June 2021

  Malta has been a regular contributor to the Anna Lindh Foundation’s (ALF) budget since 2005, supporting the Foundation’s work in cultural dialogue in the Mediterranean.   The ALF focuses its work on combating extremist discourse and radicalisation; promoting an inclusive society; and promoting a culture-based dialogue. As a state that places the Mediterranean at the centre of its foreign policy priorities, Malta sees ALF activities as important to increase dialogue and cooperation in the region.   Malta and ALF have cooperated on several projects over the past years. In 2016, Malta hosted the Med Forum, focusing on youth sector

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa is fighting a strong “third wave” of coronavirus, leading President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce a raft of new restrictions to try to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.   The president said on national television late Sunday that the Delta variant has now been detected in five of the nation’s nine provinces. “The rapid spread of this variant is extremely serious,” he said.  “It is for this reason that I said I address you on a weighty matter tonight. Even if it is not more severe, the rate at which people are infected

GENEVA – A U.N. report examining systemic racism suffered by people of African descent is calling for an end to impunity for human rights violations by law enforcement, and for accountability and compensation for the victims. The report by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights was mandated by the Human Rights Council in June 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. The report cites the case of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, as a moment of reckoning, not only for the United States, but other nations.   It says

NEW YORK – For the second consecutive year, the lingering pandemic consigned New York’s annual Pride march Sunday to the virtual world, even as its alter-ego, the Queer Liberation March, took its edgier message through the streets of Manhattan.The NYC …

Dr. Rania Awaad was attending a virtual religion program this Ramadan when discussion turned to an unexpected question: Is it religiously acceptable to say a prayer for someone who died by suicide?Suicide is a complex and delicate topic that Awaad, as …

GENEVA – U.N. Independent Expert on Protection against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, is calling for the global elimination of laws that criminalize same-sex unions by 2030. His rep…