The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has launched a new Film Fund Support Scheme. The aim of this scheme is to provide financial assistance for the development and production of quality documentaries and short films. The fund amounts to €233,000. Companies registered in Malta whose primary aim is to produce audiovisual works are eligible to apply for funds under this scheme. The deadline for applications is October 24, 2008. On Wednesday 20th August, an information session for prospective beneficiaries will be held at St. James Cavalier, Valletta from 3:00pm-5:00pm. Booking by email on filmfund@gov.mt.... Guidelines and applications can be downloaded from www.education.gov....

In July, the twelve-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 3.3 per cent, whereas the annual rate of inflation stood at 5.6 per cent. In July 2008, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices increased by 1.9 per cent, rising to 110.58 from 108.55 in June. This primarily reflected an increase of 8.2 per cent in the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels Index, mainly brought about by the increased surcharge rate. The Restaurants and Hotels Index registered an increase of 5.8 per cent, due to seasonal price rises in accommodation services. The Transport Index went up by 1.7 per cent, mainly on account of higher air fares. The Food and Nonalcoholic Beverages went up by 0.7 per cent, due to higher prices of fruit, vegetables and ... Read more...

Euro area annual inflation was 4.0% in July 2008, unchanged compared with June. A year earlier the rate was 1.8%. Monthly inflation was -0.2% in July 2008. EU annual inflation was 4.4% in July 2008, up from 4.3% in June. A year earlier the rate was 2.0%. Monthly inflation was -0.1% in July 2008. The annual inflation rate for Malta in July 2008 stands at 5.6%. Inflation in the EU Member States - In July 2008, the lowest annual rates were observed in the Netherlands (3.0%), Portugal (3.1%) and Germany (3.5%), and the highest in Latvia (16.5%), Bulgaria (14.4%) and Lithuania (12.4%). Compared with June 2008, annual inflation rose in fifteen Member States, remained stable in five and fell in seven. The lowest 12-month averages ... Read more...

Government's policies regarding main issues related to the sustainable development of Gozo's touristic product were discussed at a meeting held between the Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono and Dr. Mario Demarco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism within the Office of the Prime Minister together with Mr Josef Formosa Gauci, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority. The meeting, held at the Ministry for Gozo, was intended to take stock of the situation on Gozo from administrative perspectives considering that the island undergoes a heavier influx of foreign and domestic tourists at this time of year. Discussion focused on aspects such as the upkeep of beaches, rural areas, historical sites, niche markets, transport and traffic management. The Minister for Gozo ... Read more...

Alternattiva Demokratika Attard Local Councillor, Ralph Cassa,r said that the decision about increasing the road width around the Villa Bologna gardens and restricting the height of buildings to two storeys is an improvement on the previous proposal for development in the area. "Earlier in February this year I had presented a motion for Attard Local Council to challenge the validity of the Central Local Plan, unfortunately this motion was not approved by the PN majority. However I had then presented another compromise motion concentrating particularly on the Villa Bologna case - this time round the Council confirmed it's position that it preferred an open space instead of more apartments in the area." Ralph Cassar said, "In the past years I managed to convince fellow councillors of the ... Read more...

In June 2008 compared with May 2008, seasonally adjusted industrial production remained unchanged in the euro area (EA15) and grew by 0.1% in the EU272. In May production fell by 1.8% and 1.3% respectively. In June 2008 compared with June 2007, industrial production decreased by 0.5% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27. These estimates are released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This release had no specific details available for Malta. Monthly comparison - In June 2008 compared with May 2008, production of energy increased by 1.0% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU27. Non-durable consumer goods grew by 0.9% and 0.7% respectively. Durable consumer goods fell by 0.1% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU27. ... Read more...