Lawyers for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema on Friday dismissed charges against him over an attempt to blackmail fellow player Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape, saying the prosecution had been driven by media interest in the case. A verdict in the trial will be announced on November 24. On the last day of hearings, being held in Versailles outside Paris, Benzema’s lawyers claimed the prosecution had failed to provide evidence to convict the star of complicity in an attempt to blackmail. “One can ask what really interests French people in this case? Sex? Money? Football? Not the judicial element in any case,” lawyer Antoine Vey told the court, adding that the prosecution’s case had been built around Valbuena’s “feelings”. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

A new important distinction for Parimatch Tech is its inclusion in the list of "Europe's Best Workplaces ™ 2021". Among the 3,000 companies that were evaluated in 2020 in 36 European countries, Parimatch Tech ranked 22nd in the category of medium-sized enterprises. Commenting on the company's success, Parimatch Tech HR Group director Marianna Hadjiandoniou said: “This recognition means a lot to us. We believe in our people. In our philosophy, people are our central core, which drives us to become a technologically first gaming company. Parimatch Tech has developed a corporate culture that conveys the spirit of the brand, inspires people to take on new challenges and provides comfortable working conditions.” The Parimatch brand was founded in 1994. In 2017 Parimatch, an international company with offices in seven countries, decided to move its headquarters to Cyprus. Also, Parimatch Holding announced its evolution to Parimatch Tech to highlight its transition from a traditional betting company to a fully digitalised and product-focused technology business. Parimatch Tech is an international product company and will continue to promote the established Parimatch brand worldwide,...

Pep Guardiola says he still loves being a football manager but ignores social media after Steve Bruce spoke about the abuse he received as Newcastle boss following his departure from St James’ Park  this week. Bruce, who left his job by “mutual consent” two weeks after a Saudi-led takeover, admitted he could walk away from the game, such was the level of vitriol directed at him and his family. Guardiola offered sympathy and praise for Bruce, but said the best way to survive in the game was to disregard what was being said online. “We get praise when we win, and we are incredibly criticised, sometimes more than the worst in society, because we don’t win games,” said the City boss. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied he was “rubbing his hands together” at the prospect of unleashing his in-form attackers against Manchester United’s leaky defence in Sunday’s blockbuster Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Liverpool’s gifted front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all scoring freely for the unbeaten Reds, who are just one point behind leaders Chelsea. Salah netted twice in the 3-2 win at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday—a result that means Liverpool have scored at least three goals in every away game this season across all competitions. United also won by the same scoreline in midweek but had to come back from 2-0 down against Atalanta, with Cristiano Ronaldo heading a late winner. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta  

A new campaign on local crowdfunding platform Zaar aims to raise funds to buy mastectomy brassieres. Launched by FEM. Community (Female Entrepreneurs Malta), the Give a Bra campaign marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is the second annual Action for Good event to support the cause at the women in business-focused hub. The Zaar campaign hopes to raise €500 for Action For Breast Cancer Foundation Malta, funding mastectomy brassieres that will be professionally fitted by the breast care nurse at the Breast Clinic, especially for women who need these bras. “The FEM. community loves to give back but we need help. FEM. would like to invite all the amazing women and men in our community to help us raise €500 by the end of October for this worthy cause,” Dana Carmont, FEM. Community founder, says. “Last year’s Give a Bra campaign was a great success and we managed to raise €420 – so let’s beat that!” As part of its Action for Good event, the FEM. Community also aims to collect at least a hundred assorted new and unused bras in good condition that will be distributed to women in need at shelters around Malta. Bra donations may be dropped off at collection points located across Malta...

The teachers at an Afghan midwifery college in a Taliban stronghold have dodged bullets through their office windows and seen their last training centre blown up. But they kept working for the sake of the mothers and babies in their rural community.  Now, with the Islamist hardliners in control of Afghanistan, the instructors are calling on the new government to allow them to continue their work in peace. Video: MARYKE VERMAAK / AFPTV/AFP “I do my job because of a sense of humanitarianism and patriotism, and because I feel the need to serve my community and the most oppressed members of our society: women and children,” teacher Shafiqa Bironi told AFP. “Our demand now is that the Taliban provide a safe and open space for women to at least be able to help other women,” the 52-year-old said. The Community Midwifery Education School in Maidan Shar, the capital of the central Wardak province, has 25 students who will graduate in May 2022 after a stop-start two-year programme because of the unrest and the coronavirus pandemic. At times during fierce fighting between the Taliban and former government forces the school would get caught in the crossfire, forcing teachers and students...

Former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra has said he was sexually abused as a teenager. In an interview to publicise his new autobiography, Evra told The Times on Friday the abuse took place when he was a 13-year-old schoolboy.  The now 40-year-old Evra said that far more difficult than detailing the abuse in his autobiography or speaking about it an interview, was telling his mother for the first time. “Of course, she was devastated,” he told The Times. “It was a tough moment for me. I have still to tell a few of my brothers and sisters and close friends.” Evra said he had decided to make a public revelation in order to help children who may be in a similar situation. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Yazmin Zammit Stevens says that when she started practising the sport of weightlifting she felt that her life was finally fulfilled.  In an interview in this week’s episode of GAME ON, Zammit Stevens tells Ben Camille on how her love for the sport started and said that for many years she had tried to find something that she could be passionate about.   “I only started weightlifting about six years ago,” Zammit Stevens said.   “I was at University with my friend and we tried to find something that could keep us fit and we found classes of cross-fit near the University of Malta. The biggest part of cross-fit entailed that we practised weightlifting.   “For many years in my life, I had felt that I was different than others as I couldn’t fit in any type of group as I was never passionate about something." Watch the full episode of GAME ON on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

Police in England said on Friday they had arrested three men, after several days of increasing alarm at reports that revellers had been injected with needles at nightclubs. Young women and men, mostly students, have said they believe they were injected with drug-filled syringes at clubs and bars. Women have for years been warned to be alert to their drinks being spiked with alcohol or sedative drugs while on nights out. Longstanding fears about the safety of women in public places have also come under renewed focus after the high-profile murder of a London woman by a rogue police officer earlier this year. Police have said there had been around 140 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October and 24 reports of injection. Senior officer Jason Harwin of coordinating body the National Police Chiefs' Council said the reports were "very concerning" and the council was "working at pace" to "understand the scale of offending". Arrests Police in Nottinghamshire county in central England said on Friday they had made two arrests in an ongoing investigation into "spiking" incidents. The pair were suspected of conspiring to administer poison "with intent to injure, annoy or...

A judge has awarded a couple €35,000 in compensation after their case dragged out for 21 years amid “useless deferrals” in a court that was “indifferent” to the delays. Mr Justice Toni Abela ruled it was unreasonable and unjustified for the civil suit over a rental agreement to take over 14 years to be decided and another six years for garnishee orders on the couple’s accounts to be lifted. He was ruling in a case filed by Paul and Colette Berman against the State Advocate. The couple had been sued by Rachelle Buttigieg in May 2000 over their alleged breach of a rental contract on a property in Main Street, Balzan. The landlady claimed they had signed an agreement to rent the property for two years but had moved out without paying. The Bermans argued during the case that the property was not in a good state due to water seepage and excessive humidity, making it uninhabitable. They also filed a counter claim for part of the rent they had paid. By 2005, the parties had presented all their evidence and the presiding judge, Joseph R. Micallef, deferred the case for judgment to February 2006. But no judgment was delivered and the case continued to be put off for judgment until 2012...

Hollywood star Alec Baldwin said Friday his "heart is broken" after he fatally shot a cinematographer with a prop gun he had been told was safe on the set of a Western about an accidental killing.  The US actor and producer said he was "fully cooperating" with a police investigation, as law enforcement officials carried out a search warrant, and reports emerged of allegedly dangerous working conditions on the set. "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," Baldwin tweeted.  Baldwin had been handed a prop gun by an assistant director who did not know it was loaded and shouted "Cold gun" -- meaning it contained no live ammunition -- according to a search warrant seen by the Santa Fe Reporter. Performing a rehearsal scene, Baldwin fired the gun, striking Hutchins in the chest, and the film's director in the shoulder. Hutchins, 42, was transported to hospital by helicopter but died of her wounds. "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna," wrote Baldwin. Production of "Rust" -- a 19th-century Western in which...

Facebook held back from doing all it could to stop users from being radicalized and US election misinformation from flooding the social network, according to media reports Friday. An array of US news outlets cited documents from former Facebook worker Frances Haugen, adding to a series of critical revelations already published based on information she provided. Articles in the New York Times, Washington Post and elsewhere on Friday focused on how Facebook apparently intensified political division. Examples included an internal finding that 10 per cent of political content viewed by US users in the days after the election perpetuated the falsehood that the vote had been rigged. What has come to be known as the "Big Lie" has been repeated relentlessly by former President Donald Trump and enraged his supporters, who stormed the US Capital in a deadly attack on January 6. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms banned Trump from their platforms for encouraging the violent effort to thwart the democratic process. Revelations published Friday indicated that Facebook could have anticipated such trouble. 'Carol's journey'  The information was reportedly found in the...

Europe is approaching a winter of discontent as energy prices continue to rise. This is not good news for families and businesses that all depend on gas, petrol and electricity. The reasons behind the soaring energy prices are well known. Some may be temporary but others will take a long time to resolve. The worst of the economic disruption caused by the pandemic seems over. Global demand is recovering strongly and this is causing energy prices to spike. According to the International Energy Agency, there has been a 600 per cent increase in European gas prices in 2021. The planning approval of the 159-kilometre undersea gas pipeline, which will cost €400 million to construct and will connect the Delimara power station to Gela, in Sicily, is a most welcome development. However, its viability will take several years to become evident. Attempts to tap into European Union funding for the project have so far been unsuccessful. The EU wants member states to become less dependent on fuel fossils like LNG, used by Malta’s power station. The use of hydrogen as a replacement for LNG is the preferred solution. The Malta-Sicily pipeline will be hydrogen-ready. European Commission president...

After years of inaction, the world has woken up to the harshest of realities – a dying planet – and is now rushing to put its house in order before the damage inflicted in the past two centuries of progress become well and truly irreversible. This reality will undoubtedly have significant repercussions on how we go about our lives as the world collectively pushes towards an economy that is environmentally sustainable, cutting dependence on fossil fuels and other natural resources and, in the process, reducing our carbon footprint and doing away with elements which harm us today and in the future. Yet, this challenge provides entrepreneurs with big opportunities as new technologies, processes and business models become key fundamentals for business growth and success. For the best part of the first 20 years of the third millennium, adding some green elements to a business offering was often delegated to marketing or corporate social responsibility efforts. This has changed drastically in the past couple of years, with recent Eurobarometer surveys showing how climate change has become one of the most signifi­cant concerns for Maltese and European customers. In such a context,...

138th day of the 'new normal' Żepp is produced by Ġorġ Mallia. See more Żepp cartoons.

We have long since left behind the sad spectacle of the anxious run-up to an endless Budget speech culminating in the rise or fall of the price of a can of tuna fish or the imposition of some restriction or other. Since 1987, with successive governments, we have come to expect a Budget which, beyond specifically-targeted measures, lays down a specifically-targeted vision setting new or renewed areas of economic activity to venture into or strengthen and ensuring, in the medium and long term, safe and secure sustainability for present and future generations. This is vision. It is not only an important but an absolutely essential element in the policy planning and implementation of every government. As is often stated, our national resources are limited in many aspects and our main resource remains our people. The resilience, capability, determination, adaptability and resourcefulness of Maltese and Gozitans never ceases to amaze. When well-directed and properly encouraged, the targets that we can reach as a nation never cease to impress. When a serious and ambitious national vision meets an industrious and ambitious national workforce, the goals that can be reached are...

Sixteen artists have come together in a collective exhibition that memorialises what was lost and longed for during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unmasked, currently on at Gallery 23 in Attard, is a varied and vibrant collection of works that ranges from abstracted interpretations of the pandemic’s impact to literal scenes of forfeited normalcy. Becoming by Elena Degenhardt Contributing to the show are Alex Dalli, Andrew Borg, Alexia Coppini, Andrew Smith, Arja Nukarinen Callus, Catherine Cavallo, Celia Borg Cardona, Debbie Bonello, Francesca Balzan, Elena Degenhardt, Henry Falzon, Jeni Caruana, Karl Froman, Marisa Attard, Nick Inguanez and Sarah Calleja. Isolation by Andrew Borg Each artist was invited to freely interpret themes related to the pandemic and its associated restrictions.  “We were all asked to isolate, empty streets and eerily empty cities,” one of the artists, Andrew Borg, recounts as he describes one of his paintings on display.  “Yet, through this isolation, those who made it outside gained a bigger sense of space, a selfish taste of enjoying the outside in a solitary way. Big spaces but introspective thoughts.” Fellow artist Elena Degenhardt commented: “I think this...

Priests who worked as missionaries in Brazil recently concelebrated Mass in Portuguese at Ta’ Pinu sanctuary. The celebration was meant as a matar saudades (used in Portuguese when you get together with a friend you haven’t seen for a long time). The concelebration was led by Fr Adeodato Schembri, who spent a long time in Brazil. The other concelebrants were vicar general Mgr Tarcisio Camilleri, who went to Brazil with then Bishop Mario Grech, Fr Salv Vella of Xewkija, Mgr Jimmy Xerri, Nadur archpriest and Fr Alex Cauchi. During Mass, mention was made of deceased missionaries who worked in Brazil, including Fr Ġużepp Galea, the first Maltese missionary of Sannat, who is buried in a Brazilia church built by himself. Two missionaries who were missing from Ta’ Pinu were also mentioned: Fr Ġanmari Cauchi, who worked in Brazil for 54 years, and Mgr José Agius of Munxar, who is still in Brazil. Mgr Agius, who celebrated his 80th birthday this month, has been in Brazil for the past 60 years. Among the congregation were Sr Scholastica Grech and Sr Clementia Borg of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, who served in Brazil, lay missionary Leonard Schembri and two couples with a...

Malta will be protecting locals from pressures of rising energy prices, Prime Minister Robert Abela pledged at the end of an EU Council summit that focused on the spike happening across Europe. EU member state leaders ended a two-day council summit on Friday, with a discussion about how to best tackle the strains of rising energy prices high on the agenda. They concluded that the EU Commission should study gas and electricity markets to see whether certain trading behaviours require regulatory intervention, and invited the Commission to use the tools at its disposal to provide short-term relief to the most vulnerable consumers and companies, while “taking into account the diversity and specificity of the situations of the member states.” Malta's position In comments at the end of the summit, Abela said that Malta had emphasised that last point during its interventions. “Our position was clear,” he said. “We will continue to support our people and businesses, in the context of the particular realities our country faces.” Abela said that just as Malta had introduced the COVID wage supplement to support people through the pandemic, the government now had to ensure that rising...

Keep the beach ladders It is preposterous that, come October, ladders giving swimmers access to the sea on rocky beaches are removed. It is time to review this policy in view of the fact that some swimmers continue to enjoy this activity even during the winter. And, please, no excuse about these ladders being carried away by rough weather. A proper job and maintenance is all that is required. Pauline Bartolo – Attard Maltese culture and history Martin Morana’s excellent article ‘Sexual morality among the Maltese over the centuries’ in the Times of Malta (October 19) reminded me of an old second-hand book I bought at Charing Cross London bookshop some years ago. The book’s title, Diary of a Victorian Gentleman (Anonymous), kept me eager and amused all the way on a flight to Hong Kong. Hence, I was looking forward to reading part two by this very talented Maltese author. Guliano Borg – Gżira Keeping memories alive It seems to me that the only ones who benefit from a tragedy, be it an assassination, mass shooting, terrorist attack, tsunami, earthquake etc., are florists and those who sell candles. But candles burn out and flowers wilt. What a sad sick world we live in. It’s up to...