61 issue | zarb-e-jamhoor e-newspaper | 04-10 mar, 2012

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Missionary Day - M a r 0 5 FRENCH POLYNESIA French Polynesia observes annual celebration of Missionary Day every 5th of March. The holiday marks the celebration of the first missionaries who entered the shore of the French Colonial Island or ‘Arrivée de l’Evangile’ in French in 1797. History The entire French Polynesian islands were not es- tablished until 1889 when it was put under French administration as its legal protectorate. The whole islands sprawling for about 5.2 million square kilo- metres is located in the eastern South Pacific which is almost the size of Europe excluding the Eurasia. There are only around 250,000 people who currently inhabit the island. Various evidences proves that the island was in- habited by the first Polynesians back in AD 300, specifically the Marquesas Islands, and AD 800 at the Society Islands. Several Europeans came into the islands including Portuguese explorer sailing for the Spanish crown, Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan first sailed to the Island on 1521 passing through Pukapuka, Jakob Roggeveen (Bora Bora) in 1772, Samuel Wallis in 1767, including the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768 and James Cook in 1769. Spanish priests were among the first Christian missionaries who came in the French Polynesia’s shores; particularly the island of Tahiti in 1774 but permanent settlement of missionaries did not happen until 1797 by the ministers of the London Missionary Society. The declaration of France protectorate status on the island gave way to the mis- sionary practice in the island in 1842. The momentous event culminating to allowing missionary work in the region is now widely celebrated as Missionary Day in French Polynesia. TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES During the holiday, various events and cultural shows are held in the street particularly the traditional re-enactment of the arrival of the first missionaries in the island in 1797 at the Willy Bambridge Stadium complex in Papeete, in Tahiti, as well as on Afareaitu in Moorea. Concerts and various stage shows are free for public to enjoy. Customs Chiefs Day VANUATU - Mar 05 In Vanuatu’s calendar of events, Chief’s Day is cel- ebrated annually every 5th of March. The country observes the holiday to recognize the power on chieftains or locally known as ‘Jifs’ on matters con- cerning politics, economy, judiciary, among others. History Vanuatu is an Island nation spread across the South Pacific Ocean just east of Northern Aus- tralia. This archipelago, of volcanic origin, was in- habited by Melanesian people, a region south of Vanuatu, before the Islands were occupied by the Europeans in 1880, particularly by the French and British, and claimed the archipelago under a British-French ‘condominium’ status as allowed by the International law. The condominium status al- lowed sharing of powers by the two countries. The two European superpowers called the country the ‘New Hebrides.’ The continued sharing of power over the region continued until a call for liberation in 1970 even- tually brought independence to the country in 1980. Chieftainship is still a popular figure in Vanuatu although the government is formed around parliamentary democracy backed up by a constitution. ‘Malvatu Mauri’ is the lead National Council of Chiefs in the country with a leader elected by the representatives of the district council of chiefs. The primary purpose of this council is to feed the prevailing government with guide or direction that touch base on the interest of the ni-Vanuatu language and culture. The chiefs in each village are highly regarded to have authority on all matters of Vanuatu life. They form the smallest political unit of Vanuatu society and are the most influential in the clan. To recognize the Jifs in their critical role in the country’s political system and in Vanuatu’s way of life, the Custom Chief’s Day was proclaimed to be celebrated every 5th of March yearly in 1977. TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES Lavish feast is done in each village in celebrating the Custom Chief’s Day. Each village hold their own festivity during the holiday including cultural shows and programs in public entertainment centres. Organized sports activities and matches are also held. Public entertainments such as carnivals are also available during the holiday. Independence Day GHANA- Mar 06 Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bor- dered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the an- cient Ghana Empire. Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms, including the inland Ashanti Empire, the Akwamu, the Akyem, the Bonoman, the Denkyira, and the Fante among others. Non-Akan states created by the Ga and Ewe also existed as did states by the Gonja, Dagomba and others. Prior to contact with Europeans trade between the Akan and various African states flourished due to Akan's gold wealth. Trade with European states began after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874 over parts but not all of the country. The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the second sub-Saharan African nation to do so, after Liberia who had gained independence over a century before on 26 July 1847. The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa. Ghana is a member of the United Nations, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and an associate member of La Francophonie. Ghana is the third largest producer of cocoa in the world after Indonesia and Ghana is also home to Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area. The economy of Ghana has been listed as The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011 with an economic growth of about 20.146% for the year 2011 in economic research led by Economy Watch with data coming from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growth in constant prices in the national currency. Etymology The word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire. Geographically, the Ghana Empire was approximately 500 miles (800 km) north and west of modern Ghana, and it ruled territories in the area of the Séné- gal River and east towards the Niger River, in modern Senegal, Mauritania and Mali. Ghana was adopted as the legal name for the Gold Coast combined with British Togoland upon gaining autonomy on 6 March 1957. History There is archaeological evidence showing that humans have lived in present- day Ghana since the Bronze Age. However, until the 11th century, the majority of modern Ghana's area was largely unoccupied. Although the area of pres- ent-day Ghana has experienced many population movements, the major ethnic groups in Ghana today were firmly settled by the 16th century. By the early 11th century, the Akan were firmly established in a state called Bonoman, for which the Brong-Ahafo Region region is named. The Mole-Dagbane as well as the Mossi states were well established by the 16th century, with the Gonja state being established by the 17th Century. From the 13th century, numerous groups emerged from what is believed to have been the Bonoman area, to create several Akan States, mainly based on gold trading. These states included Denkyira, Akwamu, and Akyem. By the 19th century, most of modern Ghanaian territory was included in the Empire of Ashanti, one of the most influential states in sub-Saharan Africa prior to colonial rule. The Ashanti government operated first as a loose network, and eventually as a centralized kingdom with an advanced, highly specialized bureaucracy centred inKumasi. It is said that at its peak, the Asantehene could field 500,000 troops, and it had some degree of military influence over all of its neighbours. Early European contact by the Portuguese, who came to Ghana in the 15th century, focused on the extensive avail- ability of gold. The Portuguese first landed at a coastal city inhabited by the Fante nation-state, and named the place Elmina. In 1481, King John II of Portugal commissioned Diogo d'Azambuja to build Elmina Castle, which was com- pleted in 3 years. The Portuguese aim was to trade for Akan gold. By 1598, the Dutch had joined them, building forts at Komeda and Kormantsi. In 1617, they captured the Olnini Castle from the Portuguese, and Axim in 1642 (Fort St Anthony). Other European traders had joined in by the mid- 17th century, largely English, Danes and Swedes. English merchants, impressed with the gold resources in the area, named it the Gold Coast, while French merchants, impressed with the trinkets worn by the coastal people, named the area to the west "Côte d'Ivoire", or Ivory Coast. More than thirty forts and castles were built by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Spanish merchants. The Gold Coast was known for centuries as 'The White Man's Grave', because many of the Europeans who went there died of malaria and other tropical diseases. After the Dutch withdrew in 1874, Britain made the Gold Coast a protectorate. Following conquest by the British in 1896 until independence in March 1957, the territory of modern Ghana, excluding the Volta Region (British Togoland), was known as the Gold Coast. Many wars occurred between the colonial powers and the various nation-states in the area, including the 1806 Ashanti-Fante War, and the continuous struggle by the Ashanti against the British in many wars. The Ashanti defeated the British a few times, but eventually lost with the Ashanti-British War in the early 1900s. Even under colonial rule, the chiefs and people often resisted the policies of the British; however, moves toward decolonization intensified after World War II. In 1947, the newly formed United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) called for "self-government within the shortest possible time."After rioting increased in 1948, the members of the United Gold Coast Convention were arrested, including future prime minister and president Kwame Nkrumah. Later, Nkrumah formed his own party, the Convention People's Party (CPP) with the motto "self government now." He began a 'Positive Action' campaign and gained the support of rural and working class people. He was again imprisoned for being the leader of a party that caused boycotts, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience. After winning a majority in the Legislative As- sembly in 1952, Nkrumah was released and appointed leader of government business. After further negotiations with Britain, on 6 March 1957 at 12 a.m. Nkrumah declared Ghana "free forever". The Flag of Ghana, consisting of the colours red, gold, green, and the black star, became the new flag in 1957. De- signed by, Theodosia Salome Okoh, the red represents the blood that was shed towards independence, the gold represents the mineral wealth of Ghana, the green symbolises the rich agriculture, and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation. Formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and British (formerly German) Togoland by a United Nations sponsored plebiscite in 1956, Ghana became the second sub-Saharan African country to gain its in- dependence in 1957 after Liberia who had gained its independence over a century before on 26 July 1847. Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister, and then president of the modern Ghanaian state, as an anti-colonial leader, sought a united Africa that would not drift into neo-colonialism. He was the first African head of state to promote Pan-Africanism, an idea he came into contact with during his studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (United States), at the time when Marcus Garvey was becoming famous for his "Back to Africa Movement." He merged the teachings of Garvey and the African-American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois into the formation of the modern day Ghana. Ghana's principles of freedom and justice, equity and free education for all, irrespective of ethnic background, religion or creed, borrow from Nkrumah's implementation of Pan-Africanism. Although his goal of African unity was never realised, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he is now known, played an instrumental part in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, which was succeeded in 2002 by the African Union. His achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebrations, and the day was instituted as a public holiday. Dr. Nkrumah's government was subsequently overthrown by the military while he was abroad in February 1966. Former Central Intelligence Agency employee John Stockwell alleges that the CIA had an effective hand in forcing the coup. A series of subsequent coups from 1966 to 1981 ended with the as- cension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings in 1981. These changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981, and the banning of political parties. The economy suffered a severe decline soon after, and many Ghanaians migrated to other countries. Kwame Darko negotiated a structural adjustment plan with the Inter- national Monetary Fund, changing many old economic policies, and the economy began to recover. A new constitution restoring multi- party politics was promulgated in 1992; Rawlings was elected as president then, and again in 1996. The Constitution of 1992 prohibited him from running for a third term, so his party, the National Demo- cratic Congress, chose his Vice President, John Atta Mills, to run against the opposition parties. Winning the 2000 elections, John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party was sworn into office as president in January 2001, and beat Mills again in 2004, thus also serving two terms as president. In 2009, John Atta Mills took office as President of Ghana with a difference of about 40,000 votes (0.46%) between his party, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, marking the second time that power had been transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another, and securing Ghana's status as a stable democ- racy. In 2011, John Atta Mills won the NDC congress when he ran against Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for the Na- tional Democratic Congress flagbearership. He won by 2,771 votes, representing 96.9% of the total votes cast. 16th – 17th Century Akan- Terracotta Independence Arch, Ghana World Day of Prayer Worldwide - Mar 06 The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Chris- tian laywomen’s initiative. It is run under the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action,” and is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March. The movement aims to bring together women of various races, cultures and tradi- tions in a yearly common Day of Prayer, as well as in closer fellowship, understanding and action throughout the year. History The Women's World Day of Prayer started in the USA in 1884. When Mary Ellen James called for a day of prayer in 1887, she was not planning a great worldwide movement, destined to be- come the largest ecumenical movement in the world organised and led by women. She was simply reacting, as a Christian, to the society in which she lived. The wife of a Presbyterian min- ister in New York and the mother of seven children, Mary Ellen was aware of the problems faced by many women around her, particularly new immigrants to America - the awful slums with their poverty, unemployment, poor housing, lack of health or educational facilities. Something had to be done. Two years later, two Baptists called together a Day of Prayer for the World Mission. The Day of Prayer initiated by these two women expanded to neighboring countries, then on to Europe and other continents. Since 1927 the day is known as Women’s World Day of Prayer. Aims Through the World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged to become aware of the other countries and cultures and no longer live in isolation. They are also encouraged take up the burdens of other people, to sympathize with the problems of other countries and cultures and pray with and for them. They are further encouraged to become aware of their talents and use them in the service of society. The World Day of Prayer aims to demonstrate that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world. Program Every year, worship service focuses on a different country and a specific theme. World Day of Prayer National/Re- gional Committees of that country prepare the order of worship on these themes to be used on the next World Day of Prayer. On the first Friday of March, then, in services all over the world that country becomes the focus of prayer and un- derstanding. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, women worldwide learn how their sisters of other countries, languages and cultures understand the biblical passages in their context. They learn of the con- cerns and needs of those women and to empathize and feel in solidarity with them. HUNGARY Hungary not to lose a penny of cohesion support: PM (Online Mar 02, 2012) Hungary will not lose any penny of its convergence or cohesion fund support next year, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a press confer- ence after the EU's summit on Friday. The European Commission proposed in February the suspension of 495 million euros of Cohe- sion Fund allo- cations for Hungary for 2013 because of the country's failure to address its exces- sive deficit. Although on March 13 Ecofin will ap- prove the proposal, by that time the finance ministers would have before them Hungary's adjustments to cor- rect the situation, he said, adding that the European Commission had al- ready received information about the adjustments. Hungary does not need to organise any coalition to support its cause as the European Commission's objec- tions are of a technical nature and can be settled in half a year, he said. Orban noted that Hungary's funda- mentals were good, with only seven member states having lower deficits this year and next than Hungary. Orban added that the country's high degree of internal stability gives it an advantage over other member states from the point of view of making structural adjustments. The government's choice of tools for putting Hungary on the right course could be a matter of debates but it is indisputable that the country is on the right course, he said. He said the mood at the summit had been posi- tive as the ECB's recent policy of of- fering low interest rate loans was suitable to reaffirm trust. From among the political issues dis- cussed by the summit, Orban men- tioned that Serbia had received the status of EU candidate member and would soon start accession talks. Hungary welcomes that Serbia has be- come more committed to enforcing mi- nority rights and pursued a predictable policy in this field, he said. Orban said it was under his proposal that the summit's conclusions concerning the "Arab Spring" had been amended with the need to protect Christian communities in the region. In a statement released on Friday, two deputies of the European People's Party urged the European Commission to be careful concerning the proposed freezing of funds. Dutch Christian Democrat Lambert van Nistelrooij and Hungary's Tamas Deutsch warned that the fund-freeze would set a precedent of depriving some regions of crucially important development funding. Van Nistelrooij added that a fund- freeze should only be resorted to in the very last case. Deutsch said that threatening a member state with sanctions increases Euro-skepticism and society's mistrust for European institutions. International Women's Day Worldwide - Mar 08 International Women's Day (IWD), originally is called Inter- national Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, po- litical and social achievements. Started as a Socialist polit- ical event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, how- ever, the original political and human rights theme desig- nated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. History The first national Women's Day was observed on 28 Febru- ary 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In August 1910, an International Women's Conference was organized to precede the general meeting of the Socialist Second International in Copen- hagen. Inspired in part by the American socialists, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an an- nual 'International Woman's Day' (singular) and was sec- onded by Clara Zetkin, although no date was specified at that conference. Delegates (100 women from 17 countries) agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights, including suffrage, for women. The following year, on 18 March, 1911, IWD was marked for the first time, by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone, there were 300 demonstrations In Vienna, women paraded on the Ringstrasse and carried banners honouring the martyrs of the Paris Commune. Women demanded that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office. They also protested against employment sex discrimination. Americans continued to celebrate National Women's Day on the last Sunday in February. In 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February (by Julian calendar then used in Russia). In 1917 demonstrations marking International Women's Day in St.Petersburg on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on theGregorian calendar) initiated the February Revolution. Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in the Soviet Union, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSRPresidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women's Day was declared a non working day in the USSR "in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and also marking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace. But still, women's day must be celebrated as are other holidays." From its official adoption in Russia following the Soviet Revolution in 1917 the holiday was predominantly celebrated in communist and socialist countries. It was celebrated by the communists in China from 1922, and by Spanish com- munists from 1936. After the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 the state council pro- claimed on December 23 that March 8 would be made an official holiday with women in China given a half-day off. In the West, International Women's Day was first observed as a popular event after 1977 when the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. In modern culture The day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso,Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia (for women only), Madagascar (for women only), Moldova,Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan,Turk- menistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia. In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria the day is not a public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. On this day it is customary for men to give the women in their lives – mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. – flowers and small gifts. In some countries (such as Bulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. In Armenia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned. Instead, April 7 was intro- duced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood’. The new holiday immediately became popular among Armenians, as it commemorates one of the main holidays of the Armenian Church, the Annunciation. However, people still kept celebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resulted in the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7. In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women.Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of the most common March 8 presents in Russia and Albania. In many countries, such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria,Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova,Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia, the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women also sometimes get gifts from their employers. Schoolchildren often bring gifts for their teachers, too. In countries like Portugal groups of women usually celebrate on the night of 8 March in "women-only" dinners and parties. In Pakistan working women in formal and informal sectors celebrate International Women's Day every year to commemorate their ongoing struggle for due rights, despite facing many cultural and religious restrictions. Some women working for change in society use IWM to help the movement for women's rights. In Poland, for instance, every IWD includes large feminist demonstrations in major cities. In 1975, which was designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to, and began sponsoring, International Women's Day. The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom. Since 2005, IWD has been celebrated in Montevideo, either on the principal street, 18 de Julio, or alternatively through one of its neighbourhoods. The event has attracted much publicity due to a group of female drummers, La Melaza, who have performed each year. Today, many events are held by women's groups around the world. The UK-based marketing company Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events so that women and the media can learn about local activity. Many governments and organizations around the world support IWD. 70% of those living in poverty are women, Oxfam GB encourages women to Get Together on International Women's Day and fundraise to support Oxfam projects, which change the lives of women around the world. Thousands of people hold events for Oxfam on International Women's Day, join the celebration by visiting the website and regis- tering your event! - International Women's Day, what better excuse to Get Together! Controversies In some cases International Women's Day has led to questionable practices that discriminated against men. For ex- ample Tower Hamlets Council closed off one of its libraries to all males to "celebrate" the occasion, forcing them to travel elsewhere, going as far as even banning male staff from the premises. In Communist Czechoslovakia, huge Soviet-style celebrations were held annually. After the fall of Communism, the holiday, generally considered to be one of the major symbols of the old regime, fell into obscurity. International Women's Day was re-established as an official "important day" by the Parliament of the Czech Republic only recently, on the pro- posal of the Social Democrats and Communists. This has pro- voked some controversy as a large part of the public as well as the political right see the holiday as a relic of the nation's Communist past. In 2008, the Christian conservative Czechoslovak People's Party's deputies unsuccessfully pro- posed the abolition of the holiday. However, some non-gov- ernment organizations consider the official recognition of International Women's Day as an important reminder of women's role in the society. International Women's Day sparked violence in Tehran, Iran on March 4, 2007, when police beat hundreds of men and women who were planning a rally. Police arrested dozens of women and some were released after several days of solitary confinement and interrogation. Shadi Sadr Mahbubeh Abbas- gholizadeh and several more community activists were re- leased on March 19, 2007, ending a fifteen day hunger strike. Apocrypha A popular apocryphal story which surfaced in French Communist circles claimed that women from clothing and textile factories had staged a protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City. The story alleged that garment workers were protesting against very poor working conditions and low wages and were attacked and dispersed by police. It was claimed that this event led to a rally in commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 1907. Temma Kaplan explains that "neither event seems to have taken place, but many Europeans think March 8, 1907 inaugurated International Women's Day." Speculating about the origins of this 1857 legend, Liliane Kandel and Françoise Picq suggested it was likely that (in recent times) some felt it opportune to detach International Women's Day from its basis in Soviet history and ascribe to it a more "international" origin which could be painted as more ancient than Bolshevism and more spontaneous than a decision of Congress or the initiative of those women affiliated to the Party. Female members of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation march on International Women's Day 1975 in Sydney Baron Bliss Day BELIZE - Mar 09 Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926), was a British-born traveller who willed some two mil- lion U.S. dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of British Hon- duras, now Belize. The Bliss Institute (a performing arts centre that was previously a museum, research centre and library in Belize City) was part of the benefits from this endow- ment, as were the city's Bliss Lighthouse (where Bliss's tomb is located), the Bliss School of Nursing and various other medical facilities around the coun- try. Belize celebrates Baron Bliss Day each March 9 in his honour. Bliss's early personal history as well as the origin of his "Baron" title is uncertain. He styled himself "Fourth Baron Bliss of the Kingdom of Portugal"; there is some speculation that the original Portuguese title was Barão de Barreto. He was born into a wealthy Suffolk family and was rumoured to have been disinherited for keeping a hansom cab waiting. He subsequently made a substantial fortune speculating in petroleum shares. Unfortunately, he contracted polio and decided to travel the world in a luxury yacht. After spells in the Bahamas, Trinidad and Ja- maica, he arrived in Belize harbour, where he found a climate which suited him. He was extremely fond of the local people, and despite the fact that because of his physical infirmity he never set foot on Belizean soil, he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune for the benefit of the people of British Honduras. Harriet Tubman Day US - Mar 10 Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; 1820 – March 10, 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy dur- ing the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She later helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harpers Ferry, and in the post-war era struggled for women's suffrage. As a child in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten by masters to whom she was hired out. Early in her life, she suffered a head wound when hit by a heavy metal weight. The injury caused dis- abling seizures, narcoleptic attacks, headaches, and powerful visionary and dream activity, which occurred throughout her life. A devout Chris- tian, Tubman ascribed the visions and vivid dreams to revelations from God. In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, then immediately returned to Maryland to rescue her family. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other slaves to freedom. Traveling by night, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger". Large rewards were offered for the return of many of the fugitive slaves, but no one then knew that Tubman was the one helping them. When the Southern-dominated Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, requiring law officials in free states to aid efforts to recapture slaves, she helped guide fugitives farther north into Canada, where slavery was prohib- ited. When the American Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the Combahee River Raid, which liberated more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. After the war, she retired to the family home in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She be- came active in the women's suffrage movement in New York until illness over- took her. Near the end of her life, she lived in a home for elderly African-Ameri- cans that she had helped found years earlier. President Schmitt meets Hungarian leader from Slovenia (PR) On 20 February President Pál Schmitt received Ferenc Horváth, head of the Muravidék/Prekmurje National Community of Hungarian Local Governments (MMNÖK), for talks on cooperation between Hun- garians in Slovenia and Slovenes in Hungary. The cooperation agreement, to be signed in March at a ceremony at- tended by Mr. Schmitt, will contribute to strengthening the communities' national identity and ties to their mother countries, Mr. Horváth said at the meeting. Mr. Schmitt spoke highly of the activ- ities of the Hungarian community in Slovenia – estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000 – and said that his presence at the ceremony would confirm that "every Hungarian is equally important to Hungary". Under the planned agreement, the national minority communities of the two countries will support each other's schools, museums and other institu- tions, and will jointly apply for Euro- pean Union funds. Mr. Schmitt is scheduled to visit the Slovenian com- munity and Hungarians in Slovenia together with his Slovenian counter- part Danilo Türk in early March. Hungary govt to reduce budget deficit by measures worth 0.4pc of GDP, says official (Online Feb 29, 2012) Hungary is committed to keeping its budget deficit below 3 percent of gross do- mestic product (GDP), the level set by the European Union, Zoltan Cse- falvay, state secretary at the eco- nomic ministry, told a committee of European Parliament on Wednesday. Early in February the Hungarian gov- ernment informed the European Commission in a letter about new economic adjustment measures aimed at keeping the deficit down. The measures worth a 0.4-percent deficit cut would secure that Hungary meets the required deficit target, in view of the Commission's own fore- cast of a budget deficit of 3.25 per- cent of GDP in Hungary this year, Csefalvay said. Csefalvay said he hoped the Com- mission would find proof that the Hungarian government's measures are adequate steps for controlling the deficit. The European Commission last week proposed to freeze cohesion funding to Hungary in 2013 due to the coun- try's failure of addressing its exces- sive budget deficit. On the subject of Hungary's pending talks with the International Monetary Fund and the EU on a financial safety net, Csefalvay said talks could start as soon as the EC had finished as- sessing Hungary's response to the questioned contained in infringement procedures launched against it. He told the committee it was the in- terest of all sides to start and con- clude talks as soon as possible. He said he trusted that Hungary's re- sponses to measures the EC had called for as conditions to talks would be satisfactory. He said that Hungary's request to the IMF and the EU is for a precautionary deal, which is not to do with the coun- try's liquidity. He added that the deal would serve the purpose of stabilis- ing the currency exchange rate and reducing yields. Minister of Foreign Affairs received U.S. Congressional Delegation (Online Feb 29, 2012) Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi re- ceived a Congressional Delegation from the United States led by Con- gressman Dan Burton of Indiana February 24, 2012. U.S. Congress- men regularly visit their European al- lies: the current delegation visited Paris, Brussels, and Bratislava be- fore coming to Budapest. The Minister informed the delegation – consisting of Republican and Dem- ocratic lawmakers – about the politi- cal and economic processes in Hungary and the course of the gov- ernmental decisions, with particular regards to the current legislative questions in Hungary. János Martonyi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguard freedom of religion and freedom of press; the in- dependence of the judiciary; as well as the system of checks and bal- ances. The Congressmen emphasized the commitment of the United States to- wards the stability of Europe as a whole. They appreciated the anti-cor- ruption measures of the government in particular compared to the former times. Besides congratulating to the majority of the government in the Parliament, the Congressmen stressed the importance of the in- volvement of the opposition in the legislative process. János Martonyi highlighted in his reply the govern- ment’s readiness to cooperate with the opposition on the adoption of fur- ther cardinal laws by the Parliament. Food Industry Research and Development Proves Itself in Practice (Online Feb 29, 2012) "The food industry has also re- ceived the at- t e n t i o n appropriate to its strategic sig- nificance within the work of the government" – said State Sec- retary Endre Kardeván at the opening of the EUREKA Chair- manship Con- ference held at the Ministry of Rural Develop- ment. The topic chosen for the meeting by the European organisation set up to fur- ther research was innovation in the food industry. The EUREKA organisation for coop- eration in industrial research was founded in 1985 by 18 countries; today, its membership includes 40 states and the European Union. The organisation seeks out both state and private resources to support research and development. Hungary is the current rotating president of EUREKA from July 1 2011, to June 30 2012. The Hungarian food industry will only be competitive and will only be able to increase its role on both local and export markets, if it intensifies its in- novative activities, its research and development" – pinpointed State Secretary for Food Chain Control Su- pervision and Agricultural Administra- tion Endre Kardeván. One of the main goals of the National Rural Strategy is the reinforcement of prac- tice-orientated Hungarian agricultural research and development, the sup- port of innovation in the agricultural and food economies, to increase the competitive- ness of pro- ducers, and the restructur- ing of the pro- fessional consultancy and training system. The State Sec- retary added – "An innovative solution may only be justi- fied if it re- mains not just at the research and develop- ment level, but also stands its ground on the market and re- turns a profit. For this reason, support and encour- agement must be given to both basic research, and applied research that can be employed in practice." "New technology is usually expen- sive, so cooperation and the joint fi- nancing of costs and expenses is of great importance. Acquiring a market advantage requires innovation throughout the current Hungarian food sector." – stressed Endre Karde- ván. Endre Kardeván Our Common Freedom Can Create Welfare (Online Feb 28, 2012) We have to live a free life unencumbered with fear and hatred, and so we have to re- member too” – Defence Minis- ter Dr. Csaba Hende stressed at a commemo- ration that was held to mark the memorial day of the vic- tims of commu- nism and the 10th anniver- sary of the House of Terror Museum in Bu- dapest on Feb- ruary 25. “The victims of communism are of all stripes, as there are around one hun- dred million of them around the world”, Csaba Hende underlined in his speech. “What can find a way to our hearts? The stories that place human beings in the center, stories about the brave who were broken, vilified, de- stroyed and buried” – the Minister stressed. Csaba Hende pointed out that year by year, on this memorial day we have to tell these true stories to our daughters and sons without anger and fond- ness. “Truth makes us free and will not ever let them lose their freedom. This is the mission of the House of Terror” – the Minister of Defence said. He reminded those present of the fact that ten years to this day an unexpectedly large crowd gathered here to stand up for this mission in a dignified, disciplined and elevating at- mosphere, just as those 400,000 people in the peace march did some weeks ago, demonstrating in support of the hurt dignity of the Hungarian nation. Csaba Hende said that the building on Andrássy St. 60 symbolizes na- tional self-surrender too, all the henchmen who represented foreign interests at all times, betraying every- thing that was Hungarian with pleas- ure to promote their own and their com- rades’ welfare. He noted that on several oc- casions, the Hungarian na- tion said a def- inite and democratic “no” to the communist traitors and their reign of terror. In 1945, 1947, 1956 and 1990 we sent the same self-assured message to the whole world: we do not want the dictates or governors of foreign powers. “Nobody can make a decision about us instead of us, be- cause it is only freedom experienced with a sense of responsibility that can create order, cooperation and respect for human dignity. Only freedom can create welfare: the common freedom of us all”, the Minis- ter said. “Now we put fear and ha- tred behind bars, because we do not want for them to have any place in our lives. But we will not forget them.”, Csaba Hende quoted these words from a speech deliv- ered by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in 2002. He stressed that we have to live a free life unen- cumbered with fear and hatred, and so we have to remember too. “Let us remember! God bless the Hungari- ans!” – the Minister of Defence closed his speech. Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende Model programme to provide a lifeline to those living in extreme poverty (Online Feb 28, 2012) The Govern- ment is launching a comprehensive programme equalling HUF 410 mil- lion (approx. EUR 1.41 million), aimed at helping families in extreme poverty. The first model programme is to start in the provincial town of Szolnok. To implement the programme, the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice signed a cooperation agree- ment with the National Roma Self- government, a local training and research institute, the Municipality of Szolnok, the town's Roma Minority Self-Government, and the Centre for Social Services of the Szolnok Sub- regional Association. The programme is linked to the Na- tional Social Inclusion Strategy (also submitted to the European Union), which lays the foundations for a new approach to integration. Unlike inclu- sion programmes launched before (which usually ended in failure), em- phasis is placed on improving the housing conditions of people living in extreme poverty, organising social and community programmes, pro- moting employment, supporting re- turn to the labour market, and organising remedial and compe- tency-building training courses. The programme also aims at promot- ing sustainable lifestyles suited to local conditions. The objective is to create a broad community of interest in the participating towns which in- volves as many stakeholders as pos- sible by the end of the programme on 30 June 2012. ’Settlement-type social work‘ will take place, which means that the special- ists coming to the towns will get in- volved in the everyday life of local communities and, after a trusting re- lationship has been established, they will include participants in the social integration programme. A key element of the programme is the improvement of housing condi- tions, including the reconstruction of a hundred family houses – twelve of them in the first round – combined with training in building skills. Six hundred people will be able to participate in training courses and employment within the model pro- gramme. The programme will be launched in eight areas, at the following locations: Ózd (Velencetelep, and Hétes-telep); Szolnok and Tiszaroff (Motor Street); small villages in Baranya County (Komló and the surroundings of Vajs- zló); and Nyíregyháza (Huszár-telep, Eastern housing estate). Zoltán Kovács in Paris – On the crisis of the euro-zone (Online Mar 01, 2012) Zoltán Kovács, Minister of State for Government Communication, took part in a round- table discussion on the subject of the eurozone crisis at the Paris office of the European Commission. The title of the event was ‘The euro crisis, the new European treaty, Eu- rope – what do new members of the European Union think about these is- sues?’ It was organised by Club Grande Europe as part of a series of press events for French and Euro- pean journalists, running from 27 to 29 February. Those invited included Danuta Hübner, EU Commissioner and former Polish Minister for Euro- pean Affairs and Estonian Taavi Rõi- vas, Chairman of the Committee for European and Economic Affairs. Mr Kovács said that as representa- tives of the Central and Eastern Eu- ropean region, last year Hungary and Poland played an important role in the handling of the economic crisis during their presidencies of the Euro- pean Union. They did this with deter- mination and professionalism, and made their complete commitment to Europe absolutely clear. He said that the Hungarian govern- ment had approached the crisis in a completely new and comprehensive manner. Though it is true that Hun- gary was more severely affected by the crisis than other EU countries, this was largely because of the situ- ation it had inherited. Hungary had to deal with the types of problems that most European countries will only face in the future. As examples of the Hungarian approach, he mentioned the 360 new laws passed in the last eighteen months and the constitu- tional and structural changes in the transformation of pension reform, job creation and education. ‘Hungary has been affected both by the financial and economic crisis which hit Europe and also by those particular problems rooted in Hungary’s history which it has had to overcome,’said Mr Kovács. He said that the results of this approach can already be felt in Hungary. He said that in the last eighteen months the Hungarian government has been systematically eliminating the structures which have continually generated government debt and in- creased the budget deficit in the past. Strict fiscal policy alone cannot re- verse this process, however. It is also vital to ensure the stimulation of eco- nomic growth and a higher level of employment. A combination of these three elements can be utilised in every country, taking into considera- tion local circumstances. With regard to the future of Europe, the Minister of State said that the strength of the European Union has always been diversity and continuous change, and the system of institu- tions must follow this dynamic to- wards a successful outcome. In his opinion, the Europe-wide solu- tions will not be sufficient until we have jointly clarified our approach to the crisis, which he described as a complex of financial, economic and structural elements which point to a paradigm shift in perceptions. ‘Our stance is that Europe should not be inert and unresponsive but should be capable of making rapid and forward- thinking decisions,’ he said. Response to the comprehensive report of the Commissioner for HR of the Council of EU (Online Mar 01, 2012) Thomas Ham- marberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, welcomes as a positive development that Hungary has made its legislation concerning assembly more stringent in order to regulate and sanction unlawful demonstrations designed to create fear. The report also acknowledges that the European Roma Framework Strategy was conceived under the coordination of the Hungarian Gov- ernment. Hungary was the first Mem- ber State to complete and submit to the European Commission its own in- clusion strategy, the National Social Integration Strategy. According to Zoltán Balog, State Secretary for Social Inclusion, life for the Roma in Hungary is indeed hard at present, as is life for non-Roma Hungarians, given the simple fact that the economic crisis affects everyone. The State Secretary pointed out that the Government had recently launched a programme worth HUF 5 billion (EUR 17,250) which was designed to help the most disadvantaged, both Roma and non- Roma Hungarians, to break out of the situation they had been compelled to live in to date. The strategy also contains a three- year action plan (for the years 2012 to 2014) with specific integration pro- grammes with deadlines, the ap- pointed responsible members of government and allocated resources. By virtue of the EU and local funds al- located for the purposes of the action plan, we shall have spent some HUF 200 billion for the implementation of integration and inclusion tasks in Hungary by the end of 2014. The State Secretary highlighted that while no government was able to offer a full and comprehensive solu- tion to all the problems that may emerge, the events that had taken place during the previous govern- ment had not re-occurred in the past two years in Hungary, such as for in- stance, the Roma killings, demon- strations designed to provoke fear or the estate programmes doomed to utter failure. The fact that there have been no atrocities committed against the Roma in Hungary in the past two years is not merely the result of the introduction of more stringent rules in the assembly legislation but is also a consequence of the firm action taken by the police in both directions. One direction represents the type of crime that is most typical of those living in extreme poverty and is often mani- fested in ethnic conflicts. The other course of action represents the measures taken against those who wish to hold the Roma in Hungary collectively responsible for the hope- less situation that is still characteristic of the countryside in Hungary. The programmes launched by the Government and the National Social Integration Strategy have reached local Roma leaders who may, in their own communities, give hope to those who have the desire to break out of the difficult situation they are in. They are therefore not interested in gener- ating conflicts but in managing con- flicts and seizing their newly-found opportunities. This is another reason why there is peace in Hungary today between Roma and non-Roma Hun- garians, a few local conflicts apart. The role of the National Roma Gov- ernment as a mediator is key in guid- ing the Roma in Hungary towards the path of cooperation. The State Sec- retariat is working hard to convince the majority that cooperation is a worthwhile goal for all and a far more beneficial solution for everyone than the generation of conflicts. Statement of the MFA on the North-Korean moratorium (Online Mar 02, 2012) On 29 Febru- ary the Democratic People's Repub- lic of Korea announced a moratorium on test launching of long-range mis- siles, nuclear test and on uranium- enrichment. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea also agreed on the supervision of the In- ternational Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors to verify the moratorium on uranium-enrichment. Hungary considers the consistent and verifiable execution of the taken obligations as an important issue that is essential for the maintenance of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and supports the resump- tion of the Six-Party Talks, which aims nuclear disarmament. Romanian Minister of Education visits MOGYE (PR) Last week’s events sparked new controversies in the case of the Medical and Pharmacological University of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş (MOGYE). On 17 February, Ro- manian Minister for Education Cătălin Baba visited the leader- ship of MOGYE to inquire about the situation as it has developed recently. Rector of the university Constantin Copotoiu informed the minister that the university lacked the sufficient number of Hungarian teachers needed to create a Hun- garian Department. The new Edu- cation Act introduced in February 2011 guarantees the creation of faculties and colleges using the language of education at multicul- tural universities. The Romanian majority Senate of the University claimed earlier last year that the newly-adopted charter was not at variance with current national laws and measures, adding that the ministry’s request on adherence to the obligation to establish Hungar- ian institutions in accordance with the University’s multicultural char- acter could not be accomplished. Against this background, prepara- tions for electing the rector of the university were in progress, even though the institution does not possess a valid charter. András Király, Romanian State Secretary for Education, noted earlier that none of the institutional changes will be legitimate until the univer- sity has a legally binding charter. In light of this fact, the rector de- clared that MOGYE had launched litigation against the Education Ministry, adding that the case might end up before an interna- tional court if they believed that the Government was violating univer- sity autonomy. The Senate did not comply with the minister’s request to postpone election of the rector either. Thousands of Transylvanian Hungarians may lose language rights in Romania (PR) If the published results of the Romanian census correspond to the final data, ten or twenty thousand Hungarians in four or five Transyl- vanian towns and nearly a dozen vil- lages will be deprived of their minority and language rights, pointed out www.nyelvijogok.ro. There are three larger regions: Szeklerland; compact communities in border re- gions; and scattered communities of mixed ethnic composition. Nearly one third of the Romanian Hungarian population lives in each of these. The preliminary results of last autumn’s census in Romania reveal a decline of 2.6 million in the overall Romanian population: from 21.68 million in 2002 to 19.04 million today. There is a similar downward trend in the Hun- garian community: 194,000 fewer Hungarians live in Romania com- pared to the 2002 census (in which 1,432,000 people declared them- selves to be Hungarian). Although the Hungarian minority is also declin- ing in real terms, it stands at 6.5 per cent of the total, compared to 6.6 per cent ten years ago. According to Balázs Kapitány, scientific secretary at the Central Statistical Office of Hungary (KSH), macroeconomic processes causing migration are part of the reason for the decline. Over the last decade some 100,000 Hun- garians have left Romania. Natural population shrinkage and intergener- ational assimilation resulting from mixed marriages account for the other half of the decrease. From the mid-2000s the massive exodus of Hungarians has decreased consider- ably, and a slight reverse trend has occurred. The western labour market opened its gates to Romanian citi- zens after the country’s EU acces- sion. Based on Eurostat statistics, in 2009 two million Romanians lived in EU Member States – mostly in Spain and Italy. Mr. Kapitány said that the 2011 cen- sus reveals favourable trends in Szeklerland and the Partium region, but the opposite is the case in Cen- tral and Southern Transylvania: in the latter region there has been a fall of 30-35 per cent in the Hungarian population. He added that the demo- graphic situation in Southern Transyl- vania shows the most alarming picture; there is no replacement in this region because of the high num- ber of inter-ethnic marriages. MKP nears the parliamentary threshold (PR) President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens visited Slovakia and met József Berényi, leader of the Hun- garian Coalition Party (MKP). Mr. Martens underlined how extremely important it is that the MKP is repre- sented in the next parliament. The party is also playing a cooperation role, not only in the Hungarian com- munity of Slovakia, but also for good relations between the two countries, said Mr. Martens. He added that the MKP had the full confidence of the EPP. The sudden slide in voter support for the SDKÚ party has continued, most probably caused by the accusations in the “Gorilla affair”. With the latest poll by the MVK agency puts the party’s support well below the 5 per cent threshold needed to get into Parliament. The MVK poll attributes just 4.3 per cent of the vote to the party of Foreign Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda and Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, which would mean that the main centre-right party would fail to be represented in Parliament. The poll also assigns just 3.6 per cent of the vote to the nationalist party of Jan Slota (SNS), while the Christian democratic KDH would get 12.7 per cent, Ivan Matović’s Ordinary People party would get 7 per cent, the Free- dom and Solidarity party (SaS) 6.1 per cent, and the Hungarian-Slova- kian Most-Híd party 5.9%. Robert Fico’s Smer-SD party still enjoys strong and loyal support in all the opinion polls, with the MVK agency assigning it 40.6 per cent. The poll put the Hungarian Coalition Party (MKP) at 4.7 per cent - close to the parliamentary threshold. The poll was conducted with 1,128 respon- dents between 7 and 12 February. Both the Hungarian Coalition Party and Most-Híd officially launched their election campaigns on 18 February. Good neighbours for a common future (PR) The Szabadka-based Etnolife Association and the Kids Smile Foundation in Hungary have jointly won 101,227 euros from the Hun- gary-Serbia IPA Cross-border Co-op- eration Programme. Four hundred primary school children (200 from Serbia and 200 from Hungary) will be able to take part in joint programmes organised in Szabadka/Subotica, Palics/Palic and the Róka-farm in Szeged, and Ópusztaszer and a farm around Szeged (arts and crafts, sports tournaments, visits to major cultural facilities). Their project aims to preserve, develop and introduce to each other traditions, arts, nature and national values. Through devel- oping children’s knowledge they seek to create prejudice-free cross- border co-operation based on posi- tive thinking, and to reveal to children that the border separating them is merely a physical one, despite which many things links them together. This is in line with the EU's efforts to elim- inate frontiers. Hungarian children in Vajdaság are also included in the project, thus enabling them to get to know their own ethnic culture and history. Dual citizenship in the Czech Republic (PR) Citizenship regulations in the Czech Republic have been changed recently. The Czech Ministry of the Interior has announced that the state allows dual citizenship without re- striction for those Czech citizens who voluntary apply for foreign citizen- ship. Under an intergovernmental treaty concluded at the end of the nineties, dual citizenship is already an established fact in Czech-Slova- kian relations. Czech emigrants and their descendants should not re- nounce their citizenship to acquire Czech citizenship, and they are even not required to have a permanent residency in the Czech Republic. Stanislav Kázecky, special envoy of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Czechs living abroad said that the new regulation had a positive recep- tion among Czechs abroad. ‘Many had not left the country by choice, and their Czech citizenship was taken away. Therefore, the opportu- nity of regaining the citizenship of their home country is of strong moral and emotional importance and solid- ifies their links to the Czech Repub- lic’, said Mr. Kázecky. Based on For- eign Ministry estimates about two million Czech live outside the bor- ders. Authorities claim that interest in Czech citizenship was mainly shown from the United States and Canada. The wording of the draft legislative act enabling dual citizenship will be argued out in March in the legislative parliamentary committee. The inte- rior ministry sets out the entering into force of the act in January 2014. Statements issued by Hungarian Ameri- can organisations (PR) The Hungarian American Coalition (HAC), an umbrella-organ- isation representing a considerable majority of Hungarians in the United States, has voiced its concern in a subsequent statement issued on 17 February over criticism of the Hun- garian government in the main- stream US and European media. The statement entitled ’Give Hun- gary a chance’ urges for the blunting of the tone of harsh criticism in the in- ternational media, since charges are exaggerated and often unfounded. The HAC said that the Orbán gov- ernment had been ‘falsely depicted as anti-democratic and dictatorial’. ‘These accusations have exacer- bated the already serious economic crisis in the country, where the Gov- ernment has a two-thirds majority in Parliament and has devoted itself to the accomplishment of the demo- cratic transition,’ states the Coalition. (http://www.hacusa.org/en/news/stat ement-by-the-hungarian-american- coalition) The American Hungarian Federation, established in 1906, also defends Hungary against criticism. “Hungary has recently been harshly and often unfairly criticised,” the President of the American Hungarian Federation (AHF) said on 20 February, in a letter briefing the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs ahead of its delega- tion's visit to Hungary this week. Chairman Ferenc Koszorús said in the letter that the AHF believes that much of the criticism Hungary has re- ceived was either politically moti- vated or ”not evenhanded or based on facts but on generalisations and speculation”. He cited a new law on religions, which has been criticised as being too restrictive, as an exam- ple. He said parts of the law had been annulled by Hungary's Consti- tutional Court last December. Law- makers are set to extend the law to officially recognise additional reli- gions to the original 14, which inci- dentally is the same as the number of official religions recognised in neighbouring Austria, added Mr. Kos- zorús. Although the U.S. State De- partment’s report on religious freedom had raised objections to the “only” 14 officially recognised churches in Austria, it did not state that democracy was at risk in the country. The AHF, which has supported con- stitutional democracy and the rule of law in Hungary over recent decades, asked Dan Burton, the head of the delegation and of the European sub- committee of the US House Commit- tee, to consider the federation's testimony on these issues before its upcoming visit to Hungary. (http://www.americanhungarianfed- eration.org/news_slovakia_CODEL_ 2012.html) Hungarian folk dancers at the Brazil carnival (PR) Hungarian folk dancers gave a joint performance with members of the Samba School at a Brazilian car- nival on 17 February in São Paulo. Brazil’s largest city has a population of twenty million, of which 100,000 are Hungarians. In honour of them, four thousand samba dancers danced in red-white-and-green cos- tumes before Ash Wednesday as part of a campaign promoting Hun- gary in South America. The two-day carnival also captured the spirit of Hungarian history. The ’Rosas de ouro’ samba school chose the theme of mediaeval Hungary, with dancers in historical Hungarian costumes and a huge Hungarian coat of arms. The theme was ’Hungria, o reino dos jus- tus’: ’Hungary is the kingdom of the just’. However, in Portuguese it should have been rather ’Hungria, o reino dos justos’. One letter was changed to match the name of the Brazilian entrepreneur Roberto Jus- tus, who backed the samba club. The showman of Hungarian descent said that the São Paulo carnival always precedes the more famous Rio car- nival, but it is just as sensational as the latter. The declaration of the Roundtable of Hungari- ans in Slovakia (PR) The Roundtable of Hun- garians in Slovakia welcomes the letter by Thomas Hammar- berg, Council of Europe Com- missioner for Human Rights, sent to Rudolf Chmel, Slova- kia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities. The reason for the declaration of 10 February was that Mr. Rudolf Chmel had only outlined his plans and concepts for the future but the Slovak Government had failed to formulate any specific measures regarding the prob- lems raised, argued the R o u n d t a b l e (http://www.kerekasztal.org/20 12/02/megoldatlan-nyelvi- jogok-avagy-thomas-hammar- berg-levelenek-utoeletehez/). The Human Rights Commis- sioner sharply criticised the major elements of the amend- ment to the Slovak State Lan- guage Act (2009, Fico government) during his visit last September, as well as the amendments completed by the Radičová government in 2011. The Roundtable calls upon the Slovak Government and the National Council of the Slovak Republic to enact measures necessary to cor- rect the deficiencies, and as- sures its cooperation in the formulation of these meas- ures. USL excludes coalition with RMDSZ (PR) Political vice-president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) László Borbély (UDMR) stated a week ago in Marosvásárhely/Targu Mures, that there was always ‘the option of leav- ing the coalition’ unless the condi- tions included in the government pro- tocol are met. National Liberal Party (PNL) president and co-president of the Social-Liberal Union (USL) Crin Antonescu ruled out forming a coali- tion with RMDSZ in the event of the USL leading the government. How- ever, he added, that USL leaders will decide collectively. 2012: the year of Hungarian kindergartens beyond the borders (PR) Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian Communities Abroad Zsuzsanna Répás announced ’2012: the year of Hungarian kindergartens beyond the borders’ in a press con- ference held on 16 February at the House of Hungarians with the parti- capation of nursery-school children. The one-year-long programme of events embraces the ongoing promo- tion of Hungarian kindergartens in the Hungarian-populated regions of the Carpathian Basin. Ms. Répás said that the strategy devoted to the sup- port of preserving Hungarian commu- nities beyond the borders was adopted last November. She said that educational institutions were the most responsible bodies for emerging gen- erations to become active in Hungar- ian communities. Targeting Hungarian kindergarten enrolment is the first undertaking by the Hungarian government in this regard, since chil- dren are the most receptive at this age, pointed out Ms. Répás. She added that it is of crucial importance to preventing any hindrances to pass- ing on the native language. The Gov- ernment has set aside 100 million forints for the programme. Presenting the details of the events, Ms. Répás said that they wish to make national traditions and Hungarian kinder- gartens’ pedagocial methods attrac- tive and adaptive not only for kindergaren teachers, but also for parents. In this framework educators and folk musicians will visit Carpathian Basin regions beyond the borders to jointly carry out action plans for the developement of Hun- garian kindergartens. Dual citizens cannot vote in parliamentary elections (PR) Notices have been delivered to voters on the polling stations and tim- ing of parliamentary elections on 10 March. Dual citizens have not re- ceived any information, though they intend to cast their ballots, as re- ported to the press. The Hungarian Press Agency (MTI) asked Foreign Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda whether Slovakia had a law that could lead to depriving Slovak citizens of their voting rights because they had acquired citizenship of an- other state as well. ‘If Hungary amends its non-European, uncivilised Citizenship Act there will be no such problems,’ said Mr. Dzurinda, react- ing to the fact that several Hungari- ans who have publicly declared dual citizenship have not received notice of the elections. The Slovak Ministry of the Interior has not responded to the same question sent by MTI. Lás- zló Gubík, who was first to announce that he had obtained Hungarian citi- zenship (in August 2011), has still not received any reply from the police to his letter of 4 January, in which he said that he was not willing to surren- der his Slovak personal ID card until an explicit and legally binding deci- sion was made on his case. Another dual citizen, Ilonka Tamás, has pre- sented a petition to the Strasbourg- based European Court of Human Rights. The centenarian teacher and her daughter have submitted their re- quests with the legal assistance of the Hungarian Dignity Council. Hungarian Parliament ratifies Croatia EU accession treaty (PR) On 13 February Parliament rat- ified Croatia's European Union ac- cession treaty. Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi presented the treaty, which was signed in Brussels on 9 December, and it was approved by 334 votes in favour and 5 absten- tions (MPs of the radical nationalist Jobbik party). ‘The Croatian acces- sion is of historical relevance both for Hungary and the region – a milestone in Europe’s unification conveying the message that continuing Europe’s enlargement serves to strengthen it,’ said Mr. Martonyi in his speech be- fore the legislature. As a Member State, and during its EU presidency, Hungary has consistently guided the accession process of its southern neighbour. Closing the accession ne- gotiations with Croatia was a marked success for the Hungarian EU presi- dency. The fact that Hungary is the second state to approve the acces- sion treaty is a clear signal of Hun- gary’s commitment to EU enlargement and strategic partner- ship. Croatia will become the 28th EU member from July 2013 if the treaty is ratified by all Member States. Hungarian ambassador to the United States to visit Atlanta (PR) As further evidence of the grow- ing connections between Georgia and Hungary, His Excellency György Szapáry, Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, made his first trip to Atlanta on 17 and 18 February. John E. Parkerson, Jr., honorary con- sul of Hungary for the South eastern United States, president of the World Trade Center Atlanta (WTC), and di- rector of International Programs for Clayton State University, had been working closely with the embassy in Washington to arrange meetings for the Ambassador, including "Hungary Day in Georgia" proclamations from the State of Georgia. To preserve their rich culture, the Hungarian community of Georgia started a new tradition in 2010 with the Hungarian Carnival Ball, or ‘Farsang’. This year, the Hungarian Community Church of Georgia, the Honorary Consulate of Hungary in Southeast U.S., and the Hungarian Meetup Group in Atlanta organized the Third Hungarian Ball on 18 Feb- ruary. The Georgia House of Repre- sentatives declared 18 February as an official Hungary Day in Georgia. The Ambassador opened the Hun- garian Ball as guest of honour; and guests enjoyed folk dance perform- ance, live music, traditional Farsang performances, socializing, and raf- fles. The Hungarian Ball also served as a fundraising function for the col- orful Hungarian cultural activities and educational programs. ‘With the proclamation of the Hun- gary Day, the State of Georgia sends a clear message to Hungarians and non-Hungarians alike that everybody can play an integral role in the life and community of Georgia,’ said Mr. Parkerson. ‘It is a special privilege to accept the invitation to serve as a main patron of the Third Annual Hun- garian Ball, or Farsang. Georgia is home to a remarkable Hungarian community that, with this third Farsang, continues a now well-estab- lished Georgia tradition’, he added. Mr. Parkerson also noted that Clay- ton State and Kennesaw State Uni- versity students will be taking an MBA international business study trip to Hungary and Austria from 2 to 11 March 2012. All but two days of that trip are in Hungary, and two of the days in Hungary Ministerial decree protects Házsongárd cemetery (PR) Hunor Kelemen, Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the Romanian government, confirmed protection by ministerial decree of the graves in the Házsongárd/ Hajongrad cemetery, which are declared to be individual memorials. This is the high- est level of protection for the almost four hundred-year-old cemetery, with its 394 graves, in the Transylvanian city of Kolozsvár/ Cluj. The first person to be officially removed from the Slovak residency register (PR) The first official notice has been delivered in Slovakia to a dual citizen stating that he had been removed from the residency register. Gyula Kassai, a reformed minister, received this notice, in which Slovak authorities state that he is a foreign person with no adobe in Slovakia.

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The Worldwide Events/Zarb-e-Jamhoor e-Newsletter circulates by email. The weekly Worldwide Events/Zarb-e-Jamhoor newspaper that specially focuses on history, special events, national days, independence/declaration/freedom/liberty days, constitution/lawful days, revolution/uprising days, memorial/commemorative days, movement days, victory days, birthday of well-known personalities, current political and social issues that infuse our community.

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Missionary Day - M a r 0 5FRENCH POLYNESIA

French Polynesia observes annual celebration ofMissionary Day every 5th of March. The holidaymarks the celebration of the first missionaries whoentered the shore of the French Colonial Island or‘Arrivée de l’Evangile’ in French in 1797.

HistoryThe entire French Polynesian islands were not es-tablished until 1889 when it was put under Frenchadministration as its legal protectorate. The wholeislands sprawling for about 5.2 million square kilo-metres is located in the eastern South Pacificwhich is almost the size of Europe excluding theEurasia. There are only around 250,000 peoplewho currently inhabit the island.Various evidences proves that the island was in-habited by the first Polynesians back in AD 300,specifically the Marquesas Islands, and AD 800 atthe Society Islands. Several Europeans came into the islands including Portuguese explorer sailing for the Spanishcrown, Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan first sailed to the Island on 1521 passing through Pukapuka, Jakob Roggeveen(Bora Bora) in 1772, Samuel Wallis in 1767, including the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768and James Cook in 1769.Spanish priests were among the first Christian missionaries who came in the French Polynesia’s shores; particularlythe island of Tahiti in 1774 but permanent settlement of missionaries did not happen until 1797 by the ministers ofthe London Missionary Society. The declaration of France protectorate status on the island gave way to the mis-sionary practice in the island in 1842. The momentous event culminating to allowing missionary work in the regionis now widely celebrated as Missionary Day in French Polynesia.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESDuring the holiday, various events and cultural shows are held in the street particularly the traditional re-enactmentof the arrival of the first missionaries in the island in 1797 at the Willy Bambridge Stadium complex in Papeete, inTahiti, as well as on Afareaitu in Moorea. Concerts and various stage shows are free for public to enjoy.

Customs Chiefs Day VANUATU - M a r 0 5

In Vanuatu’s calendar of events, Chief’s Day is cel-ebrated annually every 5th of March. The countryobserves the holiday to recognize the power onchieftains or locally known as ‘Jifs’ on matters con-cerning politics, economy, judiciary, among others.

HistoryVanuatu is an Island nation spread across theSouth Pacific Ocean just east of Northern Aus-tralia. This archipelago, of volcanic origin, was in-habited by Melanesian people, a region south ofVanuatu, before the Islands were occupied by theEuropeans in 1880, particularly by the French andBritish, and claimed the archipelago under aBritish-French ‘condominium’ status as allowed bythe International law. The condominium status al-lowed sharing of powers by the two countries.The two European superpowers called the countrythe ‘New Hebrides.’ The continued sharing of power over the region continued until a call for liberation in 1970 even-tually brought independence to the country in 1980.Chieftainship is still a popular figure in Vanuatu although the government is formed around parliamentary democracybacked up by a constitution. ‘Malvatu Mauri’ is the lead National Council of Chiefs in the country with a leader electedby the representatives of the district council of chiefs. The primary purpose of this council is to feed the prevailinggovernment with guide or direction that touch base on the interest of the ni-Vanuatu language and culture.The chiefs in each village are highly regarded to have authority on all matters of Vanuatu life. They form the smallestpolitical unit of Vanuatu society and are the most influential in the clan. To recognize the Jifs in their critical role inthe country’s political system and in Vanuatu’s way of life, the Custom Chief’s Day was proclaimed to be celebratedevery 5th of March yearly in 1977.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESLavish feast is done in each village in celebrating the Custom Chief’s Day. Each village hold their own festivity duringthe holiday including cultural shows and programs in public entertainment centres. Organized sports activities andmatches are also held. Public entertainments such as carnivals are also available during the holiday.

Independence Day GHANA - M a r 0 6

Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bor-dered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west,Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, andthe Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghanameans "Warrior King" and is derived from the an-cient Ghana Empire.Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by anumber of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms,including the inland Ashanti Empire, the Akwamu,the Akyem, the Bonoman, the Denkyira, and theFante among others. Non-Akan states created bythe Ga and Ewe also existed as did states by theGonja, Dagomba and others. Prior to contact withEuropeans trade between the Akan and variousAfrican states flourished due to Akan's gold wealth.Trade with European states began after contactwith the Portuguese in the 15th century, and theBritish established the Gold Coast Crown colonyin 1874 over parts but not all of the country.The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the second sub-SaharanAfrican nation to do so, after Liberia who had gained independence over a century before on 26 July 1847.The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extendedthroughout much of west Africa. Ghana is a member of the United Nations, South Atlantic Peace and CooperationZone, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and anassociate member of La Francophonie. Ghana is the third largest producer of cocoa in the world after Indonesiaand Ghana is also home to Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area. The economy of Ghanahas been listed as The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011 with an economic growth of about 20.146% forthe year 2011 in economic research led by Economy Watch with data coming from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growthin constant prices in the national currency.

EtymologyThe word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kingsof the medieval West African Ghana Empire.Geographically, the Ghana Empire was approximately 500 miles (800 km)north and west of modern Ghana, and it ruled territories in the area of the Séné-gal River and east towards the Niger River, in modern Senegal, Mauritania andMali.Ghana was adopted as the legal name for the Gold Coast combined withBritish Togoland upon gaining autonomy on 6 March 1957.

HistoryThere is archaeological evidence showing that humans have lived in present-day Ghana since the Bronze Age. However, until the 11th century, the majorityof modern Ghana's area was largely unoccupied. Although the area of pres-ent-day Ghana has experienced many population movements, the major ethnicgroups in Ghana today were firmly settled by the 16th century. By the early11th century, the Akan were firmly established in a state called Bonoman, forwhich the Brong-Ahafo Region region is named. The Mole-Dagbane as wellas the Mossi states were well established by the 16th century, with the Gonjastate being established by the 17th Century.From the 13th century, numerous groups emerged from what is believed tohave been the Bonoman area, to create several Akan States, mainly based ongold trading. These states included Denkyira, Akwamu, and Akyem. By the19th century, most of modern Ghanaian territory was included in the Empire of Ashanti, one of the most influentialstates in sub-Saharan Africa prior to colonial rule. The Ashanti government operated first as a loose network, andeventually as a centralized kingdom with an advanced, highly specialized bureaucracy centred inKumasi. It is saidthat at its peak, the Asantehene could field 500,000 troops, and it had some degree of military influence over all ofits neighbours.Early European contact by the Portuguese, who came to Ghana in the 15th century, focused on the extensive avail-ability of gold. The Portuguese first landed at a coastal city inhabited by the Fante nation-state, and named the placeElmina. In 1481, King John II of Portugal commissioned Diogo d'Azambuja to build Elmina Castle, which was com-pleted in 3 years. The Portuguese aim was to trade for Akan gold.By 1598, the Dutch had joined them, building forts at Komeda and Kormantsi. In 1617, they captured the OlniniCastle from the Portuguese, and Axim in 1642 (Fort St Anthony). Other European traders had joined in by the mid-17th century, largely English, Danes and Swedes. English merchants, impressed with the gold resources in the area,named it the Gold Coast, while French merchants, impressed with the trinkets worn by the coastal people, namedthe area to the west "Côte d'Ivoire", or Ivory Coast.More than thirty forts and castles were built by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Spanish merchants. The GoldCoast was known for centuries as 'The White Man's Grave', because many of the Europeans who went there diedof malaria and other tropical diseases. After the Dutch withdrew in 1874, Britain made the Gold Coast a protectorate.Following conquest by the British in 1896 until independence in March 1957, the territory of modern Ghana, excludingthe Volta Region (British Togoland), was known as the Gold Coast.Many wars occurred between the colonial powers and the various nation-states in the area, including the 1806Ashanti-Fante War, and the continuous struggle by the Ashanti against the British in many wars. The Ashanti defeatedthe British a few times, but eventually lost with the Ashanti-British War in the early 1900s. Even under colonial rule,the chiefs and people often resisted the policies of the British; however, moves toward decolonization intensifiedafter World War II. In 1947, the newly formed United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) called for "self-governmentwithin the shortest possible time."After rioting increased in 1948, the members of the United Gold Coast Conventionwere arrested, including future prime minister and president Kwame Nkrumah. Later, Nkrumah formed his own party,the Convention People's Party (CPP) with the motto "self government now." He began a 'Positive Action' campaignand gained the support of rural and working class people. He was again imprisoned for being the leader of a partythat caused boycotts, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience. After winning a majority in the Legislative As-sembly in 1952, Nkrumah was released and appointed leader of government business. After further negotiationswith Britain, on 6 March 1957 at 12 a.m. Nkrumah declared Ghana "free forever".The Flag of Ghana, consisting of the colours red, gold, green, and the black star, became the new flag in 1957. De-signed by, Theodosia Salome Okoh, the red represents the blood that was shed towards independence, the goldrepresents the mineral wealth of Ghana, the green symbolises the rich agriculture, and the black star is the symbolof African emancipation. Formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and British (formerly German) Togoland by aUnited Nations sponsored plebiscite in 1956, Ghana became the second sub-Saharan African country to gain its in-dependence in 1957 after Liberia who had gained its independence over a century before on 26 July 1847.Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister, and then president of the modern Ghanaian state, as an anti-colonial leader,sought a united Africa that would not drift into neo-colonialism. He was the first African head of state to promotePan-Africanism, an idea he came into contact with during his studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (UnitedStates), at the time when Marcus Garvey was becoming famous for his "Back to Africa Movement." He merged theteachings of Garvey and the African-American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois into the formation of the modern day Ghana.Ghana's principles of freedom and justice, equity and free education for all, irrespective of ethnic background, religionor creed, borrow from Nkrumah's implementation of Pan-Africanism.Although his goal of African unity was never realised, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he is now known, playedan instrumental part in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, which was succeeded in 2002 by the AfricanUnion. His achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebrations, and the daywas instituted as a public holiday. Dr. Nkrumah's government was subsequently overthrown by the military while hewas abroad in February 1966. Former Central Intelligence Agency employee John Stockwell alleges that the CIAhad an effective hand in forcing the coup.A series of subsequent coups from 1966 to 1981 ended with the as-cension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings in 1981.These changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981,and the banning of political parties. The economy suffered a severedecline soon after, and many Ghanaians migrated to other countries.Kwame Darko negotiated a structural adjustment plan with the Inter-national Monetary Fund, changing many old economic policies, andthe economy began to recover. A new constitution restoring multi-party politics was promulgated in 1992; Rawlings was elected aspresident then, and again in 1996. The Constitution of 1992 prohibitedhim from running for a third term, so his party, the National Demo-cratic Congress, chose his Vice President, John Atta Mills, to runagainst the opposition parties. Winning the 2000 elections, JohnAgyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party was sworn into office aspresident in January 2001, and beat Mills again in 2004, thus alsoserving two terms as president.In 2009, John Atta Mills took office as President of Ghana with a difference of about 40,000 votes (0.46%) betweenhis party, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, marking the second time that power hadbeen transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another, and securing Ghana's status as a stable democ-racy.In 2011, John Atta Mills won the NDC congress when he ran against Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for the Na-tional Democratic Congress flagbearership. He won by 2,771 votes, representing 96.9% of the total votes cast.

16th – 17th Century Akan-Terracotta

Independence Arch, Ghana

World Day of Prayer Worldwide - M a r 0 6

The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Chris-tian laywomen’s initiative. It is run under the motto “InformedPrayer and Prayerful Action,” and is celebrated annually in over170 countries on the first Friday in March. The movement aimsto bring together women of various races, cultures and tradi-tions in a yearly common Day of Prayer, as well as in closerfellowship, understanding and action throughout the year.

HistoryThe Women's World Day of Prayer started in the USA in 1884.When Mary Ellen James called for a day of prayer in 1887, shewas not planning a great worldwide movement, destined to be-come the largest ecumenical movement in the world organisedand led by women. She was simply reacting, as a Christian, tothe society in which she lived. The wife of a Presbyterian min-ister in New York and the mother of seven children, Mary Ellenwas aware of the problems faced by many women around her,particularly new immigrants to America - the awful slums withtheir poverty, unemployment, poor housing, lack of health or educational facilities. Something had to be done. Two years later, two Baptists called together a Day of Prayer for the World Mission. The Day of Prayer initiated bythese two women expanded to neighboring countries, then on to Europe and other continents.Since 1927 the day is known as Women’s World Day of Prayer.

AimsThrough the World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged to become aware of the other countries and cultures andno longer live in isolation. They are also encouraged take up the burdens of other people, to sympathize with theproblems of other countries and cultures and pray with and for them. They are further encouraged to become awareof their talents and use them in the service of society. The World Day of Prayer aims to demonstrate that prayer andaction are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.

ProgramEvery year, worship service focuses on a different country and a specific theme. World Day of Prayer National/Re-gional Committees of that country prepare the order of worship on these themes to be used on the next World Dayof Prayer.On the first Friday of March, then, in services all over the world that country becomes the focus of prayer and un-derstanding. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, women worldwide learn how their sistersof other countries, languages and cultures understand the biblical passages in their context. They learn of the con-cerns and needs of those women and to empathize and feel in solidarity with them.

HUNGARYHungary not to lose a penny of cohesion

support: PM(Online Mar 02,2012) Hungarywill not lose anypenny of itsconvergence orcohesion fundsupport nextyear, PrimeMinister ViktorOrban told apress confer-ence after theEU's summit onFriday.The EuropeanC o m m i s s i o nproposed inFebruary thesuspension of495 millioneuros of Cohe-sion Fund allo-cations forHungary for 2013 because of thecountry's failure to address its exces-sive deficit.Although on March 13 Ecofin will ap-prove the proposal, by that time thefinance ministers would have beforethem Hungary's adjustments to cor-rect the situation, he said, adding thatthe European Commission had al-ready received information about theadjustments.Hungary does not need to organiseany coalition to support its cause asthe European Commission's objec-tions are of a technical nature andcan be settled in half a year, he said.Orban noted that Hungary's funda-mentals were good, with only sevenmember states having lower deficits

this year and next than Hungary.Orban added that the country's highdegree of internal stability gives it anadvantage over other member statesfrom the point of view of makingstructural adjustments.The government's choice of tools forputting Hungary on the right coursecould be a matter of debates but it isindisputable that the country is on theright course, he said. He said themood at the summit had been posi-tive as the ECB's recent policy of of-fering low interest rate loans wassuitable to reaffirm trust.From among the political issues dis-cussed by the summit, Orban men-tioned that Serbia had received thestatus of EU candidate member and

would soonstart accessiontalks. Hungarywelcomes thatSerbia has be-come morecommitted toenforcing mi-nority rightsand pursued ap r e d i c t a b l epolicy in thisfield, he said.Orban said itwas under hisproposal thatthe summit'sconc lus ionsconcerning the"Arab Spring"had beenamended withthe need to

protect Christian communities in theregion. In a statement released onFriday, two deputies of the EuropeanPeople's Party urged the EuropeanCommission to be careful concerningthe proposed freezing of funds.Dutch Christian Democrat Lambertvan Nistelrooij and Hungary's TamasDeutsch warned that the fund-freezewould set a precedent of deprivingsome regions of crucially importantdevelopment funding.Van Nistelrooij added that a fund-freeze should only be resorted to inthe very last case. Deutsch said thatthreatening a member state withsanctions increases Euro-skepticismand society's mistrust for Europeaninstitutions.

International Women's Day Worldwide - M a r 0 8

International Women's Day (IWD), originally is called Inter-national Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 everyyear. In different regions the focus of the celebrations rangesfrom general celebration of respect, appreciation and lovetowards women to a celebration for women's economic, po-litical and social achievements. Started as a Socialist polit-ical event, the holiday blended in the culture of manycountries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the formerSoviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour,and became simply an occasion for men to express theirlove for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture ofMother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, how-ever, the original political and human rights theme desig-nated by the United Nations runs strong, and political andsocial awareness of the struggles of women worldwide arebrought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

HistoryThe first national Women's Day was observed on 28 Febru-ary 1909 in the United States following a declaration by theSocialist Party of America. In August 1910, an InternationalWomen's Conference was organized to precede the generalmeeting of the Socialist Second International in Copen-hagen. Inspired in part by the American socialists, GermanSocialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an an-nual 'International Woman's Day' (singular) and was sec-onded by Clara Zetkin, although no date was specified atthat conference. Delegates (100 women from 17 countries) agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equalrights, including suffrage, for women. The following year, on 18 March, 1911, IWD was marked for the first time, byover a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone, therewere 300 demonstrations In Vienna, women paraded on the Ringstrasse and carried banners honouring the martyrsof the Paris Commune. Women demanded that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office. They alsoprotested against employment sex discrimination. Americans continued to celebrate National Women's Day on thelast Sunday in February.In 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February (by Juliancalendar then used in Russia). In 1917 demonstrations marking International Women's Day in St.Petersburg on thelast Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on theGregorian calendar) initiated the February Revolution.Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holidayin the Soviet Union, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of theUSSRPresidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women's Day was declared a non working day in the USSR"in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of theirFatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and alsomarking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace.But still, women's day must be celebrated as are other holidays."From its official adoption in Russia following the Soviet Revolution in 1917 the holiday was predominantly celebratedin communist and socialist countries. It was celebrated by the communists in China from 1922, and by Spanish com-munists from 1936. After the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 the state council pro-claimed on December 23 that March 8 would be made an official holiday with women in China given a half-day off.In the West, International Women's Day was first observed as a popular event after 1977 when the United NationsGeneral Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women's Rights and InternationalPeace.

In modern cultureThe day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso,Cambodia, China (forwomen only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia (for women only),Madagascar (for women only), Moldova,Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan,Turk-menistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria the day is nota public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. On this day it is customary for men to give the women in theirlives – mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. – flowers and small gifts. In some countries (such asBulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presentsto their mothers and grandmothers.In Armenia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned. Instead, April 7 was intro-duced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood’. The new holiday immediately became popular among Armenians,as it commemorates one of the main holidays of the Armenian Church, the Annunciation. However, people still keptcelebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resultedin the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7.In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women.Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of themost common March 8 presents in Russia and Albania.In many countries, such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria,Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,Macedonia, Moldova,Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia, the custom of giving womenflowers still prevails. Women also sometimes get gifts from their employers. Schoolchildren often bring gifts for theirteachers, too.In countries like Portugal groups of women usually celebrate on the night of 8 March in "women-only" dinners andparties. In Pakistan working women in formal and informal sectors celebrate International Women's Day every yearto commemorate their ongoing struggle for due rights, despite facing many cultural and religious restrictions. Somewomen working for change in society use IWM to help the movement for women's rights. In Poland, for instance,every IWD includes large feminist demonstrations in major cities.In 1975, which was designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to, andbegan sponsoring, International Women's Day.The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution callingfor IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom.Since 2005, IWD has been celebrated in Montevideo, either on the principal street, 18 de Julio, or alternativelythrough one of its neighbourhoods. The event has attracted much publicity due to a group of female drummers, LaMelaza, who have performed each year.Today, many events are held by women's groups around the world. The UK-based marketing company Aurora hostsa free worldwide register of IWD local events so that women and the media can learn about local activity. Manygovernments and organizations around the world support IWD.70% of those living in poverty are women, Oxfam GB encourages women to Get Together on International Women'sDay and fundraise to support Oxfam projects, which change the lives of women around the world. Thousands ofpeople hold events for Oxfam on International Women's Day, join the celebration by visiting the website and regis-tering your event! - International Women's Day, what better excuse to Get Together!

ControversiesIn some cases International Women's Day has led to questionable practices that discriminated against men. For ex-ample Tower Hamlets Council closed off one of its libraries to all males to "celebrate" the occasion, forcing them totravel elsewhere, going as far as even banning male staff from the premises.In Communist Czechoslovakia, huge Soviet-style celebrations were held annually. After the fall of Communism, theholiday, generally considered to be one of the major symbolsof the old regime, fell into obscurity. International Women'sDay was re-established as an official "important day" by theParliament of the Czech Republic only recently, on the pro-posal of the Social Democrats and Communists. This has pro-voked some controversy as a large part of the public as wellas the political right see the holiday as a relic of the nation'sCommunist past. In 2008, the Christian conservativeCzechoslovak People's Party's deputies unsuccessfully pro-posed the abolition of the holiday. However, some non-gov-ernment organizations consider the official recognition ofInternational Women's Day as an important reminder ofwomen's role in the society.International Women's Day sparked violence in Tehran, Iranon March 4, 2007, when police beat hundreds of men andwomen who were planning a rally. Police arrested dozens ofwomen and some were released after several days of solitaryconfinement and interrogation. Shadi Sadr Mahbubeh Abbas-gholizadeh and several more community activists were re-leased on March 19, 2007, ending a fifteen day hunger strike.

ApocryphaA popular apocryphal story which surfaced in French Communist circles claimed that women from clothing and textilefactories had staged a protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City. The story alleged that garment workers wereprotesting against very poor working conditions and low wages and were attacked and dispersed by police. It wasclaimed that this event led to a rally in commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 1907. Temma Kaplan explains that"neither event seems to have taken place, but many Europeans think March 8, 1907 inaugurated InternationalWomen's Day." Speculating about the origins of this 1857 legend, Liliane Kandel and Françoise Picq suggested itwas likely that (in recent times) some felt it opportune to detach International Women's Day from its basis in Soviethistory and ascribe to it a more "international" origin which could be painted as more ancient than Bolshevism andmore spontaneous than a decision of Congress or the initiative of those women affiliated to the Party.

Female members of the AustralianBuilders Labourers Federation marchon International Women's Day 1975 inSydney

Baron Bliss DayBELIZE - M a r 0 9

Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, commonly knownas Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926),was a British-born traveller who willed some two mil-lion U.S. dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of thecitizens of what was then the colony of British Hon-duras, now Belize.The Bliss Institute (a performing arts centre that waspreviously a museum, research centre and library inBelize City) was part of the benefits from this endow-ment, as were the city's Bliss Lighthouse (whereBliss's tomb is located), the Bliss School of Nursingand various other medical facilities around the coun-try.Belize celebrates Baron Bliss Day each March 9 inhis honour.Bliss's early personal history as well as the origin ofhis "Baron" title is uncertain. He styled himself"Fourth Baron Bliss of the Kingdom of Portugal"; there is some speculation that the original Portuguese title wasBarão de Barreto. He was born into a wealthy Suffolk family and was rumoured to have been disinherited for keepinga hansom cab waiting. He subsequently made a substantial fortune speculating in petroleum shares. Unfortunately,he contracted polio and decided to travel the world in a luxury yacht. After spells in the Bahamas, Trinidad and Ja-maica, he arrived in Belize harbour, where he found a climate which suited him. He was extremely fond of the localpeople, and despite the fact that because of his physical infirmity he never set foot on Belizean soil, he bequeathedthe bulk of his fortune for the benefit of the people of British Honduras.

Harriet Tubman DayUS - M a r 1 0

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; 1820 – March 10, 1913)was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy dur-ing the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which shewas born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slavesusing the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known asthe Underground Railroad. She later helped John Brown recruit menfor his raid on Harpers Ferry, and in the post-war era struggled forwomen's suffrage.As a child in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten bymasters to whom she was hired out. Early in her life, she suffered ahead wound when hit by a heavy metal weight. The injury caused dis-abling seizures, narcoleptic attacks, headaches, and powerful visionaryand dream activity, which occurred throughout her life. A devout Chris-tian, Tubman ascribed the visions and vivid dreams to revelations fromGod.In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, then immediately returnedto Maryland to rescue her family. Slowly, one group at a time, shebrought relatives out of the state, and eventually guided dozens ofother slaves to freedom. Traveling by night, Tubman (or "Moses", asshe was called) "never lost a passenger". Large rewards were offeredfor the return of many of the fugitive slaves, but no one then knew thatTubman was the one helping them. When the Southern-dominatedCongress passed the Fugitive Slave Lawof 1850, requiring law officials in freestates to aid efforts to recapture slaves,she helped guide fugitives farther northinto Canada, where slavery was prohib-ited.When the American Civil War began,Tubman worked for the Union Army, firstas a cook and nurse, and then as anarmed scout and spy. The first woman tolead an armed expedition in the war, sheguided the Combahee River Raid, whichliberated more than 700 slaves in SouthCarolina. After the war, she retired to thefamily home in Auburn, New York, whereshe cared for her aging parents. She be-came active in the women's suffragemovement in New York until illness over-took her. Near the end of her life, shelived in a home for elderly African-Ameri-cans that she had helped found yearsearlier.

President Schmitt meets Hungarian leaderfrom Slovenia

(PR) On 20 February President PálSchmitt received Ferenc Horváth,head of the Muravidék/PrekmurjeNational Community of HungarianLocal Governments (MMNÖK), fortalks on cooperation between Hun-garians in Slovenia and Slovenes inHungary.The cooperation agreement, to besigned in March at a ceremony at-tended by Mr. Schmitt, will contribute

to strengthening the communities'national identity and ties to theirmother countries, Mr. Horváth said atthe meeting.Mr. Schmitt spoke highly of the activ-ities of the Hungarian community inSlovenia – estimated at between8,000 and 10,000 – and said that hispresence at the ceremony wouldconfirm that "every Hungarian isequally important to Hungary". Under

the planned agreement, the nationalminority communities of the twocountries will support each other'sschools, museums and other institu-tions, and will jointly apply for Euro-pean Union funds. Mr. Schmitt isscheduled to visit the Slovenian com-munity and Hungarians in Sloveniatogether with his Slovenian counter-part Danilo Türk in early March.

Hungary govt to reduce budget deficit bymeasures worth 0.4pc of GDP, says official(Online Feb 29, 2012) Hungary iscommitted to keeping its budgetdeficit below 3 percent of gross do-mestic product (GDP), the level setby the European Union, Zoltan Cse-falvay, state secretary at the eco-nomic ministry, told a committee ofEuropean Parliament on Wednesday.Early in February the Hungarian gov-ernment informed the EuropeanCommission in a letter about neweconomic adjustment measuresaimed at keeping the deficit down.The measures worth a 0.4-percentdeficit cut would secure that Hungarymeets the required deficit target, inview of the Commission's own fore-cast of a budget deficit of 3.25 per-

cent of GDP in Hungary this year,Csefalvay said.Csefalvay said he hoped the Com-mission would find proof that theHungarian government's measuresare adequate steps for controlling thedeficit. The European Commission last weekproposed to freeze cohesion fundingto Hungary in 2013 due to the coun-try's failure of addressing its exces-sive budget deficit.On the subject of Hungary's pendingtalks with the International MonetaryFund and the EU on a financial safetynet, Csefalvay said talks could startas soon as the EC had finished as-sessing Hungary's response to the

questioned contained in infringementprocedures launched against it.He told the committee it was the in-terest of all sides to start and con-clude talks as soon as possible.He said he trusted that Hungary's re-sponses to measures the EC hadcalled for as conditions to talks wouldbe satisfactory.He said that Hungary's request to theIMF and the EU is for a precautionarydeal, which is not to do with the coun-try's liquidity. He added that the dealwould serve the purpose of stabilis-ing the currency exchange rate andreducing yields.

Minister of Foreign Affairs received U.S.Congressional Delegation

(Online Feb 29, 2012) Minister ofForeign Affairs János Martonyi re-ceived a Congressional Delegationfrom the United States led by Con-gressman Dan Burton of IndianaFebruary 24, 2012. U.S. Congress-men regularly visit their European al-lies: the current delegation visitedParis, Brussels, and Bratislava be-fore coming to Budapest.The Minister informed the delegation– consisting of Republican and Dem-ocratic lawmakers – about the politi-cal and economic processes in

Hungary and the course of the gov-ernmental decisions, with particularregards to the current legislativequestions in Hungary. JánosMartonyi reaffirmed the government’scommitment to safeguard freedom ofreligion and freedom of press; the in-dependence of the judiciary; as wellas the system of checks and bal-ances.The Congressmen emphasized thecommitment of the United States to-wards the stability of Europe as awhole. They appreciated the anti-cor-

ruption measures of the governmentin particular compared to the formertimes. Besides congratulating to themajority of the government in theParliament, the Congressmenstressed the importance of the in-volvement of the opposition in thelegislative process. János Martonyihighlighted in his reply the govern-ment’s readiness to cooperate withthe opposition on the adoption of fur-ther cardinal laws by the Parliament.

Food Industry Research and DevelopmentProves Itself in Practice

(Online Feb 29,2012) "Thefood industryhas also re-ceived the at-t e n t i o nappropriate toits strategic sig-nificance withinthe work of thegovernment" –said State Sec-retary EndreKardeván at theopening of theEUREKA Chair-manship Con-ference held atthe Ministry ofRural Develop-ment. The topicchosen for themeeting by theEuropean organisation set up to fur-ther research was innovation in thefood industry.The EUREKA organisation for coop-eration in industrial research wasfounded in 1985 by 18 countries;today, its membership includes 40states and the European Union. Theorganisation seeks out both state andprivate resources to support researchand development. Hungary is thecurrent rotating president of EUREKAfrom July 1 2011, to June 30 2012.The Hungarian food industry will only

be competitive and will only be ableto increase its role on both local andexport markets, if it intensifies its in-novative activities, its research anddevelopment" – pinpointed StateSecretary for Food Chain Control Su-pervision and Agricultural Administra-tion Endre Kardeván. One of themain goals of the National RuralStrategy is the reinforcement of prac-tice-orientated Hungarian agriculturalresearch and development, the sup-port of innovation in the agriculturaland food economies, to increase the

compet i t ive-ness of pro-ducers, andthe restructur-ing of the pro-f e s s i o n a lconsu l tancyand trainingsystem.The State Sec-retary added –"An innovativesolution mayonly be justi-fied if it re-mains not justat the researchand develop-ment level, butalso stands itsground on themarket and re-turns a profit.

For this reason, support and encour-agement must be given to both basicresearch, and applied research thatcan be employed in practice.""New technology is usually expen-sive, so cooperation and the joint fi-nancing of costs and expenses is ofgreat importance. Acquiring a marketadvantage requires innovationthroughout the current Hungarianfood sector." – stressed Endre Karde-ván.

Endre Kardeván

Our Common Freedom Can Create Welfare(Online Feb 28,2012) We haveto live a free lifeunencumberedwith fear andhatred, and sowe have to re-member too” –Defence Minis-ter Dr. CsabaHende stressedat a commemo-ration that washeld to markthe memorialday of the vic-tims of commu-nism and the10th anniver-sary of theHouse of TerrorMuseum in Bu-dapest on Feb-ruary 25.“The victims of communism are of allstripes, as there are around one hun-dred million of them around theworld”, Csaba Hende underlined inhis speech. “What can find a way toour hearts? The stories that placehuman beingsin the center,stories aboutthe brave whowere broken,vilified, de-stroyed andburied” – theM i n i s t e rs t r e s s e d .Csaba Hendepointed out thatyear by year, onthis memorialday we have totell these truestories to ourdaughters andsons withoutanger and fond-ness.“Truth makesus free and willnot ever let them lose their freedom.This is the mission of the House ofTerror” – the Minister of Defencesaid. He reminded those present ofthe fact that ten years to this day anunexpectedly large crowd gathered

here to stand up for this mission in adignified, disciplined and elevating at-mosphere, just as those 400,000people in the peace march did someweeks ago, demonstrating in supportof the hurt dignity of the Hungariannation.

Csaba Hende said that the buildingon Andrássy St. 60 symbolizes na-tional self-surrender too, all thehenchmen who represented foreigninterests at all times, betraying every-thing that was Hungarian with pleas-

ure to promotetheir own andtheir com-rades’ welfare.He noted thaton several oc-casions, theHungarian na-tion said a def-inite andd e m o c r a t i c“no” to thec o m m u n i s ttraitors andtheir reign ofterror. In 1945,1947, 1956and 1990 wesent the samesel f -assuredmessage tothe wholeworld: we do

not want the dictates or governors offoreign powers. “Nobody can make adecision about us instead of us, be-cause it is only freedom experiencedwith a sense of responsibility that cancreate order, cooperation and respectfor human dignity. Only freedom can

create welfare:the commonfreedom of usall”, the Minis-ter said.“Now we putfear and ha-tred behindbars, becausewe do not wantfor them tohave any placein our lives.But we will notforget them.”,Csaba Hendequoted thesewords from aspeech deliv-ered by PrimeMinister ViktorOrbán in 2002.He stressed

that we have to live a free life unen-cumbered with fear and hatred, andso we have to remember too. “Let usremember! God bless the Hungari-ans!” – the Minister of Defenceclosed his speech.

Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende

Model programme to provide a lifeline tothose living in extreme poverty

(Online Feb 28, 2012) The Govern-ment is launching a comprehensiveprogramme equalling HUF 410 mil-lion (approx. EUR 1.41 million),aimed at helping families in extremepoverty. The first model programmeis to start in the provincial town ofSzolnok.To implement the programme, theMinistry of Public Administration andJustice signed a cooperation agree-ment with the National Roma Self-government, a local training andresearch institute, the Municipality ofSzolnok, the town's Roma MinoritySelf-Government, and the Centre forSocial Services of the Szolnok Sub-regional Association.The programme is linked to the Na-tional Social Inclusion Strategy (alsosubmitted to the European Union),which lays the foundations for a newapproach to integration. Unlike inclu-

sion programmes launched before(which usually ended in failure), em-phasis is placed on improving thehousing conditions of people living inextreme poverty, organising socialand community programmes, pro-moting employment, supporting re-turn to the labour market, andorganising remedial and compe-tency-building training courses.The programme also aims at promot-ing sustainable lifestyles suited tolocal conditions. The objective is tocreate a broad community of interestin the participating towns which in-volves as many stakeholders as pos-sible by the end of the programme on30 June 2012.’Settlement-type social work‘ will takeplace, which means that the special-ists coming to the towns will get in-volved in the everyday life of localcommunities and, after a trusting re-

lationship has been established, theywill include participants in the socialintegration programme.A key element of the programme isthe improvement of housing condi-tions, including the reconstruction ofa hundred family houses – twelve ofthem in the first round – combinedwith training in building skills.Six hundred people will be able toparticipate in training courses andemployment within the model pro-gramme.The programme will be launched ineight areas, at the following locations:Ózd (Velencetelep, and Hétes-telep);Szolnok and Tiszaroff (Motor Street);small villages in Baranya County(Komló and the surroundings of Vajs-zló); and Nyíregyháza (Huszár-telep,Eastern housing estate).

Zoltán Kovács in Paris – On the crisis ofthe euro-zone

(Online Mar 01, 2012) Zoltán Kovács,Minister of State for GovernmentCommunication, took part in a round-table discussion on the subject of theeurozone crisis at the Paris office ofthe European Commission.The title of the event was ‘The eurocrisis, the new European treaty, Eu-rope – what do new members of theEuropean Union think about these is-sues?’ It was organised by ClubGrande Europe as part of a series ofpress events for French and Euro-pean journalists, running from 27 to29 February. Those invited includedDanuta Hübner, EU Commissionerand former Polish Minister for Euro-pean Affairs and Estonian Taavi Rõi-vas, Chairman of the Committee forEuropean and Economic Affairs.Mr Kovács said that as representa-tives of the Central and Eastern Eu-ropean region, last year Hungary andPoland played an important role inthe handling of the economic crisisduring their presidencies of the Euro-pean Union. They did this with deter-mination and professionalism, andmade their complete commitment to

Europe absolutely clear.He said that the Hungarian govern-ment had approached the crisis in acompletely new and comprehensivemanner. Though it is true that Hun-gary was more severely affected bythe crisis than other EU countries,this was largely because of the situ-ation it had inherited. Hungary had todeal with the types of problems thatmost European countries will onlyface in the future. As examples of theHungarian approach, he mentionedthe 360 new laws passed in the lasteighteen months and the constitu-tional and structural changes in thetransformation of pension reform, jobcreation and education. ‘Hungary hasbeen affected both by the financialand economic crisis which hit Europeand also by those particular problemsrooted in Hungary’s history which ithas had to overcome,’said MrKovács. He said that the results ofthis approach can already be felt inHungary.He said that in the last eighteenmonths the Hungarian governmenthas been systematically eliminating

the structures which have continuallygenerated government debt and in-creased the budget deficit in the past.Strict fiscal policy alone cannot re-verse this process, however. It is alsovital to ensure the stimulation of eco-nomic growth and a higher level ofemployment. A combination of thesethree elements can be utilised inevery country, taking into considera-tion local circumstances.With regard to the future of Europe,the Minister of State said that thestrength of the European Union hasalways been diversity and continuouschange, and the system of institu-tions must follow this dynamic to-wards a successful outcome.In his opinion, the Europe-wide solu-tions will not be sufficient until wehave jointly clarified our approach tothe crisis, which he described as acomplex of financial, economic andstructural elements which point to aparadigm shift in perceptions. ‘Ourstance is that Europe should not beinert and unresponsive but should becapable of making rapid and forward-thinking decisions,’ he said.

Response to the comprehensive report of theCommissioner for HR of the Council of EU

(Online Mar 01, 2012) Thomas Ham-marberg, Commissioner for HumanRights of the Strasbourg-basedCouncil of Europe, welcomes as apositive development that Hungaryhas made its legislation concerningassembly more stringent in order toregulate and sanction unlawfuldemonstrations designed to createfear. The report also acknowledgesthat the European Roma FrameworkStrategy was conceived under thecoordination of the Hungarian Gov-ernment. Hungary was the first Mem-ber State to complete and submit tothe European Commission its own in-clusion strategy, the National SocialIntegration Strategy.According to Zoltán Balog, StateSecretary for Social Inclusion, life forthe Roma in Hungary is indeed hardat present, as is life for non-RomaHungarians, given the simple factthat the economic crisis affectseveryone. The State Secretarypointed out that the Government hadrecently launched a programmeworth HUF 5 billion (EUR 17,250)which was designed to help the mostdisadvantaged, both Roma and non-Roma Hungarians, to break out of thesituation they had been compelled tolive in to date.

The strategy also contains a three-year action plan (for the years 2012to 2014) with specific integration pro-grammes with deadlines, the ap-pointed responsible members ofgovernment and allocated resources.By virtue of the EU and local funds al-located for the purposes of the actionplan, we shall have spent some HUF200 billion for the implementation ofintegration and inclusion tasks inHungary by the end of 2014.The State Secretary highlighted thatwhile no government was able tooffer a full and comprehensive solu-tion to all the problems that mayemerge, the events that had takenplace during the previous govern-ment had not re-occurred in the pasttwo years in Hungary, such as for in-stance, the Roma killings, demon-strations designed to provoke fear orthe estate programmes doomed toutter failure. The fact that there havebeen no atrocities committed againstthe Roma in Hungary in the past twoyears is not merely the result of theintroduction of more stringent rules inthe assembly legislation but is also aconsequence of the firm action takenby the police in both directions. Onedirection represents the type of crimethat is most typical of those living in

extreme poverty and is often mani-fested in ethnic conflicts. The othercourse of action represents themeasures taken against those whowish to hold the Roma in Hungarycollectively responsible for the hope-less situation that is still characteristicof the countryside in Hungary.The programmes launched by theGovernment and the National SocialIntegration Strategy have reachedlocal Roma leaders who may, in theirown communities, give hope to thosewho have the desire to break out ofthe difficult situation they are in. Theyare therefore not interested in gener-ating conflicts but in managing con-flicts and seizing their newly-foundopportunities. This is another reasonwhy there is peace in Hungary todaybetween Roma and non-Roma Hun-garians, a few local conflicts apart.The role of the National Roma Gov-ernment as a mediator is key in guid-ing the Roma in Hungary towards thepath of cooperation. The State Sec-retariat is working hard to convincethe majority that cooperation is aworthwhile goal for all and a far morebeneficial solution for everyone thanthe generation of conflicts.

Statement of the MFA on the North-Koreanmoratorium

(Online Mar 02, 2012) On 29 Febru-ary the Democratic People's Repub-lic of Korea announced a moratoriumon test launching of long-range mis-siles, nuclear test and on uranium-enrichment. The DemocraticPeople's Republic of Korea also

agreed on the supervision of the In-ternational Atomic Energy Agency’sinspectors to verify the moratoriumon uranium-enrichment.Hungary considers the consistentand verifiable execution of the takenobligations as an important issue that

is essential for the maintenance ofpeace and stability of the KoreanPeninsula and supports the resump-tion of the Six-Party Talks, whichaims nuclear disarmament.

Romanian Minister of Education visitsMOGYE

(PR) Last week’s events sparkednew controversies in the case ofthe Medical and PharmacologicalUniversity ofMarosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş(MOGYE). On 17 February, Ro-manian Minister for EducationCătălin Baba visited the leader-ship of MOGYE to inquire aboutthe situation as it has developedrecently. Rector of the universityConstantin Copotoiu informed theminister that the university lackedthe sufficient number of Hungarianteachers needed to create a Hun-garian Department. The new Edu-cation Act introduced in February2011 guarantees the creation of

faculties and colleges using thelanguage of education at multicul-tural universities. The Romanianmajority Senate of the Universityclaimed earlier last year that thenewly-adopted charter was not atvariance with current national lawsand measures, adding that theministry’s request on adherence tothe obligation to establish Hungar-ian institutions in accordance withthe University’s multicultural char-acter could not be accomplished.Against this background, prepara-tions for electing the rector of theuniversity were in progress, eventhough the institution does notpossess a valid charter. András

Király, Romanian State Secretaryfor Education, noted earlier thatnone of the institutional changeswill be legitimate until the univer-sity has a legally binding charter.In light of this fact, the rector de-clared that MOGYE had launchedlitigation against the EducationMinistry, adding that the casemight end up before an interna-tional court if they believed that theGovernment was violating univer-sity autonomy. The Senate did notcomply with the minister’s requestto postpone election of the rectoreither.

Thousands of Transylvanian Hungariansmay lose language rights in Romania

(PR) If the published results of theRomanian census correspond to thefinal data, ten or twenty thousandHungarians in four or five Transyl-vanian towns and nearly a dozen vil-lages will be deprived of theirminority and language rights, pointedout www.nyelvijogok.ro. There arethree larger regions: Szeklerland;compact communities in border re-gions; and scattered communities ofmixed ethnic composition. Nearlyone third of the Romanian Hungarianpopulation lives in each of these. Thepreliminary results of last autumn’scensus in Romania reveal a declineof 2.6 million in the overall Romanianpopulation: from 21.68 million in2002 to 19.04 million today. There isa similar downward trend in the Hun-garian community: 194,000 fewer

Hungarians live in Romania com-pared to the 2002 census (in which1,432,000 people declared them-selves to be Hungarian). Althoughthe Hungarian minority is also declin-ing in real terms, it stands at 6.5 percent of the total, compared to 6.6 percent ten years ago. According toBalázs Kapitány, scientific secretaryat the Central Statistical Office ofHungary (KSH), macroeconomicprocesses causing migration are partof the reason for the decline. Overthe last decade some 100,000 Hun-garians have left Romania. Naturalpopulation shrinkage and intergener-ational assimilation resulting frommixed marriages account for theother half of the decrease. From themid-2000s the massive exodus ofHungarians has decreased consider-

ably, and a slight reverse trend hasoccurred. The western labour marketopened its gates to Romanian citi-zens after the country’s EU acces-sion. Based on Eurostat statistics, in2009 two million Romanians lived inEU Member States – mostly in Spainand Italy.Mr. Kapitány said that the 2011 cen-sus reveals favourable trends inSzeklerland and the Partium region,but the opposite is the case in Cen-tral and Southern Transylvania: inthe latter region there has been a fallof 30-35 per cent in the Hungarianpopulation. He added that the demo-graphic situation in Southern Transyl-vania shows the most alarmingpicture; there is no replacement inthis region because of the high num-ber of inter-ethnic marriages.

MKP nears the parliamentary threshold(PR) President of the EuropeanPeople’s Party (EPP) WilfriedMartens visited Slovakia and metJózsef Berényi, leader of the Hun-garian Coalition Party (MKP). Mr.Martens underlined how extremelyimportant it is that the MKP is repre-sented in the next parliament. Theparty is also playing a cooperationrole, not only in the Hungarian com-munity of Slovakia, but also for goodrelations between the two countries,said Mr. Martens. He added that theMKP had the full confidence of theEPP.The sudden slide in voter support forthe SDKÚ party has continued, most

probably caused by the accusationsin the “Gorilla affair”. With the latestpoll by the MVK agency puts theparty’s support well below the 5 percent threshold needed to get intoParliament. The MVK poll attributesjust 4.3 per cent of the vote to theparty of Foreign Minister MikulášDzurinda and Prime Minister IvetaRadičová, which would mean thatthe main centre-right party would failto be represented in Parliament. Thepoll also assigns just 3.6 per cent ofthe vote to the nationalist party of JanSlota (SNS), while the Christiandemocratic KDH would get 12.7 percent, Ivan Matović’s Ordinary People

party would get 7 per cent, the Free-dom and Solidarity party (SaS) 6.1per cent, and the Hungarian-Slova-kian Most-Híd party 5.9%. RobertFico’s Smer-SD party still enjoysstrong and loyal support in all theopinion polls, with the MVK agencyassigning it 40.6 per cent. The pollput the Hungarian Coalition Party(MKP) at 4.7 per cent - close to theparliamentary threshold. The pollwas conducted with 1,128 respon-dents between 7 and 12 February.Both the Hungarian Coalition Partyand Most-Híd officially launched theirelection campaigns on 18 February.

Good neighbours for a common future(PR) The Szabadka-based EtnolifeAssociation and the Kids SmileFoundation in Hungary have jointlywon 101,227 euros from the Hun-gary-Serbia IPA Cross-border Co-op-eration Programme. Four hundredprimary school children (200 fromSerbia and 200 from Hungary) will beable to take part in joint programmesorganised in Szabadka/Subotica,Palics/Palic and the Róka-farm in

Szeged, and Ópusztaszer and afarm around Szeged (arts and crafts,sports tournaments, visits to majorcultural facilities). Their project aimsto preserve, develop and introduce toeach other traditions, arts, natureand national values. Through devel-oping children’s knowledge theyseek to create prejudice-free cross-border co-operation based on posi-tive thinking, and to reveal to children

that the border separating them ismerely a physical one, despite whichmany things links them together. Thisis in line with the EU's efforts to elim-inate frontiers. Hungarian children inVajdaság are also included in theproject, thus enabling them to get toknow their own ethnic culture andhistory.

Dual citizenship in the Czech Republic(PR) Citizenship regulations in theCzech Republic have been changedrecently. The Czech Ministry of theInterior has announced that the stateallows dual citizenship without re-striction for those Czech citizens whovoluntary apply for foreign citizen-ship. Under an intergovernmentaltreaty concluded at the end of thenineties, dual citizenship is alreadyan established fact in Czech-Slova-kian relations. Czech emigrants andtheir descendants should not re-nounce their citizenship to acquire

Czech citizenship, and they are evennot required to have a permanentresidency in the Czech Republic.Stanislav Kázecky, special envoy ofthe Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairsfor Czechs living abroad said that thenew regulation had a positive recep-tion among Czechs abroad. ‘Manyhad not left the country by choice,and their Czech citizenship wastaken away. Therefore, the opportu-nity of regaining the citizenship oftheir home country is of strong moraland emotional importance and solid-

ifies their links to the Czech Repub-lic’, said Mr. Kázecky. Based on For-eign Ministry estimates about twomillion Czech live outside the bor-ders. Authorities claim that interest inCzech citizenship was mainly shownfrom the United States and Canada.The wording of the draft legislativeact enabling dual citizenship will beargued out in March in the legislativeparliamentary committee. The inte-rior ministry sets out the entering intoforce of the act in January 2014.

Statements issued by Hungarian Ameri-can organisations

(PR) The Hungarian AmericanCoalition (HAC), an umbrella-organ-isation representing a considerablemajority of Hungarians in the UnitedStates, has voiced its concern in asubsequent statement issued on 17February over criticism of the Hun-garian government in the main-stream US and European media.The statement entitled ’Give Hun-gary a chance’ urges for the bluntingof the tone of harsh criticism in the in-ternational media, since charges areexaggerated and often unfounded.The HAC said that the Orbán gov-ernment had been ‘falsely depictedas anti-democratic and dictatorial’.‘These accusations have exacer-bated the already serious economiccrisis in the country, where the Gov-ernment has a two-thirds majority inParliament and has devoted itself tothe accomplishment of the demo-cratic transition,’ states the Coalition.(http://www.hacusa.org/en/news/stat

ement-by-the-hungarian-american-coalition)The American Hungarian Federation,established in 1906, also defendsHungary against criticism. “Hungaryhas recently been harshly and oftenunfairly criticised,” the President ofthe American Hungarian Federation(AHF) said on 20 February, in a letterbriefing the US House Committee onForeign Affairs ahead of its delega-tion's visit to Hungary this week.Chairman Ferenc Koszorús said inthe letter that the AHF believes thatmuch of the criticism Hungary has re-ceived was either politically moti-vated or ”not evenhanded or basedon facts but on generalisations andspeculation”. He cited a new law onreligions, which has been criticisedas being too restrictive, as an exam-ple. He said parts of the law hadbeen annulled by Hungary's Consti-tutional Court last December. Law-makers are set to extend the law to

officially recognise additional reli-gions to the original 14, which inci-dentally is the same as the numberof official religions recognised inneighbouring Austria, added Mr. Kos-zorús. Although the U.S. State De-partment’s report on religiousfreedom had raised objections to the“only” 14 officially recognisedchurches in Austria, it did not statethat democracy was at risk in thecountry.The AHF, which has supported con-stitutional democracy and the rule oflaw in Hungary over recent decades,asked Dan Burton, the head of thedelegation and of the European sub-committee of the US House Commit-tee, to consider the federation'stestimony on these issues before itsupcoming visit to Hungary.(http://www.americanhungarianfed-eration.org/news_slovakia_CODEL_2012.html)

Hungarian folk dancers at the Brazil carnival(PR) Hungarian folk dancers gave ajoint performance with members ofthe Samba School at a Brazilian car-nival on 17 February in São Paulo.Brazil’s largest city has a populationof twenty million, of which 100,000are Hungarians. In honour of them,four thousand samba dancersdanced in red-white-and-green cos-tumes before Ash Wednesday aspart of a campaign promoting Hun-

gary in South America. The two-daycarnival also captured the spirit ofHungarian history. The ’Rosas deouro’ samba school chose the themeof mediaeval Hungary, with dancersin historical Hungarian costumes anda huge Hungarian coat of arms. Thetheme was ’Hungria, o reino dos jus-tus’: ’Hungary is the kingdom of thejust’. However, in Portuguese itshould have been rather ’Hungria, o

reino dos justos’. One letter waschanged to match the name of theBrazilian entrepreneur Roberto Jus-tus, who backed the samba club. Theshowman of Hungarian descent saidthat the São Paulo carnival alwaysprecedes the more famous Rio car-nival, but it is just as sensational asthe latter.

The declaration of the Roundtable of Hungari-ans in Slovakia

(PR) The Roundtable of Hun-garians in Slovakia welcomesthe letter by Thomas Hammar-berg, Council of Europe Com-missioner for Human Rights,sent to Rudolf Chmel, Slova-kia’s Deputy Prime Minister forHuman Rights and NationalMinorities. The reason for thedeclaration of 10 Februarywas that Mr. Rudolf Chmelhad only outlined his plansand concepts for the future butthe Slovak Government had

failed to formulate any specificmeasures regarding the prob-lems raised, argued theR o u n d t a b l e(http://www.kerekasztal.org/2012/02/megoldatlan-nyelvi-jogok-avagy-thomas-hammar-berg-levelenek-utoeletehez/).The Human Rights Commis-sioner sharply criticised themajor elements of the amend-ment to the Slovak State Lan-guage Act (2009, Ficogovernment) during his visit

last September, as well as theamendments completed bythe Radičová government in2011. The Roundtable callsupon the Slovak Governmentand the National Council ofthe Slovak Republic to enactmeasures necessary to cor-rect the deficiencies, and as-sures its cooperation in theformulation of these meas-ures.

USL excludes coalition with RMDSZ(PR) Political vice-president of theDemocratic Alliance of Hungarians inRomania (RMDSZ) László Borbély(UDMR) stated a week ago inMarosvásárhely/Targu Mures, thatthere was always ‘the option of leav-

ing the coalition’ unless the condi-tions included in the government pro-tocol are met. National Liberal Party(PNL) president and co-president ofthe Social-Liberal Union (USL) CrinAntonescu ruled out forming a coali-

tion with RMDSZ in the event of theUSL leading the government. How-ever, he added, that USL leaders willdecide collectively.

2012: the year of Hungarian kindergartensbeyond the borders

(PR) Deputy State Secretary forHungarian Communities AbroadZsuzsanna Répás announced ’2012:the year of Hungarian kindergartensbeyond the borders’ in a press con-ference held on 16 February at theHouse of Hungarians with the parti-capation of nursery-school children.The one-year-long programme ofevents embraces the ongoing promo-tion of Hungarian kindergartens in theHungarian-populated regions of theCarpathian Basin. Ms. Répás saidthat the strategy devoted to the sup-port of preserving Hungarian commu-

nities beyond the borders wasadopted last November. She said thateducational institutions were the mostresponsible bodies for emerging gen-erations to become active in Hungar-ian communities. TargetingHungarian kindergarten enrolment isthe first undertaking by the Hungariangovernment in this regard, since chil-dren are the most receptive at thisage, pointed out Ms. Répás. Sheadded that it is of crucial importanceto preventing any hindrances to pass-ing on the native language. The Gov-ernment has set aside 100 million

forints for the programme. Presentingthe details of the events, Ms. Répássaid that they wish to make nationaltraditions and Hungarian kinder-gartens’ pedagocial methods attrac-tive and adaptive not only forkindergaren teachers, but also forparents. In this framework educatorsand folk musicians will visitCarpathian Basin regions beyond theborders to jointly carry out actionplans for the developement of Hun-garian kindergartens.

Dual citizens cannot vote in parliamentaryelections

(PR) Notices have been delivered tovoters on the polling stations and tim-ing of parliamentary elections on 10March. Dual citizens have not re-ceived any information, though theyintend to cast their ballots, as re-ported to the press.The Hungarian Press Agency (MTI)asked Foreign Minister MikulášDzurinda whether Slovakia had a lawthat could lead to depriving Slovakcitizens of their voting rights becausethey had acquired citizenship of an-

other state as well. ‘If Hungaryamends its non-European, uncivilisedCitizenship Act there will be no suchproblems,’ said Mr. Dzurinda, react-ing to the fact that several Hungari-ans who have publicly declared dualcitizenship have not received noticeof the elections. The Slovak Ministryof the Interior has not responded tothe same question sent by MTI. Lás-zló Gubík, who was first to announcethat he had obtained Hungarian citi-zenship (in August 2011), has still not

received any reply from the police tohis letter of 4 January, in which hesaid that he was not willing to surren-der his Slovak personal ID card untilan explicit and legally binding deci-sion was made on his case. Anotherdual citizen, Ilonka Tamás, has pre-sented a petition to the Strasbourg-based European Court of HumanRights. The centenarian teacher andher daughter have submitted their re-quests with the legal assistance ofthe Hungarian Dignity Council.

Hungarian Parliament ratifies Croatia EUaccession treaty

(PR) On 13 February Parliament rat-ified Croatia's European Union ac-cession treaty. Minister of ForeignAffairs János Martonyi presented thetreaty, which was signed in Brusselson 9 December, and it was approvedby 334 votes in favour and 5 absten-tions (MPs of the radical nationalistJobbik party). ‘The Croatian acces-sion is of historical relevance both forHungary and the region – a milestone

in Europe’s unification conveying themessage that continuing Europe’senlargement serves to strengthen it,’said Mr. Martonyi in his speech be-fore the legislature. As a MemberState, and during its EU presidency,Hungary has consistently guided theaccession process of its southernneighbour. Closing the accession ne-gotiations with Croatia was a markedsuccess for the Hungarian EU presi-

dency. The fact that Hungary is thesecond state to approve the acces-sion treaty is a clear signal of Hun-gary’s commitment to EUenlargement and strategic partner-ship.Croatia will become the 28th EUmember from July 2013 if the treatyis ratified by all Member States.

Hungarian ambassador to the UnitedStates to visit Atlanta

(PR) As further evidence of the grow-ing connections between Georgiaand Hungary, His Excellency GyörgySzapáry, Hungarian Ambassador tothe United States, made his first tripto Atlanta on 17 and 18 February.John E. Parkerson, Jr., honorary con-sul of Hungary for the South easternUnited States, president of the WorldTrade Center Atlanta (WTC), and di-rector of International Programs forClayton State University, had beenworking closely with the embassy inWashington to arrange meetings forthe Ambassador, including "HungaryDay in Georgia" proclamations fromthe State of Georgia.To preserve their rich culture, theHungarian community of Georgiastarted a new tradition in 2010 withthe Hungarian Carnival Ball, or

‘Farsang’. This year, the HungarianCommunity Church of Georgia, theHonorary Consulate of Hungary inSoutheast U.S., and the HungarianMeetup Group in Atlanta organizedthe Third Hungarian Ball on 18 Feb-ruary. The Georgia House of Repre-sentatives declared 18 February asan official Hungary Day in Georgia.The Ambassador opened the Hun-garian Ball as guest of honour; andguests enjoyed folk dance perform-ance, live music, traditional Farsangperformances, socializing, and raf-fles. The Hungarian Ball also servedas a fundraising function for the col-orful Hungarian cultural activities andeducational programs.‘With the proclamation of the Hun-gary Day, the State of Georgia sendsa clear message to Hungarians and

non-Hungarians alike that everybodycan play an integral role in the lifeand community of Georgia,’ said Mr.Parkerson. ‘It is a special privilege toaccept the invitation to serve as amain patron of the Third Annual Hun-garian Ball, or Farsang. Georgia ishome to a remarkable Hungariancommunity that, with this thirdFarsang, continues a now well-estab-lished Georgia tradition’, he added.Mr. Parkerson also noted that Clay-ton State and Kennesaw State Uni-versity students will be taking anMBA international business study tripto Hungary and Austria from 2 to 11March 2012. All but two days of thattrip are in Hungary, and two of thedays in Hungary

Ministerial decree protects Házsongárd cemetery(PR) Hunor Kelemen, Minister ofCulture and National Heritage in theRomanian government, confirmedprotection by ministerial decree of the

graves in the Házsongárd/ Hajongradcemetery, which are declared to beindividual memorials. This is the high-est level of protection for the almost

four hundred-year-old cemetery, withits 394 graves, in the Transylvaniancity of Kolozsvár/ Cluj.

The first person to be officially removedfrom the Slovak residency register

(PR) The first official notice hasbeen delivered in Slovakia to adual citizen stating that he had

been removed from the residencyregister. Gyula Kassai, a reformedminister, received this notice, in

which Slovak authorities state thathe is a foreign person with noadobe in Slovakia.