tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97843972008-12-02T22:40:00.547+01:00WIRED MALTA (formerly known as Wired Temples)A GLOBAL WINDOW FOR MALTESE CULTURE, SOCIETY, PEOPLE, HISTORY, BLOGS, NEWS... "There is something about this isle of intrigue and its people that unexpectedly enchants, no matter why or how reluctantly you first arrived. Falling under Malta's spell is remarkably easy to do" – LOS ANGELES TIMESRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.comBlogger2029125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-49668126782431066712008-12-02T22:40:00.000+01:002008-12-02T22:40:00.566+01:00Common approachThe UK and Malta are united in their opposition to moves made by France to formulate an EU-wide policy for regulating the gaming industry, from InterGameOnline:
In a discussion paper to a meeting of the body's industry ministers, France, which currently holds the EU presidency, said there were "grounds for seeking a common approach." Although gaming regulations have so far been a national issue,Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-62142085842036155462008-12-01T21:31:00.002+01:002008-12-02T18:34:29.309+01:00Refugee fundThe Commission has just adopted the multiannual programme under the European Refugee Fund 2008-2013 for Malta for an estimated amount of € 4,8 million, together with the annual programme 2008:
Vice President, Jacques BARROT, responsible for the Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio, welcomed the adoption of the first multiannual programme for the implementation of the European Refugee Fund. "Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-8566172945015406852008-11-30T20:23:00.000+01:002008-12-02T18:29:29.851+01:00Stepping stonesAlthough currently in Tirana, Traveler one was recently in Malta taking pictures of glassblowers, balconies, boats. From Stepping Stones:
Yes, it's taken me some time to sit down and share our recent vacation on the beautiful island of Malta. Do you know where it is? Well, it's actually not that far from Albania (as the crow flies). But we're not crows and must take airplanes so it ended up Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-47873828626687791212008-11-29T18:17:00.001+01:002008-11-29T18:17:01.037+01:00A Maltese in RomeErasmus student James Pace 'packed 20kg of his most prized possessions and took them out of hot, humid Malta to set up camp in Italy's eternal city', from Cafe Babel:
..The protests and demonstrations do puzzle me a little. Its not that I don’t think they’re healthy, its probably just because I’m only used to two kinds of protests in Malta - those regarding hunting, and those against immigrationRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-47059070653953188482008-11-28T15:31:00.000+01:002008-11-29T15:40:45.111+01:00Mid-Mediterranean time machineDeep history adds drama to the beauty of Malta, writes Dennis J. Buster in Star Tribune of Minnesota:
As my wife and I worked our way through the market, I sensed a country with a foot far in the past, inching the other toward the future. And I thought, not for the first time in our week here, that if geography were fair, the three-island Republic of Malta would be a much bigger country.
Malta Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-83815971114201277642008-11-27T20:40:00.000+01:002008-11-29T15:53:23.929+01:00In TunisTunisia's President Ben Ali receives Malta's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, from Tunis Press:
..At the end of the meeting, Mr. Borg said he had an excellent and constructive talk with the President of the Republic, stressing the Head of State's wide knowledge of the developments of the situation in the Mediterranean region, and in Malta, and the good memories he keeps Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-63114980273500029192008-11-26T18:08:00.000+01:002008-11-29T15:17:02.658+01:00Clare AzzopardiL-Interdett taħt is-Sodda, a play by Clare Azzopardi, is being published in French and Arabic translations by two publishing houses in Paris and Alexandria. The French translation by Cécilia Mattalia will be published by Editions Théâtrales (Paris) and will be launched during a reading directed by Alexandra Tobelaim at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris:
Ici, pas d’égalité, Giljan me le disait, un Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-91235480559080618532008-11-25T12:58:00.000+01:002008-11-29T15:08:37.862+01:00ePassportWorld's first purpose-built 'ePassport' factory opens in Malta, from Earth Times:
Malta became Wednesday the site of the world's first purpose-built research and production facility for the ePassport, or biometric passport, which is increasingly required by countries for security reasons. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi officiated at the inauguration of the six million euro (7.7 million dollar) Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-11988901619217507502008-11-24T13:34:00.000+01:002008-11-27T01:41:57.520+01:00Big 5 showMaltais increasingly being considered an important location for trade and investment, according to AME Info in the UAE:
In fact, in many areas, Malta may be classified as a fairly advanced nation for its size, with an industrial base concentrating primarily on manufacturing for export. The main export markets for Malta are the European Union, accounting for around 51% of total exports followed Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-1368359760507783452008-11-23T13:40:00.004+01:002008-11-23T15:34:31.958+01:00Disturbing the peaceEthiopian immigrant in Malta faces criminal charges, from The Ethipian Review:
Ismael Obassa Husseina, a 26-year-old Ethiopian resident at Marsa open centre, was arraigned before Magistrate Myriam Hayman this evening and accused of resisting the police, slightly injuring a police constable, damaging a car belonging to a resident of Marsa and on two occasions threatening the same police constableRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-71740578954376606542008-11-22T23:02:00.001+01:002008-11-23T15:33:56.198+01:00Back door entryMalta is becoming the gateway for wealthy South Africans to secure quick residency in the European Union, writes Bronwynne Jooste in Cape Argus in South Africa:
For the right price South Africans can bypass reams of red tape when applying for permanent residence in Europe...There are criteria that must be met before people can be granted residency in most EU countries, and the controls are Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-8583820041479254312008-11-21T19:10:00.001+01:002008-11-23T15:31:49.574+01:00Heartbreak at the ManoelMarie and Dina write about a recent disappointment at the Manoel Theatre. From Laetitia's world:
Yesterday evening me, my family and Dina's family were all excited and looking forward to a day out to the theatre where a very sweet musical about a chess pawn was being shown. Gedeon, my 9 year old, especially, was sooo looking forward to it as he has started to learn how to play chess (thanks to Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-9961412522253960892008-11-20T18:34:00.001+01:002008-11-23T15:33:16.317+01:00Malta storyThe film Malta story is showing tonight on national TV (Channel 4 in the UK:
Upper lips have rarely been stiffer than they are in this no-frills, historically faithful dramatisation of the Second World War siege and bombardment that earned the strategically crucial island of Malta a collective George Cross. A young Alec Guinness gives a muted performance as an RAF reconnaissance photographer whoRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-40462557932879186152008-11-19T17:00:00.001+01:002008-11-23T15:32:45.618+01:00Energy efficiencyMalta has unveiled plans to cut national energy consumption by 3% by 2010 and by 9% by 2016 as part of its 2009 budget, from Energy Efficiency News in the UK:
The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan includes a range of measures designed at improving energy efficiency in both the domestic and public sector. For householders, the measures include rebates on energy efficient appliances and solarRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-25499118735099814172008-11-18T09:29:00.000+01:002008-11-18T09:29:00.634+01:00From crusaders to cruise linesMediterranean cruising dreams come alive while sailing along the Grand Harbour of Valletta, writes Rob Dunlop in The Sydney Morning Herald:
The skyline of churches, spires, palaces and tiers of homes with traditional timber balconies is a treasure trove of honey-coloured stone cascading down to deep blue waters. The 250 cruise ships that visit each year almost topple over as passengers lean Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-29302105683492989912008-11-17T19:00:00.000+01:002008-11-18T00:01:36.019+01:00Paul SwainThe body of a diver missing for almost two weeks has been found in a wreck in Malta, Hannah Chapman reports in The Northern Echo:
Paul Swain, from Billingham, went missing during a diving expedition on October 27. A search was launched immediately, but called off two days later. His body was found earlier today in the wreck of the MV Xlendi on the island of Gozo.
He and nine others from the SubRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-90055657728137642682008-11-16T22:18:00.003+01:002008-11-17T23:26:32.070+01:00Healthy livesMalta has surprised researchers who studied the healthy lives of European citizens, from Bloomberg:
While Italian men and French women may live to be the oldest in Europe, a true dolce vita free of disability belongs to the Danes, U.K. researchers found. Women in Denmark, which has as many bikes as it has citizens, can expect 74.1 years of good health on average, while men may get about six Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-67793799057782228552008-11-15T14:12:00.002+01:002008-11-15T14:16:23.107+01:00Governor-General arrives in MaltaGovernor-General Quentin Bryce has arrived in Malta on the second leg of her first official foreign tour, from The Australian Age:
Her visit marks the first time an Australian governor-general has visited the tiny European island nation. Ms Bryce, who flew to Malta after spending four days in France, was welcomed by President Fenech Adami before meeting three Maltese who have successfully appliedRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-41133688542647979052008-11-14T19:14:00.002+01:002008-11-15T14:12:20.149+01:00Bomber's appealShould the Lockerbie bomber's appeal succeed? The UK Times presents the cases for an against:
CASE FOR: ROBERT BLACK QC: He ought never to have been convicted on the evidence led at the trial. There were two crucial findings that were absolutely crucial to the guilty verdict. Both were contrary to the weight of the evidence.
The first finding was that al-Megrahi was the purchaser in Malta of Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-17565138448443296932008-11-13T20:57:00.002+01:002008-11-15T01:03:17.674+01:00Leader and a gentlemanEvery non-Melbourne football fan has an opinion on Kevin Muscat, and in truth, it is not always an overly positive one, writes Pippinu D'Angelo in Four Four Two Australia:
Yet few would deny his on-field leadership qualities and as we have seen the last two weeks, he remains integral to the success or otherwise of the Victory. Kevin regularly fronts the cameras as a spokesman for the club and hasRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-91564130970186462732008-11-12T18:06:00.003+01:002008-11-12T18:18:02.021+01:00An American in MaltaAmerican writer Ilene Springer has recently moved to Sliema, Malta and is sharing some of her Maltese moments in this blog. Although Malta is very small, she says that "it's not like you can see from one end to another". In this post she describes what she loves most about the island:
1. The Cafes--There's always a place to sit down and have a Diet Coke. And you can sit there for as long as you Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-20407693836392976152008-11-11T20:20:00.003+01:002008-11-12T18:28:30.583+01:00German cultureThe German-Maltese Circle is an independent, non-profit making organisation which regularly organises events such as exhibitions, film shows, seminars and concerts with a view to promote German culture amongst the Maltese public. A newsletter is regularly issued for the Circle's members. From the Circle's history:
..The German-Maltese Circle celebrated the 250th Anniversary of Goethe’s birth withRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-26058633255588926612008-11-10T17:52:00.002+01:002008-11-12T17:56:11.780+01:00Sailing meccaWhatever you think of superyachts, you can't really blame them for choosing Malta, 'a historic sailing Mecca', reports Nancy Knudsen in Sail World:
..There are also plenty of places to sail and it would be easy to spend a week exploring the delightful local anchorages. As the Maltese are enthusiastic boaters, some of the anchorages - like the popular Blue Lagoon, tend to be very busy, especially Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-16107605986375074022008-11-09T19:35:00.002+01:002008-11-12T17:51:48.721+01:00IdyllicIt's easy to see why so many different countries have fought to claim Malta through the years, writes Sian Matheson in the South Wales Echo:
..Because of this rich, varied history there is a feeling of dual nationality – the island’s official languages are Maltese and English but ask the locals which national football side they support (apart from Malta) and most will say England or Italy...Even Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-6521801025550124822008-11-08T12:34:00.004+01:002008-11-08T18:18:23.780+01:00The Malta diary of Mat & Kat BrownMat and Kat Brown write about their 'healthy glow' following a week in Malta:
Day 1 (Sun 14th) We visited Valletta, the capital of Malta. The city was quiet on a Sunday and I enjoyed wandering the narrow streets tightly packed with buildings displaying lots of variety in old balconies and shutters. Some buildings were in quite a state of decay but the streets as a whole had a lot of charm and Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0