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Iran clergy angry over women fans By Frances Harrison BBC correspondent in Tehran I cannot fathom a comment in reaction to this article. Incredible. Women rights - as seen from a Westerners' stand-point are apparently being trampled upon...Iran appears to be a country of contrasts, modern 'technology-wise' but seemingly medieval in human-rights' terms... I understand that technology - most prominently the nuclear one - is the main issue that gives the Iranian authorities the feeling of a 'modern’ state. On top of the fact they have all the catches of a modern, independent and proud state, namely a modern army, large air force and top notch scientific research facilities. Iran surely has clout politically. But what about its citizen’s freedom of expression? What about Iran's human rights record? There is at 'prima face' a cultural wall that separates the West from Iran. But is it fair to say there is incompatibility between the way these two people see ...

'Malta, Germany, Austria and other nations opposed to EU funding of human embryonic stem cell research proposed an EU funding ban last month in Brussels at a meeting of the EU’s 25 national science ministers, raising concerns that the minority group could force nations to remove this funding from the newest budget, even for scientists in countries where the research is legal. ' Malta vetoes stem cell funding Source: The Malta Independent ................................................... Malta (and when I say 'Malta' I mean the authorities) is against abortion and is also against divorce - even for couples married outside the Catholic Church. I am writing on my behalf, and wish to associate myself with no political entity, but I am of the opinion that us Maltese should have a more open minded approach on such matters. Catholics are free to abide with their teachings. Fair enough. But the same as Islamic Shari-a Law should not be forced on non Muslims where Islam is a ...

Gadhafi to Take Part in Democracy Panel By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN, Associated Press Writer Yahoo! News Is this a new form of democracy? a make believe situation where you make yourself believe your country is democratic and then pretend others to believe the same? Are we to believe Libya is a democratic country? Is Libya culturally and socio-economically ripe for democracy? Who is molding Libya's pathway to this political rethink? Is it Libyan popular demand, a dictators way of preserving his (and his family's) status quo? Or is this another scheme of the US agenda for sort-of pacifying the region? Ray de Bono NEW YORK - In the latest step in Libya's international rehabilitation, longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi is taking on questions about democracy and academic freedom. ADVERTISEMENT A Columbia University conference billed as the first major meeting of American and Libyan academics and officials in 25 years climaxes Thursday with Gadhafi's participation via live video...

In Europe we have a growing population at our south, expanding by the hour in deprived socio-economic conditions, and in non-democratic political scenarios. Those who can within these populations seek greener pastures in Europe where they assume they can have a better life. And it is generally, but not always the case. The US has similar issues at its southern borders with Mexico. Millions of Mexicans and Latin Americans live legally or not in the USA. US cinema, with films such as The Day after Tomorrow' (2004), and more recently ‘Crash’ (2006), often portrays Latinos as occupying 'poor' jobs such as maids, plumbers, laborers, cleaners or taxi drivers. Such films portray a situation where Latinos have taken over roles traditionally occupied by Blacks. And numerically Latinos already outnumber blacks in the United States. Stories of abuse and political bias against Latinos are rife. Stories of corruption, poltical unrest and poverty from most Latin American countries are a...

by Ray de Bono When debating Arabs in Europe we often get just one side of the argument on regional press and media. The recent cartoon saga has added negative impetus to the rapidly falling avalanche of 'wrong assumptions' and 'negative stereotyped images' forming the concept of 'who the Arabs are', 'what they believe and not' and 'what they are up to'...etc. For fairness sake, and in respect to Freedom of Expression, I decided to search for writings by Middle Eastern or Arabic professionals. I wanted to read alternative views... I wanted to see what’s on the other side of the wall. Not just peep through it, but jump and walk to our fellows in North Africa...Reading their opinion columns and analysing their thoughts on the topic. What I came across was both surprising and sometimes shocking: Muslims in Europe do not feel welcomed. Places like Denmark, France and the United Kingdom have become hot beds breading anti-Arab feelings that existed lon...

by Ray de Bono Catalonia is seeking separation from the rest of Spain. Full Separation. It wants Catalan (spoken by over 6 million people) to be its official language. I am not sad seeing Catalonia taking control of its own region, as this its right, but I am concerned about the breakdown, fracturing of Spain. I know Yugoslavia historically differs, but the same fracturing is likely to mirror itself in the Iberian Peninsula. The Balkan states had bitter differences in terms of ethnicity and language, but how will the Spanish other regions take Catalonia’s sense of independence? The level of autonomy granted to each region in Spain is far from uniform. Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia have special status with their own language and other rights. Andalusia, Navarre, Valencia and the Canaries in turn have more extensive powers than some other regions. Asturias and Aragon have taken steps to consolidate language rights. It is a complex and evolving picture. As emotions run high in...

I have had enough! This was a phrase I uttered all week by many reasonable people in the media. OK. They came to Europe leaving their ravished towns and cities in the Middle East and North Africa. They came here to work. They have been welcomed. But now, for decency's sake, they have no right to break into our basic rights, limiting our freedom of expression. Let alone having fuelled the creation of fear and paranoia in many of our cities to levels seldom seen before in recent history. We are today subjected to go through quasi-full body searches prior boarding any plane for fear that some zealous believer might feel called to blow all up to pieces for whichever cause. We are afraid to board busses, trains and now even to speak up, to express ourselves... Remember Van Gogh the Dutch Film maker? Now it’s the Danish cartoonists' time to be punished for touching the Holy Grail, the sancti sanctorum, crossing the dreaded red line of one's expressions rights in Europe. If they c...

Imagine this Happening in Malta? No Comment... Priest told to prove Jesus lived Father Righi says it is not his fault if the atheist cannot see the light An Italian court is to decide whether a priest should be called to face questioning over whether or not Jesus Christ actually existed. A court in the town of Viterbo, north of Rome, is considering a case brought by Luigi Cascioli, a devoted atheist. Mr Cascioli sued Father Righi in 2002 after the priest attacked him in print for casting doubt over the legitimacy of the Christian gospels. The atheist contends that Christianity relies on purely anecdotal evidence. Lawyers for the priest and Mr Cascioli appeared before the judge on Friday to learn whether or not the case should be thrown out, the AP news agency reported. "The point is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud," Mr Cascioli's lawyer, Mauro Fonzo, told reporters. Mr Cascioli, 76, was once a trainee priest, b...

Many would have forgotten about this story, but the man who shot the pope (Ali Agca) is today a free man...and has just been reported 'missing' in Turkey (today: 14.01.06)...what a coincidence.... Ray de Bono, Dmaxmalta Hijack of Maltese airliner to Germany ends safely... Terrorists demanded freedom for Turk who shot pope June 9, 1997 Read on... COLOGNE, Germany (CNN) -- The hijack of an Air Malta airliner ended peacefully on Monday when two men demanding freedom for the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 gave themselves up at the airport in Cologne, Germany. The Boeing 737, originally bound for Istanbul, Turkey, had 90 people aboard. None of the hostages was harmed, police said. The hijackers had said they had a bomb and demanded the release of Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, who is serving a life sentence in Italy after trying to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981. Three hours after landing, the men left the plane with their hands in the air, police spokesman Werner ...

No Comment... The fall and fall of English in Malta by Lino Bugeja The Times of Malta of Thursday, January 12, 2006 The fall and fall of English in Malta Lino Bugeja About a decade ago I made a solemn vow that I would never write again about the state of the English language in the Maltese islands... and from time to time I feel compelled to break this holy pledge and reiterate my views on the subject. This change of heart has been prompted by the recent spate of letters in The Times which may somehow put the brakes on the teaching of English in order to reserve more time for the Maltese language. And this at a time when this universal language is growing bigger everyday thanks to the internet and the hard fact that the internet (of which a I am a novice) is overwhelmingly an English language medium, an estimated 85 per cent of its pages being in English. The language has conquered the net and presently e-English rules the waves. Undoubtedly, this contribution will open a Pandora'...

IRAN SET TO RESUME NUCLEAR WORK We all say that we love peace and refuse to accept war as sometimes an unavoidable solution to guarantee life on earth...But the events evolving in Iran are scary...And if the matter is not sorted out diplomatically (as we all hope it is) one can foresee a possible mayhem in this already turbulent region of the Middle East. Our sympathy goes to the millions of law abiding people that live in the area, but with the military intimidation and wild statements repeatedly being made by the Iranian President one is reasonably inclined to be concerned about what is happening next. Many claim this Islamic Republic ought to be granted the 'right' to adopt nuclear power for peaceful purposes...Others insist Iran cannot be trusted in view of its historic links to terrorists... We should keep our fingers crossed and as we worry about the infiltration of Avian Flu in Europe, the rising cost of oil and the growing tide of illegal migrants from Africa we ponder ...

Amazon nun's killers are jailed Landless peasants celebrated justice for Dorothy Stang ... Two Brazilians have been found guilty of murdering a US-born Catholic nun and peasants' rights activist, and sentenced to long jail terms. Sister Dorothy Stang campaigned on behalf of poor farmers against ranchers and big logging companies. Rayfran das Neves Sales was found to have shot the 73-year-old nun six times on a muddy track in the rainforest. He was sentenced to 27 years and his accomplice, Clodoaldo Carlos Batista, to 17 years in prison. Prosecutors hope the convictions will open the way for three other men to be tried on charges of paying for and ordering the murder. They are in custody and awaiting trial next year, accused of offering more than $20,000 (£11,000) to the gunmen. 'Defence of property' The BBC's Tom Gibb in Sao Paulo says the case is being seen as a crucial test of Brazil's ability and willingness to clean up vigilante violence in the Amazon. Dis...

In today’s world of political correctness phobia, the issue of trying not to offend others is reaching higher levels of paranoia...The latest being that concerning the symbol to use for the respected (non-religious) organization that for decades has risked its members in desolate, war or disaster zones around the globe to provide first aid to needy people of all colors or creed. Should they have just one internationally recognized acceptable icon as their logo? Should the logo vary from region to another? If 'yes', what should this icon be? The argument is interesting, but definitely a thorny one... Ray de Bono, for Dmaxmalta Red Cross mulls 'neutral' emblem By Imogen Foulkes BBC News, Geneva Israel says it is ready to use the new symbol outside its borders In Geneva diplomats from the 192 countries which have signed the Geneva conventions are meeting to discuss a third emblem for the international Red Cross. Red Cross officials hope approval of a third emblem will f...

Abuse worse than under Saddam, says Iraqi leader · Allawi in damning indictment of new regime · Bush prepares way for US troop pull-out Human rights abuses in Iraq are now as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein and are even in danger of eclipsing his record, according to the country's first Prime Minister after the fall of Saddam's regime. 'People are doing the same as [in] Saddam's time and worse,' Ayad Allawi told The Observer. 'It is an appropriate comparison. People are remembering the days of Saddam. These were the precise reasons that we fought Saddam and now we are seeing the same things.' In a damning and wide-ranging indictment of Iraq's escalating human rights catastrophe, Allawi accused fellow Shias in the government of being responsible for death squads and secret torture centres. The brutality of elements in the new security forces rivals that of Saddam's secret police, he said. Allawi, who was a strong ally of the US-led coalition for...

Blood debt women offered up for rape By Isambard Wilkinson in Sultanwala Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/22/wdebt22.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/22/ixworld.html ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dmax Comment I wonder what the United Nations, The US, the EU and the British Commonwealth are doing to make Pakistan change into a democratic society...This week Senior Members of the Pakistani government (that for your info did not take their power through a normal election, but by means of a coup d'état) will be in Malta making nice speeches about human rights and world peace, bla, bla, bla... Would the Maltese Government or the so-called Maltese European free press comment? Ray de Bono ------------------------------------------------------------------- A village council in Pakistan has decreed that five young women should be abducted, raped or killed for refusing to honour childhood "marriages". The women, ...

UK troops out of Iraq 'next year' Dmax Editor Notes with Regret I am concerned that this indirect announcement on behalf of the British through the Iraqi government is nothing but a likely smoke screen behind the UK's official retreat from the Iraqi front. Why didn't the British announce it themselves, if their job was finished well? Are they trying to give the impression the Iraqis support such a retreat from an essential member of the US coalition thus acknowledging they are now ready to take over the country's administration? Many agree that the Iraqi mission is a non finished job. The Iraqi troops are ill-trained, ill-equipped, lack morale and are reported to be infiltrated with Islamists and Jihadists ready to blow themselves at the right moment. The state of security for the average citizens in Baghdad, Basra and other parts of the country leaves much to be desired. Iraqi police get blown up many times daily so much so that it stopped being headline news. But...

In Maltese we have a saying...'biex tiskongra trid tkun pur..." in other words, "only the pure can cast out demons'... The US came out with a long list of reasons why Iraq was attacked, cos its harboring terrorists, financing them, creating them, cos its storing nuclear weapons, building long-range missiles, developing chemical arms, its leader killed his own people, disrespected human rights , bla, bla, bla...All bad but now we are seeing that on some counts the USA is not so 'pure' and righteous itself in its deeds... A shocking piece of news just released by Italian State TV 'RAI' explains why... Points to Ponder The Italians have historically been known as ambivalent allies...Recent history shows them first aligning themselves with Nazi Germany in World War Two till victory was within reach, only to shift sides after massive failures against superior Allied resistance... Nowadays we are witnessing yet another colossal shift all'Italiana ...The ...

French Muslims face job discrimination I felt it was good to see what possibly could have been the real factors behind this mayhem in Paris. It is worrying considering the growing number of muslims in the EU that such events are taking place in this day and age. We need to identify the motivation of these riots, whether or not they are coming from a genuine desire by these people to integrate in French society, or if its part of a wider political or Islamist agenda....I question the cause behind the plight of these angry young men... Is it just poverty? Are they being used? Instigated? Ray de Bono, obo The Dmax News Team Days of rioting in the bleaker suburbs of Paris have highlighted discontent among many French youths of North African origin. As part of a series on French Muslims, the BBC News website's Henri Astier looks at the issue of discrimination, a leading source of frustration in France's unemployment-riddled ghettos. Sadek recently quit his job delivering groceries...