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After signing the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of Rawalpindi on 8 August, Britain formally recognised the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan. On 19 August 1919 Emir Amanullah Khan declared independence from British influence.

The national flag of Afghanistan features three vertical bands of black, red, and green colour. The black symbolises the troubled past of the country. The green represents both Islam and prosperity. The red represents the blood, shed by those who fought for the country's independence.

The spark has gone. Or so it seems to those who were born later. Maybe, even too late to feel the 'magic' the representatives of the older generation, flocked in the white glamping tents round Max Yasgurs‘s Farm, obviously remember, or attempt to recollect an authentic spirit of the 1969 event. WXPN presents the ancestor of all music festivals – 'that would shape a generation' – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock this week.

The president of the Georgian Association for American Studies, and the Director of the Institute of American Studies at Tbilisi State University, Professor Vasil Kacharava turns 65 today.

BRAMS Institute congratulates dear friend and colleague, and wishes him many happy returns of the day!

210 years ago, on 10 August 1809, Criollo rebels took over the Ecuadorian capital Quito. This was the day when Antonio José de Sucre y Alcala defeated the Spanish Royalist forces at the Battle of Pichincha and the country made the first step towards gaining its independence. Lacking essential support, criollos (Spaniards born in the Americas) were defeated in about three weeks.

The victory at the Battle of Minden turned into a bigger celebration than a decisive engagement in the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) would suggest. When an Anglo-German army under the overall command of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army in 1759, and the German-Prussian field marshal was awarded £20,000 and the Order of the Garter, no one would imagine the historical influence over the meaning of the day.