Relationship

The whole world knows by now that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, doesn’t have a very good relationship with her father. He wasn’t present at her wedding, though it still isn’t entirely clear whether this was due to health reasons or because Meghan, or the royal family, didn’t want him there (or a combination). Meghan and her father have become estranged due to his many comments in the media and his co-operation with the paparazzi right before the royal wedding. Their relationship hasn’t always been this bad, though. A few years ago Meghan even posted a Father’s Day post on Instagram, thanking him for all he’d done for her, ending with the words “I love you”. The post is no longer up, since Meghan’s Instagram was deleted when she became part of the royal family.

Reaction

Markle, a 74-year-old retired Hollywood lighting director, heard the news of his daughter’s pregnancy on the radio in his car. He said the news was “overwhelming and joyful” to him and that “the first thing I thought about was holding Meghan in my arms as a newborn 37 years ago.” Markle reminisces about Meghan’s birth through C-section, saying she was the most beautiful baby and that it was love at first sight. He says that the news of Meghan’s pregnancy filled him with joy and pride and that he is delighted for both her and Harry. “She will make a fantastic mother.”

Mother

Thomas Markle denies the rumours that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, called him with the baby news before it was made public. Markle was markedly absent from the official announcement, which did include Ragland: “Ms Doria Ragland is very happy about the lovely news and she looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild.” While Markle has yet to meet his son-in-law Harry, Ragland has accompanied the couple on various occasions. She’s also said to be planning a move to England, so she can help take care of the royal baby.

Hardly anyone can find her!

Can you see the girl between the rocks? If you can find her you’ve got some very good eyes. We had to look about four times before we finally saw her!

Where’s Waldo
The internet loves looking for things in pictures Where’s Waldo-style. Do you remember the picture of all the snowmen and one single panda bear? That one was made by Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás and went completely viral. Today we’ve got another picture for you in which something is hidden. Take a look at the picture on the next page! Can you find the girl?

Difficult
The picture was posted on Imgur, an online platform on which you can share your pictures, and it captured the attention of many of its users. We know there’s a girl, but where is she?! Because it’s so difficult to find the girl, many people thought the photographer was fooling them and there was nothing to see in the picture. But the girl is really there. We’ve got the solution for you below!

The thing you see first in this image determines your personality

If you follow our blog regularly, you’ll know we love sharing these odd images, riddles and quizzes with you to determine your personality. Did you know that some images are very telling about the way you think? The Rorschach test, the official name for ink blot tests, has been used for years. We have a new one for you: this image with a tree, a gorilla, a lion and fish. What did you see first?

Fun fact: this image is the logo of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in the United States. Find out on the next page what the different animals tell you.

Gorilla

Did you see the gorilla first? This could mean you have a lowered self-image. You are perfectionistic and quite hard on yourself. Your standard is very high, and you expect the very best of yourself. This is difficult, as no one can be perfect and live up to your high standards. You are also very curious and you like to discover new things and experience new stuff. Try to focus on what’s good for YOU, not what other people expect of you.

Lion

If you saw the lion first it means you like your freedom. You are independent and act instinctually. You don’t like to judge and hate being placed in a box. If you feel suffocated by someone, you are likely to use your ‘claws’ to defend yourself. This means you can be quite direct and harsh, even if you don’t mean to be. You love life and live it to the fullest. Your heart is in the right place, but sometimes you forget how other people may perceive your behaviour.

Fish

Even though they are not very prominent, the fish were the first to catch your attention. This means you are an introverted person who doesn’t like to be in the centre of attention. You don’t show the true you to many people. Nonetheless, people like you and you’re easy-going. You are dependable and are able to build strong bonds with others, meaning you are often called ‘best friend’. Your empathic and people like being around you.

A career in the military means being away from home from time to time. And when they are, many soldiers are separated from their families. This sometimes leads to painful, yet beautiful stories. Take, for example, the US Marine Chris Daugherty, who came home to a very special surprise after his military service…

Goodbye

When Daugherty left home in January 2017, he initially expected to be away from home for about five months. A few months later, however, it would become clear that his trip would be extended. An unexpected twist, but it was nothing compared to the shock that awaited him on his return…

Off to Korea

Daugherty, his wife Natasha and their three children were no strangers to the Marine family life. The Marine had been away from home for extended periods before, so when he left for Korea in early 2017, the family knew what to expect.

Loneliness

Still, it wasn’t long before Natasha started to feel lonely. Although she was just starting to get used to her husband’s long journeys, she felt strange this time around. She even found herself behaving differently this time. It all began with small changes, but soon these became more and more difficult to hide…

A difficult toddler

Natasha’s children also began to notice these changes. Her eldest child, a 10-year-old boy, could easily keep it a secret, but whether her younger daughter could too? That was the question.

Non-stop conversations

Although Natasha didn’t have much time for herself with all the work she had to do at home, she still kept in regular contact with her husband. They video called each other almost every day, but it wasn’t easy for Natasha. What if Chris found out that she was trying to hide something?

Almost got caught

There were times it was especially difficult for Natasha to keep her secret. She wanted to tell Chris so badly. A few weeks after he left, they had a video call during which she almost gave it away. At the last minute she decided to keep it a secret.

He wasn’t the only one she hid it from

Besides Chris, Natasha’s immediate family too couldn’t know about her secret. This proved to be more difficult by the day, because she had many clever relatives who could easily find out that the woman was keeping a secret.

Increasingly dangerous

Not only Natasha’s situation was getting more and more dangerous. Chris, who was in Korea at the time, also got into trouble. The North Korean government was experimenting with nuclear weapons, and Chris was close to the test site.

Hard times

Natasha lived in uncertainty about her husband’s fate. Still, she had to make ends meet With two jobs and three children to care for, she barely had time for herself.

Half a year later

Five months had passed, but Chris had not returned. In fact, his mission would be extended by a month. He called his wife from the army base to break the news. The mission, which became increasingly dangerous, would continue for at least another month…

Going mad with uncertainty

It was a nerve-wracking time for Natasha. Every day she doubted whether or not she should reveal the secret. What if her husband died? Could she ever forgive herself?

Coming home

Still, she held on, and her perseverance paid off. In June, six months after Chris’s departure, he set course back to his home in America.

Some love gardening and other like to stay as far away from it as possible. Whether you belong to the first or second category; it’s always nice to know a few handy garden tricks that will save you time and money. We have therefore listed 21 garden hacks for you. Here they come: 

1. Use a newspaper against weeds

Even for those who like gardening, weeding can be a pain. Did you know that you can prevent weeds from growing in your garden by using a newspaper?

What to do?

Place an old newspaper over an area that you’d like to weed. Wet the newspaper and cover it completely with soil, firmly pressing the soil against the newspaper. This way the weeds (under the newspaper) do not receive sunlight or oxygen, which suffocates the weeds. The newspaper paper is organically degradable too, so you don’t have to worry about pollution.

2. Use cooking spray on your lawn mower

Do you regularly mow the grass and does the grass stick to the blades of your lawn mower? You can easily prevent this by spraying the blades of your mower with cooking spray. As a result, grass sticks to the blades a lot less easily.

3. Grow your own tomatoes

You don’t have to buy tomato seeds if you want to grow your own tomatoes. All you need is a pot, potting soil and an overripe tomato. Cut the tomato into slices and fill the pot up to about three quarters with potting soil. Place the cut tomato slices in the pot and press lightly. Cover the slices with some soil and press again. Place the pot in a sunny spot and water the soil occasionally.Once the seedlings come up, you can repot them. There is a good chance that dozens of tomato plants have emerged from the soil. If all goes well, one tomato plant can produce dozens of tomatoes. Four tomato plants are probably more than enough. Carefully repot four plants in separate pots and then allow the tomato plant to grow further.

4. Using garlic against slugs

Do snails regularly feed off your plants? There is a natural solution that you can use to chase snails out of your garden. All you need is garlic. Snails do not like the pungent smell of this herb. The moment the mollusks smell the smell of garlic, they’ll stay away from the garlic cloves or bulbs.

What to do?

• Crush two whole garlic bulbs and put them in a bowl or bucket.
• Boil 1 liter of water and pour it over the crushed garlic bulbs and let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Carefully pour the water into a spray bottle (making sure the water has cooled enough).
• Spray the plants that are being eaten by snails with the garlic water and you will notice the snails start to disappear. Nice and easy!

5. Get rid of green buildup on your fence with green soap

Green buildup on the fence is a pain in the butt for many people. Thankfully you don’t have to buy expensive cleaning supplies to get all the buildup off. What will you need? Green soap, baking soda, and warm water. This combination works perfectly against green buildup, algae, and moss on your fence.

What do you need to do?

• Dissolve 50 grams of green soap and 50 grams of soda into 5 liters of water.
• Rub a bit of the mixture onto your fence and let it sit.
• Scrub the fence with a medium-hard brush. Watch out: don’t use a steel brush, this could damage the wood.
• Covered all of your fence? Rinse it off with water and your fence is as good as new.

Something bizarre appeared on the riverbed

It’s June 1969. A team of engineers has managed to complete a near impossible task. Against all odds, they have stopped the flow of Niagara Falls, silencing one of the most famous tourist attractions on Earth. However, while the water dries up for the first time in thousands of years, a secret is revealed on the rocks below. This find is truly unbelievable. 

It all started as a far cry from what Niagara Falls looks like today. Every year, millions of tourists flock to the area to admire the swirling waters. But more than five decades ago, something special happened in that very place. Back then, the famous waterfall was reduced to a trickle of water, while engineers explored what was happening at the bottom.

At that time, man surpassed nature. As the waterfall began to recede, visitors gathered to witness a spectacle they had never seen before. But what was revealed after Niagara Falls had been stopped?

The story of Niagara Falls began about 18,000 years ago with advancing ice caps. After the ice melted, it left a waterfall that flowed into the Niagara River. Over time, this inundation eroded nearby cliffs, creating the wonder of nature that we know today.

Nowadays, the nature reserve is located on the border between the United States and Canada, and it is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world.

Although French explorer Samuel de Champlain first heard rumors of a huge waterfall in the region in the early 1600s, it wasn’t until 1678 that Niagara was first spotted by Europeans. That year, a priest named Father Louis Hennepin was witness to the astonishing spectacle on an expedition to what was then known as New France.

Five years after his discovery of the falls, priest Hennepin published A New Discovery, in which he described his incredible find. It was in this publication that the name Niagara first appeared — believed to have originated from the Iroquian word “onguiaahra,” meaning “the strait.” From the moment Westerners became aware of the falls, more and more people started travelling to the region.

In the 1800s, the number of tourists arriving at Niagara Falls by train also increased. The area had increasingly become a tourist attraction. A wide variety of amenities soon emerged to accommodate the influx of visitors—many of whom were even on honeymoon. But it was not only the local hospitality sector that saw potential in the attraction.

Toward the end of the 19th century, the industrial world too recognized the value of the falls. By harnessing the power of the water flow, they were able to power their factories and mills. In 1895, a hydroelectric power station was opened—the first major facility of its kind the world had ever seen.

But while the waterfall was innovative, it could only carry electricity for about 90 meters. Fortunately, famed inventor Nikola Tesla took things to the next level in 1896. Making use of his knowledge of alternating current, he was able to divert current more than 20 miles away to Buffalo, New York.

Tesla made history with his AC induction motor. His experiments at Niagara Falls laid the foundation for a system that still transports electricity around the world today. More than a hundred years later, hydropower is still generated by the falls. The factories located there can produce up to 2.4 million kilowatts of electric current.

Today, Niagara Falls is split between two countries, with both an American and a Canadian side. Taken together, the countries receive about 30 million tourists every year. During peak hours, visitors can see the water tumble down at a rate of six million cubic feet per minute. Wow!

An interesting detail: the amount of water that flows down the falls decreases significantly at night. A 1950 treaty allows local businesses to direct more of the power to their power plants at times when the spectacular view is impacted the least. However, it is not the only time that the volume of the waterfall changes.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Roy’s residence in Salt Lake to express her condolences. “Mukul is my longtime colleague and I personally knew his wife.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy’s wife Krishna died in a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday morning following a cardiac arrest. She was suffering from complications after recovering from Covid-19, and was flown to Chennai on June 17 for a lungs transplant.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Roy’s residence in Salt Lake to express her condolences. “Mukul is my longtime colleague and I personally knew his wife. We all thought that she will recover and we made every effort to ensure she got better. But she passed away. Their son Subhrangshu is in Chennai. Tomorrow morning, the body will arrive in Kolkata. Later, the body will be taken to their house in Kanchrapara. The final rites will be held there,” Banerjee said.

TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, the chief minister’s nephew, also visited Roy.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar too condoled Krishna Roy’s death. “Heartfelt condolences @MukulR_Official Mukul Roy, Former Union Minister and MLA, WBLA on the sad demise of his wife Mrs. Krishna Roy. Pray Almighty to bestow eternal peace on departed soul and strength to family and numerous friends to bear this huge loss and setback,” he tweeted.

Roberto Mancini’s side took the lead on the hour through a sensational curler from Federico Chiesa to complete a sweeping counter-attack which began with keeper Donnarumma catching a Spain cross and rolling the ball out.

🇮🇹 Chiesa's curler at Wembley 🥰

Goal of the Round contender? 🤷

@GazpromFootball | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/9A0mpTWn47

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 6, 2021

Italy reached the Euro 2020 final after edging Spain 4-2 on penalties following a compelling 1-1 draw after extra time on Tuesday, completing a remarkable revival after failing to qualify for the last World Cup.

Jorginho coolly rolled the decisive kick past Spain keeper Unai Simon in the semi-final at Wembley after Alvaro Morata had been thwarted by a fine save from Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Dani Olmo had blasted his effort over the bar.

Italy’s substitutes and coaching staff poured on to the pitch celebrate in front of their jubilant supporters behind the goal after Jorginho’s kick booked their place in Sunday’s final against either England or Denmark.

Roberto Mancini’s side took the lead on the hour through a sensational curler from Federico Chiesa to complete a sweeping counter-attack which began with keeper Donnarumma catching a Spain cross and rolling the ball out.

Morata, who had been dropped from the starting lineup after beginning all Spain’s previous games, equalised with 10 minutes left, calmly slotting into the bottom corner after bursting forward and exchanging a one-two with Olmo.

The goal was the latest twist in an eventful few weeks for Morata, who has been booed and even faced death threats from Spain supporters after a couple of poor showings, before redeeming himself with a crucial goal in the 5-3 win over Croatia.

But his tournament ended in dismay as his tame spotkick allowed Jorginho to clinch the win for Italy, continuing their sensational run, having earned a clean sweep of victories in the group stage and knocked out top-ranked Belgium in the quarter-finals.

“Spain were great, they have star players but we fought until the end and we did it,” said Italy’s Chiesa.

“When (Manuel) Locatelli missed the first penalty, everyone was calm saying we can do it and at the end our group helped us in the moment.”

Mancini’s side are looking to win the European Championship for the first time since 1968 and secure their first major trophy since winning the 2006 World Cup.

Italy avenged their shootout defeat to Spain in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals and their resounding defeat in the Euro 2012 final, and completed a second straight European Championship victory over the Spaniards after their 2-0 win in the last 16 at Euro 2016.

Spain coach Luis Enrique could take nothing away from his side.

“They only wanted to get to penalties in extra time but we could have played for half an hour more. We can be happy and proud with what we’ve seen. We kept trying to play our way,” he said.

“Everyone can feel proud of this team, we have many young players who have done things you couldn’t imagine at their age and we were a team from start to finish.”

SCORCHING ATMOSPHERE

Wembley’s capacity was expanded to 60,000 and although coronavirus restrictions prevented fans from travelling abroad, the two countries’ expatriate communities turned out to pack each end behind the goal and generate a scorching atmosphere, which heightened the sense of occasion between two titans of international football.

Italy made an intense start but Spain went on to dominate the first half, although Mancini’s side came closest to scoring when Emerson clipped the bar right before halftime.

The second half was even more intense as gaps opened up at either end and Spain captain Sergio Busquets missed a great chance when he sent a shot just over the crossbar.

Chiesa then broke the deadlock by pouncing on a loose ball after a last-ditch tackle by Aymeric Laporte and curling into the net to score his second goal in the tournament after also netting at Wembley against Austria.

Italy could have put the game to bed, but Simon saved twice from Domenico Berardi and Morata made them pay.

Spain looked more likely to find a winner in the remaining minutes and in extra time but could not manage a second shootout victory after prevailing against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

Once again Morata was a crucial part of the story, but not in the way he would have wanted.

Almost all the perishable and packaged food items are packed in plastic or similar materials. We find the use of plastic almost everywhere, from crockery to furniture, containers, vehicles, utensils and every other area of domestic or commercial sector. Garbage bins and landfills lie flooded all over with plastic bags, items, damaged plastic waste, etc. The reason – The human race and civilization has developed drastically and with advancing technology, we seem to have incorporated plastic into almost every product today. Life seems inevitable without the indispensable use of plastic, its variants and products. But the flipside of plastic overuse has led to production of over a billion tonnes of disposable and non-biodegradable waste. As a result, we are left with an unending heap of waste with nowhere to properly get rid of, and it eventually ends up as dump waste in landfills, polluting and leaching harmful materials into the components of nature.

How is plastic formed/made?

Plastic is usually classified as synthetic and biobased plastic. While synthetic plastics are sourced from crude oil, natural gas or coal, biobased plastic is sourced from renewable products such as carbohydrates, vegetable and animal fats, etc. As compared to biobased plastic, synthetic plastic is easier and cheaper to produce. Synthetic plastic is made from natural gas, crude oil or coal. The first step in plastic manufacturing is extraction. After this, the refining and fractional distillation process takes place (for crude oil) wherein crude oil is purified and the required components for plastic making are separated out. These materials (like naphtha) are monomeric and are converted to polymer units through polymerization. Polymerization is a process in which monomers like ethylene, propylene, butylene are converted into high molecular weight hydrocarbons, or polymers. After this in compounding, various blends of materials are mixed by melting to make formulations for plastics. On the other hand, bioplastic is made from bioethanol, which is made from the fermentation of natural/biological sources.

The major problem today is handling non-biodegradable plastic waste. These plastics do not decompose to natural and environmentally safe products over time through biological processes. The extensive use of non-biodegradable plastic is due to its durability, versatility and economical cost. Due to this, a large amount of plastic waste is generated, leading to environmental pollution. Thus, plastic is discarded easily and its accumulation in the environment leads to numerous problems. Methods have been devised to dispose it off, but these methods either release toxic by-products into the environment or are costly to treat and recycle. 

The probable solutions to reduce plastic pollution focus either on treatment and regeneration of old plastic waste or choosing alternatives to plastic products or finding technologies to produce decomposable and environment-friendly plastic. Some of the methods to do this is reduce plastic usage and disposal, reuse the material in a better way, recycle the existing waste and refuse or choose other materials over plastic items, rethink on ways and means to take corrective steps towards reducing plastic pollution, repair and make smart use of the existing waste, refurbish old plastic items, remanufacture instead of revamping into wholly new plastic items, repurpose or find better ways of pushing waste to sustainable usage and recover for the spoilage of nature due to the resulting pollution. Government and watch bodies all over the world are creating a lot of awareness about the wretched situation regarding handling of plastic waste and how severely it will revert back on us if we don’t act soon and take control of it, and are taking up initiatives to improve the current scenario. The use of bio-degradable plastics is in circulation nowadays. Bio-degradable plastics are degradable to water, carbon dioxide (or methane) and biomass under specified and controlled conditions. These may not be totally efficient solution systems to non-biodegradable plastics, but they are surely less polluting and more environmentally safe in comparison. A lot of research is building up on solutions to tackle plastic garbage and we surely hope that we might find co-habitable and eco-friendly methods to its use or replacement.

We can hardly keep our hands off those scrumptious fries, kebabs, nuggets, and pakoras, wadas, chips, samosas because they are absolutely irresistible! But these deep-fried delicacies are loaded with too much oil. The result – we end up consuming more fat than required and become prone to obesity. The reason – fats are not assimilated in the body at the rate of other micronutrients like carbohydrates and are not excreted when ingested in excess. They rather get accumulated in the body and add to bad body fat and weight instead of muscle weight. Fats are calorie dense as compared to carbohydrates and proteins, contributing a whopping 9Kcal per gram of fat.

The human blood carries two types of cholesterol: LDL and HDL. Out of these, HDL is the good cholesterol while excessive LDL is bad for our health. LDL deposits in the blood vessels and important organs like heart and eventually blocks arteries, leading to atherosclerosis. Too much consumption of unhealthy fats like saturated and trans fats can raise the bad cholesterol of our body, exposing the risk to heart diseases and stroke.

Saturated fats are obtained from animal sources such as meat and dairy products and plant sources like coconut and palm oil. Artificial trans fats are formed due to partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. These are hydrogenated for easy storage, longer shelf life and to prevent rancidity. Trans fats formed naturally by animals and other sources aren’t considered quite harmful, but artificially made ones have serious health consequences. Saturated fats are found in high amount in products like cakes, biscuits and cookies, toffees, fatty meat and animal derives fats. Trans fats are high in products like frozen pizza, shortenings, bakery products like pies and cakes, fried foods like fries and doughnuts. These food items are quite a delicacy, but they are loaded with unhealthy fats which can be detrimental to our health.

Firstly, we can moderate the consumption of this calorie dense macronutrient and secondly, we can choose to eat healthy fats instead. One such fat, ghee is considered as a sattvic food and is recommended by health experts albeit its saturated fat content. Ghee helps in enhancing the good cholesterol content of the body. Ghee made from the milk of grass-fed cows is naturally rich in vitamin A, E and K.  Research shows that ghee is beneficial to reduce chances of ulcers and cancers of the gut. Ghee is rich in butyric acid which is involved in the production of T-cells which help with body immunity. Butyric acid is an anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer constituent too. Ghee is essential for balancing hormones related to thyroid dysfunction. It aids in weight loss by lifting up the body’s metabolism. Similarly, rice bran oil and olive oil are healthy oils too. Rice bran oil is rich in vitamin E, oryzanol, plant sterols and is packed with healthy unsaturated heart healthy fats rather than saturated ones. Olive oil, a staple component of the Mediterranean diet, considered as the healthiest, most balanced and nutritious diet in the world is high in monounsaturated fats, the good fats which help in curing ailments of liver, cancer, heart and reduce the oxidative stress in body by scavenging free radicals through antioxidants present in it. Omega-3 and omega-6 fats when consumed in proportionate amounts are also a good source of healthy fats.

Consuming fats is necessary to carry various metabolic functions of the body, but it is our choice which makes the big difference. Healthy fats go a long way in protective and healthy body functions, while unhealthy fats are empty calories and gradually deteriorate our health and body. So, it is upto us to make choices which promote a healthy body and longevity, adding to quality of life. 

• 

European Alliances and Counter – Alliances

In 1900 five of the European Great powers were divided into two armed camps.One camp consisted of the Central powers-Germany, Australia-Hungary and Italy.Under the guidance of Bismarck,they had formed the Triple Alliance in 1882.The understanding was that Germany and Austria would help each other.The other camp consisted of France and Russia.Their alliance was formed in 1894 with the promise of mutual help if Germany attacked either of them.An isolated Britian wanted to break her isolation and approached Germany twice but in vain.As Japan was the ally of Russia,it preferred to ally with Britain (1902).The Anglo-Japanese Alliance prompted France to seek an alliance with Britain (1902).The Anglo-Japanese Alliance prompted France to seek an alliance with Britain to resolve colonial disputes over Morocco and Egypt.This resulted in the Entente Cordiale(1904).In return in the Entente Cordiale (1904).In return for letting the French have a free hand in Morocco, France agreed to recognize the British occupation of Egypt . Britain subsequently reached an agreement with Russia over Persia,Afghnis an and Tibet.Thus was formed the Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia.

Violent Forms of Nationalism

With the growth of Nationalism,the attitude of”my country right or wrong I support it” developed.The love for one country demanded hatred for another country.England’s jingoism, France’s chauvinism and Germany’s kultur were militant forms of Nationalism,contributing decisively to the outbreak of war.

Aggressive Attitude of German Emperor

• 

Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm || of Germany was ruthlessly assertive and aggressive.The Kaiser proclaimed that Germany would be the leader of the world.The German navy was expanded.The sea being considered a presserve of England ever since Napoleon’s defeat at Trafalgar (1805), Germany’s aggressive diplomacy and rapid building of naval bases convinced Britain that a German navy could be directed only against her.Therfore , Britain embarked on a naval race, which heightened the tension between the two powers.

Hostility of France towards Germany

France and Germany were old rivals.Bitter memories of the defeat of 1871 and loss of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany rankled in the minds of the French.German interference in Morocco added to the bitterness.The British agreement with France ovr Morocco was not consented by Germany.So Kaiser Wilhelm|| intertionally recognissed the independence of the Sultan and demanded an international of the Sultan and demanded an international conference to decide on the future of Morocco.

Imperial power politics in the Balkans

The young Turk Revolution of 1908 ,an attempt at creating a strong and modern government in Turkey, provided both Austria and Russia with the opportunity to resume there activities in tha Blankans.Austria and Russia met and agreed that Austria should annexe Bosnia and Herzegovina,while Russia should have freedom to move her warships, through the Dardanelles and the Bosporus ,to the Mediterranean.sokn after this , Austria announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Austria’s action aroused intence opposition from Serbia.Germany gave Austria firm support.Germany went to the extent of promising that if Austria invaded Serbia and in consequence Russia helped Serbia, Germany would come to Austria’s assistance.The enmity between Austria and Serbia , Germany would come to Austria’s assistance.The enmity between Austria and Serbia led to the Outbreak of war in1914.

The Balkan wars

• 

Turkey was a powerful country in the south west of Europe in the first half of eighteenth century.The Ottoman Empire extended over the Balkans and across Hungary to Poland .The Empire contained many non-Turkish people in the Balkans.Both the Turks and their subjects of different nationalities in the Balkans indulged in the most frightful massacres and atrocities.The Armenian genocide is a frightful example.Taking advantage of the political and economic instability of the Turkish Empire from the second half of the eighteenth century,Greeks followed by others began to secede,one after another,from Turkish control.Macedonia had a mixed population.There were rivalries among Greece ,Serbia,Bulgaria and later Montenegro for the control ofbit.In March 1912 they formed the Balkan League.The League attacked and defeated Turkish forces in the first Balkan war (1912-13). According to the Treaty of London signed in May 1913 the new state of Albania was created and the other Balkan states divided up Macedonia between them.Turkey was reduced to the area around Constantinople.

• 

• 

The division of Macedonia, however,did not satisfy Bulgaria.Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece.But Bulgaria was easily defeated.The second Balkan war ended with the signing of the Treaty of the Treaty of Bucharest in August 1913.

Immediate cause

• 

The climax to these events in the Balkans occurred in Bosnia.On 28 June 1914 the Archduke Franz Ferdinand,nephew and heir to Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary,was assassinated by Princip ,a Bosnian serb.Austria saw in this an opportunity to the eliminate Serbia as an independent state.Germany thought that it should strike first.It declared war on Russia on 1Augest . Germany had no quarrel with France,but because of the Franco-Russia Alliance ,the German army which was planning a war against both France and Russia wanted to use the occasion to its advantage.The German violation of Belgian neutrality forced Britain to enter war.