Sept 17 (Arabic news)
The Rabat-based Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) called the Muslim world to commemorate next October 2 the anniversary of the liberation of Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) by Salahadin Al Ayoubi.
ISESCO chief, Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, appealed in a release to the education and higher education ministers in member states to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation by Salahadin Al Ayoubi of Al-Quds Al-Sharif from the crusaders after it had been occupied for over ninety years.
The commemoration would bring into focus the lessons learned from history, he said.
Al-Twaijri called for the commemoration of the anniversary in fulfillment of the common responsibility towards the holy city, in a way that is deemed by each member state as most appropriate either by holding symposia in universities, institutes and schools or seminars to be broadcast by tv stations and space channels to remember this glorious historic day and stress the responsibility of the Muslim Ummah (nation) in liberating Al-Quds and restoring its Arab Islamic identity.
ISESCO�s appeal to commemorate the anniversary was made in coordination with the Palestinian national commission for education, cultural and science of the Palestinian National Authority.
Salahadin Al Ayoubi (1137-1193 a.d) liberated Al-Quds Al-Sharif from the crusaders on October 2 1187 a.d. The crusaders occupied Al-Quds on 15 july 1099 a.d.
ALMATY, Sept 15
(THE GLOBE)
In the last week citizens and guests of the southern capital saw the beautiful flight of the balloon of �British Airways� company.
According to representatives of the company, the balloon is annually launched in all countries, where Boeings of �British Airways� fly.
Before the launch all people were offered to fly in the balloon with an experienced pilot and to feel themselves as real aeronauts.
On Wednesday the ambassador of Great Britain make a free flight in the balloon. According to Richard Lington, he was satisfied with the flight.
�From the balloon Almaty mountains looks quite impressing. Our landing was as mild as of �British Airways� planes,� Mr. Lington shared his impressions with THE GLOBE.
In the evening of the same day there was a cocktail party in the Hyatt-Regency hotel. Organisers thanked everybody, who had taken part in the event: British pilots of the balloon, who had arrived to Kazakhstan, attendants and people who supported this event.
By Wayne E. BEAUREGARD
ALMATY, September 20
(THE GLOBE)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is about to celebrate its National Day on Thursday, September 23rd, and like every year its resident senior diplomat, H.E. Ibrahim M. Mosly, ambassador to the Republic of Kazakstan, organizes a reception, the day before, to mark the event at the Ankara Hotel of this former capital, still home of almost all diplomatic missions.
The Kingdom celebrates its National Day on the first day of Al-Mizan, corresponding to the 23rd of September, to commemorate its unification in one entity and one powerful united state in 1932 (1351 H.) by the late King Abd Al-Aziz Ben Abd Al-Rahman Al-Saud.
The reception will be the occasion to remind the exceptional accomplishments that the young Arabian country has, thanks to Allah and to a strongly motivated dynasty, achieved in only 100 years of history.
Too short a time with respect to the remarkable results, but too long a period to be able to highlight them all in the limited space of an article, I�ll confine those results to the last 30 years, those that have projected the country and its wonderful people into the future.
In 1970 Saudia, then wisely ruled by King Faisal (may God bless his soul) embarked in her first 5-year-economic plan, that that conveyed it on the tracks of rapid development. Roads, airports, seaports, highways, telecommunication facilities poured in the country so to make way to the next 5-year-plan.
In the meantime King Faisal passed away in 1975, not without having established the principles for social change and attained the Kingdom�s enviable economic stability.
Faisal�s successor, King Khaled, by allocating some 700 billion Riyals followed the path of the nation building. Grat strategic projects were given green light (housing, urbanization, petrochemical industries), all vital for its rapid development.
The success of the second plan constituted an omen for the third one that started in 1980 under the auspices of King Khaled (may God bless his soul) that entrusted his brother, crown prince Fahd Ben Abd Al-Aziz, with the implementation of such third economic plan, during which the agricoltural sector was boosted to the extent of marking records in most food production. Saudi Arabia reached self-sufficiency in grain, barley, dates, diaries and poultry to the extent that started to export her surplus. Meanwhile the country�s economy shown a stability and strength seldom seen in the area, reflexed in the stable exchange rate of its currency, the Riyal, since 1986.
In 1982 King Khaled joined his ancestors in the mercy of God, and was replaced on June 13th by King Fahd who still guides the Kingdom with the same drive of his crown prince years.
He went on along the way of further modernization, looking after, through this means, to the well being of his people.
The 4th and the 5th economic plans have been also successes and the 5th, in particular, has hit a record spending of 3,869 billion Riyals or, in greenbacks, more than 1,000 billion!
The sixth 5-year-economic plan was launched in 1995 and it�s at about an end. In spite of an overall Asian recession it will end up with significant achievements, one being the so-called �saudization� or the replacement of non-Saudi workforce with Saudi nationals. Clear sign that the seeds planted in previous years in the realization of social infrastructures, such as schooling, have grown into blossomed results.
In all the tangible accomplishments that the enlightened Al-Saud dynasty has achieved, there is one that outshines all the others, and that may serve as an outstanding example to countries with the same drive and will. The progress of Saudi Arabia has been obtained through the fragile balance among cultural, social, economic and urban developments on one side, and the defense and preservation of tradition, ethic and religious values on the other. No irreparable tears in the social fabric of the nation, but harmonious insertion of elements of modernization in the respect of timeless values. A formula that makes the Kingdom the crown jewel of the Middle East.
It�s in this light that tomorrow�s Saudi National Day, the first after the centennial of the Kingdom, acquires special significance: from King Abd Al-Aziz (may God have mercy on his soul) to King Fahd, passing through King Saud, King Faisal and King Khaled, the country has achieved modernization through a balanced and comprehensive development by and at all levels. May so continue to wish Allah the Almighty.
By Alessandro RAIMONDI
LUGANO, September 20 (THE GLOBE)
An important entry of the Swiss economy is constituted by tourism, in fact the Confederation draws profit from its enchanting Alpine position, hosting many breathtaking places where skiing is feasible all year round. So many tourists are visiting the country, leaving within its borders a considerable amount of money.
Nevertheless, being Switzerland heralding one of the highest standards of living, her citizens too constitute a mass of phenomenal spending capacity. It�s interesting, therefore, to monitor the incoming and the outgoing flow of money as to determine the tourist trade balance of the country.
The job is being done on a yearly basis by FBS, the Federal Bureau of Statistics, which has just presented figures related to 1998, surprisingly marking a lowering of the favourable trade balance: little less than one billion SF.
Foreigners have spent 11.4 billion SF, some 30 millions less than the year before or, in percentage term, -0.3%. On the contrary, Swiss vacationers have increased their expenditures abroad up to 10.5 billion SF, a remarkable increase of 3.1%, corresponding to some 319 million SF more than in 1997. Thus the trade balance, although active, has lowered to 967,000,000 SF.
�Abroad oriented� as it seems to be, how the Swiss holidaymaker behaves at home? FBS has an answer to this too: last year Swiss vacationers have spent in the Confederation as much as 9 billion SF, corresponding to a drop of 65 million SF, i.e. -0.7%. Hotel expenditures have contributed to the decline with a -0.5%, while in this peculiar niche foreigners have contributed a 1.9% more than 1997.
A booming growth has been recorded in the so-called �studying & vacationing� segment, totalling as much as SF 576,000,000 or an astonishing increase of 7%!
Wengen�s all year round ski resort.
Aigul MYRZATAI
ALMATY, Sept 20
(Specially for
THE GLOBE)
The annual exhibition �Parade of Galleries� organised by the administration of Kasteev�s museum this time also did not deceive expectations of admirers of the visual art. The saturated program of the exhibition confirmed that Kazakhstan is the motherland of distinctive talents. Well, this just makes us happy. But the only moment, which does not strike us, is the protest of some artists, whose names are often observed in connection with the activity in Almaty of the Centre of Modern Art of Soros-Kazakhstan. The hall where these artists� creations were exhibited, was empty. Maybe, the museum administration did not have enough money for water slides of Yulya Sorokina or for the stone performance of the Tyan-Shan mountains by the Vorobyovs? It is not know. We know that Aigul Menlibaeva was mentioned in the protest, though her creations were exhibited in the other hall. Was it mistake of the museum or protesting persons?
September 21, 1993 - Russian president Boris Yeltsin dissolves parliament and calls for general elections. Earlier in the year, Yeltsin had survived an impeachment bid by defiant factions in the assembly, who had hoped to replace him with Vice-President Alexander Rutskoi. Following Yeltsin�s dismissal of the assembly, rebel parliamentarians, led by Chairman Ruslan Khasbulatov and Vice-President Alexander Rutskoi, barricade themselves inside the parliament�s White House building, beginning a tense siege. Twelve days later, Yeltsin orders the White House shelled by the tanks surrounding the building, forcing Khasbulatov and Rutskoi�s surrender, and ending the crisis.
September 22, 1966 - Surveyor 2, an unmanned lunar probe launched by the U.S. two days earlier, crashes into the moon as mission control�s attempt to correct its tumbling flight fails.
September 22, 1996 - In Australia, Robert Dent, suffering from terminal cancer, becomes the first person in the world to commit legally assisted suicide under a voluntary euthanasia law. Dent dies from a painless lethal injection.
September 23, 1846 - German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovers the planet Neptune at the Berlin Observatory. Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun, was postulated by the French astronomer Urbain Leverrier, who calculated the approximate location of the planet by studying gravity-induced disturbances in the motions of the planets. A few days after Leverrier announced his findings, Galle discovered the blue gas giant.
From September 14 to October 14.
The Kosteyev State National Museum. The exhibition of private picture-galleries: �Gallery parade � �99�
The Kosteyev State National Museum. Exhibition of S. Kalmykov, I. Itkind, and V. Eifert�s works, and Rudolf Nuriev�s painting.
From 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
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