DIARY OF EVENTS 2004 JANUARY - doi photography competition

Annetto Depasquale; the Acting Leader of the Opposition Charles Mangion, and Chief Justice Vincent
Degaetano.
• 2 January 2004 Archbishop Joseph Mercieca said that the Government and the Opposition should have
one reality guiding them - to work for the good of the country in diversity. Mgr Mercieca was addressing
representatives of the political parties and other personalities who called on him and on Auxiliary Bishop
Annetto Depasquale to exchange New Year's greetings, at the Archbishop's Palace, in Valletta.
• 2 January 2004 According to a report by the Registrar of Trade Unions, there was a drop in the number of
members of Trade Unions and Employers' Association for the 2002/2003 period. There were 95,021
members for the period July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003, compared with 95,722 in the same period the
previous year, a drop of 701.
• 2 January 2004 According to the Meteorological Office, last month was 0.6°C colder than the December
average for the past 30 years, with a mean maximum temperature of 16.4°C. The temperature on
Christmas Eve reached 8.8°C, making it the coldest December day since records started being kept. The
lowest temperature reached during the night was 6.1°C on December 18.
• 3 January 2004 President Guido de Marco thanked all those who were involved in the organisation of ‘L-
Istrina’ for their time and commitment, and the people for their generous contributions. Lm1,022,479 were
raised at the end of a live TV transmission lasting just over 12 hours.
• 3 January 2004 A report drawn up by the Council of Europe's European Audio-visual Observatory that
looks at cinema trends in the EU acceding states placed Maltese cinema attendance first amongst the ten,
with an average 2.7 visits a year. Slovenia at 1.39 visits, and Hungary at 1.32 visits, placed 2 nd and 3 rd
respectively.
• 3 January 2004 The Health Promotion Department, together with the Campaign for Awareness on
Radiation Emissions (CARE), have issued an information leaflet on the safer use of mobile phones.
Health Promotion Department Director Mario Spiteri said that the intention was not to alarm mobile users
but to encourage them to adopt a more sensible and precautionary approach.
• 3 January 2004 Enemalta Corporation announced that the rise in the price of diesel (+7.6%) and
kerosene (+3%) was due to the upward fluctuations on the international markets between October and
December 2003, combined with the increase in the rate of VAT in the case of diesel.
• 4 January 2004 President Guido de Marco presented the gold medal of the Malta Society of Arts,
Manufactures and Commerce for 2003 to writer and literary critic Oliver Friggieri, at Palazzo De La Salle,
in Valletta. Prof. Friggieri was chosen by the Society's Council in recognition of his "outstanding
contribution to Maltese culture in Malta and abroad". Youth and the Arts Minister Jesmond Mugliett
attended the event.
• 4 January 2004 Prime Minister Edward Fenech-Adami addressed dignitaries, the media, and Party
employees at the traditional New Year's reception, in Pietà. Dr Fenech-Adami referred to Malta's
upcoming EU membership on May 1, saying that the New Year would not be an easy one. Change always
brought its share of difficulties, Dr Fenech-Adami said, but every new venture created several new
opportunities. "Let's all do our best to get the most out of membership," he told those present.
• 5 January 2004 Australian oil-drilling company Hardman Resources NL announced that it has decided to
abandon the oil exploration scheduled to take place off the South East coast of Malta after it had failed to
attract potential investors to form a joint venture. The company said that it was surrendering its licence.
Hardman Resources held an 87.6 per cent interest in Blocks 4 and 5 offshore Malta.
• 5 January 2004 Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said that indications for the first quarter this
year were not healthy. However, he believed in a recovery by the end of the year, starting from the second
quarter. Dr Zammit Dimech was interviewed by The Times newspaper.
• 6 January 2004 The Fifth Protocol relating to Economic, Technical, and Financial Assistance between the
Government of Malta and the Government of the Republic of Italy entered into force on 5 th January 2004.
On the day, the Italian Government officially notified the Malta Government that the text of the protocol
had been published in the Italian Government Gazette on the 31 st December 2003 (legislation no. 359 of
Italian Government Gazette, issue no. 302).