58 Issue | Zarb-e-Jamhoor e-Newspaper | 12-18 Feb, 2012

Darwin Day Worldwide - F e b 1 2

Darwin Day is a recently instituted celebration intended to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin on February 12, 1809.

The day is used to highlight Darwin's contribution to science and to promote science in general.

History The celebration of Darwin's work and tributes to

his life have been organized sporadically since his death on April 19, 1882, at age 73. Events took place at Down House, in Downe on the southern outskirts of London where Darwin and members of his family lived from 1842 until the death of Emma Darwin in 1896.

In 1909, more than 400 scientists and dignitaries from 167 countries met in Cambridge to honour Darwin's contributions and to discuss vigorously the recent discoveries and related theories contesting for acceptance. This was a widely reported event of public interest. Also in 1909, on February 12, the 100th birth anniversary of Darwin and the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species were celebrated by the New York Academy of Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History. A bronze bust of Darwin was unveiled. On June 2, 1909 the Royal Society of New Zealand held a "Darwin Celebration". "There was a very large attendance."

On November 24–28, 1959, The University of Chicago held a major, well publicized, celebration of Darwin and the publication of On the Origin of Species.

Scientists and academics sometimes celebrated February 12 with "Phylum Feast" events—a meal with foods from as many different phyla as they could manage, at least as early as 1972, 1974, and 1989 in Canada.

In the United States, Salem State College in Massachusetts has held a "Darwin Festival" annually since 1980, and in 2005, registered "Darwin Festival" as a service mark with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The Humanist Community of Palo Alto, California, was motivated by Dr. Robert Stephens in late 1993 to begin planning for an annual "Darwin Day" celebration. Its first public Darwin Day event was a lecture by Dr. Donald Johanson (discoverer of the early hominid "Lucy"), sponsored by the Stanford Humanists student group and the Humanist Community on April 22, 1995. The Humanist Community continues its annual celebration of Darwin, science, and humanity, on February 12.

Independently, in 1997, Professor Massimo Pigliucci initiated an annual "Darwin Day" event with students and colleagues at the University of Tennessee. The event included several public lectures and activities as well as a teachers' workshop meant to help elementary and secondary school teachers better understand evolution and how to communicate it to their students, as well as how to deal with the pressures often placed on them by the creationism movement.

Darwin Day Program and Darwin Day Celebration

In the late 1990s, two Darwin enthusiasts, Amanda Chesworth and Robert Stephens, co-founded an unofficial effort to promote Darwin Day. In 2001, Chesworth moved to New Mexico and incorporated the "Darwin Day Program".

Stephens became Chairman of the Board and President of this nonprofit corporation with Massimo Pigliucci as VicePresident and Amanda Chesworth as member of the Board, Secretary, and Executive Director. Stephens presented the objectives of the organization in an article titled "Darwin Day An International Celebration."

In 2002, Chesworth compiled and edited a substantial book entitled Darwin Day Collection One: the Single Best Idea, Ever. The objectives of the book were to show the multidisciplinary reach of Charles Darwin and to meld academic work with popular culture.

In 2004, the New Mexico corporation was dissolved and all its assets assigned to the "Darwin Day Celebration", a non-profit organization incorporated in California in 2004 by Dr. Robert Stephens and others and the Mission Statement was expanded.

Darwin Day Celebration redesigned the Web site, DarwinDay.org, from a static presentation of information about the Darwin Day Program to a combination of education about Darwin and the Darwin Day Celebration organization, including automated registration and publication of planned and past celebratory Events and the automated registration of people who want to receive emailings or make public declaration of support for Darwin Day. The website is now operated by the International Darwin Day Foundation, an autonomous program of the American Humanist Association.

Events

Various events are conducted on Darwin Day around the world. They have included dinner parties with special recipes for primordial soup and other inventive dishes, protests with school boards and other governmental bodies, workshops and symposia, distribution of information by people in ape costumes, lectures and debates, essay and art competitions, concerts, poetry readings, plays, artwork, comedy routines, reenactments of the Scopes Trial and of the debate between Thomas H. Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, library displays, museum exhibits, travel and educational tours, recreations of the journey of the HMS Beagle, church sermons, movie nights, outreach, and nature hikes. The Darwin Day Celebration Web site offers free registration and display of all Darwin Day events.

The Perth Mint, Australia will launch a 2009 dated commemorative 1 ounce silver legal tender coin depicting Darwin, young and old; HMS Beagle; and Darwin's signature.

Some celebrants also combine Darwin Day with a celebration of Abraham Lincoln, who was also born on February 12, 1809. Still others like to celebrate the many noted individuals that influenced or were influenced by Darwin's work, such as Thomas H. Huxley, Charles Lyell, Alfred Russel Wallace, Carl Sagan, and Ernst Mayr.

Supporters The earliest support for Darwin Day came from free thought organizations. Council for Secular Humanism, The Free-

dom from Religion Foundation, the Center for Inquiry and the American Humanist Association in the United States, as well as the British Humanist Association in the UK, have helped to spread awareness about Darwin Day. In 1999, the Campus Free thought Alliance and the Alliance for Secular Humanist Societies began promoting Darwin Day among members. Humanist and skeptic groups welcomed the event and an increase in celebrations on or around February 12 spread across the US and in several other countries. The organizers behind this effort included the International Humanist and Ethical Union, Massimo Pigliucci, Amanda Chesworth, and Joann Mooney.

The International Darwin Day Foundation website at www.darwinday.org is a project of the American Humanist Association. The website serves as a clearinghouse for hundreds of Darwin Day celebrations around the world.

D.J. Grothe continues to champion this effort among groups associated with the Center for Inquiry Campus and Community programs. Center for Inquiry branches across the world also organize Darwin Day events. Free Inquiry magazine, the flagship publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, and Skeptical Inquirer, the flagship publication of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, advertised the event and attracted further individuals and groups. The Secular Student Alliance, and other organizations committed to reason and rationality also participate in the annual celebration.

With Dr. Robert Stephens, a scientist, as its President, Darwin Day Celebration has sought (particularly by emailing) and received support from scientists and science enthusiasts across the globe. Educators began to participate by offering special lessons to their students on or around February 12. Darwin Day Celebration has joined COPUS, the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science, reflecting an increased emphasis on science education and appreciation.

Public relations emailings to major publications lead to coverage by media such as The Guardian in the UK, Scientific American, New Scientist, the Discovery Channel. In 2006 Darwin Day was covered by major news syndicates such as Associated Press, Knight-Ridder, andThe New York Times. Over 150 articles appeared in major newspapers across the world and helped to attract more participants.

Scientific organizations such as the National Center for Science Education, and the Linnaean Society, have endorsed the holiday. Scientists, philosophers, historians, and physicians lent their names in support of the effort, including Daniel Dennett, Steven Pinker, Eugenie Scott, Steven Jones, Elliott Sober, Sir John Maddox, Helena Cronin, William Calvin, John Rennie, Paul Kurtz, Carl Zimmer, Edward O. Wilson, Michael Shermer, Susan Blackmore, Michael Ruse, Richard Leakey, Niles Eldridge, and Colin Tudge. Musicians and entertainers such as Richard Miller and Stephen Baird also participated.

In 2004, Michael Zimmerman, a professor of biology and dean of the College of liberal arts and sciences at Butler University, founded the "Clergy Letter Project" in which over 11,100 clergy, as of April 18, 2008, have signed a declaration that a person of faith does not have to choose either belief in God or belief in evolution. In 2006 Zimmerman developed the "Evolution Sunday" movement. In 2007 lectures and sermons were presented to roughly 618 congregations across the United States and 5 other countries, on Darwin's birthday. Evolution Sunday is intended to show that faith and evolutionary science are compatible in many religious traditions. In 2008, Evolution Sunday was expanded to an Evolution Weekend to incorporate a wider range of faith traditions and 814 congregations from 9 countries participated.

Current efforts

Some advocates would like a public holiday declared for February 12, 2009. Robert Beeston was successful in championing this effort in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2003; progress has also been made in England. On February 9, 2011, California Rep. Pete Stark introduced H. Res 81 to Congress designating February 12, 2011 as Darwin Day. The resolution states, “Charles Darwin is a worthy symbol of scientific advancement… and around which to build a global celebration of science and humanity.” The resolution was a culmination of collaboration between Rep. Stark and the American Humanist Association, which honored Stark with the Humanist of the Year award in 2008. In a statement on the House floor, Rep. Stark said, "Darwin's birthday is a good time for us to reflect on the important role of science in our society." In a press release from the American Humanist Association, executive director Roy Speckhardt said, "Stark's Darwin Day resolution is a thrilling step forward for the secular movement. Not only is this an opportunity to bring the scientific impact of Charles Darwin to the forefront, but this also signifies the potential for greater respect for scientific reasoning on Capitol Hill."

2009

2009 marked an important year for Darwin Day celebrations. The year was the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and it also marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Events were planned, with the most prominent celebrations in Shrewsbury, the University of Cambridge and at the Natural History Museum in London.

National Flag of Canada Day CANADA - F e b 1 5

Flag Day, officially named National Flag of Canada Day, is observed annually on February 15, commemorating the inauguration of the Flag of Canada on that date in 1965. The day is marked by flying the flag, occasional public ceremonies, and educational programs in schools. It is not a public holiday, although there has been discussion about creating one.

History The Maple Leaf flag replaced the Canadian

Red Ensign, which had been, with various successive alterations, in conventional use as a Canadian national flag since 1868. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, resolutions recommending the new flag were passed by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, and by the Senate two days later. The flag was proclaimed by Elizabeth II,Queen of Canada, on January 28, 1965, and took effect "upon, from and after" February 15.

National Flag of Canada Day was instituted in 1996 by an Order in Council from Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, on the initiative of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. At the first Flag Day ceremony in Hull, Quebec, Chrétien was confronted by demonstrators against proposed cuts to the unemployment insurance system, and while walking through the crowd grabbed by the neck and pushed aside a protester who had approached him. In 2010, on the flag's 45th anniversary, federal ceremonies were held to mark Flag Day at Winnipeg, St. John's, Ottawa, and at Whistler and Vancouver in conjunction with the XXI Olympic Winter Games. In 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper observed Flag Day by presenting two citizens, whose work honored the military, with Canadian flags which had flown over the Peace Tower. It was announced as inaugurating an annual recognition of patriotism.

Name

It was decided National Flag Day would not be an acceptable name for the date, given the multiple uses of the word "nation" or "national" in Canada; some aboriginal peoples call themselves First Nations and various institutions in the province of Quebec are designated as "national" — the National Assembly of Quebec, for example. The resulting inclusion of the words "of Canada" disambiguated exactly what nation was being referred to, but created a title that could be interpreted as suggesting there is a national flag for Canada Day. National Flag Day and Flag Day are used in common parlance.

Status

It has been suggested that Flag Day should be declared a national statutory holiday, as there are no such days off between New Year's Dayand Good Friday, except Family Day in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, and Louis Riel Day in Manitoba. That suggestion grew louder as the flag celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2005. On Flag Day in 2007, New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Peggy Nashintroduced a private member's bill to make Flag Day a federal statutory holiday, leaving it to the provinces to decide if the holiday would be marked in their respective jurisdictions.

Kim Jong-il's Birthday NORTH KOREA - F e b 1 6

Kim Jong-il (born Yuri Irsenovich Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011)was the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK) from 1994 to 2011. He succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK Kim Il-sung following the elder Kim's death in 1994. Kim Jong-il was theGeneral Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, and the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, thefourth-largest standing army in the world.

In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended to refer to him as the "supreme leader".He was also referred to as the "Dear Leader", "our Father", "the General", and "Generalissimo", among others. His son Kim Jongun was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party and is his successor. In 2010, he was ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People. The North Korean government announced his death on 19 December 2011.

Childhood Birth:

Details surrounding Kim Jong-il's birth vary according to source. Soviet records show that he was born in the village of Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk, in 1941, where his father, Kim Ilsung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il's mother, Kim Jongsuk, was Kim Il-sung's first wife.

Kim Jong-il's official biography states he was born in a secret military camp on Baekdu Mountain in Japanese-occupied Korea on 16 February 1942. Official biographers claim that his birth at Baekdu Mountain was foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of adouble rainbow across the sky over the mountain and a new star in the heavens.

In 1945, Kim was three or four years old when World War II ended and Korea regainedindependence from Japan. His father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong (선봉군, also Unggi). The family moved into a former Japanese officer's mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden and pool. Kim Jong-il's brother, "Shura" Kim (the first Kim Pyong-il, but known by his Russian nickname), drowned there in 1948. Unconfirmed reports suggest that five-year-old Kim Jong-il might have caused the accident.

In 1949, his mother died in childbirth. Unconfirmed reports suggest that his mother might have been shot and left to bleed to death.

Education:

According to his official biography, Kim completed the course of general education between September 1950 and August 1960. He attended Primary School No. 4 and Middle School No. 1 (Namsan Higher Middle School) in Pyongyang. This is contested by foreign academics, who believe he is more likely to have received his early education in the People's Republic of China as a precaution to ensure his safety during the Korean War. Throughout his schooling, Kim was involved in politics. He was active in the Children's Unionand the Democratic Youth League (DYL), taking part in study groups of Marxist political theory and other literature. In September 1957 he became vice-chairman of his middle school's DYL branch.

He pursued a programme of anti-factionalism and attempted to encourage greater ideological education among his classmates.

Kim is also said to have received English language education at the University of Malta in the early 1970s, on his infrequent holidays in Malta as guest of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

The elder Kim had meanwhile remarried and had another son, Kim Pyong-il (named after Kim Jong-il's drowned brother). Since 1988, Kim Pyong-il has served in a series of North Korean embassies in Europe and is the North Korean ambassador to Poland. Foreign commentators suspect that Kim Pyong-il was sent to these distant posts by his father in order to avoid a power struggle between his two sons.

Personal life Family:

There is no official information available about Kim Jong-il's marital history, but he is believed to have been officially married once and to have had three mistresses. He has four known children: • Kim Jong-nam (son) • Kim Sul-song (daughter) • Kim Jong-chul (son) • Kim Jong-un (son) Kim's first mistress, Song Hye-rim, was a star of North Korean films. She was already married to another man and with a child when they met; Kim is reported to have forced her husband to divorce her. This relationship, started in 1970, was not officially recognized. They had one son, Kim Jong-nam (born 1971) who is Kim Jong-il's eldest son.

Kim kept both the relationship and the child a secret (even from his father Kim Il Sung) until Kim ascended to power in 1994. However, after years of estrangement, Song is believed to have died inMoscow in the Central Clinical Hospital in 2002.

Kim's official wife, Kim Young-sook, was the daughter of a high-ranking military official. His father Kim Il-Sung handpicked her to marry his son. The two have been estranged for some years. Kim has a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sul-song (born 1974).

His second mistress, Ko Young-hee, was a Japanese-born ethnic Korean and a dancer. She had taken over the role of First Lady until her death — reportedly of cancer — in 2004. They had two sons, Kim Jong-chul, in 1981, and Kim Jong-un (also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong"), in 1983.

After Ko's death, Kim lived with Kim Ok, his third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the 1980s. She "virtually acts as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanied Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. She traveled with Kim Jong Il on a secretive trip to China in January 2006, where she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife.

He reportedly had a younger sister, Kim Kyong-hui (김경희).

Death

Kim Jong-il died of a suspected heart attack on 17 December 2011 at 08:30 while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un, who was hailed by the Korean Central News Agency as the "Great Successor". The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report that during his death, a fierce snowstorm paused and the sky glowed red above the sacred Mount Paektu. The ice on a famous lake also cracked so loud, it seemed to shake the Heavens and the Earth.

Kim Jong-il's funeral took place on December 28 in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day. South Korea's military was immediately put on alert after the announcement and its National Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, out of concern that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region. Asian stock markets fell soon after the announcement, due to similar concerns.

On January 12, 2012 North Korea called Kim Jong-il the "eternal leader" and announced that his body will be preserved and displayed at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Officials will also install statues, portraits, and "towers to his immortality" across the country. His birthday of February 16 has been declared "the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation", and has been named the Day of the Shining Star.

Independence Day GAMBIA - F e b 1 8

The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The country is situated around the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flows through the country's centre and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Its area is 11,295 km² with an estimated population of 1,700,000.

On 18 February 1965, Gambia gained independence from the United Kingdom and joined theCommonwealth of Nations. Banjul is Gambia's capital, but the largest conurbations areSerekunda and Brikama.

Gambia shares historical roots with many other West African nations in the slave trade, which was the key factor in the placing and keeping of a colony on the Gambia River, first by thePortuguese and later by the British. Since gaining independence in 1965, Gambia has enjoyed relative political stability, with the exception of a brief period of military rule in 1994.

Thanks to the fertile land of the country, the economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and tourism. About a third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

History Arab traders provided The Gambia's first written accounts in the 9th and 10th centuries. During the 10th century,

Muslim merchants and scholars established communities in several West African commercial centres. Both groups established trans-Saharan trade routes, leading to a large trade in slaves, gold, ivory (exports) and manufactured goods, etc. (imports).

By the 11th century or the 12th century, the rulers of kingdoms such as Takrur (a monarchycentered on the Senegal River just to the north), ancient Ghana and Gao, had converted to Islam and had appointed Muslims who were literate in the Arabic language as courtesans. At the beginning of the 14th century, most of what is today called Gambia was part of the Mali Empire. The Portuguese reached this area by sea in the mid-15th century, and they began to dominate overseas trade.

In 1588, the claimant to the Portuguese throne, António, Prior of Crato, sold exclusive trade rights on the Gambia River to English merchants. Letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I confirmed the grant. In 1618, King James I of England granted a charter to an English company for trade with Gambia and the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Between 1651 and 1661 some parts of Gambia were under Courland's rule, and had been bought by Prince Jacob Kettler, who was a Pol- A map of James Island and Fort Gambia. ish-Lithuanian vassal.

During the late 17th century and throughout the 18th century, the British Empire and the French Empirestruggled continually for political and commercial supremacy in the regions of the Senegal River and the Gambia River. The British Empire occupied Gambia when an expedition led by Augustus Keppel landed there—following the Capture of Senegal in 1758. The 1783 First Treaty of Versailles gave Great Britain possession of the Gambia River, but the French retained a tiny enclave at Albreda on the river's north bank. This was finally ceded to the United Kingdom in 1856.

According to its current president Yahya Jammeh, Gambia "is one of the oldest and biggest countries in Africa that was reduced to a small snake by the British government – [which] sold all our lands to the French".

As many as three million slaves may have been taken from this general region during the three centuries that the transatlantic slave tradewas operated. It is not known how many slaves were taken by inter-tribal wars or Mexican traders before the transatlantic slave trade began. Most of those taken were sold by other Africans to Europeans; others were prisoners of inter-tribal wars; some were victims sold because of unpaid debts; and others were simply victims of kidnapping.

Traders initially sent slaves to Europe to work as servants until the market for labour expanded in the West Indies and North America in the 18th century. In 1807, the United Kingdom abolished the slave trade throughout its Empire.

It also tried, unsuccessfully, to end the slave trade in Gambia. Slave ships intercepted by the Royal Navy in the Atlantic were also returned to The Gambia, with Liberated Slaves released on MacCarthy Island far up the Gambia River where they were expected to establish new lives. The British established the military post of Bathurst (now Banjul) in 1816. In the ensuing years, Banjul was at times under the jurisdiction of the British Governor General in Sierra Leone. In 1888, Gambia became a separate colony.

An agreement with the French Republic in 1889 established the present boundaries of Gambia. Gambia became a British Crown Colonycalled British Gambia, divided for administrative purposes into the colony (city of Banjul and the surrounding area) and the protectorate (remainder of the territory). Gambia received its own executive and legislative councils in 1901, and it gradually progressed toward self-government. Slavery was finally abolished in 1906.

During World War II, Gambian troops fought with the Allies of World War II. Though these soldiers fought mostly in Burma, some died closer to home and there is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Fajara (close to Banjul). According to the current presidentYahya Jammeh, "when Germany was about to defeat Britain, not only were Gambians conscripted and forced to go and fight in Britain, but also..." Banjul contained as an airstrip for the U.S. Army Air Forces and a port of call for Allied naval convoys. President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt visited by air and stopped overnight in Banjul en route to and from the Casablanca Conference (1943) inMorocco, marking the first visit to the African continent by an American President.

After World War II, the pace of constitutional reform increased. Following general elections in 1962, the United Kingdom granted full internal self-governance in the following year. The Gambia achieved independence on February 18, 1965, as a constitutional monarchy within theBritish Commonwealth of Nations. Shortly thereafter, the national government held a referendum proposing that an elected president should replace The Gambian monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) as the head of state. This referendum failed to receive the two-thirds majority required to amend the constitution, but the results won widespread attention abroad as testimony to Gambia's observance of secret balloting, honest elections, civil rights, and liberties. On April 24, 1970, Gambia became a republic within the Commonwealth, following a second referendum. Prime Minister Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara became the Head of State.

The Gambia was led by President Dawda Jawara, who was re-elected five times. The relative stability of the Jawara era was shattered first by an attempted coup in 1981. The coup was led by Kukoi Samba Sanyang, who, on two occasions, had unsuccessfully sought election to Parliament. After a week of violence which left several hundred people dead, Jawara, in London when the attack began, appealed to Senegalfor help. Senegalese troops defeated the rebel force.

In the aftermath of this attempted coup, Senegal and Gambia signed a Treaty of Confederation in 1982. The goal of the Senegambia Confederation was to combine the armed forces of the two states and to unify their economies and currencies. After just a short stretch of years, Gambia permanently withdrew from this confederation in 1989.

In 1994, the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) deposed the Jawara government and banned opposition political activity. Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, chairman of the AFPRC, became head of state. The AFPRC announced a transition plan for return to democratic civilian government. The Provisional Independent Electoral Commission (PIEC) was established in 1996 to conduct national elections. The PIEC was transformed to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in 1997 and became responsible for registration of voters and conduct of elections and referendums. In late 2001 and early 2002, the Gambia completed a full cycle of presidential, legislative, and local elections, which foreign observers deemed free, fair, and transparent, albeit with some shortcomings. President Yahya Jammeh, who was elected to continue in the position he had assumed during the coup, took the oath of office again on 21 December 2001. Jammeh'sAlliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) maintained its strong majority in the National Assembly, particularly after the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) boycotted the legislative elections.

Random Acts of Kindness Day US - F e b 1 7

Random Acts of Kindness Day is the name of an unofficial holiday increasingly celebrated around the world by localities or organizations, or nationwide, in order to encourage acts of kindness. The original founder of Random Acts of Kindness Day is unknown.

The holiday is celebrated annually in the United States on February 17 and in New Zealand on September 1. In New Zealand, RAK day began at a national level in 2005 by Josh de Jong, Marshall Gray, Megan Singleton and Reuben Gwyn. It is not a holiday, rather a national day where the entire country is challenged to do something kind to a friend or stranger for no reason at all.

St. Valentine`s Day Worldwide - F e b 5

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February 14 honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heartshaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Saint Valentine Historical facts:

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m.

Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome, and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.

Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).

The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.

No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the 14th century, distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.

In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."

The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar. February 14 is also celebrated as St Valentine's Day in other Christian denominations; it has, for example, the rank of 'commemoration' in the calendar of the Church of England and other parts of the Anglican Communion.

Legends:

The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were expounded briefly in Legenda Aurea. According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person.

Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.

Since Legenda Aurea still provided no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did Saint Valentine of Terni and his disciples. this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men.

When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.

There is an additional modern embellishment to The Golden Legend, provided by American Greetings to History.com, and widely repeated despite having no historical basis whatsoever. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first "valentine" card himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved, as the jailer's daughter whom he had befriended and healed,. It was a note that read "From your Valentine."

Attested traditions Lupercalia:

Though popular modern sources link unspecified Greco-Roman February holidays alleged to be devoted to fertility and love to St. Valentine's Day, Professor Jack Oruch of the University of Kansas argued that prior to Chaucer, no links between the Saints named Valentinus and romantic love existed. Earlier links as described above were focused on sacrifice rather than romantic love. In the ancient Athenian calendar the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.

In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13–15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno", was celebrated on February 13–14. PopeGelasius I (492–496) abolished Lupercalia.

Chaucer's love birds:

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules(1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer wrote: For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

Day Valentine's ["For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."] postcard, circa 1910 This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381.(When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).

Readers have uncritically assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentine's Day; however, midFebruary is an unlikely time for birds to be mating in England. Henry Ansgar Kelly has pointed out that in the liturgical calendar, May 2 is the saints' day for Valentine of Genoa. This St. Valentine was an early bishop of Genoa who died around AD 307.

Chaucer's Parliament of Foules is set in a fictional context of an old tradition, but in fact there was no such tradition before Chaucer. The speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among 18th-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. Most notably, "the idea that Valentine's Day customs perpetuated those of the Roman Lupercalia has been accepted uncritically and repeated, in various forms, up to the present".

Medieval period and the English Renaissance:

Using the language of the law courts for the rituals of courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading. The earliest surviving valentine is a 15th-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orléans to his wife, which commences.

Je suis desja d'amour tanné Ma tres doulce Valentinée...

—Charles d'Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1–2 At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

Valentine's Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600–1601): To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine.

Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, And dupp'd the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid Never departed more.

—William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5 John Donne used the legend of the marriage of the birds as the starting point for his Epithalamion celebrating the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of James I of England, and Child dressed in Frederick V, Elector Palatine on Valentine's Day: DayValentine's Hayle Bishop Valentine whose day this is themed clothing.

All the Ayre is thy Diocese And all the chirping Queristers And other birds ar thy parishioners Thou marryest every yeare The Lyrick Lark, and the graue whispering Doue, The Sparrow that neglects his life for loue, The houshold bird with the redd stomacher Thou makst the Blackbird speede as soone, As doth the Goldfinch, or the Halcyon The Husband Cock lookes out and soone is spedd And meets his wife, which brings her feather-bed.

This day more cheerfully than ever shine This day which might inflame thy selfe old Valentine.

—John Donne, Epithalamion Vpon Frederick Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth marryed on St. Valentines day The verse Roses are red echoes conventions traceable as far back as Edmund Spenser's epic The Faerie Queene (1590): She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew, And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784): The rose is red, the violet's blue The honey's sweet, and so are you Thou are my love and I am thine I drew thee to my Valentine The lot was cast and then I drew And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

Modern times:

In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man's Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called "mechanical valentines," and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.

Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories.

Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century. In the UK, just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds are spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. The reinvention of Saint Valentine's Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt. As a writer inGraham's American Monthly observed in 1849, "Saint Valentine's Day... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday." In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828–1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received from a business associate of her father. Intrigued with the idea of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper lace and floral decorations from England. The English practice of sending Valentine's cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Harrison's Confessions (1851): "I burst in with my explanations: '"The valentine I know nothing about." '"It is in your handwriting", said he coldly. Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary."

Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-19th century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.

In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and are given sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each other.

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.

Similar days celebrating love In the West Europe:

While sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts is traditional in the UK, Valentine's Day has various regional customs. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person. In Wales, many people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen's Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentine's Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers. In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin", and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries. In Spain Valentine's Day is known as "San Valentín" and is celebrated the same way as in the UK, although in Catalonia it is largely superseded by similar festivities of rose and/or book giving on La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George's Day). In Portugal it is more commonly referred to as "Dia dos Namorados" (Lover's Day / Day of those that are in love with each other).

In Denmark and Norway, Valentine's Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but is largely imported from American culture, and some people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. The cut-flower industry in particular is still working on promoting the holiday. In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industry's commercial interests, and due to the influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only exceeded by those for Mother's Day. In Finland Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day". As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones. In Estonia Valentine's Day is called Sõbrapäev, which has the same meaning.

In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots", so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow. Valentine's Day has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Nevertheless, it has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love is traditionally March 12, theSaint Gregory's day. Another proverb says "Valentin – prvi spomladin" ("Valentine — first saint of spring"), as in some places (especiallyWhite Carniola) Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.

In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. It is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia. Part of his name is the word drag ("dear"), which can also be found in the worddragoste ("love"). In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day, despite already having Dragobete as a traditional holiday. This has drawn backlash from several groups, institutions and nationalist organizations like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist and imported Western kitsch.

In Lithuania and Latvia, it is common for people to put stickers on faces and clothing of a friend or a relative. The holiday was first celebrated after the two countries gained independence from Soviet Union in 1990.

Valentine's Day is called Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου in Greece and Cyprus, which translates into "St Valentines day".Actually in Orthodox church there is an other Saint protect the people are in love,but for Greeks Valentine's Day is more popular According to Jewish tradition the 15th day of the month of Av – Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the festival of love.

In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). In modern Israeli culture this is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers.

Latin America:

In some Latin American countries Valentine's Day is known as "Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship). For example Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico, as well as others. It is also common to see people perform "acts of appreciation" for their friends.

In Guatemala it is known as the "Día del Cariño" (Affection Day).

In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Lovers' Day", or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day") is celebrated on June 12, probably because it is the day before Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, calledsimpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend. Couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets. The February 14's Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all, mainly for cultural and commercial reasons, since it usually falls too little before or after Carnival.— that can fall anywhere from early February to early March.

In Venezuela, in 2009, President Hugo Chávez said in a meeting to his supporters for the upcoming referendum vote on February 15, that "since on the 14th, there will be no time of doing nothing, nothing or next to nothing ... maybe a little kiss or something very superficial", he recommended people to celebrate a week of love after the referendum vote.

In most of Latin America the Día del amor y la amistad and the Amigo secreto ("Secret friend") are quite popular and usually celebrated together on the 14 of February (one exception is Colombia, where it is celebrated every third Saturday of September). The latter consists of randomly assigning to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift (similar to the Christmas tradition of Secret Santa).

East Asia:

Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day is celebrated in some Asian countries with Singaporeans, Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine's gifts.

In South Korea, similar to Japan, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14 (White Day). On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on the 14th of Feb or March go to a Korean restaurant to eat black noodles (자장면 jajangmyeon) and "mourn" their single life. Koreans also celebrate Pepero Day on November 11, when young couples give each other Pepero cookies. The date '11/11' is intended to resemble the long shape of the cookie. The 14th of every month marks a love-related day in Korea, although most of them are obscure. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine's Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day. Korean women give a much higher amount of chocolate than Japanese women.

In China, the common situation is the man gives chocolate, flowers or both to the woman that he loves. In Chinese, Valentine's Day is called (simplified Chinese: 情人节; traditional Chinese: 情人節; pinyin: qíng rén jié). The so-called "Chinese Valentine's Day" is the Qixi Festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It commemorates a day on which a legendary cowherder and weaving maid are allowed to be together. Modern Valentine's Day is also celebrated on February 14 of the solar calendar each year.

In Taiwan the situation is the reverse of Japan's. Men give gifts to women on Valentine's Day, and women return them on White Day. In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is called "Araw ng mga Puso" or "Hearts Day". It is usually marked by a steep increase in the prices of flowers.

Japan:

In Japan, Morozoff Ltd. introduced the holiday for the first time in 1936, when it ran an advertisement aimed at foreigners. Later in 1953 it began promoting the giving of heart-shaped chocolates; other Japanese confectionery companies followed suit thereafter. In 1958 the Isetandepartment store ran a "Valentine sale". Further campaigns during the 1960s popularized the custom.

The custom that only women give chocolates to men appears to have originated from the typo of a chocolate-company executive during the initial campaigns. In particular, office ladies give chocolate to their co-workers. Unlike western countries, gifts such as greeting cards, candies, flowers, or dinner dates are uncommon, and most of the activity about the gifts is about giving the right amount of chocolate to each person. Japanese chocolate companies make half their annual sales during this time of the year.

Many women feel obliged to give chocolates to all male co-workers, except when the day falls on a Sunday, a holiday. This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from giri ("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"), with unpopular co-workers receiving only "ultra-obligatory" chō-giri choko cheap chocolate. This contrasts with honmei-choko (本 命チョコ, favorite chocolate), chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning "friend".

In the 1980s the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association launched a successful campaign to make March 14 a "reply day", where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day, calling it White Day for the color of the chocolates being offered. A previous failed attempt to popularize this celebration had been done by a marshmallow manufacturer who wanted men to return marshmallows to women.

Men are expected to return gifts that are at least two or three times more valuable than the gifts received in Valentine's Day. Not returning the gift is perceived as the man placing himself in a position of superiority, even if excuses are given. Returning a present of equal value is considered as a way to say that you are cutting the relationship.

Originally only chocolate was given, but now the gifts of jewelry, accessories, clothing and lingerie are usual. According to the official website of White Day, the color white was chosen because it's the color of purity, evoking "pure, sweet teen love", and because it's also the color of sugar. The initial name was "Ai ni Kotaeru White Day" (Answer Love on White Day).

In Japan, the romantic "date night" associated to Valentine's Day is celebrated on Christmas Eve. In a 2006 survey of people between 10 and 49 years of age in Japan, Oricon Style found the 1986 Sayuri Kokushō single, Valentine Kiss, to be the most popular Valentine's Day song, even though it sold only 317,000 copies. The singles it beat in the ranking were number one selling Love Love Love from Dreams Come True (2,488,630 copies) and Valentine's Radio from Yumi Matsutoya (1,606,780 copies). The final song in the top five was My Funny Valentine

by Miles Davis.

Similar Asian traditions:

In Chinese culture, there is an older observance related to lovers, called "The Night of Sevens" (Chinese: 七夕; pinyin: Qi Xi). According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the milky way (silvery river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar.

In Japan, a slightly different version of 七夕 called Tanabata has been celebrated for centuries, on July 7 (Gregorian calendar). It has been considered by Westerners as similar to St. Valentine's Day, but it's not related to it, and its origins are completely different.

India:

In India, in the antiquity, there was a tradition of adoring Kamadeva, the lord of love; exemplificated by the erotic carvings in the Khajuraho Group of Monuments and by the writing of the Kamasutra treaty of lovemaking. This tradition was lost around the Middle Ages, when Kamadeva was no longer celebrated, and public displays of sexual affections became frowned upon. Around 1992 Valentine's Day started catching in India, with special TV and radio programs, and even love letter competitions. The economic liberalization also helped the Valentine card industry.

In modern times, Hindu and Islamic traditionalists consider the holiday to be cultural contamination from the West, result of the globalization in India. Shiv Sena and the Sangh Parivar have asked their followers to shun the holiday and the "public admission of love" because of them being "alien to Indian culture". These protests are organized by political elites, but the protesters themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will destroy the traditions in his society: arranged marriages, Hindu joint families, full-time mothers (see Housewife#India), etc.

Despite these obstacles, Valentine's Day is becoming increasingly popular in India.

However, leftist and liberal critiques of Valentine's Day remain strong in India. Valentine's Day has been strongly criticized from a postcolonialperspective by intellectuals from the Indian left . The holiday is regarded as a front for Western imperialism, neocolonialism, and the exploitation of working classes through commercialism by multinational corporations. Studies have shown that Valentine's Day promotes and exacerbates income inequality in India, and aids in the creation of a pseudo-westernized middle class. As a result, the working classesand rural poor become more disconnected socially, politically, and geographically from the hegemonic capitalist power structure. They also criticize mainstream media attacks on Indians opposed to Valentine's Day as a form of demonization that is designed and derived to further the Valentine's Day agenda.

Middle East:

In Egypt, Egyptians celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14. In Iran, the Sepandarmazgan, or Esfandegan, is an age-old traditional celebration of love, friendship and Earth. It has nothing in common with the Saint Valentine celebration, except for a superficial similarity in giving affection and gifts to loved ones, and its origins and motivations are completely unrelated. It has been progressively forgotten in favor of the Western celebration of Valentine's Day. The Association of Iran's Cultural and Natural Phenomena has been trying since 2006 to make Sepandarmazgan a national holiday on 17 February, in order to replace the Western holiday.

In Israel, the Tu B'Av, is considered to be the Jewish Valentine's Day following the ancient traditions of courtship on this day. Today, this is celebrated as a second holiday of love by secular people (besides Saint Valentine's Day), and shares many of the customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day in western societies.

Appeal filed against PM contempt charges An intra-court appeal requesting the Supreme Court to suspend its decision of framing contempt charges against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was filed on Wednesday.

On Feb 2, the apex court had issued summons for the premier for Feb 13 for him to be indicted with contempt

over his refusal to pursue corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The announcement significantly escalated pressure on the embattled prime minister, threatening to plunge his weak government deeper into crisis and force early elections within months.

The appeal, filed by the prime minister’s counsel, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, requested the court to postpone the indictment.

It moreover said that the ruling was given without the premier being given an opportunity to defend himself directly.

Talks with the Taliban: US keeps Pakistan in the loop The United States has briefed Pakistan on its initial contacts with the Afghan Taliban in a move which signals the easing of months-long tensions between the two allies, whose cooperation in stabilising the war-torn country is considered essential.

The important briefing was given through Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman, who met key Obama administration officials recently, a senior government official familiar with the development told The Express Tribune.

The move signifies that, despite apparent strains in their relationship,

the two countries have managed to cover considerable ground to narrow down their differences, including the way forward for the Afghan endgame.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the subject, has confirmed that Islamabad was taken on board

by Washington on its ‘exploratory talks’ with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar. However, he attempted to play down the hype, saying it was premature to suggest that the US was now willing to ‘show its cards’ on the Afghan reconciliation.

In the past, Washington was believed

to have kept Islamabad in the dark about its peace overtures with the Taliban. The US’ reluctance to share its Afghan game plan is attributed to wildly-held suspicions in the west about Pakistan’s ‘double play’.

More recently, a leaked Nato assessment accused the country’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for supporting the Taliban to direct attacks against forces stationed in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad strongly denied.

However, notwithstanding the fresh allegations, a top American diplomat told that Pakistan is now ‘responsive’ on the Afghan reconciliation process.

Zardari to host trilateral summit on 16th Presidents of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran will meet here from Feb 16 to 17 at the third trilateral summit, committed to promoting regional cooperation and strengthening peace and stability, but the event is expected to have more visuals than substance.

We aren’t expecting anything major in the joint declaration to be issued at the end of the two-day summit,” a Pakistani diplomat said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Feb 16.

The three sides have been holding the trilateral summit since 2009, but so far they have made little headway in substantively bolstering cooperation because of their mutual suspicions. Additionally, US influence on Afghanistan and Pakistan has prevented the forum, established on President Ahmadinejad’s initiative, from taking off in real terms.

The joint declarations issued at the end of the two previous meetings virtually carried nothing more than reiteration of their commitment to the much cherished goals of expanding political, security, economic and cultural ties, maintaining peace and stability in the region and attaining prosperity of their people.

The three-way format that is primarily focused on exploring cooperation in the fields of economics and trade, counternarcotics and counter-terrorism, would provide an opportunity to the leaders to discuss connectivity issues, efforts for jointly fighting terrorism and organised crime, improving border management, controlling narcotics smuggling, in addition to reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The three countries are faced with common problems of drug-trafficking, terrorism, trans-national crimes and failing economies, but Afghanistan is of major interest to the other two — Iran and Pakistan — because both share border with it, have hosted Afghan refugees and are

impacted directly by the developments in the war-torn country.

But, more significantly it is Afghanistan which makes Islamabad and Tehran to converge and also diverge. Despite the prevailing cynicism about the trilateral forum, leaders of Pakistan and Iran have expressed strong confidence in it.

President Asif Ali Zardari, talking to visiting Iranian Vice President Ali Seedlou on Tuesday, expressed the hope that the “forthcoming summit would prove to be an important milestone in our journey towards finding peace, stability and Afghanled conciliation process”.

He stressed the need for the regional countries to jointly combat extremism and terrorism. “It is high time that the regional countries work together and extricate our people from the threat posed by extremists and militant mindset.”

During his last visit to Kabul, President Ahmadinejad had impressed upon President Karzai to use the trilateral forum to discuss his country’s fractured relations with Islamabad.

HUNGARY ‘State of the nation’ speech by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Online February 8, 2012) On February 7 Viktor 2012 Orbán gave his traditional ‘state of the nation’ speech, focusing on the past year. This was the fourteenth such occasion.

At the beginning of his Mr. speech Orbán thanked all those who have stood by the country in spite of the criticism directed at it and its government. This was a reference to the four hundred thousand people who took part in the ‘Peace March for Hungary’ on 21 January.

On Europe's position and the strength for reconstruction The Prime Minister recalled that on this occasion one year ago he had said that 2011 would be an exciting and difficult year.

In relation to the European situation, he pointed out that thirteen governments had fallen in 2011; of these, four had been in countries neighbouring Hungary: Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. Riots had occurred in several otherwise apparently stable European countries, paralysing entire regions within them.

As an example of political instability he mentioned the Netherlands, where the Government can only maintain a majority with the support of extreme political forces. Dangers such as the sovereign default of several eurozone countries had appeared on the European horizon. He added that there was still a real threat Europe’s of economy heading towards recession.

The Prime Minister said that in several European countries question the was not simply one of economic downturn, but also of faltering dreams and self-confidence.

He identified the reconstruction and the revival of communities affected by the red sludge disaster (Devecser and Kolontár) as the most important domestic event of 2011. He said that this also shows that there is no lowpoint from which new lives cannot be built. This should be something to remember and build our faith on, whenever it is put to the test. According to the Prime Minister, many people fear new waves of the euro crisis, and fear what might happen if even the current government is unable find a way out of the crisis. He emphasised that “All we need to fear is fear itself; but once we defeat our fear, the road ahead will be clearer.”

The Socialists ran the country aground The Prime Minister compared those who had run the ship of state aground over a period of eight years with the captain of recently the shipwrecked Italian cruise liner. The Socialists and Liberals were the first to leave the deck, not caring for those they left behind. Now they are shouting advice from the mainland, while they huddle behind the skirts of their foreign business partners. Mr. Orbán said that his government had known when it took office that the mistakes and negligence of the previous eight years could not be made good in a few months, but everyone remembered what the beached, keeling country was like when the new crew took control.

The legacy left by the previous government comprised the debt trap, worthless jobs and a lack of reserves.

The Prime Minister spoke about the dramatic level of domestic debt which his government had to confront. For one million families struggling under the burden of foreign currency-denominated loans, debt slavery had become an everyday reality. Through the early repayment scheme for foreign currency loans 160,000 families – half a million people – have had the chance to free themselves from this trap, and the burdens on others have also became more bearable as a result of the agreement signed between the Government and the Hungarian Banking Association.

The previous governments also led businesses, municipalities and the

state itself into debt. Between 1998 and 2002 the Orbán administration had managed to bring government debt down to under 52% of GDP. If that was still Hungary’s level of debt , “we would be giving loans to the IMF, not the other way round,” and we would be arguing about how many national airlines, hospitals and factories we need to create, and by how much pensions and health workers’ pay should be increased. The Socialists, however, had pushed the country back into a “debt cage” – something which will be hard to forgive.

After 2002, fewer and fewer people of working-age were in jobs, and those who were would be reminded on a daily basis that they could become unemployed at any time. By 2010, 2.6 million taxpayers were supporting Hungary’s population of 10

million. This brought with it the problem that people lived from month to month without savings. The private pension funds paid themselves huge bonuses in the very same year that people lost their savings en masse.

The Prime Minister said that the least people could expect from the Government was a calling to account of those responsible.

He said that an enormous “unpaid bill” had been left by the Socialists, who said and continue to say that ordinary people should pay, and that the Government should not ask the banks and international companies to contribute. “We have said ‘no’ to that approach, and have launched a new

system of burden-sharing,” said the Prime Minister. He said that singlemindedly pushing through the bank tax, the crisis tax on high-profit sectors and later an early mortgage repayment scheme for those most at risk had not been the most gentlemanly phase of his career. “This will not feature in textbooks on political etiquette, but we had no time to lose, and it had to be done to ensure that the country remained on its feet,” he said.

Mr. Orbán said that he is ready to cooperate with anyone who is willing to help – or at least not obstruct – the Government in the achievement of its goal: that of a strong Hungary. At the same time, he will fight any policy or ambition that seeks to bring back the system and methods which weakened the country and plunged it into crisis.

The country stands on new foundations Mr. Orbán said that he has arrived at a milestone in the work begun in May 2010, and that Hungary is now standing on new foundations.

The Government has managed to reduce public debt significantly; this is sometimes difficult to realise, however, because of the Hungarian

forint’s fluctuexating change rate. If it had not been for the reduction of public debt, Hungary would now be in the same sitas uation it Greece: have would lost its independence, and creditors would be taking control. He menalso tioned that implementation of the Széll Kálmán Plan has reached

83 per cent.

He also highlighted the results of the flat-rate and family tax systems. He said that the old and disproportionate tax system penalised work and families. Two years ago the situation of families was completely different than it is now: those with children had to pay the same amount of tax as the childless. Today it is different, and average earnings of those with one child have increased by 8.1 per cent; they have increased by 16 per cent and 23.3 per cent for families with two and three children respectively.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the objective is to remove any financial disadvantages in having children.

He said that the attempt is to integrate the interests of the middle-class and the retired: a difficult task, but by no means an impossible one.

On the efforts being made for the severely disadvantaged, he highthe lighted public employproment g r a m m e , has which given work to 206,000 people this year.

He is aware that the wage of HUF 46,000 for such work is low, but it is more than the state benefit of HUF 26,000.

He promised school that and vocational education of adults would be subsidised, and he also reminded his audience that the transformation of the vocational training system has begun; the essence of this is that more time be spent on practical work than at school.

Concerning the education system, he said that up to now talented young graduates have been leaving the country, and so the system requires fundamental reform. In the future, those receiving state education should commit to working in Hungary for at least some years. Those not eligible for or not requiring scholarships can get preferential student loans – thus education is available to all.

Predictable investment environment Prime The M i n i s t e r stressed that a predictable investment climate is also in the interest of the Government.

Large companies displacing busismall and nesses taking then profits their abroad will not get state support. However, inthose vestors who provide decent jobs for a reasonable profit should be kept in Hungary. The Prime Minister continues to defend corporate income tax, which was reduced from 19 to 10 per cent in 2010.

The country deserves credit for the fact that 2011 was the first year in which the budget deficit has fallen below 3 per cent since EU accession in 2004; this is significant, as public debt automatically decreases if the budget deficit falls below 2.8 per cent.

The new Constitution, which took effect on 1 January, also contains important guarantees on debt reduction and the preservation of a balanced budget, thus preventing irresponsible governments from jeopardising the future of generations to come. The Prime Minister also mentioned measures ending the privileges of the political elite.

Mr. Orbán said that those who speak about the bankruptcy of Hungary – the country losing its battle for renewal – do not know what they are talking about: they do not know the country or the Hungarian people. He stressed that Hungary will always have friends such as Lithuania and Poland, whom he thanked for their support.

The Alliance Will Not Let Afghanistan Down (Online February 07, 2012) “The NATO-led International Security AssisForce tance (ISAF)’s gradual transition of lead security responsibility and related the tasks to the Afghan security forces is on schedule and making steady p r o g r e s s by province province and region by rein gion Afghanistan” – Csaba Dr. Hende pointed out in Brussels.

The Minister of Defence participated in the Defence Ministers’ Meeting of NATO member countries that ended on Friday, February 3.

Answering a question from MTI, Csaba Hende said that by this summer the transition is scheduled to reach a stage in which more than half of the Afghan population will be living in areas where the Afghan security

forces have taken lead responsibility.

NATO will not let Afghanistan down after the 2014 completion of the roadmap leading to the transition of lead security responsibility to the Afghan forces – the Minister stressed.

He noted that NATO can mainly provide assistance to develop security structures in the Central Asian country, and that the funding of the Afghan

security forces will be a big issue in the fuCsaba ture. reHende ferred to the Ministers’ selfcritical remark that the operations in Libya have shown NATO that needs to improve some of its capabilities, which calls for joint efforts in this field.

On Thursday, February 2 the Hungarian Minister of Defence had bil a t e r a l discussions Czech with Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra on the ways of expanding the scope of military cooperation. The items on the agenda of the meeting included pilot training with special emphasis on Hungary’s joining the Czech–Croatian training program for Mi-17 helicopter crews, and the possibilities in the use of the Czech-made L-159 trainer aircraft were also discussed.

European Perspective on Defence Cooperation in a Time of Financial Challenge (Online February 07, 2012) The European D e f e n c e Agency (EDA) organised the traditional AnConfernual ence 2012 on 31 January also this year. It provided a forum for a high level d e b a t e amongst senior from experts governments, EU institutions, industry and think tanks on the means to boost European defence cooperation in an era of severe financial constraints.

Claude-France Arnould, the Chief Executive of EDA invited Gábor MÁRKI, Deputy State Secretary for Defence Economy and Nat i o n a l Armaments Director, Ministry of Defence, to be the moderator of opening panel 1“Effective defence collaboration – a business case for Europe”.

After the speeches of Baroness Catherine Ashton, the Head of the EDA, the high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy and the Vice-president of the European Commission, and of Mr. Pieter de Crem, the Belgian de-

fence minister, Mr. Márki outlined the topics – enhanced defence cooperation vs. sovereignty, collective deci-

sion making and cost-effectiveness, regional initiatives/Pooling&Shar-

ing/Smart defence – which can be significant for the reform of the European defence cooperaThe tion. of speakers the panel 1 Olof were: Skoog, Permanent Chair to Political the and Security Committee, European External Action Service, General Stéphane A b r i a l Supreme Allied Comm a n d e r Tr a n s f o r m a tion of the NATO and Klaus Eberhardt, President of AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe and Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall PLC. At the end of the conference there was a live broadcast from the Pentagon where Alexander Vershbow, Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, US Department of Defence, made his speech. After the conference Mr. Márki – together with General Abrial, for the request of Mrs. Arnould – took part on press conference.

Cattle Exports to Turkey Resume (Online February 07, 2012) According to information received by the relevant Hungarian authority, Turkey is to revoke its ban on livestock imports from Hungary. The Turkish party has accepted the Hungarian authority's package of measures and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Animal Husbandry will be lifting the temporary ban on the transport of live animals, meaning that exports may now continue after the relevant quotas are distributed. Businesses who deal in exports will also receive noti-

fication when the ban is lifted.

In future, Hungarian companies will dispatch their shipments from predetermined depots, where the condition, ear tags and documents of loaded livestock will be inspected with the help of both Hungarian and Turkish veterinarians.

The Turkish authorities temporarily suspended the import of Hungarian cattle last December, citing technical objections. The Ministry of Rural Development immediately contacted the Turkish authorities, and Deputy State

Secretary Lajos Bognár travelled to Ankara at once to clarify the issue.

Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas ordered the tighter monitoring of animal shipments, and prepared a package of measures, a copy of which was also sent to the relative Turkish Ministry.

Thanks to successful discussions on the issue, not only will the export of livestock destined for the slaughterhouse now resume, but the export of sheep and goats intended for breeding to Turkey will also begin.

Statement of the MFA on The Jerusalem Post’s article of 5 February 2012 about Hungary (Online February 06, 2012) The Ministry for Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the position of the MPs of the Jobbik political party on the Holocaust, on the internal political situation in Israel, and on the political relations of the Middle East.

The Government of Hungary considers the tragic extermination of the Hungarian Jews during the Second World War to be an unprecedented genocide. The Government deems it extremely important that this should be given due emphasis in the nation’s memory, in education, in re-

search, and in the compensation granted to victims and their relatives.

Hungary rejects all forms of Holocaust denial.

The Hungarian foreign policy has been committed to Israel’s security since the political transition of 198990. Hungary supports all efforts which aim to achieve stable and fair peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiations based on the two-state solution.

Regarding the situation of Iran, Hungary shares all the concerns expressed by our EU and NATO

partners several times, and is an active participant in the formation and implementation of this alliance policy.

In addition, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs categorically rejects all the malevolent attempts which – corresponding to the recent propaganda creating anti-Hungarian hysteria – try to blur the distinction between the Hungarian Government’s policy and the irresponsible statements of the extreme right opposition on the basis of false allegations.

Martonyi begins two-day visit to Germany (Online February 06, 2012) Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi has left on a two-day official visit to Germany on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the HungarianGerman friendship treaty.

Martonyi is scheduled to meet his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle in Berlin to discuss bilateral ties and European affairs.

Martonyi is scheduled to give a lecture on Hungary's diplomatic endeavours and new foreign policy strategy in the light of European challenges in the Munich-based Foreign Policy Society.

The Hungarian-German agreement on friendly cooperation and European partnership was signed by the two countries' leaders at the time,

Prime Minister Jozsef Antall and Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl, on February 6, 1992.

The agreement envisaged regular political dialogue on international affairs, including annual meetings between the two countries' prime ministers and foreign ministers.

Hungarian Development Bank launches HUF 100 billion loan program for local councils (Online February 09, 2012) The state-owned Hungarian Development Bank has launched a HUF 100bn loan program to help local councils in Hungary finance investments to develop infrastructure, the bank announced on Tuesday evening.

The new programme will replace two running MFB lending programmes to local councils, one for infrastructural development and another designed to support the construction and renovation of rental homes. The two programmes will be phased out in April,

MFB said.

Hungary’s previous, Hungarian Socialist Party-led government launched the programmes in the middle of the previous decade.

IMF reiterates "tangible steps" needed for Hungary aid talks Feb 9 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund needs to see tangible steps by the Hungarian government on critical economic issues to resume talks on financial assistance, the Fund's repre-

sentative in Hungary said on Thursday.

"We first need to see tangible steps that the government is ready to engage on macro critical issues, otherwise we remain ready," Iryna Ivaschenko told a business conference, reiterating IMF Managing Di-

rector Christine Lagarde's position.

In response to a question she said the recent collapse of national airline Malev carried financial risks for the government but their headline impact on the budget was difficult to assess at this stage, as the situation was volatile.

PAKISTAN ‘Headway’ in talks, but bill deferred Both the government and opposition reported headway in their talks over the fate of a constitution amendment to protect the seats of 28 parliamentarians, but the bill to provide for it was deferred in the National Assembly for the fifth time for approval.

However, the house passed two other important government bills meant to improve the regulatory role of the State Bank of Pakistan and to encourage financing for power projects.

Talking to reporters, PPP chief whip Khurshid Ahmed Shah described the outcome of the latest session of talks with the other side as an “important headway”, while opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called it “some headway” in a television talk show later.

Both sides said they would consult their party leaderships about points apparently agreed between their negotiators before finalising an amended draft of the Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Bill, which could possibly provide for stronger guarantees for future general elections to be free and fair.

The original draft only aimed at validating post-Eighteenth Amendment by-elections to 28 seats of both houses of parliament and provincial assemblies whose occupiers were suspended by the Supreme Court on Monday because they were elected when the Election Commission was not complete.

But the Pakistan Muslim League-N wanted stronger guarantees about the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission and a caretaker set-up that must oversee a general election as conditions for its support to the bill, which needed to

be passed by two-thirds majorities of the membership both in the 342-seat National Assembly and 100-seat Senate.

The government, according to sources close to the talks, had agreed to provide for five-year tenures for the four members of the Election Commission — as is the case for the Chief Election Commissioner — but the talks remained deadlocked for three days over the caretaker set-up, which must be appointed by the president in the centre and by provincial governors in the provinces in consultation with the prime minister — or a chief minister in the case of a province — and opposition leaders of the concerned houses whenever a general election is called.

There was no formal word from either side whether the government had agreed to the PML-N’s demand for a consensus on the caretaker set-up – which the other side says will be very difficult to achieve and could stall elections indefinitely.

Mr Shah told reporters after the latest meeting between the two delegations that the two sides would now consult their respective leaderships and “God-willing a final draft (of amendments) will be presented in parliament in a day or two”.

Mr Shah, who is also the religious affairs minister, declined to give details of agreed points without permission

of “our leadership” and, on being pressed further, remarked: “It can happen that their leadership does not accept our proposals and our leadership does not accept their proposals.”

Chaudhry Nisar, when asked by a reporter in his chamber later whether the deadlock in the talks had ended, said: “You can say so.”

And while responding to questions in a TV talk show, he predicted a “decision tomorrow” of what he called “headway made today”.

Inside the house, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who presided over the proceedings, announced the deferment of the bill without giving reasons, for the fifth time since the start of the present session on Feb 1.

The State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, which came to the house for passage for the second time after some amendments made in the Senate, seeks – according to its statement of objects and reasons – to make the law “more conducive to the changing global economic and regulator environment” and “better enable the modern functions of the central bank”.The vote came after PPP veteran Zafar Ali Shah agreed not to press his amendments on assurances by Minister of State for Finance Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood and the deputy speaker that many drafting errors in the bill about which he complained, would be removed.

The other bill passed in the sitting – the Private Power and Infrastructure Board Bill – seeks to make the existing board a statutory institution through an act of parliament to inspire confidence in the body and encourage foreign financing for power projects.

Le Monde interview with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Online February 07, 2012) An interview with Viktor Orbán appeared in the French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday. The Prime Minister stressed that ideologies are no longer important: it is values that matter, and values have not changed since 1989.

The Prime Minister said that national sovereignty is very important but, in the world of interdependent countries in which we live, he sees the exercise of sovereignty as a complex issue. He also said that he sees commitment as an important principle to adhere to.

‘I do not like elitist and aristocratic forms of political debate. I prefer the plebeian approach,’ he said.

Politically, the Prime Minister defined himself as firmly rooted in the traditions of the European People's Party, which he sees as involving commitment to Christian Democracy, and to the principles of freedom, individual responsibility and national sovereignty. He regards this as a typically centre-right stance, deeply rooted in values; these include both traditional ones – such as Christianity, the family and freedom – and other more ‘progressive’ ones, such as participation and social mobility.

‘I am a right-wing plebeian,’ said the Prime Minister. He said that this might surprise readers of Le Monde.

When asked whether he felt himself to be a populist, he replied: ‘If by populist you mean that I tell people that I want to make their lives

better, then I am. If that means favouring government by the people and for the people – as Abraham Lincoln did – then once again yes, I am.’

He said that we love democracy for its values, but in Europe there are ever increasing problems in this regard. Highly indebted companies, poor demographics, unsuccessful social integration and the rise of extremism are all factors that weaken democracy. He believes that we will soon be challenged by countries which are more successful, but not democratically organized – such as China – and by Asian companies. In his view, intellectuals and politicians in Europe should be encouraged ‘to think more freely about the future of democracy.’

In relation to the concerns expressed by the EU, he stressed that neighbouring countries are solidly behind Hungary, and so there is no question of disagreement with the whole of Europe. He said that the basic difference in Western Europe is that it did not experience communism and post-communism, and so it is understandable that ‘there are fair concerns which are not politically-motivated, since the Western historical and social context is not the same as ours.’

The Prime Minister said that the 365 new laws and comprehensive reforms passed over the last one and a half years were necessary because in 2010 Hungary found itself on the edge of a precipice. In addition to a

seven per cent budget deficit and government debt over 80 per cent of GDP, an especially serious problem was the fact that, of a population of 10 million, only 2.6 million people were paying tax. He said there had been no time to waste, and that all democratic means had to be used to rectify the situation as quickly as possible: means referred to by Le Monde as a ’bulldozer‘. ‘But our bulldozer has always kept to the Highway Code. Even if at times I have tried to amend the Highway Code, I have always taken care to abide by the law,’ said the Prime Minister. He stressed that as a lawyer he was aware of how important it is to ‘play by the rules of the game’ in a state under the rule of law.

He pointed out that today there are 3.8 million taxpayers in Hungary. In connection with government debt, he said that the country is getting closer to a solution, since there is a plan in place to reduce it to 70% by 2014. As for household debt, he mentioned that about one million people had taken out foreign currency-denominated loans, but that now 200,000 fewer are suffering under this burden, thanks to the early repayment scheme initiated by the Government. ‘I am not Spartacus, I did not ask for the annulment of all debt,’ he said. He said that his negotiations with banks had been the toughest fight of his political career, and in the course of this he had found himself opposed by the entire international banking community. He said that

being poor in Hungary is not the same as being poor in France: Communism meant that Hungarians never had the same goods as were common in the West. He stated that his government’s policies are aimed at strengthening the middle class, many of whom live in a precarious situation. He believes, on the other hand, that the time of danger has passed, and that the country must now enter an era of consolidation and consensus.

When he was asked how he envisages national sovereignty within the EU, he replied that Hungary has no basic problems with the EU. Difficulties arise when Hungary receives hostile reactions to its defence of such shared values as Christianity, family or the nation. He said that the acceptance of European Union institutions is undermined when Hungary is compared to North Korea in the European Parliament.

As far as the independence of the National Bank of Hungary is concerned, Mr Orbán said that when he became prime minister he promised not to remove the Governor of the Bank. At the same time, it is difficult to reconcile the economic policies of the Government with those of the central bank – but this problem exists in other European countries as well. He said that non-voting representatives from the Ministry of Finance have been attending Monetary Council sessions for twenty years with no objections from the European

Commission, but since this has now been questioned the Hungarian government is willing to change the practice.

In connection with Klubrádió, the Prime Minister said that in the West the award of the franchise to another operator is being made to look as if it is an attack on freedom of expression. With regard to the situation of the media, he underlined that 90% of the media is in private hands, and two-thirds is owned by non-Hungarians. So far, none of the leaders of these media organisations have indicated that they have any problems with the Media Acts. He also mentioned that it was the first time in his political career that a minister of a leading power (in this case U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) had urged him to ‘break the law’ by intervening in the tender involving Klubrádió: the award of frequencies is governed by strict regulations. ‘If Americans or others wish to support Klubrádió, they should give it money, so that it can strengthen its financial undertakings,’ he added.

Finally, in connection with the appointment of György Dörner as the director of the ‘New Theatre’ in Budapest, he said that this matter is outside his remit, and that he shall not be attending the premiere of Dörner’s first play.