Top intellectuals

Monday, June 30, 2008
Fethullah Gülen, Muhammad Yunus and Yusuf Al-Qaradawi are influential Muslims who have just been voted by readers of American Foreign Policy magazine as the top three in the rankings for the world's top 100 public intellectuals.

Who to support in Euro2008

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sweden, Austria and Croatia are the most 'supportable' teams in Euro2008, according to ethical rankings compiled by the World Development Movement. These rankings advise globally conscious football fans on how European countries perform on ethical indicators such as protection of the environment and development aid. Italy, Greece and Russia are bottom of the ethical rankings.

28 April 1958

Monday, April 28, 2008
The PN news website is trying to downplay the historical significance of the events of 28 April 1958 when the GWU called a national strike:

the results of these same rebellions weren't the ones which the Labour Party wished for as they did not only lead to the resignation of the Government, but also for a suspension of the Maltese Constitution to end up without a government for four years.

The Mintoff-led government had resigned one week BEFORE the strike/protest. Besides, the general strike was not "organised by the Labour Party with the help of GWU" but the other way round. Only a trade union has the right to call a strike.

Women in politics

Friday, April 18, 2008
Twelve men were elected in yesterday's casual elections. Not one woman. Apart from the 6 women in the new parliament that will re-convene on May 10 (MLP: Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Helena Dalli, Marlene Pullicino, Justyne Caruana; PN: Dolores Cristina, Giovanna Debono) only 8 other women have ever been elected in the 10 elections since Malta became independent in 1964 - 6 Labourites: Agatha Barbara (1966-81), Evelyn Bonaci (1966-76), Ċettina Darmenia Brincat (1981), Carmen Sant (1987), Maria Camilleri (1996) and Rita Law (1998) plus 2 Nationalists: Anne Agius Ferrante (1976) and Helen D’Amato (1996-2003). Not a good record.

Unpredictable changes

Friday, March 21, 2008
With a new MLP leader Maltese politics will change in all sorts of unpredictable ways

50 most powerful blogs

Friday, March 14, 2008
The Guardian lists the world's 50 most powerful blogs

Aldo Moro

This Sunday Italians commemorate 30 years since former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped in Rome on March 16th 1978. The Brigate Rosse killed him after 54 days of captivity. The Moro case totally changed the Italian political landscape in the subsequent years. The film 'Buongiorno, notte' directed 4 years ago by Marco Bellocchi portrays the events in a politically detached way and from the perspective of one of the kidnappers.

Straġi ta' l-innoċenti

Thursday, March 13, 2008
The threat of the storage of fireworks in residential areas has been neglected for far too long. This time it has taken the life of two people one of whom was an innocent bystander. Malta should have a properly implemented national system of licencing for fireworks operators and in order to purchase display fireworks, operators must have licenced explosives storage and public liability insurance.