Queen Margrethes Birthday GREENLAND, DENMARK - A p r 1 6
Margrethe II (Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, sometimes anglicised as Margaret II) (born 16 April 1940) is the queen regnant of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrete I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1388-1412 during the Kalmar Union.
life Early Princess Margrethe was born at
Amalienborg Palace, to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid. She was baptised on 14 May 1940. Since King Christian X was also the King of Iceland at the time, as a tribute to the people of Iceland, the Princess was given an Icelandicname, Þórhildur (spelled with the Icelandic thorn character, simplified as "th"). This middle name is anglicized as sometimes "Thorhildur." Margrethe has two younger sisters: Princess Benedikte (born 1944), who lives in Germany, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (born 1946), who lives in London. The princess's godparents were King Christian X of Denmark, Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince Axel of Denmark, King Gustaf V of Sweden, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, The Duke of Connaught. In mid-1960, together with the Princesses of Sweden and Norway, she traveled to the United States, which included a visit to Los Angeles, California, and to the Paramount Studios, where they were met by several celebrities, including Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Elvis Presley.
Heiress presumptive Margrethe was not born to be Monarch. At
the time of her birth, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark, owing to the changes in succession laws enacted in the 1850s when theGlücksburg branch was chosen to succeed. As she had no brothers, it was assumed that her uncle Prince Knud would one day assume the throne. The process of changing the constitution started in 1947, not long after her father ascended the throne as Frederick IX and it became clear that Queen Ingrid would have no more children. The popularity of Frederik and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life started the complicated process of altering the constitution. That proposal had to be passed by two Parliaments in succession and then by a referendum, which was held on 27 March 1953. The new Act of Succession permitted female succession to the throne of Denmark, according to Queen Margrethe II and her consort, Prince Henrik, male-preference primogeniture, where a fe- in 2010. male can ascend to the throne only if she does not have a brother. Princess Margrethe therefore became the Heiress Presumptive. On her eighteenth birthday, 16 April 1958, the Heiress Presumptive was given a seat in theCouncil of State, and the Princess subsequently chaired the meetings of the Council in the absence of the King.
and marriage Education She studied prehistoric archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge during 1960–61, political science at Aarhus Uni-
versity between 1961–1962, at the Sorbonne in 1963, and at the London School of Economics in 1965, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. On 10 June 1967, Princess Margrethe of Denmark married a French diplomat, Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, at the Naval Church of Copenhagen. Laborde de Monpezat received the style and title of "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark" because of his new position as the spouse of the Heiress Presumptive to the Danish throne. Queen Margrethe is fluent in her native tongue, Danish; the native tongue of her husband, French; as well as English, Swedish and German.
Reign King Frederik IX died in 1972. On the occa-
sion of her accession to the throne on 14 January 1972, Queen Margrethe II became the first female Danish Sovereign under the new Act of Succession. Queen Margrethe II's official motto is: God's help, the love of The People, Denmark's strength. She is an accomplished artist and Queen Margrethe II in Vágur, Faroe Islands, 21 June costume designer. She suffers from arthritis 2005 and has had both her knees replaced as a result. In 2008 the Queen announced that her male-line descendants would bear the additional title of Count of Monpezat. She is the 1,188th Dame of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain and the 961st Lady of the Order of the Garter.
Constitutional role After an election where the incumbent Prime Minister does not have a majority behind him, a “Dronningerunde”
(Queen's meeting) between the chairmen of each of the Danish political parties attends a meeting with the monarch. Each party has the choice of selecting a Royal Investigator to lead these negotiations or alternatively, give the incumbent Prime Minister the mandate to continue his government as is. In theory each party could choose its own leader as Royal Investigator, the globalistic party Det Radikale Venstre did so in 2006, but often only one Royal Investigator is chosen plus the Prime Minister, before each election. The leader who, at that meeting succeeds in securing a majority of the seats in the Folketing, is by royal decree charged with the task of forming a new government. (It has never happened in more modern history that any party has held a majority on its own.) Once the government has been formed, it is formally appointed by the Queen. Officially, it is the Queen who is the head of government, and she therefore presides over the Council of State, where the acts of legislation which have been passed by the parliament are signed into law. In practice, however, nearly all of the Queen's formal powers are exer- Queen Margrethe II and her husband Prince Henrik cised by the Council of State, and she is re- of Denmark welcome President George W. Bush and quired by convention to act on its advice. his wife Laura Bush at Fredensborg Palace, July 5, The Queen's main tasks are to represent the Kingdom abroad and to be a unifying figure- 2005. head at home. The queen performs the latter task by accepting invitations to open exhibitions, attending anniversaries, inaugurating bridges, etc. As an unelected public official, the Queen takes no part in party politics and does not express any political opinions. Although she has the right to vote, she opts not to do so to avoid even the appearance of partisanship. In addition to her roles in her own country, the queen is also the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires), an infantry regiment of the British Army, following a tradition in her family. The Queen is an accomplished painter, and has held many art shows over the years. It is said that were she not the queen, she could make a living as a professional artist. Her illustrations—under the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer— were used for the Danish edition ofThe Lord of the Rings published in 1977 and the re-issue in 2002. She is also an accomplished translator and is said to have participated in the Danish translation of The Lord of the Rings. She also designs some of her own clothes. Margrethe is a chain smoker, and she is famous for her tobacco habit. However, on 23 November 2006 the Danish newspaper B.T. reported an announcement from the Royal Court stating that the queen would never again be seen smoking in public. Still, the queen does continue to smoke but in the future she will do so only privately. The announcement is probably due to the fact that the Danish parliament recently has decided on strict rules concerning smoking. A statement in a 2005 authorized biography about the Queen (entitled Margrethe) focused on Islam: "We are being challenged by Islam these years. Globally as well as locally. There is something impressive about people for whom religion imbues their existence, from dusk to dawn, from cradle to grave. There are also Christians who feel this way. There is something endearing about people who give themselves up completely to their faith. But there is likewise something frightening about such a totality, which also is a feature of Islam. A counterbalance has to be found, and one has to, at times, run the risk of having unflattering labels placed on you. For there are some things for which one should display no tolerance. And when we are tolerant, we must know whether it is because of convenience or conviction."
Honours and decorations Danish decorations:
Order of the Elephant Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog One hundred anniversary Commemorative Medal of King Frederik IX's birth One hundred anniversary Commemorative Medal of King Christian X's birth Queen Ingrid's Commemorative Medal Commemorative Medal for the 50-year anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Ingrid's arrival in Denmark Home Guard fortjensttegn Home Guard 25-year mark Civil Defense League glory sign Danish Reserve Officers Association Medal
Foreign decorations:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator San Martin (Argentina) Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Order of the Southern Cross with chain (Brazil) Order of Stara Planina with scarf (Bulgaria) Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Chile) Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonia) Order of Al Kamal (United Arab Emirates) Chain of the Order of the Nile (Egypt) Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France) Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer (Greece) Order of Saints Olga and Sophia (Greece) Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Falcon (Iceland) Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Order of the Precious Crown, First Class (Japan)) Order of the Chrysanthemum with chain (Japan) Order of al-Hussain ibn-Ali (Jordan) Order of the Yugoslav Grand Star Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (Latvia) Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (Lithuania) Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (Luxembourg) Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco) Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands) Order of Pratap Bhasker first class (Nepal) Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of St. Olav (Norway) Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Grand Cross with chain of the Order of Prince Henry (Portugal) Grand Cross with chain of the Order of Saint James of the Sword (Portugal) Grand Cross with chain of the Order of the Star of Romania Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (Saudi Arabia) Golden Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia Order of the Golden Fleece (Spain) Grand Cross with chain of the Order of Charles III (Spain) Knight of the Order of the Garter (United Kingdom) Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (United Kingdom) Chain of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden) Grand Cross with chain of the Order of Good Hope (South Africa) Order of Maha Chakrkri first pm. with chain (Thailand) Order of Rajamitrabhorn (Thailand) Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Austria)
Ancestry
Patrilineal descent:
Margrethe's patriline is the line from which she is descended father to son. Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Margrethe II were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Oldenburg. Egilmar I of Lerigau, dates unknown 1. Egilmar II of Lerigau, d. 1142 2. Christian I of Oldenburg, d. 1167 3. Moritz of Oldenburg, d. 1209 4. Christian II of Oldenburg, d. 1233 5. John I, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1275 6. Christian III, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1285 7. John II, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1314 8. Conrad I, Count of Oldenburg, 1300–1347 9. Christian V, Count of Oldenburg, 1340–1423 10. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg, 1398–1440 11. Christian I of Denmark, 1426–1481 12. Frederick I of Denmark, 1471–1533 13. Christian III of Denmark, 1503–1559 14. John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, 1545–1622 15. Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, 1573–1627 16. August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1612–1675 17. Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1653–1728 18. Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1696–1775 19. Prince Karl Anton August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1727–1759 20. Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1757–1816 21. Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, 1785–1831 22. Christian IX of Denmark, 1818–1906 23. Frederick VIII of Denmark, 1843–1912 24. Christian X of Denmark, 1870–1947 25. Frederick IX of Denmark, 1899–1972 26. Margrethe II of Denmark, b. 1940 27.
Income Tax Day U.S. - A p r 1 5
In the United States, Tax Day is a slang term for the day on which individual income tax returns are due to the federal government. The term may also refer to the same day for states, even where the tax return due date is a different day. Since 1955, Tax Day is usually on April 15. When April 15 falls on a weekend, Emancipation Day, or any other holiday, tax returns are instead due on the following business day. In 2011, Tax Day is April 18.
History
Federal income tax was introduced with the Revenue Act of 1861 to help fund the Civil War. That Act stipulated that income tax "shall be due and payable on or before the thirtieth day of June". There is an unsubstantiated claim that the first income tax was paid only by the very wealthy, and they tended to spend their summers vacationing. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is said to have argued, "The collection of taxes would be much easier if an earlier assessment was made, before they leave town." The case of Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. challenged the constitutionality of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of 1894 which taxed incomes over $4,000 at the rate of two percent. The case was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1895. The Supreme Court decided that the Act's unapportioned income taxes on interest, dividends, and rents were effectively direct taxes. The Act was therefore unconstitutional because it violated the Constitution's rule that direct taxes be apportioned. In 1913, eighteen years later, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. This Amendment gave the United States Congress the legal authority to tax all incomes without regard to the apportionment requirement. The filing deadline for individuals was March 1 in 1913 and was changed to March 15 in 1918 and again to April 15 in 1955. Today, the filing deadline for U.S. federal income tax returns for individuals remains April 15 or, in the event that the 15th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the first succeeding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or holiday. Tax Day occasionally falls on Patriots' Day, a civic holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and state of Maine, or the preceding weekend. When this occurs the tax deadline is extended by a day for the residents of Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. This is because the IRS processing center for these areas is located in Andover, Massachusetts, and the unionized IRS employees get the day off. In 2007, Tax Day was on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 because April 15 fell on a Sunday and Monday, April 16 was Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. A storm and flooding affected the Northeast that year and certain states were granted additional time to file. In some cases, the deadline was extended to as late as June 25.
Kim Il-sun's Birthday NORTH KOREA - A p r 1 5
Kim Il-sung (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a Korean communist politician who ruled North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea from 1949 to 1994 (titled as chairman from 1949 to 1966 and as general secretary after 1966). His tenure as leader of North Korea has often been described as autocratic, and he established an all-pervasive cult of personality. From the mid-1960s, he promoted his self-developed Juchevariant of communist national organization. In the Library of Congress Country Study on North Korea in 2009, he was described as "one of the most intriguing figures of the twentieth century". He outlived Joseph Stalin by four decades, Mao Zedong by two, and remained in power during the terms of office of six South Korean presidents, 7 Soviet leaders, ten U.S. presidents, and twentyone Japanese prime ministers. Following his death in 1994, he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il, who in turn was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un. North Korea officially refers to Kim Il-sung as the "Great Leader" (Suryong in Korean 수령) and he is designated in the North Korean constitution as the country's "Eternal President". His birthday is a public holiday in North Korea.
Death
By the early 1990s, North Korea was isolated from the outside world, except for limited trade and contacts with China, Russia, Vietnam and Cuba. Its economy was crippled by huge expenditures on armaments, and the agricultural sector was unable to feed its population. At the same time, the state-run North Korean media continued to praise Kim. On 8 July 1994, at age 82, Kim Il-sung collapsed from a sudden heart attack. After the heart attack, Kim Jong-il ordered the team of doctors who were constantly at his father's side to leave, and for the country's best doctors to be flown in from Pyongyang. After several hours, the doctors from Pyongyang arrived, and despite their efforts to save him, Kim Il-sung died. After the traditional Confucian Mourning period, his death was declared thirty hours later. Kim Il-sung's death resulted in nationwide mourning and a ten-day mourning period was declared by Kim Jong-il. His funeral in Pyongyang was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over North Korea, many of whom were mourning dramatically. Kim Il-sung's body was placed in a public mausoleum at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his preserved and embalmed body lies under a glass coffin for viewing purposes. His head rests on a Korean-style pillow and he is covered by the flag of the Workers Party of Korea. Newsreel video of the funeral at Pyongyang was broadcast on several networks, and can now be found on various websites.
Independence Day SYRIA - A p r 1 7
Syria officially the Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. The name Syria formerly comprised the entire region of the Levant, while the modern state encompasses the site of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third millennium BC. In the Islamic era, its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of theUmayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The population is 74% Sunni Muslim, with a 13%Shia and Alawite population, 10% non-Muslim Christian and 3% Druze minorities. Since the 1960s, Alawite military officers have tended to dominate the country's politics. Some 90% of the population is Muslim, which includes Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, and others, while some 10% are Christians, which includes Arabs, Assyrians/Syriacs, and Armenians. Ethnic minorities include Kurdish, Assyrians/Syriacs, Armenian, Turkmen, and Circassian people. Modern Syria was created as a French mandate and attained independence in April 1946, as a parliamentary republic. The post-independence period was rocky, and a large number of military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period 1949-1970. Syria has been under Emergency Law since 1962, effectively suspending most constitutional protections for citizens, and its system of government is considered non-democratic. Since 1971 the power has been concentrated first to Hafez al-Assad and then to his son Bashar al-Assad.
Etymology The name Syria is derived from the ancient
Greek name for Syrians, which the Greeks applied without distinction to the Assyrians A number of modern scholars argued that the Greek word related to the cognate Ἀσσυρία, Assyria, ultimately derived from the Akkadian Assur. Others believed that it was derived from Siryon, the name that the Sidonians gave to Mount Hermon. However, the discovery of the Çineköy inscription in 2000 seems to support the theory that the term Syria does indeed derive from Assyria. The area designated by the word has changed over time. Classically, Syria lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, between Egypt and Arabia to the south and Cilicia to the north, stretching inland to include Mesopotamia, and having an uncertain border to the northeast that Pliny the Elder describes as including, from west to east, Commagene, Sophene, and Adiabene. Burj Islam, a well known beach just north of By Pliny's time, however, this larger Syria had Latakia. been divided into a number of provinces under the Roman Empire (but politically independent from each other): Judaea, later renamed Palaestina in AD 135 (the region corresponding to modern day Israel and Jordan) in the extreme southwest, Phoenicia corresponding to Lebanon, with Damascena to the inland side of Phoenicia, Coele-Syria (or "Hollow Syria") south of the Eleutheris river, and Mesopotamia.
History
Since approximately 10 000 BC Syria was one of centers of Neolithic culture (PPNA) where agriculture and cattle breeding appeared for the first time in the world. The following Neolithic period (PPNB) is represented by rectangular houses of Mureybet culture. At the time of the pre-pottery Neolithic people used vessels made of stone, gyps and burnt lime (Vaiselles blanches). Finds of obsidian tools from Anatolia are evidences of early trade relations. Cities of Hamoukar and Emar played an important role during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. Archaeologists have demonstrated that civilization in Syria was one of the most ancient on earth. Around the excavated city of Ebla in northern Syria, an Italian mission led by Prof. Paolo Matthiae discovered in 1975, a great Semitic empire spread from the Red Sea north to Turkey and east to Mesopotamia from 2500 to 2400 BC Ebla appears to have been founded around 3000 BC and gradually built its empire through trade with the cities of Sumer and Akkad, as well as with peoples to the northwest. Gifts from Pharaoh found during excavations confirm Ebla's contact with Egypt. Scholars believe the language of Ebla to be among the oldest known written Semitic languages. The Eblan civilization was likely conquered by Sargon of Akkad around 2260 BC; the city was restored as the nation of the Amorites a few centuries later and flourished through Female figurine, Syria, 5000 BC. the early second millennium BC until conquered by the Hittites. During the second millennium BC, Syria was occupied successively by Ancient Orient Museum. Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Arameans as part of the general disruptions associated with the Sea Peoples; the Phoenicians settled along the coastline of these areas as well as in the west (Now Lebanon and the current Syrian coast), in the area already known for its cedars. Egyptians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Hittites variously occupied the strategic ground of Syria during this period, as it was a marchland between their various empires. Eventually the Persians took control of Syria as part of their general control of Southwest Asia; this control transferred to the Greeks after Alexander the Great's conquests and thence to the Romans and the Byzantines. In 83 BC Syria fell under the rule of Tigranes the Great; the King of Armenia. The Armenians maintained a rule of 13 years over Syria which was finally turned into a Roman Province in 64 BC.
De Diego's Birthday PUERTO RICO - A p r 1 6
José de Diego y Martínez (April 16, 1866 – July 16, 1918), known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement", was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and from the United States.
Early years
De Diego, son of Felipe de Diego Parajón a Spanish army officer from Asturias, Spain and Elisa Martínez Muñiz a Criollo from Puerto Rico, was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and received his primary education in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He then moved to Spain where he graduated from the "Polytechnic College of Logroño". While in Spain, de Diego collaborated with the newspaper El Progreso (Progress) which was founded by José Julián Acosta and which attacked the political situation in Puerto Rico. This led to various arrests and eventually he returned to the island.
Poetry
In 1886, de Diego had an unhappy love affair, with Carmen Echavarría, which led him to write one of his acclaimed poems "A Laura" (To Laura). This poem became very popular among the romantics of that time. He became known as the "Father" of the "Modern Puerto Rican Poetry Movement". Among his most noted poetry books are : • Pomarrosas • Jovillos • Cantos de Rebeldía • Cantos del Pitirre
Confederation of the Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean
De Diego returned to Spain and studied law in Barcelona. He received his law degree and continued his studies until he graduated with a doctorate in law in 1892. He then returned to Puerto Rico to advocate for its autonomy from Spain. De Diego set up his law practice inArecibo and was the founder of the newspaper La República (The Republic). Together with Román Baldorioty de Castro, Diego founded the "Autonomist Party" in 1887. Luis Muñoz Rivera and Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, who were members of the party, formed a committee which ultimately convinced the Spanish representative in the island Práxedes Mateo Sagasta to support the idea of autonomy for Puerto Rico. De Diego did not accompany Muñoz Rivera and Matienzo Cintrón, because he believed that Spain should be a Federal Republic and Mateo Sagasta's party followed the ideals of the monarchy. De Diego envisioned the establishment of a Confederation of the Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean which would include Dominican Republic and Cuba, known as the Antillean Confederation. In 1897, Spain acknowledged Puerto Rico's autonomy, after Mateo Sagasta's victory in Spain. De Diego celebrated Muñoz Rivera's accomplishment and was named Sub-Secretary of Justice and Government. Puerto Rico's autonomy, however was short-lived.
Politician
After the United States invasion of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War, the Treaty of Paris (1898) committed Spain to ceding Puerto Rico to the United States as a war bounty. On June 5, 1900, President William McKinley named de Diego, together with Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, José Celso Barbosa, Manuel Camuñas, and Andrés Crosas to an Executive Cabinet under U.S.-appointed Governor Charles H. Allen. The Executive Cabinet also included six American members. De Diego resigned from the position in order to pursue the island's right to govern itself. In 1904, he co-founded the "Unionist Party" along with Luis Muñoz Rivera, Eduardo Georgetti, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón and Antonio R. Barceló. De Diego was then elected to the House of Delegates, the only locally elected body of government allowed by the U.S., and which De Diego presided from 1904 to 1917. The House of Delegates was subject to the U.S. President's veto power and voted for the island's right to independence and self-government and against the imposition of U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, among other resolutions passed. None of these requests were honored by newly developing US hemispheric expansionism. In 1914, Barceló, Muñoz Rivera and de Diego were members of an executive council that attempted to form an alliance between the Union and Republican Parties. In 1917, after Luis Muñoz Rivera died, Barceló became the leading force behind the liberal ideas of the island. Barceló and De Diego were against the creation of theJones-Shafroth Act which would impose United States citizenship upon the citizens of Puerto Rico because the act represented an impediment to Puerto Rican independence as a final status solution and because the judicial and executive branches would still be controlled by the United States. The Jones-Shafroth Act, however was approved by the United States and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilsonon March 2, 1917. The Union Party under Barceló's leadership then resolved to adopt a different stance and to seek more autonomy which he believed would finally lead to independence. This move prompted de Diego's, who was a strong independence advocate, to have great differences with the majority of his party members,. De Diego became known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement".
Later years
He founded the "Colegio de Agricultura y Artes Mecánicas de Mayagüez" now known as "University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez". De Diego travelled throughout the Caribbean and Spain seeking the support from what he called "Los hermanos de la misma raza" (Brothers of the same race) for Puerto Rico's independence. After giving a speech in Barcelona in to such a request, he became known as the "Caballero de la Raza" (The gentlemen of the race). José de Diego's right leg developed gangrene and was amputated in 1916. He died in New York City on July 16, 1918 of endocarditis. His remains were returned to Puerto Rico and are buried in the "Cementerio Antiguo de San Juan" (Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery), in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Legacy
José de Diego's memory has been honored in Puerto Rico, by having his birth date as an official holiday as well as the naming schools, avenues, and a highway after him. The plaza in his hometown of Aguadilla, the Plaza José de Diego is named in his honor, plus there are schools in Chicago, Illinois, Brooklyn, New York, and Miami, Florida named after him.
FAO Day IRAQ - A p r 1 7
Eblan civilization:
Around the excavated city of Ebla near Idlib city in northern Syria, discovered in 1975, a great Semitic empire spread from the Red Sea north to Turkey and east to Mesopotamia from 2500 to 2400 BC. Ebla appears to have been founded around 3000 BC, and gradually built its empire through trade with the cities of Sumer and Akkad, as well as with peoples to the northwest. Gifts from Pharaohs, found during excavations, confirm Ebla's contact with Egypt. Scholars believe the language of Ebla to be among the oldest known written Semitic languages, designated as Paleo-Canaanite. However, more recent classifications of the Eblaite language has shown that it was an East Semitic language, closely related to the Akkadian language. The Eblan civilization was likely conquered by Sargon of Akkad around 2260 BC; the city was restored, as the nation of the Amorites, a few centuries later, and flourished through the early second millennium BC until conquered by the Hittites.
Antiquity and early Christian era:
During the second millennium BC, Syria was occupied successively by Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Arameans as part of the general disruptions and exchanges associated with the Sea Peoples. The Phoenicians settled along the coast of Northern Canaan (Lebanon), which was already known for its towering cedars. Egyptians, Sumerians,Assyrians, Babylonians and Hittites variously occupied the strategic ground of Syria during this period; the land between their various empires being marsh. Eventually, the Persians took Syria as part of their hegemony of Southwest Asia; this dominion was transferred to the Ancient Macedonians after Alexander the Great's conquests and the Seleucid Empire. The capital of this Empire (founded in 312 BC) was situated at Antioch, modern day Antakya just inside the Turkish border. But the Seleucid Empire was essentially just one long slow period of decline, and Pompey the Great captured Antioch in 64 BC, turning Syria into a Roman province. Thus control of this region passed to the Romans and then the Byzantines. In the Roman Empire period, the city of Antioch was the third largest city in the empire after Rome and Alexandria. With an estimated population of 500,000 at its peak, Antioch was one of the major centers of trade and industry in the ancient world. The population of Syria during the heyday of the empire was probably not exceeded again until the 19th century. Syria's large and prosperous population made Syria one of the most important of the Roman provinces, particularly during the 2nd and 3rd centuries (AD). The Roman Emperor Alexander Severus, who was emperor from 222 to 235, was Syrian. His cousin Elagabalus, who was emperor from 218 to 222, was also Syrian and his family held hereditary rights to the high priesthood of the sun god El-Gabal at Emesa (modern Homs) in Syria. Another Roman emperor who was a Syrian was Marcus Julius Philippus, emperor from 244 to 249. Syria is significant in the history of Christianity; Saul of Tarsus was converted on the Road to Damascus, thereafter being known as the Apostle Paul, and emerged as a significant figure in the first organized Christian Church at Antioch in ancient Syria, from which he left on many of his missionary journeys. (Acts 9:1-43 )
Islamic era:
By AD 640, Syria was conquered by the Rashidun army led by Khaled ibn al-Walid, resulting in the area's becoming part of the Islamic empire. In the mid-7th century, the Umayyad dynasty, then rulers of the empire, placed the capital of the empire in Damascus. Syria was divided into four districts: Damascus, Homs, Palestine and Jordan. The Islamic empire stretched from Spain and Morocco to India and parts of Central Asia; thus Syria prospered economically, being the capital of the empire. Early Ummayad rulers such as Abd al-Malik and al-Walid constructed several splendid palaces and mosques throughout Syria, particularly in Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. There was great toleration of Christians in this era and several held governmental posts. The country's power dramatically declined during later Ummayad rule; mainly due to the totalitarianism and corruption spread among the empire's leaderships, conflict between its general staff, and the successive revolutions by the oppressed and miserable groups. As one Ummayad chieftain responded to a question about the reasons of the decline of their empire: "Rather visiting what needed to be visited, we were more interested in the pleasure and enjoyment of life; we oppressed our people until they gave up and sought relief from us, we trusted our ministers who favoured their own interests and kept secrets from us, and we unhurriedly rewarded our soldiers that we lost their obedience to our enemies." Ummayad dynasty was then overthrown by the Abbasid dynasty in 750, who moved the capital of empire to Baghdad. Arabic — made official under Ummayad rule — became the dominant language, replacing Greek and Aramaic in the Abbasid era. In 887, the Egypt-based Tulunids annexed Syria from the Abbasids, and were later replaced by the Hamdanids originating in Aleppo founded by Sayf al-Daula. Sections of the coastline of Syria were briefly held by Frankish overlords during the Crusades of the 12th century, and were known as the Crusader state of the Principality of Antioch. The area was also threatened by Shi'a extremists known as Assassins (Hashshashin). In 1260, the Mongols arrived, led by Hulegu with an army 100,000 strong, destroying cities and irrigation works. Aleppo fell in January 1260, andDamascus in March, but then Hulegu needed to break off his attack to return to China to deal with a succession dispute. The command of the remaining Mongol troops was placed under Kitbugha, a Christian Mongol. A few months later, the Mamluks arrived with an army from Egypt, and defeated the Mongols in the Battle of Ayn Jalut, in Galilee. The Mamluk leader, Baybars, made his capitals in Cairoand Damascus, linked by a mail service that traveled by both horses and carrier pigeons. When Baybars died, his successor was overthrown, and power was taken by a Turk named Qalawun. In the meantime, an emir named Sunqur al-Ashqar had tried to declare himself ruler of Damascus, but he was defeated by Qalawun on 21 June 1280, Philippus Araps, Roman Emand fled to northern Syria. Al-Ashqar, who had married a Mongol woman, peror appealed for help from the Mongols, and in 1281, they arrived with an army of 50,000 Mongols, and 30,000 Armenian, Georgian, and Turkish auxiliaries, along with Al-Ashqar's rebel force. The Mongols of the Ilkhanate took the city, but Qalawun arrived with a Mamluk force, persuaded Al-Ashqar to switch sides and join him, and they fought against the Mongols on 29 October 1281, in the Second Battle of Homs, a close battle which resulted in the death of the majority of the combatants, but was finally won by the Mamluks. In 1400, Timur Lenk, or Tamerlane, invaded Syria, sacked Aleppo and captured Damascus after defeating the Mamluk army. The city's inhabitants were massacred, except for the artisans, who were deported to Samarkand. It was during the conquests of Timur that the indigenous Christian population of Syria began to suffer under greater persecutions. By the end of the 15th century, the discovery of a sea route from Europe to the Far East ended the need for an overland trade route through Syria. Shattered by the Mongols, Syria was easily absorbed into the Ottoman Empire from the 16th through 20th centuries, and found itself largely apart from, and ignored by, world affairs.
Ottoman era:
Two allied diplomats (Frenchman François Georges-Picot and Briton Mark Sykes) secretly agreed, long before the end of the war, how to split the Ottoman Empire into several zones of influence. With the end of World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire as an ally of Germany, plans by the Entente powers to dissolve this Ottoman territory could then begin. The Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 set the fate of modern Southwest Asia for the coming century; providing France with the northern zone (Syria, with later the upcoming Lebanon), and the United Kingdom with the southern one (Iraq and later, after renegotiations in 1917, Palestine (then still including Jordan) - 'to secure daily transportation of troops from Haifa to Baghdad' - agreement n° 7). The two territories were separated by only a straight border line from Jordan to Iran. But early discoveries of oil in the region of Mosul just before the end of the war led to yet another negotiation with France in 1918 to cede this region to 'Zone B', or the British zone of influence. The borders between the 'Zone A' and 'Zone B' have not changed from 1918 to this date. Since 1920, the two sides have been recognized internationally under mandate of the League of Nations by the two dominant countries: France and the United Kingdom.
French Mandate:
In 1920, an independent Arab Kingdom of Syria was established under Faisal I of the Hashemite family, who later became the King of Iraq. However, his rule over Syria ended after only a few months, following the clash between his Syrian Arab forces and regular French forces at the Battle of Maysalun. French troops occupied Syria later that year after the San Remo conference proposed that the League of Nations put Syria under a French mandate. In 1925 Sultan Pasha al-Atrash led a revolt which broke out in the Druze Mountain and spread to engulf the whole of Syria and parts of Lebanon. This is considered one of the most important revolutions against the French mandate, as it encompassed the whole of Syria and witnessed fierce battles between rebel and French forces. On August 23, 1925, Sultan Pasha al-Atrash officially declared revolution against France, and soon fighting erupted in Damascus, Homs and Hama. Al-Atrash won several battles against the French at the beginning of revolution, notably the Battle of Al-Kabir on July 21, 1925, the Battle of Al-Mazra'a on August 2, 1925, and the battles of Salkhad, Almsifarh and Suwayda. After rebel victories against the French, France sent thousands of troops to Syria and Lebanon from Morocco and Senegal, equipped with modern weapons; the rebels were lightly armed. This dramatically altered the results and allowed the French to regain many cities, although resistance lasted until the spring of 1927. The French sentenced Sultan al-Atrash to death, but he had escaped with the rebels to Transjordan and was eventually pardoned. He returned to Syria in 1937 after the signing of the Syrian French Treaty. He was met with a huge public reception. Syria and France negotiated a treaty of independence in September 1936, and Hashim al-Atassi, who was Prime Minister under King Faisal's brief reign, was the first president to be elected under a new constitution, effectively the first incarnation of the modern republic of Syria. However, the treaty never came into force because the French Legislature refused to ratify it. With the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Syria came under the control of the Vichy Government until the British and Free French occupied the country in July 1941. Syria proclaimed its independence again in 1941, but it was not until 1 January 1944 that it was recognised as an independent republic. Continuing pressure from Syrian nationalist groups and British pressure forced the French to evacuate their troops in April 1946, leaving the country in the hands of a republican government that had been formed during the mandate.
Instability and foreign relations: independence to 1967:
Although rapid economic development followed the declaration of independence, Syrian politics from independence through the late 1960s were marked by upheaval. Between 1946 and 1956, Syria had 20 different cabinets and drafted four separate constitutions. In 1948, Syria was involved in the Arab-Israeli War, aligning with the other local Arab nations who were attempting to prevent the establishment of Israel. The Syrian army was pressed out of most of the Palestine area, but fortified their strongholds on the Golan Heights and managed to keep their old borders and some additional territory (this was converted into "supposed" demilitarized zones under UN supervision ; the status of these territories have proved a stumbling-block for Syrian-Israeli negotiations). It was during this period that many Syrian Jews, who faced growing discrimination, emigrated from the country, as part of Jewish exodus from Arab countries. The humiliating defeat suffered by the army was one of several trigger factors for Col. Husni al-Za'im'sseizure of power in 1949, in what has been described as the first military overthrow of the Arab world since the start of the Second World War. This was soon followed by another overthrow, by Col. Sami al-Hinnawi, who was then himself quickly deposed by Col. Adib Shishakli, all within the same year. After exercising influence behind the scenes for some time, dominating the ravaged parliamentary scene, Shishakli launched a second overthrow in 1951, entrenching his rule and eventually abolishing multipartyism altogether. Only when president Shishakli was himself overthrown in a 1954 overthrow, was the parliamentary system restored, but it was fundamentally undermined by continued political maneuvering supported by competing factions in the military. By this time, civilian politics had been largely gutted of meaning, and power was increasingly concentrated in the military and security establishment, which had now proven itself to be the only force capable of seizing and - perhaps - keeping power. Parliamentary institutions remained weak and ineffectual, dominated by competing parties representing the landowning elites and various Sunni urban notables, while economy and politics were mismanaged, and little done to better the role of Syria's peasant majority. This, as well as the influence of Nasserism and other anticolonial ideologies, created fertile ground for various Arab nationalist, Syrian nationalist and socialist movements, who represented disaffected elements of society, notably including the religious minorities, and demanded radical reform. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, after the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula by Israeli troops, and the intervention of British and French troops,martial law was declared in Syria. The November 1956 attacks on Iraqi pipelines were in retaliation for Iraq's acceptance into the Baghdad Pact. In early 1957 Iraq advised Egypt and Syria against a conceivable takeover of Jordan. In November 1956 Syria signed a pact with the Soviet Union, providing a foothold for Communist influence within the government in exchange for planes, tanks, and other military equipment being sent to Syria. With this increase in the strength of Syrian military technology worried Turkey, as it seemed feasible that Syria might attempt to retake Iskenderun, a matter of dispute between Syria and Turkey. On the other hand, Syria and the U.S.S.R. accused Turkey of massing its troops at the Syrian border. During this standoff, Communists gained more control over the Syrian government and military. Only heated debates in the United Nations (of which Syria was an original member) lessened the threat of war. Syria's political instability during the years after the 1954 overthow, the parallelism of Syrian and Egyptian policies, and the appeal of Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser's leadership in the wake of the Suez crisis created support in Syria for union with Egypt. On 1 February 1958, Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli and Nasser announced the merging of the two countries, creating the United Arab Republic, and all Syrian political parties, as well as President Adib Shishakli the Communists therein, ceased overt activities. The union was not a success, however. Following a military overthrow led by Abd al-Karim al-Nahlawi on 28 September 1961, Syria seceded, reestablishing itself as the Syrian Arab Republic. Instability characterized the next 18 months, with various overthrows culminating with 8 March 1963 coup, resulting in installation by leftist Syrian Army officers of the National Council of the Revolutionary Command (NCRC), a group of military and civilian officials who assumed control of all executive and legislative authority. The takeover was engineered by members of the Arab Socialist Resurrection Party (Ba'ath Party), which had been active in Syria and other Arab countries since the late 1940s. The new cabinet was dominated by Ba'ath members. The Baath takeover in Syria followed a Baath overthrow in Iraq the previous month. The new Syrian Government explored the possibility of federation with Egypt and with Baath-controlled Iraq. An agreement was concluded in Cairo on 17 April 1963, for a referendum on unity to be held in September 1963. However, serious disagreements among the parties soon developed, and the tripartite federation failed to materialize. Thereafter, the Baath government in Syria and Iraq began to work for bilateral unity. These plans foundered in November 1963, when the Baath government in Iraq was overthrown. In May 1964, President Amin Hafiz of the NCRC promulgated a provisional constitution providing for a National Council of the Revolution (NCR), an appointed legislature composed of representatives of mass organizations— labour, peasant, and professional unions—a presidential council, in which executive power was vested, and a cabinet. On 23 February 1966, a group of army officers carried out a successful, intra-party overthrow, imprisoned President Hafiz, dissolved the cabinet and the NCR, abrogated the provisional constitution, and designated a regionalist, civilian Baath government on 1 March. The leaders of the overthrow described it as a "rectification" of Baath Party principles.
Six Day War and aftermath:
We shall never call for nor accept peace. We shall only accept war. We have resolved to drench this land with your blood. To oust you aggressors, to throw you into the sea. —Hafez al-Assad, then Syrian Defence Minister, 24 May 1966 When Nasser closed the Gulf of Aqaba to Eilat-bound ships, the Baath government supported the Egyptian leader and amassed troops in the strategic Golan Heights. Syria sponsored Palestinian raids into Israel and Syrian artillery repeatedly bombed Israeli civilian communities from positions on the Golan Heights Concerning the raids on Israel's territory, Syria claimed that it could not be held responsible for the activities of El-Fatah and El-Asefa, nor for the rise of Palestinian organizations. Conflicts also arose over different interpretations of the legal status of the Demilitarized Zone. Israel maintained that it had sovereign rights over the zone, allowing the civilian use of farmland. Syria and the UN maintained that no party had sovereign rights over the zone. Israel was accused by Syria of cultivating lands in the Demilitarized Zone, using armored tractors backed by Israel forces. Syria claimed that the situation was the result of an Israeli aim to increase tension so as to justify large-scale aggression, and to expand its occupation of the Demilitarized Zone by liquidating the rights of Arab cultivators. Conflict over the cultivation of disputed lands sparked into April 7 prewar aerial clashes between Israel and Syria. The Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan said in a 1976 interview that Israel provoked more than 80% of the clashes with Syria. After Israel launched a preemptive strike on Egypt to begin the June 1967 war, Syria joined the battle against Israel as well. In the final days of the war, after having captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, as well as the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem from Jordan, Israel turned its attention to Syria, capturing the entire Golan Heights in under 48 hours. Conflict developed between an extremist military wing and a more moderate civilian wing of the Baath Party. The 1970 retreat of Syrian forces sent to aid the PLO during the "Black September" hostilities with Jordan reflected this political disagreement within the ruling Baath leadership. By 13 November 1970, Minister of Defense Hafez al-Assad was solidly established as the strongman of the government, when he effected a bloodless military overthrow ("The Corrective Movement").
Baath Party rule under Hafez al-Assad, 1970–2000:
Upon assuming power, Hafez al-Assad moved quickly to create an organizational infrastructure for his government and to consolidate control. The Provisional Regional Command of Assad's Arab Baath Socialist Party nominated a 173-member legislature, the People's Council, in which the Baath Party took 87 seats. The remaining seats were divided among "popular organizations" and other minor parties. In March 1971, the party held its regional congress and elected a new 21-member Regional Command headed by Assad. In the same month, a national referendum was held to confirm Assad as President for a 7-year term. In March 1972, to broaden the base of his government, Assad formed the National Progressive Front, a coalition of parties led by the Baath Party, and elections were held to establish local councils in each of Syria's 14 governorates. In March 1973, a new Syrian constitution went into effect followed shortly thereafter by parliamentary elections for the People's Council, the first such elections since 1962. The 1973 Constitution defines Syria officially as a secular socialist state with Islam recognised as majority religion. On 6 October 1973, Syria and Egypt began the Yom Kippur War by staging a surprise attack againstIsraeli forces returning the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. After early successes, the Israeli military reversed the initial Syrian gains, pushing the Syrian army out of the Golan and invaded into Syrian territory beyond the 1967 border. As a result, Israel continued to occupy the Golan Heights as part of the Israeli-occupied territories. In early 1976, the Lebanese civil war was going poorly for the Maronite Christians. Following a request from the Maronite dominated Lebanese government with the approval of the Arab league, Syria sent 40,000 troops into the country ostensibly to prevent them from being overrun, but abruptly switched sides soon thereafter and became embroiled in the Lebanese Civil War, beginning the 30 year Syrian military presence. Many crimes in Lebanon, including the assassinations of Rafik Hariri, Kamal Jumblat and Bachir Gemayel were attributed to the Syrian forces and intelligence services but these were never proven. Over the following 15 years of civil war, Syria fought for control over Lebanon, and attempted to undermine Israel in southern Lebanon, through extensive use of proxy militias. Many saw the Syrian Army'spresence in Lebanon as an occupation, especially following the end of the civil war in 1990, after the Syrian-sponsored Taif Agreement. Syria then remained in Lebanon until 2005, exerting a heavy-handed influence over Lebanese politics that was deeply resented by many. Following the assassination of the popular for- Hafez al-Assad, former president of mer Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, blamed on Syria, pres- Syria sure was put to bear on Syria to withdraw their forces from Lebanon. On April 26, 2005 the bulk of the Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon but some of its intelligence operatives remained, drawing further international rebuke. About one million Syrian workers came into Lebanon after the war ended to find jobs in the reconstruction of the country. Syrian workers were preferred over Palestinian and Lebanese workers because they could be paid lower wages, but some have argued that the Syrian government's encouragement of citizens entering its small and militarily dominated neighbor in search of work, was in fact an attempt at Syrian colonization of Lebanon. Now, the economies of Syria and Lebanon are completely interdependent. In 1994, under pressure from Damascus, the Lebanese government controversially granted citizenship to over 200,000 Syrian residents in the country. (For more on these issues, see Demographics of Lebanon) The authoritarian government was not without its critics, though open dissent was repressed. A serious challenge arose in the late 1970s, however, from fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, who reject the basic values of the secular Baath program and object to rule by the Alawis, whom they consider heretical. From 1976 until its suppression in 1982, the arch-conservative Muslim Brotherhood led an armed insurgency against the government. In response to an attempted uprising by the brotherhood in February 1982, the government crushed the fundamentalist opposition centered in the city of Hama, leveling parts of the city with artillery fire and leaving between 10,000 and 25,000 people either dead or wounded, mostly civilians (see Hama massacre). The Syrian government's actions at Hama have been described as possibly being "the single deadliest act by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East". Since then, public manifestations of anti-government activity have been limited. In 1982 Assad responded to an insurrection in the city of Hama by sending a paramilitary force to indiscriminately kill between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians including children, women, and the elderly. Syria's 1990 participation in the U.S.-led multinational coalition aligned against Saddam Hussein marked a dramatic watershed in Syria's relations both with other Arab states and with the Western world. Syria participated in the multilateral Southwest Asia Peace Conference inMadrid in October 1991, and during the 1990s engaged in direct, faceto-face negotiations with Israel. These negotiations failed, and there have been no further direct Syrian-Israeli talks since President Hafiz al-Assad's meeting with then President Bill Clinton in Geneva in March 2000.
Food and Agriculture Organization Day (FAO) is celebrated in Iraq to mark the organization’s goal of assuring food security, disseminating effective farming methods and providing machineries and technologies for better farming and livestock-raising techniques. This holiday is celebrated every 17th of April yearly.
History
Iraq is one of the countries in the United Nations which maintain membership with Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). FAO operates as one of the United Nations’ agencies that is tasked to create agendas, policies, and actions to prevent and, eventually, end world hunger. The organization also seeks to modernize the field of agriculture, forestry, livestock raising/animal farming, including fisheries across all member countries, both the developing and developed ones. FAO-Iraq is active in cross-country agricultural expedition on improving the country’s food security and responding to its citizen nutrition demands especially in poverty-stricken areas by implementing policies that drives food production in the household level.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES
Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture usually holds agenda during the celebration with topics covering important issues surrounding food security in Iraq and important bills and laws passed concerning food manufacture in the country and the impact of environmental crisis that regularly strikes the region such as drought. The working class usually takes their day off during the holiday. It is also during this time when FAO-Iraq awards personalities, usually farmers, in the important role they play in supporting food security all throughout Iraq.
Independence Day ZIMBABWE- A p r 1 8
Zimbabwe officially the Republic of Zimbabwe is a landlocked country of southern Africa. It shares a 125mile (200-kilometre) border on the south with the Republic of South Africa and is bounded on the southwest and west by Botswana, on the north by Zambia, and on the northeast and east by Mozambique. The capital is Harare(formerly called Salisbury). Zimbabwe achieved majority rule and internationally recognized independence in April 1980 following a long period of colonial rule and a 15-year period of white-dominated minority rule, instituted after the minority regime’s so-called Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965. Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Shona, and Ndebele. Zimbabwe began as theBritish self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, created from land held by the British South Africa Company. President Robert Mugabe is the head of State and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Morgan Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister. Mugabe has been in power since the country's internationally recognised independence in 1980.
Etymology
Zimbabwe was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia (1923), Rhodesia (1965), and Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979). The name Zimbabwe was introduced from ca. 1960 in the context of the potential name of the country once independent, and used by the African nationalist factions in the Rhodesian Bush War, the most major of which were the Zimbabwe African National Union(led by Robert Mugabe from 1975), and the Zimbabwe African People's Union, led by Joshua Nkomo from its founding in the early 1960s. The name is based on a Shona name for a ruined ancient settlement whose remains are now a protected site. It is officially referred to as Great Zimbabwe, and was first recorded as Symbaoein 1531 by Vicente Pegado, Captain of the Portuguese Garrison of Sofala. There are two theories on the origin of the word "Zimbabwe": Various sources hold that the word is derived from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as "large houses of stone" (dzimba = plural of imba, "house"; mabwe = plural of bwe, "stone").The Karanga-speaking Shona people are found around Great Zimbabwe in the modern-day province of Masvingo. Archaeologist Peter Garlake claims that "Zimbabwe" is a contracted form of dzimba-hwe which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona, and is usually applied to chiefs' houses or graves.
History
Pre-colonial era (1000–1887):
Proto-Shona speaking societies first emerged in the middle Limpopo valley in the 9th century before moving on to the Zimbabwean highlands. The Zimbabwean plateau eventually became the center of subsequent Shona states, beginning in ca. the 10th century. Around the early 10th century, trade developed with Arab merchants on the Indian Ocean coast, helping to develop the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in the 11th century. This was the precursor to the more impressive Shona civilisations that would dominate the region during the 13th to 15th centuries, evidenced by ruins at Great Zimbabwe, near Masvingo, and other smaller sites. The main archaeological site is a unique dry stone architecture. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe was the first in a series of sophisticated trade states developed in Zimbabwe by the time of the first European explorers from Portugal. They traded in gold, ivory and copper for cloth and glass. From about 1300 until 1600, Mapungubwe was eclipsed by the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. This Shona state further refined and expanded upon Mapungubwe's stone architecture, which survives to this day at the ruins of the kingdom's capital of Great Zimbabwe. From c. 1450–1760, Zimbabwe gave way to the Kingdom of Mutapa. This Shona state ruled much of the area that is Philippus Araps, Roman Emknown as Zimbabwe today, and parts of central Mozambique. It is known by many names including the Mutapa Empire, also known asMwene Mutapa or peror Monomotapa as well as "Munhumutapa," and was renowned for its gold trade routes with Arabs and the Portuguese. Portuguese settlers destroyed the trade and began a series of wars which left the empire in near collapse in the early 17th century. As a direct response to the Portuguese presence in the interior, a new Shona state emerged called the Rozvi Empire. Relying on centuries of military, political and religious development, the Rozvi (which means "destroyers") removed the Portuguese from the Zimbabwe plateau by force of arms. The Rozvi continued the stone building traditions of the Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe kingdoms while adding guns to its arsenal and developing a professional army to protect its trade routes and conquests. Around 1821, the Zulu general Mzilikazi (meaning The Great Road) of the Khumalo clan successfully rebelled from King Shaka and set up his own tribe, the Ndebele. The tribe fought its way northwards into the Transvaal leaving a trail of destruction in its wake and beginning an era of widespread killings and devastation known as the Mfecane. When the Boer settlers (descendants of Dutch and other Europeans) arrived in the Transvaal in 1836 during the Great Trek they attacked the Ndebele and drove the tribe even further northward. In 1837–38, the Rozvi Empire along with other Shona states were conquered by the Ndebele and forced to pay tribute and concentrate in the northeast of present-day Zimbabwe. After losing the Transvaal in 1840, Mzilikazi and his tribe settled the southwest of present-day Zimbabwe in what became known asMatabeleland and established Bulawayo as their capital. Mzilikazi then organised his followers into a military system with regimental kraals, similar to those of Shaka, which became strong enough to repel the Boer attacks of 1847–1851 and persuade the government of the South African Republic to sign a peace treaty with him in 1852. Mzilikazi died in 1868 and after a brief, violent power struggle was succeeded by his son, Lobengula.
Colonial era (1888–1965):
In the 1880s, the British arrived with colonialist Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company.In 1888, Rhodes obtained a concession for mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebelepeoples. He presented this concession to persuade the government of the United Kingdom to grant a royal charter to his British South Africa Company (BSAC) over Matabeleland, and its subject states such as Mashonaland. Rhodes used this document in 1890 to justify sending the Pioneer Column, a group of white settlers protected by wellarmed British South Africa Police (BSAP) through Matabeleland and into Shona territory to establish Fort Salisbury (now Opening of the railway to Umtali in 1899 Harare). In 1893 and 1894, with the help of their new maxim guns, the BSAP would go on to defeat the Ndebele in the First Matabele War, a war which also resulted in the death of King Lobengula. Rhodes sought permission to negotiate similar concessions covering all territory between the Limpopo River and Lake Tanganyika, then known as "Zambesia". In accordance with the terms of aforementioned concessions and treaties, Rhodes promoted the colonisation of the region's land, with British control over labour as well as precious metals and other mineral resources. In 1895 the BSAC adopted the name "Rhodesia" for the territory of Zambesia, in honour of Rhodes. In 1898 "Southern Rhodesia" became the official denotation for the region south of the Zambezi, which later became Zimbabwe. The region to the north was administered separately by the BSAC and later named Northern Rhodesia (nowZambia). Shortly after the disastrous Jameson Raid on the South African Republic, the Ndebele were led by their spiritual leader Mlimo against the white colonials and thus began the Second Matabele War (1896–97). The Shona also staged unsuccessful revolts (known as Chimurenga) against encroachment upon their lands, by clients of BSAC and Cecil Rhodes in 1896 and 1897. Following the failed insurrections of 1896–97 the Ndebele and Shona groups became subject to Rhodes's administration thus precipitating European settlement en masse which led to land distribution disproportionately favouring Europeans, displacing the Shona, Ndebele, and other indigenous peoples. Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony in October 1923, subsequent to a 1922 referendum. Rhodesians served on behalf of the United Kingdom during World War II, mainly in theEast African Campaign against Axis forces in Italian East Africa. Proportional to (European-descended) population, Southern Rhodesia contributed more to both the First and Second World Wars than any other part of the Empire, including Britain itself. In 1953, in the face of African opposition, Britain consolidated the two colonies of Rhodesia withNyasaland in the illfated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which was dominated by Southern Rhodesia. Growing African nationalism and general dissent, particularly in Nyasaland, persuaded Britain to dissolve the Union in 1963, forming three colonies. As colonial rule was ending throughout the continent and as African-majority governments assumed control in neighbouring Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and in Nyasaland (Malawi), the white-minority Rhodesian government led by Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front (RF) dropped the designation "Southern" in 1964 and issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (commonly abbreviated to "UDI") from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965, effectively repudiating the recently-adopted British policy of "no independence before majority rule". It was the first declaration of independence by a British colony since the American declaration of 1776, which was indeed claimed by the Rhodesian government to provide a precedent.
Independence and civil war (1965–1979):
After UDI, the British government requested United Nations economic sanctions against Rhodesia as negotiations with the Smith administration in 1966 and 1968 ended in stalemate. The United Kingdom deemed the Rhodesian declaration an act of rebellion, but did not re-establish control by force. A civil war ensued, with Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) using assistance from the governments of Zambia and Mozambique (the latter following its independence from Portugal in 1975). Smith's declaration of a republic in 1970 was recognised only by South Africa, then governed by its apartheid administration. Over the years, the fighting against Ian Smith's government intensified. As a result, the Smith government opened negotiations with the leaders of ZAPU and ZANU. In March 1978, with his regime near the brink of collapse, Smith signed an accord with three African leaders, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who offered safeguards for white civilians. As a result of the Internal Settlement, elections were held in April 1979. The United African National Council (UANC) party won a majority in this election. On 1 June 1979, the leader of UANC, Abel Muzorewa, became the country's prime minister and the country's name was changed toZimbabwe Rhodesia. The internal settlement left control of the country's police, security forces, civil service and judiciary in white hands. It assured whites of about one-third of the seats in parliament. On 12 June, the United States Senate voted to end economic sanctions against Zimbabwe Rhodesia. Following the fifth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in Lusaka, Zambia from 1 to 7 August in 1979, the British government invited Muzorewa and the leaders of thePatriotic Front to participate in a constitutional conference at Lancaster House. The purpose of the conference was to discuss and reach an agreement on the terms of an independence constitution and that elections should be supervised under British authority to enable Rhodesia to proceed to legal independence and the parties to settle their differences by political means. Lord Carrington, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, chaired the conference. The conference took place from 10 September to 15 December in 1979 with 47 plenary sessions. On 1 December 1979, delegations from the British and Rhodesian governments and the Patriotic Front signed the Lancaster House Agreement, ending the civil war.
Post-Independence (1980–1999):
Britain's Lord Soames was appointed governor to oversee the disarming of revolutionary fighters, the holding of elections and the granting of independence to an uneasy coalition government with Joshua Nkomo, head of ZAPU. In the elections of February 1980, Robert Mugabe and his ZANU won a landslide victory. There was opposition to a Shona win in Matabeleland. In November 1980 Enos Nkala made remarks at a rally in Bulawayo, in which he warned ZAPU that ZANU would deliver a few blows against them. This started the first Entumbane uprising, in which ZIPRA and ZANLA fought for two days. In February 1981 there was a second uprising, which spread to Glenville and also to Connemara in the Midlands. ZIPRA troops in other parts of Matabeleland headed for Bulawayo to join the battle, and ex-Rhodesian units had to come in to stop the fighting. Over 300 people were killed. These uprisings led to what has become known as Gukurahundi (Shona: "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains") or the Matabeleland Massacres, which ran from 1982 until 1985. Mugabe used his North Korean trained Fifth Brigade to crush any resistance in Matabeleland. It has been estimated that at least 20,000 Matabele were murdered and tens of thousands of others were tortured in camps such as the Valagwe camp, where 2-3000 people could be detained for torture and interrogation at any one time. The violence ended after ZANU and ZAPU reached a unity agreement in 1988 that merged the two parties, creating ZANU-PF. Elections in March 1990 resulted in another victory for Mugabe and his party, which won 117 of the 120 election seats. Election observers estimated voter turnout at only 54% and found the campaign neither free nor fair. During the 1990s students, trade unionists and workers often demonstrated to express their discontent with the government. Students protested in 1990 against proposals for an increase in government control of universities and again in 1991 and 1992 when they clashed with police. Trade unionists and workers also criticised the government during this time. In 1992 police prevented trade unionists from holding anti-government demonstrations. In 1994 widespread industrial unrest weakened the economy. In 1996 civil servants, nurses, and junior doctorswent on strike over salary issues. The general health of the civilian population also began to significantly flounder. By 1997 an estimated 25% of the population of Zimbabwe had been infected by HIV.
Economic difficulties and hyperinflation (1999–2008):
Land issues, which the liberation movement had promised to solve, re-emerged as the main issue for the ruling party around 1997. Despite majority rule and the existence of a "willing-buyer-willing-seller" land reform programme since the 1980s, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held about 70% of the most arable land. Mugabe began to redistribute land to blacks in 2000 with a compulsory land redistribution. Eventually a wide range of sanctions were imposed by the US government and European Union against the person of Mugabe, individuals, private companies, parastatals, and the government of Zimbabwe. The legality and constitutionality of the process has regularly been challenged in the Zimbabwean High and Supreme Courts. The confiscation of the farmland was affected by continuous droughts and lack of inputs and finance led to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, which was traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. Mining and tourism have surpassed agriculture. As a result, Zimbabwe experienced a severe hard-currency shortage that led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages Bishop Abel Muzorewa signs the Lancaster in imported fuel and consumer goods. In 2002, Zimbabwe House Agreement seated next to British was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on Foreign Minister Lord Carrington. charges of human rights abuses during the land redistribution and of election tampering. In 2003, the Zimbabwe government terminated its Commonwealth membership. Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina", an effort to crack down on illegal markets and homes that had seen slums emerge in towns and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a substantial section of urban poor homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population although they have yet to deliver any new housing for the forcibly removed people. Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed in varying degrees to the government's price controls and land confiscations, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and a drought affecting the entire region. Life expectancy at birth for males in Zimbabwe has dramatically declined since 1990 from 60 to 42 years, among the lowest in the world. The amount of time a Zimbabwean citizen is expected to live healthily from birth is 39 years. Concurrently, the infant mortality rate has climbed from 53 to 81 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same period. As of 2009, 1.2 million Zimbabweans live with HIV. On 29 March 2008, Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election. The three major candidates were Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T), and Simba Makoni, an independent. The results of this election were withheld for two weeks, following which it was generally acknowledged that the MDC had achieved a majority of one seat in lower house of parliament. Mugabe retained control because after the "recount" which was done behind close doors without independent monitors Tsvangirai no longer had the margin required by Zimbabwean law[citation needed]. Hence, the doctored election results that would otherwise put Mugabe out of power, failed the opposition[weasel words]. In late 2008, problems in Zimbabwe reached crisis proportions in the areas of living standards, public health (with a major cholera outbreak in December) and various public considerations. Mining of diamonds at Marange in Chiadzwa became the subject of international attention as the World Diamond Council called for a clampdown on smuggling and illegal miners were reported killed by the military.
2008–present:
In September 2008, a power-sharing agreement was reached between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, in which Mugabe remained president and Tsvangirai became prime minister. Due to ministerial differences between their respective political parties, the agreement was not fully implemented until 13 February 2009, two days after the swearing in of Tsvangirai as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. In November 2010, the IMF described the Zimbabwean economy as "completing its second year of buoyant economic growth after a decade of economic decline", mentioning "strengthening policies" and "favorable shocks" as main reasons for the economic growth. In December 2010 President Mugabe threatened to further expropriate privately-owned companies unless "western sanctions" were lifted. He said: "Why should we continue having companies and organisations that are supported by Britain and America without hitting back? Time has come for us to [take] revenge. We can read the riot act and say this is 51 percent we are taking and if the sanctions persist we are taking over 100 percent." Journalist Nicholas D. Kristof reported that life continues to be considerably worse for the majority of the nation than under the Rhodesian Front government, this despite improvements since the beginning of the power-sharing government. However more recent studies, such as a 2011 survey by Freedom House, suggest that living conditions have improved on a wide front since the power-sharing agreement. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states in its 2012–2013 planning document that the "humanitarian situation has improved in Zimbabwe since 2009, but conditions remain precarious for many people".
Dear Pakistani brothers and sisters:
The Syrian Arab Republic celebrating 66th anniversary of evacuation day, which is the evacuation of French colonialism from the Syrian territories in 1946 after a long and hard struggle during which our people made thousands of sacrifices seeking independence and liberation of our soil and lands from the usurper colonialist.
Ladies and gentleman:
Allow me on this great occasion of the Syrian National Day to extend to the friendly people, and leadership of Pakistan, the warmest and sincerest regards from the people and leadership of Syria reaffirming stable and strong brotherly relations which are in the interest of our both countries. Generally the history of Pak-Syria relations is good and there is growing bilateral cooperation which is reflected the following points: • Joint ministerial committee between Pak-Syria for cooperation in various fields of economy, culture, and information which held up to five sessions and sixth is supposed to be held at Islamabad hopefully this year. • Joint business council, which we aspire to be further developed and activated soon • Bilateral program for exchange of students between Pak-Syria and we hope for cultural agreement to be linked soon for exchanging teachers, researchers at university level • Syria main exports to Pakistan: olive oil, cotton, textiles, grams and lentil • Pakistan exports to Syria: rice, pine nuts, yarn, technical components, tools medical equipment, tractors, textile machinery and spare parts
Ladies and gentlemen:
Allah has blessed Syria with an important geographical situation, picturesque landscape and beautiful climate environment besides its being diversely enriched with historic sites and beautiful archeological monuments, and a number of religious shrines frequently visited by millions from all over the world belonging to various sects and faiths and Syria also has Damascus, which is oldest populated capital in the world. Syrian Arab Republic has made a number of achievements and adopted reforms in political and socio-economic fields under the leadership of President Bashar Al-Asad notwithstanding the difficult circumstances it witnessed since the middle of March 2011, and so a number of reforms have been implemented mainly: • A new law ensuring freedom of press and information • A new law for local administration and free and fair election • A new modern constitution for the Syrian Arab Republic • Parliamentary elections are scheduled in early may next • A new political party act under which sanctions have been given to a number of parties • In addition to that a number of measures were taken and decrees and resolutions were adopted for further reforms and strengthen democracy and freedom in the country and improve the living standard of the citizens and upscale their welfare. We pray to ALLAH to help Syria to overcome its hour of trial which it is afflicted with, and peace and tranquility to return to our dear homeland and Syria to become better than before the aspiration of millions of tourists, investors and businessmen, so that it may resume its advance and natural role in the region and in the world over. In the end allow me to avail this opportunity, as the head of the mission of the Syrian Arab Republic in Islamabad, to call for the promotion of cooperation between Syria and Pakistan in all political and socio-economic fields for the betterment of our two countries and their dear people.
HUNGARY NEWS John Muir Day U.S. - A p r 2 1
John Muir was arguably the most influential ecologist of the 20th Century. Many consider him to be founder of the American environmental movement. The State of California has celebrated his birthday as a public holiday since 1989. Every April 21, schools throughout California are encouraged to organize activities and events that commemorate Muir’s achievements, philosophy, and teachings. Although Muir was an immigrant from Scotland and didn’t even set-foot in California until the age of 29, it is fitting that California would choose to observe his birthday as a state holiday. After all, California was Muir’s adopted homeland, and the inspiration for his most important life’s-work: the preservation and protection of America’s natural wilderness. Muir was an obstinate idealist, refusing to compromise on his commitment to serve as a protector of the environment – no matter how vociferous the opposition. But Muir did not advocate violence. Instead, he used his wit to influence policy and behavior. He developed a name for himself as a respected scientist and outdoorsman, inspiring other Americans to study ecology and visit the great outdoors. Although he detested writing, he published 12 books and over 300 articles. Muir’s tireless advocacy for wilderness preservation eventually led to the birth of America’s first real environmental movement. One of his culminating achievements was convincing the U.S. Congress to declare over 6,500 square kilometers of California territory as federally-protected lands. In 1890, America’s second, third, and fourth national parks were created, largely thanks to Muir’s efforts: Sequoia, King’s Canyon, and the world-famous Yosemite. Thirteen years later, Muir took President Theodore Roosevelt on a backcountry camping trip through Yosemite. Hoping to convince the federal government to step-up enforcement of the national park protections, he showed the President first-hand the shortcomings of that enforcement – as well as the awesome natural beauty of the park itself. The U.S. national park system has been called “America’s Best Idea,” and Muir deserves a great deal of credit for its inception. Today, the network maintains 58 parks spanning 210,000 square-km of territory, and receives tens of millions of visitors every year. But Muir’s greatest legacy was arguably his message. Intensely spiritual, Muir believed that nature is the ultimate manifestation of God – and that to really know God, one has to experience the wilderness. Despite the increasing urbanization of a rapidly-industrializing United States, Muir’s philosophy gradually infected the American psyche. In short, Muir helped inspire millions of Americans to visit the country’s most spectacular natural treasures – not to extract their natural resources, but to tap the innate spiritual energy within themselves. In short, he convinced America that the real value in its natural beauty is not economic or material, but spiritual.
Contributed by: Alberto Rodriguez
Kartini Day INDONESIA - A p r 2 1
Raden Ayu Kartini, (21 April 1879 – 17 September 1904), or sometimes known as Raden Ajeng Kartini, was a prominent Javanese and an Indonesian national heroine. Kartini is known as a pioneer in the area of women's rights for native Indonesians.
L i a i s o n Te a m P r o v i d e s A s s i s tance on Remote Sites 10 (Online Apr) One of the core missions of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team is to support governand mental orsecurity The gans. HUN PRT Liaison Teams (LT) move around the districts in the area of responsibility of the contingent. main Their tasks include participation in n e g o t i a t i o n s Photo: HUN PRT-12 with local leaders, and gathering information about fortunately serve as a safe haven for the region. The areas in the north are hostile forces. ISAF has conducted a quite difficult to access because number of security operations in this sometimes they have to go across area. For this reason, it is important impassable mountain roads and to make sure that the Afghan people and the security organizations know riverbeds. One of these northern districts, Burka that the HUN PRT supports them. lies at an elevation of 1600 meters, As part of this support, Lt.-Col. Norand the LTs can get there only with a bert Kerezsi, deputy commander and 4-5-hour march. The natural features 1st Lt. Imre Legoza, the commander do not only favor agriculture but un- of the LT recently handed over 20 tents and 100 flood defence gabions
Viktor Orbán received Masoud Barzani
tocratic Javanese family in a time when Java was still part of the Dutch colony, the Dutch East Indies. R.A. Kartini's father, Raden Mas Sosroningrat, became Regency Chief of Jepara, and her mother was Raden Mas' first wife, but not the most important one. At this time, polygamy was a common practice among the nobility. She also wrote the Letters of a Javanese Princess. R.A. Kartini's father, R.M. A.A. Sosroningrat, was originally the district chief of Mayong. Her mother was M.A. Ngasirah, the daughter of Kyai Haji Madirono, a teacher of religion in Teluwakur, Jepara, and Nyai Haji Siti Aminah. At that time, colonial regulations specified that a Regency Chief must marry a member of the nobility and because M.A. Ngasirah was not of sufficiently high nobility, her father married a second time to Raden Ajeng Woerjan (Moerjam), a direct descendant of the Raja of Madura. After this second marriage, R.A. Kartini's father was elevated to Regency Chief of Jepara, replacing his second wife's own father, R. A.A. Tjitrowikromo. R.A. Kartini was the fifth child and second eldest daughter in a family of eleven, including half siblings. She was born into a family with a strong intellectual tradition. Her grandfather, Pangeran Ario Tjondronegoro IV, became a Regency Chief at the age of 25 while R.A. Kartini's older brother R.M. Sosrokartono was an accomplished linguist. R.A. Kartini's family allowed her to attend school until she was 12 years old. Here, among other subjects, she learnt to speak fluent Dutch, an unusual accomplishment for Javanese women at the time. After she turned 12 she was 'secluded' at home, a common practice among Javanese nobility, to prepare young girls for their marriage. During seclusion girls were not allowed to leave their parents' house until they were married, at which point authority over them was transferred to their husbands. R.A. Kartini's father was more lenient than some during his daughter's seclusion, giving her such privileges as embroidery lessons and occasional appearances in public for special events. During her seclusion, Kartini continued to educate herself on her own. Because R.A. Kartini could speak Dutch, she acquired several Dutch pen friends. One of them, a girl by the name of Rosa Abendanon, became her very close friend. Books, newspapers and European magazines fed R.A. Kartini's interest in European feminist thinking, and fostered the desire to improve the conditions of indigenous women, who at that time had a very low social status. Raden Adjeng Kartini's omnivorous reading included the Semarang newspaper De Locomotief, edited by Pieter Brooshooft, as well asleestrommel, a set of magazines circulated by bookshops to subscribers. She also read cultural and scientific magazines as well as the Dutch women's magazine De Hollandsche Lelie, to which she began to send contributions which were published. From her letters, it was clear that R.A. Kartini read everything with a great deal of attention and thoughtfulness. The books she had read before she was 20 includedMax Havelaar and Love Letters by Multatuli. She also read De Stille Kracht (The Hidden Force) by Louis Couperus, the works of Frederik van Eeden, Augusta de Witt, the Romantic-Feminist author Mrs. Goekoop de-Jong Van Beek and an anti-war novel by Berta von Suttner, Die Waffen Nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!). All were in Dutch. R.A. Kartini's concerns were not only in the area of the emancipation of women, but also other problems of her society. R.A. Kartini saw that the struggle for women to obtain their freedom, autonomy and legal equality was just part of a wider movement. Kartini's parents arranged her marriage to Raden Adipati Joyodiningrat, the Regency Chief of Rembang, who already had three wives. She was married on the 12 November 1903. This was against R.A. Kartini's wishes, but she acquiesced to appease her ailing father. Her husband understood R.A. Kartini's aims and allowed her to establish a school for women in the east porch of the Rembang Regency Office complex. R.A. Kartini's only son was born on September 13, 1904. A few days later on September 17, 1904, R.A. Kartini died at the age of 25. She was buried in Bulu Village, Rembang. Inspired by R.A. Kartini's example, the Van Deventer family established the R.A. Kartini Foundation which built schools for women, 'Kartini's Schools' in Semarang in 1912, followed by other women's schools inSurabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, Cirebon and other areas. In 1964, President Sukarno declared R.A. Kartini's birth date, 21 April, as 'Kartini Day' - an Indonesian national holiday. This decision has been criticised. It has been proposed that Kartini's Day should be celebrated in con- Kartini with Joyodiningrat junction with Indonesian Mothers Day, on 22 December so that the choice of R.A. Kartini as a national heroine would not overshadow other women who, unlike R.A. Kartini, took up arms to oppose the colonisers. In contrast, those who recognise the significance of R.A. Kartini argue that not only was she a feminist who elevated the status of women in Indonesia, she was also a nationalist figure, with new ideas who struggled on behalf of her people, including her in the national struggle for independence.
Landing of the 33 Patriots URUGUAY - A p r 1 9
Uruguay’s Landing of the 33 Patriots is an annual celebration on April 19 which commemorates the lives of Thirty-Three Orientals whose lives and bravery paved the way for the country’s independence on August 25, 1825. Uruguay is located in the Southeastern part of South America. The majority of the country’s line of descent is European particularly Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
History
The control of Uruguay was jostled between Portuguese and the Spanish Empires. Both empires landed and took control on some portions of the country with Spain controlling parts of Soriano (Río Negro) in the early half of the 17th century (1669–71) and Montevideo in the 18th century and Portugal at Colonia del Sacramento in the latter half of 1700s. Later, in the early 19th century, the region has become a battle ground between the military forces of Britain, Spain, and Portugal in their effort to exert influence and control in the region encompassing Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. José Gervasio Artigas became the country’s hero during a revolt he initiated against the government of Spain in the Battle of Las Piedras on May 18, 1811. Uruguay’s growing political stability towards republicanism made Portugal quite uneasy as it will mean losing stronghold on the areas where the latter exerts full influence. It launched an attack against the forces of Artigas, the Liga Federal (Federal League), in August 1816. Because of modern military machineries employed by Portugal in the Battle of Tacuarembó against Artigas’ forces, the latter was immediately defeated. Five years later, Brazil occupied Uruguay and considered it as its province (Província Cisplatina). Resistance continued until Juan Antonio Lavalleja of Thirty-Three Orientals declared independence from foreign rule on August 25, 1825. The thirty-three self-exile forces led by Juan Antonio Llavaleja fought side-by-side with Artigas’ forces to liberate the country from the Brazil’s control. The declaration of Uruguay’s independence was backed up by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (presentday Argentina). A year-and-a-half war happened between Brazil and Argentina (500-day Argentina-Brazil War). It only ended when the Treaty of Montevideo was signed in 1828 allowing Uruguay to establish itself as an independent state. The Treaty of Montevideo was drafted by the United Kingdom. Two years later, Uruguay established and signed its first constitution (July 18, 1830). Even so, civil wars continued from 1839–1852 (Guerra Grande).
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES
The celebration of the Landing of the 33 Patriots coincides with the celebration of the country’s National Independence Day on August 25 so it’s not surprising that the kind of celebration is the same as the latter. Laying of wreath and speeches remembering and honoring those who led the revolt against the Brazilians are held on the holiday. Uruguayan working class consider this day as a rest day.
Victory at Gir-n CUBA - A p r 1 9
On April 16th, 1961, Fifty years ago in Cuba, it was instituted this date like the Militiaman's Day. One day before, April 15, airplanes B-26, deceivingly colored with badges of the Cuban Air force, bombarded two military bases and a civil airport. At the burial of victims this cowardly attacks, the Commandant Cuban Armed forces Fidel Castro Ruz, proclaimed the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, in front of a lot of workers and peasants that enarbolaban its rifles on high. At the 01:30 hours of April 17th, began the mercenary landing of the denominated Brigade 2506, similar to the units of assault amphibian of United States, composed of about a thousand 500 strongly armed troops with tanks and campaign artillery, and thirty airplanes. The Cuban troops were formed by combatants of the Rebellious Army and the Police National Revolutionary, but the vast majority of them were voluntary militiamen, with scarce if any military experience. At the 17:30 hours of April 19, the invasion was completely defeated, although at a high cost: 176 deads, 300 wounded and 50 impared. As expressed by General of Cuban Army Raúl Castro, President of the Councils of State and Ministries": Socialism didn't come to our world in silk diapers, but in the rude cotton of the uniforms of workers militias, peasants and student; and combatants of the Rebellious Army and the Police National Revolutionary. There was not blessed water in their first baptism fire amid the combat against the enemies of the Nation, but patriots' blood, once again spilled in this Island by their brave children, in their lingering fight for the freedom, in their long road for the independence." The lapsed time has not oxidized those rifles risen by the humble people of Cuba. This is a long history of generational changeover which maintains alive its patriotic traditions and sustains the total certainty that any aggression intent against Cuban homeland, it will be victoriously rejected.
Contributed by: Roberto Pérez Betancourt
Independence Hero Tiradentes Brazil - A p r 2 1
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes (August 16, 1746–-April 21, 1792), was a leading member of the Brazilian revolutionary movement known as the Inconfidência Mineirawhose aim was full independence from the Portuguese colonial power and to create a Brazilian republic. When the plan was discovered, Tiradentes was arrested, tried and publicly hanged. Since the 19th century he has been considered a national hero of Brazil and patron of the Polícia Militar de Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais Military Police).
(Online 13 Apr) On 10 April 2012, Foreign Minister János Martonyi consulted with Massoud Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, who visited Hungary within the framework of his tour involving Bulgaria and the United States. János Martonyi referred to the event as a historic visit, as this was the first time that the political leader of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region has come to Hungary. We find it extremely important to revive the Hungarian-Iraqi bilateral relations boasting great traditions, which includes the improvement of the cooperation with the hydrocarbon-rich, stable, and dynamically developing Kurdistan Region. From the point of view of
Hungary, the significance of the region is increased by the fact that the Hungarian Oil and Gas Public Limited Company (MOL) has conducted successful exploration and production activities for years in Kurdistan. Other areas of economy, such as water conservancy, agriculture, and infrastructure development provide further opportunities to work together. The Kurdistan Region can play an important role in Hungary’s and Europe’s oil and gas supply. János Martonyi noted that we intend to reestablish our diplomatic presence in Baghdad and plan to have honorary consular representation in the Region. He said we are glad that by establishing a Kurdish regional
government on the basis of the federal constitution, the Kurdish people ensured the conditions for their peaceful development and for the exercise of their rights in Iraq. Hungary finds it equally important to reach a balanced cooperation with the central government in Baghdad and with the Kurdistan Regional Government. President Barzani noted that they are ready to improve their relations with Hungary as extensively as possible. They welcome our efforts to strengthen our relations with Iraq and Kurdistan, as well as the Hungarian companies’ participation in the development projects of the region.
Eur ope a n C om m is s ion r e que s t s inf or m a t ion on c hur c h la w: R é t v á r i (Online 12 Apr) Bence Rétvári, Minister of State for Public Administration and Justice announced the European Commission requests information on the church legislation from the Hungarian authorities, and this information request was not initiated by the Commission but by a group of Hungarian opposition Members of Parliament. It is not the European Commission that raised concerns regarding the church legislation but three Hungarian socialist European Parliament Members, Csaba Tabajdi, Kinga Göncz and Zita Gurmai, together with a few other Members of Parliament who sent a written request to the Commission. It was in the wake of this request that the European Commission announced it would contact the Hungarian authorities in connection with the legislation. Hungarian socialist EP members claimed that the law was contrary to a Directive prohibiting discrimination in employment passed more than ten years ago; in other words, the socialists only succeeded in finding a directive, the type of legal rule in the EU that identifies the broadest framework, in opposition to the Hungarian legislation. It is remarkable that while the socialists refused to attend the parliamentary debate on the Constitution, in the European Parliament they actively
seek to find fault with the laws of Hungary week after week. The Minister of State stressed the Venice Commission viewed the Hungarian law in a positive light in a number of respects. The Commission established that the church legislation serves, on the whole, as a liberal and generous framework for the freedom of religion; the right to the freedom of religion has not in any way been curtailed in Hungary and is available to all. In areas where the EU has decision-making powers, the Hungarian legal rule in question is fully harmonised with EU law, while in all other areas, the Member States are free to decide on the regulatory framework they favour. The Hungarian People’s Party Group of the European Parliament, too, has issued a statement on the case today; in their opinion, the EP delegation of the socialists levelled accusations against Hungary repeatedly before the European Commission, this time, in connection with the country’s church legislation. László Surján, Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for church relations remarked on the case, „It is regrettable that, instead of dealing with Hungary’s real problems, the socialists provoke an anti-church atmosphere and attempt to turn the European Commission against the Hungarian Government once again”.
The measure adopted by the European Commission in the case is part of an automatic mechanism. The Commission is obliged ex officio to ascertain whether a legal rule is in harmony with EU law and to make a statement if requested by Members of the European Parliament. Parliament passed the new church legislation on 30 December 2011. The new law reinforced freedom of religion in Hungary. The overly generous conditions of the establishment of churches in the past twenty years gave rise to the mass abuse of this fundamental right which manifested itself in both the unlawful utilisation of state aid reserved for churches and in the registration of organisations not actually engaged in religious activities as churches. The new legislation put an end to this situation and tied the state recognition of churches to the decision of Parliament. Consequently, according to the rules of one of Europe’s most generous church laws, the State currently recognises 32 churches which cover more than 98 per cent of believers in Hungary. You may find further details on the law at church http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministryof-public-administration-andjustice/news/thirty-two-churches-reco gnised-by-parliament-to-date
Wa t e r f a l l s ” i n B o s n i a (Online 12 Apr) comThe mander of the EUFOR Multinational Battal(MNBN) ion ordered the execution of a tactical exer“Watercise in falls” Bosnia-Herzegovina for the maneuver subunits, including the Hungarian company. The exercise took place between March 26 and 29. The weather photo: MH EUFOR the favored Hungarian troops: at last it was not the Turkish infantry company of the snowing, only the cool early spring- battalion cordoned off the access roads to prevent the angry crowd time weather held out. According to the exercise sceriots nario, broke out in the of village Bileca, putting allied troops at risk. On the first day the Austrian reconnaissance deplatoon ployed in the designated area to enthe hance commander ’s situational awareness. Due to the increasing ten- Photo: MH EUFOR sion, the entire battalion set out for the scene on the from swelling further. In what folsecond day. It took eight hours for the lowed, the Hungarian infantry comthree march columns of the unit to pany was tasked to push out an cover the 260 kilometer-distance on armed group that was running riot next to the base of the allied troops, public roads. On day three – in response to the to clear the building and evacuate the riots, arsons and shootings being designated persons. acted out by the role-playing soldiers As the crowd displayed aggressive of the Turkish military police contin- behavior, the two reserve Austrian ingent – the commander of the battal- fantry companies were also called ion ordered the evacuation of the out to reinforce the Hungarian CRC allied troops on duty in the village. subunit. By joining forces, the two During the first phase of the action, companies managed to push out the rioters, so the Hungarian team
tasked with the evacuation was able to get to the scene in the shortest possible time, it where searched and the cleared building and then evacuated our allies a safe to place. On day four, suchaving cessfully comthe pleted training exerthe cise, MNBN re-deto ployed Sarajevo. During the operations, the Hungarian infantry company had to handle situations in which some people threw handgrenades on them or built a barricade in front of them and set it on fire. The members of the company had to give first aid to their own personnel and allied troops who had been in wounded action, and to M E D E VA C them with their own vehicles or helicopters. Of course, all this took place in imitated situations rather than in real life. Besides their high professional standards, the Hungarian soldiers demonstrated their motivation, and the chain of command of the battalion has passed the test with flying colors again. MNBN commander Lt.-Col. Thomas Holzbauer assessed the exercise as satisfactory, adding that the soldiers managed to generate situations that point in the right direction for the joint training.
Cooperation Between Military Doctors and Civil Experts (Online 10 Apr) “The NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine responds to modern-day challenges in military medicine and is an important cornerstone of maintaining contact with the civilian sector” – said Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, the Chief of the MoD Defence Staff in Budapest on Photo: László Tóth March 30. The SUN (Semmelweis University + NATO) Symposium – the joint conference of the Semmelweis University (SOTE) and the NATO Centre of Excelfor lence Military Medi(NATO cine MILMED COE) – started in Buon dapest March 30. With the support of the Anesthesiology and Int e n s i v e Photo: László Tóth Therapy Clinic, the two institutions concluded a co- tensive therapy, emergency medical operation agreement last autumn. care and military medicine. Since then, 30 NATO soldiers have In his opening speech, Gen. Dr. Tibor participated in further training Benkő, the Chief of the Defence Staff courses at the clinic, while the partic- said that soldiers and doctors serve ipants of the two-day conference that the community alike. Speaking about started on Friday exchanged ideas the current state of military medicine, on topics such as anesthesiology, in- he told the audience that with the transformation of mass armies, the
rise of asymmetric warfare and the security risks of the modern age, the experts have to meet new challenges as they emerge. Additionally, they typically perform their activities in multinational environments, always being ready to cooperate with other nations. Gen. Benkő said he was proud to see the NATO MILMED COE operating in Hungary. The existence of this institution symbolizes the enormous need for similar activities, and the Centre is ready to tackle the arising problems. In addition, the N A T O MILMED COE is an important of means maintaining contact with the civil sector, since military doctors and civil experts can mutually learn from each other – and the present conference serves the same purpose too. The Chief of Defence closed his speech by wishing a successful and meaningful symposium for the participants.
Hungarian-Latin American Forum in Budapest
Political ideas Living in a state rich in gold, Tiradentes used
the knowledge he acquired about minerals to enter the public service (he achieved the ranks of alferes, low in the hierarchy of the epoch), and he was sent to missions in cities along the road between Vila Rica (the capital of Minas Gerais) and Rio de Janeiro; this road was the "open vein" used to export most of the gold to Portugal. Tiradentes soon noticed the exploitation to which Brazilians were subjected; he saw how much gold, and other valuable resources were being pillaged for export to Portugal. His trips to Rio put him in contact with people who had lived in Europe and brought from there the libertarian ideas (the American colonies had become independent in 1776, and French Revolution would be in 1789, the cauldron of freedom hard boiling). In 1788, Tiradentes met José Alvares Maciel, son of the governor of Vila Rica, who had just returned from England; they could compare the British industrial progress with the Brazilian colonial poverty. They created a group of freedom aspirers, led by clerics and other Brazilians with some social presence, like Cláudio Manuel da Costa (staff of government and important writer), Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (staff of government) and Alvarenga Peixoto (eminent businessman); the group propagated their ideas among Brazilians. At that time, Portugal was hungry for gold; however, the production of Brazilian mines was declining. The Brazilians were not meeting the yearly quota of gold that was requested by the crown, and there was pressure from Portugal to ensure all the due taxes were paid. The days of payment of taxes were calledderrama. Influenced by the writings of Rousseau, and by the American Revolution, Tiradentes joined with a number of likeminded citizens in the Inconfidência Mineira. They wanted to found a republic with its capital at São João del Rei and to create a university. The proposed flag for the new republic waswhite with a green triangle surrounded by the Latin motto "Libertas quae sera tamen" (Freedom, even if it be late.). The flag later became the state flag of Minas Gerais, the only modification was the color of the triangle which was changed to red.
Discovery, trial and execution
The plan of Tiradentes was, in a day of derrama (when the sentiment of revolt among Brazilians would be stronger), to take the streets of Vila Rica and proclaim the Brazilian Republic. The movement, however, was denounced to the governor, who canceled the derrama scheduled for February of 1789 and ordered the imprisonment of the rebels. The person who denounced the movement was Joaquim Silverio dos Reis; he was a participant of the movement, and betrayed the group in exchange for waiving of his due taxes. Tiradentes fled to Rio, where he tried to reorganize the movement. Not knowing who had denounced the group, he went to meet Joaquim Silverio dos Reis in Rio; Tiradentes was arrested on May 10, 1789. The trial lasted almost three years. Tiradentes assumed the entire responsibility for the movement. Ten members of the group were sentenced to death; all of them – except Tiradentes – had their sentences, by mercy of the Queen, commuted from death to degradation. On April 21, 1792 (today the date of a national holiday in Brazil), Tiradentes was hanged in Rio de Janeiro, in the plaza today namedPraça Tiradentes. His body was quartered into several pieces. With his blood, a document was written declaring his memory infamous. His head was publicly displayed in Vila Rica and pieces of his body were exhibited in the cities between Vila Rica and Rio to terrorize the populace and those who had sympathized with Tiradentes' ideas of independence.
(Online 10 Apr) “The countries of Latin America can no longer be ignored when it comes to handling the global challenges affecting the whole of humanity; therefore, we must have stronger cooperation with them,” claimed Foreign Minister János Martonyi in the plenary session, the closing programme of the two-daylong Hungarian-Latin American Forum (MLAF). The main organiser of the series of events was the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA), the National Innovation Office (NIH), and the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (MKI) also provided venues for the programmes. We invited to the Forum the twelve countries which have accredited ambassadors to Hungary (seven states are represented by resident embassies in Budapest, five countries by missions accredited from Vienna), as well as – strengthening the regional character of the event – our Central European partners and the European Union’s high-ranking officials specialised in this region. The aims of the event were to arouse the interest in cooperation on both sides, to help us to become acquainted with each other and to establish new relations, especially in areas where Hungary had previously had good and functioning relations with most of the countries of the region. In line with these, the participants discussed the state of bilateral relations and the possible courses of their improvement in three areas, which have major potential: political dialogue, business and trade, scien-
hero National He began to be considered a national hero by the republicans in the late 19th century, and after the republic was
Kindergarten Day GERMANY - A p r 2 1
This month Germans celebrate Kindergarten Day, in honor of Friedrich Froebel who was born on April 21, 1782 and who started the first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837. The school was built upon a series of innovative principles that used the innate curiosity and intrests of children to guide them to see what Froebel believed to be the harmonious, interconnectedness of all things -- through song and play (which was unheard of in earlier schools); daily lessons in drawing, design, and other artistic activities; and learning through active doing and close contacts with the natural world -- many of the kindergartens actually had real gardens attached to them that the children tended and in doing so, Froebel believed, cultivated their own inner lives. By the 1840s, Froebel was even issuing stock in his enterprise, the Universal German Kindergarten, at around ten dollars a share. But the business never made him wealthy -- in fact, though the kindergarten idea spread throughout Germany in the mid-19th century, it was fiercely resisted by the autocratic Prussian state, which esentially outlawed it in 1851 because it was believed that Kindergartens promoted democratic ideas that were dangerous to the rigid status quo. Froebel would die a year later, in 1852 -- some say of a broken heart. As Norman Brosterman reports in his fascinating book, Inventing Kindergarten, by 1860, even the Prussian authorities relented and allowed this highly popular new form of schooling to continue. The first public American Kindergarten was opened in 1873 in St. Louis. By 1876, at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, there was a model kindergarten for inspection on the grounds at Fairmont Park. One visitor, Mrs. Anna Wright, was so taken with what she saw that she bought a set of what were called Froebel's gifts -- the blocks and balls, sticks and geometric forms that all kindergartens were equipped with -- and took a course of instruction so that she could pass on what she had seen about Froebel's ideas of beautiful unity to her son, Frank Lloyd Wright. Cubism, the Bauhaus, Taliesin -- in fact, a good part of what we see and call "modern," as Brosterman points out -- is arguably attributable to Froebel and the visionary geometries of his children's garden.
Queen's Birthday (actual date) U.K., Falkland Islands - A p r 2 1
The Queen's Official Birthday, also known as "the Queen's Birthday" is the day on which the birthday of the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms is officially celebrated rather than the actual day of the current monarch's birthday. The exact date of the celebration varies from country to country, and only marks the real birthday of the sovereign by coincidence (the current monarch, Elizabeth II, was born on 21 April 1926). Most Commonwealth Realms release a Birthday Honours List at this time. It has been celebrated in the United Kingdom with the Queen's Birthday Parade (which includes Trooping the colour ceremonies) since 1748. In the UK there is no public holiday for it and King Edward VII (1901–10) moved it to the 1st, 2nd, or (rarely) 3rd Saturday in June in the hope of better weather. It might be said that the Monarch's official birthday is only this date as the Monarch declared it, and others have kept it, whereas the celebration of the Queen's birthday elsewhere is the name of a public holiday, sometimes renamed. It has been celebrated as an official public holiday, sharing sometimes with the celebration of other things, in several Commonwealth countries, usually Commonwealth realms, although it is also celebrated in Fiji, now a republic.
San Jacinto Day (Texas) U.S. - A p r 2 1
Remember the Alamo? Remember Goliad? Well, every April 21, the State of Texas does. For these were the rallying cries that inspired a band of Texan rebels lead by Sam Houston to defeat two Mexican Army regiments at San Jacinto – the final and decisive battle in the Texas Revolution. San Jacinto Day is an official holiday in Texas. It commemorates Texas’ independence from Mexico and is marked by a reenactment of the battle itself, which took place on 21 April 1836. Most accounts agree that the Texas Revolution began in 1835, when Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna attempted to dissolve Mexico’s democratic government and assert autocratic authority over the nation. Thousands of Texan colonists responded by declaring independence and forming a new republican government. In 1836, Santa Anna led an invasion north to crush the insurrection. Mexican forces scored important early successes. The Mexicans defeated and slaughtered Texan rebels at the Alamo, in present-day San Antonio. They then defeated, captured, and murdered the unarmed survivors of another group of Texan rebels at Goliad. About 350 unarmed Texan prisoners-of-war were executed in what later became known as the “Goliad Massacre.” In the wake of these defeats, Sam Houston led a band of 900 remaining Texan soldiers on an apparent retreat. He successfully goaded Santa Anna – commanding 1,400 soldiers – to pursue. About three weeks after Goliad, Houston stopped to camp on a grassy field near a flooded marsh along the San Jacinto River. Santa Anna camped his soldiers about 1,000 yards away, in the swampy marshland. On April 21, while the Mexican soldiers rested in preparation for a final assault, Houston pre-empted them with an attack of his own. Santa Anna had failed to post sentinels, and Houston’s forces caught the Mexicans completely by surprise. The battle was over in only 18 minutes. Shouting “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” as they raided the Mexican camp, the inspired Texans decimated Santa Anna’s forces, killing about 700 and wounding another 208. The Texans also took 730 Mexican prisoners, while suffering less than 40 casualties of their own. Santa Anna escaped during the melee, but was promptly captured the next day. The Battle of San Jacinto effectively ended Mexico’s control over Texas, paving the way for the independence and sovereignty of the “Lone Star State.” Although the battle didn’t result in Mexico officially recognizing Texan independence, it directly led to U.S. annexation of Texas. Texas annexation, in turn, sparked the Mexican-American War and the resulting westward territorial expansion of the United States. So, if Sam Houston’s forces had failed to win this crucial battle, world history could have taken a vastly different turn!
Contributed by: Alberto Rodriguez
Imran condemns passage of PCNS resolution by parliament has aggravated terrorism in Pakistan,” he added. Imran said it was pathetic to see Maulana F a z l u r Rehman playing his usual game of simply upping his purchase price by declaring that his party would never allow any NATO supply route to be opened and then backing out and accepting the PCNS draft resolution. The same was true of the PML-N which made strong statements against NATO supply routes and the US footprint in Pakistan including drones, through Chaudhry Nisar and then submitted to the government’s will, he added. Imran felt it was ironic that all these dubious compromises are made in the name of “national interest” when in fact they actually undermine the same. The PTI chief also pointed out the manner in which the resolution sought to plead to the US to review its policies like drone strikes when in fact it should simply have stated that Pakistan would not accept any drone attack on its territory and would use all means to counter it.
tific and technological cooperation. The successful economic forum involving several businessmen and national trade developing agencies was organised by the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency, while the representatives of science had a dialogue at the National Innovation Office. The political consultation was opened by Zsolt Németh, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry. In his speech he praised the considerable economic growth of the countries of Latin America in the last decade and the increased significance of the region in international politics. He emphasised that the Hungarian foreign policy must respond to this change; thus, the global opening stated in the new Hungarian Foreign Policy Strategy pays special attention to Latin America, where, unfortunately, our diplomatic presence has weakened in the last twenty years. In the consultation the Latin American delegations and ambassadors, the representatives of the V4 countries and the Foreign Ministry held a dialogue on the present and future of bilateral relations. The Latin American side welcomed the initiative and praised its topicality, as experts claim that the 2010s will be the decade of Latin America. The participants agreed that it is an important task of the Foreign Ministries and other state authorities to help the public, business and civil sectors of the two regions to become acquainted with each other. In the framework of the Latin America Seminar organised in the Hungarian
Institute of International Affairs, academics and researchers specialised in the region conducted discussions with the participants of the political consultation. Christian Leffler, Managing Director for the Americas of the European External Action Service also gave a short lecture at the seminar. Foreign Minister János Martonyi opened the closing programme of the Forum, the plenary session in the Foreign Ministry. The Minister emphasised the importance and the topicality of the Forum, as well as the necessity of raising the Hungarian public sector’s and the general public’s awareness of the Latin American region. He highlighted that the countries of Latin America can no longer be ignored when it comes to handling the global challenges affecting the whole of humanity; therefore, we must have stronger multilateral cooperation with them. Mr Martonyi admitted that Hungary’s diplomatic presence in the region needs improvement, and announced that a travelling ambassador would soon again be on mission in five countries of the Andean region. As he said, the number of high level meetings should be increased; therefore, he visits South American states in May. In the plenary session Christian Leffler highlighted the importance of the EU in establishing relations. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, President of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Foundation also made a speech, naming the connection of the two region’s societies as the main task of the EU-LAC.
13 (Online Apr) The Prime Minister confirmed press reports of his planned meeting with Mr. Barroso on 23 April, in conwith nection discussions between Hungary and the EU. He said that ‘Every day we move a little closer to our goal and things are going in the right direction, even though the pace is not what we might have hoped for.’ With regard to EU infringement proceedings, he said that Hungary had sent the European Commission its answers to outstanding questions, and a response is expected in the near future. If subsequently there are still some outstanding points, then clearly proceedings will be launched in accordance with the EU’s basic treaties – at some point the debate must be brought to a conclusion. The Prime Minister said that ‘Brussels is not Moscow. We remember that Moscow would independently decide on issues related to Hungary, while in the EU such matters are decided according to democratic, legally-based procedures.’ The Prime Minister said that there are Member States with more than one hundred such unresolved matters being dealt with, and the questions related to Hungary are a fraction of this. On the subject of IMF negotiations, Mr. Orbán said that Hungary is itself a member of the IMF, and so it would be unimaginable and unacceptable for the Fund to impose conditions on one member which it would not impose on another. In the recent past the organisation has offered support based purely on financial criteria to countries such as Bosnia, Pakistan
and Belarus. The Prime Minister said that he would see it as blackmail if the European Union were to impose political conditions on Hungary as a prerequisite to an IMF agreement. If the EU were to take such a decision, it should not only be firmly rejected by Hungary, but also by all other Member States. The Prime Minister made it clear that Hungarians and the Hungarian government do not want to live under the tyranny of debt. In the two preceding terms of government, government debt grew to such an extent that, in practice, ninety per cent of personal income tax paid by Hungarians today leaves the country immediately, in order to pay the debt. ‘This cannot continue or we will be overwhelmed. We want to break out of the spiral,’ said Mr. Orbán. In reply to a question on several other countries’ adoption of methods used by Hungary to stabilise the budget, the Prime Minister said that it is clear that everyone is seeking the economic model that can see them through the next 20 to 25 years. Hungary has a vision for how this should be achieved: to build on employment and to aim for increased employment, and therefore to cut taxes on income. The Prime Minister said that
there has been no government decision on a transaction tax, but the will Cabinet discuss it. The regime tax must not be amended midyear except in extreme circumstances, and he said that such a sitdoes uation not exist now. It is possible, however, that in the 2013 embudget ployment-related taxes will be even lower, and that the burden will be shifted towards consumption and transactions. On the nomination of the next President of Hungary, he repeated that the parties and Parliament had a role in this. The leadership meeting of Fidesz was held the same morning (13 April), and the combined governing parliamentary fraction will meet on 16 April to agree on the nomination. Mr. Orbán said that ‘Somebody is needed who represents stability and who displays self-confidence. The whole of European civilization faces a difficult period. Renewal is proceeding very slowly and so Hungary’s primary need is security.’ The Premier also spoke of government efforts to promote job creation in agriculture, and he once again expressed his outrage at the anti-Semitic tone of a statement in Parliament last Monday by a Jobbik opposition MP. ‘Hungary’s constitutional system is clear, and its Constitution states that human dignity is inviolable – there are few constitutions in the EU which declare this so categorically. Hungary will protect all communities living in the country, and those communities can rely on both the Government and on me in person.’
Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary (Online 13 Apr) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary expresses its deep concern about the attempted rocket launch by North Korea on 13 April, which is a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874. Hungary calls upon the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to adhere to its international obligations, including all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. We consider the maintenance of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula a key issue which should be a priority for
the Government of the DPRK as well. Hungary at the same time expects the DPRK to refrain from any action that could further increase regional tension and the legitimate concerns of the international community.
J á nos H óv á r i’s pa r t ic ipa tion in Sze ge d M ode l U N C onf e r e nc e (Online 13 Apr) On 11 April, Deputy State Secretary János Hóvári participated in the opening ceremony of the Szeged Model United Nations
(SZEMUN) Conference, where he delivered a lecture. Thanks to the initiative of the students of the university in Szeged, the
international students’ conference modelling the work of the United Nations is organised for the third time.
Orbán received Slomó Köves, Principal Rabbi of EMIH Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (Online 12 Apr) Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén also participated in the meeting. Mr. Orbán strongly condemned extremist statements made by an opposition MP at last week’s parliamentary sitting, and made it clear that the Government of Hungary guarantees that every minority
in Hungary can live in safety. The Prime Minister welcomed the fact that Judaism and Jewish public life in our country is once again diverse. At the meeting Mr. Köves acknowledged the Prime Minister's defence of human dignity in the National Assembly, and thanked the
Government for ensuring conditions for diversity in Hungary’s religious and cultural life. A planned agreement between the Government and religious communities was also discussed during the meeting.
H unga r y is one of t he m os t ope n e c onom ie s (Online 12 Apr) The Ernst&Young has recently published its annual report on globalization which includes the globalization index for the 60
largest economies of the world, and according to this ranking Hungary was placed the 10th. You can find the analysis in the at-
tached document on the right side of the page!
Our borders will be safer: Mr Károly Kontrát (Online 12 Apr) Hungary protects its borders, ensures an adequate level of protection for its citizens and at the same time fulfils the EU requirements and protects the EU’s external borders – underlined Mr Károly Kontrát Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior at the border of Röszke where Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy thermal imagcamera ing and system border surveillance system have been established. We have finalized the third stage of the development the through creation of the surveillance system - said Mr Károly Kontrát. Four thermal cameras have been installed. One of them operates at the Tiszasziget road border cross- Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy ing that belongs to the Szeged Border Agency’s area of competence. Furthermore two nearly 10 years old adjustable detect i o n equipments have been renewed. EU External Borders Fund financed 75 percent and Hungary 25 percent of the total project costs. “The development will continue since Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy new thermal migrants entering Hungary and the cameras will be set up in a value of EU illegally. HUF 353 million” – emphasised Mr Károly Kontrát referred to the imDeputy State Secretary and added: portance of taking actions against ilour aim is to prevent Western Balkan
legal migration as it is an ongoing priority issue of EU Interior Ministers meetings and ministers could adopt an EU road map in June. “Due to comprehensive, coordin a t e d measures and common actions signifiresults cant been have achieved during the last – month” stressed the Deputy State Secretary. Interior Ministers of Hungary, Austria Serbia and held trilateral negotiations recently and decisions rethe garding measures against illegal migration have been taken. Austrian and auSerbian thorities and EU agencies (Europol, Frontex) were involved in the actions. The development will cont i n u e . Procurement of modern border control vehicles – Schengen buses – is currently under preparation and border guards will be equipped with new communication tools and radios. IT equipment of border agencies will be modernised, the licence plate number identification system constructed at the borders will be developed – informed Mr Károly Kontrát.
General debate on administrative districts started On 11 April 2012, the general debate on administrative districts began in Parliament. In her opening speech, Erika Szabó laid emphasis on the essence of the system, pointing out that in all cases the citizen must be placed at the centre of decisions, because a key element of the process is the creation of a real serviceprovider state. One of the most important pillars of the Government’s strategy to review and renew the system of local and public administration is the creation of a system of administrative districts. A modern system of such districts will contribute to a more effective and rational system of public administration. To aid in the creation of this system,
a specialist study was produced which looked at historical precedents and European practices. After several months of political and professional consultation, on 30 March Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Justice, submitted the package of bills to Parliament. The bills will define those competences which will fall to the offices of the approximately 100 administrative districts to be formed. The system will come into force on 1 January 2013. Two units – the administrative district in the capital and the district office elsewhere – will act as organisational units of existing government offices. They will provide services which, up until now, have
been partly performed by notaries and sub-regional bodies. Centres serving the public will also form part of the administrative districts which, by the end of 2013, can be transformed into one-stop service points which are customer-friendly and efficient. An important aim is that the division of tasks between local council offices and administrative districts will be clearly defined. The districts will deal with tasks which, up until now, have fallen to a number of different bodies. The consultation process in developing the plans has included local government bodies and unions, wide-ranging public consultation and discussion.
D r. M i k l ó s S z ó c s k a m e t w i t h Roma medical students (Online 11 Apr) ‘The Roma population barely has an intellectual stratum of society, and in the meantime, we have almost 200 unfilled general practitioners’ practice in Hungary,’ said Prof. Dr. László Rosivall at a meeting where fresher Roma students of Semmelweis University talked with Dr. Miklós Szócska, Minister of State for Health. That is why it is so important to integrate the Roma minorities in the field of education and science. A few years ago, the professor started a financial support program for the medical education of gifted, young, multiply disadvantaged Roma. The aim of the project was to help them to
reach a high level of education and to give them a chance for the future and in the same time to ease the shortage of healthcare workers. In the previous year, there were 10 participants in the preparatory programme, out of which 8 succeeded to be admitted to the University, two of them to the Faculty of Health Sciences (B.Sc), while six of them to the Faculty of Medicine. This year, the preparatory programme has 11 participants. During the meeting, the students said they were past a very difficult and challenging semester, but now they know how to manage their time and intellectual capacity in order to be successful in their stud-
ies. During the meeting, Dr. Miklós Szócska shared his university experiences with the students. He also told them that the State Secretariat for Health puts great emphasis on supporting doctors. He mentioned for example the Resident Scholarship Programme and the establishment of the Practice Fund, by allocating 300 million HUF to support young doctors in purchasing a practice. At the meeting, Prof. Dr. László Rosivall and Dr. Miklós Szócska agreed with the students to meet again in 6 months’ time, because the success of this programme is to the benefit of all.
Agreement on the representation of the United Kingdom in Syria (Online 11 Apr) Following the agreements with Canada and Australia, Hungary’s Embassy in Damascus also ensures the diplomatic and consular representation of the United Kingdom in Syria on the basis of a bi-
lateral agreement. Hungary entered into similar cooperation with the United Kingdom during the revolution of 2011 in Libya. The Hungarian diplomacy performed the task it undertook excellently. By the
repeated request an important European partner of ours entrusted us with the representation of their interests and citizens.
J ohns on C ontr ols Ope ns Pla nt in H unga r y to Supply M e r c e de s - B e nz (Online 13 Apr) Johnson Con( IW trols a 1000/17), manufacturer of automotive seating, overhead systems, door and instrument panels and interior electronics, rec e n t l y launched production at a new facility in Kecskemét, Hungary. The just-in-time (JIT) plant supplies complete seat systems for the new Mercedes-Benz B-Class. "We are proud to support Mercedes Benz's new car manufacturing plant in Kecskémet and also establish our own operations in region," the said Péter Dallos, plant manager of the Johnson ConKectrols skémet facility. This plant currently employs 130 people. An additional 70 jobs will be created in the fall, when a second shift is added. "Before joining Johnson Controls, all production team members were unemployed," said Dallos. "The profound education they received from the Labour Center of Kecskemét and the Türr István
Training and Research Institute provided all required skills. This puts us
in a position to serve our customer's uncompromising quality standards from the beginning." Johnson Controls recently launched production of the seating system for
the first and second seat row for the BClass at the Kecskemét plant. A large number of different types of seats are manufactured in the plant. The different types include a standard or sport seat, and variations of color, material, and special equipment, such as airbags or seat
heat. Johnson Controls Automotive Expehas rience been in Hunsince gary 2007. In addito tion Kecskemét, the company operates in plants Mez�`lak and Mór that produce metal seating comIn ponents. 2010, Johnson Controls acthe quired HunSeton plant gary in based Pápa, which produces l e a t h e r wrapped car interior components. The new plant increases the company's number of employees in Hungary to 2500.
PAKISTAN NEWS
proclaimed in Brazil in 1889 the anniversary of his death (April 21) became a national holiday. As of now there is a city in the state of Minas Gerais bearing his name and major avenues and streets in countries like the Dominican Republic.
into the hands of a few and would be of no benefit to the country. In fact, Khan pointed out, it would cause more harm with an increase in terrorism, more militancy, greater polarisation and more economic destabilisation in the country. The farce of reviving the NATO supply route for non-lethal goods will sustain the US war in Afghanistan as all NATO supplies are for their military’s sustenance and war effort against Afghanistan, he remarked. “The PTI will not accept restoration of NATO supply routes. It is not simply a matter of money. It is a matter of extricating Pakistan from this war which is not Pakistan’s war at all and which
broader relations in the fuThe ture. also parties that agreed EuCentral rope will enjoy an enhanced position in the next few years and cooperation in the energy sector will become a key factor. Hungarian-Kurdish rel a t i o n s therefore offer major opportunities based on the foundation of mutual respect.
(Online 11 Apr) Viktor Orbán received Masoud Barzani, of President the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, in his office today. The negotiating partners agreed it would be necto essary widen cooperation, both in the economy and in commerce. The Hungarian Government’s balanced foreign policy and the role Mol Photo: Gergely Botár plays in Kurdistan constitute firms foundations for
The President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region visits Hungary
Biography Raden Ayu Kartini was born into an aris-
P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k - e Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday condemned the unanimous passage of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) resolution by parliament, seeking to redefine Paki s t a n - U S relations. Citing this as yet another example of the “muq muqa” (underhand deal) by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML N), he asked, “How will this resolution benefit the people of Pakistan as over 40,000 Pakistanis have died in the US-led ‘war on terror’ while the country incurred a loss of $50 billion during the last four years.” Imran sought to know what had happened to the principle of “give peace a chance” which was the central part of the APC Resolution passed unanimously by all the mainstream political parties. He reiterated that this resolution was merely a continuation of making the Pakistani state play a mercenary role for the US and only the price for this had been jacked up. However, the money that would come would go
Mahmud to the Sadad, of governor the district. “The melting snow in the mountains the swells small streams to rivers, which put people’s lives at risk and destroy everything in their way. The assistance from the Hungarian contingent has been vital to us, so we’d like to say thanks for it”, the governor of the district said. Springtime means flood preventions works to adults, while the bell has gone in the schools. The school year has started for 400 students in one of the biggest secondary schools in Burka District. The LT has donated blackboards, several hundred exercise books, pens, pencils, pencilcases, schoolbags as well as footballs and volleyballs to them.
IMF can only use financial criteria when deciding on offering support: Viktor Orbán
Cabinet expands by a fourth The mammoth of cabinet Prime Minister Yousaf Raza exGilani panded further on Friday after induction of another 11 ministers. The addition is believed to be a step to rightsize the cabinet. It is also believed that portfolios of the ministers would be reshuffled or some of them would be shown the door to utilise energies for the next general elections due in 2013. President Asif Ali Zardari administered oaths to five new federal ministers and six state ministers at the Presidency on Friday. Four of the five federal ministers belong to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and were in the first Federal Cabinet. They were later excluded from the cabinet on the pretext of a smaller cabinet in February 2011. The PPP stalwarts – Qamar Zaman Karia, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nazar Muhammad Gondal – were inducted to the
cabinet. Rana Farooq Saeed Khan and Farzana Raja, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) chairperson, were also made federal ministers. The state ministers include, Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, Raheela Baloch, Abbas Khan Afridi, Tasneem Qureshi, Malik Azmat Khan and Syed Sumsam Ali Shah Bokhari. The new appointments bring the number of federal ministers to 35, while the number of state ministers is 18. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is also assisted by four advisers and five special advisers.
According to sources, some sitting ministers of the cabinet would be the shown door to adjust the new ones. Qamar Zaman Kaira could head the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in the future. Kaira, who is also central information secretary of the PPP, headed the ministry in the first cabinet of the Gi-
lani-led government. Sources in PPP said that the wouldbe appointment of Kaira as the new information minister aims at effectively highlighting the achievements of the government. Another key change might be made to the Water and Power Ministry, which miserably failed to overcome recurring problem of electricity load shedding in the country. Current Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar is likely to replace Naveed Qamar in this regard.
O s a m a ’s f a m i l y t o b e d e p o r t e d to S. Arabia next week: lawyer The government would dethe port and widows of children slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to Saudi Arabia next week after their jail sentence for illegal residency their ends, lawyer said on Friday. three The and women children two were detained security by forces after a secret US special forces raid killed Bin Laden in Abbottabad in May last year. Earlier this month a court sentenced the women to 45 days in prison for illegally staying in the country. It ordered their deportation after the
prison term which began on March 3 when they were formally arrested. “They are likely to be deported to Saudi Arabia on April 18, as their sentence ends on April 17,” the family’s lawyer, Aamir Khalil, said. The three widows and the children
were among the 16 people detained after the US raid. Two of the are wives Saudi nationals, and one is from Yemen. The family is being held at a house in Islamabad. Analysts say Pakistan may have preferred lengthy a senprison tence for the family to prevent them from discussing details of their time in the country. Once outside Pakistan, Bin Laden’s relatives could reveal details about how the world’s most wanted man was able to hide in Pakistan for years.
US drastically reducing aid projects in Pakistan The United States is drastically reducing the number of aid projects in Pakistan as part of reforms aimed at improving the distribution of billions of dollars in funding, the top US aid official said on Friday. The total amount of civilian aid will remain the same, but the US hopes the reorganisation will producer better, higher profile outcomes that can win hearts and minds in a country where anti-American sentiment is rampant, said Rajiv Shah, the head of the US Agency for International Development. The move comes over two years after the US launched a five-year $7.5 billion civilian aid programme in Pakistan that supporters hoped would improve the perception of America, elicit greater support from the government in the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda and reduce the allure of those groups to average Pakistanis. The vast majority of aid before that went to the military. Despite spending $2.6 billion in civilian aid, popular support for the US has actually fallen as relations between the two countries have deteriorated, and elements of the Pakistani government are widely believed to have continued backing militants killing American troops in Afghanistan. Experts have criticised the aid mission for lacking clear goals and for not providing enough information about how the money is spent. The dominant narrative in Pakistan is that the funds have done little to help av-
erage citizens — a message the US has tried to counter. Shah said the US has done much more in recent years than it receives credit, including providing medical training that saved the lives of an estimated 30,000 children and working to ensure that 900,000 kids were able to attend school. But he said the US had also tried to do too many things at once in the country, which hindered results and made it more difficult for Pakistanis to see the benefits. He did not name specific programmes likely to be cut. But he said the US is working to cut the number of projects from a high of over 140 to around 35 by the end of September in five key areas – energy, economic growth, health, education and stabilisation of Afghan border areas. “If we are trying to do 140 different things, we are unlikely to do things at scale in a way that an entire country of 185 million people can see and value and appreciate,” Rajiv told The Associated Press in an interview in Islamabad. “We are just far more effective and
we deliver much more value to American taxpayers when we concentrate and focus and deliver results.” Shah said another potential benefit of concentrating the focus of the aid mission is that it could give the US greater leverage in pressing the Pakistani government to und e r t a k e necessary reforms, especially in the energy sector, which Washington has made its top priority. Pakistan suffers from serious gas and electricity shortages that have hindered economic growth and increased hardship for many Pakistanis. The US has helped increase the electricity supply, but the effort will do little good in the long-term unless the Pakistani government deals with the sector’s management and pricing issues. “You can only be effective at direct engagement with Pakistani leaders if you say, ‘Look we are big enough and important enough to your energy sector that we should have a real policy dialogue and make sure you are continuing to make these very tough reforms,’“ said Shah. Shah said it was in US interests to continue providing civilian aid because it would help foster a more stable and prosperous Pakistan, making it a less fertile breeding ground for militants who threaten America. “Our logo and our tagline says ‘From the American People,’ but in reality this work is very much for the American people,” said Shah.
Pakistan Army facing difficulties in Gyari rescue operation Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Athar Abbas Saturday said that Pakistan Army is facing difficulties in Gyari rescue operation due to harsh weather, however 24-hour round the clock operation continued. Pakistan Army arranged a media briefing regarding Gyari sector calamity. Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Ashfaq Nadeem flanked by DG ISPR briefed the media about the magnitude of the incident and military rescue operations. He said that Pakistan Air force (PAF) is also making all out efforts for the rescue of Pakistan army soldiers trapped in avalanche. He said that assistance was also sought from international organizations and friend countries, adding that teams from Germany, Switzerland
and China had reached the area. The DGMO said the American team also reached Pakistan and it would kick off work after the improvement of weather conditions. Gen Nadeem said that a team from Norway would also reach to the area soon. Replying to a question, he said that 139 people including soldiers and civilians were present in the Battalion headquarters at the time of the incident. Gen Nadeem said that the magnitude of the tragedy was so big that local rescue facilities in the region were not enough while movement of heavy equipments was also very difficult. He told as many as 400 troops and
D r one s tr ik e s will go on in Pa k is ta n: U S of fic ia ls US has no intention to end drone strikes against militant targets on Pakistani soil, US officials say. Possibly setting the two countries up for diplomatic tensions after Pakistan parliament unanim o u s l y approved new guidelines for the country troubled relationship with the US. US officials say they will work in coming weeks and months to find common ground with Pakistan, but if a suspected terrorist target comes into the laser sights of a CIA drone’s hellfire missiles, they will take the shot. It is not the first time the US has ignored Pakistan’s parliament, which demanded an end to drone strikes in 2008. What is different now is that the Pakistani government is in a more fragile political state and can continue no longer its earlier practice of quietly allowing the US action while publicly denouncing it, Pakistani officials say. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the high stakes diplomatic jockeying. The parliament approved on Thursday recommendations intended to guide Pakistan’s government in its negotiations to reset the US relationship. The guidelines allow for the blockade on US and Nato supplies to be lifted. The lawmakers demanded a halt to CIA-led missile attacks but did not make that a prerequisite to reopening the supply lines. The relationship between Pakistan and the US faltered after a series of incidents in 2011 that have damaged trust on both sides _ from the controversy over CIA security officer Ray Davis, who killed two Pakistani alleged assailants and was later released, to the US Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May, without Pakistani permission. But the arguable nadir in relations came in November, when US forces returned fire they believed came from a Pakistani border post and killed 24 Pakistani troops. Those incidents led to the ejection of US military trainers who had worked closely with Pakcounterinsurgent forces, istani
slowed CIA drone strikes, and joint raids and investigations by Pakistan’s intelligence service together with the CIA and FBI. The border incident led to the shutdown of border supply lines into Afghanistan, more than doubling the cost of shipping in supplies for the war effort. A recent series of high-level US military and State Department visits have produced backroom understandings on almost every issue except the drones, one former US official briefed on the talks explained, with US officials offering to negotiate some sort of payment to use the border crossing points, for instance. The White House also is considering issuing an official apology for the deadly border incident, two senior US officials say, which would help ease Pakistani outrage and demonstrate the Pakistani government wrested at least one major concession from the US. And while the US has no intentions of stopping its CIA and FBI counterterrorist activities on Pakistani soil, the White House could take the step of withdrawing some of the staff for a few months until the spotlight is off the controversy, as it did last year after the Ray Davis incident, and again after the Bin Laden raid. Still, neither side is budging on the drone issue, both US and Pakistani officials say. The White House has raised the bar on whom the CIA is allowed to target, applying new limits and all but curtailing so-called ”signature strikes” where CIA targeters deemed certain groups and behavior as clearly indicative of militant activity. The White House also explored whether giving Pakistan advance no-
tice of the strikes could become the basis of a compromise to keep the operation going. In exploratory counteroffers, Pakistani officials have suggested the US ”transfer ownership” of the drones to the Pakistani InterServices Intell i g e n c e , flagging them as Pakistani aircraft, taking off from Pakistani air bases, two Pakistani officials say. The Pakistanis argue their public would react with less venom to errant strikes that hit Pakistani civilian targets than they do when such strikes are carried out by a foreign force. They point out the drone transmissions have to travel via US-controlled satellites, giving US officials a failsafe to terminate the Pakistani strikes at any time. An alternate proposal put forward is that the US better arm Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, enabling the Pakistan air force to attack the targets. While Pakistani officials insist the jets have proven successful in the past, US officials claim their shots flew wide of the mark, allowing some of the militant targets to escape. There is little chance of that, with the mountain of evidence the US has built up showing the Pakistani intelligence service’s support of Afghan militants. A secret Nato report published in January obtained by The Associated Press, concluded that ”the government of Pakistan remains intimately involved with the Taliban.” Derived from interviews with captured Afghan militants, the report says ”in meetings with Taliban leaders, ISI personnel are openly hostile to ISAF (the US coalition, with ISI officers touting the need for “continued jihad and expulsion of ‘foreign invaders’ from Afghanistan.” “We’re floundering” on how to restore the relationship, said Bruce Riedel, former CIA official, and the man who helped the White House craft its policy to reconnect with Pakistan when President Barack Obama took office in 2009. The ISI’s support of the Taliban shows that “engagement with the Pakistani government hasn’t produced the change we’d hoped for.”
Snowstorms hit Siachen rescuers Blizzard conditions on Friday hit rescuers searching for 138 people buried by an avalanche at a high-altitude army camp as more foreign teams were due in the country to help operations. A huge wall of snow crashed into the Siachen Glacier base on April 7, smothering an area of one square kilometre. Low temperatures are hampering the effectiveness of heavy machinery
being used to dig through the mass of snow and ice at the Gayari base,
the military said. Specialist high altitude teams from the US, Germany and Switzerland were being sent by road and air to the remote site, the military said, while units from China and Norway were due to arrive in Islamabad. Search teams are looking for the trapped soldiers and civilians at six different points on the site.
Pakistan for mutually beneficial ties with US: Khar Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Friday said that P a k i s t a n wanted to have a mutually beneficial relationship with the US, adding that the parliam e n t a r y process had redefined the relationship, ushering in a new era of transparency and predictability. The foreign minister said this in a meeting with a US delegation led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr Rajiv Shah. The foreign secretary was also present in the meeting. The two sides discussed matters related to bilateral relations, especially economic cooperation between the two countries. The foreign minister appreciated the USAID projects in Pakistan, saying the projects had benefited the people
in the country. Khar said that Pakistan wanted preferential access to the US market, saying it would create new opportunities for Pakistani businesses. Dr Rajiv Shah said the US fully respected the parliamentary process in Pakistan, adding that it would continue to build its multifaceted relationship with Pakistan. He assured that USAID would remain engaged in developing the priority sectors of energy, health, agriculture and education in Pakistan.
The USAID administrator also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari to create centres for advanced studies at three Pakistani universities. “With the US support, these centres will promote development of Pakistan’s water, energy, and agriculture sectors through applied research, training for specialists, university linkages, and contributions towards policy formulation,” Shah said at the signing ceremony. “US-Pakistan cooperation in higher education spans more than six decades. This new program presents a new milestone in our joint efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s university system to support the growth of the country’s economy,” he said.
Nadra issues Pakistan Origin Card to Russian woman some 60 civilians are currently taking part in rescue and search operation. He said that that some small avalanches had also been falling in the area. The DGMO said that all entire nation and army was praying for a miracle for the recovery of soldiers alive.
The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has finally issued the Pakistan Origin Card to a Russian woman on the directives of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), a source said on Saturday. Kristina Petrochenkova, 30, confirmed that she has been issued the card as her previous document expired on April 13 and she needed another one to legalise her stay in the country of her spouse.
Peshawar High Court Justice Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan had taken strong notice of the refusal by the Nadra authorities to renew the Pakistan Origin Card of Kristina, whose Muslim name is Parveen. The court has summoned the director general of the authority for the next hearing on April 16. The Russian woman is fighting a legal battle for separation from her Pakistani spouse, Ikramullah Khan,
in a family court. She has also filed a writ petition in the PHC for stopping the Interior Ministry for taking action to cancel her visa. Ikramullah had filed a case against Kristina in the Charsadda Police Station on March 19 in which he accused her of stealing Rs1.25 million as well as gold ornaments worth Rs1.8 million from his briefcase while on way to Islamabad.