Croatia (Hrvatska) Postage Stamp - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Croatia issued a single stamp on 14 June 2018, for FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia event.

Croatia (Hrvatska) stamp for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia shows a sketched football player, while in the background the FIFA World Cup 2018 Trophy and the symbols of FIFA 2018 Russia can be seen.

A beautiful stamp to have in your collection.

The Croatia (Hrvatska) 2018 Football World Cup stamp has been designed by Adam Peter Maguire and Lidija Novosel and the denomination is 6.50 HRK.

Size of the stamp is 35.50 x 29.82 mm with horizontal orientation.
The Croatian FIFA 2018 stamp has been issued in a sheet of 9 stamps with 1 label showing a football player in different coloured football kit.

Logo of FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia is printed in the imprint, towards bottom left side of the sheet.

A FDC was also issued for 2018 FIFA World Cup Croatia Stamp, showing a corner flag and the FIFA 2018 logo.

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Postage Stamps - ALL ISSUED STAMPS by different countries

Hi guys!
FIFA World Cup Postage stamps have always been a hot topic for collectors and it is one of my favourite topics too. Like all of you, I am also trying to collect them from all corners of the globe. The only problem is to track all the issues in time.

Here I am trying to gather all the information that I can find, so that it can become a handy list for myself and all other collectors.

This page can even help other collectors to swap the issue among each other.

So far, following countries have issued 2018 FIFA World Cup stamps (timbres):-

Click on the "Country Name" to see the image & details:

- Algeria - 1 stamp (25 Algerian Dinar) - 21.04.2018
- Aruba -  2 stamps (13, 220 AWG) - 15.06.2018
- Bangladesh - 4 stamps & 2 Souvenir Sheets (10, 10, 10, 10, 50, 50 BDT) - 14.06.2018
- Belgium - 1 stamp & a Miniature Sheet (€1.30) - 25.05.2018
- Brazil - 2 stamps (4.50 BRL) - 25.05.2018
- Costa Rica - 2 stamps and 1 Souvenir Sheet (2310 CRC) - 12.06.2018
- Croatia (Hrvatska) - 1 stamp (6.50 HRK) - 14.06.2018
- Cyprus - 1 stamp (€0.64) - 28.03.2018
- Hungary (Magyarorszag) - 1 stamp (385 HUF) - 25.05.2018
- Iceland (Island) - 1 stamp (50 ISK) - 26.04.2018
- Kyrgyzstan KP - 4 stamps & 1 Miniature Sheet (20, 27, 48 & 102 KGS) - 16.06.2018
- Lebanon (Liban) - 2 stamps (1250, 2250 Lebanese Liras) - 13.06.2018
- Macedonia -  2 stamps (72 , 88 MKD) - 05.06.2018
- Malta - Souvenir Sheet (€3.00) - 16.06.2018
- Mexico -  2 stamps (7, 7 MXN) - 04.06.2018
- Monaco - 1 stamp (€1.30) - 16.04.2018
- Morocco -  1 stamp (9 MAD) - 20.06.2018 (issued without FIFA Logo)
- North Korea -  Many stamps - Issued in 2018
- Oman -  1 stamp (500 Baisa) & 1 Souvenir Sheet (2500 Baisa) - 01.07.2018
- Peru -  8 stamps in 2 souvenir sheets (13, 26 PEN) - 30.05.2018
- Poland (Polska) - 1 stamp (6.0 PLN) - 14.06.2018
- Romania - 4 stamps & a Miniature Sheet (1.7, 2, 3, 8.5 RON) - 07.06.2018
- Saudi Arabia -  1 souvenir sheet (5 SAR) - 12.06.2018
- Serbia - 2 stamps & 1 Souvenir Sheet (23, 74, 170 RSD) - 14.06.2018
- Sierre Leone - 4 stamps (4 x 7750 SLL) - 27.02.2018
- Spain - 1 stamp (€2.00) - 08.06.2018
- Tajikistan - 3 stamps (3.50, 4.20 & 5.80 TJS) - 19.06.2017
- Thailand -  5 stamps (3 THB each) & 3 Stamps (15 THB each) - 14.06.2018
- Togo - 4 stamps (4 x 550 CFA Franc) - 09.02.2018
- Tunisia - 1 stamp (0.5 TND) - 14.06.2018
- Turkey -  4 stamps (2, 2, 4, 4 TRY) - 14.06.2018
- Turkish Cyprus - 2 stamps (1.5, 1.5 TRY) - 14.06.2018

Being Updated Shortly - Stay Tuned

- Bulgaria -  1 stamp () - 00.00.2018
- Germany -  1 stamp () - 00.00.2018
- Russia -  1 stamp () - 00.00.2018

If I am missing a particular issue in this post, please help updating by commenting below this post.

Please also post a message below if you are collecting 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Stamps and intend to get them by swapping.

Monaco - 2018 FIFA World Cup Postage Stamp

Monaco issued a single stamp on 16 Apr 2018, for FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia event.

Monaco stamp for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia shows Russian map with stars placed on all the World Cup venues, flags of all the 32 participating nations and 4 football players including a goalkeeper.

An aesthetically designed beauty indeed!

The Monaco 2018 Football World Cup stamp was designed by David MARASKIN and the denomination is €1.30.

Size of the stamp is 40.85 x 30 mm with horizontal orientation.

 A FDC was also issued for 2018 FIFA World Cup Monaco Stamp.

The Monaco FIFA 2018 stamp has been issued in a sheet of 10 stamps with duration of the FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia in the imprint, which is 14 June - 15 July 2018 and a bar code as well.

Finland Cover with Europa 2016 Think Green and odd-shaped stamp

A magnificent cover to display today is the one sent from Finland. It features a beautiful Europa 2016 Think Green stamp (One of my favourite sets in Europa themes) and an odd-shaped stamp too.

The "Ecology in Europe - Think Green" was adopted as the common design theme for Europa stamps in 2016 and 61 postal administrations joined the joint issue program. It was also the 60th anniversary of the Europa stamps in 2016, as these stamps started in 1956.
Finland issued a single stamp on the event on 6th May 2016 that featured the common design. It's a 1st Class Value stamp.

The 2nd stamp used on the cover was an odd-shaped stamp with a value of 0.10 Euro. The self-adhesive stamp was issued under the series "Water and Archipelago" on 24th January 2008. It is one of the stamp from a set of 3 stamps.

Indeed a cover to cherish!

Jahangir Khan's Postage Stamp being issued by Japan Post

Time Magazine wrote in 2006,

“If winning is everything, then Khan is the greatest!”

In order to pay a tribute to the Pakistani squash legend Jahangir Khan, Japan Post has planned to issue a commemorative postage stamp. It is expected that the stamp will be issued on 10 December 2017, on the birthday of the great player. Reportedly Jahangir Khan will soon be invited to Japan to unearth the stamp during a ceremony.

Pakistan Post also issued a commemorative stamp in 1984 with Jahangir Khan's photo while playing squash. It was issued almost at the beginning of his prestigious career, which lasted from 1981 to 1993. He was not a legend at that time and no one expected the amount of victories he will bring home.

Jahangir Khan also served as President of World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008, when he became Emeritus President.

The squash legend ruled the World of Squash for almost 13 years. From 1981 to 1986, he remained unbeatable in consecutive 555 matches, the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records. It is a record yet to be broken ... and I am sure it will never be broken.

During his career as a professional squash player, Jahangir won the World Open 6 times and the British Open a record ten times.

In 1981, Jahangir Khan — aged 17 — became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia's Geoff Hunt in the final. That tournament also marked the start of an unbeaten run, which lasted for five years and eight months and 555 matches which finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in France when he lost to Ross Norman.

In his book "Winning Squash", Jahangir Khan mentions how his future was brushed aside in the beginning.

“I was told I would never become world champion. I was the youngest, smallest, feeblest and sickest of the family,” he writes in the book. “Neither the doctor nor my father believed there was any chance for me to become a good squash player.”

I wish Pakistan Post would issue a set of stamps with the title "Sporting Legends of Pakistan" in future. It is heart-breaking to see different countries honouring Pakistani players while Pakistan Post not doing much.

• St. Vincent issued a stamp on Imran Khan.
• Maldives also issued a set of 2 x Mini-sheets on Wasim Akram in 2016 
• Misbah-ul-Haq was featured on a stamp from Burundi in 2014. 
• Shoaib Akhtar was featured on a stamp from Nevis in 2011.
• Many more include Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Ahmed Shehzad, etc.

Below are a few of interesting reads:-

• Jahangir Khan on Wikipedia
• UNSQUASHABLE - A Brand inspired by Jahangir Khan
• The day even the great Jahangir Khan fell to earth in the most famous match in squash history

And an interesting video - A must watch for younger generation and a nostalgia for those who have seen Jahangir play.

And another one ;-)

Bahrain Posted Cover without a postmark :-(

Some time ago, I received this beautiful cover from Bahrain. Unfortunately there's no postmark from Bahrain Post on the cover. I wonder if it is a special case or it is a common practice by Bahrain Post.

A similar experience was met when recently I posted a few covers and postcards during my trip to Saudi Arabia. All of them reached their destinations with out a postmark from Saudi Arabian Post (I will share the postcards and covers soon). Is there something wrong with Postal workers in Middle East or is it something else?

2 stamps have been used on the cover as follows:-

• Left stamp is a charity stamp of 10 Fils.
• Right stamp shows the Ameer of Bahrain and is of 500 Fils denomination.

Turkey - EUROPA 2016 Think Green Matching Stamp

EUROPA CEPT Stamps are one of the most popular themes in philately. 2016 marked the 60th Anniversary of issuing EUROPA stamps.
In 2016, EUROPA CEPT stamps were issued on the topic of "THINK GREEN" and 61 Postal Administrations issued the stamp on the eve.
Although Turkey issued a set of 2 stamps to match the event but none of them were considered as EUROPA CEPT stamps because Turkey didn't use the official EUROPA logo nor the word EUROPA, thus making them a non-Europa stamp issue.

Issued with a denomination of 1.40+10 Turkish Lira, this stamp is really beautiful and the EUROPA matching design on the cover makes it even beautiful.

The stamp set was issued on 9th May 2016.

Japan Vertical Cover - The 1st in my collection

I have chosen a different style of cover from Japan to share today on the blog. It's a vertically prepared cover from Japan.

2 stamps used on the cover are a part of a set of 12 stamps, issued for "2015 UNESCO World Heritage - Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites".

While checking out these stamps at StampWorld.com, I came to know how many stamps Japan issues per year and how beautiful they are. Almost 504 stamps were issued in 2015 by Japan.

FIFA 2018 Football World Cup is fast approaching ...

FIFA 2018 Football World Cup is approaching fast and here's a cover to share.

Sent by a Postcrossing Member, adding a postcard inside - Although I personally like written and stamped postcards, but still a nice cover is not bad to get ;-)

• The left stamp was issued for IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, held in Russia in 2016. Canada won the gold medal in the championship in the final match held on 22 May 2016, beating Finland. Russia won the bronze medal. The stamp shows LAIKA - the official mascot of the championship.
• The right stamp was issued in 2015 showing one of the stadiums in which FIFA 2018 Football World Cup matches are to take place. It was part of a set of 4 stamps issued in 2015. This particular stamp shows Kazan Arena in Kazan.

Odd-shaped stamps on Slovakia Cover

Today I am sharing a Slovakian cover from my collection. The cover shows an odd-shaped stamp that was issued on Philately Stamp Day on 5 December 2014. The magnificent stamp has been impressively shaped as a trapezium with triangle coupons.

The trapezium-shaped stamp shows a portrait of "Severín Zrubec" (1921–2011). Dr. Severín Zrubec lived, worked and received his degree of Doctor in Laws at the Faculty of Law of the Slovak University (1948) in Bratislava. Severín Zrubec worked as a lawyer in various organisations, however, the philatelic public knows Severín Zrubec as a successful exhibitor, journalist and an association member. He took part in organised philately for more than fifty years. He engaged in modern view of philately as a hobby with a significant cultural and social mission.
His activities earned him various awards. Severín Zrubec worked as a member of the Thematic Philately Commission of FIP (1974 - 1984) and International Jury of the Association of Slovak Philatelists (1973 − 2011), as well. His name has been written in golden letters in the Slovak and European philatelic history. The exhibit “Today Rotary Press Machines Revolve” was displayed at several tens of domestic and foreign exhibitions for twenty eight years. It was awarded four gold, seventeen gilded and seven silver medals at five world’s fairs under the patronage of FIP and twenty two international exhibitions. When finishing his exhibition activity in 1998, Severín Zrubec gifted his extensive thematic collection “Printing and Book” to the Museum of Book Culture in Trnava.

The stamp is dominated by his portrait and autograph. Zrubec’s first gold medal awarded at the World Postage Stamp Exhibition PRAGA 1962 extends over the right coupon, while a section of the emblem of the Society of St. Gabriel, he co-founded (1962), is depicted on the left one.

Malaysia - 60th Anniversary of Accession of Queen Elizabeth II - 2012

A very balanced and gorgeous cover posted from Malaysia by a friend. The cover features 2 copies of the same stamp - Issued on the 60th Anniversary of Accession of Queen Elizabeth II.

 The stamp shows another stamp that was issued by Malaya Selangor in 1953 on the eve of Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II that took place on 2 June 1953.

A lovely cover to form part of any exhibit on the theme of "Stamp on Stamp" :-)

Looking for Kuwait Set of 3 Stamps from 2001

Hi Guys!
I am looking for this set of 3 Stamps of Kuwait issued in 2001 for "UN Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations".

Please leave a comment if you can help in any way.
Thanks

Ukraine - Birds & Fruits Cover

After a very very long absence, here I am and as usual I am planning to be more regular in posting in coming days. I have swapped countless postcards and covers over this time, travelled a lot and would love to share these with you now.
This lovely cover is from Ukraine, which was posted by Rizun from Ukraine in the place of an official Postcrossing postcard. She added the postcard inside this cover.

4 stamps and one mini sheet have been used on the cover.

• The right most stamp is a very small mini-sheet issued in 2009 and the stamp shows a cute parrot. The mini-sheet was issued as part of 100 years celebrations of Kyiv Zoo. The area around the stamp shows a giraffe, a snake and a pelican. A lion and a tiger are also featured inside the Kyiv Zoo logo on the right top of the mini-sheet.
• The stamp in the center with a bird is basically part of a mini-sheet with 4 stamps. The beautiful mini-sheet was named "Spring, Flowers".
• The other 2 stamps are part of a set of 13 stamps issued as definitive set under the name "Trees and Fruits". This set was issued in 2012.

Apart from liking the beautiful FDC, I do also like the way the name of my beloved country "Pakistan" is written in Russian at the end of my address.

Hopefully I will continue to make more posts in the coming days.

Burundi - Cover with Mushroom Stamps and an interesting demand of the counter clerk

Another one of the exotic covers from a small African nation of Burundi. It is also one of my self-posted covers that I posted to home during my African adventures.

During one of my trips of the Burundian capital city Bujumbura, I visited the General Post Office in the city center and posted this cover to my home. I did buy a few stamp sheets and some postcards as well but could only post this cover. The most amazing sheets that I bought were miniture sheets featuring Lady Diana.
An Interesting Demand of the Counter Clerk
The most-interesting thing was that the lady at the stamps counter in the post office asked me what I can bring for her from Pakistan (Despite of a very difficult language barrier as she did not speak English). I thought that she needed some stamps or postcards .... but she definitely surprised me by asking for a mobile phone.

The Burundian mushroom stamps used on the cover were issued at two separate occasions.

• The three stamps on the left side were part of a set of 10 mushroom stamps issued in 1992. The stamps used on this cover were for 20 and 100 Burundian Francs denomination.
• The right most stamp of 1300 Burundian Francs denomination was part of a set of 3 mushroom stamps which were over-printed in 2007. These were over-printed with 1200, 1300 and 2500 Burundian francs denomination.

What do you think about this cover?

Slovenia - Cover With Flower Stamps

It is always nice to receive a postcard or a cover from a unique country. Here's the second cover that I am adding from the European country Slovenia. You can see the first one from Slovenia here.
The cover was posted using two definitive flower stamps out of a set of 17 Flower stamps issued by Slovenia Post in 2007.
The stamps used on the cover show Genista Bolopetala and Serratula Lycopifolia.

The interesting thing I noticed about the stamps on the cover was that the stamps did not have any denomination or price mentioned on them. Instead of the denomination, the stamps just show letters "C" and "D" on each of them. I have no clue about their pricing. Hopefully some of my readers would be able to help us in this regard. Out of the set of 17 stamps, 13 have prices mentioned over them while 4 of them have letters near the right top corner.

Uganda: A Beautiful Self-posted Cover from Exotic Uganda

After a long absence from my blog, here's one of my favorite covers - An exotic cover from the exotic African country Uganda.

I self-posted this envelope for myself during my recent visit to Africa that comprises of travels to a few poor yet very beautiful countries. The manifest included Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The envelope is postmarked 20 Oct 2014 from the General Post Office in the capital city Kampala. I used different stamps available in the post office from different years.

• The right most stamp is part of the series of flowering plants showing Callandra Haematocephala. 
• The second stamp from the right shows a school building with children playing. The inscription on the cover says "Education for All in the New Millennium".
• The smaller stamp in the middle shows an elegant Nile Crocodile. The stamp costs 500 Ugandan Shillings (UGX).
• The two stamps on the left is a part of 10 stamps issued on 30th Anniversary of PAPU (Pan African Postal Union Day). The set was issued in 2010. All stamps feature Gorillas in the wild.

How do you like this amazing cover? Share your feelings in the comment box below.

Cover with Beautiful Mountain Stamps

When did Captain Jack Sparrow visit Pakistan??

In an interesting find, it was revealed that Captain Jack Sparrow visited Pakistan after 1948 but none of the Pakistanis came to know about this secret visit ... and how could they? After all he is CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!!!
In the latest movie of the amazing Pirates of the Caribbean series On Stranger Tides, Captain Jack Sparrow was seen wearing a bead strip, hanging from his hair. Attached at the end of strip is the Pakistani Coin of Half Rupee issued between 1948-1951.

 I wonder if Captain Jack Sparrow himself visited Pakistan to get the coin or it was part of a treasure that he found from another pirate ship? ;-)

You can also see the same coin issued in 1948 up, close and personal in the photo below:-

Feel free to leave your thoughts in Comments Section below!

~~~ abc wednesday ~~~

Rupees 25 Pakistan Navy Commemorative Coin issued by State Bank of Pakistan

To commemorative the golden jubilee of Pakistan Navy’s Submarine Force, the State Bank has issued a Rs 25 commemorative coin on June 1.

A total of 50,000 coins have been issued and the general public can obtain these coins from all field offices of the State Bank.

According to the Finance Ministry, the composition of the coin is 75pc copper and 25pc nickel. The commemorative coin weighs approximately 12 grams and have a diameter of 30 millimetres.

The coin bears crescent moon and a five-pointed star on one side, while the other side bears the logo of the navy’s Submarine force, with the inscription “1964- 2014”.

Some of the recent coins issued by State Bank include the following:-

• Rs 10 Coin issued on 1st Death Anniversary of Benazir Bhutto (late) in 2008
• Rs 10 Coin issued on 60th Anniversary of People's Republic of China in 2008
• Rs 20 Coin issued for 60 Years of Pakistan China Friendship Coin in 2011
• Rs 20 Coin issued for 150 Years Celebrations of Lawrence College Ghora Gali in 2011

Do you like this coin? What are your thoughts?

Floating Fern or Water Butterfly Wings on Belarus Cover

Today, I have a beautiful cover from my collection to share with you. It is from Belarus showing a lovely plant with white flowers.

This Belarus cover was sent to me by Natalia from Gomel, Belarus.

The stamps used on the cover shows a type of fern - Salvinia natans. Salvinia natans (commonly known as floating fern, or commercially known as Water Butterfly Wings) is an annual floating aquatic fern, which can appear superficially similar to moss. It is found throughout the world where there is plentiful standing fresh water, sunlight, and humid air, but is especially common in Africa, Asia, central Europe and South America.
The stamp is a part of a set of 2 stamps - Ferns 2v in 2012 by Belarus Post - BelPost.

Best Online Chemistry Tutoring Site - The best for your kids

Hello Pals!

In recent days, one of my favorite game has been “Little Alchemy”. It is pretty amazing and brain-moving.

During my school days, I used to hate chemistry as a subject. Afterwards when I reached university, I reckoned that it was not the subject that I hated but my teacher was unable to inspire me.

In university, my Chemistry matched with that of my lecturer’s and I simply loved the subject. It was just his way of teaching and explaining things that helped me restore my confidence and I turned out to be one of the finest students in class.

Now after so much time, me and my friend were looking for a chemistry tutor for his daughter when I came across this amazing Chemistry tutoring site. I recommended the site to my friend and she is already registered with the site for taking Chemistry lessons online.

After taking classes for more than a month, I asked her opinion about the website and she was all praise for it. In her opinion, this was the best Chemistry tutoring site in the world and she expressed her desire to share it with the entire planet. I agreed to share it with my blog readers and recommend it to them too for learning Chemistry.

Hope it will help all of you and your children!!!

Keep going pals!!!

Sochi 2014 Olympics Games and Pakistan's Participation in Olympics

I have always been a sports fanatic and Olympics has been the twilight of all sports events held on the planet. In fact, I have a special admiration for Olympics Stamps and have a nice collection of them by now.
My primary love is for Summer Olympics because PAKISTAN does send a few teams in these Olympics and even managed to get some medals there - although very few as compared to the huge population and the talented youth available in the country; but there are some obvious reasons and most importantly it's the dirty politics in the country in general and in Pakistan Olympics Federation in particular. A little Google search reveals the following:-

• After it's independence in 1947, Pakistan has participated in all Summer Olympics Games except in 1980 when it joined the US-led Olympics Boycott as it were held in Moscow, Russia.
• In total, Pakistan has won 10 medals so far, including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.
• Out of the total 10 medals, Pakistan Field Hockey Team has won 8 including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals.
• The remaining 2 Bronze medals were won in Wrestling and Boxing.
• ... and unfortunately, Pakistan has not won a single medal in the last 5 Olympics Games since 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain to 2012 Olympics Games in London, UK.

Pakistan has never sent any team to Winter Olympics, if I am not wrong.
Sorry, Google has again proved me wrong ------ Pakistan's first participation in Winter Olympics Games was in 2010 in Vancouver Winter Olympics, where Mr Muhammad Abbas represented Pakistan in Alpine Skiing category in Men's Giant Slalom event. He was ranked 79 out of 103 qualifiers.
Pakistan's Ski Team has also qualified for 2014 Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia, scheduled to be held from February 7 - 23, 2014.

 The above stamp was issued in 2011 by Russian Postal Service to commemorate Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Games. It is one of the stamp of a series of 3 stamps.

The magnificent cover is definitely a nice addition in my Olympics Covers Collection.

The envelope also contained this lovely Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Russia Mascot sticker.
The back of the cover was sealed with very cute small cartoon stickers. I like it!

Flag Counter Stats for My Blog

Hi Again!
Today I just decided to go through the Flag Counter gadget that I added a couple of years ago and it looks really nice on the blog. The beautiful colours of different flags add colours to the overall feel of the blog too.

It was really nice to see so many different flags together. The stats for the counter were even more refreshing.
The details say that 158 Different Countries have visited this site and 220 Flags have been collected.

No doubt, my beloved homeland Pakistan has the highest share of visitors (25.6%), followed closely by United States which is 19.2%. United Kingdom holds the 3rd place with 8.8% visitors.
The top 5 coutries have more than 1000 visitors each.

The Flag Counter site also shows a World Map with flags added to the portions from where my blog has collected a flag. It seems pretty crowded in Europe I believe.
You can also get a Free Flag Counter for your Blog here and it is really very simple to integrate it into your blog or website.
If you have any questions, you may ask in comments section below.
Have fun!

Belarus: Water Skiing Souvenir Sheet FDC

Here's a lovely Belarus First Day Cover (FDC) from my collection. This beautiful Belarussian FDC was issued on 25 October 2001 and features a lovely blue-coloured souvenir sheet showing water skiing. The sheet shows 3 different poses of a woman water skier.

The Souvenir sheet also reads,

"National Waterski Team Belarus

2 times World Champions and 

10 times Europe Champions"

The souvenir sheet is of 1000 Rubles denomination.
As a sports fanatic, I really love this FDC from Belarus.
What do you think about this cover?

Youm-e-Shuhada Stamps Issued by Pakistan Post 30-4-13

Youm-e-Shuhada is Pakistani equivalent of United States Memorial Day. Youm-e-Shuhada or Martyrs' Day is celebrated every year on 30 April. Pakistan Post has issued three commemorative Postage Stamps on the occasion of Youm-e-Shuhada on 30 April 2013 to pay homage to supreme sacrifices of SHUHADA (Martyrs) of Pakistan Army. Each stamp is of Rs 8 denomination.
The photos of Captain Karnal Sher Khan (Shaheed), Havildar Lalak Jan (Shaheed) recipient of Nishan-e-Haider (Highest Gallantry Military Award of Pakistan) and Naik Saif Ali Khan (Shaheed) recipient of Hilal-i-Kashmir (equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider). 

It is pertinent to mention that Yaum-e-Shuhada (Day of the Martyrs) is celebrated on April 30 every year to pay rich tributes to the brave sons of soil who rendered their lives for the defense of the motherland.

This lovely Pakistani Flag Heart goes to the heroes of Pakistan who laid their lives for their motherland and so does this poem:-

GOD BLESS OUR NATIVE LAND
(by Frances E. W. Harper)

God bless our native land,
Land of the newly free,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and liberty.

God bless our native land,
Where sleep our kindred dead,
Let peace at thy command
Above their graves be shed.

God bless our native land,
Bring surcease to her strife,
And shower from thy hand
A more abundant life.

God bless our native land,
Her homes and children bless,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and righteousness.

It would be an honor to share this issue with neighboring blogs at Postcard Friendship Friday, Sunday Stamps and Random Hearts.
What do you think about this issue?