By the end of this month, it will already have been one full year since Malta joined the European Union. Two years ago in April the Maltese people voted in favour of Malta joining the EU. Has any of this made any significant impact on the Maltese way of life? Answers to this question are subjective, but there's no denying that Malta is now operating in different cultural, political, social, and economic dimensions than it was until a couple of years ago. The evergrowing number of Maltese blogs are an excellent barometer of this phenomenon.

During April, aboutmalta.com embarks on a technical/content upgrade and radical redesign. Under the direction of Managing Editor Pierre J. Mejlak, we can finally upgrade the look and feel of this website, while continuing to offer a truly unique guide to everything about the Maltese islands. You'll be seeing progressive changes on aboutmalta.com in the coming weeks, rather than a major overnight change several months from now. However, by the end of 2005 we hope that the new version of aboutmalta.com will be in place for all to enjoy. Future editions of this newsletter will highlight some of these changes as they happen over the coming months.

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. The Sunday Homily
     b. GozoWeather.com
3. This Month in Maltese History
4. What's On This Month

01 Beangrowers back in USA
02 Malta registers highest number of asylum seekers on record
03 Malta with highest salaries among new EU countries
04 Commonwealth Bank of Australia to invest in Malta
05 New Golf course sites to be made public soon
06 Biodiesel could fuel our future
07 Illegal immigrants on hunger strike
08 Libyan sentenced to 22 years in prison
09 Bishops condemn experiments on embryos
10 AirMalta holds training sessions for staff
11 Malta-Gozo ferry passengers on the increase
12 Journalists insist on being granted access to detention centres
13 Local Council Elections vote-counting ends
14 Malta and India to increase political and trade cooperation
15 Siezed gold to be auctioned off by Customs
16 Jobless rate stood at 6.9%
17 Finland to tackle illegal immigration during EU presidency term
18 Cost of living and inflation rate slightly up
19 MGRM calls for sustaining a social Europe
20 Only Malta and Cyprus have growing population in EU
21 Malta one of few nations to sign UN torture protocol
22 Political parties discuss electoral system reforms
23 EU leaders approve Stability and Growth Pact
24 Government deficit up in February
25 Man loses life after falling off roof into courtyard
26 Malta Song for Europe controversy continues
27 Fifteen million contraband cigarettes hauled
28 Enemalta presents recourse to the industrial tribunal
29 Protected tortoises seized
30 Enemalta workers to be paid for suspension period
31 Maltese Internet bookmaker to be sued

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

a. The Sunday Homily

Last month's Easter season saw some of the most beautiful words appearing on aboutmalta.com Sunday Homily. The Sunday Homily team was recently extended to include Br Andre' who along with Br Ivan now delivers the weekly homily on a bi-monthly basis. Both contrubutors are members of the Capuchin Franciscan Order in Malta.
 

b. GozoWeather.com

As spring rolls in attracting more and more visitors to Gozo, more Internet users visit this website, created through a collaboration between the Nadur Weather Observatory and the MaltaMedia Online Network in 2002. The most popular feature on GozoWeather.com is a 3-day Marine Forecast for the territorial waters around the Maltese Islands. This online weather service from Gozo is a part of the Malta Weather Services organization, which also operates MaltaWeather.com in collaboration with MaltaMedia Online Network.

40 YEARS AGO ( 6 April 1965 )
Prime Minister Borg Olivier announces in Parliament that Malta has become the eighteenth member of the Council of Europe.

30 YEARS AGO ( 5 April 1975 )
Air Malta operates its first flight to Brussels.

10 YEARS AGO ( 24 April 1995 )
The Malta Labour Party lifts its suspension on Lorry Sant for humanitarian reasons, after it is revealed that he is terminally ill with cancer.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
1 April 1929 - Charles Arrigo, Broadcaster/Actor
6 April 1951 - John Suda, Actor
26 April 1927 - Lilliana Bencini, Broadcaster
30 April 1960 - Josephine & May Incorvaja, Singers

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
5 April 1976 - Giuseppi Mallia "Il-Futru", Character Film Actor, dies
5 April 1979 - Herbert Ganado, Journalist/Politician, dies at 73
10 April 2004 - Guzi Mallia, Author/Broadcaster, dies at 86
17 April 1923 - Maria Teresa Nuzzo, Founder Daughters of the Sacred Heart, dies

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.

9-10 April 2005
Wicc imb'wicc
Students from the Theatre Studies Programme at the University of Malta present a collaborative performance at theatre of the Mediterranean Institute Theatre Programme in Valletta.

12 April 2005
Piano Recital
Stefan Cassar performs a programme of works by Handel, Beethoven, Charles Camilleri, Debussy, Chopin and Liszt at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

16-24 April 2005
Mary Mejlak Exhibition
An exhibition of original poems, manuscripts, photos and other memorabilia of the Gozitan poet Mary Mejlak at the Banca Giuratale in Victoria, Gozo.

1-3 + 8-10 April 2005
Marlene Dietrich – the legend lives on
Actinghouse’s Production ‘Marlene Moves’ features German actress Irene Christ and Maltese actor Paul Portelli, singing songs such as Lilli Marlene, Falling in Love Again, La Vie En Rose and many others; at the Music Room of St James Cavalier in Valletta.

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