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1st April 2008 Grand Harbour Marina reported a profit after tax of €3.89m for the year which ended on December 31, 2007, up sharply from €742.03 in 2006.

1st April 2008 Finance Minister Tonio Fenech initialled the text of a double taxation avoidance treaty with the United States, a major milestone in the long-winding process. A US Treasury delegation visited Malta to initial the document on behalf of the United States.

2nd April 2008 Malta continued to register a positive trend in its job market with the number of those registering for work remaining static at 5.8 percent for the third month in a row. Eurostat, the EU statistical arm, said Malta’s unemployment levels in February continued to be lower than the average in the euro area, which stood at 7.1 per cent.

3rd April 2008 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi attended the meeting of NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in Bucharest. One of the topics on the agenda was Malta’s application to re-join the Partnership for Peace Programme (PFP).

3rd April 2008 The female participation rate in employment jumped to 31.2 percent in the last quarter of 2007 from 29.2 percent in the same quarter in 2006, according to the results of a Labour Force Survey, published by the National Statistics Office.

4th April 2008 Airport passenger movements grew by 21.9 per cent in March when compared to the corresponding month in 2007 while aircraft movements grew by 207 (11.5 per cent) last month, Malta International Airport said.

4th April 2008 The cattle population in December 2007 amounted to 19,442 heads, an increase of 1.1 per cent over the comparative period in 2006. The National Statistics Office said 394 holdings were engaged in the cattle industry, of which 149 were oriented to the production of milk.

4th April 2008 Government spending on social benefits grew by 5.2 percent last year, mostly because of a higher retirement pensions bill, the National Statistics Office said.

4th April 2008 There was a statistically significant change in average employment in the fourth quarter last year when the total number of people employed reached 155,868, the National Statistics Office said.

5th April 2008 Total expenditure on social security benefits increased by €28.5 million last year, 5.2 per cent more than in 2006, to reach €572.3 million, the National Statistics Office said.

5th April 2008 Addressing the European Regional Commonwealth Nursing Conference, Social Policy Minister John Dalli said he was determined to put the interests of patients first as new systems are adopted in the health service.

6th April 2008 Armed Forces of Malta personnel joined another 12 countries taking part in the large multinational naval exercise Phoenix Express 2008.

7th April 2008 The full-time gainfully occupied population increased by 3,096 persons in November while unemployment decreased by 710 when compared to November 2006, according to official figures released by the National Statistics Office.

7th March 2008 The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) said it determined 274 development applications in March and received 460 new applications. The net pending caseload at the end of the month was 4,773.

8th April 2008 Mrs Kate Gonzi, wife of the Prime Minister, lent a hand in a beach cleaning activity at Golden Bay organized by the Richmond Foundation as part of activities marking its 15th anniversary.

9th April 2008 The visible trade gap widened by €8.1 million to €94.7 million in February 2008 when compared to February 2007, the National Statistics Office said.

10th April 2008 Commuters between Malta and Gozo increased by 12.4 percent to 800,394 in the first quarter of this year, the National Statistics Office said.

10th April 2008 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi made a speech during his first tour of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, which is now officially under his wing. The event was one of his first official appearances in public after being sworn in last month.

10th April 2008 The Maltese economy continued to perform at a sustained pace last year, registering a growth of four per cent, almost 1.5 percentage points more than the average in the euro area. GDP growth figures for the fourth quarter of last year, published by Eurostat, showed that Malta’s economy continued to register a healthy cycle with growth of 4.3 per cent in the last three months of the year.

11th April 2008 Malta and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding for Malta to form part of the US Visa Waiver Programme. The MoU was signed by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carmenu Mifsud Bonnici and US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro and marks the first step for Maltese citizens to eventually be able to travel to the United States without requiring a visa.

11th April 2008 The number of passengers between Malta and Gozo increased by 12.4 percent in the first quarter of 2008 over the same period last year, totalling 800,394, the National Statistics Office said.

12th April 2008 A total of 285 cars bearing foreign registration plates were impounded by the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) since June 2006, a spokesman for the Authority said.

13th April 2008 The gaming industry directly contributed over €8 million in gaming tax and an estimated €15 million in VAT, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech revealed.

14th April 2008 Fixed line telephony and postal services have managed to hold their own in this day and age of mobile telephony and the internet, according to figures issued by the National Statistics Office. At the end of last year, the number of fixed line subscriptions reached 226,951, from 209,648 at the end of 2006.

15th April 2008 The number of Maltese going abroad grew by almost a third in February, official figures show. The National Statistics Office said the number of Maltese departing by air and sea in February reached 17,042, an increase of 31.3 percent over the same month in 2007.

15th April 2008 More than 120 million text messages were sent between last October and December, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office. The figures show that the number of mobile phone subscriptions have more than doubled since 2001.

16th April 2008 The index of consumer prices rose by 1.1 per cent last month the National Statistics Office said. It said there was an increase of 6.1 percent in the Clothing and Footwear Index, due to price increases in garments and a 3.3 percent increase in restaurant and hotel prices brought about by seasonal price increases in accommodation services.

16th April 2008 The Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information within the Office of the Prime Minister, Chris Said, held a meeting with officials from the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform of the Council of Europe.

17th April 2008 The EU Ombudsman last year received a total of 26 complaints from Maltese citizens according to the annual report released in Brussels.

18th April 2008 Air Malta said that, for the first time, it carried more than half a million passengers during winter (November - March) - an increase of 15 percent over last winter.

18th April 2008 In the fourth quarter of 2007 the General Government Account registered a surplus of €84.7 million, compared to a surplus of €33.3 million for the fourth quarter 2006, the National Statistics Office said.

18th April 2008 The pig population in December amounted to 76,900, an increase of 4.4 per cent, or 3,217 pigs, over the same period in 2006, the National Statistics Office said.

19th April 2008 General government net borrowing (or deficit) last year was estimated at €95.8 million, down from a deficit of €129.2 million for 2006, the National Statistics Office said.

20th April 2008 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi delivered a keynote address at a forum entitled ‘Architecture and politics: partnering for sustainable development in the Mediterranean’ on the occasion of the Union of Mediterranean Architects’ (UMAR) 14th general assembly in Malta. Other speakers included French Ambassador Jean Marc Rives, UMAR president Patrice Genet, Prof. Lino Briguglio, chairman of the National Committee for Sustainable Development, and KTP president David Felice.

21st April 2008 The number of licensed motor vehicles rose by 2,330 in the first quarter of 2008, to stand at 289,450, the National Statistics Office said.

21st April 2008 The 2008 conference of the European Regions Airline Association was held at the Westin Dragonara Resort.

22nd April 2008 Visitors on cruise liners dropped by 60 percent last month from March 2007 to reach 6,166 persons, the National Statistics Office said.

22nd April 2008 MEP Simon Busuttil, the EPP-ED group spokesman on Frontex, visited the Armed Forces of Malta’s headquarters and operations centre at Luqa Barracks.

22 April 2008 Malta is one of few EU member states with a positive trade balance with Japan. Statistics published by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical arm, showed that last year the island had a €38 million positive trade balance with that country.

23rd April 2008 Foreign Minister Tonio Borg had talks in Tripoli with Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Rahman Shalgam. They discussed oil exploration, immigration, the proposed Union for the Mediterranean and the granting of visas, among other issues.

23rd April 2008 While speaking during a visit to the Naxxar Boy’s Secondary School, Education Minister Dolores Cristina insisted that discipline in schools is very important and parents need to understand this and follow it up with their good example.

24th April 2008 The Retail Price Index went up by 0.68 percent in March over the previous month, the National Statistics Office said. The 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 1.94 percent, with the annual rate at 3.89 percent.

25th April 2008 The shortfall between recurrent revenue and total expenditure in the first three months of the year increased by €80.4 million, and amounted to €210.1 million when compared to the same period of 2007, the National Statistics Office said.

25th April 2008 Addressing the 16th annual general meeting of shareholders, Malta International Airport CEO Julian Jaeger said that the contract signed between Malta International Airport and Nuance Malta Ltd, leaders in the international airport retail business, will guarantee revenue of €25.5 million for six years.

25th April 2008 The 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 1.94 per cent in March, whereas the annual rate stood at 3.89 per cent, the National Statistics Office said.

25th April 2008 Speaking at the opening of the three-day Air Malta International Travel Exhibition (Amitex) at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre at Ta’ Qali, Finance and Economy Minister Tonio Fenech said that Air Malta plays an important role in the government’s vision of Malta, excelling in six areas which are set to be the strong pillars of the country’s economy. These pillars were information and communication technology, financial services, tourism, higher education, health and the manufacturing industry.

27th April 2008 The Prime Minister, the Hon. Lawrence Gonzi and Mrs Gonzi, presided over the official opening of the Melita FC Sports Complex.The Hon. Dolores Cristina, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport also attended.

28th April 2008 Unemployment dropped by 865 persons last month when compared to March 2007, the National Statistics Office said.

29th April 2008 The volume and wholesale value of fish landings rose by 52.9 percent and 72.1 percent respectively in the first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of 2007, the National Statistics Office said.

29th April 2008 Companies need to strive for improvement in order to become more competitive if they want to face up to today’s challenges brought about by the rising price of oil, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said during a visit to Mdina Glass, within the Ta’ Qali crafts village.

30th April 2008 Tourist arrivals grew by 27 percent in March 2008 compared to March 2007, while total tourist nights increased by 21.1 percent, official figures issued by the National Statistics Office show.

30th April 2008 The number of traffic accidents in the first three months of this year dropped by 224 to 3,639, the National Statistics Office said.