A number of regulations concerning small ships and mechanically driven boats have just been revised, and a number of new regulations introduced by the Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) in a bid to curb abuse at sea especially during the busy summer months. The revised and new regulations (Legal Notice 183 of 2008) came into effect on Friday 1st August with their publishing in the Government Gazette and actually come as a support to the Authority's current annual Safety at Sea Campaign. These regulations impose hefty fines ranging from €100 for such offences as failing to notify the MMA's small ships registry of any documentation changes such as details of certificate of registration or failing to notify the Authority of a transfer of ownership, to fines that ... Read more...

Alternattiva Demokratika, has said that the Electoral Office is discriminating against EU residents in Malta and Gozo, who would like to register as voters for the forthcoming European Parliament elections of June 2009. "These EU citizens are being refused registration and told that it is not possible for them to register at this stage," said Arnold Cassola, Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika. With a view to addressing this problem Stephen Cachia, Alternattiva Demokratika Deputy Chairperson and Spokesperson on Democratic development and Civil Rights, has written to the head of the European Parliament Office in Malta, expressing AD's very strong concern about the manner in which Malta's electoral office is handling the registration of EU citizens for voting in next year's European Parliament elections. Stephen Cachia pointed out that the EU ... Read more...

Once again, the Citadel will rock with a live music concert being held tomorrow, Friday the 8th August. The entertainment is set to start at 10.30pm. The artists will include Miriam Christine Warner, Pamela Bezzina, Mistaken Identity, Glen Vella and Band by Danny (from Cash & band). This year the event is being called 'Rock for a Noble Cause' and is in aid of Guatemalan missions. The food is being supplied by Antonin Cafe and wine bar and the event is sponsored by Victoria local council, Cafe Royal, Cafe Jubilee and Ta Dirjana.

During the second quarter the supply and wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 0.5 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively. Fresh fruit and vegetable availability for the second quarter of 2008 rose by 0.5 per cent, from 13.79 million kilograms in the second quarter of 2007 to 13.85 million kilograms in the second quarter this year. Similarly, the wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables for the second quarter of 2008 amounted to €4.96m, up by 5.6 per cent over the comparative quarter of 2007. During this period, the supply of fresh vegetables declined by 2.2 per cent, to 12.91 million kilograms in the second quarter of 2008. Declines were registered in the supply of Potatoes (-22.3 per cent), Sugar ... Read more...

The Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications expresses its concern at the consequences of the fault experienced in Go plc's international connectivity link. In an economy which is becoming increasingly service oriented and dependent on IT services, there can be no doubt that the current situation has a significant undesirable impact. It is to be noted that several connectivity-dependant organisations are equipped with international virtual private links and / or redundancy set ups via other telecom companies that have international links which are still operative. The Ministry notes that Go has prioritised the limited international connectivity it continued to enjoy with international voice traffic carried on Go's network diverted to the microwave and satellite links that were activated as soon as the problem arose. Furthermore, international voice traffic passing over ... Read more...

The Manifesto for Children, launched by the Office of the Commissioner for Children earlier this year, was an initiative aimed at increasing the awareness of matters requiring urgent attention with regards to children. Children's needs require immediate consideration, and in this respect the Office of the Commissioner for Children constantly strives to bring these needs to the attention of relevant key actors. As part of an ongoing effort to create public dialogue on what children need, as well as receive public feedback on key issues concerning children, the Office of the Commissioner for Children have been organizing public seminars every three weeks on the topics raised in the Manifesto for Children, in order for recommendations put forward to be ... Read more...

After the tremendous interest Futsal has generated in Malta we have felt the need to organise the first Futsal tournament on our sister island. Although five a side football is already quite popular in Gozo (over 15 artificial turf pitches) Futsal is something new to Gozitians. The first edition of the Sportika Futsal tournament is being held at the Victoria Sports Complex at the end of August. The tournament will spread over 3 days and will kick off at 5pm on the 29th August and will come to an end on the 31st August 2008 at around 3pm and will be open to both Gozitian and Maltese five a side football teams. 16 teams will be competing divided into 4 groups with the winner and runner up ... Read more...

MaltaPost has announced that a special hand postmark - 1750 Sena mill-Martirju ta' San Lawrenz - AD 258 - 2008, will be used to mark the 1,750th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Lawrence. The postmark will be used at St. Lawrence Parish Church, San Lawrenz, Gozo, on Sunday the 10th of August 2008 between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm. Envelopes cancelled with this special postmark can be ordered from the Philatelic Bureau, 305, Triq Hal-Qormi, Marsa MTP 1001, by telephoning 25961749, or emailing philately@maltapost.com....

Alternattiva Demokratika -The Green Party has expressed its solidarity with Shipyards workers who are feeling uncertainity as regards their future. Spokesperson for Social and Economic Development Michael Briguglio said, "It is ironic that whilst Government is speaking about the contribution of ageing workers to society, the same government is aiming to dispose of such workers through retirement schemes. If workers are surplus to the Shipyards' requirements, they can be involved in productive jobs such as those concerned with the creation of alternative energy sources or, alternatively for technical work with local councils, parastatal companies or other governmental agencies. The State also has an important role to play in the provision of retraining schemes were necessary." Chairperson Prof Arnold Cassola added, "AD believes that all Shipyard workers should be ... Read more...

Next Friday and Sunday those visiting Vittoriosa for the feast of St Lawrence will be able to visit Heritage Malta's Maritime Museum at a reduced price between 6.00pm and 11.00pm. During these times entrance to the Museum will be discounted at 50% while children under 16 years will enter free of charge. Visitors will also be able to visit the exhibition Anima del Circo free of charge which will also be open on Sunday 10th from 7pm till late. In the Maritime Museum one finds thousands of artifacts connected with seafaring that help one to understand Malta's maritime history and lore within a Mediterranean context and also illustrate the global nature of seafaring and its impact on society. The museum is housed in the former British Naval Bakery ... Read more...