 25th, is lined with parades to the parks at the centres of the various towns, by all primary and secondary schools. Public dances are held and the whole nation rejoices in festivities.

Republic Day TUNISIA - July 25

Like most of the nations Tunisia tasted her independence in middle of the 20th century, in the year of 1956. In 1942 – 43, during Second World War, Tunisia happened to be a land of major political interest for the allied forces.

HISTORY

By then, the leading body of the great British army, after winning the Battle of el-Alamein, stepped into Tunisia from the southern part of the continent. The United States and other allies retreated from the west.

Commander General Rommel of Axis forces in the Northern part of the continent had been hoping for a parallel defeat on the allied forces in Tunisia, as Germany did against France in late 1940. The allies were insisted to evade to Egypt prior to the battle. In essence, this battle of Tunisia happened to be a sheer test for the Allied forces. They calculated that to win this battle against Axis, they would have to be more organised and would have to regain their selves from the ailments the German – Italian forces would incur, as soon as possible.

On the 19th February, 1943, General Rommel attacked the Allies in Kasserine Pass of Western Tunisia; the Allies got divided through the renowned Mareth line of March 20, 1943. Later on the allied forces organised themselves on 8th April and few says later, the German – Italian army gave in. Hence, United States, Great Britain, Free French and the Polish Government won a terrific confrontation in Tunisia by that time. Since then, Tunisia was dominated by the French Government, until July 25, in the year of 1956; President Habib Bourguiba dictated a firm authoritarian territory. He ruled for long 31 years, suppressing Islamic fundamentalism, and setting women rights up- which, as a matter of fact, did not match any other Arab nations.

In this way Tunisia overcame all her insurmountable barriers witnessed by dazzling historical facts. Thus, the populace of Tunisia has all the reason to celebrate this memorable republic day with honour and pride.

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

The day begins with a flag hoisting, parades, fireworks and a bullfight. Various exhibitions and fairs are also conducted on this eve where native food, national items and crafts are sold. After the celebration on 25th July, they conduct family get-togethers the next day. Many families also go for an outing in the interiors of the country.

Independence Day MALDIVES - July 26

Maldives is one of the secluded, smallest and poorest islands of Asia. It is present on one of the major and famous marine course of Indian Ocean. Many foreign rulers have ruled on the island like British, Portuguese, Sultans and Dutch. Finally the foreign rule over the island finished on July 26, 1965, that is on this day the island celebrates its Independence Day. This day was the end of the British rule on the island.

HISTORY

The island came under the Protectorate of British in 1887.

The island and the British agreed on an agreement in which the British agreed that they will not interfere in the internal matter of the island but where the foreign exchange was considered then British are to be involved. In return to this the British assured the island for its protection and security from the colonial invasion. And finally on July 26 Maldives got its Independence.

The history of the island is long. The island has been invaded by lot superpowers and pirates. For 15 long years, the island was under the capture of Portuguese. During these years the island suffered a lot. They were under guerrilla tactics and had poor logistic support. Then the island was invaded by British and ruled for long time. After the World War II many countries got its freedom from British rule but Maldives became its Protectorate. So this way the island was now safe from invasion and had time for growth.

And finally in the year 1965 it got its independence.

HUNGARIAN BULLETIN Slovenia president: All Balkans in EU by 2021 NEW YORK (Google News) — Slovenia's president predicted that after years of conflict and political turmoil, all nations in the Balkans will be members of the European Union in 10 years.

Danilo Turk pointed with pride to Slovenia's role in leading the Balkans toward Europe after it became the first country to declare independence from Yugoslavia 20 years ago.

"What is good is that the strategic direction of this region is clearly defined," he said in an interview after delivering a recent keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly. "Of course there are difficulties ... but we know where the whole region should be going and where it actually is going."

"I know that there is a lot of enlargement fatigue, but strategically it makes no sense to keep a black hole in the middle of Europe," Turk said.

Slovenia was the first former Yugoslav republic to become a full member of the EU and NATO, joining both organizations in 2004. It is still the only one of the six ex-republics in the 27-member EU. And it is also the only breakaway Yugoslav state in the Parisbased Organization for Cooperation and Development, which comprises most of the world's major economies.

Last month, the EU announced that Croatia will become the second former Yugoslav nation to join the European bloc, in 2013, which Turk called "a big success."

Montenegro, which gained EU candidate status in December, "is doing pretty well already," Turk said. It is expected to join the EU in 2015 or 2016.

Turk said Serbia will get candidate status later this year and possibly a date to start negotiations for EU membership.

Its prospects for joining the EU got a boost with Wednesday's arrest by Serbian secret police of Goran Hadzic, the former leader of Croatia's ethnic Serbs and the only remaining fugitive of the 161 people indicted by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal.

"Bosnia has its internal political problems, but ... if everybody around becomes EU then that would inevitably have a positive effect on Bosnia," Turk said.

"And that applies also to Macedonia eventually."

"As far as the Balkans is concerned, I believe that in 10 years all the countries should be in the European Union," he said.

Turk said Slovenia's two million citizens, who enjoy the best living standards in the Balkans, should be celebrating two decades of independence.

"I think Slovenia has been a big success," he said. "The quality of life has improved. The general level of prosperity has improved hugely. And we were

able to establish ourselves in the international environment."

Compared to Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia which became engulfed in long and costly wars as Yugoslavia was breaking

Turk said the political disenchantment began in 2009 when Slovenia's economy, where exports accounted for 67 percent of GDP, suffered "a big shock" from the financial crisis.

SPECIAL FOCUS

Hungarian official lauds "exceptional" ties with Kuwait (Google News July 23, 2011) BUDAPEST — General-Director of the

Middle East and North Africa Department at the Hungarian Foreign Ministry Giza Mehai lauded on Saturday the "exceptional" relations between Kuwait and Hungary.

Speaking to KUNA after the opening of Kuwait Second Islamic Art Gallery in the Capital of Budapest, Mehai expressed his country's strong belief in the "dialogue of civilizations" and how this Islamic art gallery will put the country on the right path to pushing forward the Kuwaiti-Hungarian relations.

"Hungary holds great pride in having deep-rooted ties with Arab countries," the Hungarian official expressed, adding that "hosting this art gallery proves how his country believes in the importance of getting familiarized with the different cultures in order to bridge understanding among different nations.

On the Kuwaiti-Hungarian relations, Mehai stressed that it is necessary for both countries to promote cooperation in many promising domains such as the financial, investment and the environment protection sectors.

Regarding investment, he pointed out that his country encourages Kuwaiti investments by facilitating and removing all obstacles that might face Kuwaiti businessmen.

In conclusion, he saud that Kuwait and Hungary pay utmost attention to enhancing bilateral ties through visits and meetings.

Russia to again allow vegetable imports from Hungary

C oa a s P es den vo Jos pov c cen e pose w h h s gh and S oven an Hunga an coun e pa Pa Schm Dan o Tu k n Zag eb C oa a on June 25 2011

up, Slovenia's war lasted just 10 days.

Emerging relatively unscathed, Slovenia quietly started building one of the strongest economies and democracies in the Balkans with a per capita income of about $28,000 in 2008.

But Turk said the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis has left Slovenians disillusioned with politics and the government.

"If you look at public opinion polls, people would be still satisfied with the general level of prosperity," he said.

"But they are not happy with the political side because they believe that democracy has to deliver — democracy has to produce solutions to these sorts of things and we are not finding solutions quickly enough.

That's our problem today."

An opinion poll by the Delo Stik company, published in its Delo newspaper earlier this month, reflected the public's disenchantment.

Nearly two-thirds of the 402 adults surveyed said Prime Minister Borut Pahor's minority government won't last until its term ends and over half said they expect early elections in September or October.

Pahor's administration, which is struggling to boost the economic recovery and cut the budget deficit, was abandoned by two coalition partners in the last three months.

"Slovenia might have been a wunderkind of the post-socialist Europe," The Slovenian Times said on the 20th anniversary of independence on June 25, "but the current situation is far from flattering."

The paper pointed to aging and ineffective leaders, "an economic crisis, questionable judicial decisions that give people the sense that law only applies to the poor and unprivileged, general dissatisfaction with politicians, record low disapproval of the government, a feeling of no future within the existing forms of democracy ... (and) a rising rate of unemployed and those living under the poverty line."

This was exacerbated by quarreling in the coalition government and an 8 percent drop in GDP and a 7.8 percent rise in unemployment in 2009, he said.

Turk said the economic shock has now been absorbed and the economy is growing by 2 percent, "slightly better than the eurozone average."

But he said the Greek financial crisis and bailouts have added to Slovenians' worries because the country contributes to EU rescue packages and "it's difficult for people to understand why should solidarity work this way given that much of the Greek problem is the result of their mismanagement."

Nonetheless, Turk is optimistic about his country's future.

Slovenia already ranks among the 30 best developed countries on the U.N. Development Program's index measuring the quality of life worldwide. Turk said he would like it to be in the top 15 nations in 20 years.

"I think we shall be able to overcome our current problems, and we have to reform our economy. There are many things that need to be done, but they are doable and I am confident," he said.

A career diplomat who was Slovenia's first ambassador to the United Nations from 1992-2002, Turk said he has traditionally been on top in opinion polls since becoming the country's third president in December 2007.

"The presidency is not an executive office so I don't do things that make people unpopular, like the prime minister — although if I was prime minister I would probably work slightly differently and I wouldn't probably go that low as he is," Turk said, adding with a laugh "I'm not harmful."

Turk said he hasn't decided whether to seek a second five-year term when his first term ends next year.

"I wouldn't want to say anything which would be interpreted as if I decided not to run," he stressed.

22 Jul 2011 (Google News) Russia's chief health officer Gennady Onishchenko on Friday announced that vegetable imports from Hungary and Italy will again be allowed from Monday into the country as soon as necessary documents have been submitted.

The only new regulation on shipments to Russia is that they have to include laboratory samples and shipping guarantees.

Russia's consumer protection authority banned imports of vegetables, with the exception of potatoes, from some countries in Europe on May 30 because of an E.coli outbreak concentrated in Germany. It extended the ban to all European Union member states on June 2.

Moscow lifted the ban on vegetable imports from the Netherlands and Belgium on June 28, from Spain, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Greece, France later and the latest, July 19, from Poland.

Hungary celebrates 555 years of decisive victory over Turks

(Google News) Hungary is celebrating a decisive victory over the Ottoman Empire more than 500 years ago, which is still remembered in Catholic countries by the ringing of church bells after the Turks had captured Constantinople.

Politics.hu, an English-language website, reported on the decision

by Parliament to make the last day of the Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade), which lasted from July 4 to July 22, a day of national remembrance.

The Magyar Szó (Hungarian Word/Speech) quoted Klára Szent-

The Batt e of Nándorfehérvár by an unknown pa nter 19th Century györgyi, the Cultural Attaché to the Hungarian Embassy in Belgrade as saying the Turks could even take part in a future remembrance of the siege and battle. She said: “I think, we are talking here about such historical perspectives, that there is really no sense in being angry at each other (any more.)”

The Parliamentary State Secretary of the Defence Ministry, István Simicskó, opening the Danube-Day on the banks of the river, said: “July 22 has become an important state occasion. There are few moments in the nation’s history which were recognised throughout Europe. The heroes of Nándorfehérvár were able to defeat the most advanced army of the time; the victory was due to the Christian faith and unity.”

In 1456, the mighty Ottoman Turkish Sultan Mehmet II (Mehmet is the Turkish form of “Mohammed”) who had captured Constantinople in 1453 and ended the Byzantine Empire’s thousand-year existence. (Byzantium, or Constantinople, had survived the Fall of the Roman Empire. The city is now known as Istanbul.)

Sultan Mehmed II decided to attack the mainland of Europe and to do this he first had to conquer Hungary, which was known at the time by Western Europeans as the “shield” or sometimes “bulwark of Christendom”. But to do that, he first had to hold the key border fortress of Nándorfehérvár, or Belgrade.

(The two names, one Hungarian, one Serbian, mean much the same. The old Hungarian name meant “White Town of the Southern Bulgars” while “Belgrade” simply means “White Town.” The naming of towns as “white” is known from the Hun Empire as well as Medieval Bulgaria and Hungary.)

Mehmed, with probably 60,000 troops, besieged Belgrade and the castle was held by Hunyadi’s relative, Mihály Szilágyi with about 6,000 soldiers. Hunyadi, who was the Captain-General of Hungary during the minority of the king, raised his own army of knights and was supported by Saint John of Capistrano who preached a Crusade and raised an army of simple peasants and students. The total of Hunyadi’s men did not exceed 30,000.

Despite the odds, Hunyadi and Capistrano, with 200 corvettes, broke the siege by the Ottoman Navy on the Danube and entered the fort, which was well-placed by its earlier owner, the Serbian Despot Stephan Lazarevich.

On July 21, Mehmet ordered a general attack and the walls were breached in a number of places but many of the Turkish infantry, called Janissaries who entered the citadel were surrounded and killed.

On July 22, it appears there was a spontaneous attack on the Turks by the Crusaders, whose discipline and equipment was poor but who were nonetheless very eager for the fight. The commanders accepted the fait accompli and ordered a general counter-attack. Mehmet himself joined the fray but was wounded by a Hungarian arrow and had to withdraw.

The Turkish army pulled back under cover of night and Europe suffered no major Turkish incursions for 70 years. In this period, European guns equalled and eventually exceeded the power of Turkish artillery, which would eventually complete the “Gunpowder Revolution” and pave the way for European mastery of the world until the late Twentieth Century.

Sadly, plague broke out in the Hungarian camp and Hunyadi, one of Hungary’s best war leaders, was one of its victims.

The lasting tradition of the victory was the ringing of the noon bell ordered by Pope Callixtus III, at first to pray for victory and then to commemorate it.

PICTURE NEWS

SYRIA BULLETIN

‘Saboteurs’ attack passenger train, killing 1, wounding others BEIRUT (Google News July 23, 2011) A passenger train derailed and caught fire in central Syria Saturday, killing the driver and injuring several passengers, after “saboteurs” tore out part of the tracks, state TV said.

The train, which was carrying around 480 passengers, was traveling from the northeastern city of Aleppo to the capital Damascus.

State TV said the saboteurs targeted the train, ripping up a section of the tracks at alSouda near the central city of Homs. That caused the train to derail and the front carriage to catch fire, killing the driver instantly and injuring several others.

Syrian TV showed footage of several white-and-red carriages that had jumped the tracks and at least one overturned carriage.

Homs governor Ghassan Mustafa Abdul-Aal called it a

“terrorist and criminal” act and said it was a “clear message” to everyone who says that the protest movement calling for the ouster of President Bashar Assad is peaceful.

Abdul-Aal did not elaborate or say what evidence there was to blame saboteurs, and there was no immediate indication who was behind the incident.

Syria is in the throes of an uprising against the Assad family’s 40-year rule. Activists say more than 1,600 civilians have died in the government crackdown since the revolt began in mid-March.

The government blames the unrest on terrorists and foreign extremists, not true reform-seekers, and has taken pains to portray itself as the only guardian against civil war.

The regime has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted coverage of the uprising, making it nearly impos-

sible to independently verify events on the ground or casualty figures.

The area of central Syria and Homs in particular has been at the heart of the uprising.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians across the country defied the violent government crackdown Friday, insisting they will not be terrified into submission through bullets, mass arrests and more than four months of attacks by security forces. At least five people were killed, activists said, as security forces used batons, bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters in several places.

Friday marked a clear attempt by the opposition to present a united front.

“One, one, one, the Syrian people are one!” protesters shouted in the capital, Damascus, in what has become a weekly ritual, with hundreds of thousands of people flooding

the streets across the country demanding Assad leave power.

The Syrian conflict has become a test of wills between protesters emboldened by the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, and an entrenched family dynasty.

Two special advisers to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon warned that there was a “serious possibility” that Syria has committed crimes against humanity.

In a statement, Francis Deng, the adviser on preventing genocide, and Edward Luck, the adviser of the responsibility to protect civilians in conflict, pointed Friday to “persistent reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations by Syrian security forces responding to anti-government protests across the country.”

UN alarmed by possible crimes against humanity in Syria Yria (Google News Jul 23, 2011) UN special advisers on human rights have said that violations reportedly committed by security forces in Syria may qualify as crimes against humanity.

Francis Deng, the special adviser to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the prevention of genocide and Edward Luck, the special adviser on the responsibility to protect, said Friday that Syrian security forces have reportedly continued to kill civilians

and make arbitrary arrests.

"Based on available information, the Special Advisers consider that the scale and gravity of the violations indicate a serious possibility that crimes against humanity may have been committed and continue to be committed in Syria," said Deng and Luck.

They called for an "independent, thorough, and objective investigation" of the events in Syria, where demonstrations by civil-

ians calling for greater democracy have been brutally suppressed.

The UN advisers echoed calls by the secretary general to the Syrian government to allow humanitarian access to areas affected by the unrest and to facilitate the visit of the UN Human Rights Council-mandated fact-finding mission to the country.

"Without these steps, it will be very difficult to defuse existing

tensions and to prevent the escalation of violence," they said.

"All actors involved in the current crisis in Syria are urged to refrain from the use of force, from acts of violence, or from incitement to violence."

Amnesty International earlier this month described an assault

by Syrian forces against prodemocracy protestors in the border town of Tall Kalakh as crimes against humanity.

Eight killed at Syria rallies attended by '1 million'

comparatively insulated from a widespread citizens' uprising.

Two activists were stabbed to death by pro-regime gangs in the street outside an Aleppo mosque, rights campaigners said.

Damascus, the centre of bloodshed for the first time last week, was relatively quiet, with a massive security clampdown. Checkpoints were set up on roads into the city centre and restive working-class areas, including Hajar Aswad, Ruken el Deen, Midan, Qadam and Qaboun, were sealed off by army and plainclothes security units.

Communications in the capital were also heavily disrupted, with land telephone lines, mobile networks and internet connections shut down in some areas. Public transport was also halted, with buses commandeered by security agencies to ferry manpower to trouble spots.

Despite those measures, and the now usual presence of security officers armed with clubs and rifles waiting to confront opposition activists at the start of marches, thousands joined protests in some Damascus neighbourhoods. Most areas of the capital remained quiet, however, with a majority of city residents staying at home behind locked doors

from midmorning to early evening, preferring to watch developments on television rather than take part.

Now in its fifth month, the uprising shows no sign of coming to a close and there is little indication of how or when it will be resolved.

"Neither side is willing to talk to the other side and with every extra death it gets harder to find a solution," said a Damascus resident, on condition of anonymity.

"This is just going to go on and on."

Protesters in Homs similarly defied a powerful security presence, including armoured military units, to continue their now regular demonstrations. Violence involving members of the Sunni majority and Alawite minority in Homs this week has driven fears that the situation might yet escalate into a sectarian war.

Activists have been at pains to highlight the non-sectarian nature of the uprising and accuse the authorities, which are dominated by Alawites, of playing on minority groups' fears in order to cling to power. Pro-regime militia groups have also been accused of trying to start an internecine conflict in order to derail the popular uprising.

"It is true that Alawites were bru-

tally murdered in Homs this week, but no one actually knows who did it," said one civil-rights monitor in Damascus. "It could have been gangs linked to protesters or it could have been pro-regime gangs. Anything is possible now in Syria, except reliably finding out the truth."

More than 1,400 civilians have been killed by security forces since the uprising began in midMarch, according to human-rights groups, with many hundreds wounded and more than 10,000 suspected activists arrested.

Such deadly security measures, in conjunction with promises of political reform and the opening of government-orchestrated national dialogue talks, have done nothing to quell demonstrations.

While protesters once called for piecemeal political liberalisation, they are now demanding nothing short of dismantling the decadesold autocratic system of government and toppling the regime.

Protesters have failed to reach the critical mass needed to obtain that goal however, and the president, Bashar Al Assad, in his second decade as leader, retains significant public support and command over ultra-loyalist security units.

DAMASCUS (Google News July 23, 2011) At least eight civilians were killed by security forces in protests yesterday, human-rights groups said, with opposition activists claiming more than a million people taking part in demonstrations nationwide.

Hama in central Syria and Deir Ezzor in the eastern Arab tribal heartlands saw the largest rallies for the second week in a row, according to campaigners, with more than 500,000 claimed to be participating in each. Syrian staterun media, which have started to acknowledge protests, said no more than 2,000 were involved in Deir Ezzor.

Many of the killings, blamed on security services by activists, took place in Homs - where sectarian violence flared during the week as well as Idleb and the Damascus suburb of Mleeha.

Human-rights monitors also reported sweeping arrests and bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, which has been

Iran, Iraq, Syria to sign contract to transit natural gas to Europe (Google News July 23, 2011) Iran, Iraq and Syria will sign a contract for the transit of Iranian natural gas from the country's South Pars gas field to Europe, the English language satellite Press TV reported on Friday.

The contract will be signed between Iran's caretaker Oil Minister Mohammad Aliabadi and his Iraqi and Syrian counterparts at the Asalouyeh energy zone in Bushehr province on July 25, the report said.

Earlier this month, Iran and Iraq discussed cooperation on Iran 's gas transfer via Iraq and Syria to Europe during an official visit of Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi to Baghdad.

Iraqi ambassador to Iran Mohammad

Majeed al-Sheikh also said on July 5 that the gas deal would allow Baghdad to use Iran's natural gas supplies.

In May, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Javad Oji said under the deal, natural gas produced in Iran's South Pars oil and gas field will be pumped through Iran, Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea before reaching Europe.

The construction of the 5,600 km pipeline is estimated to cost five to six billion U.S. dollars, Oji added.

Oji said the pipeline would ultimately have the capacity to pump 110 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

Iran has struggled for years to develop its world's second largest gas resources to Russia.

Armed groups open fire in Syria s cities Goog e News Ju y 23 2011 A med men opened e andom y n Sy a s no he n c y o A eppo k ng one c v an he s a e TV epo ed F day as hund eds o peop e ook o he s ee s ac oss Sy a n esh an gov e nmen p o es s Sepa a e y a med g oups ed a aw en o cemen membe s and c v ans n Ka Nubbo a ea n he no h e n p ov nce o d eb he TV sa d w hou e abo a ng added ha p o es s n he O on es squa e n he cen a c y o Hama we e d spe sed n a sho me n he c y o Homs wh ch has be

come he oca po n o p o es s a e b oody nc den s we e epo ed ac v s s sa d mo e han 13 peop e we e k ed on Tuesday a e c ashes w h secu y o ces and 30 o he s ove he weekend n he c y wh ch s a dange ous esca a on n v o ence s emm ng om he coun y s ou mon h p o es s The Sy an gove nmen sa d 1 200 membe s o secu y o ces and a my pe sonne had d ed s nce he e up on o p o es s Acco d ng o ac v s s mo e han 1 600 c v ans have d ed and some 10 000 have been de a ned

Syria Blames 'Saboteurs' for Deadly Derailment

(Google News July 23, 2011) The Syrian government has blamed "saboteurs" trying to "hide behind" antigovernment protests for a train derailment that killed one person and left several injured.

A state-run media report on Saturday says the incident took place near the flashpoint city of Homs. The SANA news agency quotes an Interior Ministry official as saying "criminals" ripped up a section of tracks, causing the derailment and a fire that killed the train's driver and injured a number of passengers.

About 480 people were on board the train which was heading from the northeastern city of Aleppo to the capital, Damascus.

Homs has been a focal point in protests against President Bashar al-Assad and the government's crackdown on dissent.

Witnesses and activists say security forces killed at least six people during mass protests against Assad on Friday, including several in Homs. They say at least five other people were killed in Homs early Friday, after the military launched a huge crackdown on the city.

Meanwhile, two special advisers to U.N. chief Ban Kimoon say there is a "serious possibility" that Syria has committed crimes against humanity in its crackdown on dissent.

In a statement released late Friday, the two advisers Francis Deng and Edward Luck - called for a thorough, independent investigation of events in the country.

Rights groups say Syrian forces have killed at least 1,600 civilians during the government's crackdown on dissent, while the government has blamed much of the violence on terrorists and Islamists who it says have killed hundreds of security personnel.

It is hard to verify accounts of the violence in Syria because its government has barred foreign media from reporting and traveling freely in the country.

TRADITIONS AND ACTIVITIES

July 26 is the most important date for Maldives. It is celebrated in a grand way. The Republic Square hosts the celebration and it is marked as one of the national holiday of the Maldives. The day is followed with processions and performances which is a mixture of both traditional values and modern theme. And it ends up with entertaining and fun loving night out. Presidents and all the foreign dignitaries attend this grand event. On this date the event kicks off with march past which is organized by the national Cadet Corps and the National Security Service, which is followed by the modern drills, traditional dance and drills performed by the children and youth of different schools and colleges . The dancers and the children roam about in colorful attires. Celebration is part of all and thus it is celebrated both at national and community level. Every individual celebrates this national holiday.

Independence Day LIBERIA - July 26 Liberia officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone on the West, Guinea on the north, Côte d'Ivoire on the east, and the Atlantic Ocean on the south. As of the 2008 Census, the nation is home to 3,476,608 people. Its area is 111,369 km2 (43,000 sq mi).

Liberia's capital is Monrovia. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate with most rainfall arriving in the rainy season and harsh harmattan winds in the dry season. Liberia's populated Pepper Coast is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the sparsely populated inland is composed of forest that open to a plateau of drier grasslands.

The history of Liberia is unique among African nations because of its relationship with theUnited States. It is one of only two countries in sub-Sahara Africa, along with Ethiopia, without roots in the European Scramble for Africa. It was founded and colonized by freed American slaves with the help of a private organization cal ed he Ame can Co on za on Soc e y n 1821–1822 on he p em se ha o me Ame can s aves wou d have g ea e eedom and equa y he e S aves eed om s ave sh ps we e a so sen he e ns ead o be ng epa a ed o he coun es o o g n These co on s s o med an e e g oup n L be an soc e y and n 1847 hey ounded he Repub c o L be a es ab sh ng a gove nmen mode ed on ha o he Un ed S a es nam ng Mon ov a he cap a c y a e James Mon oe he h p es den o he Un ed S a es and a p om nen suppo e o he co on za on A m a y ed coup n 1980 ove h ew hen p es den W am R To be wh ch ma ked he beg nn ng o a pe od o ns a b y ha even ua y ed o wo c v wa s ha e hund eds o housands o peop e dead and devas a ed he coun y s economy Today L be a s ecove ng om he nge ng e ec s o he c v wa and e a ed econom c d s oca on S a s cs nd ca e ha abou 85% o he popu a on ve on ess han $1 25 a day

July 18, 2011. Libyan rebel cadets train to become freedom fighters in Kabaw's military academy in Libya's western mountains.

Since the outbreak of the revolution, rebel fighters in many of the Emergency workers tended to a woman who had been rescued from western mountain towns have been developing a military strucUtoya, the island where a gunman opened fire on a camp.

July 15, 2011. A Muslim bows during Friday prayers in rebel- ture which is often supervised by defecting Gaddafi army comcontrolled Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. and more than 30 other manders. nations declared that Muammar Gaddafi’s regime lacked legitimacy, recognizing the Transitional National Council—the country’s main opposition group—as the legitimate government.

July 15, 2011. Police officers beat a protester in Amman. Demonstrations calling for political reform that drew in as many as 1,000 people resulted in more than a dozen hurt in the Jordanian capital.

July 17, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of bees cover Lv Kongjiang during the “bee man” contest in China’s Hunan province. Competitors were weighed wearing only goggles, shorts and bees. Clothed in 50 lb. (22 kg) of bees, Lv was the July 22, 2011. A diver wearing a chef uniform performs with sarrunner-up to Wang Dalin, who won the contest covered in 57 dines as part of summer vacation events at an Coex Aquarium in lb. (26 kg) of the buzzing insects.

Seoul, South Korea.

July 15, 2011. A girl dressed like Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi poses for a photo in the rebel-held Benghazi, Libya.

More than 30 nations, including the United States, declared that Libyan leader Gaddafi's regime is no longer legitimate and formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the legitimate government until a new interim authority is created.

July 16, 2011. A woman pays a visit to the Caylee Anthony memorial located at the site in Orlando where the 2-year-old child’s remains were found in December 2008. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, was acquitted of murder charges on July 5 and has been released from prison, sparking a nationwide outcry.