Correspondence from the Media Council of Malawi to Richard Chirombo

On 9/15/10, Eric Mcheka wrote:

Dear Richard,

Thanks a lot for your enquiry. You may wish to note that the Committee responsible for accreditation, that is the Membership and Accreditation Committee (MAC) Met on 28th January 2010 to assess the forms.

Your application form was also part of the forms that were assessed on this day. According to the Accreditation Policy and Press Card Scheme minimum qualification for accreditation is an MSCE and a certificate either in journalism, media studies or communication from a recognized training institution.

When your application form was assessed, the committee observed that you did your Diploma from Conrad School of Journalism which is not accredited by government. Currently government accredited the following training institutions, MIJ, Polytechnic, Share World Open University, Catholic university, Chancellor college and Mzuzu University.

Government also recognises ABE and ABMA Certificate.

I would like to extend my apologies for communicating to you now . As a secretariat we have written letters to all the people that have not been accredited and yours will soon find its way to you.

With respect to the K1000 I would like to check with our accounts department .I will come back to you on K700 as change from the money you sent. Otherwise the processing fee is K300 (this one is supposed to accompany the form) and when redeeming the card one is supposed to pay K700.

Kind regards

Eric













Programmes Officer





Media Council of Malawi (MCM)

Old Town,Kamuzu Procession Road

Bata Building - Top Floor

Next to National Bank

Private Bag A 51

LILONGWE

Malawi



Tel: (+265) 1 752 720; (+265) 1 752 722; (+265)1 752 725

Fax: (+265) 1 752 442

Mobile: (+265) 0 888 201 959 ; (+265) 0 995 201 959

Email: eric@mediacouncilmw.org

mchekaeric@yahoo.co.uk

Website: www.mediacouncilmw.org



A Vibrant Media that is Professional and Accountable to the Public

MY RESPONSE TO ERIC MCHEKA'S RESPONSE
Richard Chirombo to eric
show details 7:29 am (0 minutes ago)

Dear Eric,
Okay, understood.

But, when did government start recognising colleges and universities? It is well after 2008 and most of us did our courses in early 2000.

So, that is a lame excuse, you see.

By the way, I think the Media Council of Malawi's refusal to accredit some of us is no big deal; you have no right over us. After all, you are only an NGO, registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act. It is not manadtory for us to join.

By the way, I am pursuing a Diploma Course in Journalism at the Polytechnic to catch up with your bogus requirement for a minimum of Diploma from a recognised institution. But let me make it clear that, as of now, I don't recognise your organisation- the so-called Media Council of Malawi. You will be making decisions for your relatives, friends and domestic animals.

If you mke some useless decisions, as if you own the media in this country, you be land in trouble. We are just waiting for you to make some of your arbtrary decisions and you will really see what democracy is all about.

Wishing your voluntary organisation good luck knowing fully well that you guys have no powers over the media in this countr; no powers at all. Some of your decisions will not affect me- at all, at all.

ERIC MCHAKA'S RESPONSE ONCE AGAIN
- Hide quoted text -
On 9/15/10, Eric Mcheka wrote:
Dear Richard,

Thanks a lot for your enquiry. You may wish to note that the Committee responsible for accreditation, that is the Membership and Accreditation Committee (MAC) Met on 28th January 2010 to assess the forms.

Your application form was also part of the forms that were assessed on this day. According to the Accreditation Policy and Press Card Scheme minimum qualification for accreditation is an MSCE and a certificate either in journalism, media studies or communication from a recognized training institution.

When your application form was assessed, the committee observed that you did your Diploma from Conrad School of Journalism which is not accredited by government. Currently government accredited the following training institutions, MIJ, Polytechnic, Share World Open University, Catholic university, Chancellor college and Mzuzu University.

Government also recognises ABE and ABMA Certificate.

I would like to extend my apologies for communicating to you now . As a secretariat we have written letters to all the people that have not been accredited and yours will soon find its way to you.

With respect to the K1000 I would like to check with our accounts department .I will come back to you on K700 as change from the money you sent. Otherwise the processing fee is K300 (this one is supposed to accompany the form) and when redeeming the card one is supposed to pay K700.

Kind regards

Eric

Paedophile priests still play active church role

More than half of the Catholic clergy jailed for paedophile activity in England and Wales remain in the priesthood – with several receiving financial support from church authorities, raising serious questions about depth of church commitment to child protection and overshadowing the start of the papal visit.

There are also claims the church has breached guidelines it agreed to in 2001 by not punishing offenders appropriately and that it has even relaxed some of the rules on how to treat them.

The allegations, shown on Channel 4 News, will fuel hostility towards a trip that is proving controversial on many levels and in many quarters.

The investigation examines one of the key recommendations in the Nolan report, which was published in the wake of damaging disclosures of clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups at the start of the decade and was designed to root out sex offenders and prevent paedophiles from entering the priesthood.

It said that any cleric sentenced to a year or more in jail for sexual abuse should face laicisation – meaning they were to be stripped of their priesthood and privileges.

But at least 14 of the 22 priests who have served a year or more behind bars are still members of the clergy and 10 of these appear in the most recent edition of the Catholic Directory, the official yearbook of the church. Only eight of the 22 men have been dismissed from their positions.

One of those featured in tonight's programme, Fr John Coughlan, was jailed in 2005. Although he no longer leads services, he is still a priest and lives in church-owned property. He refused to appear on camera but said he was "in limbo" and that he was in touch with other priests who were in a similar situation.

His home is in the diocese of Westminster, which is run by Vincent Nichols, who is the most senior Catholic in the country and who played a pivotal part in developing child protection policies for the church. He has frequently said the Catholic church in England and Wales leads the way in child protection.

At a press conference yesterday, Lord Patten of Barnes, who is the government's special representative for the papal visit, said these safeguarding measures were a "benchmark".

When presented with the findings, the church said that of those 14 priests, six applications for dismissal were currently underway, one further decision to pursue dismissal had been made and three dismissals were either rejected by Rome or not pursued due to acute ill health.

In four of the cases, no application had been made but the priests were subject to risk management in the community. It said this policy was "entirely consistent with the spirit of the Nolan recommendations", adding that a bishop had to apply to Rome for a priest to be laicised and "neither the duration nor the outcome of the application is in the bishop's control".

Earlier this year the Catholic bishops of England and Wales issued a "heartfelt" apology for their part in an abuse scandal which plunged the worldwide church into turmoil. They said the crimes of some priests and religious figures brought "deep shame".

"But shame is not enough. The abuse of children is a grievous sin against God. Therefore we focus not on shame but on our sorrow for these sins … We ask their pardon, and the pardon of God for these terrible deeds done in our midst. There can be no excuses."

Their statement of contrition followed remarks from Benedict XVI, who used his weekly audience in St Peter's Square to reiterate that the church would do everything in its power to bring justice against abusive priests and would implement "effective measures" to protect children. Neither the pope, nor the Vatican, has elaborated on what action or measures are being considered.

It is likely that Benedict will meet British abuse victims during his four-day trip, but details of these encounters are likely to remain secret. Charities working with victims have condemned this approach.

Macsas – Ministry and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors – claimed that US victims who met Benedict in 2008 had signed confidentiality agreements.

Chair Anne Lawrence said: "We have been advised the meetings were used to manipulate survivors into supporting the pope. The UK victims will be safe, people who are reconciled with the church, people who are lucky enough to come to that. I hope they get what they can from this meeting. It doesn't show they are taking seriously the thousands of cases that have yet to be resolved."

She accused the Catholic bishops of failing in their duty of care towards past victims and urged them to follow the example of Irish prelates, who set up a helpline and a fund following the publication of two excoriating reports examining clerical sexual abuse in the Republic.

She said Benedict's presence in the UK might "enable discourse" between the church and victims.

"The church can and is able to do something now, just as it did in Ireland. There needs to be an inquiry, looking at how many people have been affected. You can't hide behind policies of child protection if you don't deal with this group of victims.

"If they do nothing then this was a terrible visit. It has just stirred up hope and expectation."

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist makes stand for gay members, cuts ties with General Convention

Broadway Baptist Church of Forth Worth has pulled out of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in yet another congregation-denomination split over homosexuality.

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The church’s move ends a relationship that began in 1886, when the BGCT was formed.

Brent Beasley, Broadway’s pastor, called the break “sad” but necessary.

“We’re committed to welcoming all people here, and we would not want to do anything that would be hurtful to anyone just to please the BGCT,” Beasley said.

Broadway has long had openly gay members, a reality that became widely known in 2008. That’s when the church had a much-publicized internal dispute over whether same-sex couples should be included in the church’s photo directory.

The Southern Baptist Convention and BGCT hold that homosexual behavior is a sin, and media reports of Broadway’s acceptance of gays brought the church into conflict with both groups.

The SBC cut ties with Broadway in 2009, and Broadway chose not to participate in the BGCT’s 2009 annual meeting, avoiding a likely challenge to seating the church’s messengers.

Beasley said the church voted “without dissent” last Wednesday to leave the state’s largest Baptist group. On Monday, he delivered a letter with the news to Randel Everett, executive director of the Dallas-based BGCT.

“It is time for us to move forward and keep all of our focus on our mission – the worship of God, ministry to those in need, bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus, and welcoming all into our church,” Beasley said. “This is all too important for us to be spending this much time on denominational politics and distractions.”

Everett said, “It is a sad day for us that we are unable to continue this relationship. I don’t know of any congregation that has been more of a strategic partner to Texas Baptists than Broadway. Two former executive directors served as pastors of the church. They have been an example of ministry to the least of these among us.”

In May, the BGCT’s executive board voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with Royal Lane Baptist Church of Dallas, another congregation that has been welcoming and affirming to gay people.

Beasley said the Royal Lane controversy did not affect Broadway’s decision.

Beasley described Broadway, which averages about 500 for Sunday worship, as doing well financially, with giving “well ahead” of last year.

He said Broadway will contribute directly to Baptist colleges and charities that previously it helped fund through the BGCT. The church also will remain part of the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Russian official sacked for making boys kiss his feet

A regional Russian official sacked for forcing a group of teenagers to kiss his feet has defended his actions, claiming he was merely repeating a lesson he had learned in the Red army.

The official, Difkat Khantimerov, was fired over the weekend after a video posted on YouTube exposed the bizarre incident. The official took charge of a PE lesson and ordered a basketball squad to perform a series of arduous press-ups. He then stuck out his right shoe and ordered the boys to kiss it.

With the teenagers struggling to carry out his request, Khantimerov barked out a series of military-style commands, including "Harder!" "One, two!" and "Kiss!". The clip shows him withdrawing his foot. He then crouches down, and lays his hand flat on the gym floor to be kissed instead.

The extraordinary episode took place in Bashkortostan, a largely Muslim region of southern Russia in the Urals. On Saturday the republic's president, Rustem Khamitov, said he was "relieving the official of his duties" after watching the video on the internet.

"This looks like an outrage, an insult against schoolchildren," the president said, according to Russian news agencies. The president was "indignant to the bottom of his soul," his press secretary, Airat Murzagaleev, said today.

Muzagaleev said the official had given "a strange and not very convincing" explanation for his behaviour: "He told us he had experienced the same thing in the Red army. He said he believed today's youth weren't disciplined and needed to be properly educated." Khantimerov was the head of the Ermekeyev district, Muzagaleev said.

The dismissal represents another victory for Russia's vigilant and politically active blogosphere. Faced with a hostile judicial system that sides with the rich and well-connected, bloggers have taken to posting compromising material online, forcing the authorities to take action.

According to the website newsru.com, Khantimerov mounted a massive effort to identify the person who had shot the footage on their mobile phone, and even contacted the local phone company. His search was in vain.

The video was taken earlier this year and has attracted more than 150,000 clicks on YouTube since it was broadcast this weekend on federal television. It has provoked a wave of comments, most of them hostile. Several bloggers today condemned the official as a "monster".

Russia's presidential children's envoy, Pavel Astakhov, also condemned the foot-kissing incident, describing it as "another case of cruel treatment of children". A few commenters, however, defended him. One, valet176, said that he had done nothing wrong, and noted that the basketball court had recently been renovated.

Gay and lesbian soldiers escort Lady Gaga into VMAs

Four gay and lesbian soldiers chaperoned Lady Gaga into the MTV Video Music Awards earlier tonight in Los Angeles.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network identified the four soldiers as former U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. David Hall; former U.S. Air Force Major Mike Almy; former U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Stacy Vasquez, all of whom the military discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; and former West Point cadet Katie Miller, who resigned last month to protest DADT. Lady Gaga met with Hall, Vasquez, Miller and former Marine Lance Corporal Danny Hernandez before she performed at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

"Lady Gaga’s recognition of these fine patriots casts a spotlight on the unjust burden that ’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ imposes upon the brave men and women who defend our country every day, and further underscores why the Senate must swiftly act to get rid of this despicable law for good," said SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis in a statement.

Lady Gaga’s action comes less than a week after a federal judge in California ruled the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers is unconstitutional. The U.S. Senate is expected to debate the possible repeal of DADT later this month.

Steven Monjeza regrets being pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika

Pardoned gay, Steven Monjeza, has for the first time come out in the open to declare that he 'regrets being pardoned by the State President, Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika'.
Monjeza was speaking to Zachimalawi in an exclusive interview before entering the Chilangoma First Grade Magistrate Court o answer to charges of theft and burglary.
Monjeza said he has always had the impulse to steal, "even when I have everything I need", a "longtime problem" he blamed for his latest scratch with the Penal Code.
"I regret being pardoned by the State President, Professor Bingu wa Mutharika. I say this because, by doing what I did (stealing a cellphone and charger), I have behaved in a way that seems to mock his good intentions. I regret doing this," said Monjeza.
He said, upon reflecting on whatever he has done after being pardoned by he African Union chairperson, he finds that he would have benefited more had he remained in prison.
"I would not have stolen, he way I have done. Again, I would have enjoyed the support of many well-wishers because ours (being convicted for unnatural sex) was a human rights issue. My fear, now, is that nobody will help me and I may starve in prison," said Monjeza.
Monjeza has been convicted by the Chilangoma First Grade Magistrate Court on two counts of theft and burglary.
He stole a phone belonging to a friend, Tony Chirwa, along with its charger.

Steven Monjeza regrets being pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika

Pardoned gay, Steven Monjeza, has for the first time come out in the open to declare that he 'regrets being pardoned by the State President, Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika'.
Monjeza was speaking to Zachimalawi in an exclusive interview before entering the Chilangoma First Grade Magistrate Court o answer to charges of theft and burglary.
Monjeza said he has always had the impulse to steal, "even when I have everything I need", a "longtime problem" he blamed for his latest scratch with the Penal Code.
"I regret being pardoned by the State President, Professor Bingu wa Mutharika. I say this because, by doing what I did (stealing a cellphone and charger), I have behaved in a way that seems to mock his good intentions. I regret doing this," said Monjeza.
He said, upon reflecting on whatever he has done after being pardoned by he African Union chairperson, he finds that he would have benefitted more had he remained in prison.
"I would not have stolen, he way I have done. Again, I would have enjoyed the support of many well-wishers because ours (being convicted for unnatura sex) was a human rights issue. My fear, now, is that nobody will help me and I may starve in prison," said Monjeza.
Monjeza has been convicted by the Chilangoma First Grade Magistrate Court on two counts of theft and burglary.
He stole a phone belonging to a friend, Tony Chirwa,along with its charger.

Malawi's pardoned gay, Steven Monjeza convicted for theft, sentencing Friday

Steven Monjeza was yesterday, September 14, 2010, convicted by the Chilangoma First Grade Magistrate Court on two counts of theft and burglary after he stole a TNM handset valued at K2,000.
State Prosecutor Christopher Daluni said Monjeza will be sentenced this Friday after pleading guilty.
Monjeza, the gay famed for having staged Malawi’s first ever public gay engagement in December 2009, broke into the house of a friend, Tony Chirwa, on September 8, 2010 where he stole the phone and a charger.
He sold them at Mankhoko Trading Centre in Blantyre.
The incident happened after Chirwa and Monjeza went on a drinking spree the previous night, after which the former pleaded with the Monjeza to sleep at his house since it was too late.
But Monjeza came back the next day, having spent the night peacefully, and broke into the house of Chirwa.

French Muslim football team will play against gay side

A French Muslim team who apparently refused to play against a gay side have said the row was a "misunderstanding".

Paris Foot Gay (PFG), of the Parisian suburb Creteil, were due to play against predominantly Muslim side Bebel but the latter called the match off the evening before it was scheduled.

According to PFG president Pascal Brethes, they were sent an email from Bebel saying the match was "against their principles".

Brethes said the email added: "Sorry, but because of the name of your team and in keeping with the principles of the team, which is a team of practising Muslims, we cannot play against you.

"Our convictions are stronger than a game of football. Sorry to have informed you so late."

PFG said the communication was homophobic and that they were considering pressing charges.

Now, Bebel say they will play against the gay side.

In a statement, Bebel director Zahir Belgharbi insisted there had been "a misunderstanding" and said his team were ready to play against PFG.

He told AFP: "We had rejected playing this match not on the grounds of homophobia, as we have been accused of doing, but simply because the name of the club did not seem to us to reflect our vision of sport.

"We reacted by turning down the invitation from Paris Foot Gay for fear of it leading to an instrumentalisation on the part of this club in that it was highlighting the homosexuality of its players."

Local league president Jacques Stouvenel told AFP that both clubs were due to attend a meeting over the incident this week and that Bebel could face disciplinary action or be kicked out of the league.

Italian football player could be punished for gay magazine shoot

An Italian football player who posed in his underwear for a gay magazine could face sanctions from his club.

Napoli player Jesus Datalo posed for monthly gay publication Romeo Mag.

The article included five pictures, including one in the team's strip, and an interview in which he said he hoped he could become a role model.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentis was reportedly visibly displeased by news of the shoot.

According to Momento24, he said: "The image of Napoli rights [has] been violated".

Italian sports blogs have speculated the player may be fined for appearing in the magazine.

Italian footballer player could be punished for gay magazine shoot

An Italian football player who posed in his underwear for a gay magazine could face sanctions from his club.

Napoli player Jesus Datalo posed for monthly gay publication Romeo Mag.

The article included five pictures, including one in the team's strip, and an interview in which he said he hoped he could become a role model.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentis was reportedly visibly displeased by news of the shoot.

According to Momento24, he said: "The image of Napoli rights [has] been violated".

Italian sports blogs have speculated the player may be fined for appearing in the magazine.

French Muslim football side kicked out of league in row over gay team

A Muslim football team who initially refused to play against a gay team and then appeared to back down have been kicked out of their league.

Bebel, a team from the Parisian suburb of Creteil, were excluded from the Leisure Football Commission for making discriminatory comments and refusing a match, the commission's website said today.

After calling off a match the night before it was due to be played, the Muslim side was accused of homophobia by gay team Paris Foot Gay (PFG). Bebel then said there had been a misunderstanding.

Bebel director Zahir Belgharbi told AFP at the weekend: "We had rejected playing this match not on the grounds of homophobia, as we have been accused of doing, but simply because the name of the club did not seem to us to reflect our vision of sport."

The club has now apparently refused to play against the gay team again.

According to PFG president Pascal Brethes, the original email from Bebel said the match was "against their principles".

Brethes said the email added: "Sorry, but because of the name of your team and in keeping with the principles of the team, which is a team of practising Muslims, we cannot play against you.

"Our convictions are stronger than a game of football. Sorry to have informed you so late."

PFG said the communication was homophobic and that they were considering pressing charges.

French football club rejects gay player citing 'trouble' of sexuality

A French amateur footballer's application to return to his club was denied on the grounds of his sexuality.

The footballer, Yoann Lemaire, was the object of televised homophobic outbursts from other players in 2009. He took a sabbatical following the incident, but has not been allowed to return to the club to avoid further "trouble".

FC Chooz club manager Frédéric Pretty's rejection letter cited the club's desire to avoid potential negative publicity caused by comments about Lemaire's homosexuality in the future.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, the player explains that only two players out of the 60 registered with the team were the source of homophobic comments.

The club is a signatory of a charter designed to fight homophobia in football, launched by Paris Foot Gay in 2007. Paris Foot Gay has called this week for sanctions against FC Chooz, "to help the football world to realize that homophobia is as bad as racism and anti-Semitism."

First lesbian prime minister wins Iceland election under left-wing coalition

Johanna Sigurdardottir, the world's first openly gay leader, has won Iceland's general election.

The Social Democrat leader formed a left-wing coalition with the Left-Green Movement.

The Social Democrats won 30.5 per cent of the vote, or 20 parliamentary seats, while the Left-Green Movement won 21.5 per cent, or 14 seats. Both parties have said they will form a coalition government.

Ms Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the first left-wing government in the country after almost 18 years of conservative Independent party domination.

She has already signalled her plans for Iceland to join the European Union, saying: “We want Iceland as soon as possible to join the European Union and adopt the euro."

She added: “I should emphasise that this is a priority issue for the Social Democrats.”

Ms Sigurdardottir has been an MP since 1978 and was recently voted the most popular politician in Iceland.

Well-known for keeping her private life out of the spotlight, she has never given any interviews about her sexuality or her family.

Her partner is Jónína Leósdóttir, a well known playwright, author and a journalist and the couple are registered in Iceland (the equivalent of a civil partnership).

Together they have three grown up children.

In 2002 a gay man did act as prime minister of Norway, but only for a matter of hours. Ms Sigurdardottir is the first ever openly gay head of government.

Foolish words by the great

World's Worst Predictions - Famously Wrong Predictions
Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility--a development which we should waste little time dreaming about.
- Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor of the cathode ray tube

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
- Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM

It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything.
- Albert Einstein's teacher to his father, 1895

It will be years - not in my time - before a woman will become Prime Minister.
- Margaret Thatcher, 1974

This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.
- Western Union internal memo, 1876

We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.
- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?
- H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

640K ought to be enough for anybody.
- Bill Gates, 1981

Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.
- Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.
- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

We don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.
- Hewlett-Packard's rejection of Steve Jobs, who went on to found Apple Computers

King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.

An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm's newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable.

In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn't have time for it.

An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate.

Airplanes are interesting toys, but they have no military value.
- Marshal Ferdinand Foch in 1911

With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.
- Business Week, 1958

Whatever happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping.
- Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, on December 4, 1941

Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.
- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, October 16, 1929.

Iceland Prime Minister Rebuffed for being gay!

An MP from the Faroe Islands has refused to attend a state banquet held in honour of Icelandic prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir's official visit.

The prime minister of the Faroe Islands, Kaj Leo Johannesen, invited all seven of the Faroe Island's party leaders to dine with Ms Sigurðardóttir and her wife, Jonina Leonsdottir. However, Jenis av Rana MP, leader of The Centre Party, a Christianity-based conservative party, declined the invitation, reportedly saying it was against his religion and that he wouldn't "dream of attending such a banquet".

In a statement on his party's website, Mr av Rana wrote: "Logmadur [prime minister] has sent all party leaders an invitation to dine with Iceland's prime minister and her female partner . . . The Centre party will not be represented at the dinner.

"I do not make a habit of going out in the evening unless my wife is also invited. I would much rather stay at home with her. This is not new behaviour, it's been like this for years. No one should be surprised."

He also added that he considered the couple's visit to be a direct provocation to the beliefs of Faroese society.

The incident has sparked controversy in both Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Ossur Skarpheðinsson, Iceland's foreign minister, publicly condemned Mr av Rana's comments as "disgraceful".

The Chairman of the Faroese Republican party, Hogny Hoydal, along with PM Johanneson, stated that Mr av Rana's views did not represent those of the whole Faroese nation.

The Faroe Islands – an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark – and Iceland have a long-standing cultural relationship, sharing an near-identical language and remarkably similar history.

However, this is not the first time the relationship between the two countries has hit rocky ground: back in 2006, Icelandic MP for Social Democratic Alliance, Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, criticised Faroese parliament for rejecting proposals designed to offer protection against discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

The case received widespread publicity in the Scandinavian press and is today widely credited for the special protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation which are now enshrined in Faroese law.

On his blog, Faroese Christian writer Arni Zachariassen wrote an open letter of apology to PM Sigurðardóttir saying he felt the situation was "saddening and embarrassing".

Mr Zachariassen wrote: "I know that I speak for the majority of Faroese Christians when I say that you are more than welcome to visit our country and if the occasion arose, you and your wife both would be more than welcome to eat at our tables."

Church of Scotland condemns imprisonment of Malawian gay couple

Reverend Ian Galloway, convener of the Kirk's Church and Society council, has condemned the jailing of a Malawian gay couple as "unjust".

Townge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labour last Thursday after being arrested on 28 December 2009 for their 'symbolic' wedding.

Reverend Galloway said: "These men have harmed no-one. They are a danger to no-one and should not be in prison."

The Kirk is currently struggling to reach an agreement over the subject of ordaining openly gay ministers after last year's appointment of Scott Rennie to Queen's Cross, an issue which split the Church. The General Assembly, the Church of Scotland's annual supreme court meeting, is currently being held at The Mound in Edinburgh, where Reverend Galloway said he hoped they would unite over the Malawi case.

Exclusive: Alan Duncan writes 'Malawi gay conviction is shocking – but we cannot stop aid'

The conviction of two men in Malawi for exercising their basic right to express their sexuality as they wish is both shocking and disturbing.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza face 14 years in jail simply because they have come out in a country which views homosexuality as a crime.

The government of Malawi has signed up to international treaties on human rights. Indeed the country’s constitution explicitly prohibits discrimination against any of its citizens.

It is a fundamental tenet of my beliefs – and those of the UK government – that those basic human rights should apply to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation.

Human rights underpin our relationship with Malawi as with many other countries. But we must be wary of calls to use aid money as a political weapon.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 40 per cent of its people live on less than 34 pence a day. They face a challenge just to survive and we have a moral obligation to help them in their daily battle against hunger, disease and despair.

Our aid programme is worth almost £80 million this year and it is aimed directly at helping those most in need.

We cannot make them victims along with Mr Chimbalanga and Mr Monjeza.

But that does not mean we will sit idly by. The UK has clearly demonstrated its commitment to promoting basic rights in Malawi through programmes which aim to end violence against women, to deliver fair access to HIV treatment and to encourage better parliamentary scrutiny to allow the people to hold their Government to account.

We, along with our major international partners, will make urgent representations to the government of Malawi to review its laws to ensure that it meets its commitments to human rights.

And we will have this unjust and harsh conviction at the forefront of our minds when we negotiate the way we deliver our aid in future.

We cannot and will not let down the poor of Malawi – for too many of them international aid is a matter of life or death – but we do expect their government to face up to its international and domestic obligations.

Malawi has made significant progress in the field of human rights in recent years but this case shows it still has a long way to go to match words with deeds.

Alan Duncan MP is the minister for international development

Castrating gays!

All homosexuals should be castrated.
Evangelist Billy Graham, a statement for which he later apologized.

Castrating gays!

All homosexuals should be castrated.
Evangelist Billy Graham, a statement for which he later apologized.