45% of Icelanders against religion in schools

More Icelanders are against religion in schools today than three years ago. mbl.is/Hari

 According to a new survey conducted by marketing company Maskína, over 45 percent of Icelanders believe that religious ceremonies, prayers or reading from the bible has no place in the public school system in Iceland. Between 35 and 36 percent of Icelanders however believe religion should be a part of schooling.

The last survey on the subject was conducted in 2015 and the percentage of Icelanders against religion in schools has gone up by 10 percent since then. Younger people are more against religion in schools than older people, according to the results of the new survey.

 

Source :  icelandmonitor

Remote Eastern Fjord for Sale

By Larissa Kyzer

 Posted July 24, 2018

 In NATURE

A plot of land in the remote fjord of Hellisfjörður in East Iceland is for sale, Austur Frétt reports. The plot, which is not accessible by road, is 1,900 hectares [4,695 acres] and therefore covers almost the entire fjord.

The fjord is currently in the ownership of Hollywood film producer Sigurjón Sighvatsson, who has owned it since 2018. According to Ævar Dungal, the real estate agent overseeing this sale, there’s already been a fair amount of interest from potential buyers in both Iceland and abroad. He notes, unsurprisingly, that it’s rare for whole fjords to be put up for sale in Iceland, but that in addition to that fact, this particular fjord has a lot of natural resources and interesting history to further recommend it.

A Norwegian whaling station was operated on the north side of the fjord from 1901 – 1913, and remnants of the operation are still visible there. There also used to be a village of the same name at the base of the fjord, although the whole area has been uninhabited since 1952. A summer house was built in the fjord in 1970, however, and is being sold along with the land. The house, which has solar panels installed on the roof, has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen (with gas stove), and a living room. The fjord also boasts rich bird life, reindeer, and great trout fishing.

As there is no road into the fjord, the property must be reached by boat, horse, or on foot. This is unlikely to discourage potential buyers, however. “Many of the people who have shown an interest think it’s actually an advantage that there’s no road,” explained Ævar.

See photos of the property here.

 

Source : Iceland Review

New Legal Residence Laws Take Effect

Property owners in Iceland are now required to ensure their tenants have correctly registered their legal residence, RÚV reports. The National Registry also has increased authority to investigate cases where a person’s legal residence is believed to be falsely registered. These are just a couple of the changes to legal residence laws that took effect on January 1. Legal residence legislation became a hot topic of discussion during municipal elections in 2018, when it was discovered several individuals had falsely registered their addresses in one municipality in order to influence voting outcomes.

Property owners could be fined

Property owners are now required to ensure their tenants have correctly registered their legal residence. The laws assume property owners will receive notification when an individual registers their legal address at their property, a new practice for Registers Iceland. If landlords do not ensure the legitimacy of the registrations on their property, they could face fines.

Legal residence while abroad

 More individuals who live outside of Iceland can maintain a legal residence in the country, including students studying abroad and those living abroad due to illness. Both groups must have had a legal residence in Iceland for a minimum of two years in order to qualify.

Authority to investigate 

The changes to legislation also grant the National Registry increased authority to investigate cases where false registration of a legal residence is suspected. In such cases, the institute can request information from local authorities or private businesses which store data regarding an individual’s residence. Authorities and businesses are granted permission to share this data with the National Registry under the revised laws.

Spouses can have separate legal residences

Married couples are no longer legally required to be registered at the same residence under the amended legislation. Married individuals are now able to temporarily register at a different residence, such as a summer home or staff residence.

 

Source : Iceland Review

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#AFCAsianCup2019 Preview: Zaccheroni confident of UAE’s chances

Abu Dhabi: Head coach Alberto Zaccheroni has declared that the United Arab Emirates are primed and ready to go ahead of the host nation’s opening AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 game against Bahrain on Saturday.

Four years on from a third-place finish in Australia, Zaccheroni’s charges prepare to face their regional rivals looking to repeat the country’s famous run to the 1996 final when they narrowly lost on penalties to Saudi Arabia.

With excitement building ahead of the tournament’s first fixture, the Italian tactician believes the absence of influential midfielder Omar Abdulrahman and an injury doubt over defender Ismail Ahmed will not prove decisive as the Emiratis look to underline their current title ambitions and secure an immediate advantage in an intriguing Group A that also includes India and Thailand.

“We have been waiting for this competition to come along and we will undoubtedly strive to put in an outstanding performance,” said Zaccheroni who oversaw Japan’s Asian Cup triumph in 2011.

“The UAE team has prepared very well. We have trained both inside and outside the UAE, and we have received all the support that we needed in the build-up to the competition.

“There have been some injuries, but we firmly believe that these issues will not be an obstacle during the competition and we are aiming to make a good start against Bahrain.”

Although confident of his side’s chances at the Continental extravaganza, Zaccheroni is adamant that there will be a fine line between success and failure at an expanded tournament which will feature 24 teams for the first time.

“Ever since the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and indeed since the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, we have seen a distinct improvement in both the fitness and the tactics of sides throughout Asia,” he said.

“The national teams in Asia have improved, and as a result I think here in the UAE we will see a distinct balance in the quality of the teams.

“I believe the AFC Asian Cup winners will emerge victorious because of small details.”

Zaccheroni’s belief that there will little or no room for mistakes given the quality sure to be on show in the UAE, was endorsed by captain Ismail Matar who is set to participate in his fourth AFC Asian Cup.

“All the teams at this Asian Cup have exactly the same chance to win the title as they are equally strong sides,” explained the 35-year-old Al Wahda forward.

“In football we have learned that all sides have the same chance, but we hope we can play well and do even better than we did the last time we hosted the tournament in 1996. We are absolutely prepared for the Bahrain game.”

 

Source : AFC Asian Football Confederation Website

#AFCAsianCup2019 AFC President hails UAE 2019 preparations

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President on Friday praised the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in Abu Dhabi for capturing the imagination of a Continent and the tournament was a reward for four years of unity and stability.

At the AFC Executive Committee meeting at the UAE capital, Shaikh Salman said: “Tomorrow we will witness the kick-off of the biggest-ever AFC Asian Cup when hosts, the United Arab Emirates, take on Bahrain.

“The AFC would like to thank the UAE Government, the Local Organising Committee – and all those involved in delivering this tournament – for their hard work during the past four years.

“History will be made with so many new initiatives for the AFC Asian Cup, which over the months have been introduced for this AFC Asian Cup.

“And on February 1, we will crown the champions of Asia after an exciting tournament and none of this would have been possible without the hard work and important contributions of so many people.

“This is the culmination of four years of not only hard work but also the unity and stability, and the reward is a tournament that will capture the imagination of the entire Continent.

“We also thank our Member Associations for their spirit of cooperation and unity as they embraced the new and successful qualifying competition. We thank them all and we look forward to a tournament that lives up to the slogan of ‘Bringing Asia Together.’ Good luck to everyone.”

More than 2.5 billion people in 55 countries will have the chance to watch the AFC Asian Cup and with 1,449 accredited journalists from all over the world – billions more will be able to read about the exploits of the record 24 teams.

The AFC’s own digital platforms will keep hundreds of millions of fans informed of events at a tournament which boasts record prize money, a record number of officials, innovations such as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and the Additional Assistant Referee (AAR), as well as additional extra time substitutes, a new trophy and match ball.

The AFC President said: “This tournament is one which will make history and one that will be a great source of pride for the game in Asia. May the best team win.”

 

Source : AFC Asian Football Confederation Website

#AFCAsianCup2019 Preview: Soukup and Bahrain looking to spring a surprise in opener

Abu Dhabi: Miroslav Soukup is adamant that his Bahrain side have every chance of springing a surprise when they face host nation United Arab Emirates in the opening game of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Saturday.

Bahrain enter the tournament in fine form thanks to several impressive results during their preparation for the tournament, and are looking to improve on their 2004 Continental outing when they finished fourth.

Despite the potentially daunting task of facing a UAE team backed by their vocal fans at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, Soukup is confident of his side’s prospects heading into their opening fixture.

“We are very happy that we have qualified for the Asian Cup and also that we are in Group A so that we can open the tournament against the home team,” declared the Czech tactician.

“We are certainly not favourites in our group, but still my team – especially during the last year – has improved a lot and I feel we are ready for this tournament.

“I hope my players have a real hunger to win the game against the UAE. We can lose of course, but I want my players to leave the pitch at the end with their heads held high.

“We already know the quality of the UAE team, we respect their strengths and that they are favourites in our group. But what can we do? We can only try to play our very best and, on the night, we will see what the result is.”

Soukup took charge of Bahrain in 2016, and has subsequently overseen a transition that he hopes will stand his charges in good stead during their sixth Asian Cup campaign.

“After my arrival in Bahrain, we started to change team. We now have a very young team, but I am not afraid about that being an issue.

“In fact, I am not thinking about that at all, I am actually more than concerned with how my players perform. Having said that, we also have experienced players such as Abdulwahab Ali. As a result, I feel we have a good balance throughout the squad.

“We certainly do not have a top star in the Bahrain national team, rather we are stronger as a team and that is far more important for us.”

Source : AFC Asian Football Confederation Website

#AFCAsianCup2019 Uzbekistan ready for UAE 2019

Sharjah: Uzbekistan are raring to kick off their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group F campaign.

Leading up to the biggest and best AFC Asian Cup, the White Wolves are looking forward to their opening match against Oman on January 9, says defender Anzur Ismailov.

Ismailov has the second most national team caps in the squad of 23 with 93 appearances and two goals to his name, and as Uzbekistan aim to make a mark in the 17th edition of the Continental showpiece, the 33-year-old Lokomotiv Tashkent player is confident of their chances against the West Asians.

Hector Cuper’s side are aiming to better their fourth place finish in 2011, which is their best performance in the AFC Asian Cup.

They will be a force to be reckoned with, especially after Uzbekistan emerged champions in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship China.

Uzbekistan will play Turkmenistan in their second match at the Rashid Stadium on January 13, before taking on four-time champions Japan four days later at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium.

 

Source : Asian Football Confederation Website

#AFCAsianCup2019 Matthew Leckie staying with Socceroos

Al Ain: Head coach Graham Arnold has confirmed that Hertha BSC attacker Mathew Leckie will remain with the Australian squad at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after making great progress on his hamstring injury with the help and guidance of the Socceroos’ medical team over the past 10 days.

Leckie was one of the first players to arrive in camp in the United Arab Emirates, and together with the Socceroos’ medical team and coaching staff, quickly put a plan in place to achieve progress on his injury.

Australia’s staff, led by Arnold, are confident that Leckie will be able to play an important role for the Socceroos at the tournament.

Leckie said: “First and foremost I had to get the scan done to see if there was a chance [to play to the tournament] and once there was I was straight over here and sat down with the physios, with ‘Colesy’ [Phil Coles], and set up a plan going forward. We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great.”

“I haven’t really torn a muscle like this in my hamstring, at least this bad, before. So, the process is all new to me. It started off just jogging and seeing how it goes and there’s improvement and the pain is going away.

“We are up to a pretty good [running] speed now, 25 kilometres an hour, a few run throughs and change of direction. It is just taking it day by day and stepping it up with sharper exercises, more speed.”

“I am very thankful that they [the coaching staff] have given me the opportunity. It is a decision that they had to make, and I am sure that it is not an easy one. I am blessed to have the opportunity and I will be giving everything to be back.”

The Socceroos open their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group B campaign against Jordan at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Sunday.

 

Source : Asian Football Confederation Website

#AFCAsianCup2019 UAE 2019 Team Kits revealed-Group F

GROUP F: Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Turkmenistan

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsNhTJmFFxq/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=658&rd=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-afc.com&rp=%2Fasiancup%2Fnews%2Fuae-2019-team-kits-revealed#%7B%22ci%22%3A5%2C%22os%22%3A5788.699999917299%7D

Source : AFC Asian Football Confederation Website