On August 5th about 500 boats will line up along the 5 kilometre stretch in the Gozo Channel between Cirkewwa and Mgarr in a record-breaking attempt to raise funds for Id-Dar tal-Providenza and Fondazzjoni Arka. "The Bridge", as the stunt has been named, will involve all types of craft, including yachts. The mammoth feat, for which an application has been made to be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, will involve several organisations including the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces of Malta, the Malta Maritime Authority, the Health Department, and Gozo Channel. A nine member voluntary committee, whose executive chairman is Victor Bezzina, is co-ordinating the event, adopting the motto "A challenge for charity". Paul Portelli is co-chairperson, while Gemma Sirol is event co-ordinator. Charles Mansueto, a Fondazzjoni Arka representative, and Louis Schembri, a Dar tal-Providenza representative, also sit ... Read more...

New bronze monuments of Pope Pius IX, Pope John Paul II and the Ave Maria Chime will be arriving in Gozo on Thursday. Parishioners will gather at Mgarr harbour at 7 p.m. where a carcade leaves for Victoria, accompanied for the latter part of the journey by the Leone Band. The inauguration ceremony and blessing of the monuments and the chime will be held on the Cathedral Square on Friday at 7.30 p.m. The Leone Band Club will also participate.

Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party, yesterday filed a judicial protest against members of parliament warning them that the approval of the revision of the Structure Plan would go beyond the legal authority of the Maltese parliament and that they would not be able to plead parliamentary immunity when they are sued for damages by people who will suffer damages. By means of the judicial protest filed in court today, Alternattiva Demokratika, The Green Party, put the members of parliament on notice that the approval of the motion before parliament will not be an accidental infringement of European Union and Maltese law, but a deliberate violation beyond the powers and the authority of Maltese members of parliament. This, the party said, would expose the Maltese MPs to personal liability to the people who will suffer damages as a consequence of the ... Read more...

In a press statement issued today, Dr Harry Vassallo, Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika said that the suspension of the cargo ferry service to Gozo from Sa Maison is evidence of a monopolistic attitude towards clients and other persons impacted by the suspension of the service. "The take it or leave it attitude also infects the Ministry for Gozo which has been totally absent on this issue pending the long awaited inauguration of the Mgarr passenger terminal which has been delayed so long that any such ceremony will only serve to remind ferry users of the costs they have incurred." Dr Vassallo said. "The cargo ferry service from Sa Maison has been suspended indefinitely since March" Dr Vassallo said. He added that enquiries with the Gozo Channel Company produced the response that the service has been discontinued pending repairs to the quays ... Read more...

The Qortin uncontrolled landfill had no system in place for the control of emissions and was therefore considered a hazard to the environment. The government closed this landfill prior to EU accession in May 2004. The preliminary work to rehabilitate this site has now started and through EU structural funds the latest technologies will be introduced in order to minimise odours and treat any harmful components in the gas resulting from the internal combustion within the mass waste materials. As indicated by the Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Maltese Islands, there is no need for the development of an engineered landfill on the island of Gozo and a transfer station for the receipt, processing and transfer of waste will be needed instead. Prior to having the necessary transfer station, WasteServ utilised part of the contaminated land at Qortin and developed ... Read more...

The Folklore Foundation Ta' Klula will be holding a folk evening consisting of traditional dancing and singing in the alley ways and in the main square of Santa Lucija, Gozo, on July 29 from 7.30 p.m. A five-course typical Gozitan village meal will be served at the cost of Lm10 per person, including wine and free transport from and to Mgarr for those who require it. Ta' Klula was set up in January this year by Carmen Bellamy, Austin Camilleri, Joe Bugeja, Joe Mizzi and Alfred Stellini, five local people who felt there was a need to rekindle the old traditions and customs of the village. Santa Lucija is one of the oldest and smallest villages in the Maltese islands. The village can be reached through Victoria and Kercem. For further information you may visit the website www.taklula.santalucija.com... ... Read more...

A total of 1,927 Maltese changed their ID cards to an address in Gozo between April 2001 and March 2006, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Leo Brincat (MLP) in reply to a parliamentary question.

The harmonised index of consumer prices was up last month by 3.3 per cent over last year to 104.57. Up until last month, the 12-month average rate of inflation of the index stood at 2.9 per cent. A year earlier, the index had dropped by 2.1 per cent over the previous 12 months.

The Gozo Ministry has embarked on a project entitled Niche Tourism For The Island Of Gozo, which focuses on diving as the main attraction. The project which is largely funded through the EU's Structural Funds Programme for Malta 2004/6, will provide a decompression chamber at the Gozo General Hospital as well as two scuttled vessels. The scuttling of the Karwela and the Cominoland will take place off Ix-Xatt l-Ahmar, in the limits of Ghajnsielem on July 29. The site chosen for the scuttling is close to where the former Gozo channel ferry Xlendi had been scuttled some years ago. However, that vessel had landed on the seabed upside down. The niche tourism project is being funded under the European Union's Regional Development Fund which is providing 75 per cent of the cost while the remaining 25 per cent is being shouldered by the ... Read more...

Gozitan commuters who journey to Malta by car daily will now be able to benefit from a travel card enabling them to make each return trip for Lm2.50. Gozo ID card holders currently pay a state subsidised fare of Lm3.50 to travel to Malta by car while the cost of a standard vehicle ticket is Lm6.75. Speaking during a press conference on board the Ta' Pinu ferry yesterday, Gozo Channel chairman Joe Borg said the new card, costing Lm125, would entitle the users to 50 trips within a three-month period. About 150 Gozitans make the crossing on a daily basis. There will be a pre-paid ticket lane available when the new terminal at Mgarr is completed, which is expected to be by the middle of next year. Applications for the new cards will be accepted at Gozo Channel's offices in Gozo or at ... Read more...