GozoNews.Com

In a statement published on Friday, Air Malta replied to comments made to the press by Ryanair’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Michael Cawley, whereby it was reported that he criticised Air Malta for raising its fuel surcharge.  

Air Malta said that its increase in the surcharge will hardly cover 15% of the increase in annual fuel costs expected for this year.

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In a joint statement published on Friday, the Journalists' Committee and the Institute of Maltese Journalists stated that they find the attitude of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority unacceptable in its indictment of colleagues during the MEPA board hearing of the Fort Cambridge development application.
 
The statement says that the journalists present in this meeting carried out their duty admirably in bringing to public attention a draft press release by the MEPA public relations officer, which had pre-empted Thursday's decision on the Fort Cambridge project before an official public decision was taken.

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On Friday afternoon a 15 year-old boy of Hungarian Nationality had to be evacuated by helicopter from the Blue Lagoon area in Comino due to a medical emergency.

Earlier on Friday, the Armed Forces of Malta's Operations' Centre at Luqa Barracks was informed by the Gozo Police Headquarters in Victoria that an injured individual required immediate urgent medical evacuation from the Blue Lagoon's area on the island of Comino.

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Student life is an exciting and sometimes daunting period.  It is also a time when study related and other expenses need to be met, even more as a student progresses from secondary to tertiary level. 

HSBC Yes 4 Students caters for various stages of student life, from thirteen year old secondary students all the way up to graduate level.

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As the maximum temperature is expected to continue to rise further in the following days, the Health Division has issued a statement advising the public to keep well hydrated.

High temperatures cause water to be lost from the body at quick rates resulting in dehydration. It can also lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

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The old church clock of the Kercem parish church in Gozo is set to start ticking again after thirty years.

The restoration process started on Friday, when the clockwork machinery was dismounted. The project is expected to take about a year.

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The Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) has welcomed the publication of a report on homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency.

Among the report’s conclusions, the legal framework in Malta was found to be inadequate in addressing discrimination against the local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

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A 72 year-old man was robbed on Friday morning at 0900 CET in Ta’ Qali.

The man was allegedly stopped at the Pitkali entrance by a robber in a car who snatched the elderly man’s bag containing a substantial amount of cash.

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HSBC and BOV have both adjusted their base rate to 4.35% and 4.25% respectively following a rise in the reference rate presented by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Both banks have also revised their rates upwards for savings and deposit accounts.

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In a statement on Thursday, the Federated Association of Travel & Tourism Agents (FATTA) expressed its relief at the removal of the departure tax. 

The Association said that Government should ensure that any departure tax already collected for travel after 1st November 2008 is refunded immediately by the airlines and not after the travel has been completed. 

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No Maltese passengers were hurt or are in danger on Air Malta’s flight KM 785 (Sofia – Malta) of Thursday after a number of blasts rocked the area close to the airport in Sofia.

The flight will now be delayed by over 9 hours, according to a statement by Air Malta.

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All those involved in the private and public sectors in Gozo, including NGO’s and Local Councils, will now be able to refer to a newly set-up office in order to obtain relevant assistance for better access to EU Funding programmes.

This is expected to attract more EU funds on a regional basis for the island of Gozo. 

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Provisional estimates published by the National Statistics Office on Thursday, show that, when comparing April 2008 to the corresponding month last year, the industrial producer price index of the sampled enterprises declined by 3.9%.

In April 2008, compared with the previous month, producer prices in total industry declined by 1.2%.

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In a letter to the Chairman of the Malta Transport Authority, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said that an independent audit by a private company confirms his “concerns about the unsatisfactory quality of procedures in the administration of vehicle licensing and registration and the need to implement radical reforms in this area.”

Gatt’s letter goes on to direct the Authority to carry out a series of amendments to its policies and procedures, including amendments on the registration of imported cars.

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The lifeless body of a man, believed to be a foreigner, was recovered from the sea in St Paul’s Bay early on Thursday morning.

At around 0400 CET the police were alerted that a corpse was floating in the sea in the area of Dawret il-Gzejjer, St Paul’s Bay.

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The GRTU has met with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Finance Minister Tonio Borg to discuss the current state of the economy vis-a-vis the rise in surcharge. During the meeting it presented its view that such increases would result in a higher rate of inflation.

In turn, PM Gonzi explained how such measures were necessary and said that in the current situation neither the revision of the surcharge nor the sisa tax on diesel could be changed.

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Through its commitment to offer consumers great summer promotions year after year, Vodafone Malta Limited has come up with a number of new initiatives and collaborations, for the benefits of loyal and prospective customers. 

For those preparing for a summer of virtual surfing, Vodafone has re-launched its broadband home internet offers into 2 simple packages - BASIC (€13.85) and MAXI (€23.00).

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The Leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be visiting Malta later on in July. This was revealed in a statement by the Malta Labour Party on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has stated that it will announce the visit only once it is confirmed and at the appropriate time for obvious security reasons.

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The Federation of Industry has deplored the fact that the social partners were not consulted on the revision of the surcharge rate.

It said that the revised surcharge will affect industry both directly, and indirectly, the latter including increase in transport and material costs, supporting services and potential labour demands.

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Labour market data for February 2008 indicate that the full-time gainfully occupied population increased by 3,039 persons while unemployment decreased by 845 persons when compared to February 2007.

These figures were released on Wednesday morning by the National Statistics Office.

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