The Gozo Diocese have announced that the annual Diocesan Marian Manifestation is going to be held at Marsalforn on Thursday, the 23rd of July. The mass is being held with the aim of giving public praise to Our Lady, while emphasising the importance of living in a morally sane environment. The general public who would like to attend, are asked to be seated by 7.30pm in Valley Road for an animated Rosary, this will be followed by a Mass led by Bishop Mario Grech during which he will deliver his message.

In May 2009 compared with April 2009, the industrial producer price index fell by 0.2% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.4% in the EU27. In April, prices decreased by 0.9% and 1.0% respectively. In May 2009 compared with May 2008, industrial producer prices dropped by 5.8% in the euro area and by 5.7% in the EU27. Monthly changes In May 2009, compared with the previous month, prices in total industry excluding the energy sector fell by 0.2% in both the euro area and the EU27. Prices in the energy sector increased by 0.2% in the euro area, but decreased by 0.7% in ... Read more...

Vodafone Malta have announced that they have refurbished their call centre at Msida Road, B'Kara. The Company upgraded the working environment and the health and safety measures as part of its policies to improve the conditions for its workers, who the company say's will in turn provide a better service to customers thanks to the new facilities. Vodafone advises that their customer service operates on a 24/7 shift and, together with the new state of the art call centre, so that their customers will continue experiencing efficient customer care .

This evening two more cases of swine flu have been confirmed, bringing the total of confirmed cases to eighteen, two of the cases have so far been confirmed as being in Gozo. Anyone who is currently feeling any of the symptoms is urged not to go to hospital emergency departments or clinics, instead they should stay at home and contact a doctor, or contact the swine flu helpline on 21324086. The World Health Organisations comprehensive advisory on how best to protect ourselves from becoming infected and what to do if we think we have caught the virus can be viewed by clicking this link. The WHO advisory also answers a number ... Read more...

WasteServ Malta Ltd. have announced that the launch has taken place of the new facility for bulky waste (civic amenity sites) in Xewkija. Those present for the inauguration were the Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs, George Pullicino, the Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Consultation and Information, Chris Said. This inauguration now means that all the five centers planned for bulky waste are now operational. Like the four facilities that are already operating in Malta, the purpose of this facility is to provide a basic service for the management of waste. This basic service is the collection of bulky waste separately from everything else. In his speech, Minister Pullicino said that "the ... Read more...

The Curia in both Gozo and Malta have issued a circular which is to be read out at this evenings Masses, advising that the administering of Holy Communion is to be carried out by hand only. The Curia's decision is in response to the outbreak of swine flu and is aimed at reducing the risk of the infection being passed on. Meanwhile, two new cases of swine flu whave been confirmed in Malta, however 2 cases which had been previously confirmed have been downgraded to 'probable' which leaves the actual number of confirmed cases at sixteen, two of these cases are Gozo. Anyone who is currently feeling any of the symptoms is urged ... Read more...

The Gharb Local Council will be holding the 8th edition of the Gharb 'Infiorata' tomorrow, Sunday the 5th of July, from 2.00pm onwards. The 'Infiorata' will be displayed on the Gharb church parvis in Pjazza Zjara tal-Madonna, Gharb. The 'Infiorata' is an old tradition which also takes place at Gerano, Italy, which is twinned with Gharb. The 'Infiorata' as it is called, consists of a designed carpet made of fresh flowers and petals which are cut in small pieces and arranged to form a picture. The 'Infiorata,' both in Gerano and in Gharb, are are always placed in the main square so that the feast procession can pass over this special carpet. When the procession is finished both children and adults ... Read more...

The Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, have announced that they were recently chosen as an Expedia Insiders' Select hotel, an annual award which recognises the very best hotels, as judged by the experiences of customers of Expedia, the world's leading online travel company. The Expedia Insiders' Select programme is in its third year and includes just one percent of all hotels offered on Expedia. Criteria on which the award is based include consistently superior service, exceptional guest experience and notable value. "We are delighted with this award. Today the quality of service that travellers receive ranks high among the most important aspects of their holiday. Receiving this kind of recognition by one of the world's largest online travel ... Read more...

Total expenditure by General Government on Research and Development in 2008 amounted to €10.7 million, a decrease of €0.2 million over the previous year. The activity of the General Government Sector in research and development (R&D) was measured through a survey carried out during the first quarter of 2009. A total of 146 units responded to the survey, of which nine were actively engaged in R&D projects during 2008. Two of these units were government departments, while seven were Extra Budgetary Units (EBUs). Total estimated expenditure by General Government on R&D activities amounted to €10.7 million in 2008, down by 2.2 per cent over 2007. Of this ... Read more...

Melita have announced that for the first time ever, you can watch live and exclusive broadcasts of all the UEFA Champions League playoffs and UEFA Europa Cup group stage matches on Melita Sports. The ASA National Waterpolo League matches and the BOV Premier League will return together with the Barclays Premier League, Serie A and other top sports events while enjoying some really fantastic deals that will help all sports fanatics save even more money. The company said that when joining for a full year of Melita Sports new subscribers will also save an incredible €45 and receive two months free when they pay €230 in advance (equivalent to 10 monthly subscription fees). This season, Melita Sports subscribers can also win ... Read more...

In May 2009, compared with April 2009, the volume of retail trade fell by 0.4% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.5%in the EU27. In April retail trade rose by 0.1% and 0.3% respectively. In May 2009, compared with May 2008, the retail sales index decreased by 3.3% in the euro area and by 3.1% in the EU27. Monthly changes In May 2009, compared with April 2009, "Food, drinks and tobacco" rose by 0.2% in the euro area but fell by 0.1% in the EU27. The non food sector decreased by 0.6% and 0.7% respectively. Among the Member States for which data is available, ... Read more...

Updated: Four more cases of swine flu were confirmed Friday evening, taking the total to sixteen. Health authorities had previously confirmed seven more cases of H1N1 swine flu, including a four-month-old baby and an eight-year-old Scottish girl visiting Gozo. Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care, Mario Galea had announced earlier that there had been 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in Malta, two of which were located in Gozo. The four-month-old baby was admitted to Gozo General Hospital along with an eight-year-old Scottish girl who is said to have contracted the virus when she had contact with other children in Scotland who had swine flu symptoms. Other cases include a Maltese woman ... Read more...

Euro area annual inflation is expected to be -0.1% in June 2009 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. It was 0.0% in May. Euro area inflation is measured by the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP). To compute the MUICP flash estimates, Eurostat uses early price information relating to the reference month from Member States for which data are available4 as well as early information about energy prices. The flash estimation procedure for the MUICP combines historical information with partial information on price developments in the most recent months to give a total index for the euro area. No detailed breakdown ... Read more...