GozoNews.Com

Malta will be represented by six athletes in the Beijing Olympic Games which will be held between August 8 and 24.

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A group of 27 illegal immigrants have landed in Xlendi, Gozo, the police said in a statement.

The group, consisting of 23 males and 4 women, came on a single boat and were already on land when the police arrived on site at around 1800CET.

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Five men have been sentenced to a month in prison after being found guilty of entering Maltese territory without identification documentation or permission. Another is being held under preventive arrest after denying involvement in human trafficking.

The men were apprehended on Monday morning after their fishing boat was spotted by the Armed Forces of Malta who escorted them ashore in Wied il-Buni Birzebbugia.

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Malta International Airport handled 1.41 million passengers between January and June this year, an increase of 178,462 movements (14.5%) over the same period in 2007.

In the course of a media conference, MIA’s CEO Julian Jaeger analysed the traffic operations during the first half of this year.  Aircraft movements increased by 4.3% whilst the seat capacity surpassed the 2 million figure with an increase of nearly 7%.

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Following the success of Gozo Music Festival 6th Edition, which attracted over 3,500 people from different music backgrounds, the highly anticipated 7th Edition is back on the 23rd of August 2008 at the Gozitan Complex on the main road from the Mgarr Harbour.

The festival, organised by Dynamic Promotions, is sponsored by Vodafone Malta Limited.

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Local businesses should know how to manage debtors in a proactive manner to identify early warning signs and avoid late payments or bad debts.  This, in turn, is conducive to businesses having more time and resources to build solid, long-term relationships with good customers. 

This was discussed during a conference on Practical Credit Management organised by the Malta Association of Credit Management (MACM).

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The President of Malta, Dr Eddie Fenech Adami and Mrs Fenech Adami launched the traditional Ball of the August Moon which will be held on the evening of Saturday 2nd August, 2008 at Verdala Palace.
 
The President of Malta urged the general public to attend this annual event, the proceeds of which will go entirely towards the Malta Community Chest Fund.

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Alternattiva Demokratika – the green party, has welcomed the fact that the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development agreed to draw up proposals on how the government could ease the burden on families caused by the water and electricity surcharge and the general increase in prices.

AD Chairperson Arnold Cassola said that the tackling of the increased cost of living is one of Alternattiva Demokratika's priorities.

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The Baseball National team will be participating in the CEB (Confederation of European Baseball)  Division Championship held in Antwerp, Belgium between the 9 July and 12th July 2008.

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The Basketball women's national team had a great start in the FIBA Europe Division C championship in Luxembourg with a 55-80 win against Albania.

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Tickets are selling fast for Winter Moods’ concert happening on Wednesday 9th July at the Valletta Waterfront. Priced at only 10 Euros, thousands of tickets have already been sold, and a further rush for last minute tickets is expected in the next three days.

Hailed as the biggest local concert of their career, this event has kept Winter Moods very busy in recent weeks. The band is known to have been working on their set list meticulously, whilst being involved in all minute details related to the show.

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A 49 year-old man is in danger of losing his life after suffering grievous injuries when he fell from a height of less than a storey whilst assisting other workers in Qormi.

The man, 49, from Imsida was assisting fellow workers conducting works in Triq tal-Handaq, Qormi when the incident occurred. The men were operating a forklifter.

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Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has said that he is willing to discuss any subject which enhances democracy in Malta such as the right to vote of those Maltese living abroad.

 

He stated this in reply to Dr Joseph Muscat’s letter sent to him on Monday outlining a number of proposals aimed at strengthening democracy.

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Malta Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat has written to the Prime Minister proposing a number of initiatives with the aim of strengthening democracy.

The letter states that “despite the government’s attitude towards the opposition and several social partners, the MLP was ready, in the national interest, to embark on measures to strengthen democracy.”

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“I bank with HSBC… do you?” These are clear testimonials from two of HSBC’s most prominent customers.  Joseph Calleja, accustomed to receiving standing ovations for his performances, and Ira Losco continually rocking the world of the younger generation, have discovered the benefits of banking with HSBC.
 
“Everyone is discovering just how different the service we offer is.  People who are looking for solutions to their own personal banking needs are finding that HSBC is the place to bank,” said Brian Tortell, Head of Marketing at HSBC Bank Malta.

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Early on Monday morning, the Archbishop of Malta, Mons Paul Cremona arrived in Melbourne Australia.

In the evening, he celebrated mass together with other Maltese priests in the chapel dedicated to St Paul.  The mass was also animated by a group of Maltese youths who travelled from Malta with the Archbishop to participate in the World Youth Day to be celebrated next week.

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UPDATE On Monday 07 July 2008, at around 0545CET, the Armed Forces of Malta's Swift-class patrol-boat P23sighted a Libyan fishing-boat with 6 persons on board.  The men lacked documentation.

 

Informed sources have told MaltaMedia.com... that the skipper was found to have bruises on his wrists, possibly showing that he had been bound for some two days or so. It is believed that he might have opposed his crew's wish to head towards Italian shores.

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The Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b'Dizabiilta (KNPD) has expressed its satisfaction  with the appointment of Fr Martin Micallef as the new director of Dar tal-Providenza.

Fr Martin has carried out studies in the area of persons with intellectual impairment and has been active in the disability field for a number of years. For the last six years he has also been an active member of KNPD.

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One of the leading medium sized Audit and Accountancy firms in Malta has changed its name from Alliott Malta, to KSi Malta. 

Mr. Joseph Gauci, the Managing Partner, stated that this change was made due to the firm needing to move into a larger global network. This coincided with the company Kingston Sorel International requiring a Maltese firm to represent them.

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Morena has managed to grab the first prize at the Universong International Music Festival 2008 in the Canary Islands.

Morena participated with Tattoo written by Mark Amaira and Renato Briffa. She also won the award for the best voice, while Tattoo also won the award as best original song.

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