This month's newsletter marks the beginning of a series of changes at aboutmalta.com and the MaltaMedia Online Network (MMON). The first change is that the website and the newsletter will no longer be produced from Malta and New York, because our team is now based in Malta, Luxembourg and the UK.

A second important change is that Roseanne Sammut joined the MaltaMedia Online Network as a full-time content producer just a few weeks ago. She is settling in nicely, and the news headlines you see on this month's newsletter were chosen by Roseanne.

Other changes include a new look for aboutmalta.com, currently celebrating the tenth anniversary since the creation of this website as Grazio's Malta Virtwali. This is planned to appear before the end of 2004, along with two new MMON websites.

Thank you for the messages of good wishes sent to me and Pierre Mejlak over the past month. We appreciate them very much as we settle into our new lives in England and Luxembourg respectively.

Toni Sant
Consulting Editor, aboutmalta.com

P.S. To subscribe to this newsletter just contact us.

1. Last Month's Daily News from MaltaMedia
2. Top Picks:
     a. Storm Tracker and Lightning Detector from MaltaWeather.com
     b. The Sunday Homily
3. This Month in Maltese History
4. What's On This Month

01 Tunisian man accused of murder
02 Air Malta planes involved in 3 accidents in one month’s time
03 Air Malta announces fuel surcharges due to increases in fuel prices
04 Malta National Action Plan on Poverty and Social Exclusion 2004 – 2006 launched
05 Three accused of murdering Nazzareno Ebejer in 1989
06 Another 52 illegal immigrants reach the Maltese shores
07 73 nurses are needed in hospitals- Health Division
08 University administration withdraws graduation fee
09 Media Centre working conditions enhanced
10 MEPA denies golf course permit
11 Police seize 380 counterfeit DVDs
12 Man stabbed during argument
13 UHM suspends industrial actions at Maltapost
14 7 persons in court over Zabbar feast incidents
15 Smoking regulations to be implemented soon
16 Another person in danger of dying
17 65 illegal immigrants reach Malta in one day
18 Two young men die in traffic accident
19 Procedures for Eritrean deportations were legally correct
20 US Coast Guard to put Maltese vessels under greater scrutiny
21 Malta celebrates Independence Day
22 Foreigner dies at workplace
23 Malta’s government deficit first in list
24 Large amount of duty-free cigarettes seized
25 MLP unconvinced by negotiations for Mater Dei expenses
26 Ninety-four illegal immigrants arrive in Malta from Sicily
27 Purchasing process of Malta House in Brussels to be investigated
28 Prime Minister for official talks in Libya
29 52-year-old dies, man injured in seperate accident
30 Explosion in Burmarrad warehouse

Read and/or listen to the latest daily news from MaltaMedia.com.

a. Storm Tracker and Lightning Detector from MaltaWeather.com
The stormy season is with us! State of the art equipment that detects storm and lightning strikes up to a 300-mile radius was acquired by Malta Weather Services together with GasanMamo Insurance Ltd earlier this year. Homes and offices today are full of highly sensitive electronic equipment, which can be severely damaged by lightning strikes in their vicinity. It is hoped that awareness about the dangers and the preventive measures of storm tracking grows in Malta. You can see the latest lightning chart for Malta and the surrounding region at MaltaWeather.com.
 

b. The Sunday Homily
Br Hayden Williams OFMCap, who has been contributing the weekly aboutmalta.com Sunday Homily since August 2003 will be ordained as a deacon this month. The ordination which will be held on the 17th of October at the Senglea parish church, at 6.00 pm. Another four other young men, Rueben Micallef, Andre Azzopardi OFMCap, Donald Bellizzi OFMConv and Joseph Gerada OCD, will also be ordained on this day. They ask that you keep them in your prayers, and if you can, join them for this glorious occassion. Br Hayden will naturally continue with his Sunday Homily before and after his ordination.

30 YEARS AGO (20 October 1974)
Italian seamen are rescued by HMS Ark Royal helicopters in Maltese territorial waters.

20 YEARS AGO (1 October 1984 )
All church and private schools remain closed; 17,000 students at all levels of education stay at home.

10 YEARS AGO (1 October 1994)
Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami offers to resign after the Employment Commission concludes that Mr. E. Camilleri was not hired as Director of Management Information Systems at the Management Systems Unit because he has political opinions that differ from the Government's; President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici does not accept the resignation. Two days later Dr. Fenech Adami asks the Civil Court to declare that the Employment Commission's ruling is null and void because it was ambivalent and certain relevant matters were ignored.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
3 October 1937: Richard England, Architect
16 October 1950: Matilde Balzan, Broadcaster
25 October 1947: Mary Spiteri, Singer
28 October 1934: Hilary Tagliaferro, Priest and Sports Journalist

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
3 October 2002: Bernard Scerri, Bass player, dies at 36
13 October 1961: Karm Psaila, Priest and Poet, dies at 90
15 October 2002: Alicia Joy, Dancer/Choreographer, dies at 42
29 October 1980: George Borg Olivier, Prime Minister, dies at 69

See aboutmalta.com's daily full list of birthdays, deaths, and events in Maltese history.

Today in Maltese History is produced exclusively for aboutmalta.com by Mario Axiaq.

Saturday 2 October 2004
Strummin' Home Guitar Concert
A forty member guitar orchestra together with a rock band playing popular tracks from the sixties to date, presented by Zghazagh Haddiema Nsara at the Temi Zammit Hall, Tal-Qroqq.

Saturday 16 October 2004
Reclaim the World
Join Moviment Graffitti in Freedom Square, Valletta, between 9am to 9pm for discussions, NGO information stands and other activities, featuring a live concert with Dripht, Subculture, Explicit,Congo Bon Chik, Walter Micallef, and Particle Blue, as well as a Djembe Session led by renowned percussionist Zizza.

16, 17, 22, 23, 24 October 2004
Present Laughter
MADC's first theatrical production of the season is this quintessential witty comedy written by Noel Coward, directed by Joe Izzo at the Manoel Theatre.

Thursday 28 October - Sunday 7 November 2004
Mediterranea Festival
A celebration of culture organised by Teatru Astra in Gozo, featuring opera, music, dance, art, heritage, traditions and much more.

View aboutmalta.com's full calendar for this month's events in Malta and Gozo, or to submit a future event to our calendar.