GozoNews.Com

Joseph Cremona and Julian Mamo, two canoeists from the Malta Canoe Federation shattered the existing record for a round Malta attempt by single kayak last Wednesday.

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The England trio of football players of Portsmouth FC; David James, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe officially launched the club’s famous blue shirts for next season that will kick off on the 25th August with the match against Manchester United.

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The leader of the Malta Labour Party, Joseph Muscat, has said that his party’s vision is to have productive workers and not retired ones.

This was said in a meeting with a delegation from the General Workers Union on Thursday afternoon during which the situation of the Dockyards’ workers was discussed.

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The wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables for the second quarter of 2008 amounted to €5.96m, up by 5.6 % over the comparative quarter of 2007.

During the second quarter the supply and wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 0.5% and 5.6% respectively, the National Statistics Office said on Thursday.

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On 5 August 2008, the Central Bank of Malta and the Professionals, Finance and Services Section of the GWU signed a new Collective Agreement for non-clerical grades. This agreement covers the period from 2008 till 2010.

The negotiations were lengthy but the meetings were always cordial with both parties exercising responsibility when considering their mutual objectives and their particular interests.

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Frank Psaila has been appointed the new Director for Information of the Nationalist Party.

His appointment, initially proposed by party general secretary Paul Borg Olivier, was approved by the Executive Committee of the party on Wednesday night.

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56 illegal migrants were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta late on Wednesday night, the AFM said in a statement.

The immigrants were rescued as two separate groups, one of 28 and the other of 30 immigrants. All were males except for two females in the first group, one of whom was pregnant.

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As the issue of climate change challenge becomes increasingly worrying, children of HSBC staff were given hands-on tips on the best environmental practices for a sustainable lifestyle.

The initiative is part of HSBC’s Global Climate Partnership Programme, a US$ 100 million initiative spread over five years.

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Air Malta has issued a statement to counter a previous statement by the GWU stating that the airline is not honoring the collective agreement.

This issue is specifically about the allocation of supplementary duties.  The change in the allocation of supplementary duties was implemented following suggestions made by the employees working within the respective area with a view to reduce overtime costs and curtail unnecessary expenses.

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Tonio Depasquale, Chief Executive Officer at Bank of Valletta presented a donation to Mgr Victor Grech, Director of Caritas during a courtesy visit to BOV Centre in Sta. Venera.  

Mgr Victor Grech was accompanied by Anglu Fenech, Caritas’s Administrative Secretary. Over the past years, Bank of Valletta has regularly supported Caritas (Malta) acknowledging the important social role that this organization plays within the Maltese community.

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A major fault in the Go submarine cable lying between Malta and Sicily created confusion and great disruptions for most businesses and for thousands of private users all across the Maltese islands as they were cut off from any connection to the rest of the world via internet.

The disruptions also affected MaltaMedia’s services which were temporarily postponed until 1915CET when the fault was repaired.

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Ten new ordinary members of the National Executive Committee of the Malta Labour Party were elected on Tuesday night.

The elections were held on the second evening of an extraordinary general conference purposely called to elect the administration and executive.

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Dorian Vassallo, a member of the GasanMamo management team, and his friends successfully crossed the finish line at Pozzallo Harbour in the Kayak for Cancer Challenge that set off from Marsalforn. 

The Malta Sicily Kayak Challenge, co-sponsored by GasanMamo Insurance, was organised to raise funds in aid of the Malta Cancer Foundation.

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A significant number of Gozitans, together with Maltese and foreigners who are currently in Gozo, yesterday evening had the opportunity to enjoy a splendid atmosphere when attending the concert Opera vs Pop Under the Stars presented by the Gozo Youth Orchestra at the Ministry for Gozo courtyard in Victoria.

The concert featured guest Soprano Pamela Agius who lives and studies in New York, along with Gozitan bass Noel Galea, who joined the 50 musicians participating in this concert. 

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The Valletta Waterfront is offering a new experience to visitors - a mobile rock climbing tower which is safe for both adults and children. The nine-metre tower with ice climbing routes - the only one of its kind in Malta - is on the Valletta Waterfront promenade until the end of August.

The UK-designed mobile climbing tower is considered to be a good way to introduce new climbers to the sport and for young children to sample the spirit of adventure associated with it.

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Emirates, one of the world’s fastest-growing international airlines has introduced a seventh frequency to its Brazil service, making its non-stop Dubai-Sao Paulo operation daily.

The popular route has been successful in facilitating travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city and a major centre of finance and industry for South America. 

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In a statement published on Wednesday, the Health Division said that the condition of Health Spokesperson of the Malta Labour Party, Karl Chircop, is still worryingly serious.

Dr Chircop was hospitalised for a brain haemorrhage on the night between Sunday and Monday and has been in a critical condition since then.

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Labour market data for March 2008 indicate that the full-time gainfully occupied population increased by 2,907 persons while unemployment decreased by 865 persons when compared to March 2007, the National Statistics Office revealed on Tuesday.

The NSO release presents labour market data, provided by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC), for the month of March 2008.

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Five lucky winners who participated in the GreenDot competition were presented attractive prizes by GreenPak . The GreenDot competition, which ran for eight weeks, formed part of GreenPak’s campaign aimed to create awareness on the significance of the GreenDot mark.

The competition was promoted in the information leaflet entitled ‘Din il-marka xi tfisser?’ explaining the meaning of the GreenDot, the benefits of purchasing such marked products and how it helps in the recycling of packaging.

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Maltese actor Ben Darmanin is playing the Italian marathon runner Dorando Pietri in a documentary marking the centenary of the 1908 Olympics which airs for the first time on BBC 4 on Tuesday 12 August 2008.

The First True Olympics, as the documentary is titled, charts the story of the fourth Olympic Games of the modern era. 2008 athletes (37 of which women) from 22 nations took part in 110 events but the one that caught the world’s imagination was the dramatic ending of the marathon.

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