It gives me great pleasure to announce that aboutmalta.com's managing editor, Pierre J. Mejlak, is the winner of this year's e-journalism award from the Institute of Maltese Journalist. Pierre's win marks the second award in this category for the MaltaMedia news service. The previous success came to MaltaMedia's Editorial Director, Martin Debattista, at the 13th Annual Malta Journalism Awards in 2003.

2005 has been a very active year for the MaltaMedia Online Network. A news feature about Malta and its migrations as well as a second podcasting series are just two of the goodies passing through aboutmalta.com this month. And there's more in the pipeline before the end of the year.

Although this is the last aboutmalta.com monthly newsletter for the year 2005 we will be sending you a special Christmas edition in a couple of weeks. We do this every year because we feel that it is too early to include Christmas material. We will also give you full details about our annual feature on the year in review. Look out for our seasonal newsletter in your mailbox, about two weeks from now.

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. Lanċa ġejja u oħra sejra: Malta & its migrations
     b. PODCAST: Mużika Mod Ieħor
3. This Month in Maltese History
4. What's On This Month

01 Compilation of evidence on Brian Rosso's murder commences
02 1,600 tonnes of illegal waste collected in October
03 Customs seize over 16 million cigarettes
04 EU urges Malta to speed up Euro changeover plans
05 Runaway illegal immigrant arrested in Sicily
06 27-year-old man dies in motorcycle accident
07 Man to be extradited to Belgium
08 Maltese Customs obtains impressive results
09 CHOGM cars to be auctioned for charity
10 Government to amend measures on property tax
11 AFM rescue 200 illegal immigrants
12 Pandemic preparedness plans finalised
13 Maltese Islands commemorate Remembrance Day
14 British man dies at sea in Gozo
15 MaltaMedia News wins e-journalism award
16 15 years imprisonment for drug trafficking
17 Twinning project on tax evasion between Malta and UK
18 EU forecasts a slow growth in Malta’s GDP
19 Two arrested in Sicily over illegal immigrants trafficking
20 Sea Malta privatisation could fail
21 Pirates release Malta-registered ship
22 'Maltese economy regains momentm'-Central Bank of Malta
23 Queen Elizabeth II starts state visit to Malta
24 Jordanian man dies in traffic accident
25 Maltese PM meets Tony Blair at Castille
26 Beangrowers on European tour
27 CHOGM draws to a close
28 Malta submits proposal to safeguard sea resources
29 Over 51,000 foreign English students in Malta
30 Sea Malta privatisation fails

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

a. Lanċa ġejja u oħra sejra: Malta and its migrations

MaltaMedia's special news feature about Malta and its migrations looks at the current issue of illegal immigration in the context of Malta's long history of migration. This age-old phenomenon has created a political and economic crisis in recent years. The feature also offers easy access to news reports about the subject from the MaltaMedia.com news service.
 

b. PODCAST: Mużika Mod Ieħor

Most, if not all, radio stations in Malta fail to see how interesting Maltese music can be and instead play the most run-of-the-mill pop trash, if/when they play any Maltese music at all. Toni Sant's new podcasting series attempts to address this by bringing anyone who cares to listen a weekly look at some of the most interesting music from and/or by Maltese musicians.

30 YEARS AGO (13 December 1975)
A plaque commemorating the first anniversary of the Republic is unveiled on the façade of the Palace in Valletta by President Mamo. Meanwhile, the monument to former Nationalist Party leader and Prime Minister Enrico Mizzi in St. John's Square is heavily vandalized and the bronze bust disappears.

20 YEARS AGO (29 December 1985)
Two hundred youths walk in a protest against violence, setting off from Pieta, along the coast to Msida, up Savoy Hill to the Sliema Police Station, the scene of the bomb explosion on December 18.

10 YEARS AGO (4 December 1995)
Health Parliamentary Secretariat says that an international call for 60 foreign nurses to work at St Luke's Hospital has been made in a UK journal, to beat the shortage of nurses.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
11 December 1951: Jane Marshall, Actress
21 December 1927: Charles Thake, Actor/Broadcaster
23 December 1951: Joe Dimech, Broadcaster/TV Newscaster
29 December 1947: Albert Marshall, Poet/Media Executive

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
2 December 1952: Meme Scicluna, Soccer Impressario, dies at 65
16 December 1996: Cecil Satariano, Amateur Film-maker, dies at 66
20 December 1950: Nerik Mizzi, Prime Minister, dies at 65
21 December 1981: Hannibal P. Scicluna, Historian, dies at 101

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.

1 - 4 December 2005
The Malta Book Fair
Thirty six exhibitors are taking part in this year's edition of the Malta Book Fair. During the annual fair there will be several activities, such as exhibitions and presentations, focusing on the world of books.

2 - 4 December 2005
Malta International Challenge Marathon
The "Challenge" as it is known, is a unique marathon held annually. It has a "three day - three stage" formula with each stage being of a different distance but the overall distance is exactly a marathon of 42.195km.

7 December 2005
89.7 Bay Music Awards
Set as an annual event aiming to reward the Malta Music Industry - acknowledging their talent and their hard work - and to encourage the influx of more quality of local acts.

31 December 2005
The World's Premier Beatles Show
The world-renowned "Bootleg Beatles" will perform a one-off concert in Malta, supported by a number of musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The event will be held at the Malta Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar.

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