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Magic at Sliema Christmas Market

December 12, 2019, 10:11 am
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Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Last weekend's Sliema Christmas Market fizzled a bit of magic in the air, attracting hundreds of visitors over three days. [attach id=807280 type="video"]Video: Reuben Testa[/attach] Held along Bisazza Street, the market featured a wide range of stalls selling seasonal gifts and decorations, local produce, homemade goodies, crafts, jewellery, last-minute gifts, seasonal food, mulled wine, drinks and much more. All outlets in Bisazza Street were also be open for a truly wonderful shopping experience. [attach id=807286 size="large" align="left" type="image"][/attach] Father Christmas was also in attendance, delighting the little ones and adding to the fun with a bellyful of laughter and plenty of selfie opportunities.  Visitors were encouraged to leave a gift under the giant Christmas tree. These gifts will be donated to charity.   
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Keith Schembri gave Yorgen Fenech 'inside information' - middleman

December 12, 2019, 10:16 am
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The letter written by Theuma and published by Times of Malta last week implicating Fenech and Schembri.

The middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination said that Yorgen Fenech had passed on to him sensitive information he was getting from his ‘close’ friend, former chief of staff Keith Schembri, who would “step into the flames” on his account.  Melvin Theuma made the claims during cross examination on Thursday in the compilation of evidence against Alfred and George Degiorgio as well as Vincent Muscat, the men accused of killing the journalist in a car bomb on October 16, 2017.  The Birkirkara taxi driver named several instances when Mr Fenech, who is accused of being complicit in the murder, revealed details about the investigation. One month after the assassination, Mr Fenech told Mr Theuma that the investigators had traced the coded text message which had allegedly set off the bomb. Lawyer Jason Azzopardi, who is representing the Caruana Galizia family, pointed out that at that early stage only the service provider, the Malta Security Services, and those who planted the bomb, had knowledge of that message.  "And Yorgen," Mr Theuma said. "Hold on. How was Fenech getting the information?” Dr Azzopardi asked. "I believe he was getting the information from Keith Schembri.
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Enter the wild side

December 12, 2019, 10:21 am
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An all-new rally-inspired sports car, the Toyota GR Yaris, will make its international debut at next month’s Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan. The GR Yaris incorporates advanced technologies, knowledge and experience learned from Toyota’s title-winning participation in the World Rally Championship (WRC) where it competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) banner. The GR Yaris will be the second pure sports-car model to be launched globally by TGR, following last year’s return of the legendary Toyota GR Supra. [attach id=807307 type="video"][/attach] The GR Yaris has now completed its final stage of development and a prototype was recently pushed to its limits by Toyota’s global president Akio Toyoda, under his TGR Master Driver code name “Morizo”. Toyota, through its TGR motorsport activities, is seeking to create ever-better cars and expand its passionate fan support by competing in a series of demanding races in a variety of categories on roads around the world. In 2017, Toyota returned to the FIA World Rally Championship with the Yaris World Rally Car, leading to five wins and the manufacturer’s title in 2018 followed by the driver’s and co-driver’s titles this year. TGR has...
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Ukraine detains suspects in murder of top journalist

December 12, 2019, 10:29 am
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Murder suspect Andriy Antonenko.

Ukrainian police have detained several people suspected of involvement in the murder of a journalist Pavel Sheremet who died in a car bomb blast in 2016, the country's leadership announced Thursday. "Probable killers were detained today," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the press briefing in Kiev. "But there is another question: who ordered it?" he added. Two women and three men, all former veterans of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, are accused of murdering Sheremet with the aim of "destabilising the situation in the country by killing a famous person", National Police chief Yevgen Koval said. The 44-year-old Sheremet, an acclaimed Belarus-born journalist with pro-European views, died in July 2016 when his car exploded while he was driving to work in central Kiev. The two main suspects suspected of planting the explosive device under Sheremet's car are an ex-serviceman of the Ukrainian army Andriy Antonenko and a woman called Yuliya Kuzmenko. Footage from the crime scene which had been released after the murder showed a man and a woman acting suspiciously near the car. Antonenko denied involvement in the murder and on Thursday managed to write on Facebook...
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Activists guard Caruana Galizia makeshift memorial

December 12, 2019, 10:53 am
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Photo: Jonathan Borg

Activists are taking it in turns to guard the Daphne Caruana Galizia makeshift memorial, in shifts of around five people each, throughout the night, to prevent it from being cleared by government workers. The vigil started at around 7pm on Thursday and is expected to carry through into Friday morning, Republic Day.  Workers clearing the memorial on Wednesday night said they were following “orders from above” when confronted by a German journalist.  Daphne's memorial was created on October 18, 2017, two days after Ms Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb outside her Bidnija home. People had laid flowers, candles and other tributes at the foot of Antonio Sciortino's Great Siege monument following a vigil.  A team of dedicated volunteers have since laid fresh candles and flowers at the site daily. A court was told that it was Justice Minister Owen Bonnici who had ordered the monument to keep being cleared. The memorial's caretakers have frequently been at loggerheads with public maintenance employees who clear the vigil during the night.  The constant clearing of the memorial has led blogger Manuel Delia to file a constitutional case contesting these actions.  The memorial...
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Arsenal fight back to claim Europa League last 32 spot

December 12, 2019, 12:27 pm
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Arsenal came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Standard Liege and make sure of a place in the Europa League last 32 as Group F winners on Thursday. Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka were on target in the space of three second-half minutes. The Gunners, runners-up to Chelsea last season, finished the group stage with 11 points and a relatively easier draw in the knockout rounds. They lived on their nerves as Eintracht Frankfurt were poised to knock them off top spot when the Germans led Guimaraes 2-1. However, the Portuguese side, already eliminated, scored twice in the last five minutes to claim a 3-2 win. Arsenal had beaten Liege 4-0 in the first meeting between the two sides and with a place in the knockout round already virtually certain, caretaker coach Freddie Ljungberg made nine changes to his starting line-up in Belgium. The home side took the lead just after half-time when a speculative Samuel Bastien shot took a huge deflection which left Gunners goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez wrong-footed. The goal meant Arsenal had failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 13 matches in all competitions, equalling their worst ever run under Arsene Wenger in 2004. It got worse after...
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Watch: UK's Johnson looks set for decisive election win, clearing path to Brexit

December 12, 2019, 2:04 pm
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Britain's ruling Conservative Party appeared on course for a sweeping victory in Thursday's snap election, an exit poll showed, paving the way for Britain to leave the EU next month. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party was forecast to win 368 out of 650 seats in the lower House of Commons - a large majority - according to the survey by the Sky News, ITV and BBC broadcasters published as polls closed at 2200 GMT. The pound jumped on the projected results from what has been described as the most important election in Britain in a generation. Johnson had campaigned on a promise to "Get Brexit Done", vowing to end years of political turmoil over Britain's future that has weighed on the economy and divided the nation. Johnson vowed that if he won a majority of MPs, he would get the divorce deal he struck with Brussels through parliament in time to meet the next Brexit deadline of January 31. This would formalise the end of almost five decades of integration between Britain and the EU, although both sides still need to thrash out a new trade and security agreement. Britons had braved winter storms and howling winds as they lined up to cast ballots in the country's third election in...
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Coman expected back in January for Bayern despite knee injury

December 13, 2019, 8:00 am
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Kingsley Coman

Bayern Munich's team doctor expects French winger Kingsley Coman to be able to play again soon after the January winter break despite suffering a knee injury against Tottenham. Coman had to be helped off in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Tottenham when his left knee buckled while he was running for the ball, prompting fears of another long spell on the sidelines for the injury-prone star. However, tests showed Coman tore the capsule around the joint -- a less severe injury than feared -- and he should be able to take part in Bayern's training camp in Doha, which starts on January 4. "Of course, we were all very concerned at first, but Kingsley was very lucky," Bayern's doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt told the club's website. "Tests have shown that he will only miss the last three games of the year and will be back with the team for the winter camp in Doha." The news is a relief for 23-year-old Colman, who missed France's victorious 2018 World Cup campaign after suffering back-to-back injuries to his left ankle earlier that year. Bayern, who are currently seventh in the Bundesliga, play Werder Bremen on Saturday, then face Freiburg and Wolfsburg in their remaining matches of 2019.
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UK's Johnson calls for 'closure and healing' over Brexit

December 13, 2019, 8:05 am
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Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday called on Britain to move on from Brexit, after a resounding general election win that allows him to push his divorce deal with the EU through parliament. "I urge everyone to find closure and let the healing begin," he said outside Downing Street after the final result was confirmed, giving his Conservatives an 80-seat majority in the 650-seat House of Commons. The main opposition Labour party, which slumped to its worst election showing since the 1930s, blamed "Brexit fatigue" for the result. [attach id=807874 type="video"][/attach] Johnson also recognised the effects on the public of more than three years of political deadlock and deepening division, after the landmark 2016 referendum on EU membership. He called Thursday's election to secure a parliamentary majority to enable him to take Britain out of the EU by the latest deadline of January 31 next year. "After five weeks, frankly, of electioneering, this country deserves a break from wrangling, a break from politics, and a permanent break from talking about Brexit," he said. After campaigned on a platform to "Get Brexit Done", Johnson struck a more conciliatory tone, recognising that...
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Neymar hits Barcelona with fresh lawsuit

December 13, 2019, 8:24 am
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Neymar

Brazilian forward Neymar has filed a fresh lawsuit against Barcelona to demand some three million euros of unpaid wages from his previous stint at the Spanish club, a judicial source said Friday. The lawsuit was filed "a few weeks ago", the source told AFP, confirming a report published in Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo which said the Paris Saint-Germain player was suing the Catalan giants to collect "3.2 million euros ($3.6 million) relating to his July 2017 salary". According to the newspaper, Neymar alleges Barcelona withheld part of his salary when he quit the club to join the French side in 2017. Neymar's shock transfer to PSG for a then-world record 222 million euros ($250 million at the time) came less than a year after he signed a contract that would have kept him at the Spanish club until 2021. The 27-year-old player argues Barcelona "did not pay him his final salary as a 'reprisal' for having claimed his extension bonus", El Mundo reported. Neymar has already sued Barcelona to demand the paymenet of 64.4 million euros which he negotiated with the club in 2016 in exchange for the extension of his contract until 2021. A Barcelona court in September heard both sides in...
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News site uses old photo to debunk 'fake news' about Muscat's EU Summit

December 13, 2019, 8:38 am
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It-Torċa called out 'fake news' but was then forced to take down a photo it used to debunk the claim after realising it was also misleading.

A local news outlet on Friday tried to discredit a rival website for running “fake news” by publishing misinformation itself. General Workers Union-owned newspaper It-Torċa claimed on Facebook that an article published by Nationalist Party-owned Net News was “fake news”. The article, titled “Muscat isolated in Europe”, featured just two paragraphs of text and nothing to back its headline assertion, save for a blurry photo of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat seated alone at a conference room table. It-Torċa sought to debunk that claim by sharing photos of a smiling Dr Muscat chatting amiably with other EU leaders. But there was a catch: one of the photos, featuring Dr Muscat with German chancellor Angela Merkel and former EU Council president Donald Tusk, dates back to a different EU summit, held in December last year. Mr Tusk has since been replaced by Charles Michel.Former PN MEP candidate Peter Agius was quick to call out the news outlet. “Did you think you could fool everyone?” he asked.  The website subsequently removed the 2018 photo of Dr Muscat with Mr Tusk from their Facebook post.  Dr Muscat’s two-day EU summit appearance went off without any major hitches, with EU Council...
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A card game could bring corruption into your living room

December 13, 2019, 8:39 am
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Political corruption has dominated kitchen table talk in households up and down the country over the past month. Now a local entrepreneur is hoping to move that talk into the living room, with plans to develop a card game that riffs on corruption. Korrotti pits an informed minority group of players who are the corrupt against an uninformed majority group of innocents. By night, the corrupt group work to eliminate innocent players. By day, the innocents deduce who among them is corrupt.  The premise is similar to other social deduction games such as Mafia, in which some of the players’ roles are unknown to others. “The country is in danger! Nobody knows who is a KORROTT,” the game’s blurb warns. “One of them can be your sweet, sweet girlfriend, your best friend, or even the most respected person on the island.”  The game rings especially true given recent political upheaval, the person behind the Korrotti project acknowledges. ‘Recent developments in Malta have created an atmosphere of suspicion and accusations,” he says, asking to remain anonymous. But though recent events may have inspired the idea, the game is not about partisan politics, he was keen to stress. “Almost all...
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Planners approve conversion of Naxxar historic palazzo to guesthouse

December 13, 2019, 8:57 am
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The 19th century palazzo in Naxxar which is to be converted into a guesthouse and its garden into a pool area.

The Planning Authority has given its blessing to an application to convert a historic 19th century palazzo in a quaint Naxxar street into a guesthouse and its garden into a pool area. It also approved the construction of a residential complex in vacant plots surrounding the site. Application PA3690/19 sought permission to convert the dilapidated dwelling into a guest house. The Planning Directorate recommended the application’s refusal because it ran counter to a design guideline. However, at discussion stage, the applicant submitted fresh drawings to address this issue and all other issues raised by the directorate. The PA issued a permit to convert three vacant plots of land into a residential block of 16 basement garages and six commercial car parking spaces, three groundfloor maisonettes and nine apartments over three floors plus two overlying penthouses at the fourth receded floor.  The project in Triq Santa Luċija and Triq Ħal Dgħejf also got the green light from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the PA’s Design Advisory Committee. The applicant, Matthew Gauci, was given permission to remove additions made to the original Casa Chetcuti over the years and...
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Lampard won't speak to out-of-contract players until January

December 13, 2019, 9:00 am
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Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard will not speak to any of his Chelsea players about their immediate Stamford Bridge futures until next month as he considers whether to strengthen during the January transfer window. The club's FIFA-imposed transfer ban was last week reduced on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning they are free to sign players again. Striker Olivier Giroud and forwards Willian and Pedro all have contracts that expire at the end of the season and will be free to talk to other clubs in the New Year. Brazil star Willian has already said he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge and has vowed not to speak to any prospective suitors but Giroud and Pedro may be looking for more regular football. Lampard confirmed he is happy with Giroud's work and for the France striker to stay at the club, but said he would not seek out chats about transfer plans with his players until next month. Asked if he had spoken to Giroud about his future, Lampard said: "No. All the players that are here, I won't have any talk about anything until January. "I'm happy for him (Giroud) to stay. With every player in the squad I want them to be here, to have the right professionalism and show the right...
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Austrian far-right kicks out scandal-hit ex-leader

December 13, 2019, 9:06 am
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Heinz-Christian Strache

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) announced Friday it has ousted its former leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who was caught in a corruption scandal that saw the party ejected from government in May. High-profile FPOe leaders called a press conference in which they said "the Strache chapter was being definitively closed" for the party, dogged for months by the fallout from the so-called "Ibiza-gate" scandal. In May sensational hidden-camera footage of Strache emerged which had been filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 2017.  In it Strache appeared to offer public contracts to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch, in return for campaign help. Fifty-year-old Strache immediately stepped down as party leader but the scandal led to the collapse of the FPOe's coalition government with the centre-right People's Party (OeVP). Friday's expulsion is the latest episode in a spectacular fall from grace for Strache, who had led the party into government and became Vice-Chancellor after elections in autumn 2017 in which the party won 26% of the vote. In that administration, the FPOe gained control of several high-profile cabinet posts, including the coveted position of...
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Hibs prevail in bad-tempered match

December 13, 2019, 9:32 am
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Hibernians' Jake Grech speeds ahead of Gżira United's Nikolai Muscat. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

HIBERNIANS 2Agius 60Degabriele 81 GŻIRA UNITED 0 Hibernians: M. Jovicic-6, F. Apap-6.5, L. Da Silveira-6.5, J. Mbong-6, J. Grech-6 (77 J. Degabriele), T. Groothusen-5.5 (74 J. Wemmer), B. Kristensen, D. Vella-6, A. Izquier-7, A. Agius-7.5, I. Iriberri-6.5 (88 M. Beerman). Gżira United: J. Haber-6.5, F. Barbosa, G. Conti-6, N. Muscat-6, Z. Scerri-5, R. Soares-6 (47 C. Gatt Baldacchino-6), J. Corbalan-5, H. Kone-5, A. Samb-5, A. Oyama-5, Jefferson. Referee Matthew Degabriele. Yellow cards: Jefferson, Barbosa, Silveira, Agius, Corbalan.Red cards: Kristensen (H) 38, Jefferson (G) 53, Barbosa (68) G. Missed penalty: Samb (G) 90. BOV Player of the match: Andrei Agius (Hibernians). Hibernians put themselves back in contention for a title push when they produced a matured second-half performance to overcome Gżira United in a bad-tempered match that saw the referee show the red card to three players. It looked as though Hibernians were set for a difficult afternoon when late in the first half they were reduced to ten men when Bjorn Kristensen was dismissed for dissent. But despite this blow, the Paolites kept their composure and came out in the second half as a transformed side and after...
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'I paid the political price, but better this way' - Muscat

December 13, 2019, 9:49 am
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Outgoing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle.

Outgoing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat spoke about the bitter end to his political future on Friday saying that in spite of everything, he was satisifed there had been a breakthrough in the investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.  Speaking on One Television, he said: “I prefer to be the person to pay with my political career, but to be able to say we made a big breakthrough on this case,” he said during a televised fund-raising marathon. He compared the journalist's assassination to the murders of Karin Grech and Raymond Caruana, saying previous prime ministers had vouched to resolve the cases, but had failed to do so.  Recent developments into the case have pointed at the involvement of people close to the Office of the Prime Minister, including Dr Muscat's former chief of staff Keith Schembri. Amid major pressure, Dr Muscat said he would be stepping down in mid-January. “Of course I wish my career ended in another way,” he said. Fearne and Abela Speaking on party leadership contenders Chris Fearne and Robert Abela, Dr Muscat said he had encouraged both to enter politics, “I cannot endorse them more than that”.  He encouraged them to always be positive, to keep all...
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Watch: Five-star Stripes claim fifth Women's Super Cup

December 13, 2019, 10:01 am
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Birkirkara players celebrate with the Super Cup.

BIRKIRKARA   5Said 33Giusti 75Abera 78, 84, 88 MĠARR UNITED  0 BIRKIRKARA: J. Xuereb; G. Zahra, A. Said, S. Farrugia, T. Teuma (87 S. Buttigieg), A. Sultana, L. Abera, K. Willis (80 J. Sakic), R. Giusti, Y. Vella (63 S. Zarb), E. Anu (68 V. Mifsud).  MĠARR UNITED: R. Borg (16 P. Ebejer); H. Bugeja, A. Camilleri (87 L. Cefai), M. Debono, J. Vella Turner, F. Chircop (78 Y. Attard), R. Bajada, C. Cassia, B. Borg, A. Grech, R. Micallef (75 C.  Xuereb).  Referee Joseph Scerri. Yellow cards Giusti.  A Loza Abera hat-trick propelled Birkirkara towards the first silverware of the season as the Stripes defeated Mġarr United 5-0, at the National Stadium. [attach id=807937 type="video"][/attach] The Stripes dominated proceedings from start to end, flexing their muscles when it mattered most to pick up their fifth Super Cup in their history. Undoubtedly, Ethiopia forward Abera took centre-stage with three goals to reach the 20-goal mark this season.  Mġarr, on their part, will be disappointed to not have took this game to wire as they have now suffered their third straight final defeat to Birkirkara - twice in the Women’s Cup and yesterday.  Birkirkara and Mġarr United gave life to a...
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RB Leipzig boss confirms Haaland talks

December 13, 2019, 10:30 am
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Erling Haaland has been on the radar of several clubs around Europe after impressive performances in the Champions League.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed Friday holding talks with Salzburg's teen striker Erling Haaland, who Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund are also reportedly chasing. "I tried to explain my idea of football to him in good English," said Nagelsmann, whose side are second in the Bundesliga, a point behind leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach. "I think it was a good conversation, but there is nothing new to announce." Leipzig and Salzburg are sister clubs, both backed by energy drinks giant Red Bull. Earlier this week, several German media outlets reported that the prolific 19-year-old Norway forward met with Dortmund on Wednesday. Haaland attracted attention when, aged 19 years and 58 days, he became one of the youngest players to score a Champions League hat-trick in a 6-2 victory over Genk in September. The son of former Manchester City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland then scored in his first five Champions League matches, claiming eight goals in the group stage. Leipzig's Germany striker Timo Werner is under contract until 2023 but has been linked to Bayern Munich. However, Nagelsmann said there was no guarantee Haaland would join the club during the January transfer...
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Unesco pulls Belgian carnival from heritage list over anti-Semitism charges

December 13, 2019, 10:34 am
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File photo

Unesco on Friday withdrew an annual carnival in the Belgian city of Aalst from its heritage list over persistent charges of anti-Semitism. In an unprecedented move, Unesco's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage said it was withdrawing the carnival "over recurring repetition of racist and anti-Semitic representations" at the event. The carnival of Aalst, in the Belgian Dutch speaking region of Flanders, was initially added to Unesco's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010. But the presence in the parade of a float caricaturing Orthodox Jews with hooked noses and sitting on gold bags outraged Belgium's 40,000-strong Jewish community.  Yohan Benizri, vice president of the World Jewish Congress, welcomed Friday's decision but said it was "unfortunately not the end of the story. We deplore, but today we also fear, the disastrous consequences of the carnival, whether or not it is recognized by Unesco." "The massive spread, directly or indirectly, of extremely charged anti-Semitic prejudices - crooked nose, control of the economy and banks - is not what we want for our children in the context of a family event.  "This...
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