A magistrate yesterday fined a man Lm57,300 after he failed to pull down a building he built illegally in Nadur, Gozo. On 19 November 1997, a magistrates? court had found Guda Taddeus Rapa, 55, from Victoria, guilty of building illegally in Nadur and was ordered to pull down the edifice within three months. He appealed the decision but the Appeals Court, presided over by Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, on 26 October 1998, turned down the appeal and ordered him to destroy the illegal building. Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera, presiding over the Gozo Court, fined Mr Rapa Lm57,300 for the 2,292 days during which he failed to conform with the law.

The Gozo Curia held a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. The ceremony was presided over by Gozo Bishop Mgr Mario Grech. In a short address, Mgr Grech said the meeting was a manifestation of the Gozitan Church?s loyalty to the Pope, whose teachings helped believers understand and appreciate the dignity of the human person. He added that one?s respect to the Pope is shown in one?s communion with him and with others.

A survey conducted by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association among its members over the Easter period shows that the occupancy levels in Gozo were below last year's levels in spite of the fact that this year the Easter period fell in mid-April. Most restaurant operations in hotels and stand-alone restaurants reported worse cover take-up over the Easter period compared to last year. Few indicated a better performance this year over last year's results, the MHRA said. "The main patrons in restaurants are normally locals and restaurateurs fear that the drop in covers is mainly due to the drop in the spending power of the locals in view of the exorbitant energy costs they now have to bear," the MHRA said. MHRA president Justin Zammit Tabona expressed concern about the restaurant sector which, with the exception of some, was suffering badly in ... Read more...

Bishop Mario Grech has recently visited the parish of Nadur as part of his series of fraternal visits to all the Gozitan parishes. Bishop Grech christening Maria, the fourth sibling of Edward and Christine Scerri During his time at Nadur, Bishop Grech visited various entities and associations within the village including the local council, Mnarja Band Club, Dun Salv Grima Primary School, the clubs of the political parties and Radju Luminarja. His visit culminated in a Pontificial Mass held within the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. During this mass, Bishop Grech invited the congregation to express their solidarity to Bishop Magro whose church annex in Benghazi recently suffered considerable damage. ... Read more...

The Gozo Medical Association has recently presented Fr. Raymond Portelli with a brand new ECG machine. Fr. Portelli is a priest working in Peru and has recently graduated as a medical doctor to be able to fulfill his mission to a greater degree. The President of the GMA, Dr. Robert Sciberras, explained that the idea of this presentation was initiated by a fellow member, Dr. S. Galea and was immediately accepted by the Committee. He also thanked Technoline Limited  for providing the equipment at a special price. It is planned that in the future the GMA will strive to support their colleague with all means possible. Replying, Fr. Portelli thanked everyone for this gesture and said that the ECG machine will help him give a better service in the area of his mission.

When the Planning Authority, the forerunner of the present day Malta Environment and Planning Authority, was established, I had high hopes that it would be a bastion in the defence of the environment. I am now somewhat long in the tooth, and with the benefit of hindsight, I realise that I should have known better. The building frenzy which has gripped the Maltese islands since the 1960s has gone on unabated and the rate of destruction of our natural environment has decreased only marginally, if at all. New housing units are going up at twice the rate that new families are being formed, while major construction projects and hare brained schemes such as the Gozo airstrip keep popping up with monotonous regularity. One might well ask just exactly what kind of strategic planning is Mepa carrying out. Against the Goliath of ... Read more...

The importance of reading among schoolchildren and adults led the Gozo Public Library to organise two events to mark World Book Day that is to be celebrated on Sunday. Teachers, educators and students came together recently to discuss the importance of reading and the experiences of readers of different ages. And Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono inaugurated an exhibition of 1,000 new books that the ministry bought for the libraries on the island. This follows the acquisition of more than 16,000 new books for the same libraries since 1999. The new additions include academic books for reference purposes, light fiction for teenagers and adults as well as children's books. Books in Maltese and English constitute the bulk, although books in foreign languages including Italian and French were also bought. Libraries in Gozo are becoming popular, with more people registering as members and book-lending on the ... Read more...

Members of the Gozo branch of the Malta Red Cross yesterday received some well deserved praise for the voluntary work they carry out all year round. The Red Cross volunteers were given certificates for attending a variety of courses during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono. Special appreciation was expressed to the group who a year and a half ago boarded a plane to Sri Lanka to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami. Red Cross president Professor Lino Cutajar commended the Gozo branch of the local Red Cross for being the first entity in the world to build a whole village in the devastated area. Jokingly, he said that Etienne Micallef, the general secretary of the Gozo branch, went through the red tape surrounding the team's ... Read more...

The Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment, in collaboration with Kercem council, has initiated the Tree for You (3 4 U) campaign in Gozo. The campaign commenced with an activity in the garden opposite Peter Paul Grech Primary School in Orvieto Square, Kercem. Bishop Mario Grech planted the first holm oak tree as mayor Joe Grima and the school children watched. In a short message to the children, the bishop emphasised the importance of planting more trees in every locality. The Tree for You campaign aims at giving people the opportunity to plant a tree to mark a birth, anniversary, special occasion, or even in honour of departed loved ones. The Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment is offering endemic Maltese trees at Lm6 each to people or groups ... Read more...

A number of popular local entertainers and three international singers will perform at the XS Club in Gozo this evening. Gianni, Malcolm B, Tony Tony, Junior B, Stevy Vee and Matt Fenech will be joined by Ibiza's Marco Mai, US's Electro Master Remixer and Broomstick. Tickets for the event are sold at the door and parking is available at the nearby main parking area.