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Saturday, December 31, 2016
Crib with a difference
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Sacred art exhibition
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Nadur live crib
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MUSEUM Christmas concert
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Scavenger hunt winners
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Event at Dar il-Lunzjata
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Youths visit elderly
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Santa surprises pupils
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Upcoming events
• Swallows And Amazons (PG) will be screened at Don Bosco Oratory, Victoria, today at 5.30pm. • Gaulitanus Choir will present its annual concert, A New Year's Toast, at Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz, today at 7.45pm. Admission is free. • The live Nativity village, Betleħem f'Għajnsielem, will be open today from 3.30pm to 8pm and on Saturday from 4.30pm to 8.30pm. • A blood donation session will be held at the Gozo General Hospital Outpatients Department on Tuesday from 1 to 5pm. • Members of Il-Fergħa Ewkaristika (Gozo) will meet at Ta' Pinu on Saturday at 3pm to celebrate Mass and for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 4pm. All are welcome. charles.spiteri@timesofmalta.com
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Banif’s Christmas party
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Motorcyclist grievously injured minutes before midnight
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Thousands pack Valletta streets to celebrate start of 2017
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Let us respect one another - President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
The beginning of a New Year fills us with a spirit of hope for the future. It is an opportunity for us to consider the power of solidarity in nurturing stronger, more resilient communities and a more prosperous Maltese society. I believe that respect is the golden thread which binds together our efforts to build a sustainable peace and meaningful wellbeing.
The strength of respect, and what we can achieve when we work together for the common good, was so visible in the latest edition of l-Istrina. It was a proud moment of connection. The people of this nation joined forces to rise above social and political boundaries, and differences of culture or creed, in service to others.
We all spoke with one voice, to promote and put into action our commitment to the principles of solidarity, peace, and wellbeing. Let us continue to make these principles an everyday occurrence.
Respect is intrinsically intertwined with the values of solidarity, peace, and wellbeing. Respect is the practical approach to acknowledge the intrinsic dignity of each and every person.
Where respect is lacking, whether in our homes, our schools, our communities, our media, or our Parliament, we run the risk of damaging the very backbone of our democracy. Indeed, equity and justice can only be built on a fundamental reciprocity of respect.
To be respectful means treating others with the consideration and concern we expect for ourselves.
It means listening to people and truly hearing them, treating them with the dignity that is their due. It is the opposite of the rhetoric of exclusion that has become all too pervasive, both in our national discourse and around the world.
The absence of respect creates a vacuum in society, leading to situations where hostility causes divisions and tensions in our communities.
The absence of respect reproduces cycles of inequality, which exclude individuals from leading productive and meaningful lives.
The absence of respect leaves an emptiness at the heart of society, which can only be filled by our commitment to social solidarity and the ethics of wellbeing.
It is respect that promotes dialogue, protects fundamental human rights, and ensures a dignified life free from precarity and exclusion.
Just as l-Istrina was a shining example of how we can build strong relationships and put them into action for the benefit of society, so too must all our work be motivated by a similar commitment to solidarity. Our relationships with one another cannot be considered sustainable if they are not capable of meeting our emotional, social, economic, and material needs.
Relationships which are built without the value of respect are never healthy and rarely last long. If we refuse to give one another this essential gift, then we become dangerously isolated. We must all be active participants in society and welcomed as respected contributors in the life of our nation.
Furthermore, if we seek to justify the exclusion of some individuals or groups from our circle of care, for whatever reason, then we have failed to act in a humane and dignified manner. Such a course of action has detrimental effects not just on ourselves and our families, but also on the wellbeing of our entire society.
It is only by taking steps to practise respect in our daily lives that we can begin to form trust with those who we might consider outside our usual groups or communities. The artificial walls created by our social, political, or economic circumstances can never be stronger than the bridges we need to build, to connect us together in mutual dignity.
When we recognise the importance of respect, we can take on roles of leadership ourselves within our families, our places of work and our communities, as the builders and the sustainers of peace.
When we give or show respect, we plant a seed that will, in time, take root among all those with whom we come into contact.
Therefore, let us make this New Year a time to avoid and to reject insulting or demeaning behaviour. Let us refuse to be complicit in a mentality which disparages others because of their way of life, their identities, their socio-economic circumstances, their cultures or political beliefs.
We cannot be guided by arrogance or fear. Rather than letting our judgement be clouded by suspicion, we must strive to understand. In this way, we shall discover new opportunities to build and heal our relationships with one another.
Let us learn how to separate people from points of contention. Where there is an issue or a disagreement, we must tackle the problem at hand and not resort to personal insults. We must strive to achieve the peaceful resolution of our differences, mindful of our responsibility to maintain the greater good.
The presence of respect makes it possible for us to enter into meaningful relationships which are rooted in solidarity, nourished by a sense of active participation and effective inclusion.
Let our nation's New Year's resolution be a renewal of our commitment to promote unity and goodwill among the people of Malta and Gozo.
I firmly believe that respect is the essential guide on our journey, as a nation, to continue promoting and protecting the good of our society. Let peace and wellbeing be the legacy that defines us among nations, and may this be the inheritance we secure for the lasting benefit of all of us, in particular, our children.
Let us respect one another.
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The Maltese Diocese
Today marks the 73rd anniversary since the Maltese Diocese was upgraded to an Archdiocese. The war in Malta had just ended and Mgr Michael Gonzi had been Archbishop for less than three months. After St Publius, the first bishop of Malta, these islands became part of a number of Italian dioceses. The Diocese of Malta was eventually made a suffragan seat to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo by a Papal bull of Pope Adrian IV on July 10, 1156 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III on April 26, 1160. Between the year 60 and 1684 there is a record of 95 bishops, but there are obvious gaps in... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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New Bill
I watched a part of an interesting debate in Parliament about a new, courageous Bill introduced by the Deputy Prime Minister, Louis Grech. This Bill is supposed to strengthen good governance and transparency. Listening to the debate I really wondered how this Bill is likely to eliminate the effect of the Panama Papers scandal without touching the minister involved. And how will it solve the mystery of the Egrant company? The Whistleblower Act was mentioned by nearly all the government speakers. No explanation was given, however, as to why in two cases at least, the whistleblower was hounded. This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Malta’s EU presidency
Malta assumes the presidency of the European Union today. This makes us Maltese very proud and we all hope that Malta and Europe will benefit from this experience. I believe we must all say a big thank you to the people who led Malta towards this achievement. Eddie Fenech Adami, Lawrence Gonzi, Simon Busuttil and Richard Cachia Caruana are the first that come to mind. We must surely thank the Nationalist Party for making Malta's EU presidency possible. This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Europe’s safest drivers
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Let’s upcycle the year 2016
The footage of the children in Aleppo will forever be etched in my mind. Aleppo is an end to the year which wraps up what 2016 has been in international politics: cruel, tense, inhumane. I suppose if 2016 taught us something it is that consumerism is passé. We cannot really enjoy shopping for the sake of shopping when all around us everything is shaky. I am writing this in the airport of Brussels, not far from the spot where in March three coordinated suicide bombings set off. Then we had Bastille Day attack in Nice; plane crashes; Panama papers; the post-truth fever; Zika; the deaths of... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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No hand delivered cheques by Caruana
I refer to the article entitled 'Canvasser made delivery of €9 million in cheques' (The Sunday Times of Malta, December 11, 2016). The article included an alleged list of 'FTS payments hand delivered by Edward Caruana'. I wish to state that the allegation that cheques totalling €1,474,007 were hand delivered to Mangium Brothers Ltd by Edward Caruaua is totally unfounded. Furthermore, all payments made to our company were made by the Accounts Department of the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools in Pembroke against a signature of our employee receiving the cheque. This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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2017: the year ahead
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Wisdom of ‘The Samuel Perspective’
On Boxing Day, I was privileged to be introduced to Samuel, the young 'star' of L-Istrina 2016. At age 11 going on 12, he has lost his eyesight to cancer but, this notwithstanding, demonstrates and exudes a positive outlook on life which is as deep as it is disarming to us adults. I would call it 'The Samuel Perspective': that resilience rooted in hope and joy in life whatever the adverse circumstances, whatever the failures, whatever the downside of things this side of heaven. What is the secret of such extraordinary tenacity and prowess? Behind the young Samuel there is his mother, Maryrose. This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Rebels with real causes
I have never met Simon Bailey, but he's a modern-day hero for me. Here's why. This time last year while most of us were enjoying the bright lights and Christmas festivities, Bailey was at his keyboard. He wasn't sweating the small stuff and whining online about first world problems such as the late delivery of a takeaway meal. No. He was banging out detailed and well-thought-out submissions about the Paceville Masterplan. The first draft of the now-discarded plan was uploaded for public consultation on December 18, 2015 up to January 8, 2017. It's not really the best of times to be... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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A presidency against ‘polite’ persecution?
Today Malta assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Next Tuesday a trial will continue to be heard in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two events held in two countries thousands of kilometres apart are – or, at least, should be – connected. Next Tuesday there will be the third hearing of the trial of Indonesia's only Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok. He is being accused of blasphemy just two months before the election for governor. Indonesia's blasphemy law provides for a maximum penalty of five years in jail. A statement of his was manipulated... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Navel of the earth, yet again
Not surprisingly for a small country that happens to be an island off an island that itself lies at the periphery of a bunch of powerful players, Malta suffers from a chronic case of 'arani Ma!' ('Mom, look at me!') syndrome. The kind of international powwow that is the presidency of the Council of the EU (coming soon to a theatre near you) tends to bring out the strongest of symptoms. Non-events like the two CHOGMs, as well as one-offs like the 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration, mean that we've seen it all before. Probably the most lasting legacy of the latter was the silly knot on... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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End-of-year messages
T he prize for the most tactless end-of-year message must go to Minister without Portfolio Konrad Mizzi. He had himself filmed sitting comfortably in a leather armchair near a fireplace, with his laptop and coffee, describing his successes in the energy sector. He chose to do this when the flagship gas power station he had promised before he was elected is almost two years late and still not operational. And, above all, when as minister he was stripped of the energy portfolio eight months ago, following revelations about his undisclosed account in Panama. What brazen cheek. The country was... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Peace divide(n)d is spent
The end of World War II 70 years ago ushered in a new World Order. It delegitimised the logic of imperial conquest for narrow national gain. It disenfranchised undemocratic forms of government, be they monarchies or fascist/stalinist regimes. It celebrated the commonality of human dignity and sloughed off the superficial respectability of racial and gender prejudice and stereotypes. Economic, military, cultural and political co-operation was the mantra that would exorcise the desolation of the 1929 Wall Street collapse and the horror of the two World Wars that straddled it, of Somme,... This article is part of our premium content. Full story is available on Times of Malta Premium.
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Making a difference
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Today's newspapers in review
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Five dead, around 100 rescued after fire on Indonesia tourist boat
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It’s not politics as usual
Malta starts 2017 with a bang today, assuming the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union at a testing time for both the bloc and the government. Britain is about to embark on its Brexit misadventure. EU Member States are far from achieving solidarity on immigration. The EU is still in the financial doldrums. These are among the "known knowns" of 2017, to borrow a famous phrase. Then there are what may be called the "known unknowns". Extreme nationalism is gaining traction but how much more in the French and Dutch polls of early this year? Will populism make further inroads in Italy if an early election is held there? When and where will terror strike again? How destabilising will President Trump be to the world order? Will the EU project survive? The answers are awaited with some trepidation. It has been described as the "perfect storm" for Malta as it takes over the presidency. But this year, there will continue to be stormy weather for the government back home too. When a special European Parliament committee investigating the Panama Papers comes visiting in February, the government will have to manage the fallout. Now, in normal times, the subject...
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Man detained in connection with Żejtun shop robbery
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Climbing to the top of the world
The average lifespan of a Standard & Poor's 500 business today is just 15 years. In addition, according to the World Economic Forum, five million net jobs will be lost around the world by 2020. Clearly, the world's economies are changing at an unprecedented rate and are being driven by forces which were well below the radar only until a few years ago. Above all, we are increasingly living in a world marked by widespread disruption of everything we have held to be economically and financially sacred. The disruptive force of technology and innovation is transforming economies and the conduct of life itself at an unprecedented pace. There is no business, government or even individual that is unaffected by it. Some argue, with the comfort of history on their side, that the spirit of entrepreneurship was and always will be disruptive to lesser or greater extent. Because disruption is its very essence. Successful ideas which reshaped economies over the centuries almost always started out as alien and initially unrecognised game changers, oddball thinking from left field. For the last three decades we at EY have made it our mission to seek out the entrepreneurial ideas that moulded our...
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Mariah Carey bungles her New Year's Eve show, stops singing
Mariah Carey has ushered in 2017 with a botched performance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" on ABC.
The singer appeared to have technical difficulties during her live performance Saturday night in Times Square. She even stopped singing her song "Emotions," paced the stage and told the audience to finish the lyrics for her.
She told the crowd, "I'm trying to be a good sport here."
Carey headlined the festivities in Times Square, where about a million revelers jammed in to greet 2017.
After the song finished Carey looked exasperated.
She started saying, "That was," then she paused and finally finished by saying, "amazing."
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Man arrested after hold-up in Zejtun
The police are holding a man after a hold-up in Zejtun on New Year's Eve.
The hold-up took place in a shop in Emmanuel Galea Street at 8.45pm.
The robber, armed with a knife, entered the shop and demanded money from the shop assistant. He made off with a substantial amount of cash.
The police later arrested a 34-year-old man who is helping them in their investigations.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech is holding an inquiry.
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Hotels prepare for a high-flying 2017 as EU presidency boosts conference tourism
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Pharmacies opening today between 9am and noon
Valletta: Chemimart City Gate Pharmacy, City Gate; Ħamrun: Chemimart International Pharmacy, 650 St Joseph High Street; Sta Venera: Lantern Pharmacy, Lamplighter Square; Birkirkara: Pharmaplus, Ganu Street; Ġżira: Tony's Pharmacy, 10 Sir Patrick Stuart Street; St Julian's: Balluta Pharmacy, 30 High Street; Sliema: Wales Pharmacy, 183 Manwel Dimech Street; Attard: M4 Pharmacy, il-Linja Street; Naxxar: Brown's Chemists, St Paul's Street; Qawra: El Medina Chemist, Maskli Street; Paola: Brown's Paola Square Pharmacy, 64/65 Antoine De Paule Street; Fgura: Alpha Pharmacy, Cospicua Road c/w Cottoner Avenue; Xagħjra: St Elias Pharmacy, St Elias Street; Marsaxlokk: Pompei Pharmacy, Fishermen's Wharf; Luqa: Central Pharmacy, 6 St Joseph Street; Siġġiewi: Menelo Pharmacy, Dr Nikol Zammit Street; Rabat: Nova Pharmacy, 142 College Street.
Malta International Airport: The '8 Till Late Pharmacy' is open every day from 7am to 10pm
Gozo: 9am to noon
Fontana: Fontana Pharmacy, Fountain Street; Xewkija: Gozo Chemists, Mġarr Road.
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World news in one minute: Find out what happened around the world on 31 December
This is the main news as reported by the Associated Press on 31 December.
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New UN chief urges New Year's resolution: 'Put Peace First'
Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.
The former Portuguese prime minister and U.N. refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on Dec. 12 that he will engage all governments — "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" — and show his willingness to cooperate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together."
But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is "the cornerstone" of the United Nations, and a great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda.
So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, U.S. support for the United Nations remains a question mark.
And it matters because the U.S. is a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council and pays 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.
Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Dec. 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," the day he takes office.
Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"
John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.
If he tries to follow what Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary-general and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope," Bolton said, "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."
Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.
In the first minute after taking over as U.N. chief on Sunday, Guterres issued an "Appeal for Peace." He urged all people in the world to make a shared New Year's resolution: "Let us resolve to put peace first."
"Let us make 2017 a year in which we all — citizens, governments, leaders — strive to overcome our differences," the new secretary-general said.
He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of "capacity" in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop "the diplomacy for peace," which he plans to focus on.
Guterres has said he will also strive to deal with the inequalities that globalization and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair especially among youth.
"Today's paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family," he said after his swearing-in.
Guterres said the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter that should define the world that today's children inherit — peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity — are threatened, "most often by fear."
"Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us," he said. "My contribution to the United Nations will be aimed at inspiring that trust."
Guterres won the U.N.'s top job after receiving high marks from almost every diplomat for his performance in the first-ever question-and-answer sessions in the General Assembly for the 13 candidates vying to replace Ban, whose second five-year term ends at midnight on Dec. 31.
In an interview during his campaign with three journalists, Guterres said the role of secretary-general should be "an honest broker, a consensus builder" who engages as much as possible, in many circumstances discreetly.
"It's not just to have a personal agenda, because it would be regrettable or ineffective, or to appear in the limelight. No. On the contrary, it's to act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and to overcome their differences," he said.
Whether the Trump administration will join Guterres and U.N. efforts to tackle what he sees as "a multiplication of new conflicts" and the myriad problems on the global agenda remains to be seen.
Trump's choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley who is the governor of South Carolina, has a reputation as a conciliator, which could be very useful especially in dealing with the Security Council and the four other permanent veto-wielding members — Russia, China, Britain and France, all of whom have their own national agendas.
But she will be taking instructions from the president.
Richard Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesman at the U.N. during President George W. Bush's administration and has been working with Trump's transition team, downplayed the prospect that Trump will withdraw from or even disregard the United Nations.
He said in an AP interview earlier this month that Trump is talking about reforming the U.N. and other international organizations so "they live up to their ideals."
Guterres also wants to reform the United Nations to make it "nimble, efficient and effective." He said "it must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy," and ensure that the more than 85,000 U.N. staff working in 180 countries are being used effectively.
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'M.A.S.H.' star William Christopher dies at 84
"M.A.S.H." star William Christopher has died. He was 84.
Christopher's agent Robert Malcom said the actor died at 5:10 a.m. Saturday at his home in Pasadena, California. He tells The Associated Press that Christopher's wife says her husband died peacefully.
Malcom said Christopher was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and had been in hospice since the beginning of the week.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and his two sons.
Christopher is best known for the role of Father Francis Mulcahy on "M.A.S.H.," the 1970s TV show set during the Korean War.
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New Year's attack on packed Istanbul club leaves 39 dead
An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack.
Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.
"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.
Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the man was still on the run, adding: "efforts to find the terrorist are continuing."
"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," the minister said.
At least 16 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify 18 of the victims. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.
Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.
Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.
"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.
Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.
The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week with his family.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery.
"Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.
An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.
The country has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.
On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium - located near the Reina nightclub - killed 44 people and wounded 149 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing - an accusation the cleric has denied.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.
"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.
Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.
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Istanbul night club attacked, several injured
Around 20-30 people are believed to have been wounded in an attack on an Istanbul night club on New Year's Eve. TV footage showed a number of ambulances and police vehicles outside the Reina nightclub, in the Besiktas area of the city. NTV said two attackers were involved, with one TV station saying the attackers were dressed in Santa costumes. Istanbul had been on high alert for any terror attacks, with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city. Just weeks ago, a bomb exploded outside the Besiktas stadium.
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Wijnaldum header gives Liverpool win over Man City
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UN adopts resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations.
The resolution approved Saturday afternoon also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in late January.
The resolution's final text dropped an endorsement of the Syria cease-fire agreement reached Thursday, as Western members of the council sought changes to the circulated draft resolution to clarify the U.N.'s role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara.
Meanwhile on the ground in Syria, rebels warned on Saturday that cease-fire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine a two-day-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks between the government and the opposition in the new year.
Airstrikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategically-important Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with a nationwide truce brokered by Russia and Turkey last week.
Rebels also accused the government of signing a different version of the agreement to the one they signed in the Turkish capital of Ankara, further complicating the latest diplomatic efforts to bring an end to six years of war.
Nearly 50,000 people died in the conflict in 2016, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains networks of contacts on all sides of the war. More than 13,000 of them were civilians, according to the Observatory. Various estimates have put the war's overall toll at around 400,000 dead.
If the truce holds, the government and the opposition will be expected to meet for talks for the first time in nearly a year in the Kazakh capital of Astana in the second half of January. Those talks will be mediated by Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and Major General Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau, were in Tehran Saturday to discuss developments with their Iranian counterparts, according to Iranian state media. They met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
The Kremlin meanwhile said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed their commitment to negotiations in Astana, in a phone conversation between the two leaders.
Iran and Russia have provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the conflict, while Turkey has served as a rear base and source of supplies for the opposition.
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) to vote on a resolution to endorse the cease-fire and the Astana talks, in line with previous agreements mandating a transitional government for Syria.
The resolution also calls for "rapid, safe and unhindered" access to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the country.
The developments follow months of talks between Ankara and Moscow that culminated in a cease-fire agreement that went into effect Friday at midnight.
But in a statement issued by a coalition of 11 rebel factions, including the powerful Army of Islam group operating in the Damascus countryside, rebels said they could not abide by the cease-fire if the government continued its assault on Barada Valley.
The statement also complained that the government's version of the agreement signed in Ankara last week had deleted "a number of essential and non-negotiable points."
It said the opposition had agreed to a cease-fire encompassing the whole of Syria, without any exceptions to region or faction.
The Barada Valley Media Center said Lebanese Hezbollah militants were firing on villages and towns in the water-rich region as Russian and government aircraft carried out raids for the 10th consecutive day Saturday. The Lebanese militant group is a key ally to President Assad's forces.
The Barada Valley is the primary source of water for the capital and its surrounding region. The government assault has coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since Dec. 22. Images from the valley's Media Center indicate its Ain al-Fijeh spring and water processing facility have been destroyed in airstrikes. The government says rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.
The Observatory reported at least two civilians and five militants have been killed in battles over opposition-held Eastern Ghouta and Barada Valley regions around Damascus, since the truce came into effect Thursday at midnight.
The Syrian military on Friday denied attacking the valley, saying it respected the Russian and Turkish brokered truce.
Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported the death of an Islamic State commander in a Turkish airstrike near the north Syrian town of al-Bab on Friday. The truce does not cover operations against the Islamic State group or al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, the Fatah al-Sham front.
Anadolu identified the commander as Abu Ansari. The report could not be independently verified.
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Pope visits Nativity Scene made in Malta, urges the faithful to help youth find purpose
Pope Francis strolled through St. Peter's Square Saturday evening during the last frigid hours of 2016, exchanging New Year's Eve greetings with the faithful.
Francis made his way through the crowd to pray in front of the life-size Nativity scene, built in Malta, following the traditional vespers, also called evening prayer, inside St. Peter's Basilica. Along the way, he stopped to kiss children on the cheek and shake hands with well-wishers, occasionally accepting small gifts that he handed off to his body guards. People in the crowd held up their smart phones and tablets to snap pictures of the pontiff.
During the evening prayers, the pope called on the faithful to help young people find purpose in the world, noting the paradox of "a culture that idolizes youth" and yet has made no place for the young.
"We have condemned our young people to have no place in society, because we have slowly pushed them to the margins of public life, forcing them to migrate or to beg for jobs that no longer exist or fail to promise them a future," Francis said.
More than responsibility, the pope said the world owed young people "a debt" because they have been deprived of "dignified and genuine work" that would allow them to take part in society, instead condemning them "to knock on doors that for the most part remain closed."
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Watch: Malta must 'rise to the occasion' during EU Council presidency - Muscat
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Muscat calls for national pride and unity in New Year message
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called on the country to show – as Malta takes on the presidency of the Council of the European Union – that it has matured into a modern European country with solid values
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‘We will start 2017 better off than when we started 2016’, PM says in New Year’s message
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat delivered his New Year's message tonight, focusing on Malta's EU Presidency, and on the unity of the Maltese people.
"We will start 2017 better-off than when we started 2016, as Malta is stronger now than it was back then and we are moving in the right direction. Malta is one of the most stable countries in Europe, with one of the best economies." He said that the Maltese are the most positive in Europe when it comes to looking to their future.
"From 1 January, Malta will take over the EU Council Presidency for the first time in history. We, as a united people, have a lot to be proud of."
Even though Malta will assume the EU Presidency, Dr Muscat said, "We will not be a bigger country, we will remain the smallest country in the EU. There will still be certain problems and realities we must face every day. We will remain sensitive to the needs of Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses. However, while we will keep our feet on the ground and acknowledge our limitations, we must rise to the occasion and make our Presidency a success. A success for all of Europe that faces many challenges ahead, but also a success for our country, which will show that the size of a country is not an obstacle, but rather can be an advantage.
"2016 saw challenges around the world. There was instability around us, where people in different countries chose not to accept the status quo and change, and at times made choices that shook the establishment. Does this mean the people chose wrongly? No. It means that people sent a clear message that they will not accept what annoys them, that they will not accept somebody telling them that things cannot change, or to be content with what they have.
"We must take the lessons learnt in 2016 as an opportunity, lessons that we should reflect on and understand in our own country.
"We must create a sense of unity in Europe. Over the coming six months, we will begin a project to unite Europe, which we are calling a reunion. We will work on a humble and honest European level agenda, and put forward priorities that will make a difference to the everyday lives of every EU citizen.
"While moving forward with a Presidency that will make Malta proud of what it can do, my priority, and that of the government, will be to continue making a positive difference to your lives and the lives of your families. You will find my friends and me with you, and closer to you than ever before.
"We understand there are still people who, regardless of the economic growth, still feel like they are falling behind. We also understand that while there is more employment than ever before, there are people who want better conditions. We will continue addressing these realities, and can do so thanks to what we built during the three-and-a-half years of this legislature.
"This is why we were able to support pensioners, families on low income, persons with disability, small businesses, mothers and women who work, single parent families, and so on.
"All of this did not occur by accident. It is thanks to the work over the past three and a half years to reach everyone through everything we do. We began turning the economic wheel from the get-go by reducing income tax and energy tariffs. We then addressed the challenges we faced with regard to employment, and we helped parents work by helping them out in everyday life. We helped people with disability enter the world of work, and for the first time in ages addressed pensioners by raising pensions, and this year by making pensions tax free. We also raised the minimum wage.
"If we are not careful in the choices we make however, we could lose everything. This year we will continue to build on the previous three years, and reaching out to everyone.
"We want this year to be a success for everyone, so next year when we look back we can say that we made fewer mistakes than the year before, made more good decisions, and where every part of society felt that they kept moving forward seeing a better future. We want to end 2017 better than we start it.
"Let us unite this year, more so than ever before. We look at what unites us and set aside what separates us. We will not let anyone drive a wedge between us as a united people.
"Let us show how we have grown as a modern European country, with solid values.
"2017 will be a year that will continue to make us proud as a nation.
"On behalf of my wife Michelle and our children, and on behalf of government, we wish you and your families a year full of happiness, prosperity and above all, good health and unity".
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Chelsea defeat Stoke to claim 13th successive league win
Willian scored twice as leader Chelsea overcame Stoke 4-2 to equal an English Premier League record for 13 straight wins in a single season.
Bruno Martins Indi and Peter Crouch struck for Stoke to cancel out goals by Gary Cahill and Willian. But Willian struck for a second time moments after Crouch's 64th-minute equalizer and Diego Costa netted a fourth.
Chelsea held a nine-point lead over Liverpool, which hosted Manchester City on Saturday night.
Arsenal was the last team to win 13 matches in a row in a solitary campaign in 2002. The Gunners extended that landmark to 14 the following season and Chelsea can match that streak at Tottenham on Wednesday.
Chelsea's defense will have to be tighter at White Hart Lane. Saturday's win was the first time Chelsea conceded more than one goal in a game since the Sept. 24 loss at Arsenal.
Chelsea's 34th-minute opener came when Cesc Fabregas' corner was met by Cahill, who rose highest to head into the net.
Stoke leveled a minute into the second half through Martins Indi. Chelsea responded, stepping up the intensity and Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant was beaten again in the 57th. Victor Moses centered for Eden Hazard, who laid the ball off for Willian to power the ball into the bottom corner.
The lead lasted less than seven minutes, with Mame Diouf crossing for Crouch to tuck in the leveler.
Once again Chelsea retaliated, going ahead for a third time when Fabregas fed Willian to emphatically finish at the near post. And Costa marked his return from suspension by out-muscling Martins Indi before drilling in his 14th goal of the season.
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Spectacular fireworks in Sydney as New Year celebrations gets underway
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Pope urges action on youth unemployment in in year-end message
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Orchestra director fired for telling children 'Santa does not exist'
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Gozo ferry technical trouble leads to long queues
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Leicester ease relegation fears with 1-0 win over Hammers
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Pogba seals late United comeback win over Middlesbrough
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Chelsea equal winning record with 4-2 victory over Stoke
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Spectacular New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney honour Bowie, Prince and Wilder
Hundreds of thousands flock to harbour to enjoy firework show remembering some of the great names lost in 2016
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Islamist terrorism is biggest test for Germany - Merkel
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Celtic fight back to beat Rangers 2-1 in Old Firm derby
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Precedence debate ‘now on technicalities, not principles’
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Wenger thinks Chelsea are the ‘super-favourites’
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The 10 most read MaltaToday stories
We bring you the 10 most-read articles on maltaoday.com.mt during 2016
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If 2016 was year of upheaval, 2017 could be even bigger, UKIP leader warns
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Shedding light on a 10,000-hour labour of love
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2016 in review: Panama Papers scandal turns popular sentiment against governments worldwide
Globalization, the path that the world economy has largely followed for decades, took some hefty blows in 2016.
The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and Britain's decision to leave the European Union have raised questions over the future of tariff-free trade and companies' freedom to move production to lower-cost countries.
Borders are back in vogue. Economic nationalism is paying political dividends.
"We want our country back" was the rallying cry of those backing Brexit, a sound bite that had echoes in Trump's "Make America great again."
The rise of Trump and the triumph of Brexit had their roots in the global financial crisis of 2008. Eight years later, the world economy has still not yet fully gotten past that shock to its confidence — people are nervous, some are angry, and many are seeking novel solutions to their problems. Next year, there's scope for more uncertainty with elections in France and Germany.
Here's a look at the year's top business stories for 2016:
BREXIT SHOCK
In what was a sign of things to come, Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum in June. The decision came as a surprise — certainly to bookmakers and many pollsters who had consistently given the "remain" side the edge — and means Britain has to redefine itself after 43 years of EU membership. David Cameron resigned as prime minister after the vote and the new Conservative government led by Theresa May is planning to trigger the formal process by which Britain exits the EU early next year. There are many shades of potential Brexit, from an outright divorce that could put up tariffs on goods and services, to a more amicable parting that sees many of the current trading arrangements kept in place. The pound's fall to a 31-year low below $1.20 at one point is testament to that uncertainty.
TRUMP CARD
Pollsters and bookmakers got it wrong again a few months later when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election. Whether he translates his "America First" platform into action following his inauguration in January will help shape the global economy for the next four years at least. Trump has railed against long-standing trading agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, and vowed to punish China for the way it devalues its currency against the dollar and to tax U.S. firms that move jobs overseas. He has also laid out plans to bring America's creaking infrastructure up to 21st-century standards, a new spending pitch that has the potential to boost jobs — but which could also lay the seeds of higher inflation.
MARKETS MARCH ON
Trump's victory did not cause the bottom to fall out of the stock market rally that's been largely in place since 2009, when the world economy started to first claw out of its deepest recession since World War II. In fact, both the Dow and the S&P 500 rallied to hit a series of record highs. Stocks have also benefited from a raft of big corporate deals this year — executives are seeing takeovers as a fast way to generate growth in a low-growth global economy disrupted by non-stop technological innovations. Notable deals in 2016 included the $85 billion merger of Time Warner and AT&T and the $57 billion takeover of Monsanto by Germany medicine and farm-chemical maker Bayer. The $100 billion takeover of SABMiller by Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev was also completed.
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FED FINALLY DELIVERS
During his campaign, Trump said Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen should be "ashamed" of the way she's run policy since taking the helm in 2014. A year ago, the Fed appeared set to follow up its first interest rate hike in nearly a decade with three or four more in 2016. But there was no move until Dec. 14, when the U.S. central bank raised its main interest rate to a range between 0.5 percent and 0.75 percent. Many factors explained its hesitation to raise rates, including unease over the global impact of China's economic slowdown and uncertainty surrounding the U.S. election. But with the U.S. economy continuing to do better than most developed countries — with unemployment below 5 percent and inflation edging up — the Fed finally delivered another hike. The markets are predicting another three or four increases next year. Those expectations have helped the dollar rally, especially as other major central banks persevere with super-loose monetary policies to breathe life into their economies.
CHINA'S KEY ROLE
As the world's second-largest economy, China is playing a bigger role in the functioning of the global economy. Nowhere was that more evident than in the early months of 2016, when jitters over the scale of the slowdown in China caused wild swings in financial markets. Stocks took a pounding while commodities tanked, with oil skidding to 13-year lows, as traders factored in lower demand from resource-hungry China. The slump in commodities weighed heavily on economies like Australia that are big exporters of raw materials. China's economy is ending the year in relatively good health as authorities try to pivot the economy's focus from manufacturing to more consumer spending. But Trump's promises to take a tough stance in trade will be of concern to Beijing.
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OPEC TAKES A STAND
For the first time since December 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its production levels in 2016. November's cut, soon followed by more cuts by non-OPEC countries like Russia, helped push oil prices sharply higher. At over $50 a barrel, benchmark New York crude is now well above the near-13-year lows around $30 recorded at the start of 2016, when investors focused on high supply and concerns over an economic slowdown. The oil slump helped put several crude-producing countries into severe recessions, including Brazil and Venezuela, and even saw wealthy Saudi Arabia cut back on spending. The question for 2017 is whether OPEC — and non-OPEC — countries can deliver on their production promises. If they do and higher oil prices stick, that will push up inflation in the global economy.
IT JUST GRATES
One of the major reasons why popular sentiment has turned against governments has been a growing distrust of elites. Perhaps nothing illustrated the issue more than the "Panama Papers," a leaked trove of data on thousands of offshore accounts that helped the wealthy, the powerful and celebrities shelter their cash from the taxman, often without breaking the law. Critics say these tax schemes are the core of a system that gives an unfair advantage to big corporations and the wealthy. Outrage grew in the U.S. when it was revealed that Wells Fargo employees opened up to 2 million bank and credit card accounts fraudulently to meet sales goals. Bank employees also allegedly moved money between those accounts and created fake email addresses to sign customers up for online banking.
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