A significant number of Gozitans, together with Maltese and foreigners who are currently in Gozo, yesterday evening had the opportunity to enjoy a splendid atmosphere when attending the concert Opera vs Pop Under the Stars presented by the Gozo Youth Orchestra at the Ministry for Gozo courtyard in Victoria. The concert featured guest Soprano Pamela Agius who lives and studies in New York, along with Gozitan bass Noel Galea, who joined the 50 musicians participating in this concert. The orchestra conducted by Mro. Joseph Grech, performed a selection of operatic arias including those from Mozart's Don Giovanni and Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, followed by a medley of pop arrangements from soundtracks and musicals including Pirates of the ... Read more...

The Malta Labour Party Spokesperson for Health, Dr Karl Chircop, is reported to be in a deep coma at Mater Dei Hospital after suffering a brain haemorrhage (stroke), a Health Division statement said late this morning. The statement went on to say that the Chircop family has expressed its gratitude for the strong sense of solidarity shown to it by all sectors of Maltese society. The family also thanked hospital staff and asked for its privacy to be respected. Relatives and friends have been asked not to phone and not to call at the hospital. The Labour Party issued a statement this morning describing Dr Chircop's condition as precarious and said that Joseph Muscat had visited Dr ... Read more...

In June 2008, compared with May 2008, the volume of retail trade fell by 0.6% in the euro area (EA15) and by 1.0% in the EU27. In May retail trade increased by 0.5% and by 0.9% respectively. In June 20084, compared with June 2007, the retail sales index decreased by 3.1% in the euro area and by 1.1% in the EU27. Monthly changes - In June 2008, compared with May 2008, "food, drinks and tobacco" decreased by 0.4% in the euro area and by 1.1% in the EU27. The non food sector fell by 0.6% and 0.9% respectively. Among the Member States for which data are available, total retail trade rose in four, fell in thirteen and remained unchanged in Denmark. The highest increases were observed in Romania (+4.1%) ... Read more...

Labour market data for March 2008 indicates that the full-time gainfully occupied population increased by 2,907 persons while unemployment decreased by 865 persons when compared to March 2007. This news release presents labour market data, provided by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC), for the month of March 2008. In the month under review, the labour supply increased by 2,042 persons over the same month in 2007. The full-time gainfully occupied population increased by 2,907 persons, whereas the registered unemployed decreased by 865 persons. In this way, the labour supply amounted to 149,644 persons. Of these, the full-time gainfully occupied population amounted to 143,476 persons, whilst the registered unemployed amounted to 6,168 persons. Economic activities In the twelve-months to March 2008, the economic activities which registered the main growth in ... Read more...

The Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, has recently inaugurated an art exhibition by Alfio Sorbello. The exhibition is being held at St.Ursola Hall, Cittadella Centre for Culture and the Arts, Victoria. The exhibition will be running up to the 17th of August. The opening hours are, Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm and Sunday 11.00am to 3.00pm.

This weeks 5th of August edition of The Maltese Herald Gozo section is now available for download by clicking here. Previous editions are also available by clicking on this link. The story covered in this weeks issue is: 1. During a manifestation in Marsalforn themed 'In favour of a clean moral environment', Gozo Bishop, Mgr. Mario Grech led a concelebrated Mass together with a number of priests. He donated the sum of €14,000 to two Gozitan missionaries, Fr Saviour Vella of Xewkija, who works in Brazil and Fr Raymond Portelli of Nadur, a doctor, who does pastoral work in Peru.

Throughout the month of August The National Museum of Fine Arts will be the venue of another Heritage Malta exhibition organised jointly with and curated by ARCstudio. The exhibition entitled Bichi: Views from the Villa will discuss the history of Villa Bichi through the ages, its function and its strategic location overlooking Malta's Grand harbour. Amongst the items featuring in this exhibition will be a number of maps from the newly acquired Albert Ganado map collection, a model of the villa, paintings from the National Collection, documents from the National Library and other artefacts connected to the history, architecture and function of the Villa. Villa Bichi, a country villa on Salvatore Hill between Rinella Bay and Kalkara Creek, ... Read more...

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the European Union's approach to a global climate change agreement up to and beyond 2012 when the current Kyoto Protocol targets will end. Stakeholders and the general public are invited to put forward their views on a number of critical issues, such as mid-term emission reduction targets for developed countries and emission reduction actions for developing countries, adaptation to climate change, technology cooperation and finance. The results of the survey will help shape the EU's position on the global post-2012 agreement. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "It was agreed in Bali last year that a new global climate change agreement should be adopted by the end of 2009. The ambitious agreement that needs to be reached in Copenhagen must ... Read more...