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Voor een optimale ervaring met deze website is het aan te raden om over te stappen naar een modernere verie of installeer Google Chrome Frame On 30 April 2025, Centre Européen de Musique (CEM) and Europa Nostra are pleased to host the conference ‘Music Now placed under the High Patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic The event is organised in partnership with the Municipality of Mafra acting as coordinator of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Lisbon View of the Mafra National Palace and Basilica Taking place at the iconic Mafra National Palace this hybrid event highlights the transformative power of music to foster peace and stability amid today’s challenging European and global contexts Musica Nostra!’ is a call to fully harness the potential of music – not only as a science and a transcendent force but also as a much-needed bridge between human aspirations and global solutions “Music and heritage are the cornerstone of European identity Music is the soul of Europe and the bridge between tangible and intangible heritage an affiliated partner of the European Heritage Hub project Musica Nostra!’ conference will feature addresses by high-level representatives from national and local authorities It will also serve as the occasion to launch an initiative report by the European Parliament on the role and significance of music in Europe Panel discussions will explore music as an element of European identity and a key resource in addressing the triple transformation of our society – green The event will conclude with the launch of the ‘Music Now followed by cultural visits and musical performances The Programme can be found here This conference is part of a four-day event (29 April-2 May) organised by CEM and CEM Portugal: “Kill them! But kill them all, so that there is no one left to blame me.” This is the phrase uttered by a king, Charles IX of France who, faced with the possibility of a revolt of unforeseeable consequences, decided to take drastic measures. To commit a crime that would clean up the crime itself the film director Patrice Chéreau and his screenwriter kept it for the script of Queen Margot (1994) a cinematic masterpiece that has just turned 30 years old and which today seems more relevant than ever the best technical and artistic professionals and the best locations were used Among these was the National Palace of Mafra whose history runs parallel to that of the movie itself Two stories of splendor and also of desolation but it was originally going to be The Three Musketeers Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Name of the Rose) Luc Besson (The Big Blue) and Jean-Paul Rappeneau (Cyrano de Bergerac) were scoring huge box-office hits in France with old-fashioned blockbusters France’s most prestigious theater director had made four rather minor films and was hoping to make a popular hit of his own with a new version of the adventures of D’Artagnan and his comrades He was beaten to the punch by another director although that project never came to fruition Instead Chéreau read another novel by Alexandre Dumas about the massacre of Saint Bartholomew’s Day in Paris in 1572 who was not only a director but also one of France’s most powerful producers to obtain the financing — the co-production was set up with Germany and Italy — thanks to the allure of a movie star who had just triumphed with her nomination for an Oscar for Camille Claudel was twice the age of the real character of Marguerite de Valois was not a major problem the actress’ indecisive nature delayed production and even led to its being cancelled for a time Four years passed before filming could begin Chéreau and Thomson wrote nine versions of the script which grew as they added other literary references such as Heinrich Mann’s Henry IV or Christopher Marlowe’s play The Massacre at Paris as well as connotations derived from the geopolitics of the time The story mixed historical facts with literary fantasy starting from one of the darkest episodes in French history Paris celebrated the wedding between the Protestant Henry of Bourbon the sister of the Catholic monarch of France This marriage was supposed to be an act of reconciliation that would put an end to the religious wars that plagued the country the ultra-Catholic Guise family promoted the alliance with Spain and campaigned against Coligny and the Huguenots The arrival of thousands of Protestants in Paris to celebrate the royal wedding sparked hostility among the predominantly Catholic population The tension was such that any spark would have been enough to start a fire The trigger eventually came from an arquebus Coligny was the victim of an attack in the street: he was shot by a man named Maurevert from inside a house belonging to the Guises what they got was a decision that on 24 August the Protestant leaders of the city were to be killed decapitated and finally hanged by his feet and immediately afterwards not a single Protestant was safe in Paris It is estimated that more than 4,000 people were killed in Paris alone and the figure rises to 10,000 if we include the provincial towns protected out of the fact of being a prince with royal blood and by his marriage to a Catholic princess As for Margot — this is where literary creativity steps in — she fell in love with La Môle and to save him she allied herself with her husband and confronted her brother the king built a century and a half after those historical events in a late Baroque style Mafra Palace was originally intended to be one thing Its origins lie in a promise made by the very young King John V of Portugal who swore to build a small Franciscan convent if his wife who would later become Queen Consort of Spain But the enormous profits from the gold and diamond mines of Brazil flowed into the royal coffers so that the modest initial convent not only grew in size which was to become the residence of the royal family inspired by those of Sant’Agnese in Agone by Borromini It is estimated that an average of 15,000 people worked on its construction Although there were no fatalities on the set of Queen Margot it cannot be said that production was a bed of roses either An article in the French edition of Vanity Fair written by Florence Colombani evokes the jealousy rivalry and mistrust between the male members of a cast made up of Patrice Chéreau’s usual troupe The director was known for his absorbing ways travelled by motorbike to Portugal to visit the shoot creating a stir that the actors recall in Colombani’s article as if it were a papal visit to a convent of Poor Clares It took five months to shoot and just as many to edit The first version that Chéreau presented ran more than four hours something that the producer found unacceptable the already generous original budget of 120 million francs (just over $19 million) had been exceeded by more than 20% but all that expenditure was barely noticeable which were also redecorated by the production team hidden in the shadows and ignored by a camera that paid all its attention to the movements of the actors So the Mafra palace looked as much like the old Louvre as the Spanish church of Santiago de Compostela might have Chéreau’s original plan was to take cues from Scorsese’s Goodfellas and Coppola’s The Godfather but the result was closer to Orson Welles or Kurosawa where it won the Jury Prize (that year’s Palme d’Or was Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction) in what nearly constituted an affront to Isabelle Adjani (and rumored to have been deliberately inflicted by jury member Catherine Deneuve) and was the one that returned to French and European movie theaters At the French box office it performed only passably and ended up occupying 17th place in the annual box office ranking Something similar happened with the Mafra National Palace the Portuguese royal family approved it as a symbol of power and status it was considered unsuitable for permanent habitation It was converted into an oversized and expensive hunting lodge it is one of the most visited national monuments in the country a source of pride for locals and admiration for foreigners But above all, and despite its historical inaccuracies, its human and political relevance remains intact. As Chéreau himself pointed out on one occasion, the project began to take shape at the time of the burial of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran; during its production the war in Bosnia was still taking place with the siege of Sarajevo by the Serbian army the genocide of Tutsis was taking place at the hands of the Hutu ethnic group Images of the Shoah also hover over the naked corpses that accumulate in the film it is impossible to watch them without remembering the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip and in the Middle East in general the Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre is an unsolved crime For centuries it was considered to have been premeditated and Catherine de Médici was blamed for having ordered the death of Coligny and then having manipulated her son to instill fear in him of the possible consequences of the attack It is a hypothesis on which the literary character of the terrible mother the sibylline poisoner and brutal genocidal fiend depicted by Dumas is built contaminated by the misogynistic prejudices of the 19th century and which Chéreau took up again in his adaptation perhaps allied with the agents of the Spanish king Philip II in her book La Saint-Barthélemy: Les mystères d’un crime d’État (2007) rules out the possibility that it had been planned before the royal wedding and speaks of a hasty but very conscious decision by King Charles IX driven by absolutist ends that anticipated the style of the Bourbon dynasty What remains a fact is that Henry of Bourbon managed to flee Paris and The crown of France then passed to Henry of Bourbon who converted to Catholicism again: “Paris is well worth a mass,” was his famous justification His reign was prosperous and relatively peaceful and he is still often considered the greatest king in French history Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition ¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción ¿Por qué estás viendo esto? cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS ¿Tienes una suscripción de empresa? 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In a press briefing issued in January 2025 the Korean Peasant Women’s Association (KPWA) reported that the national government has effectively lowered its food self-sufficiency target raising concerns about its commitment to improving self-sufficiency According to the recently released “2024 Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) Statistical Yearbook,” the food self-sufficiency rate for 2023 was 49% a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the previous year (49.4%) with concerns that it could fall below 40% the self-sufficiency rates for rice (99.1%) and total grains (including feed) (22.2%) were all lower than the previous year MAFRA’s recently submitted “First Basic Plan for the Public Income Stabilization Program (2025-2029)” sets a goal of achieving a 55.5% food self-sufficiency rate by 2029 This represents a setback from the previous plan MAFRA explained this change as being due to the ongoing reduction in farmland Recent statistics show a loss of 16,000 hectares of farmland in 2023 bringing the total farmland area to 1.51 million hectares The government’s failure to prioritize farmland preservation which is critical to food self-sufficiency has led to the revision of key targets in the agricultural policy plan The more significant issue is that even the new target seems unachievable There is no comprehensive plan or effective policy measures in place to preserve farmland MAFRA’s earlier “Mid- to Long-Term Food Security Enhancement Plan,” which promised to maintain 1.5 million hectares of farmland for food security Article sourced from KPL website (ijunnong.net) and nongmin.com This post is also available in Español and Français. O endereço abaixo não existe na globo.com Neil MacFarlane’s side played a back four which consisted of Benjamin Fredrick and Conor McManus as full-backs with Josh Stephenson and Benjamin Arthur as the two centre-backs. Riley Owen, Max Dickov and Ben Krauhaus made up the central midfield positions whilst Isaac Holland, Ethan Laidlaw and Kyreece Lisbie formed a front three. Marfa made a good start to the game with Marley Tavaziva called into action inside the opening minute when first-team player Matos broke through. The young Bees dealt with the early pressure well and enjoyed some good spells of possession in the opening 20 minutes. Brentford were forced to be patient with their play, with Marfa utilising a deep block and aiming to hit the Bees on the counter. Lisbie thought he had broken through the Mafra backline when a clipped pass from Owen found the in-form forward, but the offside flag was up. Despite all of Brentford’s dominance on the ball, it was Mafra who took the lead on the half-hour mark with Matos netting from close range. Mafra doubled their lead early in the second half with Matos adding his second of the game. Brentford responded well with Holland producing a good piece of skill to beat his man on the edge of the area before seeing a shot blocked by a defender,. Holland was causing problems down Brentford’s right flank and with Ethan Brierley and Iwan Morgan’s introduction to the game, the Bees had more firepower going forward. Brentford kept pressing Mafra’s backline as the side looked for a route back into the game. Brierley delivered a great cross into the box on 68 minutes that was just out of the reach of Morgan. MacFarlane’s side were as dominant as they had been all game, with the side creating their best chance for Morgan. Again, the move started down Brentford’s right channel when Holland got in behind the Mafra defence before delivering a perfect cross to Morgan, but the striker’s effort from close range was saved well by Mark Ugboh. With Brentford flooding men forward, Mafra had a great chance to wrap the game up on the counter. Tiago Trindade was one on one with Tavaziva but the goalkeeper stretched his body well to keep his side in the game with a smart save. Brentford had one last chance before full-time with a well-worked corner falling to Lisbie, but he dragged his shot just wide of the post. Brentford B: Tavaziva, Fredrick, McManus (Williams 72), Stephenson, Arthur, Owen, Holland, Dickov (Brierley 57), Lisbie, Krauhaus, Laidlaw (Morgan 57) Subs not used: Wolfheimer, Wilcox, McSorley, Avenell, Grey, Agyei, Headman CD Mafra U23s: Ugboh, Matos, Alves, Maiga, Precatado, Keita, Monterio, Souza, Pata, Capitao, Goncalves Subs: Fraisl, Temi, Serra, Trindade, Claudinho, Chiqemba, Barros Neil MacFarlane praised his side despite falling to a 2-0 loss to CD Mafra U23s. "I’m really happy with the performance, especially in the second half," said MacFarlane. “We had countless opportunities to score but it just didn’t fall for us today. We’ve played some great football. "Our attitude and application is first-class. It just didn’t fall for us but I’ve got no complaints." News and Analysis on Global Agri-Tech Innovation, Investment and Regulation 11-Mar-2025 Last updated on 11-Mar-2025 at 15:23 GMT According to MAFRA Minister Song Miryung, stabilisation is the ministry’s priority for 2025 in light of the current global macroeconomic environment. “Food and agriculture are areas that have a direct impact on the livelihood of the South Korean people, so government policies are crucial to help household economies recover [amidst these challenging times],” she said via a formal statement. “As such, this year we will prioritise the stabilisation of local household economies and implement intensive efforts to address challenges facing both consumers and farmers, which will be a main focus in the first half of the year.” One of the major areas of focus is supply management in order to ensure that consumers will not need to face any form of food shortage in the coming year. “An important area here is to reduce food waste, and to this end MAFRA will introduce controlled atmosphere storage (CA) technology locally to extend the storage period of fresh foods, such as lengthening the storage of kimchi cabbages from two months to three months,” she said. “This will be useful to increase local supplies of major vegetables through contract farming; and we will also create an ‘overseas development model’ to ensure that vegetables can be imported in a timely manner if required. “MAFRA also has plans to revamp the system to sell and distribute Hanwoo beef and related products, introduce a new grading system in the second half of the year, as well as increase the online trading volumes of livestock products up to KRW280bn (US$195.7mn). “This supply management will be focused on 10 major food items that have a significant impact for consumers: kimchi cabbages, radishes, garlic, onions, apples, pears, hanwoo (Korean beef), pork, chicken, and eggs.” In addition to stabilising the local food system, MAFRA is also prioritising food exports to various key markets with a particular emphasis on 10 key items. “The plan is to expand export markets for K-Food Plus (food + agriculture + all related industries in the supply chain e.g. digitalisation, farming, pet food, etc.) by targeting the Middle East and the Republic of South Africa, as well as small and medium cities in the U.S., China, and Japan,” she added. “In particular, we plan to focus on 10 major export items including paprika, grapes, strawberries, pears, ginseng, kimchi, ramyeon, processed rice-based foods, biscuits and confectionery, and beverages. “Initiatives by MAFRA will include providing support for the production of high-end versions of items like grapes and strawberries, and the development of new products like the processed rice products.” The ministry is also changing the structure of the local rice industry to prevent overproduction, increase high-quality rice, promote the consumption of rice and requiring rice products to be labelled with protein content for consumer awareness. The 2025 Work Plan also includes a number of protective schemes to ensure both food producers and consumers receive the aid and protection they need to stay safe. “We are introducing various improvements to our agricultural crop disaster insurance programme, to expand coverage against more new disasters such as damage by harmful insects and diseases, lack of sunlight and more,” said the ministry. “Insurance protection of four kinds of fruit trees against ‘comprehensive’ dangers such as natural disasters, damage caused by birds and animals, fire and so on will be strengthened as well. “For consumers, MAFRA will be expanding the local food safety net particularly in terms of the agri-food products voucher programme which is targeted at the households receiving public support. “These include pregnant women, new mothers, newborns, infants, and toddlers. “There will also be an expansion of the 1,000-won (US$0.70) breakfast project under which high-quality breakfasts made with rice and rice-based products is provided for undergraduates to promote rice consumption and reduce their financial burden.” WATCH: Parametric insurance - a new era of coveragePaid for and in partnership with EarthDaily Agro Driving sustainable and climate-smart practices in South AmericaPaid for and in partnership with Rethink Events Ltd Reimagining aquafeed: Paving the way for scalable next-gen solutionsPaid for and content provided by Rethink Events Ltd With regulatory support for cultivated meat ramping up in South Korea the country’s first centre dedicated to cell-cultured foods is opening in Uiseong-gun The 2,660 sq m Food Tech Research Support Center is slated to open in 2027 and backed by public investment to the tune of ₩14.5B ($9.9M) with the rest of the funds deployed by the local North Gyeongsang and Uiseong-gun governments Based in Uiseong-gun’s Bio Valley General Industrial Complex the project was announced after the county was selected in the cell-cultured food field in the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs’s (MAFRA) competition for the construction of food tech R&D centres It will help companies develop their processes and is the latest move positioning South Korea as one of Asia’s future food leaders “The new facility is one of several set up by the MAFRA designed to ramp up development of food technology,” explains Mirte Gosker managing director of alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) APAC “Understanding that future food development is big business Uiseong County submitted a successful bid to MAFRA to host this new facility as a means of boosting its local economy,” she tells Green Queen called cellular agriculture “an innovative solution for the sustainable future food industry” “The establishment of a core infrastructure at the Food Tech Research Support Center will serve as an opportunity for Gyeongbuk to leap to the center of the Korean food tech industry,” he noted The Food Tech Research Support Center plans to build a cellular agriculture system that can produce up to 100kg of cultivated meat per year It will be run by the Gyeongbuk Technopark providing mass cultivation equipment and prototype production facilities safety evaluation and licensing assistance and infrastructure for the full-cycle industrialisation of cultivated food products According to Korean publication Gyeongbuk Ilbo 11 companies have expressed their intention to move into the centre Yeungnam University and the Animal Cell Proof-of-Sale Support Center are partner institutions “Other collaborations are under discussion with research institutions like the K-Bio CMO Center,” says Gosker, while potential partnerships with large corporations and initiatives like the World FoodTech Council are on the cards aswell These collaborations are also aimed at promoting the AI-based discovery of materials derived from natural products and the quality control of cell-cultured production The new facility is part of the province’s plans to develop the local economy by becoming a food tech leader It has established a production facility for culture media including cell-culture materials and equipment manufacturing Further, the local government plans to launch consumer awareness initiatives aimed at normalising and popularising cultivated meat. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has established a framework for regulatory approval of these proteins and polling shows that 90% of Koreans are willing to try cultivated meat and two in five are in favour of it being sold at supermarkets and restaurants similar food tech support centres have been established in Iksan Jeollabuk-do (for alternative foods) and Naju And in November, leading food tech organisations signed a deal to advance market research and knowledge exchanges increase policy coordination for novel food regulation and increase awareness about alternative protein innovation “As part of its mission to improve food system stability and efficiency MAFRA has been stepping up its strategic investments into emerging food technologies like cultivated meat,” says Gosker “These investments will further enhance what is already one of the world’s most advanced tech ecosystems which includes 10 biotechnology innovation and manufacturing clusters around 40 companies working across the alt protein value chain and major multinational corporations like Samsung Biologics Add to that the world’s highest number of scientific researchers per capita and South Korea is well-positioned to be a global powerhouse for cellular agriculture.” GFI identified South Korea as one of the places to watch for regulatory progress in this field in 2025 “Our experts believe it’s a safe assumption that this will happen in 2025 possibly in the first half of the year,” reveals Gosker “Korean cultivated meat startup CellMEAT submitted its application for regulatory approval in early 2024 and the review process is expected to take around 270 working days (roughly one year),” she says the first product approval could theoretically come any day now.” This, she adds, would “trigger a cascade of additional applications”, similar to what regulators have experienced in Singapore and the US (which just cleared its third cultivated meat product for sale) Seoul-based startup Simple Planet previously indicated to Green Queen that it aims to obtain the regulatory greenlight for its cultivated meat this year as well “No individual country can reimagine the global protein supply – but a network of Asian R&D hubs working collaboratively to accelerate future-food development and manufacturing very well could,” says Gosker “Korea is a central player in turning that dream into reality alongside other established foodtech leaders like Japan She continues: “If this regional coalition works together to supercharge scientific research leverage each country’s supply-chain strengths and rapidly increase regulatory knowledge-sharing the combined impact will be far greater than the sum of its parts.” Green Queen is an editorially-driven media publication. Over 98% of our content is editorial and independent. Paid posts are clearly marked as such: look for 'This is a Green Queen Partner Post' at the bottom of the page. 14 Apr 2025 19:15:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Mafra won 4–2 over Penafiel on Mon Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Mafra 4 win(s) Have scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches 14 Apr 2025 19:15:00 GMT?Mafra won 4–2 over Penafiel on Mon 14 Apr 2025 19:15:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Mafra is playing home against Penafiel on Mon The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development Our Partners Donate Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information. The Royal Building of Mafra consists of a Palace, which integrates a Basilica, with its axial frontispiece uniting the King and the Queen wings, a Convent, the Cerco Garden and a Hunting Park (Tapada). It represents one of the most magnificent works undertaken by King João V, who had exceptional cultural and economic conditions that allowed him to stand out among other European monarchies as a powerful sovereign of a vast multicontinental empire. Beginning with the choice of the architect Johann Friedrich Ludwig, a Swabian with training in Rome - this project symbolised an international affirmation of the Portuguese ruling dynasty. The ongoing fascination experienced by the monarch for the Rome of the great popes in the Baroque period led him to commission the work of important artists for Mafra, which ultimately became one of the most relevant sites of Italian Baroque outside Italy. The Hunting Park (Tapada) was created in 1747 as a private hunting ground for the monarch, as well as for agriculture and livestock breeding, in order to serve the needs of the Palace and the Convent. In late 19th century and in the beginning of the following century, the Hunting Park was the privileged stage for the hunting parties of King Carlos I, who went as far as to build a pavilion, within the approximately 1,200 hectares that make up this property. Altogether, the Royal Building of Mafra with the Cerco Garden and the Tapada offer a rare and almost complete example of baroque estate comprising a multifunctional palace, a formal garden and a Tapada, which have been elsewhere lost. The Royal Building of Mafra is classified as a National Monument by a Decree issued on January 10th 1907, published in the Governmental Journal no. 14 of January 17th 1907, Decree of June 16th 1910, published in the Governmental Journal 1st series, no. 136, of June 23th 1910. The General Directorate for Cultural Heritage was established by Law Decree n. 115/2012: its mission is to oversee the implementation of the protection and guarantee the management, safeguarding, conservation and restoration of protected cultural properties in Portugal. The National Palace of Mafra, as a museum, is also subject to the provisions of the Museum Framework Law n. 47/2004 and enjoys a Safety Plan, a compulsory instrument according to the law. The Tapada is subject also to the provisions of Law Decree n. 151-B/2013 and subsequent modification, Environmental Impact Assessment, and Forest management plan approved in 2014. Moreover, a conservation programme, including definition of clear priorities and sources of funding, should be developed by the responsible managing institutions. A conservation plan for the Cerco Garden should be also developed by the Municipality. Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email. The municipality of Mafra has begun work on the refurbishment of the basilica, library and exterior surroundings of the Mafra National Palace, an investment of 5.6 million euros (ME), their president said today. Hugo Luís told Lusa news agency that the two projects began at the end of February, with the construction site being set up by the contractor. In October, the municipality of the district of Lisbon decided to award by direct award the conservation and rehabilitation works of the surroundings and cloisters of the Mafra National Palace for the value of 2.9 ME. In August, the local authority had launched a 3ME tender for the intervention, but this was deserted. The intervention has an execution period of 14 months. In August, the city council launched another public tender worth 2.8 million euros for conservation and restoration works on the basilica and library of the national monument. The works, with an execution period of 14 months, were awarded for 2.7 ME. Both projects are financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), which has provided total financing of around 13 million for the monument. Another intervention at the Mafra National Palace is intended for the permanent installation of the National Music Museum, an investment of seven million euros, the works for which are currently underway. Mafra has 32 applications approved for the PRR, which represents an investment of 100 ME. In 2022, the municipality established cooperation with the then Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage to carry out the works. The most important heritage of the Mafra National Palace is the largest bell complex in the world, with two carillons and 119 bells, divided into hourly bells, liturgy bells and carillon bells, six historic organs and the library. The monument will also house the National Music Museum, with one of the richest collections of musical instruments in Europe, with a collection comprising a thousand instruments from the 16th to the 20th century, of both classical and popular tradition. The highlights include the Taskin harpsichord, built in 1782 at the request of King Louis XVI of France, the Stradivarius cello, which belonged to the Portuguese king D. Luís, the piano used by the composer and pianist Franz Liszt when he was on tour in Portugal in 1845, and the Antunes harpsichords from 1758 and 1789, which are national treasures. The museum also houses several documentary collections and phonographic and iconographic collections. The Mafra National Palace was classified as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in July 2019. We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to, we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small. You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time. Send us your comments or opinion on this article. Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal, written in English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese. 09 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Mafra vs Chaves on Sun Have scored 5 goals in their last 5 matches 09 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT?Mafra vs Chaves on Sun 09 Feb 2025 11:00:00 GMT ended in a 0–0 tie.InsightsHave scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Mafra is playing home against Chaves on Sun 06 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Academico Viseu won 3–1 over Mafra on Sun The current head to head record for the teams are Academico Viseu 5 win(s) Who won between Academico Viseu and Mafra on Sun 06 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT?Academico Viseu won 3–1 over Mafra on Sun 06 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Academico Viseu is playing home against Mafra on Sun 16 Mar 2025 14:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Uniao de Leiria won 3–1 over Mafra on Sun The current head to head record for the teams are Uniao de Leiria 0 win(s) Have scored 1 goals in their last 5 matches Haven't scored in their last 2 matches Who won between Uniao de Leiria and Mafra on Sun 16 Mar 2025 14:00:00 GMT?Uniao de Leiria won 3–1 over Mafra on Sun 16 Mar 2025 14:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches Uniao de Leiria is playing home against Mafra on Sun 09 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Mafra vs FC Porto B on Sun The current head to head record for the teams are Mafra 6 win(s) Have scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches Who won between Mafra and FC Porto B on Sun 09 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT?Mafra vs FC Porto B on Sun 09 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT ended in a 0–0 tie.InsightsHave scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Mafra is playing home against FC Porto B on Sun following a nomination by the Centro Nacional de Cultura Following a mission by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute in October 2014, the European experts put forward a technical and financial report in March 2015 which underlined the need and justification for the rehabilitation project and supported the approach adopted The highlighting of the project by the 7 Most Endangered programme helped prioritise the project among the public authorities The conservation programme had a total cost of 1.7 million euros and was almost entirely financed by the Ministry of Culture of Portugal I applaud the work that has been done to restore the carillons and save this UNESCO World Heritage for future generations enjoy the great musical heritage of Europe through the crisp clear and gentle sounds of the bronze bells (…) I am so happy that these magnificent carillons will now join the six pipe organs in making Mafra a mecca for music lovers especially with the opening of the National Museum of Music in the Palace,” stated Plácido Domingo in his message which was read by Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins Trustee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on behalf of both Europa Nostra and the Centro Nacional de Cultural Maestro Domingo vividly recalled his participation in an exceptional concert with the six pipe organs in the Basilica in 2012 during the Europa Nostra Congress in Lisbon we had the unique opportunity of enjoying the magnificent sound created by the six pipe organs of the Basilica of the Mafra National Palace The concert was an incomparable musical storm and the majestic music flowed over me and the other listeners like a grand melodic wave the restoration of the pipe organs had just been awarded the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award and I was so thrilled to be able to listen to the end result It was a truly magical moment for me and all other music and heritage enthusiasts” The two towers of the Basilica of the Mafra National Palace feature a unique set of 119 cast bronze bells Due to lack of maintenance in the case of the northern-tower the wooden structures that support the bells had been at risk of collapse threatening the integrity of the towers and of the monument itself The bells had also been in a very poor condition The conservation work was carried out between May 2018 and December 2019 Most of the carillon bells were lowered to the ground and stored or moved to the repair shop The south tower carillon is fully operational The north tower carillon – which has never been altered and therefore provides a rare example of the sound of bell-performance in its original tuning condition – was restored but kept as a museum piece The large liturgical bells and the 12-tonne clock bells were also secured and stabilised Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email The Municipality of Mafra has approved two tenders totalling €5.8 million for restoration and conservation work on the library, basilica, surroundings and cloisters of the Mafra National Palace The municipal executive unanimously approved launching a tender worth €3 million for conservation and rehabilitation work on the surroundings and cloisters of the Mafra National Palace with an execution period of 14 months after the start of the works The local authority also decided to launch another public tender worth €2.8 million for conservation and restoration work on the basilica and library of the national monument with an execution period of 14 months after the start of the intervention The contracts are financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) which has foreseen a total financing of around €13 million for the monument The other intervention in the Mafra National Palace aims to permanently install the National Music Museum the works for which are currently underway the municipality established a cooperation agreement with the then Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage to carry out the works The most important heritage of the Mafra National Palace is the largest set of bells in the world The monument will also house the National Music Museum with one of the richest collections of musical instruments in Europe with a collection of a thousand instruments from the 16th to the 20th centuries Mafra National Palace was classified as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in July 2019 We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal Nigerian striker Stanley Iheanacho has taken a big step in his young career signing a five-year contract with Portuguese second-tier side CD Mafra The 19-year-old joins the club from Danish club FC Midtjylland, where he impressed in the youth team despite not making any senior appearance Iheanacho expressed his enthusiasm about the move citing the talented young players at CD Mafra and his eagerness to contribute Super Eagles of Nigeria star Kelechi Iheanacho shows off style at wedding and I'm excited to start the season and develop my skills further." The Nigerian began his football journey at FC Hearts Academy before moving to FC Midtjylland last year His impressive tally of 19 goals in 30 matches for the youth team including a stunning four-goal haul in a league cup game It is that time of the year again as PulseSports30 returns to celebrate the best Nigerian players of the 2023/2024 season The arrival of Stanley Iheanacho is a positive development for both the player and the club CD Mafra hopes to leverage his goal-scoring potential while Iheanacho has the opportunity to establish himself as a vital part of the team and propel them towards their goals in the Portuguese league Iheanacho will now join his new teammates for pre-season training as they gear up for their league opener against Paços Ferreira on August 8th Former champion has hailed Evra ahead of his MMA debut Paris Saint-Germain's top scoring forward is a doubt for the Champions League semi-final second leg clash against Arsenal FIFA has relegated one African club over match-fixing allegations Time and where to watch Nigeria's Efe Ajagba take on Congo's Martin Bakole in a fight for African boxing king Time and where to watch Flying Eagles of Nigeria's 2nd U20 AFCON group game against Young Atlas Lions of Morocco Former England player who rejected the chance to represent the Nigerian national team now wants to replace Eric Chelle See what fans are saying about the robbery of Nigerian boxer Efe Ajagba against Congolese star Martin Bakole as Battle of Africa ends in a draw Artificial intelligence weighs in on the speculations surrounding Victor Osimhen's future Reports suggest Arsenal are prepared to make a significant bid for a Serie A forward to address their need for a reliable goalscorer Reports indicate that Manchester United will pursue a LaLiga defender if they achieve Champions League qualification Real Madrid have reportedly stepped up their interest in two Bournemouth players after scouting them against Arsenal Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid as a free agent is confirmed by Fabrizio Romano with the Liverpool star set to sign a five-year deal after 20 years and eight major trophies with the Reds Trent Alexander-Arnold explains his emotional decision to leave Liverpool in June 2025 citing the need for a new challenge after 20 years Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided to end his 20-year-old romance with Premier League champions Liverpool Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman showed his happiness after helping Atalanta defeat Monza on Sunday afternoon Fenerbahçe legend Serhat Akın revealed that Yellow Canaries supporters have labelled him a traitor for defending Victor Osimhen Having at long last secured a significant trophy Harry Kane jubilantly celebrated with his fellow Bayern Munich players Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos has heaped praise on Barcelona star Pedri Victor Osimhen’s scintillating brace for Galatasaray earned him the Baller of the Week crown outshining other Naija stars like Ibrahim Olawoyin and Chiamaka Nnadozie with his record-breaking 24 league goals this season Naija Stars Abroad: This weekend’s highs and lows featuring Super Eagles and Nigeria superstars Ademola Lookman who is back among the goals and Victor Osimhen's sizzling streak in Turkey Super Eagles of Nigeria star Raphael Onyedika wins Crocky up with Club Brugge while Bruno Onyemaechi celebrates Greek League title with Olympiacos Super Falcons star Edna Imade scored for Granada as they lost 1-2 to Real Madrid Cyriel Dessers continues to make Super Eagles case with goal for Rangers in 1-1 draw against Celtic were not considered for the Ballon d'Or top 10 The wooden Rococo bookshelves of the grand Mafra Palace Library hold some 36,000 leather-bound volumes dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries Book-eating pests would pose a great threat to these old tomes were it not for the inch-long bats who patrol the library at night the magnificent Palace of Mafra immediately staked its claim as one of the national treasures of Portuguese architecture And within the palace sits an equally impressive library The 280-foot long Rococo-style library is a fitting home for the thousands of valuable old volumes that line the wooden bookshelves and other insects can wreak havoc on their delicate pages Most libraries control such pests with ethylene oxide but the Mafra Palace Library has a very special force of airborne defenders: bats a colony of bats sleeps behind the bookcases or out in the palace garden hunting down the very pests that would otherwise chomp through the pages of the library’s precious collection This nocturnal feasting has been going on for centuries perhaps as far back as the creation of the library itself do come with one disadvantage: the copious covering of droppings they expend upon the floors library workers cover the furniture before they leave and spend their mornings carefully cleaning the marble floors to erase all evidence of the previous night’s excreta The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world's strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about the Mafra Palace Library bats. The Mafra Palace Library is open to researchers, historians, and scholars “whose object of study justifies the access to this collection,” as stated by the palace website. A previous appointment is recommended. Because the bats only hunt at night, you’re unlikely to see them during visiting hours. The library's opening hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. These flying foxes dangle from the trees around the library like fuzzy black fruit. The canine-themed book collection claims to be Europe's largest dog library. A former church transformed into a public library. A monument to the Turkish librarian who delivered books on the back of a donkey. An ordinary rancher stumbled upon one of the world’s largest collections of Pliocene horse fossils. View roughly 7,000 books amassed over decades by the author and avid bibliophile. The oldest civic library in Italy can trace its foundation back to 1619. The sump of the landlocked Carson River is a haven for wildlife. 31 Mar 2025 19:15:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Mafra won 1–0 over Felgueiras 1932 on Mon The current head to head record for the teams are Mafra 0 win(s) Who won between Mafra and Felgueiras 1932 on Mon 31 Mar 2025 19:15:00 GMT?Mafra won 1–0 over Felgueiras 1932 on Mon 31 Mar 2025 19:15:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 2 goals in their last 5 matches Mafra is playing home against Felgueiras 1932 on Mon It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem Small to medium-scale rice farmers are among the beneficiaries of a weeklong training program aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural mechanization in Tanzania conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Korean Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) which took place in Morogoro bringing together over 50 participants machinery maintenance technicians and the growers is part of the “Capacity Development and Experience Sharing for Rice Value Chains through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)” project which seeks to enhance the efficiency and productivity of rice farming in Tanzania through the adoption of modern and sustainable agricultural practices the SSTC project supports the second phase of the National Rice Development Strategy which focuses on sustainable rice production and strengthening the institutional capacity of government bodies in Côte d’Ivoire officiated the opening ceremony of the training program on August 15 on behalf of the Morogoro Regional Commissioner In his remarks he highlighted the importance of capacity building in the rice farming sector “Empowering experts in rice farming will significantly enhance productivity across the value chain we can ease the heavy manual workload on farmers The training program’s closing ceremony was conducted on Friday last week officiated by Thomas Bwana FAO National Project Officer and SSTC focal person Bwana emphasized the importance of the training “This program marks a significant milestone in our efforts to elevate rice farming in the country By incorporating sustainable mechanization into our agricultural practices we are laying the groundwork for a more resilient and productive agricultural sector.” emphasizing the transformative impact of the training: “The knowledge and skills acquired here have the potential to revolutionize rice farming practices and I am confident that these new techniques will have a lasting impact on the communities we serve.” representatives from MAFRA and the Korean Rural Community Corporation (KRC) donated essential agricultural equipment to TARI This equipment will play a crucial role in modernizing rice cultivation and boosting productivity will be procured and distributed to TARI as part of the ongoing project FAO and its partners remain committed to supporting Tanzania’s agricultural sector through innovative projects and strategic partnerships The SSTC project exemplifies this commitment fostering knowledge exchange and capacity building to drive sustainable agricultural development This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Weekends at his family’s farms in Southern Brazil where he played with animals are the childhood memories Agenor Mafra-Neto holds dear He was just a boy when he realized an indiscriminate use of pesticides did more harm than good on land he felt called to protect This awakening put Mafra-Neto on a path to create alternatives for crop protection that were safer for the planet by becoming an acclaimed entomologist and chemical ecologist. All roads led to Riverside where Mafra-Neto founded ISCA Technologies in 1996 It’s a green biotech company that produces the next generation of environmentally sustainable insect controls “Riverside was built on agriculture with a growing economy already in place,” Mafra-Neto said on head-quartering there at a time when he could have gone anywhere  Agenor Mafra-Neto working to control the nutcase bearer ISCA means “lure” in Portuguese — fitting because the company uses pheromones and other naturally occurring compounds called semiochemicals to manipulate the behavior of animals by steering them off course ISCA products repel insects such as bark beetles away from trees of value and tell honeybees where to pollinate based on those semiochemical cues “We trick everything from tiny insects to huge elephants into doing what we want before they become a problem,” Mafra-Neto said “What we’re developing here in Riverside is changing agriculture globally.” there is a deadly conflict between elephants and people because the large land animals will hop fences to feed on farmers’ crops such as sugar cane ISCA developed formulations with bee alarm pheromones to spray fences to safely repel elephants after discovering they wouldn’t go near something believed to be teeming with bees “It’s inspiring to see ISCA answer the call and meet the need with life-changing technology from Riverside to the rest of the world,” said Mafra-Neto said he considers the city an inimitable partner When ISCA needed a wet lab to develop formulations ISCA spread the love by turning the new lab space into an incubator to help startups within the sector Fascinating work has emerged from the ventures including extraction of materials from exotic plants to fight depression and cancer The companies that do well in Riverside incentivize others to stay and grow here,” Mafra-Neto said ISCA is undoubtedly one of the success stories with subsidiaries in 10 countries and substantial sales in 30 markets worldwide ISCA employs 40 people in high-paying roles “The intellectual capacity we have here is tremendous,” said Mafra-Neto referring to recruiting from Riverside’s critical mass of higher education Agenor Mafra-Neto harvesting cotton from Brazil “ISCA has made a tremendous impact on transforming Riverside into a biotech landing spot,” said “How many opportunities do you have in a lifetime to shape the future of an industry and a city?” Mafra-Neto contemplated while vowing to help Riverside grow For information about ISCA Technologies, go to www.isca.com The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced on August 26 that it will send a delegation of 15 Korean companies specialising in exporting agricultural equipment to Vietnam from August 26-31 to promote their products Seoul (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Agriculture Vietnam is gradually emerging as an important market for Korean agricultural equipment and materials export importing 1.02 billion USD worth of those products from the RoK by the end of 2023 Despite experiencing difficulties due to the global economic downturn fertiliser and pesticide exports showed an upward trend with export turnover increasing by more than 33% compared to the previous year The Korean delegation is scheduled to engage in an export consultation conference with 30 Vietnamese import companies on August 27 They will also visit the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to learn about the current situation of the country's agriculture and related policies regulations and details related to agricultural equipment certification including import customs procedures for each item The delegation is expected to propose cooperation so that procedures such as registration and licensing for products exported to Vietnam can be carried out quickly Director-General Lee Sang-man of the MAFRA's Agri-Food Innovation Policy Bureau said that by sending the market development team to create sales channels such as overseas fairs buyer connections and export consultation meetings the RoK hopes that its agricultural equipment companies will be able to strengthen the foundation for penetrating the Vietnamese market and expanding exports the MAFRA has sent a market development team to countries every year to explore opportunities for Korean agricultural equipment exporters to develop overseas markets and expand exports study the needs of local localities through consultation with local authorities while providing export consultation and market research support The Republic of Korean (RoK)’s Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has announced that its smart farm sector is gaining momentum in penetrating the Vietnamese market leveraging advanced technologies to expand into the Southeast Asian region The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) has officially announced regulations for importing fresh pomelos from Vietnam on its website according to the Plant Protection Department (PPD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Enterprises in the Central Highlands provinces of Vietnam inked 36 memorandums of understandings with partners from the Republic of Korea (RoK) at a trade promotion conference held in Lam Dong province on August 1 an upcoming state visit to Kazakhstan by Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam promises to inject new energy into economic ties The Ministry of Industry and Trade have announced reductions in retail fuel prices after nearly four decades of economic reform the sector has grown steadily in both scale and quality becoming one of the key driving forces of the socialist-oriented market economy airports nationwide handled over 12,610 flights marking a 19.45% increase compared to the same period last year the students were informed about how to take advantage of the free trade agreements that Vietnam and Canada have signed to optimise supply chains they also heard about Vietnam's potential as an Asian logistics hub Deputy PM Dung emphasised that this is a particularly important external task of the Party and State affirming Vietnam’s role and position on the international stage while showcasing the results of 40 years of its renewal creating new momentum and driving force for Kien Giang The ministry received the notification from the EC’s Directorate – General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) in early May which requested Vietnam to submit a progress report on implementing the EC’s recommended improvements before September 15 The commission will dispatch an inspection team to the country in late 2025 if the report demonstrates sufficient advancements The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 24,944 VND/USD on May 5 down 12 VND from the day before the April 30 – May 1 holidays Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) will be the lead arranger of the financing and will handle the underwriting for the syndicated loan of 1.85 trillion IDR which will cover more than 2,300ha with key function sites for manufacturing would need an investment of 40 trillion VNA (1.6 billion USD) The Vietnamese pavilion introduces eco-friendly handicrafts for the first time and animal figurines made from wood and bamboo scraps displayed alongside traditional items in the Asia Hall Muslim tourism has become a global trend and is playing an increasingly vital role in many countries' tourism sectors Rector of the Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism The Vietnamese companies showcased a wide range of goods from raw input materials for production chains to high-value processed food products VinFast vehicle owners in the Netherlands can now access services at nine workshops with plans to expand to LKQ Netherlands’ full network of 260 service centres The company presented its flagship products and energy-efficient glass all environmentally friendly and integrated with advanced technology The MoU was signed during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai by Orhan Abbas Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for the Far East Deputy CEO of Sun Group cum CEO of Sun Entertainment & Hospitality Group was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long and leaders from universities research institutions and international partners HCM City's businesses contribute over 50% of the city’s GRDP and 25% of national import-export turnover Many of these enterprises have built strong domestic reputations and are increasingly succeeding in international markets and strategic government support for sustainable and high-tech development Vietnam’s industrial real estate market is well-positioned to become a regional leader in the era of sustainable prosperity 2008 by the Ministry of Information and Communications Email: vietnamplus@vnanet.vn © Copyright belongs to VietnamPlus, VNA. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without written consent. Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Susan Fenton Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Reports of negotiations stir speculation about potential buyers for influential publishing group Former Prime Minister Andrej Babis speaks to the press the former Czech prime minister and oligarch not because he is withdrawing from politics This year it will be ten years since Babiš sent out what is probably his most famous tweet The simple message set off wild speculation in mid-2013 A number of insiders were presuming the businessman billionaire oligarch and then fledgling politician was going to acquire Ringier media outlets for his portfolio the most widely read tabloid in the Czech Republic it turned out it was the publishing house Mafra that became part of Babiš’s Agrofert conglomerate This controversial acquisition fired the starting gun on a decade of major changes in the Czech media market, as major media houses moved from foreign owners into the hands of Czech oligarchs After ten years of Babiš‘ ownership Mafra is likely to be sold Tykač does not own any media and would be a newcomer to the club of “media oligarchs” Babiš bought Mafra in 2013 from the German company Rheinisch-Bergische Verlagsgesellschaft other billionaires followed suit and snapped up legacy media as a means of strengthening influence alongside their core businesses The Czech portfolio of Swiss Ringier was bought by energy tycoon Daniel Křetínský Dozens of regional daily newspapers and other magazines were bought from the German group Verlagsgruppe Passau by the financial group Penta different owners began to interfere in the editorial independence of their media to different degrees critical or investigative reporting on certain topics quietly became off limits As this oligarchization and its implications for media freedom continued often founded by journalists who quit after threats were made to their media’s editorial independence Babiš also soon added the commercial radio station Impuls to his media portfolio followed by about 30 lifestyle magazines acquired from another German publisher these media were essentially used as promotional platforms for his election campaign When Babiš was running for president in January 2023 these magazines published a series of articles showing him as a great father and an ordinary and smiling man There were also interviews with his wife and glimpses behind the scenes of the Babiš family the texts seemed like PR materials written on demand but they pretended to be editorial content The subliminal message to the readers – mainly to the female readers – was obvious: vote for Babiš Similar texts in support of Babiš were published in the same lifestyle magazines in previous years these titles did not focus on politics at all but that changed when Babiš became their owner The Czech press law does not require newspapers and magazines to have a balance of opinion so such texts are not in breach of the law but undoubtedly highly problematic in terms of journalistic ethics This aggressive campaign and the support of his own media proved insufficient for  Babiš in the end, and his failure in the presidential election fueled speculation that he would sell Mafra Rumours that the publishing house might change hands appeared last autumn and the new year brought a new name of a possible buyer there was speculation about the aforementioned Daniel Křetínský another billionaire with an energy business confirmed his interest in Mafra and that he had started ongoing negotiations He told Czech Radio that one of his motivations to purchase the media was “so that it does not fall into some hands that will use it in a way that would not be in the interest of this country” Mafra’s economic results have not been impressive in recent years. The daily newspapers led by Mlada fronta Dnes and Lidove noviny are losing money, with operating losses are in the tens of millions, according to the magazine Reporter the company’s lifestyle magazines are economically stable and the internet portals with radio Impuls are profitable the Mafra media group has repeatedly made losses over the past three years This suggests that interest in the media house is not so much motivated by profit as by the potential influence that Mafra offers its owner. The business of both Pavel Tykač (Sev.en Energy) and Daniel Křetínský (EPH holding) is not based on media electricity and heat production and distribution they can subsidize any losses of their media holdings However, it would be a mistake to say that the whole transaction is not about profit at all. The energy business is inherently dependent on good relations with the state and municipalities, and the Czech state has so far generously subsidized the oligarchs with state advertising, which has almost exclusively ended up with the big media houses This fragile symbiosis is likely to continue despite promises by the government of Petr Fiala to change the state advertising system in order to support smaller independent media After the government abolished the media and disinformation commissioner in mid-February the media appears to have fallen off the cabinet’s agenda Together, the titles of the Mafra publishing house have a reach of 3.23 million readers, according to last year’s figures while Daniel Křetínský’s second CNC reaches 3.08 million readers This shows how much Křetínský would strengthen his market position by buying Mafra The question is why Andrej Babiš wants to get rid of this influence and why he wants to do it now The answer may sound paradoxical: because of politics Ten years ago Babiš bought Mafra precisely to strengthen his political clout But today the ownership of Mafra may make it more difficult for him to remain in politics Babiš has already announced that he wants to remain a member of parliament However, a government amendment to the Conflict of Interest Act that is currently making its way through the legislative process would hit his media business hard would ban public officials from owning or publishing media this ban would apply to the ultimate owner of the media company It would include members of the government and serving MPs According to the authors of the bill, the amendment will prevent circumvention of the conflict of interest law and should stop efforts by politicians to influence media houses through their ownership According to the register of beneficial owners it has been enough for him to transfer his assets to trust funds in 2017 he has faced criticism that he continues to control his companies this was proven by the positive writings in his magazines and obvious PR for Babiš before this year’s presidential campaign and in previous years The Mafra daily newspapers were under permanent suspicion of favouring Babiš when they reported less extensively or with different accents on his affairs and conflicts of interest than other media they completely ignored corruption scandals involving Babiš It is to be expected that the next owner of Mafra will not abuse these media in such a blatant way if only because neither Tykač nor Křetínský (if one of them is indeed the buyer) is directly involved in politics both could undoubtedly use the group’s media influence to benefit their other business most of the Czech media will remain firmly in the hands of oligarchs We use cookies to enhance and analyze our traffic We use cookies to help us analyze the traffic on our website and to enhance your browsing experience You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors They do track user engagement on the pages The event was hosted by the Mayor of Mafra and had the participation of the Secretary General of Europa Nostra — Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović (@SneskaEN) October 25, 2023 Mafra will also host the National Museum of Mafra the Music Sciences Centre of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the National Sound Archive thus strengthening the connection of the town with music Although based in Mafra, the activities and events organised by CEM Portugal will take place across the country. The CEM Portugal has been developed in collaboration with Terrafoundation a Portuguese cultural platform based in Lisbon Jorge Chaminé spoke about the Centre Européen de Musique based in Bougival and its hub in Portugal “The CEM celebrates music as a universal language at the heart of Europe’s identity and humanistic values After 23 years of dedication to this holistic project based in Bougival it is very moving to launch the CEM in my native country I would like to thank the alliance of cities that – in an exemplary and unique way in Europe – have come together to implement the CEM Portugal,” he stated — Centre Européen de Musique (@CemCentre) October 25, 2023 Following the introductory remarks by the Director of the National Palace of Mafra and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Culture “We need the power of music to once again learn how to live together in Europe and in the world a great European born in the Portuguese city of Porto have demonstrated through the CEM Portugal your close connection with a Europe of culture and a Europe of values hope that many others will follow your example.” an EU-funded pilot project formed by a consortium of 21 partners led by Europa Nostra to connect heritage stakeholders and initiatives across Europe over 200 concerts of the world’s largest set of 18th-century carillon bells have been performed The launch event of the CEM Portugal featured a musical performance entitled “Passarola | Music Variations on the Past and the Future K.87″ by Pedro Emanuel Pereira Composed from Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata K.87 Passarola is the first research and cultural creation project that is part of Via Scarlatti a collaboration between CEM and Terrafoundation It symbolises the cross point between culture and science revealing the power of innovation and the dynamic relationship between the past Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced on Feb 25 that it held the first Korea-Qatar Smart Farm Cooperation Committee in Doha to promote exchanges and cooperation in the field of smart agriculture between the two countries as a follow-up to an MOU signed between Korea and Qatar in October 2023 The Qatar-Korea Smart Farm Cooperation Committee is a working-level committee at the ministerial level an official of MAFRA and its chief representative The two countries shared the direction of smart agriculture policies and discussed research cooperation including joint technology demonstrations in the field of smart farming They introduced a Korean smart farm innovation valley model and proposed making investments to build an innovation valley in Qatar MAFRA has been expanding policies to foster and support domestic smart agriculture including enacting the Smart Agriculture Act in July 2023 the ministry is creating various policies including establishing demonstration greenhouses in countries interested in importing Korean smart farms such as those in the Middle East and expanding the number of trade centers for smart farms Qatar is showing much interest in strengthening food security by spreading smart agriculture under its national food security strategy It plans to establish the next phase of its strategy in 2024 Qatar officials are planning to tour the Smart Farm Innovation Valley model and export companies in the first half of this year for closer cooperation with Korea Read the entire article at Business Korea FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 HortiDaily.com The 19-year-old penned a five-year contract with FC Midtylland The youngster scored four goals on his debut for FC Midtylland in a Cup clash against Aabenraa BK in September 2023 Iheanacho however failed to make a league appearance for the multiple Superliga champions The forward however played a key role in Midtylland’s side that won the U-19 youth league last season The former Golden Eaglets player scored 12 goals in 22 appearances in the youth league He also played four matches in the UEFA Youth League © 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved © 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved Former UFC welterweight Leonardo Mafra has his eyes on the biggest prize of his career as he prepares to challenge for championship gold in Russia Mafra will drop five pounds to challenge for Brave CF's 165-pound super lightweight title in the main event of Brave CF 46 as the Bahraini promotion stages its first event on Russian soil on Jan Mafra (15-5) will take on reigning champion Eldar Eldarov in a battle between the Brazilian striker and the Russian sambo specialist and said the hype surrounding the champ's grappling credentials doesn't concern him ahead of fight night in Sochi During his time as Khabib Nurmagomedov's cornerman for his fight with Thiago Tavares in Sao Paulo Eldarov (12-1) persuaded the future UFC lightweight champion to wear a t-shirt bearing the phrase it would be called jiu-jitsu." The slogan caused quite a stir with the Brazilian fans that week and Mafra – who prefers to finish his opponents with strikes rather than submissions –spoke about that incident in Brazil and said he'd like to gain a little retribution when he faces Eldarov on Jan I respect and appreciate the Brazilian jiu-jitsu," he said during an Instagram Live interview with Brave CF But I know Eldar is a guy who likes to say he represents sambo Mafra heads into the title fight after more than a year away from the cage His last outing saw him claim a unanimous decision win over Djamil Chan at Brave CF 25 in August 2019 but a planned bout with England's Carl Booth was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic with Eldarov eventually being handed a shot at the 165-pound title A former protege of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Eldarov heads into the matchup riding a decade-long 11-fight winning streak His only career defeat came against Nurmagomedov in Eldarov's second professional bout following a nomination by the national cultural association Centro Nacional de Cultura which includes the restoration of the 18th-century carillons and associated bells and clocks in the two towers of the Mafra Basilica Taking an optimistic view and assuming available finance the conservation work could be carried out from the end of 2015 to mid-2017 in time for the 300th anniversary of the start of the construction of the Palace considered a key work of the Baroque in Portugal “This is a relatively modest investment which could have a real impact on enhancing interest in the Mafra National Palace complex as a cultural heritage destination particularly in reestablishing its campanological credentials It will bring the bells back into use and properly secure them allowing their potential to be realised It is thus considered to be a very worthwhile and needed initiative” Technical Consultant from the European Investment Bank Institute The 50-metre high towers of the Basilica feature a unique set of 120 cast bronze bells The programme is to repair and bring as many bells as possible back into service Most will be lowered to the ground and stored or moved to the repair shop but some may be able to be treated in situ The south tower carillon will be fully operational and it is proposed that it should be retuned The north tower carillon – which has never been altered and therefore provides a rare example of the sound of bell-performance in its original tuning condition – will be restored The instrument in the south tower will be completely restored whereas that in the north tower will be partially rehabilitated The large liturgical bells will be properly secured and stabilised Ten of the eleven bells are cracked and will not be restored; therefore The 12-tonne clock bells will also be correctly secured and stabilised Only one of the six bells is cracked; hence The carillon equipment and the clock mechanisms will be brought back into operation with repairs as necessary and the connections to the carillon and clock bells will be reestablished other associated works to be carried out are: the repair and reinforcement of the wooden structural frames which support the carillons and liturgical bells; the restoration of the stone structure exterior of the towers with repointing; the provision of a drainage system to reduce the humidity at level three of the south tower; and the installation of new electrical systems for lighting and heating The main technical challenge is how to carry out the works in the areas where the heavy bells are being supported and where repairs are required to the bell fastenings and the structural timber frame “These working methods are primarily the responsibility of the works’ contractor but need to be overseen and assisted by the promoter to reduce the contract risk and the impact on costs Further pre-contract work on investigating the scope of the problem relating to the structural timber would seem worthwhile to clarify this issue thus reducing the risk for the bidders to the benefit of the client” “It is important that the national authorities work together with the local municipality and other parties to prepare a convincing dossier for grant support The grant component cannot cover the full cost of the project (probably about 50%) and so some other funding is required” “The Mafra Municipality might be able to pre-finance some of the project preparation phases Efforts to tap private funds or institutions such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation should be explored the European Investment Bank might be a potential source of loan funding” Current visitors to the Palace complex exceed 250,000 per year and this number should increase post project Carillon concerts will complement the main musical attraction of the Basilica which attract specialists and enthusiasts from afar It is planned to move the Museum of Music from Lisbon thus making Mafra the principal musical centre of the country The action plan was formulated on the basis of previous studies made by specialists in musicology and civil engineering as well as the outcomes of the three-day mission undertaken by heritage and financial experts from Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute to Mafra and Lisbon in October 2014 the European delegates participated in a technical visit to the Palace and took part in working meetings with local Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute will announce in the coming weeks the technical and financial actions plans for other heritage sites listed for ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ 2014 namely the historic stage machinery of the Bourla theatre in Antwerp in Belgium the neighbourhoods of Dolcho and Apozari in Kastoria in Greece the citadel of Alessandria in Italy and the synagogue in Subotica in Serbia The action plan for the wooden churches in Southern Transylvania and Northern Oltenia in Romania was announced on 5 March The mission to the Colour Row Settlement in Chernyakhovsk in Russia is expected to take place later in the year Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations One of the largest publishing houses in the Czech Republic – Mafra – will no longer be owned by the Agrofert holding whose beneficial owner is former prime minister Andrej Babiš director of the Czech Foundation for Independent Journalism either observed and verified directly by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources “The sale of the Mafra publishing house from the trust funds of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is clearly a positive thing for the Czech media,” said Klimeš Stanley Iheanacho has sealed a move to Liga Portugal 2 outfit Iheanacho linked up with CD Mafra from Danish Superliga side The 19-year-old put pen to paper on a five-year contract with his new club The forward played a key role in Midtylland’s side that won the U-19 youth league last season and also played four matches in the UEFA Youth League Ballon d’Or 2024: Messi given 4% chance to win ahead of Vinicius CAF coaching course: 3SC render support to five female coaches Championship: Iheanacho targets more goals for Middlesbrough Championship: Iheanacho will score more goals – Carrick Championship: Iheanacho scores first Middlesbrough goal in win over Oxford Transfer: Chelsea agree deal for Portuguese top talent Geovany Quenda Championship: Iheanacho eager to play for Middlesbrough – Carrick Transfer: Iheanacho won’t rule out Sevilla return Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd NEW: The Effects of the US Foreign Aid Freeze on Freedom House Czechia’s Democracy Score declined from 5.64 to 5.57 successfully siphoned off ČSSD voters by moving policy platforms to the left and by using media in Babiš’s Mafra holding to denigrate his political opponents and elevate his successes Due to the fragmentation of the opposition a former businessman who amassed a fortune through his access to state subsidies and European Union (EU) developmental funds ANO won over 30 percent of the vote and formed a minority coalition government with the ČSSD The coalition has ruled with the support of the unreformed Communist Party (KSCM) with the prime minister consulting key policy and personnel decisions with the communists This has represented a major break in the Czech political system the KSCM had always been in opposition at the national level Yet the power of the KSCM has been enhanced by populist President Miloš Zeman who uses political fragmentation and his proximity to the KSCM to bully parties in power Three parties with anti-establishment rhetoric (ANO and the socially liberal Pirates) now control a majority of seats in Czechia’s Chamber of Deputies Public support for the country’s far-right parties is stable at a low level the regional and Senate elections verified a trend in Czech politics (and elsewhere in Europe): anti-establishment parties are on the rise The government reacted right away to the first wave of the pandemic with tough mitigation measures the public-health crisis exposed the state’s ineffective public administration and its lack of capacity to plan and implement policies in a predictable and systematic manner the pandemic was politicized due to tensions in the fragile governing coalition The government’s ability to effectively coordinate was undermined by PM Babiš’s aversion to delegating responsibilities and his desire to be the sole politician in the media spotlight The civic sector initially compensated for the state’s shortcomings Citizens produced and distributed homemade masks and universities and startups developed masks from new nanomaterials Innovation in 3-D printing led to the production of protective shields Citizens donated food and supplies to hospitals Civic actors also helped mitigate the state’s failure to address the challenges of distance learning in disadvantaged communities Groups organized a social media campaign that collected and repaired used laptop computers to distribute to disadvantaged children so they could participate in online learning The civic sector also advocated for transparency in state procurement processes during the crisis and served as a bulwark against government efforts to abuse power and restrict civil rights the civic movement Million Moments for Democracy organized a large demonstration on June 9 to demand more transparency and government accountability since the health minister (ANO) suggested that the protest was illegal and asked law enforcement to prevent it declared that they would protect citizens’ constitutionally enshrined right to protest with demonstrators wearing masks and maintaining social distance The civic sector also helped to increase transparency establishing a COVID-19 information portal in the wake of the government’s chaotic pandemic response the portal also provided information on testing and general information on the spread of the virus PM Babiš used the pandemic emergency to solidify his grip on the media market which is politically imbalanced due to the concentration of media ownership in the country when Babiš purchased the large Mafra media group which became a subsidiary of the Agrofert conglomerate owned by the Babiš trust Mafra’s leading print daily reaches 2.4 million readers while its online portal reaches about 3.4 million daily users it was revealed that the state had propped up the Mafra media group de facto subsidizing Mafra through paid advertising state aid to alleviate the pandemic’s negative impacts on cultural institutions disproportionately benefitted Mafra compared to other media groups dismissed its five-member supervisory board in November raising questions about the legality of the move The independent Czech Television has represented a threat to PM Babiš with its wide-reaching platform for voices critical of the government Babiš worked to undermine the director of Czech TV The Czech Republic is a net immigration country public opinion strongly opposes any openness to refugees which form a significant portion of the group’s population and the pandemic exacerbated educational inequalities for Roma children due to pressure from the EU and domestic advocacy the situation for Roma in Czechia is slowly improving The pandemic forced the government to increase its share of debt from 28.5 to 36.9 percent of GDP The government also introduced a new income tax law that will reduce state budget revenue as well as regional and municipal revenues Since regional governments were tasked with the COVID-19 response this will further reduce their ability to combat the ongoing pandemic the European Commission finalized an audit of PM Babiš’s conflicts of interest Since the companies in Babiš’s Agrofert holding misused EU monies the EU refused to reimburse some projects funded through structural funds The Ministry of Finance did not force Agrofert to return the subsidies which likely means that Czech taxpayers will have to foot the bill The elections in fall 2021 will reveal whether ANO can maintain its dominant position in Czech politics Changes to the electoral law are expected to strengthen smaller parties and undermine ANO’s position The catastrophic failures of the Czech state during the pandemic may stimulate an impetus to reform the healthcare system and depoliticize public administration Lenka Buštíková is Associate Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University Her book Extreme Reactions: Radical Right Mobilization in Eastern Europe (Cambridge University Press) exploring how far-right parties mobilize against politically ascendant minorities received the Davis Center Book Prize in political and social studies (2020) She is currently serving as an editor of the journal East European Politics scores & information on this country or territory Freedom in the World has been widely used by policymakers Donate today to help us ensure the future 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Log In De La Riva- X Guard Sweep + Armbar Finish Half Guard Kneebar + Sweep Armbar From Side Control Half Guard Lapel Sweep The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. Marcelo "Lapela" Mafra is one of Checkmat’s best representatives Mafra’s credentials are about as good as they come in jiu-jitsu He’s taking his experience as a competitor and turning it into a vehicle for running his own event which aims to promote the growth of jiu-jitsu by rewarding white-purple belt absolute champions with cash prizes The Lapela Cup is set to go down March 17 in Victorville, California. You can sign up to compete here.  the Lapela Cup awards absolute division champions with $400; second place will take home $100 There is a light absolute (170lb and under) division and heavy absolute (171lb and over) bracket for each belt level