The Union of Bulgarian Philatelists announces with great sadness that Ivan Kostov, doyen of Bulgarian, European and world philately, has left us at the age of 99. In his long life dedicated to philately, Ivan Kostov was a long-time publisher and editor-in-chief of the national philatelic magazine, as well as a mentor to generations of Bulgarian philatelists. Ivan Kostov was accredited FIP juror in Postal History, Aerophilately and Literature. He was President of the Jury of BULGARIA 2009, a European Exhibition under FEPA patronage. Sorrow tears our hearts. God rest his soul. R.I.P.
Jenwit Apichainunt, Commissioner General of THAILAND 2023 World Stamp Championship, officially announced the upcoming exhibition by inviting the national philatelic federations to appoint commissioners and return entry forms by 31st March.
The invitation letter mentions that the Philatelic Association of Thailand (P.A.T.) under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn with the full support of Thailand Post Co. Ltd. will host the THAILAND 2023 WSC to celebrate the “Auspicious occasion of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary and to celebrate 140th Anniversary of the first Thai Postage Stamp and Postal Services”. The exhibition will be held from 27 November to 2 December 2023 at the Grand Postal Building, Bangkok. It will be a Specialised WSC exhibition under FIP patronage, expected to be spread out over 2500 frames.
Secret letters written in code by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment in England have been uncovered and decoded by a team of cryptographers. The documents, which were believed to have been lost, were found in the National Library of France in Paris. They were written to her supporters while she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th Century.
Experts said the codebreakers’ work on the 57 letters was the most significant discovery about Mary for 100 years. They had been wrongly catalogued in the library, and only when the code was broken was it possible to identify Mary as the author. Working through a complex pattern of symbols in the letters, they revealed Mary’s complaints about the conditions of her detention, her feelings of abandonment by France and attempts to broker her release.
The letters date from 1578 to 1584, a few years before Mary’s beheading 436 years ago – on 8 February 1587.
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/maryletter-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2023-02-18 23:11:432023-02-18 23:11:43Mary Queen of Scots: Secret letters written during imprisonment decoded
Ivan Kostov (1924-2023)
The Union of Bulgarian Philatelists announces with great sadness that Ivan Kostov, doyen of Bulgarian, European and world philately, has left us at the age of 99. In his long life dedicated to philately, Ivan Kostov was a long-time publisher and editor-in-chief of the national philatelic magazine, as well as a mentor to generations of Bulgarian philatelists. Ivan Kostov was accredited FIP juror in Postal History, Aerophilately and Literature. He was President of the Jury of BULGARIA 2009, a European Exhibition under FEPA patronage. Sorrow tears our hearts. God rest his soul. R.I.P.
Board of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists
THAILAND 2023 WSC entry forms deadline: 31st March
Jenwit Apichainunt, Commissioner General of THAILAND 2023 World Stamp Championship, officially announced the upcoming exhibition by inviting the national philatelic federations to appoint commissioners and return entry forms by 31st March.
The invitation letter mentions that the Philatelic Association of Thailand (P.A.T.) under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn with the full support of Thailand Post Co. Ltd. will host the THAILAND 2023 WSC to celebrate the “Auspicious occasion of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua’s 72nd Birthday Anniversary and to celebrate 140th Anniversary of the first Thai Postage Stamp and Postal Services”. The exhibition will be held from 27 November to 2 December 2023 at the Grand Postal Building, Bangkok. It will be a Specialised WSC exhibition under FIP patronage, expected to be spread out over 2500 frames.
Organisers email: thailand2023wsc@gmail.com
The IREX may be downloaded from here: https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IREX-THAILAND-2023-WSC.pdf
Mary Queen of Scots: Secret letters written during imprisonment decoded
Reported by the BBC website on 8th February:
Secret letters written in code by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment in England have been uncovered and decoded by a team of cryptographers. The documents, which were believed to have been lost, were found in the National Library of France in Paris. They were written to her supporters while she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th Century.
Experts said the codebreakers’ work on the 57 letters was the most significant discovery about Mary for 100 years. They had been wrongly catalogued in the library, and only when the code was broken was it possible to identify Mary as the author. Working through a complex pattern of symbols in the letters, they revealed Mary’s complaints about the conditions of her detention, her feelings of abandonment by France and attempts to broker her release.
The letters date from 1578 to 1584, a few years before Mary’s beheading 436 years ago – on 8 February 1587.
Full story: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64568222