R u s s i a D a y - J u n e 1 2Russia Day (Russian: День Рос-сии, Den Rossii) is the nationalholiday of the Russian Federation,celebrated on June 12. It has beencelebrated every year since 1992.The First Congress of People'sDeputies of the Russian Federa-tion adopted the Declaration ofState Sovereignty of the RussianSoviet Federative Socialist Repub-lic on June 12, 1990.HistoryThe idea of the declaration wasborn in the Democratic Russiamovement, in which proponents ofevolutionary market reform andstrong statehood based on Rus-sia's national interests started op-posing the Communist monopolyon power. In addition, by the late 1980s, society had begun to doubt the Politburo'sability to carry out meaningful socio-economic reforms.The creation of the post of the President of the Russian Federation and the adop-tion of the newRussian Constitution to reflect the new political reality, along withthe national flag, anthem and emblem of the Russian Federation, were major land-marks in the consolidation of Russian statehood. The country's new name- theRussian Federation (Russia)- was adopted on December 25, 1991. The day whenthe declaration was adopted- June 12 - was proclaimed as national holiday bySupreme Soviet of Russia in 1992, and again proclaimed Russia's national holidayby the Russian President's decree of June 2, 1994. Under the presidential decreeof June 16, 1998, it was called the Day of Russia. In 2002, the new Labor Codegave official seal to this title.

C h a c o P e a c eP a r a g u a y - J u n e 1 2

Chaco WarThe Chaco War (1932–1935) was fought between Boliviaand Paraguay over control of the northern part of the GranChaco region (the Chaco Boreal) of South America, whichwas incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also known asLa Guerra de la Sed (Spanish for "War of Thirst") for beingfought in the semi-arid Chaco. It was the bloodiest militaryconflict fought in South America during the 20th century. Thewar pitted two of South America's poorest countries bothhaving previously lost territories to neighbors in 19th centurywars. During the war both countries faced difficulties in ob-taining arms and other supplies since their landlocked situa-tion made their foreign trade and arms purchases dependenton the willingness of neighboring countries to let them passby. In Particular Bolivia faced external trade problems cou-pled with poor internal communications. While Bolivia hadincome from lucrative mining and a better equipped andlarger army than Paraguay, a series of factors turned the tidein favour of Paraguay which came by the end of the war tocontrol most of the disputed zone, and was finally alsogranted the largest portion of the disputed territories in thepeace treaties.OriginsThough the region was sparsely populated, control of theParaguay River running through it would have given one ofthe two landlocked countries access to the Atlantic Ocean.This was especially important to Bolivia, which had lost its Pacific Ocean coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1883).In international arbitration, Bolivia argued that the region had been part of the original Spanish colonial province of Moxos andChiquitos to which Bolivia was heir. Meanwhile, Paraguay had begun to colonize the region. Indeed, both Paraguayan and Ar-gentinian planters already bred cattle and exploited quebracho woods in the area, while the small indigenous population ofGuaraní-speaking tribes was related to that country's own Guaraní heritage.Furthermore, the discovery of oil in the Andean foothills sparked speculation that the Chaco itself might be a rich source of pe-troleum. Foreign oil companies were involved in the exploration: companies mainly descended from Standard Oil backedBolivia, while Shell Oil supported Paraguay. Standard was already producing oil from wells in the high hills of eastern Bolivia,around Villa Montes.Paraguay had lost almost half of its territory to Brazil and Argentina in the War of the Triple Alliance and was not prepared tosee what it was perceived as its last chance for a viable economy fall victim to Bolivia.Composition of the armiesParaguay had a population only a third as large as that of Bolivia (880,000 versus 2,150,000), but its guerrilla style of fighting,compared to Bolivia's more conventional strategy, enabled Paraguay to take the upper hand. In June 1932, the Paraguayanarmy totaled about 4,026 men (355 combat officers, 146 surgeons and noncombatant officers, 200 cadets, 690 NCOs, and2,653 soldiers). Both racially and culturally, the Paraguayan army was practically homogeneous. Almost all of the soldiers wereSpanish-Guarani mestizos. In Bolivia, however, most of the soldiers were Altiplano Native Americans (90% of the infantrytroops), the lower-ranking officers were of Spanish ancestry, and General Hans Kundt was German. In spite of the fact that theBolivian army had many more soldiers, the Bolivian army never mobilized more than 60,000 men, and never more than two-thirds of the army were on the Chaco at one time, while Paraguay mobilized its entire army. City buses were confiscated, wed-ding rings were donated to buy rifles, by 1935 Paraguay had widened conscription to include 17 year-olds and policemen.The Paraguayans took advantage of their ability to communicate over the radio in Guaraní, which was not intelligible to thetypical Bolivian soldier. Paraguay had little trouble in mobilizing its troops in large barges on the Paraguay river right to thefrontlines, whilst the majority of Bolivian soldiers came from the western highlands, some eight hundred kilometers away andwith little or no logistic support. In fact, it took a typical Bolivian soldier about 14 days to traverse the distance, while aParaguayan soldier only took about four. The heavy equipment of Bolivia's army made things worse. The supply of water, giventhe dry climate of the region, also played a key role during the conflict. There were thousands of non-combat casualties due todehydration, mostly among Bolivian troops.AftermathBy the time a ceasefire was negotiated for noon June 10, 1935, Paraguay controlled most of the region. In the last half hourthere was a senseless shoot-out between the armies. This was recognized in a 1938 truce, signed in Buenos Aires, Argentina,by which Paraguay was awarded three-quarters of the Chaco Boreal, 20,000 square miles (52,000 km2). Two Paraguayansand three Bolivians died for every square mile. Bolivia did get the remaining territory, that bordered the Paraguay's River PuertoBusch. Some years later it was found that there were no oil resources in the Chaco Boreal kept by Paraguay, yet the territorieskept by Bolivia were, in fact, rich in natural gas and petroleum, these being at the present time the country's largest exportsand source of wealth.Paraguay captured 21,000 soldiers and 10,000 civilians (1% of Bolivians); many chose to stay after the war. 10,000 Boliviantroops had run away to Argentina or self-mutilated. Paraguay also took 2,300 machine guns, 28,000 rifles and ammunitionworth $10 million (enough to last 40 years).Bolivia's stunning military blunder during the Chaco War led to a mass movement known as the Generación del Chaco, awayfrom the traditional order, which was epitomised by the MNR-led Revolution of 1952.A final treaty clearly marking the boundaries between the two countries was not signed until April 28, 2009. Cultural referencesAugusto Cespedes, Bolivian ambassador to the Unesco and one of the most important Bolivian writers of the 20th century haswritten several books describing different aspects of the conflict. As a war reporter for the newspaper El Universal Cespedeshad witnessed the penuries of the war, which he described in Crónicas heróicas de una guerra estúpida ("Chronicles of astupid war") among other books. Several of his fiction works, considered masterworks of the genre, have also the Chaco Warconflict as setting. Another diplomat and important figure of Bolivian literature,Adolfo Costa Du Rels, has written about the con-flict, his novel “Laguna H3” published in 1938 is also set in the Chaco War.One of the masterpieces of Paraguayan writer Augusto Roa Bastos, the 1960 novel Hijo de Hombre, describes in one of itschapters the carnage and harsh war conditions during the siege of Boquerón. The author himself took part in the conflict, joiningthe army medical service at the age of 17. The Argentine movie Hijo de Hombre, directed by Lucas Demare in 1961 is basedon this part of the novel.In Pablo Neruda's poem, Standard Oil Company, Neruda refers to the Chaco War in the context of the influences that oil com-panies had on the existence of the war.Howard Chaykin’s 2009 mini-series Dominic Fortune begins with the title character working as a mercenary pilot in the ChacoWar.The conflict inspired Lester Dent to write the Doc Savage adventure The Dust of Death, also in 1935.The Chaco War formed the backdrop for the 1935 film Storm Over the Andes, by Christy Cabanne, and the 2006 minimalistfilm Hamaca paraguaya, by Paz Encina.Some aspects of the Chaco War are the inspiration for Tintin's comic book adventure The Broken Ear by Hergé, which beganpublication in 1935.

Vi n c e n t ' s D a yG E R M A N Y- J u n e 1 3

Vincent Mennonite Cemetery, which was in earliertimes known as Rhoad's Burying Ground, is cer-tainly one of the oldest,if not the oldest, bury-ing ground in the areaof Chester Countyalong the west side ofthe Schuylkill. John C.Wenger in his 1937'History of the Mennon-ites of the FranconiaConference' states,"The present building has a stone in it with the date1735 inscribed upon it. This has been regarded asthe date of the founding of the congregation. Itseems to be based on the date of an old gravemarker." Some deny that a meeting house or con-gregation could have existed at that early date,however records show that Johannes Roth(Rhoads) settled on this land in 1719. He died in1738, his first wife having predeceased him. It isreasonable to think they would have been buried atthis burying ground on the land where they lived.Frederick Sheeder, in his 1845 sketch of VincentTownship [PMHB, Vol. XXXIV (1910), January, April& July editions] said, "the meeting house that hasallways whent by the name of Rohd's this meetinghouse was built 1750 the old Germans nearly allin the neighborhood church and meeting folks bur-ried on this graveyard Adam Miller that died onJohn Shuler's place was burried here before therevolution Henry Heffilfinger, the father of Jacob,was burried here 1790 . . . and old John Wagner,Loranz Hippel in the year 1785 (sic), old John andHenry Rohds, Nicholas Miller and other old mem-bers rest here".Most probably due to the Vincent land squabbles,there was no deed made by the Rhoads family tothe Vincent congregation until 1798. On 12 June1798, John Roads of Vincent and Catharina hiswife, for the sum of five shillings, conveyed to HenryAcker Senior and Jacob Finkbiner, a lot or piece ofland situate in the said Township of Vincent,bounded by lands of John Rhoades, containing twoacres more or less (Chester Co. Deed Bk. Q-2:219). On the following day, 13 June 1798, a Dec-laration of Trust was made between Henry AckerSen'r and Jacob Finkbiner, both of Vincent, of theone part, and Cornelius Pannebacker, Henry AckerJu'r., Isaac Turner and George Diemer, all of Vin-cent, of the other part. In Special Trust & Confi-dence in them reposed, the said lot of two acres,"with the house thereon erected and built to be andremain for a Meeting Place for the religious Societycalled Menonests at Vincent Aforesaid for the per-formance of Divine worship and shall also permitand Suffer the said Meeting house to be used as aSchoolhouse to educate the youth of the said rele-gious Society in useful learning as also of all otherDenominations of Christians who have been or whoShall or may be aiders or Afsistants in the buildingthereof & keeping the same in repair or any Im-provements necessarily made thereon And shallfurther permit & suffer so much of the said lot orpiece of land above described as shall be deemednecefsary by the said Relegious Society to be andremain for a Burying ground for the Interment aswell of the dead of the Said Relegious society ofMenonists as of all others who have been or shallbe aiders or Afsistants as Aforesaid and Shall & willalso permit and Allow each and every of the saidother Denominations of Christians so Interring theirdead in the Said burying ground to make use of thesaid house or Lot of ground then as Aforesaid forany purpose whatever..." (Chester Co. Deed Bk. R-2:70).

East Vincent Reformed Church Records refer tomany burials in this graveyard - of Mennonites andothers. The ground was definitely used by neigh-bors of all denominations (most of whom were Ger-man) even before there were burials at Zion's or theHill Church (the two other old cemeteries in thearea).

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INTERNATIONAL

SPECIAL FOCUSHUNGARIAN BULLETINTajik president pays official visit to Hungary

(Google News) On FridayJune 10, Tajik President Emo-mali Rahmon arrived in Hun-gary for a two- day officialvisit. During his stay in Budapest,Emomali Rahmon held talkswith Hungarian President PalSchmitt in the Sandor Palace.The two sides a number of is-sues related to bilateral coop-eration between theircountries.According to Hungarianmedia outlets, Rahmon andSchmitt signed several coop-eration agreements. The Hun-garian president’s office saysthe sides signed agricultural,health and foreign affairs co-operation agreement as wellas an Olympic committee co-

operation agreement.It was reportedly the first offi-cial visit ofP r e s i d e n tRahmon toH u n g a r y .Tajikistan andHungary es-t a b l i s h e ddiplomatic re-lations onJuly 2, 1992.Visit to Hun-gary is a partP r e s i d e n tRahmon’s tour of Europe thatstarted on June 6 and is end-ing on June 12. In the meantime, Tajik presi-dential press service reportsthat before leaving for Hun-gary President Rahmon vis-

ited the European InvestmentBank (EIB) in Luxembourg

and held talkswith EIB Presi-dent PhilippeMaystadt. Tajikleader ex-pressed grati-tude to the EIBmanagementfor opening ofits representa-tive office inTajikistan. Twoa g r e e m e n t s

were reportedly signed be-tween Tajikistan and the EIBunder which EIB will provide a€14 million preferential loanand a €7 million grant for en-hancement of energy sector inTajikistan’s northern Sughd

province.Established in 1958, the Euro-pean Investment Bank (EIB)is an international financial in-stitution, a publicly ownedbank. Its owners are theMember States of the Euro-pean Union, who subscribe tothe Bank's capital. As share-holders the Member Statesare represented on the Bank'smain independent decision-making bodies - the Board ofGovernors and the Board ofDirectors. Since the year 2000the Bank itself became amember of the EIB Group (in-cluding its venture capital arm- the European InvestmentFund).

Ilona S. ‘Sali’ Gyorik, organization leader

(Google News) Ilona S.“Sali” Gyorik, 85, secre-tary general of the Hun-garian Freedom FightersFederation, a politicallobbying group and relieforganization in Washing-ton, from 1960 until 2000,died May 7 at EvergreenHealth and RehabilitationCenter, a nursing homein Winchester, Va. Shehad dementia.Ilona Maria Szabo wasborn in Turkeve, Hun-gary, and escaped to

Denmark in 1956 afterSoviet troops crushed ananti-communist revolt.She immigrated to Wash-ington in 1959 and hadlived there until 2009.From 1981 to 2005, shewas a committee mem-ber of the President’sCouncil on Aging. Shehelped established theAlba Regia MemorialChapel Cemetery inBerkeley Springs, W.Va.,which honors Hungarianfreedom fighters.

Her marriage to EmilSalanky ended in di-vorce. Her husband of 25years, Jozsef Gyorik,died in 1982. Two chil-dren from that marriage,Martha Galitzin andThomas Gyorik, died in2004 and 2010, respec-tively.Survivors include twostepchildren, Elizabeth G.Debelius of Rockville andZoltan Gyorik of Za-laegerszeg, Hungary;and a granddaughter.

Hungary to Make McDon-ald’s Cut Calories and Salt,

MTI Reports(Google News) Hungary plans to oblige fast-food restaurants to cut the calorie and saltcontent of their food and drink offerings andmay make them pay for public health pro-grams, state-run news service MTI reportedtoday.The government plans to target McDonald’sCorp. (MCD), the world’s largest restaurantchain and Burger King Holdings Inc., the sec-ond-largest hamburger restaurant chain, withregulations also focusing on sugar and fat con-tent, MTI said, citing Janos Lazar, leader of theruling Fidesz party’s parliamentary group.The government wants to ban discounts andpresents to children on meals which don’tmeet health standards, Lazar said, accordingto MTI. Hodmezovasarhely, a town whereLazar is mayor, will only allow the opening ofa new McDonald’s restaurant if the companypays at least 8 million forint ($44,000) into apublic health program informing children aboutthe health risks of eating fast food, MTI added.

Prominent Azerbaijani poet's book pub-lished in Hungary

(Google News) The bookHadikatus-Suada (Gar-den of the Happy) of theprominent Azerbaijanipoet Mohammad Fuzuliwas published in Hun-gary, the Azerbaijani em-bassy in Hungary toldTrend.The book was publishedby the Hungarian Acad-emy of Science Akaprint

Kiado upon the initiativeand assistance of theAzerbaijani embassy.The book was translatedinto Hungarian as "TheGarden of the Holy Is-lamic Martyrs." The origi-nal book was translatedinto Hungarian by a wellrenowned Turkologist,Professor Imre Adorian,who prefaced the book

with an introduction andcommentary.Corresponding Memberof the Azerbaijani Na-tional Academy of Sci-ences Teymur Kerimlialso wrote about Fuzuli’suniversal level of creativ-ity in a preface. The bookwill soon be presented atthe Hungarian Academyof Science.

Defense minister says no changes in Hun-gary’s Afghanistan mission

(Google News) Hungary’slargest NATO mission inAfghanistan will continuewith its peace-keeping re-sponsibilities in the coun-try’s northern Baghlanprovince, Defence Minis-ter Csaba Hende told apress conference follow-ing a meeting of hisNATO counterparts inBrussels on Thursday.Both the Afghan authori-ties and NATO think that“conditions are not met”for local forces to guaran-tee security in the area asyet, Hende said.That fact that NATOwants to gradually passcontrol over to local au-thorities does not meanthat they would leave thecountry; the presence ofinternational forces is just

being restructured,Hende said.Hungary fully supportslocal and international ef-forts to build security inAfghanistan, the ministeradded.Changes to the structureof command in NATO,aimed at higher efficiency,do not have a direct im-pact on Hungary, Hendesaid.The minister said thatNATO’s 14 agencieswould be reorganised intothree large centres andtheir staff would be re-duced from the current13,000 to fewer than9,000 members.The two-day meeting alsofocussed on cyber-at-tacks, and participantsadopted a policy against

such attacks, with empha-sis on prevention.Participants also con-firmed their support for“intelligent defence”under which membersmake efforts to create andmaintain military capabili-ties through cooperationin an economical way.On the subject of missiledefence, Hende said thatit was in Hungary’s inter-est that the NATO-Russiacooperation should be re-ciprocal and transparent,working to furtherstrengthen the Euro-At-lantic region’s security.Hungary is interested inbuilding a system thatbest serves the protectionof the country and its res-idents, he added.

(Google News) Diplo-mats and ambassadorsof European Unionmember states haveexpressed approvalover the achievementsof Hungary’s EU Presi-dency, which is comingto a close at the end ofthe month, Karoly Gru-ber, Ambassador ofHungary’s PermanentRepresentation toBrussels, told a forumon Thursday.The Hungarian presi-dency has been very

successful in foreignpolicy: it has managedto respond to difficultsituations, such as theJapanese Fukushimanuclear disaster andthe turmoils in Arabcountries in the spring,he said.Gruber, who chairs thePolitical and SecurityCommittee, told ameeting of diplomats atHungary’s Institute ofForeign Affairs that inthe post-Lisbon treatyenvironment, the Hun-

garian presidencyacted as a kind of labo-ratory for seeking newinstitutional solutions.New practices had tobe worked out, fore ex-ample for liasing be-tween the EU’s newforeign service andother EU institutions,he said.Gruber added thatJanos Martonyi, as for-eign minister of thecountry holding thePresidency, had tostand in for Lady

Catherine Ashton onmany occasions whenher busy schedule kepther away, which had el-evated Hungary’s rolein diplomacy.He added that Hungaryhad worked effectivelytowards helping EU in-tegration in the West-ern Balkans and hadmuch advanced Croa-tia’s position on its roadto EU membership.As regards the post-poned summit on theEU Eastern Partnership

programme, Grubersaid this issue hadsomewhat “slipped intothe background” due tothe shift of focus to thesouth, to problems inArab countries. Headded that the summitwould be organised bythe Polish Presidencyin the autumn and Hun-gary would take part,too.

Ambassador reports good feedback on Hungary’s EU presidencyachievements

Latest Radio ListeningHabits In Hungary(Google News) With the approaching summer season,radio listening habits also reflected the changes in peo-ple’s daily routines in April. As the daily active periodsextended both in the mornings and evenings, the timespent listening to the radio also changed during these

periods.The daily listening curve developed in accordance withthe trends seen in previous months. The change wasthat there were more and more people tuning in to theprogrammes of one of the radio stations during theearly hours compared to the previous months, since37.2% of the population aged 15+ listened to the morn-

ing programmes of one of the radio stations between6 and 8 a.m.Following the usual afternoon trends, people listenedto the radio more in the evening hours in April than inthe previous months. Even between 8 and 10 p.m. 9%of the total population listened to the programmes ofone of the national or regional radio stations."

RUSSIAN BULLETIN

Foreign Minister SergeyLavrov Meets with

Estonian Foreign Minis-ter Urmas Paet

Minister of Foreign Affairs of theRussian Federation Sergey Lavrovmet with Estonia’s Minister of For-eign Affairs Urmas Paet in Oslo on

June 7, in the margins of the 16thministerial session of the Council ofthe Baltic Sea States. During theirconversation they discussed topicalissues in Russian-Estonian rela-tions. The Russian side underlinedthe importance of solving the prob-lematic items on the bilateral agendafor the normal development of coop-eration.

Outcome of the 24th BSEC Foreign MinistersCouncil Meeting

The 24th regular meeting ofthe Council of Ministers forForeign Affairs of the BlackSea Economic CooperationOrganization (BSEC) tookplace in Bucharest on June 8.It was attended by the headsof the foreign affairs agenciesof Albania, Armenia, Azerbai-jan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hel-lenic Republic, Moldova,Romania, Russian Federa-tion, Serbia, Turkey andUkraine and by observers andguests. First Deputy ForeignMinister Andrey Denisov

headed the Russian delega-tion at the meeting.An exchange of views tookplace on further increasing theeffectiveness and strengthen-ing the role of the BSEC asthe leading internationalforum for developing mutuallybeneficial cooperation, goodneighborly relations and bol-stering trust and stability in theBlack Sea region. Participantsin their speeches reiteratedthe desire of the BSEC mem-ber countries to streamline themechanisms for multi-sector

regional economic coopera-tion in various fields, to inten-sify the realization of transportand energy projects and topreserve the non-politicizednature of the activities of theOrganization. The ForeignMinisters Council stated thatthe Organization is interestedin developing collaborationwith international partners, in-cluding the European Union,on the basis of mutual benefitand equality. It gave a gener-ally positive assessment ofthe Romanian BSEC Chair-

manship (January-June2011), during which varyingformat events were held – in-cluding the meetings of headsof the internal affairs, tradeand economic developmentand environmental protectionagencies. The BSEC Chair-manship for the period July 1to December 31, 2011 passesto Russia. The next meetingof the Council of Ministers forForeign Affairs is slated forDecember 2011.

Russia-EU summit to be heldbehind closed doors

The Russia-EU sum-mit that will beginFriday in Russia'scentral Nizhny Nov-gorod Region will beheld behind closeddoors. "By a deci-sion of the highestleadership, themeeting will takeplace entirely behindclosed doors," thesummit's press cen-ter announced. It isexpected that Rus-sia and the Euro-pean Union will beable to resolve all re-maining issues con-cerning Russia's accession to theWorld Trade Organization. The sideswill also discuss expansion in the co-operation in energy, possibly scrap-ping visas between Russia and theEU, as well as reforms and securityissues for international financial in-

stitutions. Russian President DmitryMedvedev, EU President JoseManuel Barroso and EU CouncilPresident Herman Van Rompuy willgive a press conference afterwardson results of thesummit.

U.S. Sec. of State Clinton extends congratulationson Russia Day

Secretary of State of the UnitedStates Hillary Clinton has ex-tended her congratulations to thepeople of Russia celebratingRussia Day on June 12. "On be-half of President Obama and theAmerican people, I am delightedto congratulate all Russians asyou celebrate the Day of Russiathis June 12. This is an occasionto honor your rich history and cul-ture, and an opportunity to markthe progress we have made to-gether toward a new relationshipbased on mutual respect and mu-tual interest," she said in a state-ment. The national Russianholiday, Russia Day, has beencelebrated since 1992. It was in-troduced to mark the official dec-laration of sovereignty of theRussian Soviet Federal Republic

on June 12, 1990. The U.S. sec-retary of state outlined theprogress in relations between the

t w oc o u n -t r i e sover thepast 12months,inc lud-ing an e ws t r a t e -gic nu-c l e a rarms re-ductiont r e a t y,a na g r e e -menton the

use of the peaceful nuclear en-ergy and trade cooperation."We made significant progress

together toward increased two-way trade and investment and to-ward Russia's accession to theWorld Trade Organization. Entre-preneurs, educators, artists, ath-letes, scientists and bloggershave helped strengthen thebonds between our societies andour countries," Clinton said. Al-though, she said, "Americansand Russians will not agree onevery issue," both nations arefacing the same challenges in the21st century. "As you celebratethe Day of Russia, I send all Rus-sians my warmest wishes for apeaceful, productive and pros-perous year to come," she con-cluded.

PICTURE NEWS

Thai Buddhist monks inspect the new Sai Sena Solar Park, a green-en-ergy facility at Ayutthaya, about 60 km from Bangkok. Thailand aims toobtain 20% of its energy production from renewable sources by 2020.This farm will account for a reduction of nearly 2,000 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually

(Online) Demonstrators, seen from a Druze village, flee Is-raeli-army tear gas as they cut through barbed wire on the Is-rael-Syria border, aiming for the occupied Golan Heights.Inspired by the Arab Spring, Palestinians have massed inmostly peaceful protests. This time, Israeli troops opened fire,killing 14 demonstrators

June 5, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI leads a solemn Mass in Zagreb,Croatia. The Pontiff spent two days visiting the country

Persia, a 7-year-old Afghan, rests as she is flown on a U.S.Army medevac helicopter to a military hospital outside Sanginin southern Afghanistan. The girl received head injuries afterfalling off a truck; her father took her to the nearest NATO se-curity outpost for medical help

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I n d e p e n d e n c e D a yP H I L I P P I N E S - J u n e 1 2

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines,is an island nation made of over 7,107 islands comprising thePhilippine Archipelago, located in South-east Asia, with Manila asits capital city. The original inhabitants of the Philippines are saidto have arrived from the Asian mainland around 25,000 B.C. Thehistory of the Philippines gave us a clear picture from the time thefirst man landed on the island to the invasions of foreign rule till itgot its freedom.Early HistoryAccording to the theories suggested by the archeologists and pa-leontologists the Homo sapiens existed in Palawan about 50,000BC. The history of the Philippines begins with the arrival of the firsthumans, the 'Negritos' who are believed to have migrated to thePhilippines some 30,000 years ago from Borneo, Sumatra, andMalaya by land bridges. These people belonged to a primitive eraof Malayan culture, which has apparently survived even todayamong certain groups such as the 'Igorots'. On 16th March, 1521the first Europeans visited the Philippines led by the Portugueseexplorer Ferdinand Magellan. Expeditions by other Spanish ex-plorers followed, including one from New Spain (Mexico) underLópez de Villalobos.Spanish ControlThe next 333 years saw the Spanish military fighting numerouslocal indigenous revolts and various external colonial challenges,especially from the British, Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, andthe Portuguese. An important loss for Spain was the short-termoccupation of the capital, Manila, by the British during the SevenYears' War. Many small independent communities that previouslyhad known no central rule was established by the Spanish lead-ership and on 1571 the Spanish foothold in the Philippines was secure with there conquering of the Moro town in Manila.In 1574 Manila revolted the attack of the Chinese pirate Limahong. Though Chinese trade and labor were of great importancein the early development of the Spanish colony, they later were feared and hated because of their increasing numbers. Withthe decline of the power of the Spanish Empire, the Philippine Revolution of April, 1896 began against the Spain, with a procla-mation of independence and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic two years later.Revolution, War, and U.S. ControlThe rising sentiment for independence was in large measure brought by the opposition to the powers of the clergy. A propagandamovement, which was greatly inspired by the brilliant writings of José Rizal, then a student studying in Spain, soon developedon the Spanish mainland. To notify the government of the injustices of the administration in the Philippines as well as the abusesof the friars was the order of the day. With the execution of Rizal in December, 1896 the revolution spread throughout the majorislands.The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898 and with the defeat of the Spanish squadron at Manila Bay it soon reachedthe Philippines. Aguinaldo was invited to return to the Philippines by the U.S. and after his return he was supplied with armsand urged to rally the Filipinos against the Spanish. The independence of the Philippines in Kawit was declared by Aguinaldoon 12th June, 1898, establishing the First Philippine Republic under Asia's first democratic constitution. The dreams of thePhilippines were later crushed with the Treaty of Paris in 1898, which closed the Spanish-American War. This resulted in thePhilippine-American War of 1899 between the United States and the Philippine revolutionaries which ended when Aguinaldowas captured by American troops with the struggle continuing until 1913.The CommonwealthIn 1932 the Hare-Hawes Cutting Act was passed by Congress providing complete independence of the islands in 1945. TheBill was later opposed by Philippine Senate President Manuel L. Quezon and the next year a revised act, the Tydings-McDuffieAct was finally passed. The commonwealth was said to have its own constitution and be self-governing, though certain legis-lation required approval of the United States president. Finally on 1935 the country's status as a colony changed and it becamethe Commonwealth of the Philippines, which provided for more self-governance. Over the next decade, plans for increasing independence were interrupted during World War II when Japan invaded and oc-cupied the islands on 8th December, 1941. Manila was declared an open city to prevent its destruction and occupied by theJapanese on 2nd January, 1942. The puppet government gained little support and the people suffered greatly from Japanesebrutality leading to their defeat in 1945. The Philippines achieved independence from the United States on 4th July, 1946.The Republic of the Philippines and AfterWith its independence Manuel Roxas became the first president of the Republic of the Philippines. Since its inception the statefaced political instability with various rebel groups. Marcos the then president, barred from seeking a third term declared themartial law on 21st September, 1972 and ruled the country by decree. In January 1986, Marcos allowed for a 'sudden' election,after large protests, believed to be a sham resulting in a standoff between military mutineers and the military loyalists. CorazonAquino was the recognized winner of this election after which she called for a constitutional convention to draft a new consti-tution. Marcos with his family and allies fled to Hawaii.Philippine Centennial CelebrationOn June 12, 1998, the nation celebrated its centennial year of Independence from Spain. The celebrations were held simulta-neously nationwide by then President Fidel V. Ramos and Filipino communities worldwide. A commission was established forthe said event, the National Centennial Commission headed by former Vice President Salvador Laurel presided all eventsaround the country. One of the major projects of the commission was the Expo Pilipino, a grand showcase of the Philippines'growth as a nation for the last 100 years, located in the Clark Special Economic Zone (formerly Clark Air Base) in Angeles City,Pampanga. Some other important events includes the re-enactment of waving of Philippine Flag at Aguinaldo shrine, andraising of flag at Independence flagpole and lowering the flag of the United States.

Independence Phillipine Rizal Monument with a wreath inthe front of Independence flagpole

D i a d o s N a m o r a d o s - B R A Z I L - J u n e 1 2Valentines Day, which celebrates and honors love, is celebrated on 14th February in many places. A special day dedicated tolove and lovers is observed in many countries; however, the dates vary depending on the customs and traditions followed inthose countries. Valentine's Day in Brazil is the time for couples to celebrate their love for each other by exchanging gifts, cardsand flowers among other things. It is not uncommon to find couples in Brazil coming up with their own ways of commemorating this day. Valentine's Day in Brazilis not celebrated on 14th February, rather similar celebrations known as Dia dos Namorados (Day of the Enamored) are heldon 12th June. Grand parties, dance, music, delicious foods are some of the important elements of celebrating this day in Brazil.

S t . A n t h o n y ' s D a yP O R T U G A L - J u n e 1 3

Anthony of PaduaSaint Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., (born FernandoMartins de Bulhões; c. 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholicpriest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy,he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where hewas raised. Noted by his contemporaries for his forceful preaching andexpert knowledge of Scripture, he was declared a saint almost immedi-ately after his death and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946.

Early lifeFernando Martins de Bulhões was born in Lisbon to Martin Vicente de Bulhões and TeresaPais Taveira. His father was the brother of Pedro Martins de Bulhões, the ancestor of the Bul-hão or Bulhões family. His was a very rich family of the nobility who wanted him to becomeeducated, and they arranged for him to be instructed at the local cathedral school. Against thewishes of his family, however, he entered the community of Canons Regular of St. Augustineat the Abbey of St. Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon. The Canons were famous for their ded-ication to scholarly pursuits, and sent the youth to their major center of studies, the Abbey ofthe Holy Cross in Coimbra. There the young Fernando studied theology and Latin.

FranciscanAfter his ordination to the priesthood, Fernando was named guestmas-ter and placed in charge of hospitality for the abbey. It was in this ca-pacity, in 1219, that he came into contact with fiveFranciscan friars whowere on their way to Morocco to preach the Gospel to the Muslims there.Fernando was strongly attracted to the simple, evangelical lifestyle ofthe friars, whose order had been founded only eleven years prior. InFebruary of the following year, news arrived that the five Franciscanshad been martyred in Morocco, the first to be killed in their new order.Seeing their bodies as they were processed back to Assisi, Fernandomeditated on the heroism of these men, and, inspired by their example,obtained permission from church authorities to leave the Augustiniancanons to join the new Franciscan Order.On the journey to Italy to enter the new order, his ship was driven by a

storm onto the coast ofSicily and he landed at Messina. From Sicily he made his way to Assisiand sought admission into a convent of the order in Italy, but met with difficulty on account ofhis sickly appearance. He was finally assigned, out of pure compassion, to the rural hospiceof San Paolo near Forlì, Romagna, Italy, a choice made after considering his poor health. Therehe appears to have lived as a hermit and was put to work in the kitchen. Upon his entry to theFranciscan Order, he took the name Anthony.

Preaching and TeachingOne day, on the occasion of an ordination, a great many visiting Dominican friars were present,and there was some misunderstanding over who should preach. The Franciscans naturallyexpected that one of the Dominicans would occupy the pulpit, for they were renowned for theirpreaching; the Dominicans, on the other hand, had come unprepared, thinking that a Francis-can would be the homilist. In this quandary, the head of the hermitage, who had no one amonghis own humble friars suitable for the occasion, called upon Anthony, whom he suspected wasmost qualified, and entreated him to speak whatever the Holy Spirit should put into his mouth.Anthony objected but was overruled, and his sermon created a deep impression. Not only hisrich voice and arresting manner, but the entire theme and substance of his discourse and hismoving eloquence, held the attention of his hearers.At that point, Anthony was commissioned by Brother Gratian, the local Minister Provincial, topreach the Gospel throughout the area of Lombardy, in northern Italy. In this capacity he cameto the attention of the founder of the order, St. Francis of Assisi. Francis had held a strong dis-trust of the place of theological studies in the life of his brotherhood, fearing that it might leadto an abandonment of their commitment to a life of real poverty. In Anthony, however, he founda kindred spirit for his vision, who was also able to provide the teaching needed by youngmembers of the order who might seek ordination. He thereby entrusted the pursuit of studiesfor any of his friars to the care of Brother Anthony. From then on his skills were used to the ut-most by the Church. Occasionally he took another post, as a teacher, for instance, at the uni-versities of Montpellier and Toulouse in southern France, but it was as a preacher that Anthonyrevealed his supreme gift.In 1226, after attending the General Chapter of his order held at Arles, France, and preachingin the French region of Provence, Anthony returned to Italy and served as envoy from the gen-eral chapter to Pope Gregory IX. At the Papal court, his preaching was hailed as a "jewel caseof the Bible" and he was commissioned to produce his collection of sermons, Sermons forFeast Days (Sermones in Festivitates).Anthony became ill with dropsy and, in 1231, went to the woodland retreat at Camposampierowith two other friars for a respite. There Anthony lived in a cell built for him under the branchesof a walnut tree. Saint Anthony died on the way back to Padua on 13 June 1231 at thePoorClare monastery at Arcella, aged 36.Various legends surround the death of Anthony. One holds that when he died, the childrencried in the streets and that all the bells of the churches rang of their own accord. Another leg-end regards his tongue. Anthony is buried in a chapel within the large basilica built to honorhim, where his tongue is displayed for veneration in a large reliquary. When his body was ex-humed thirty years after his death, it was claimed that the tongue glistened and looked as if itwas still alive and moist; apparently a further claim was made that this was a sign of his gift ofpreaching.

VenerationAnthony could be said to have become the "quickest" saint in the history of the Catholic Churchbecause he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than one year after his death.His fame spread through Portuguese evangelization, and he has been known as the most cel-ebrated of the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of his adopted homeof Padua, as well as of his native Lisbon, not to mention many other places in Portugal and inthe countries of the former Portuguese Empire. He is especially invoked for the recovery oflost items. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII on January 16, 1946, he is sometimescalled the "Evangelical Doctor" (Doctor Evangelicus).

Cultural traditionsEach year on the weekend of the last Sunday in August, Boston's North End holds afeast in honor of St. Anthony. Referred to as the "Feast of All Feasts", St. Anthony's Feastin Boston's North End was begun in 1919 by Italian immigrants from Montefalcione, asmall town near Naples, where the tradition of honoring St. Anthony goes back to 1688.The feast has become the largest Italian religious festival in the United States.In 1746 the 1,000 bed Santo António (Saint Anthony) Hospital was completed in Porto,the Portugal Wine City. The hospital is located across the street from the building LordWellington set up, as his headquarters to eventually defeat Napoleon. Today Santo An-tónio Hospital is famous for successful liver transplants. The ancient "Santo António Hos-pital Chapel" is a mecca for patients seeking Santo António for the miracle of a cure,and for tourists seeking unique architecture. Visitors taking the Douro River wine boattours look up from the river to see Santo António Hospital at the center of the city ofPorto (Oporto), which is the size of the city of Denver. Santo António Hospital is locatedabove the heart of the Wine Lodges. These "lodges" are Douro River vineyard producersof Port (Ruby, Tawney, Vintage & Crusty) , Red (Vinho Tinto) and White (Branco) wines.Saint Anthony is well celebrated after a good harvest.On January 27, 1907 in Beaumont, Texas, a church was dedicated and named in honorof St. Anthony of Padua. The church was later designated a cathedral in 1966 with theformation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, but was not formally conse-crated. On April 28, 1974, St Anthony Cathedral was dedicated and consecrated byBishop Warren Boudreaux. In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI granted St. Anthony Cathedralthe designation of minor basilica. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica celebrated its 100th an-niversary on January 28, 2007.Seventeenth century Spanish missionaries came across a smallNative American community along what was then known as theYanaguana River on the feast day of Saint Anthony and renamedthe river and eventually a mission built nearby in his honor. Thismission became the focal point of a small community that eventuallygrew in size and scope to become the city of San Antonio, Texas.St. Anthony is known in Portugal, Spain and Brazil as a marriagesaint, because legend has him as one who conciliated couples. Hisfeast day, June 13, is Lisbon's municipal holiday, celebrated withparades and marriages of humble couples. (The previous day, June12, is the Brazilian Valentine's Day.) He is one of the saints cele-brated in the Brazilian Festa Junina (also known as the "São João"),along with John the Baptist and Saint Peter.In the city of Madrid, young women, especially seamstresses have the practice of goingto his local shrine, the Chapel of St. Anthony of la Florida, where the custom is to dropa pin into theholy water font. This would lead to their dreaming of their husbands to bethat same night. That church boasts a series of paintings showing the saint's life paintedby Francisco Goya, who is now buried there.In Uvari, in Tamil Nadu, India, the church of St. Anthony is home to an ancient woodenstatue that is said to have cured the entire crew of a Portuguese ship suffering fromcholera. St Anthony is said to perform many miracles daily, and Uvari is visited by pilgrimsof different religions from all over South India.Tamil Nadu Christians have a high rever-ence for St. Anthony and is a popular saint there, he is lovingly called "The Miracle Saint",many miracles especially related to Finding of Lost things have been attributed to St.Anthony. There is a strong devoution to St. Anthony among Indian Catholics and can beseen In all of the Catholic Churches In India.In 1511, Titian painted three scenes of Miracles from the life of St. Anthony of Padua,The Miracle of the Jealous Husband which depicts the murder of a young woman by herhusband, (see new findings in Titian's Fresco technique at the Scuola del Santo inPadua, The Art Bulletin March 1999, Volume LXXXI Number 1, Author Sergio RossettiMorosini), A Child Testifying to Its Mother's Innocence, and The Saint Healing the YoungMan with a Broken Limb.

Anthony of Padua with theChild Jesus by Antonio dePereda

Saint Anthony of Paduaholding Baby Jesus,Bernardo Strozzi, oil on can-vas, circa 1625, Musée desBeaux-Arts de Strasbourg.

The church of Saint Anthonyof Padua in Aleppo, Syria,built in 1910

Day of Mourning and HopeLITHUANIA - June 14

CommemorationIn June 14, 1941, NKVD started the mass arrests anddeportations of Lithuanian people – the whole familieswere exiled to the depth of the Soviet Union, Siberia.There’s still unknown the exact number of deportedand dead.Definition of exilesExiles or deportations (lat. “deportatio” – the act of forc-ing somebody to leave the country, exile) – is a specifictype of political repression. A distinctive feature of de-portations as a type of repression is their administrative(non-legal) manner and the fact that they were directednot towards the particular person but towards the groupof people defined by some prejudged criteria.DecisionsThe decisions on exile were made by the leaders of theSoviet Union communist party on the initiative ofNKVD-MVD and NKGB-MGB institutions.DeportedOnly those whose record files contained some “dis-creditable material”, for example, on the participationin the fight for Independence, occupation of high publicservice position, belonging to the corps of rifles, etc.had to be deported. NKVD documents call the proce-dure of deportation “the expulsion of socially alien ele-ments”. All these categories and types of repressionwere similar in the sense that none of the exiled wasformally sentenced. Three types of repression weredesigned for tens of categories of deportees: residencein the area by NKVD supervision, residence in prisoncamps and in the GU¬LAG system labour camps. Therepresentatives of Lithuanian political, military and eco-nomic elite were mostly among the deported.They deportedMost people were deported to the region of Altai, fewerto the region of Novosibirsk, Kazakhstan and Komia.Some were deported to Bellag (Carelia) and Oneglag(the region of Archangelsk). Men, who were separatedfrom their families, were brought to different camps –Carlag, Vorkutlag (the region of Komia), Siblag (the re-gion of Kemerov), Sevurallag (the former Sverdlovskre-gion) and Kraslag (the region of Krasnoyarsk, Resiotaitown), Norillag. In extremely narrow circumstanceswere brought to the north of Jacutia, the islands of theLena river delta.Number and composition of the exiledThe number of the deportees from Lithuania amountsto 12 832 people (the fate of 12 331 was established).The number of the detained – 4 663 (the fate of 3 915was established). Total number of all the categories ofthe repressed after the deportation operation in Lithua-nia amounts to about 17 500 people (the fate of 16 246deportees was established). Among the deporteeswhose fate was established some 2 045 were Jews, 1576 – Poles, 11 991 – Lithuanians. Some5060 amongthe deportees were children under the age of 16 (41%of all the exiled to the places of deportation).Deportation consequences1. Repression was directed towards the annihilation of fam-ilies’ not particular people. By annihilating the whole fami-lies, their years of accumulated experience, social-culturalinfluence had to vanish. The most educated part of officers,policemen, teachers, journalists etc of the two decades hadto vanish.2. Deportation affected all national groups more or less inthe same way, however, relatively the Jewish communitysuffered most – 1% of the community members were exiled(about 0.5% of Lithuanians).3. Deportation had a special impact on the situation inLithuania – the exile of thousands of people, absence ofinformation on the fate of deportees due to the war lets usevaluate deportation as a physical annihilation of people.Under the conditions of the Nazi occupation the fact of de-portations was used to disseminate national-socialist doc-trines in the society, to promote intolerance as well as toascribe the responsibility for the deportations to the repre-sentatives of the Jewish community.4. The deportees were taken to the places not suitable forresidence, therefore a part of them died. Deportation isseen as a crime of genocide or a crime against humanity.Destiny of the exiledOut of all the deportees 33.59 % returned to Lithuania,26.52 % died in the places of deportation and impris-onment and the fate of almost 40% remains unknown. The total number of deportees in 1941-1952 is esti-mated to be at least 135 500.During the period of 1945-1952, over 32 000 childrenwere deported from Lithuania.

F l a g D a yU . S . - J u n e 1 4

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It com-memorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which hap-pened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congressin 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that of-ficially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, NationalFlag Day was established by an Act of Congress.Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937,Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrateFlag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale.Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1,§ 110 is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the Pres-ident's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.One of the longest-running Flag Day parades is held annually inQuincy, Massachusetts, which began in 1952, celebrating its 59thyear in 2010. The 59th Annual Appleton Wisconsin 2009 Flag DayParade featured the U.S. Navy. The largest Flag Day parade is heldannually in Troy, New York, which bases its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators. Perhaps the oldest continuing Flag Day parade is at Fairfield, Washington. Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield has held a paradeevery year since, with the possible exception of 1918, and celebrated the "Centennial" parade in 2010, along with some other com-memorative events.

HistorySeveral people and/or organizations played instrumental roles in the establishment of a national Flag Day celebration. They are identifiedhere in chronological order.

1861, George MorrisThe earliest reference to the suggestion of a "Flag Day" is cited in Kansas: a Cyclopedia of State History, published by Standard Pub-lishing Company of Chicago in 1912. It credits George Morris of Hartford, Connecticut:To George Morris of Hartford, Conn., is popularly given the credit of suggesting "Flag Day," the occasion being in honor of the adoptionof the American flag on June 14, 1777. The city of Hartford observed the day in 1861, carrying out a program of a patriotic order, prayingfor the success of the Federal arms and the preservation of the Union.The observance apparently did not become a tradition.

1885, Bernard J. CigrandWorking as a grade school teacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin, in 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand held the first recognized formal observance ofFlag Day at the Stony Hill School. The school has been restored, and a bust of Cigrand also honors him at the National Flag Day Amer-icanism Center in Waubeka. From the late 1880s on, Cigrand spoke around the country promoting patriotism, respect for the flag, and the need for the annual ob-servance of a flag day on June 14, the day in 1777 that the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. He moved to Chicago to attend dental school and, in June 1886, first publicly proposed an annual observance of the birth of the UnitedStates flag in an article titled "The Fourteenth of June," published in the Chicago Argus newspaper. In June 1888, Cigrand advocatedestablishing the holiday in a speech before the "Sons of America," a Chicago group. The organ-ization founded a magazine,American Standard, in order to promote reverence for American em-blems. Cigrand was appointed editor-in-chief and wrote articles in the magazine as well as inother magazines and newspapers to promote the holiday.On the third Saturday in June 1894, a public school children’s celebration of Flag Day took placein Chicago at Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks. More than 300,000children participated, and the celebration was repeated the next year. Cigrand became president of the American Flag Day Association and later of the National FlagDay Society, which allowed him to promote his cause with organizational backing. Cigrand oncenoted he had given 2,188 speeches on patriotism and the flag.Cigrand lived in Batavia, Illinois, from 1913–1932. Cigrand generally is credited with being the "Father of Flag Day," with the Chicago Tribune notingthat he "almost singlehandedly" established the holiday.

1888, William T. KerrWilliam T. Kerr, a resident of Collier Township, Pennsylvania, for a number of years, founded theAmerican Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania in 1888, and became that organization'snational chairman one year later, serving as such for fifty years. He attended President Harry S.Truman's 1949 signing of the Act of Congress that formally established the observance.

1889, George BolchIn 1889, the principal of a free kindergarten, George Bolch, celebrated the Revolution and celebrated Flag Day, as well.

1893, Elizabeth Duane GillespieIn 1893, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, a descendant of Benjamin Franklin and the president of the Colonial Dames of Pennsylvania, at-tempted to have a resolution passed requiring the American flag to be displayed on all Philadelphia's public buildings. This is why somecredit Philadelphia as Flag Day's original home. In 1937, Pennsylvania became the first state to make Flag Day a legal holiday.

1907, BPOEAmerican fraternal order and social club the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has celebrated the holiday since the early daysof the organization and allegiance to the flag is a requirement of every member. In 1907, the BPOE Grand Lodge designated by reso-lution June 14 as Flag Day. The Grand Lodge of the Order adopted mandatory observance of the occasion by every Lodge in 1911,and that requirement continues. The Elks prompted President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the Order's observance of Flag Day for its patriotic expression.

1908, Theodore RooseveltOn June 14, Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought wasthe American Flag. In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began to whip the man for "defacing the symbol of America."After about five or six strong whacks, he noticed that the man was not wiping his nose with a flag, but with a blue handkerchief withwhite stars. Upon realization of this, he apologized to the man, but hit him once more for making him "riled up with national pride."

1913, City of Paterson, New JerseyDuring the 1913 Paterson silk strike, IWW leader “Big” Bill Haywood asserted that someday all of the world's flags would be red, “thecolor of the working man's blood.” In response, the city's leaders (who opposed the strike) declaredMarch 17th to be “Flag Day,” and saw to it that each of the city's textile mills flew an Americanflag. This attempt by Paterson's leaders to portray the strikers as un-American backfired whenthe strikers marched through the city with American flags of their own, along with a banner thatstated:

WE WEAVE THE FLAGWE LIVE UNDER THE FLAGWE DIE UNDER THE FLAG

BUT DAM'D IF WE'LL STARVE UNDER THE FLAG

Observance of Flag DayThe week of June 14 is designated as "National Flag Week." During National Flag Week, thepresident will issue a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration ofthat week. The flag should also be displayed on all Government buildings. Some organizationshold parades and events in celebration of America's national flag and everything it represents.Other organizations and tribal groups hold counter-celebrations and protests.The National Flag Day Foundation holds an annual observance for Flag Day on the second Sun-day in June. The program includes a ceremonial raising of the flag, recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem(The Star-spangled Banner), a parade and more.

International Day of theAfrican Child- June 16

The International Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. It honors those who par-ticipated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuingneed for improvement of the education provided to African children.In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marchedin a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and de-manding their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young students were shot.More than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and morethan a thousand were injured.

Stony Hill School, in Waubeka,Wisconsin, the site of the firstformal observance of Flag Day

The Betsy Ross House

L i b e r a t i o n D a yFA L K L A N D I S L A N D - J u n e 1 4

Liberation Day, commemorating the deliverance by British Forces of the Falkland Islands from Argentineoccupation in 1982." Details at Falklanders commemorate “Liberation Day” (MercoPress) ."The Falklands War is the result of years of disputed ownership of the Islands. Argentina says it inheritedthe Islas Malvinas from the Spanish crown in the early 19th century. The country also bases its claim on theIslands' proximity to the South American mainland.The UK argues that most of the British-descended islanders want to remain British exercising their right toself determination. In spite of Argentina's insistance on sovereignty negotiations, the UK position is that:'we will not negotiate on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until the Islanders wish us to doso'”.Explore the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas which are a haven for wildlife viewing and conservation.

Wo r l d B l o o d D o n o r D a yI N T E R N AT I O N A L - J u n e 1 4

World Blood Donor Day is day dedicated to "thanking and celebrating voluntary non-remunerated blood donors". It occurs on June 14,the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the creator of the ABO blood group system, for which he won the Nobel Prize. The first day was heldin 2005.One of the main goals of the World Blood Donor Day is to ensure the availability of 'safe blood' for transfusion.

D a y o f N a t i o n a l S a l v a t i o nA Z E R B A I J A N - J u n e 1 5

Azerbaijan is a country near the intersection of Asia and Europe. This country has its borders on the verge of Russia in the north,Armenia in the west, Iran to the South, and the Caspian Sea eastwards. The majority of the people are Shiite Muslims and ethnic Azeri.The country follows secularism as a policy, and its love for peace is demonstrated by the membership in various organizations such asGUAM, Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the United Nations. It is also a part of the NATO Partnership for Peaceprogram.One of the most important days in the calendar of this country is National Salvation Day celebrated every year on June 15.

HISTORYNational Salvation Day is celebrated to commemorate both the end of a civil war that went on within the country and the return ofdemocracy to the people. The military coup was conducted by Surat Huseynov’s military on June 4 in Ganja and demanded resignationof Parliament Speaker Isa Gambar and Prime Minister Panah Huseyn. This led Azerbaijan to anarchy. These rebels then seized powerin Ganja and moved towards Baku.To stop this insurgence and to battle against these anarchists, Heydar Aliyev was invited to Baku. He accepted the invitation, and oncehe arrived, he was elected unanimously as speaker and head of state. He held talks with the revolting group of the army when hereached Baku. The talks went on smoothly, and he reported the turn of events and the demands of the rebellion in the parliament. Themembers of the rebellion agreed to the demands, and hence the threat of the civil war that hung upon the country was lifted.To mark this day of lifting the specter of war, every year on June 15, National Salvation Day is celebrated. It is on this day when HeydarAliyev was elected as the chairman of the parliament and subsequently as the president. This holiday was made official by an act ofparliament in 1997.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESThe defense wing and the veterans of the military take part in the ceremonial parade that takes place every year. The president presidesover this parade accepting the salute from the various wings or parts of his defense force. Like any other important day, this is also apublic holiday with the majority of commercial establishments closing.The president also addresses the nation on this day emphasizing the need for national unity and security. These celebrations are alsoextended to the television, which broadcasts live the speech of the president to the civilians. There are also celebrations in the form ofa fireworks display at night.

Va l d e m a r s D a yD E N M A R K - J u n e 1 5

Valdemar II (9 May 1170 or 28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), called Valdemar the Victoriousor Valdemar the Conqueror (Valdemar Sejr),was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King'sown lifetime. Sejr means victory in Danish.

BackgroundHe was the second son of King Valdemar I and Sophia Valadarsdattir, a Varangian princess. When Valdemar's father died, young Valde-mar was only twelve years old. He was named Duke of Southern Jutland (Latin: dux slesvicensis, literallySleswickian duke), represented by the regent Bishop Valdemar Knudsen (1182–1193).Bishop Valdemar was an ambitious man and disguised his own ambitions as young Valdemar's. Whenin 1192 Bishop Valdemar was named Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, his plot to overthrow King CanuteVI with the help of German nobility and sit on Denmark's throne himself was revealed.Duke Valdemar realized the threat Bishop Valdemar presented. He invited the archbishop to meet himin Åbenrå in 1192. Then the bishop fled to Swedish Norway to avoid arrest. The following year BishopValdemar organised - supported by the Hohenstaufens - a fleet of 35 ships and harried the coasts ofDenmark, claiming the Danish throne for himself. In 1193 KingCanute VI of Denmark captured him.Bishop Valdemar stayed in captivity in Nordborg (1193–1198) and then in the tower at Søborg Castle onZealand until 1206. Bishop Valdemar was released upon the initiative of the Danish Queen Dagmar andPope Innocent III and after swearing, never to interfere again in Danish affairs. Young Valdemar faced another threat from Count Adolph of Rendsburg. Adolph tried to stir up other Ger-man counts to take southern Jutland from Denmark to assist Bishop Valdemar's plot to take the throne.With the bishop in prison, Duke Valdemar went after Count Adolph and with his own troop levies marchsouth and captured Adolph's new fortress at Rendsburg. He defeated and captured the count in the Battleof Stellau in 1201 and sent him to sit in a cell next to Bishop Valdemar. Two years later Duke Valdemarlet Count Adolph buy his way out of prison due to an illness by ceding all of Schleswig north of the Elbe to Valdemar. In November1202, Duke Valdemar's elder brother, King Canute VI died unexpectedly at the age of 40, leaving no heirs.

MarriagesBefore his first marriage Valdemar had been betrothed to Rixa of Bavaria, daughter of the Duke of Saxony. When that arrangement fellthrough, he married first Margarethe of Bohemia, also known as Queen Dagmar, in 1205. She was thedaughter of Premysl Ottokar, King of Bohemia, and quickly won over the hearts of the Danes. By thismarriage, Valdemar had a son, Valdemar, whom he elevated as co-king at Schleswig in 1218. Unfortu-nately, Prince Valdemar was accidentally shot while hunting at Refsnæs in North Jutland during 1231.Queen Dagmar died in childbirth in 1212. Old folk ballads says that on her death bed she begged Valde-mar to marry Kirsten, the daughter of Karl von Rise and not the "beautiful flower" Berengaria of Portugal(Bengerd). In other words she predicted Berengaria's sons' fight over the throne would bring trouble toDenmark.After Margaret's death, in order to build good relations with Flanders, Valdemar married Berengária ofPortugal in 1214. She was the orphan daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and a sister of Ferdinand,Count of Flanderswhere she stayed until her marriage. She was beautiful, but so hard-hearted that shewas generally hated by Danes until her early death, in childbirth, in 1221. Valdemar's two queens play aprominent role in Danish balladsand myths - Dagmar as the soft, pious and popular ideal wife andBerengária as the beautiful and haughty woman.

In memoriamValdemar enjoys a central position in Danish history because of his position as ”the king of Dannebrog”and as a legislator. To posterity, the civil wars and dissolution that followed his death made him appearto be the last king of a golden age. Since 1912, June 15 has officially been called Valdemarsdag (Valdemar's Day). The date nowbelongs to the group of 33 Danish annual Flag Days where Dannebrog is raised in celebration.

Coin minted for kingValdemar II, Lund Univer-sity History Museum

Dannebrog falling fromthe sky during the Battleof Lyndanisse ChristianAugust Lorentzen (1809)

Yo u t h D a yS O U T H A F R I C A - J u n e 1 6

Youth Day on 16 June in South Africa commemorates the start of the Soweto riots of 1976, initially sparked by agovernment edict that all instruction in black schools would be held in Afrikaans. The iconic picture of HectorPieterson, a black schoolchild shot by the police, brought home to many people within and outside South Africathe brutalities of the Apartheid regime. The mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,Zakumi, has his birthday on thatday in 1994.

Blooms DayIRELAND - June 16

Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on June 16th in Dublin and elsewhere tocelebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all ofwhich took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904. Joyce chose the date because his firstouting with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle happened on that day, when they walked to the Dublinurban village of Ringsend. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses.

Bloomsday activitiesThe day involves a range of cultural activities includingUlysses readings and dramatisations, pub crawls andgeneral merriment, much of it hosted by the JamesJoyce Centre in North Great George's Street. Enthusi-asts often dress in Edwardian costume to celebrateBloomsday, and retrace Bloom's route around Dublinvia landmarks such as Davy Byrne's pub. Hard-coredevotees have even been known to hold marathonreadings of the entire novel, some lasting up to 36hours. The first celebration took place in 1954, and amajor five-month-long festival (ReJoyce Dublin 2004)took place in Dublin between 1 April and 31 August2004. On the Sunday in 2004 before the 100th "anniver-sary" of the fictional events described in the book,10,000 people in Dublin were treated to a free, open-air, full Irish breakfast on O'Connell Street consisting of sausages, rashers, toast, beans, andblack and white puddings.On Bloomsday 1982, the centenary year of Joyce's birth, Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, trans-mitted a continuous 30-hour dramatic performance of the entire text of Ulysses on radio.The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia is the home of the handwritten manuscriptof Ulysses and celebrates Bloomsday with a street festival including readings, Irish music, andtraditional Irish cuisine provided by local Irish-themed pubs.The Syracuse James Joyce Club holds an annual Bloomsday celebration at Johnston's Bally-Bay Pub in Syracuse, New York, at which large portions of the book are either read aloud, orpresented as dramatizations by costumed performers. The club awards scholarships and otherprizes to students who have written essays on Joyce or fiction pertaining to his work. The cityis home to Syracuse University, whose press has published or reprinted several volumes ofJoyce studies.In 2004 Vintage Publishers issued yes I said yes I will Yes: A Celebration of James Joyce,Ulysses, and 100 Years of Bloomsday, edited by Nola Tully. It is one of the few monographsthat details the increasing popularity of Bloomsday. The book's title comes from the novel's fa-mous last lines.Bloomsday has also been celebrated since 1994 in the Hungarian town ofSzombathely, thefictional birthplace of Leopold Bloom's father, Virág Rudolf, an emigrant Hungarian Jew. Theevent is usually centered around the Iseum, the remnants of an Isis temple from Roman times,and the Blum-mansion, commemorated to Joyce since 1997, at 40–41 Fő street, which usedto be the property of an actual Jewish family called Blum. Hungarian author László Najmányiin his 2007 novel, The Mystery of the Blum-mansion (A Blum-ház rejtélye) describes the resultsof his research on the connection between Joyce and the Blum family.There have been many Bloomsday events in Trieste, where the first part of Ulysseswas written;a Joyce Museum was opened there on 16 June 2004. Since 2005 Bloomsday has been cele-brated every year in Genoa, with a reading of Ulysses in Italian by volunteers (students, actors,teachers, scholars), starting at 9 A.M. and finishing in the early hours of 17 June; the readingstake place in 18 different places in the old town centre, one for each chapter of the novel, andthese places are selected for their resemblance to the original settings. Thus for example chap-ter 1 is read in a medieval tower, chapter 2 in a classroom of the Faculty of Languages, chapter3 in a bookshop on the waterfront, chapter 9 in the University Library, and chapter 12 ("Cy-clops") in an old pub. The Genoa Bloomsday is organized by the Faculty of Languages andthe International Genoa Poetry Festival.New York City has several events on Bloomsday including formal readings at Symphony Spaceand informal readings and music at the downtown Ulysses' Folk House pub.

First Bloomsday CelebrationBloomsday (a term Joyce himself did not employ) was invented in 1954, on the 50th anniver-sary of the events in the novel, when John Ryan (artist, critic, publican and founder of Envoymagazine) and the novelist Flann O'Brien organised what was to be a daylong pilgrimagealong the Ulysses route. They were joined by PatrickKavanagh, Anthony Cronin, Tom Joyce (a dentist who,as Joyce's cousin, represented the family interest) andAJ Leventhal (Registrar of Trinity College). Ryan hadengaged two horse drawn cabs, of the old-fashionedkind, which in Ulysses Mr. Bloom and his friends driveto poor Paddy Dignam's funeral. The party were as-signed roles from the novel. They planned to travelround the city through the day, visiting in turn thescenes of the novel, ending at night in what had oncebeen the brothel quarter of the city, the area whichJoyce had called Nighttown. The pilgrimage was aban-doned halfway through, when the weary Lestrygonianssuccumbed to inebriation and rancour at the Bailey pubin the city centre, which Ryan then owned, and atwhich, in 1967, he installed the door to No. 7 Eccles Street (Leopold Bloom’s front door) havingrescued it from demolition . A Bloomsday record of 1954, informally filmed by John Ryan, fol-lows this pilgrimage.

Popular culture referencesIn 1956, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were married by special licence of the Archbishop ofCanterbury at St George the Martyr Church, Holborn, on 16 June, in honour of Bloomsday. Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album After Bathing at Baxter's contains the track, "Rejoyce", inspiredby Joyce's Ulysses.In Mel Brooks' 1968 film The Producers, Gene Wilder's character is called Leo Bloom, an hom-age to Joyce's character. In the musical 2005 version, in the evening scene at the BethesdaFountain in Central Park, Leo asks, "When will it be Bloom's day?". However, in the earlierscene in which Bloom first meets Max Bialystock, the office wall calendar shows that the currentday is 16 June, indicating that it is, in fact, Bloomsday.Punk band Minutemen have a song on their 1984 Dou-ble Nickels on the Dime album entitled "June 16th".Richard Linklater references Ulysses in two of his films.Once in 1991's Slacker, where a character reads an ex-cerpt from Ulysses after convincing his friends to dumpa tent and a typewriter in a river as a response to a priorlover's infidelity. And again in 1995's Before Sunrise,where the events take place on 16 June.In 2009 an episode of the cartoon The Simpsons, "Inthe Name of the Grandfather", featured the family's tripto Dublin and Lisa's reference to Bloomsday.Pat Conroy's 2009 novel "South of Broad" has numer-ous references to Bloomsday. From the publisher'sblurb: "Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston,South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique castof sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving fatherwho teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principaland a well-known Joyce scholar. ..." The book's first chapter describes the events of 16 June1969 in Leo's story.U2's 2009 song "Breathe" refers to events taking place on a fictitious 16 June.

Lilac Bloomsday RunIn Spokane, Washington, United States, an annual 12-kilometre race called the Lilac Blooms-day Run is held on the first Sunday of May. The inaugural Bloomsday road race took place on1 May 1977, and the race is now one of the largest road races on the West Coast of the US.The connection with the Joycean Bloomsday is that, according to the event's founder, DonKardong, a road race is an odyssey (like the one referred to in Ulysses) and ordinary peopleare involved in heroic journeys every day of their lives.

Bloomsday performers outsideDavy Byrne's pub

Street party in North GreatGeorge's Street, 2004

Reading from Ulysses on topof James Joyce Tower and Mu-seum, June 2009

Bunker Hill DayU.S. - June 17

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place onJune 17, 1775, mostly on and aroundBreed's Hill, during the Siege of Bostonearly in the American RevolutionaryWar. The battle is named after the adja-cent Bunker Hill, which was peripherallyinvolved in the battle and was the origi-nal objective of both colonial and Britishtroops, and is occasionally referred to asthe "Battle of Breed's Hill."On June 13, 1775, the leaders of thecolonial forces besieging Bostonlearned that the British generals wereplanning to send troops out from the cityto occupy the unoccupied hills surrounding the city. In re-sponse to this intelligence, 1,200 colonial troops under thecommand of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hilland Breed's Hill, constructed an earthen redoubt on Breed'sHill, and built lightly fortified lines across most of theCharlestown Peninsula.When the British were alerted to the presence of the newposition the next day, they mounted an attack against them.After two assaults on the colonial lines were repulsed withsignificant British casualties, the British finally captured thepositions on the third assault, after the defenders in the re-doubt ran out of ammunition. The colonial forces retreatedto Cambridge over Bunker Hill, suffering their most signifi-cant losses on Bunker Hill.While the result was a victory for the British, they sufferedheavy losses: over 800 wounded and 226 killed, includinga notably large number of officers. The battle is seen as anexample of a Pyrrhic victory, as while their immediate ob-jective (the capture of Bunker Hill) was achieved, the lossof nearly a third of their forces did not significantly alter thestate of siege. Meanwhile, colonial forces were able to re-treat and regroup in good order having suffered few casu-alties. Furthermore, the battle demonstrated that relativelyinexperienced colonial forces were willing and able to standup to regular army troops in a pitched battle.

GeographyBoston, situated on a penin-sula, was largely protectedfrom close approach by the ex-panses of water surrounding it,which were dominated byBritish warships. In the after-math of the battles of Lexing-ton and Concord on April 19,1775, the colonial militia, aforce of about 15,000 men hadsurrounded the town, and ef-fectively besieged it. Under thecommand of Artemas Ward, they controlled the onlyland access to Boston itself (the Roxbury Neck), but,lacking a navy, were unable to control or even contestBritish domination of the waters of the harbor. TheBritish troops, a force of about 6,000 under the com-mand of General Thomas Gage, occupied the city, andwere able to be resupplied and reinforced by sea. Theywere thus able to remain in Boston indefinitely.However, the land across the water from Boston con-tained a number of hills, which could be used to advan-tage. If the militia could obtain enough artillery pieces,these could be placed on the hills and used to bombardthe city until the occupying army evacuated it or surren-dered. It was with this in mind that cannon from FortTiconderoga were later transported to the Boston area. The Charlestown Peninsula, lying to the north ofBoston, started from a short, narrow isthmus (known asthe Charlestown Neck) at its northwest, extending about1 mile (1.6 km) southeastward into Boston Harbor.Bunker Hill, with an elevation of 110 feet (34 m), lay atthe northern end of the peninsula. Breed's Hill, at aheight of 62 feet (19 m), was more southerly and nearerto Boston. The town of Charlestown occupied flats atthe southern end of the peninsula. At its closest ap-proach, less than 1,000 feet (305 m) separated theCharlestown Peninsula from the Boston Peninsula,where Copp's Hill was at about the same height asBreed's Hill. While the British retreat from Concord hadended in Charlestown, General Gage, rather than im-mediately fortifying the hills on the peninsula, had with-drawn those troops to Boston the day after that battle,turning the entire Charlestown Peninsula into a noman's land.

British planningThroughout May, in response to orders from Gage re-questing support, the British received reinforcements,until they reached a strength of about 6,000 men. OnMay 25, three Generals arrived on HMS Cerberus:William Howe, John Burgoyne, and Henry Clinton.Gage began planning with them to break out of the city,finalizing a plan on June 12. This plan began with thetaking of the Dorchester Neck, fortifying the DorchesterHeights, and then marching on the colonial forces sta-tioned in Roxbury. Once the southern flank had beensecured, the Charlestown heights would be taken, andthe forces in Cambridge driven away. The attack wasset for June 18. On June 13, the Massachusetts Provincial Congresswas notified, by express messenger from the Commit-tee of Safety in Exeter, New Hampshire, that a NewHampshire gentleman "of undoubted veracity" had,while visiting Boston, overheard the British command-ers making plans to capture Dorchester andCharlestown. On June 15, the Massachusetts Commit-tee of Safety decided that additional defenses neededto be erected. General Ward directed General IsraelPutnam to set up defenses on the Charlestown Penin-sula, specifically on Bunker Hill.

AftermathThe British had taken the ground but at a great loss;they suffered 1,054 casualties (226 dead and 828wounded), with a disproportionate number of these of-ficers. The casualty count was the highest suffered bythe British in any single encounter during the entire war.General Clinton, echoing Pyrrhus of Epirus, remarkedin his diary that "A few moresuch victories would haveshortly put an end to Britishdominion in America." Britishdead and wounded included100 commissioned officers, asignificant portion of the Britishofficer corps in North America.Much of General Howe's fieldstaff was among the casual-ties. Major Pitcairn had beenkilled, and Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie fa-tally wounded. General Gage, in his report after the bat-tle, reported the following officer casualties (listinglieutenants and above by name): 1 lieutenant colonel killed 2 majors killed, 3 wounded 7 captains killed, 27 wounded 9 lieutenants killed, 32 wounded 15 sergeants killed, 42 wounded 1 drummer killed, 12 woundedThe colonial losses were about 450, of whom 140 werekilled. Most of the colonial losses came during the with-drawal. Major Andrew Mc Clary was technically thehighest ranking colonial officer to die in the battle; hewas hit by cannon fire on Charlestown neck, the lastperson to be killed in the battle. He was later commem-orated by the dedication of Fort McClary in Kittery,Maine. A serious loss to the Patriot cause, however,was the death of Dr. Joseph Warren. He was the Pres-ident of Massachusetts' Provincial Congress, and hehad been appointed a Major General on June 14. Hiscommission had not yet taken effect when he served asa volunteer private three days later at Bunker Hill. Onlythirty men were captured by the British, most of themwith grievous wounds; twenty died while held prisoner.The colonials also lost numerous shovels and other en-trenching tools, as well as 5 out of the 6 cannon theyhad brought to the peninsula.

Notable participantsA significant number of notable people fought in thisbattle. Henry Dearborn and William Eustis, for example,went on to distinguished military and political careers;both served in Congress, the Cabinet, and in diplomaticposts. Others, like John Brooks, Henry Burbeck, Chris-tian Febiger,Thomas Knowlton, and John Stark, be-came well-known for later actions in the war. Starkbecame known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his rolein the 1777 Battle of Bennington. Free African-Ameri-cans also fought in the battle, notable examples includeBarzillai Lew, Salem Poor, and Peter Salem (the lead-ership would not allow slaves to fight, as this was anath-ema to the very idea of the freedom for which they werefighting). Another notable participant was Daniel Shays,who later became famous for his army of protest inShays' Rebellion. Israel Potter was immortalized in Is-rael Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile, a novel by HermanMelville.

CommemorationsJohn Trumbull's painting, The Death of General Warrenat the Battle of Bunker Hill while an idealized and inac-curate depiction of Warren's death, shows a number ofparticipants in the battle. John Small, a British officerwho was among those storming the redoubt, was afriend of Israel Putnam's and an acquaintance of Trum-bull. He is depicted holding Warren and preventing aredcoat from bayoneting him. The Bunker Hill Monument is an obelisk that stands221 feet (67 m) high on Breed's Hill. On June 17, 1825,the fiftieth anniversary of the battle, the cornerstone ofthe monument was laid by the Marquis de Lafayetteand an address delivered by Daniel Webster. (WhenLafayette died, he was buried next to his wife at theCimetière de Picpus under soil from Bunker Hill, whichhis son Georges sprinkled upon him.) The Leonard P.Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge was specifically de-signed to evoke this monument. There is also a statueof William Prescott showing him calming his mendown.The National Park Service operates a museum dedi-cated to the battle near the monument, which is part ofthe Boston National Historical Park. A cyclorama of thebattle was added in 2007 when the museum was ren-ovated. Bunker Hill Day, observed every June 17, is a legal hol-iday in Suffolk County, Massachusetts(which includesthe city of Boston), as well as Somerville in MiddlesexCounty. Prospect Hill, site of colonial fortifications over-looking the Charlestown neck, is now located inSomerville, which was previously part of Charlestown.State institutions in Massachusetts (such as public in-stitutions of higher) located in Boston also celebratethe holiday. However, the state's FY2011 budget re-quires all state and municipal offices in Suffolk Countybe open on Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day. On June 16 and 17, 1875, the centennial of the battlewas celebrated with a military parade and a receptionfeaturing notable speakers, among them GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Sherman and Vice President HenryWilson. It was attended by dignitaries from across thecountry. Celebratory events also marked the sesqui-centennial (150th anniversary) in 1925 and the bicen-tennial in 1975.

Statue of WilliamPrescott inCharlestown, Mas-sachusetts

The Battle of BunkerHill, by Howard Pyle,1897.

The Bunker Hill Mon-ument

Independence DayICELAND - June 17

Icelandic National Day (Icelandic: Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, the day of the nation's celebration),17 June, is a holiday in Iceland and celebrates the day in 1944 that The Republic ofIceland(Lýðveldið Ísland) was formed. The date of 17 June was chosen because it is the birth-day of Jón Sigurðsson, a major figure of Icelandic culture and the leader of the 19th centuryIcelandic independence movement.

HistoryThe formation of the republic was based on a clause inthe 1918 Act of Union with Denmark, which allowed fora revision in 1943, as well as the results of the 1944plebiscite. Although German occupation of Denmarkmeant that the revision could not take place, and thussome Icelandic politicians demanded that Icelandersshould wait until after the war. The British and U.S gov-ernments, which occupied Iceland, at the time, also de-layed the declaration by asking the Icelandic parliamentto wait until after 1943. Although saddened by the re-sults of the plebiscite, King Christian X sent a letter on17 June 1944 congratulating Icelanders on forming aRepublic.Abolishing the monarchy resulted in little change to theIcelandic constitution, "The President" was merely substituted for "The King". However thepeople of Iceland celebrated the end of the long battle for total independence and praised JónSigurðsson for his early independence movement and Sveinn Björnsson, who became the firstpresident of Iceland.

CelebrationsToday, Icelanders celebrate this holiday on a national scale. The celebration traditionally takesthe form of a parade through each urban area with a brass band at the fore. Riders on Icelandichorses often precede the brass band and flagbearers from the Icelandic scout movement tra-ditionally follow the brass band. After the parade several speeches are held out in the open,including one from Fjallkonan (the woman of the mountain), clad in Skautbúningur, who recitesa poem. She represents the fierce spirit of the Icelandic nation and of Icelandic nature; this isin many ways an inheritance from the period of romanticism that reigned when the first stepstoward independence were taken. After speeches and other officialities are over, a less formalcelebration takes place with musicians entertaining the crowd, candy being devoured by chil-dren in huge quantities, and gas-filled balloons escaping their owners and flying to the sky. Itis also somewhat traditional to expect rain on this day, particularly in the Southwest of Iceland.

The national day procession inReykjavík June 17, 2007

Evacuation DayEGYPT - June 18

Egypt is a land rich in heritage and history, more than any other country or civilization in theworld. One historic event in Egypt’s recent history is the declaration of full independence fromthe British on June 18, 1956. This historic event is celebrated as Evacuation Day in Egypt, lo-cally called Eid el-Galaa. This day has been celebrated for over fifty years with significant im-portance and pride.

HistoryBritish rule in the country of Egypt lead to instability in the political social spheres of Egyptiansin the 1940s. In 1952, British rule became totally unstable and a coup attempt was made bymilitary members. King Farouk I was forced to renounce his position, forcing Ahmed Foud IIto the throne.A republic was declared on June 18, 1953, with General Muhammad Naguib set to lead thecountry. However, the original architect of the independence movement, Gamal Abdel Nasser,took control of the republic with the resignation of Naguib. Finally, on June 18, 1956, Nasserfinalized independence from Britain.The day has been grandly and enormously celebrated with joy throughout the nation eversince. Notably, the evacuation of the British was initiated because of the defeat of the army of-ficers who were in charge in the numerous regions of Egypt. The British Authorities consideredit wise to evacuate their troops knowing they were losing against the movement led by Nasser.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESEvacuation day is celebrated every year and considered a national holiday. Most organizationsand institutions don’t work on this day.

World Day to Combat Deserti-fication & Drought- June 17

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance eachJune 17. Its purpose is to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from drought.Each annual celebration has a different theme.This day was proclaimed on January 30, 1995 by the United Nations General Assembly reso-lution A/RES/49/115.

Annual themes 2009 - Conserving land and water = Securing our common future 2008 - Combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture 2007 - Desertificaton and Climate Change - One Global Challenge 2006 - The Beauty of Deserts – The Challenge of Desertification 2005 - Women and Desertification

Turkey's FM says Libya needs political solution

Davutoglu commentedon the talks held withinthe scope of the thirdmeeting of InternationalContact Group on Libya(Google News) The Turkish for-eign minister said onThursday that a seri-ous humanitariansituation might ariseif inflow of Syrianrefugees to Turkeycontinued.Turkish Foreign Min-ister Ahmet Davuto-glu commented onthe talks held withinthe scope of thethird meeting of In-ternational ContactGroup on Libya."As Turkey is Syria'sneighbor and friend,everybody asks usabout the situation inthe country. We areconcerned about the latest devel-opments," Davutoglu said.Pointing to thousands of refugeescrossing the Turkish-Syrian borderin an effort to escape from thechaos in the country, Davutoglusaid, "If such inflow continues, itwill give rise to a very serious hu-manitarian situation".The foreign minister said Turkeywas a strong country and it coulddeal with the consequences if nec-essary."Nobody wants instability in Syria.In order to prevent that, the coun-try's reform process should bespeeded up and the nation shouldbe convinced that a new era isabout to begin. Otherwise, it willbe hard to calm down the currentatmosphere," he said.Commenting on the developmentsin Libya as well, Davutoglu saidthe country needed a political so-lution above all things.

The minister said that Turkey hadalways been in contact with all theparties in Libya and it would con-tinue to hold talks with them."We hope that steps for lastingpeace will have been taken in

Libya until the meeting we will holdby mid-July. This is our main goal,"he said.Pointing to the financial assistanceTurkey plans to extend to Libya,Davutoglu said the 100 millionUSD assistance would be mainlyused for humanitarian aid and thecountry's restructuring process."Davutoglu-Cl intonmeeting"Turkish foreign minister meetsU.S. state secretary in Abu DhabiThe Turkish foreign minister metthe U.S. state secretary in AbuDhabi, United Arab Emirates, onThursday.Turkish Foreign Minister AhmetDavutoglu, who arrived in UAE'scapital to attend the third meetingof International Contact Group onLibya, got together with U.S. Sec-retary of State Hillary Clinton.The two officials discussed the sit-uation in Libya, particularly

Turkey's 100 million USD financialassistance to Libya and the latestpolitical developments in the coun-try, diplomatic sources said.Davutoglu and Clinton also ex-changed views on developments

in Syria, asD a v u t o g l ubriefed hisU.S. counter-part on thetalks TurkishPrime Minis-ter RecepTayyip Erdo-gan held withSyrian Presi-dent BasharAl-Assad.Express ingher concernover the situ-ation in Syria,Clinton saidher countrywould con-

tinue to be in contact with Turkeyon the issue.According to diplomatic sources,Turkish-U.S. relations were alsodiscussed during the gathering, asboth parties expressed their will tocontinue cooperation in fightagainst PKK violence.Apart from Clinton, Davutoglu alsoheld a meeting with French For-eign Minister Alain Juppe. Devel-opments in Syria and Libya, aswell as the latest operation againstmilitant organization PKK inFrance were on the agenda of thegathering.As part of his visit to UAE, theTurkish foreign minister held talkswith Organization of the IslamicConference (OIC) head Ekmeled-din Ihsanoglu and chairpersonJean Ping of the Commission ofthe African Union as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives Turkey\'sForeign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu a high five at thestart of their bilateral meeting at the Emirates PalaceHotel in Abu Dhabi June 9

Gates blasts NATO for weaknesses

BRUSSELS – In one of hislast major addresses be-fore his retirement thismonth, Defense SecretaryRobert M. Gates said Fri-day that NATO’s some-times shaky air campaignin Libya had “laid bare” theshortcomings of the al-liance, which he said wasfacing “collective militaryirrelevance” after years ofinadequate defense spend-ing by most of its members(Google News) In March, the allianceunanimously backed the decision to goto war in Libya to protect civilians fromforces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi, butGates noted that less than half ofNATO’s 28 members were participatingin the military operation and fewer thana third are conducting airstrikes againstground targets.“Frankly, many of those allies sitting onthe sidelines do so not because they donot want to participate, but simply be-cause they cannot,” Gates said. “Themilitary capabilities simply aren’t there.”The assessment of NATO’s capabilitiescame at the end of an 11-day around-the-world trip.While praising NATO for its perform-ance in Afghanistan, he said the al-

liance was suffering from shortcomingsin “capability and will” in Libya.His remarks, to an audience of diplo-mats, military officers and former al-liance officials at a Brussels library,came after two days of closed-doormeetings with fellow defense chiefs atNATO headquarters, during whichGates was at times even more bluntabout the alliance’s other shortcoming,according to U.S. officials.On Wednesday, he took the unusualstep of criticizing Germany and Poland,which have refused to participate in theLibya campaign, along with Spain,Turkey and the Netherlands, which areparticipating but not in airstrikes, to stepup their roles, according to officials fa-miliar with the discussion.The biggest problem, he said Friday,was that few countries had spentmoney on aircraft and other systemsthat deliver intelligence, surveillanceand reconnaissance, which are criticalto the air war in Libya.“The mightiest military alliance in his-tory is only 11 weeks into an operationagainst a poorly armed regime in asparsely populated country – yet manyallies are beginning to run short of mu-nitions, requiring the U.S., once more,to make up the difference,” he said.

Anthony murder trial enters 16th day of testimony

(Google News) ORLANDO, Fla. Themurder trial of a Florida woman ac-cused of killing her 2-year-old daughterenters its 16th day, as prosecutorsfocus in on what they believe causedthe child's death.Casey Anthony is charged with first-de-gree murder. If convicted she shouldface death. Prosecutors believe shesuffocated Caylee Anthony with ducttape. The defense contends shedrowned in her grandparents' swim-ming pool.

Jurors heard testimony Friday from themedical examiner that reviewed thechild's skeletal remains, and alsoviewed video showing how a piece ofduct tape could have killed her.Despite an at times contentious cross-examination at one point by one ofCasey Anthony's defense attorneys,Orange and Osceola County chiefmedical examiner Dr. Jan Garavagliatestified that she determined the tod-dler's manner of death to be homicide.

New challenge for U.S.-Pakistan ties

(Google News) ISLAMABAD,Pakistan — Twice in recentweeks, the United States pro-vided Pakistan with the specificlocations of insurgent bomb-making factories, only to seethe militants learn their coverhad been blown and vacate thesites before military action couldbe taken, according to U.S. andPakistani officials.Overhead surveillance videoand other information was givento Pakistani officials in mid-May,officials said, as part of a trust-building effort by the Obama ad-ministration after the killing ofOsama bin Laden in a U.S. raidearly last month. But Pakistanimilitary units that arrived at thesites in the tribal areas of Northand South Waziristan on June 4found them abandoned.U.S. officials say they do notknow how the operation wascompromised. But they are con-cerned that either the informa-tion was inadvertently leakedinside Pakistan or insurgentswere warned directly by Pak-istan’s Inter-Services Intelli-gence directorate, or ISI.A senior Pakistani military offi-cial said Friday that the UnitedStates had also shared informa-tion about other sites, includingweapons-storage facilities, thatwere similarly found empty.“There is a suspicion that per-haps there was a tip-off,” the of-ficial said. “It’s being looked intoby our people, and certainlyanybody involved will be takento task.”In the past, Pakistan has stren-uously denied allegations thatits security services are collud-ing with insurgents.The incidents are expected tofeature prominently in conver-sations between Pakistani offi-cials and CIA DirectorLeonPanetta, who arrived inPakistan on Friday. The U.S. ar-gument, one official said, willbe: “We are willing to share, butyou have to prove you will act.Some of your people are nolonger fully under your control.”U.S. officials said Panetta wouldalso carry a more positive mes-sage, reiterating that the UnitedStates wants to rebuild a trust-ing, constructive relationshipwith Pakistan. Immediately afterbin Laden’s death, some admin-istration officials and lawmakersargued that the al-Qaedaleader’s presence in a suburbanPakistani compound was rea-son enough to withhold U.S. as-sistance from Pakistan. But theprevailing view has been thatthe two countries need eachother despite their problems.Pakistan has frequently re-sponded to U.S. entreaties tomove against insurgent safehavens in the tribal areas byasking for proof of their pres-ence. Officials said that video ofthe two installations indicatedboth were being used to manu-facture improvised explosivedevices, or IEDs — the road-side bombs that are the princi-pal killers of U.S. and coalitiontroops in Afghanistan.One was located in a girls’school in the city of MiramShah, home to the Haqqani net-work’s North Waziristan head-quarters. The other, in SouthWaziristan, was thought to bean al-Qaeda-run facility, accord-ing to officials who spoke on thecondition of anonymity becauseof the sensitivity of the issue.While the United States hasconducted an aggressive cam-paign of drone strikes in thetribal areas, both sites wereconsidered poor drone targetsbecause of the high potential forcivilian casualties.

U.S. officials say they do notknow how the operation wascompromised. But they are con-cerned that either the informa-tion was inadvertently leakedinside Pakistan or insurgentswere warned directly by Pak-istan’s Inter-Services Intelli-gence directorate, or ISI.A senior Pakistani military offi-cial said Friday that the UnitedStates had also shared informa-tion about other sites, includingweapons-storage facilities, thatwere similarly found empty.“There is a suspicion that per-haps there was a tip-off,” the of-ficial said. “It’s being looked intoby our people, and certainlyanybody involved will be takento task.”In the past, Pakistan has stren-uously denied allegations thatits security services are collud-ing with insurgents.The incidents are expected tofeature prominently in conver-sations between Pakistani offi-cials and CIA Director LeonPanetta, who arrived in Pak-istan on Friday. The U.S. argu-ment, one official said, will be:“We are willing to share, but youhave to prove you will act.Some of your people are nolonger fully under your control.”U.S. officials said Panetta wouldalso carry a more positive mes-sage, reiterating that the UnitedStates wants to rebuild a trust-ing, constructive relationshipwith Pakistan. Immediately afterbin Laden’s death, some admin-istration officials and lawmakersargued that the al-Qaedaleader’s presence in a suburbanPakistani compound was rea-son enough to withhold U.S. as-sistance from Pakistan. But theprevailing view has been thatthe two countries need eachother despite their problems.Pakistan has frequently re-sponded to U.S. entreaties tomove against insurgent safehavens in the tribal areas byasking for proof of their pres-ence. Officials said that video ofthe two installations indicatedboth were being used to manu-facture improvised explosivedevices, or IEDs — the road-side bombs that are the princi-pal killers of U.S. and coalitiontroops in Afghanistan.One was located in a girls’school in the city of MiramShah, home to the Haqqani net-work’s North Waziristan head-quarters. The other, in SouthWaziristan, was thought to bean al-Qaeda-run facility, accord-ing to officials who spoke on thecondition of anonymity becauseof the sensitivity of the issue.While the United States hasconducted an aggressive cam-paign of drone strikes in thetribal areas, both sites wereconsidered poor drone targetsbecause of the high potential forcivilian casualties.That access was granted twoweeks ago, leading to a visit bySecretary of State Hillary Rod-ham Clinton and Adm. MichaelMullen, chairman of the JointChiefs of Staff. At that time,Clinton asked about action onthe videos. She has since fol-lowed up with two telephonecalls to Prime Minister YousafRaza Gillani.The two installations had beencleared out before Pakistanimilitary units moved againstthem on June 4, satellite im-agery subsequently revealed.A local security official in NorthWaziristan confirmed that Pak-istani forces had raided thegirls’ school after militants hadabandoned it. A local tribal offi-cial, who, like the security offi-cial, spoke on the condition of

anonymity, said it is common forinsurgent groups to use schoolsand hospitals to manufactureweapons.Tense relationsWhen Clinton visited Pakistantwo weeks ago, she said Wash-ington expected to see “deci-sive steps” from Pakistan “in thedays ahead.”But in recent weeks, Pakistanhas seemed only to further dis-tance itself from its U.S. al-liance, forcing out most of the135 U.S. troops who had beenhere training Pakistani forces.On Thursday, Kayani issued apointed statement that called forU.S. military aid for Pakistan tobe converted into economic as-sistance, demanded an end toU.S. drone strikes in the tribalareas and insisted Pakistanwould not be pressured intoconducting military operations.The United States has beenpushing Pakistan for more thana year to mount an offensive inNorth Waziristan. But Pakistanhas resisted the calls, saying itsforces are already stretched toothin.Tribal leaders in North Waziris-tan said Friday that a govern-ment official had recently visitedthe area and told residents notto leave their homes, becauseno military operation was immi-nent.In addition to pressure from theUnited States, Pakistan’s mili-tary has faced intense domesticcriticism since the May 2 raid.On Friday, opposition leaderand former prime ministerNawaz Sharif accused the armyof running “a parallel govern-ment” and demanded that it endits “dominance of Pakistan’s for-eign policy.” The commentswere unusually bold in a countrywhere civilian politicians havelong bowed to the military’s au-thority.Panetta, who has been nomi-nated to be the next U.S. de-fense secretary, left for Pakistansoon after confirmation hear-ings on Capitol Hill concludedThursday. Pakistan’s army is-sued a terse statement sayingthat Panetta had met withKayani, and the two discussed“the framework for future intelli-gence sharing.”Karzai arives for talksPanetta’s arrival coincided withthat of Afghan President HamidKarzai, who traveled to Islam-abad on Friday for two days oftalks with top Pakistani leadersamid cautious hopes that thetwo nations can forge a coordi-nated strategy for reconcilingwith insurgents.The two governments have longmistrusted one another, withAfghan officials accusing Pak-istan of covertly backing the Tal-iban and other militant groups.But tensions have eased in re-cent months, and Afghan offi-cials said Karzai’s visit will helpto test Pakistan’s assertionsthat it is prepared to play a con-structive role in ending the warin Afghanistan after more thanthree decades of conflict.“There is a change of attitudehere,” said Mohammad UmerDaudzai, the Afghan ambassa-dor to Pakistan. “Pakistan hasbeen badly hurt by militants.They are under pressure. Sowe have to realize that this is anideal opportunity.”But Daudzai also acknowl-edged that any negotiated solu-tion to the war is a long way off.Pressed on a likely deadline, hecited 2014, when foreign troopsare slated to hand over securityresponsibility to the Afghan gov-ernment.

Libyan rebels stage uprising in Zlitan(Google News) Tripoli, Libya --Libyan rebels staged an armed up-rising against Moammar Khadafy inthe western city of Zlitan Friday, arebel spokesman said, adding that22 of their fighters had been killed.There was no independent confir-mation of the rebel claims, but theywould mark the first significant rebelattempt to take control of a majorcity in western Libya since the earlydays of the uprising. Zlitan lies justover 100 miles east of Tripoli andabout 30 miles west of the be-sieged rebel-held city of Misrata. ALibyan government spokesmancould not be reached for comment.

"Zlitan has fully risen," said Mo-hamed Ali, a rebel spokesman fromMisrata who is in the Qatari capital,Doha. "There is a battle around themain hospital in Zlitan as wespeak." Meanwhile, Khadafy'sforces stepped up their assault onMisrata, pounding rebel positions tothe west of the city with tanks androcket fire Friday, killing at least 26people, rebels said. "The disheart-ening thing is that NATO is nowhereto be seen," Ali said. Ali saidKhadafy's son Khamis had takencharge of the renewed attack onMisrata, which had killed 91 peoplein the past week, most of them

rebel fighters. He said 85 peoplehad been wounded Friday. "One ofthe soldiers we captured saidKhamis has told his troops 'If youdon't take Misrata we are finished.'"Misrata was subjected to dailyshelling by government forces inMarch and April, but rebels eventu-ally forced Khadafy's troops out ofthe city after intense clashes, andthere had been a lull in the fightingfor the past few weeks. Also Friday,Turkey's Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan said his countryhas offered to help Khadafy "leavefor wherever you would like,"

U.S. Aims to Gain New Edge in AfricaLUSAKA, Zambia—Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton on Fridaywarned that China didn't alwayshave Africa's interests at heart as itinvested and offered assistance onthe continent, highlighting frictionsbetween the countries as economicstakes on the continent rise.In remarks to reporters after theclose of a business conference inthe Zambian capital of Lusaka, Mrs.Clinton said China "has not alwaysutilized the talents of the Africanpeople in pursuing its business in-terests." She added, however, thatthe U.S. also wanted to work moreclosely with China, and had in-structed embassies to seek "areasof cooperation" with Chinese coun-terparts in Africa.She told the conference the U.S.was embarking on "a new way ofdoing business" that seeks to fostergrass-roots commercial activityrather than aid."Our approach is based on partner-ship, not patronage. It is focusednot on handouts but on the kind ofeconomic growth that underlieslong-term progress," Mrs. Clintonsaid. "Ultimately, it is aimed at help-ing developing countries chart theirown futures and, frankly, end theneed for aid at all."U.S. officials and business leadersgathered in Zambia for a bout ofsoul-searching on how to lift tradeand investment in Africa, underlin-ing a broad recognition that Ameri-can companies are trailing thosefrom China and India in tapping thecontinent's economic opportunities.The meeting in Zambia drew one ofthe largest U.S. delegations toAfrica in years. It also included U.S.Trade Representative Ron Kirk.Mrs. Clinton is the first U.S. secre-tary of state to visit Zambia in morethan three decades.The focus of the meeting was theAfrican Growth and OpportunitiesAct, or Agoa, an 11-year-old pieceof U.S. legislation that providespreferential access to the Americanmarket for more than 1,800 Africanproducts. It covers 37 countries insub-Saharan Africa, with a handfulof others disqualified because ofcoups and corruption.Many participants say the U.S.needs a new approach to a conti-nent that is projected to grow fasterthan any other global region overthe next five years.They say trade assistance, alongwith humanitarian aid, togetheraren't enough to tap a market witha billion potential consumers."America has more medical doctorsand Ph.D.s here than business-men," says Greg Marchand, whoruns a telecommunications andconsulting company in Zambiacalled Gizmos Solutions Ltd. "And

we wonder why we aren't doing alot of business."The U.S. remains the top donor toAfrica, disbursing $7.6 billion in2009, according to the Organizationfor Economic Cooperation and De-velopment.China isn't a member of the OECD,and doesn't provide detailed break-downs of aid and investment toAfrica. But in 2009, China becameAfrica's largest trade partner. In thefirst 11 months of last year, China'strade with Africa amounted to$114.81 billion, according to theChinese government's White Paperon the topic. U.S. trade with Africafor the period reached $103 billion,according to the U.S. Census Bu-reau.China has tied much of its tradeand investment to Africa with pref-erential loan deals, often aimed atsecuring supplies of oil, gas andminerals. Top-ranking Chinese offi-cials regularly visit African countriesto cement these agreements."The goal of China is mercantilist;they do what they need to do to getaccess to natural resources," saysPaul Ryberg, the Washington-based president for the AfricanCoalition for Trade, which repre-sents African companies in the U.S.The centerpiece of U.S. economicengagement, Agoa, says Mr. Ry-berg "is economic development,creation of jobs and the creation ofa middle class to buy our products."But while Agoa boosted African ex-ports to the U.S.—10 times from itsinception to 2008—it has failed tobroaden significantly the trade rela-tionship. Energy exports accountfor about 90% of sub-SaharanAfrican trade to the U.S., accordingto a study published last month bythe Brookings Institution, a Wash-ington think tank.That type of trade relationship isseen as too narrow to seize oppor-tunities tied to Africa's acceleratingeconomic growth and new con-sumers.The International Monetary Fundpredicts sub-Saharan Africa—a col-lection of 47 countries—will grow5.5% this year and 6% in 2012.Over the next five years, the IMFpredicts that average growth ofsub-Saharan countries will behigher than other regions. TheAfrican Development Bank Groupestimates a new consumer class onthe continent of 300 million people.Yet the continent remains burdenedby political corruption and poor in-frastructure—problems that ratchetup the price of goods, particularly inmany landlocked countries. MostAfrican countries rank at the bottomof the World Bank's Ease of DoingBusiness survey.Companies from China, India and

Brazil generally have been lessdaunted by such challenges. BhartiAirtel Ltd., India's largest phonecompany, now operates in 16African countries, part of a dramaticexpansion of Indian investment inAfrica. This month, Bharti Airtel saidit signed a deal with China'sHuawei Technologies Co. to helpmanage and modernize its networkin Africa.U.S. officials say American compa-nies, not the government, must pur-sue opportunities in Africa. In mostAfrican countries U.S. investmentlags far behind American aid. InZambia, for example, the U.S. for-eign direct investment was $79 mil-lion in 2008, up 3.9% from the yearbefore, according to USTR. Mean-while, the U.S. Agency for Interna-tional Development estimated itspent $390 million in Zambia lastyear, up from $300 million in 2009.Outside Lusaka, China has in-vested more than $1 billion in an in-vestment zone near the Chambishicopper belt. The zone includes 14Chinese companies, mostly miningand equipment makers.China's investment in Zambia has-n't been without its troubles. InMarch, 600 workers went on strikedemanding a 50% pay increase,the latest in a long list of labor dis-putes. Meanwhile, Zambia's oppo-sition politicians have accusedChina of taking away jobs fromZambians and subjecting theircountry to a new form of coloniza-tion.At the same time, the southernAfrican economy is showing signsof moving beyond its dependenceon minerals. Lusaka's commercialreal-estate market is crammed withnew tenants, even as new buildingsand shopping malls go up.The 36-year old Mr. Marchand, anentrepreneur from Chicago, sayshe arrived in 2005 with four laptops,a printer and $100,000 to start histelecom and consulting company.The U.S. government assistance,he says, was minimal. "They issuedme a passport."At least now the U.S. governmentis paying attention, says Mr. Marc-hand, who is also the president of anew American Chamber of Com-merce in Zambia. On Saturday,U.S. Secretary Clinton and U.S.Trade Representative Kirk arescheduled to attend the chamber'sopening ceremony.In her remarks Friday, Mrs. Clintonsaid: "At meetings like this one wehear a lot of ideas tossed around.But I think the very best ideas comefrom the people who are actuallystarting and running the businessesin Africa."

E. coli: Ger-man-grownsprouts cul-prit in out-break(Google News) Berlin --Specialists in high-techlabs tested thousands ofvegetables as they huntedfor the source of the world'sdeadliest E. coli outbreak,but in the end it was old-fashioned detective workthat provided the answer:German-grown sprouts.After more than a month ofsearching, health officialsannounced Friday they haddetermined that sproutsfrom an organic farm in thenorthern German village ofBienenbuettel were thesource of the outbreak thathas killed 31 people, sick-ened nearly 3,100 andprompted much of Europeto shun vegetables. It's littlesurprise that sprouts werethe culprit - they have beenimplicated in many previ-ous food-borne outbreaks:ones in Michigan and Vir-ginia in 2005, and a largeoutbreak in Japan in 1996that killed 11 people andsickened more than 9,000.While sprouts are full ofprotein and vitamins, theirability to transmit diseasemakes some public healthofficials nervous. Sproutshave abundant surfacearea for bacteria to cling to,and if their seeds are con-taminated, washing won'thelp. German investigatorstracked the path of the bac-teria step by step, fromhospital patients strugglingwith diarrhea and kidneyfailure, to restaurantswhere they may have got-ten sick, to specific mealsand ingredients, to indus-trial food suppliers and thefarms that grew the pro-duce.

Dozens Die in FreshGadhafi Offensive NearMisrata(Google News) MISRATA, Libya—At least 30people were killed and more than 100 wounded,most of them rebel fighters, in a fierce offensiveby Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces Friday on theoutskirts of Libya's rebel-held port city of Misrata.By nightfall, Misrata's rebels retained control ofthe farmland area known as Dafniya, some 18miles to the west. Some rebels said they wantedto advance further west and capture Zlitin, thenext regime-controlled town on the highway toTripoli, with the help of recently deployed U.K.and French helicopters. Others argued that Zl-itin's residents must rise up first against Col.Gadhafi in order not to provoke tribal warfare. ABritish spokesman said Friday that U.K. Apachehelicopters had been in action over Misrata onThursday, destroying a regime military commu-nications installation and multiple rocket launch-ers. Rebels said jets from the North AtlanticTreaty Organization bombed some of the ad-vancing pro-Gadhafi forces Friday, a claim thatcouldn't immediately be confirmed. Casualtiesamong the pro-regime forces were unknown.But an officer captured by rebels at the frontlinesaid some 120 volunteer fighters were bused bythe regime to Zlitin on Wednesday to back upsoldiers in the offensive led by the KhamisBrigade, a unit named after and commanded byone of Col. Gadhafi's sons. "We came to Misratato strike the rebels," the officer said during an in-terrogation by a rebel leader, witnessed inside amakeshift rebel camp. "They brought us as sac-rificial lambs, believe me." A spokesman fromthe local military council said the fighting wassome of the fiercest in the city's long battleagainst the Libyan government forces. Rebelwitnesses said Col. Gadhafi's forces had at-tempted to retake Dafniya early Friday with sev-eral tanks, armored vehicles and rocketlaunchers. The tanks were firing at anything thatmoved on the coastal highway between Tripoliand Misrata, they said, making the road unus-able. Many said that most of the casualtiesamong the rebels were caused by artillery fire.Wing Commander Mike Bracken, a NATOspokesman, said Friday the front line near Zlitinis "volatile and unstable." "Whether Gadhafiforces are able to launch a large-scale attack re-mains unconfirmed," he said. Heavy rocket fireturned some of parts of Dafniya, a scenic areaof pine, olive and palm trees, into smolderingfields. In one farm, rebel fighters rested behindearth berms as rockets whizzed overhead andgunfire crackled in the distance. Some fightersahead launched rocket-propelled grenades inresponse. One fighter, Lutfi al-Ameen, said hisunit was involved in close combat with pro-regime forces stationed five farms away afterthey tried to enter Dafniya from several areas.Asked if rebels would try to capture Zlitin hesaid: "It's crucial they [Zlitin residents] movefirst." Earlier rocket explosions were heard non-stop from early morning in Misrata. By midday,pickup trucks filled with rebel fighters were seenheading toward Dafniya. A flatbed truck ladenwith ammunition was also seen on its way toprovide reinforcements. On a beach on the wayto Dafniya, rebels were seen firing Russian-made Grad rockets from a launcher they hadseized from pro-regime forces. A heavy streamof ambulances and emergency crews used anold road that hugs the shoreline to bring thedead and wounded to Misrata. Hundreds of peo-ple gathered outside Al-Hikma Hospital, whichhad posted a list of the casualties from the fight-ing. Doctors at Al-Hikma, which is akin to a pri-vate polyclinic, couldn't cope with the flow ofcasualties. Two triage tents setup in the parkinglot were filled to capacity as the bodies of thedead were piled up into the pediatric and ortho-pedic clinics. "Identity unknown," read paperspasted on two body bags. A man in the hallwaysobbed hysterically for his dead brother. InsideMisrata, rebels were on high alert and setting upcheckpoints across the city to stop and searchvehicles. The latest offensive by Col. Gadhafi'sforces is believed to be an attempt to preemptrebels from advancing toward Tripoli, 120 milesto the west, or to Sirte, some 150 miles south-east of Misrata. The rebels appear to be unde-cided over whether to make an advance oneither city, or remain in Misrata to retain controlof the city, which they recaptured in May after along and devastating siege. At a news confer-ence held by the council on Thursday in Misrata,the council's spokesman, Fathi Bashagha, saidthe rebels wanted to advance toward Tripoli andthen to Sirte. However, another spokesman saidthey needed to be cautious about advancing,and would only move toward the coastal town ofZlitin—the first large town west of Misrata on theroad to Tripoli—when there is enough oppositionwithin the town to rise up against governmentforces. So far, some fighters from Zlitin havejoined the rebels in Misrata in their fight againstthe regime.

Panetta offers few detailson plans for Afghan warWASHINGTON (Google News) The presumptivenew leader of the Pentagon, Leon Panetta, offeredalmost no specifics at his Senate confirmation hear-ing yesterday on how he’ll oversee the war inAfghanistan, saying it was up to others in theObama administration to decide how many troopsto begin withdrawing next month. Panetta, 72, isscheduled to take office in three weeks if he winsSenate approval. That seemed a safe bet yesterdayas members from both parties on the Senate ArmedServices Committee praised his record as directorof the Central Intelligence Agency since 2009, par-

ticularly the raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osamabin Laden in Pakistan. “I can’t wait to vote for you,’’said Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Re-publican. At the same time, the gentle grilling thatthe senators gave Panetta made clear that runningthe Defense Department will be far tougher thangetting confirmed. The tenor of the questions indi-cated that his honeymoon period could be brief ashe faces pressure to wind down the wars inAfghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, as well as managepending cuts to the Pentagon’s budget. PresidentObama has ordered $400 billion in spending reduc-tions on national security over the next 12 years,and it will be largely up to Panetta, a longtime

budget expert in Washington, to figure out the de-tails. Panetta was especially cautious in describinghis views about the Afghan war, repeating stockcomments from the administration that the US mili-tary had made gains but that they were “fragile andreversible.’’ He said he agreed with Obama thattroop withdrawals starting next month should be sig-nificant. But he dodged attempts by Senator JohnMcCain, an Arizona Republican, to pin him down,saying that it was up to Obama, current DefenseSecretary Robert M. Gates, and General David Pe-traeus, the US commander in Afghanistan, to decideon specific numbers. He did allow that bin Laden’sdeath could mark a turning point in the long-running

fight against Al Qaeda. “It’s given us the greatestchance since 9/11 to disrupt, dismantle, and defeatAl Qaeda,’’ Panetta said. “But to do that, to be ableto finish the job, we’ve got to keep the pressure up.’’Later, he added, “I think the fundamental mission inAfghanistan is to provide sufficient stability so thatthat country never again becomes a safe haven forAl Qaeda or Al Qaeda’s militant allies.’’ But severalDemocrats and Republicans indicated that their pa-tience was wearing thin. Senator Susan Collins, aMaine Republican, called the Afghan war “a never-ending mission.’’ “I don’t see how we get to a stablestate in Afghanistan,’’ she said. “So tell me how thisends.’’

President Obama Establishes White House Rural Council

(Google News) President Obamasigned an executive order on Thurs-day creating the White House RuralCouncil. Secretary of AgricultureTom Vilsak will oversee the taskforce, aimed at strengthening theeconomy of Rural America. A WhiteHouse press release says the mis-sion of the new panel is to create jobsand promote economic development-- and to do a better job of coordinat-ing federal programs that serve ruralcommunities. Sen. Lisa Murkowski,R-Alaska, says news of the executiveorder came as a surprise to her. “I’ma little skeptical,” said Murkowski,“but I will be the first one to embraceit, if in fact it does translate into ben-efits for rural Alaska and really doesallow for a greater coordinated effort,so that we can see real differences inour remote areas.” Murkowski saysthe lack of advance notification aboutthe executive order makes her ques-tion Obama’s motives. “I want to be-lieve his intentions are good,”Murkowski said. “And I hate to be cal-

lous about it, but is he looking to bol-ster areas where it would benefit himmore in his upcoming election?” Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, was un-available for comment today, but hisspokesperson, Julie Hasquet, saysthe White House Rural Council isconsistent with President Obama’spast efforts. Hasquet says RuralAmerica has been Obama's priorityfrom day one. She says the Presi-dent held two national rural summitsduring his first two years in office --and in his first year, sent four cabinetsecretaries to visit remote Alaskancommunities. Murkowski says shewill be sending her recommendationsto the panel, which she believes is ina position to put rural issues in thespotlight, particularly the high rates ofpoverty that exist in many rural com-munities, even outside Alaska. Thepriorities for the council are listed inthe executive order. Among them arejobs training and workforce develop-ment; opening up agricultural mar-kets; improving access to health care

and education; increasing the abilityto obtain credit and other financialservices; expanding broadband serv-ice; modernizing rural infrastructure.The executive order also specificallyinstructs the council to work withtribes. Murkowski says she’s hopefulthat it will prop up the Denali Com-mission, a federal-state partnershipto bring infrastructure to rural Alaska.In recent years, funding for the DenaliCommission has steadily declined.Murkowski says the struggle goesbeyond Alaska. “It’s a different con-stituency. Clearly, clearly needy, butpolitically unaware. I do think theyget overlooked.” “For those that areout there, it’s usually a pretty hardlife. But out of sight, out of mind.”said Murkowski. “And it’s not a situa-tion where people are thinking abouthow they are going to work the polit-ical process to their political advan-tage. In many parts of the country,they’re working every day to keepfood on the table and keep their fam-ilies warm.”

Wordclouds of ISAF Press Releases Illuminate Deterio-rating Afghan War

As the U.S.-led Interna-tional Security AssistanceForce's efforts inAfghanistan have strug-gled, its PR has becomecheerier and vaguerWinning hearts and minds inAfghanistan -- and maintaining U.S.political support -- have been crucialcomponents of the nine-year missionin Afghanistan, especially since thePR-conscious General David Pe-traeus took over in June 2010. Whatmessages, whether deliberately ornot, are embedded in the many, manypress releases published by the U.S.-led International Security AssistanceForce? Kandahar-based analyst and aca-demic Alex Strick van Linschoten hasproduced a set of wordclouds thatgraphically display the most fre-quently used words in ISAF press re-leases from November 2009 throughthe end of April 2011. They are repro-duced below with his permission.Above is the wordcloud for press re-leases from that entire period.What's immediately striking is the dry,clinical language -- "targeted" and "fa-cilitator" don't exactly conjure up a

sense of large-scale war -- as well asthe emphasis on positives: "peace-fully," "responsible," and that under-served group, "women." "Security" isone of the most frequently usedterms, as are words that emphasizeefforts to include native Afghanforces, such as "combined" and"joint.""Obviously it's all about the enemy,"Strick van Linschoten told me, sug-gesting this is representative of themission's larger focus. "If everythingis about the enemy, then engagement(in the true sense of the word) be-comes difficult, if not impossible." He described this perspective as"See everyone as the enemy," callingit a "systemic" but "understandable"approach given that the releasescome from the military. "But it goes towhy the U.S. military probably aren'tthe people to be steering the shipwhen it comes to a political solution,"he said.Strick van Linschoten said hedoubted the press releases wereaimed at Afghan readers. "You cansee spikes in the numbers of pressreleases when certain things go on inthe U.S.," he said, citing public de-bates or political battles over, for ex-

ample, troop levels. Here are the word clouds for severalspecific periods of time, starting withthe oldest, which covers November2009 through February 2010.Over time, the press releases havecome to contain less informationabout specifics ("Khost," a heavilydisputed region; "Haqqani," a brutal,family-run insurgent faction) andmore about generalities ("facilitator,""operation," "suspected"). That couldreflect the fact that the specifics havenot gone so well -- Khost is a mess,Haqqani still at large -- forcing thepress releases to discuss platitudesmore than actual events.The ISAF press office has an unenvi-able job. As the Afghan war deterio-rates, they must navigate the oftenconflicting goals of accurately report-ing events and of putting a positivespin on its role in the war, in serviceof both the ISAF itself and its missionof appealing to regular Afghans. Noone expects ISAF press releases todo both things perfectly. But as theear worsens and those two goals be-comes more disparate, ISAF pressreleases seem to have responded bysimply becoming vaguer.

AUSTRALIA: Death threats for climate researchers(Google News) Climate scientists at Aus-tralia's top universities have receiveddeath threats and other menacing warn-ings to stop their research or suffer theconsequences. In an unprecedented ac-tion, the Australian National Universitysaid at the weekend that several of the sci-entists had been relocated to a more se-cure location while security in the buildingswhere other climate researchers workedhad been tightened.The threats are a worrying indication ofhow inflamed the debate over climatechange and the government's plans to in-troduce a carbon tax have become. Bigbusiness and the mining industry, alongwith the Opposition and the Murdochpress, have helped raise temperatures bycampaigning fiercely against the plans -this despite government guarantees thatmost workers would not be any worse off.Today, the peak body representing Aus-tralia's 39 universities called on politicaland community leaders to speak out insupport of academic freedom. In a pressrelease late Monday, Universities Australiasaid the call followed reports from a num-ber of universities of threats against aca-

demics researching climate change.UA chair Professor Glyn Davis said recentrevelations of "systematic and sustainedthreats to many climate change scientistswere a fundamental attack upon intellec-tual inquiry". Davis, Vice-chancellor ofMelbourne University, said that to dis-agree with evidence or conclusions fromacademic research was part of any robustdebate, but to seek to intimidate scientistswho reached unwelcome findings was anassault on the ideal of a free exchange ofideas and undermined a democratic soci-ety.Australian National University (ANU) Vice-chancellor Professor Ian Young told ABCTelevision that at the weekend scientistsat his university had received large num-bers of emails that included death threatsas well as abusive phone calls warningthem and their families they would be at-tacked if they continued their research.Young said threats had been made overthe past six months but the situation hadworsened significantly in recent weeks. Inan understatement he said: "Obviously cli-mate research is an emotive issue at thepresent time. These are issues where we

should have a logical public debate andit's completely intolerable that people besubjected to this sort of abuse and tothreats like this."Although Young said the university's aca-demics and scientists were "not equippedto be treated in this way", he made nomention of calling in the police.The Canberra Times newspaper reportedthe Federal Police as saying they wereaware of the issue but that no investiga-tion was underway. Threatening to killsomeone in the Australian Capital Territoryis a crime that carries a 10-year jail sen-tence.One anonymous ANU researcher told thepaper: "If you want to find me, it's impos-sible unless you make an appointment,sign in with some form of photo identifica-tion and are personally escorted to mydoor. That's directly as a result of threatsmade against me."Other scientists said they had upgradedsecurity systems in their homes, had un-listed phone numbers and deleted theironline profiles. Former ANU vice-chancel-lor and now Australia's Chief Scientist,Professor Ian Chubb, said the threats

were intended to intimidate academics, "toscare them off and stop them from partic-ipating in public discussions on climatechange. "They are the antithesis of democratic de-bate".Australia relies heavily on coal-fired powerand is not only among the world's worstper capita emitters of carbon but also ex-ports more coal than almost any othercountry. Such facts appear not to have af-fected the Opposition, the Murdoch editorsor the climate sceptics who dismiss talk ofa warming world as plain wrong or somesort of global conspiracy.When Australian Oscar-winning actressCate Blanchett appeared in a televisioncampaign last week calling for action onclimate change and urging the public tosupport the carbon tax, she came undersavage verbal attack from OppositionLeader Tony Abbott and the Murdochtabloids. The papers dubbed her "ClimateCate" and accused her of being rich andwell able to afford to meet the costs of atax, leaving the "poor workers to suffer".

'East AfricaQaeda chiefFazul Mo-hammed killed'(Google News) Somali policesaid on Saturday that Fazul Ab-dullah Mohammed, one ofAfrica's most wanted al Qaedaoperatives, was killed in the cap-ital of the Horn of Africa countryearlier this week. "We have con-firmed he was killed by our policeat a control checkpoint thisweek," Halima Aden, a senior na-tional security officer, told Newsagency in Mogadishu.Mohammed was shot at thecheckpoint in an exchange of firewith police, Aden said."He had a fake South Africanpassport and of course other doc-uments. After thorough investiga-tion, we confirmed it was him,and then we buried his corpse,"Aden said.Mohammed was reputed to bethe head of al Qaeda in eastAfrica, and operated in Somalia,which has been without an effec-tive central government since theoverthrow of dictator Mohamed

Siad Barre in 1991.The United States had offered a$5 million reward for informationleading to the capture of the Co-morian, who speaks five lan-guages and is said to be a masterof disguise, forgery and bombmaking.He is accused of playing a leadrole in the 1998 embassy attacksin Nairobi and Dar es Salaam,which killed 240 people."He was killed on Tuesday mid-night in the southern suburbs ofMogadishu at Ex-control policecheckpoint. Another Somaliarmed man was driving him in afour-wheel drive when he acci-dentally drove up to the check-point," Aden said."We had his pictures and so wecross-checked with his face. Hehad thousands of dollars. He alsohad a laptop and a modified AK-47," he said.Kenyan anti-terrorist police saidthey had been informed of Mo-hammed's killing by US sources."We received intelligence fromwithin the US embassy that he(Mohammed) is dead. We our-selves do not yet have any evi-dence of his death,"

(Google News) The announce-ment came during a visit byAfghan President Hamid Karzaito Islamabad, where he met civil-ian and military leaders in a bid tosecure Islamabad's support forhis government's reconciliationefforts with Taliban.The U.S.-sponsored trade agree-ment was signed in October 2010but could not be enforced afterthe two countries failed to sort outdifferences over bank guaranteesfor Afghan goods.The United States is keen to tryto wean Afghanistan off billions ofdollars in foreign aid by boostingeconomic growth.

Pakistan's Federal Bureau ofRevenue secretary, Salman Sid-diqui, said the accord was goingto be implemented from Sunday.

"We will start acting on thisagreement from June 12," he toldNews agency.Pakistan has long expressed itsconcern over smuggling into Pak-istan of goods being imported byAfghanistan.To ensure the consignmentsreach Afghanistan and not smug-gled back to Pakistan, Pakistansought bank guarantees fromAfghan importers.A senior Pakistan commerce min-istry official said all issues hadbeen resolved. "There is no hin-drance to its implementation," hesaid.Nearly 34 percent ofAfghanistan's imported goods aretransported through Pakistan,with the rest coming via Iran andTajikistan.

Afghanistan, Pakistan agreeto implement transit trade accord

TSA to Fire 36 Employ-ees at Honolulu Airport(Google News) Following an in-vestigation, the TransportationSecurity Administration (TSA)has announced that it plans onfiring over 30 of its employeesat the Honolulu InternationalAirport for improper screeningof checked baggage. The TSAwill reportedly dismiss 36 em-ployees and suspend 12 more,

after an investigation foundthat during the "last fewmonths of 2010" some bagswere not properly screened atone airport location, accordingto a release by the TSA. "TSAholds its workforce to the high-est ethical standards and wewill not tolerate employeeswho in any way compromisethe security of the travelingpublic," said TSA AdministratorJohn Pistole in a statement.

Hungary Acquires Stakesin Raba, PannErgy From

Pension Funds(Google News) Hungary’s government ac-quired stakes in Raba Nyrt., a maker of ve-hicles and auto parts, and PannErgy(PANNERGY) Nyrt., a company that investsin geothermal projects, as part of a takeoverof assets from private pension funds.The state gained an 11.7 percent stake inRaba, the company said in a statementtoday on the website of the Budapest StockExchange. The government took over the5.5 percent stake in PannErgy, according toa separate filing to the bourse late yester-day.Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s governmentgave the holders of mandatory private pen-sion funds an ultimatum last year; either turnthe holdings over to the state or lose 70 per-cent of future pension claims. Faced withthe possibility of losing the government por-tion of their social-security contributions,most opted not to block the transfers.Hungary’s government may acquire 2.8 tril-lion forint ($15.3 billion) of assets managedby private pension funds, including sharesand government bonds, pension lobbygroup Stabilitas Penztarszovetseg said onJune 2, based on preliminary data.Raba gained 0.9 percent to 795 forint by10:36 a.m. in Budapest. PannErgy rose 1.2percent to 875 forint.

Russia to partially lift vegetableimport ban with EU assurances

Russia will allowimports of sometypes of vegeta-bles from someEuropean Unioncountries after itreceives guaran-tees from Brus-sels that they aresafe, Russia'schief sanitary official said on Friday. "We will begiven guarantees on certain types of producefrom certain countries, and we will allow ship-ments after that," Gennady Onishchenko said ata EU-Russia summit in Nizhny Novgorod.Moscow imposed a blanket ban on all imports offresh vegetables from the EU last week after anoutbreak of E. coli poisoning that has killed 26people.

Russia sidestepped in Azerbai-jani-Turkmen pipeline talks

Azerbaijan says Russia will not take part in talksto build a pipeline that will carry Turkmen gas toEurope. Azerbaijan state gas monopoly Gnkarsaid the Trans-Caspian pipeline, which will runfrom Turkmenistan under the Caspian Sea to Eu-rope via Azerbaijan, will "not cause any con-frontation" with Russia. "Russia will not createobstacles to this project, I think," Gnkar DeputyVice Chairman Vitaly Beilyarbekov said in com-ments carried by news channel ANS on Friday."At the same time, Russia will not participate intalks on the Trans-Caspian pipeline." RussianAmbassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhinsaid recently that the project should be agreedby Russia, Iran and Kazakhstan, which also havea Caspian coastline. Beilyarbekov said the con-struction is due to begin within two years.

Russia, EU to reach finalagreement on WTO - Barroso

BRUSSELS, June 8 (RIA Novosti) -Russia and the European Union willbe able to resolve all remaining is-sues concerning Russia's accessionto the World Trade Organization atthe forthcoming EU-Russia summitin Nizhny Novgorod later this week,EU President Jose Manuel Barrososaid on Wednesday. "I'm confidentthat our talks will help Russia to walkthe final mile towards WTO acces-

sion, which is still possible this year,"Barroso said. Russia has been inmembership talks with the 153-na-tion WTO for 17 years and remainsthe only major economy still outsidethe organization. The EuropeanUnion gave its formal backing to thecountry's entry bid in December lastyear after Russia agreed to trim tim-ber export duties and rail freight tar-iffs.

Medvedev to visit UzbekistanJune 13-14

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will go toUzbekistan on a working visit on June 13-14, the Kremlin press service said on Friday.He will visit the republic at the invitation of hisUzbek counterpart Islam Karimov.

RUSSIAN ENVOY ARRIVES INBENGHAZI

FOR TALKS WITH LIBYANREBELS

M i k h a i lM a r g e l o v,R u s s i a ' ss p e c i a lenvoy toAfrica, ar-rived inrebe l -he ldBenghazi onTuesday todiscuss aroadmap for the future with Libya's oppositionTransitional National Council (TNC)."We are now on our way to the meeting whichwill last for about two hours," a member ofMargelov's delegation told RIA Novosti byphone.Margelov, chairman of the Foreign AffairsCommittee in the Russian Parliament's UpperChamber, will hold talks with TNC headMustafa Abdul Jalil, military affairs chief Omaral-Hariri and foreign policy chief Mahmoud Jib-ril. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev an-nounced Margelov's visit during the G8summit in Deauville in France last month. Lastweek, NATO extended its mission in Libya by90 days. The coalition intervened in the NorthAfrican country in March under a UN mandateto protect civilians against forces loyal to Col.Muammar Gaddafi.

Kazakh president seeks 'posi-tive image' for Islam

K a z a k hP r e s i d e n tN u r s u l t a nNazarbayevcalled onWednesdayfor Islamiccountries tofight thestereotypethat the Is-lamic worldharbors ter-r o r i s m .Speaking atan Islamic conference in the Kazakhcapital, Astana, the 70-year-oldpresident called for Muslim leadersto craft a "positive image of Islam asa religion of peace and tolerance.""It's time to think about setting up awide-ranging media project in Is-lamic countries to fight global and re-gional efforts to discredit the great

teaching,"he told thes e v e n t hWorld Is-lamic Eco-n o m i cF o r u m ."Isn't theI s l a m i cworld themain targetof globalterrorism?It's in theM u s l i m

countries where thousands of inno-cent people die every year. Is it fairthen to equate Islam with terrorism?"he added. His speech comes amidfears of revenge attacks in the Westfollowing the killing of al Qaedaleader Osama bin Laden by U.S.forces last month.

Libyan rebels ask Russia to open mission in BenghaziLibyan rebels have invitedRussia to open an informationmission in Benghazi, Russia'sspecial envoy to Africa MikhailMargelov said on Wednesday.Margelov, chairman of the for-eign affairs committee in theRussian parliament's upperhouse, held talks with Libya'sopposition Transitional Na-tional Council (TNC) in rebel-held Benghazi on Tuesday. "Ireported to Moscow to thepresident [Dmitry Medvedev]about the proposal, whichwas made by the TransitionalNational Council, to open aninformation mission, or a mis-sion on contacts and relation-ships," Margelov said.

"Decisions ofthis kind in our country aremade by the president, sowe'll wait for a decision."Russian President DmitryMedvedev announcedMargelov's visit during the G8summit in Deauville in Francelast month. The Libyan oppo-sition thanked Russia for notimposing a veto on the UNSecurity Council resolution onLibya. The UN Security Coun-cil adopted a resolution im-posing a no-fly zone overLibya on March 17, paving theway for a military operationagainst embattled Libyanleader Muammar Gaddafiwhich began two days later.

The com-mand of theo p e r a t i o nwas shiftedfrom a U.S.-led interna-t i o n a lcoalition toNATO in lateMarch. Lastweek, NATOextended itsmission inLibya by 90days. Thecoalition intervened in theNorth African country in Marchunder a UN mandate to pro-tect civilians against forcesloyal to Col. Muammar

Gaddafi. Rebels control muchof Libya's east, but Gaddafi'sforces retain control of mostof the west of the country.

MEDVEDEV APPROVES RUSSIAN-U.S.PLUTONIUM DISPOSAL DEAL

Russian President DmintryMedvedev has approvedamendments to an agre mentwith the United States to dis-pose of excess weapon-gradeplutonium, the RossiiskayaGazeta government daily saidon Tuesday.Russian Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov and U.S. Sec-retary of State Hillary Clintonsigned in April 2010 a protocolto amend the U.S.-Russian2000 agreement on eliminat-ing excess weapon-grade plu-tonium from defenseprograms. Under the agree-ment, Russia and the UnitedStates will each dispose of 34metric tons of excess pluto-nium, which is enough to cre-ate several thousand nuclearweapons.

The program is to belaunched before 2018.Russia intends to spendup to $3.5 billion on itsprogram, and the UnitedStates some $400 mil-lion. The agreement is acontinuation ofMedvedev and U.S.President BarackObama’s nuclear disar-mament efforts launchedin April 2010, when theysigned the New STARTtreatyreplacing the ex-pired START 1 agree-ment. The documentslashes the Russian andU.S. nuclear arsenals toa maximum of 1,550 nu-clear warheads, downfrom the current ceiling of2,200.