Malta Marathon cancelled due to disagreement over route

Feb 16 2022

The Malta Marathon Organising Committee revealed in a statement on Tuesday that a national marathon has been cancelled after organisers and authorities disagreed over which route was to be taken.

The race was meant to be held on the 6th March of 2022, but a decision taken following a meeting with Transport Malta earlier on Tuesday officially cancelled the event.

‘Whilst we fully respect Transport Malta’s authority, we cannot adopt a route that has been declared as unacceptable by Mater Dei’s Emergency Department, the Malta Red Cross and the Malta Traffic Police due to safety concerns.’

‘Another factor forcing the cancellation of the Malta Marathon is the Mandatory Standard for mass sports events (Covid), which although updated last Friday, still precludes the Malta Marathon from being held. As already stated, application and transport fees paid to the MMOC will be refunded in due course and in the shortest time possible.’

The cancellation was met with much criticism online, with some even revealing that they planned to travel to Malta to participate in the race. The Nationalist Party too expressed disappointment that the marathon was cancelled, insisting on an immediate solution for the event.

Last week, several comments on social media suggested that the Intersport La Valette Malta Marathon was being given preferential treatment as it was given the green light to take place on the 24th of April. These claims were denied by organisers of the race, saying that they have the utmost respect for Malta Marathon.

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Late Kylian Mbappe winner gives PSG advantage over Real Madrid

Feb 15 2022

French team PSG kept it late to narrowly beat Spanish side Real Madrid 1-0. The game was the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. PSG have never won the tournament before, reaching a final in 2020 but losing out to Bayern Munich. On the other hand Real Madrid are the leading club when it comes to Champions League wins, winning the competition an insane 13 times.

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The first half was dominated by the French side, with Real Madrid setting a more structured game plan with the view of countering PSG’s fluid backline with their pacy attackers like Vinicius Jr. PSG midfielder Marco Verrati was the player of the half, beginning the play of most of PSG’s attacks and covering the whole pitch. Fullbacks Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes also shined, allowing PSG’s attack of Mbappe, Messi and Di Maria to focus more on the goal.

The second half was more open than the first, with both teams searching for the first goal of the tie. PSG looked more confident in attack which was expected considering they were at home and the insane amount of attacking talent they have in their disposal. Real Madrid looked better and had more of an attacking compared to the previous half. One of the highlights of the half was the penalty won by Kylian Mbappe in the 60th minute, a penalty which was than missed by Barca legend Lionel Messi.

The game changed when PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to substitute functional and tricky winger Angel Di Maria with Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. Neymar offered the flair that the PSG attack missed, immediately winning a close free kick for his team. His dynamism gave space for Mbappe which lead to his incredible goal in the 93rd minute of the game to give PSG a much advantage ahead of their trip to Madrid for the second leg.

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Chinese platforms censor LGBT scenes and orgasm references in FRIENDS

Feb 15 2022

Major Chinese streaming platforms have censored the LGBTIQ+ plot line in the popular TV sitcom FRIENDS, leading to massive backlash on social media. In the first episode, conversations regarding the character of Ross’ ex-wife, Carol, who divorces him after coming out as lesbian, were deleted.

Other conversations which were suggestive of LGBT storylines were edited out. In the original version, Ross mentions that there was only one woman for Carol, who leaves him for her friend Susan. The show debuted on Chinese streaming platforms Sohu video and iQiyi in 2012 without any censorship, and this was available to watch until its streaming agreement ended in 2013.

Following a surge of popularity after the 2021 special ‘FRIENDS: The Reunion’, Chinese streaming platforms together purchased the broadcasting rights to the show. Platforms including Bilibili, Tencent, Youku, Sohu and iQiyi began streaming the series on February 11th. Fans took to the Chinese social media site Weibo to protest censorship of the show, with the #FriendsCensored becoming the most trending topic on the site. The hashtag received more than 54 million views on the site on Friday night, but was censored by the platform on Saturday morning.

The censorship also targeted the topic of orgasms. In the original version, Ross said that ‘women can have multiple orgasms’ but in the new version, the character says that ‘women have endless gossips.’ In 2016, China issued new guidelines saying TV shows shouldn’t include story lines involving gay relationships as well as other topics which ‘exaggerate the dark side of society.’ Homosexuality, extramarital affairs, one-night stands and underage love were all listed under ‘vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content.’

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Around €12.5 million invested to improve 100 rural roads last year

Feb 15 2022

In 2021, Infrastructure Malta carried out works ranging from rebuilding to repairs on 100 rural roads with an investment of €12.5 million. The Transport Ministry revealed the data on Tuesday by Minister for Transport, Capital and Infrastructure Ian Borg as he addressed a press conference in Delimara.

The Minister explained how many of these countryside roads had been left without adequate maintenance and abandoned for many years.

Borg said that the safety of the people is a top priority for the government. ‘These roads had ended up in a disastrous state and even dangerous for both farmers and residents, and for others who use these quiet routes for walking, running and recycling’ he said.

‘This is unacceptable to us’ he continued. ‘Therefore, we understood the situation and saw to it that an effective work strategy took place so that farmers and all those who use these roads can enjoy them in the highest quality infrastructure possible. We have seen that the farmer has a safe and adequate environment in which he can work and earn his daily bread. This is the way this social government listens and sees that no one is left out’

Since its establishment back in 2018, Infrastructure Malta completed works in 330 countryside roads in more than 30 different localities. Another 22 rural roads are currently undergoing rebuilding or resurfacing, while works in several others are planned for the coming months.

An agreement with the farmers was also reached as part of these works in order to connect stormwater catchments to nearby agricultural reservoirs. IM is currently working with the Environment and Resources Authority to research and test new, environmentally-friendly paving materials which can be adopted for the surfaces of these roads in the future.

41.5 kilometres of new underground networks were installed by the agency in the rural roads upgraded in 2021. These include water mains, internet and other telecommunications ducts. 46,400 tonnes of asphalt and concrete were used to complete the 37km of rural roads rebuilt or resurfaced in 2021.

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