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Sources: Xalima (Dakar) and Senegal public holidays (qppstudio.net). The coordinator of Senegal's Moon Sighting Committee (Commission nationale d’observation du croissant lunaire), Iyane Thiam, has announced that the crescent Moon had not been sighted on Friday night and that, therefore, the Eid al-Adha public holiday (aka. Tabaski in Sénégal) would be observed on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, instead of the previously announced date of December 8.Update (December 5) Senegal's Minister of Labor has issued a communique announcing that the public sector would only get 1 day for the upcoming Eid al-Adha (or locally called Tabaski) public holiday, and that December 8 and 10, 2008, would be regular working days throughout Sénégal.
Sources: El Universo (Guayaquil) and Ecuador public holidays (qppstudio.net). Late this week, Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa Delgado, issued Executive Decree 1452, declaring Friday, December 26, 2008, and Friday, January 2, 2009, as one-off bridge public holidays (días de descanso obligatorio), for both the public and private sectors.
Sources: Radio Pakistan (Islamabad) and Pakistan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, has announced that the Zilhajj moon had not been sighted anywhere in the country last night and that consequently the Eidul-Azha public holiday would be celebrated on Tuesday, December 9, 2008.
Sources: La Nación (San José) and Costa Rica public holidays (qppstudio.net). Costa Rica's 2005 movable public holidays law is set to suffer one more blow as Costa Rican deputies have introduced a bill that would the practice of moving the July 25, "Anexión de Guanacaste", public holiday to the nearest Monday, when it fall on a mid-week weekday.
Sources: Russian Federation Government and Russia public holidays (qppstudio.net). On November 26, the government of the Russian Federation has released RF Government Resolution No. 877, "On public holidays transfer in 2009", which confirms the list of 2009 public holidays and additional bridge public holidays to be compensated by a nearby working Saturday or Sunday.
Sources: The Liberia Times (Monrovia) and Liberia public holidays (qppstudio.net). Liberia's President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has issued a proclamation declaring Saturday, November 29, 2008, a public holiday for the 113th birth anniversary of Liberia’s 18th President, William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman.
Sources: Diario Extra (San José) and Costa Rica public holidays (qppstudio.net). Following yesterday's Cabinet meeting, the Ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, announced that all central government employees, offices and agencies will be closed from Friday night, December 19, 2008, until Monday morning, January 5, 2009.
Sources: The Hindu (Delhi) and India public holidays (qppstudio.net). Lt Governor of Delhi Tejinder Khanna issued a notification declaring November 29, 2008, as a one-off public holiday in all government offices, local bodies under Delhi Government on account of assembly elections in the capital.Update (November 28) The Bihar government has declared a public holiday on November 29, 2008, on the date of the cremation of former Prime Minister V.P Singh. Besides state government offices, all government and private educational institutions will remain closed on that day.Update (November 27) Karnataka State Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, declared a one-off public holiday on Friday, November 28, 2008, for schools, colleges, government offices and banks following the death of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh.
Sources: Limun (Sarajevo) and Bosnia and Herzegovina public holidays (qppstudio.net). Only 2 of the 3 members of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Presidency attended this year's Statehood Day. As per custom, Chairman Nebojsa Radmanovic, the Serb member, was absent.Chairman Nebojsa Radmanovic has never been to any previous Statehood Day ceremonies, and the Republic Srpska leadership has in the past repeatedly refused to recognize the November 25 Statehood Day public holiday, preferring instead to observe the November 21, "Day of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia-Hercegovina".
Sources: Today (Baku) and Azerbaijan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The spokesman for the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers, Akif Ali, has confirmed that Monday and Tuesday, December 8 and 9, 2008, would be considered non-working public holidays in Azerbaijan due to the upcoming Gurban Bayramy (aka. Eid al-Adha) holiday.
Sources: IWPR and Turkmenistan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The government of Turkmenistan has indirectly confirmed that the 3-day of public holidays for the upcoming Eid al Adha public holiday (known locally as Kurban Bairam) would begin on Monday, December 8, 2008.
Sources: Botswana Ministry of Communications (Gaborone) and Botswana public holidays (qppstudio.net). It appears that the Electoral Amendment Bill presented to Botswana's Parliament by the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration will pass, but that before then it will be amended to make the dates of elections a public holiday.
Sources: Emirates News Agency (WAM) and UAE public holidays (qppstudio.net). According to a circular issued today by UAE Labour Minister, HE Saqr Gobash, the private sector will have a one-day public holiday on the occasion of next Tuesday's, 2nd of December, 37th national day.
Sources: The Malaysian Insider (Penang) and Malaysia public holidays (qppstudio.net). Speaking at a rally commemorating the anniversary of November 25, 2007, last night, Penang State Deputy Chief Minister, P. Ramasamy, promised that November 25 would become a Federal public holiday in Malaysia if the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party captured the federal government in the next elections.
Sources: CA News (Bishkek) and Kyrgyzstan public holidays (qppstudio.net). Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister, Igor Chudinov, announced that Kyrgyzstan would mark the Kurman Ait public holiday on Monday, December 8, 2008, as we had forecast.
Sources: NCS and Malaysia public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Government of Malaysia has confirmed the date of the upcoming Eid Al-Adha public holiday (locally called Hara Raya Qurban) for Monday, December 8, 2008.
Sources: World Bulletin (Istanbul) and Ukraine Public Holidays (qppstudio.net). During during a regular session of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, deputies passed a bill which would amend article 73 of the Labour Code of the Ukraine and would make the 2 Muslim Eid festivals (Qurban Bayram and Ramadan Bayram) public holidays in the Crimea.
Sources: NCS and Kuwait public holidays (qppstudio.net). The President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) of Kuwait, Abdul Aziz Al-Zabin, announced the dates of the upcoming Eid al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) public holidays in Kuwait, for banks, the financial institutions and the civil service.
Sources: The President's Office (Male) and Maldives public holidays (qppstudio.net). Following the death, earlier today, of former President Ibrahim Nasir, the current President of the Maldives has declared a public holiday for tomorrow, Sunday, November 23, 2008, as well as 7 days of national mourning. Recall that, in the Maldives, weekends are Fridays and Saturdays, and that Sundays are usually normal working days.
Sources: Q++ local contacts in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The government of Kazakhstan has announced the definite official date of this year's Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) public holiday, and confirmed the date of the Independence Day bridge public holiday. Both of these match the forecasted dates sent to our licencees.
Sources: ANI Noticias (Buenos Aires) and Argentina public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Chamber of Deputies of Argentina has passed a law making November 20 a State public holiday in the National Capital State of Buenos Aires. The law still require Senate approval and Presidential confirmation.
Sources: Agência Brasil (Brasília) and Brazil public holidays (qppstudio.net). A new draft bill (Projeto de Lei No. 4.437/04) is now in front of the National Assembly. This bill, if passed into law, would make November 20 (the anniversary of the death of Zumbi dos Palmares, also known as Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra) a new annual public holiday in Brazil.Update (November 23) Last Thursday, Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (aka. Lula), announced that he was favourable to the making of November 20 as a nationwide public holiday in Brazil.Update (December 2) Last night, Brazil's lower house of parliament's Comissão de Constituição e Justiça da Câmara dos Deputados approved the bill nº 4437/ 2007 and sent it to the Senate for approval.
Sources: Sofia Echo (Sofia) and Bulgaria public holidays (qppstudio.net). As we had forecast in January, earlier this week the government of Bulgaria announced an additional end-of-the-year bridge public holiday for Friday, January 2, 2009, and confirmed the bridge public holiday on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.
Sources: New Age (Dhaka) and Bangladesh public holidays (qppstudio.net). The BNP-led alliance has informed the interim government and the Election Commission that it was dropping three out of its seven-point demands as pre-requisites to its participation in the upcoming elections. One of the dropped points was the insistence that the May 30 and November 7 public holidays be restored.Update (21-Nov-2008) The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) announced that it would push back the national election by 10 days provided the BNP-led four-party alliance commits to participate in it.
Sources: Belize Ministry of National Security (Belmopan) and Belize public holidays (qppstudio.net). The press office of the Government of Belize has released its official list of 2009 public holidays. The announced dates are in line with those already supplied to licensees of the Q++Studio Worldwide Public Holidays Database.
Sources: Philippine Headline News (Manila) and Philippines public holidays (qppstudio.net). Malacañang has not yet made any announcement as to the possibility of Friday, January 2, 2009, being a one-off public holiday, but local sources deem it quite likely, as it would give the Philippines 11 consecutive days of public holidays, from Thursday, December 25, 2008, to Sunday, January 4, 2009, inclusively.
Sources: 24.kg News Agency (Bishkek) and Kyrgyzstan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Spiritual Leadership of Kyrgyz Muslims reported yesterday that the date of the upcoming Kurman Ait non-working public holiday (aka. Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice) would be Monday, December 8, 2008, rather than December 9 as had been announced by the government since the beginning of the year.
Sources: Cronica Viva (Lima) and Peru public holidays (qppstudio.net). Peru's Minister of Labour, Jorge Villasante, has clarified the status of the upcoming, November 20-22, 2008, APEC Summit public holiday; all public services will run in "Sunday-mode" on these 3 days.
Sources: Idividi (Skopje) and Macedonia public holidays (qppstudio.net). The second edition of the "Tree Day - Plant Your Future" tree-planting national marathon will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19, 2008, which will be a non-working public holiday throughout Macedonia to encourage participation.
Sources: Agencia de Informção de Moçambique (Maputo) and Mozambique public holidays (qppstudio.net). To encourage a high turnout in next Wednesday's municipal elections, the government has declared Wednesday, November 19, 2008, as a one-off public holiday.
Sources: Khaleej Times (Muscat) and Oman public holidays (qppstudio.net). The government of Oman has announced a two-day public holiday to mark Oman's 38th National Day. The public sector holidays will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 25 and 26, 2008, while the private sector holidays will be on Wednesday and Thursday, November 26 and 27, 2008.However, as the public sector's weekend includes Thursdays, it means that the public sector will be on holidays for 4 days, from Tuesday, November 25, to Friday, November 28, inclusively, while the private sector will be on holidays for 3 days, from Wednesday, November 26, to Friday, November 28, inclusively.
Sources: Russian Duma (Moscow) and Russia public holidays (qppstudio.net). A member of the Russian State Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy, Gregory Anikeev, has proposed amending the 2004 law on public holidays in Russia to move 2 days of public holidays from January to the month of May.
Sources: Associated Press Of Pakistan (Islamabad) and Pakistan public holidays (qppstudio.net). It has been announced that the next meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for sighting of the moon will be held on Friday night, November 28, 2008.This earlier than usual meeting, to determine the sighting of the moon of Zilhajj 1429, means that November 29 could be announced as the first day of the month of Zilhajj which would mean that the date of the Eid al-Adha (Eid uz Zuha) public holiday would be on December 8, 2008, a day before our current forecast, and 2 days before the date officially announced on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of Pakistan.
Sources: The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem) and Israel public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Speaker of the Knesset (Israel's Parliament), Dalia Itzik, intends to soon convene a special session of the Knesset to pass legislation cancelling the legal holiday on election day. Her associates expressed confidence that she would be able to pass the bill, considering the recent economic downturn and the recent rejection of a referendum day public holiday (our September 8, 2008, news update).
Sources: Norfolk Island Government (Kingston) and Norfolk Island public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Government of Norfolk Island has released its list of public holidays for 2009. Note that the Agricultural & Horticultural Show public holiday, still appears as TBA (to be announced) on the official website (but it is available from the Q++Studio Worldwide Public Holidays Database).
Sources: Portal Terra (São Paulo) and Brazil public holidays (qppstudio.net). Brazil's federation of banks (Federação Brasileira de Bancos, aka. Febraban) has announced that banks in 303 of the main cities of Brazil would observe the upcoming Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra holiday on Thursday, November 20, 2008. On that date, these banks will be closed to the public.Update (November 16, 2008) According to the presidential agency SEPPIR (Secretaria Especial de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial) the November 20, Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra, holiday will be observed as a public holiday in over 700 cities throughout Brazil. Among these 700 cities are the following state capitals: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Maceió, Goiânia and João Pessoa. The Federal District (where the country's capital, Brasilia is located) and the region of of Bahia, will observe the day as a ponto facultativo.
Sources: Associated Press of Pakistan (Islamabad) and Pakistan public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Pakistan Peoples Party has announced that Saturday, December 27, 2008, would be observed as a one-off nationwide public holiday to pay homage to former prime minster Shaheed Benazir Bhutto on the first anniversary of her death. Note that December 25 and, to a lesser extent, December 26, are already annual public holidays in Pakistan.
Sources: NCS and Saudi Arabia public holidays (qppstudio.net). Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for labor affairs, announced yesterday that Saturday, December 6, 2008, would be a one-off public holiday, bridging the one-day gap between the Friday weekly day off and the previously announced Eid al Adha public holidays from December 7 to December 13, 2008. Saturday, December 13, has thus been restored as a normal working day.
Sources: Correio do Estado and Brazil public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Federal Goverment of Brazil, through its Ministério do Planejamento, announced the official list of 2009 public holidays in Brazil. This list confirms the dates of the Easter-related public holidays and otherwise confirms the dates of fixed-date public holidays. The one noteworthy point is that the Dia do Servidor Público (Civil Servants' Day) which is in theory on the fixed date of October 28, will again, as it was in 2007 and 2008 be moved to another date.
Sources: Sofia Echo (Sofia) and Bulgaria public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Government of Bulgaria confirmed that Wednesday, December 31, 2008, would be a one-off public holiday, in addition to the legally mandated holidays from December 24-28 and January 1st. As we had reported in January, to compensate, Saturday, December 20, 2008, will be a regular working day.
Sources: The Punjab Newspaper (Chandigarh) and India public holidays (qppstudio.net). Earlier today, the Punjab Government declared an afternoon public holiday, for tomorrow, Wednesday, November 12, 2008, to enable its employees to participate in Nagar Kirtan on the eve of Birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Sources: Peru21 (Lima) and Peru public holidays (qppstudio.net). A bill has been introduced in Peru's Parliament which would make October 31, Reformation Day, a new paid public holiday (con carácter de feriado no laborable) for Evangelicals and Protestants (about 12% of the Peruvian population). This is reminiscent of the recently created new public holiday in Chile which bears the same name as that proposed in the Peruvian bill; Día Nacional de las Iglesias Evangélicas y Protestantes.
Sources: AFP (Paris) and France public holidays (qppstudio.net). It has been reported that, following the lead of Luxembourg's Prime Minister, France's European Affairs secrétaire d'Etat, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, is about to propose that the May 8 public holiday commemorating the end of World War II be replaced by May 9, the Day of Europe. However, the UMP's Party Whip, Jean-François Copé, immediately re-stated his opposition to such a measure.
Sources: BBC News and Iraq public holidays (qppstudio.net). Qazim Abudi, administrative director of the Iraq High Electoral Committee, announced that the long delayed provincial elections would be held on the same day, Saturday, January 31, 2009, in Baghdad and 14 or Iraq's 18 provinces. Based on what happened on the occasion of previous elections, we expect that date to be declared a public holiday in Iraq.
Sources: El Mercurio (Santiago) and Chile public holidays (qppstudio.net). A recent article in The Economist quotes sources in the Government of Chile as saying that it was considering removing some catholic public holidays related to the Virgin Mary, such as July 16, August 15, and December 8. This would be to compensate for the recently added October 31 public holiday and last year's passing of legislation enshrining the concept of Sandwich Day public holidays.
Sources: Ghana News Agency (Accra) and Ghana public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Ministry of the Interior of Ghana has issued a statement confirming that Friday, November 7, 2008, the date when, exceptionally, this year's Farmers' Day will be observed, is not a public holiday.
Sources: Secretaria de Estado de Trabajo (SET) and Dominican Republic public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Secretary of State for Labour of the Dominican Republic has released its official listing of public holidays for the year 2009. The dates announced are in line with the long-tern forecasts provided to licensees of the QppStudio Worldwide Public Holidays Database.
Sources: The Straits Times (Singapore) and Thailand public holidays (qppstudio.net). The government of Thailand has declared public holidays for the region of Chiang Mai from Monday to Thursday, December 15-18, 2008, to facilitate traffic and security measures during the upcoming ASEAN summit.
Sources: Associated Press (Kogelo, Kenya) and Kenya public holidays (qppstudio.net). The President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, has declared Thursday, November 6, 2008, as a one-off public holiday in Kenya to "celebrate the historic achievement by Senator Obama and our country".
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