Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533747
3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 28 MARCH 2025 NEWS GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt GOZO'S Teatru tal-Opra Au- rora has just announced the opening of the online seat sale of Giuseppe Verdi's La Forza del Destino, set to re- turn to Gozo on 11 October 2025. The last Forza the is- land has seen was also hosted at the Aurora, in 2007. Staple as ever, Colin Attard takes the platform in the pit, conducting the Malta Phil- harmonic Orchestra and the Aurora Opera Chorus togeth- er with an international cast that will be announced in due course. Local opera lovers had their love for this Verdian master- piece reignited when it was presented at Milan's La Sca- la theatre last winter, and broadcast all over the world as arguably the poshiest op- era nights around the world – the night of St Ambrose, 7 December when Milan's famed theatre opens its opera season. The infamous title, associat- ed with all sorts of lucks and charms, so much so it earned the nickname of l'innomina- bile – the one who shall not be named – is set to return in a highly anticipated produc- tion, designed by stage direc- tor Riccardo Buscarini. He returns to the Aurora with La Forza for a third con- secutive time, following Mad- ama Butterfly (2023) and Il Trittico (2024). He is set to build on these previous successful stagings, this time with a new creative team comprising Giamma- ria Farina (set design), Mara Pieri (costume design) and Moritz Zavan Stoeckle (light- ing design). La Forza del Destino runs for just one night, on 11 Oc- tober 2025. It is supported by the In- vestment in Cultural Organ- isations – Gozo programme by Arts Council Malta in col- laboration with the Ministry for Gozo. Aurora launches online seat sale for Verdi's La Forza del Destino CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "The Mġarr Port needs to grow and an alternative road, a substantial part of which can be a tunnel, will be constructed because the current road with a single lane going up and anoth- er going down is unacceptable," Grech said when interviewed on TVM's Popolin. The Gozo Ministry had filed a planning application back in 2019 for the construction of a road that would cut across Ġnien Migiarro behind the row of buildings along Triq l-Imġarr and eliminate the roundabout at the top of the hill. Part of the road was to be an underpass. However, in December 2023, the Gozo Ministry told News- book that plans for the project had been shelved. Grech reiterated that a PN government would invest in two new ferry ships, one of them a cargo vessel operating from central Malta. When asked by the programme host where the money for these undertakings will come from, Grech said EU funds could be tapped to build vessels that run on cleaner fuels such as hydro- gen or gas. "But we also have to see where we stand today with the MV Nikolaus, a third-rate ship, costing us dearly," Grech said, adding that a PN government would replace the Nikolaus with a new ship. The Nikolaus was first leased as Gozo Channel's fourth Ro- Ro passenger ship in 2019 at a cost of approximately €8,000 a day in the off-peak months and €12,000 a day during peak months. The Greek-registered ship is 38-years-old and has is- sues with regard to accessibility for the elderly and people with difficulties. Last January, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri told parliament he could not divulge what the lease for the MV Nikolaus was costing public coffers because he was given legal advice this was "sensitive" information. He was replying to a parliamentary question by PN spokesperson Alex Borg. Meanwhile, on Popolin, Ber- nard Grech reiterated that the PN had managed to rekindle people's hope. He said the Eu- ropean and local elections last year showed that people were trusting the PN. He insisted that in parliament the Opposition was interest- ed in speaking about people's problems and offering solutions to them. PN has managed to rekindle people's hope, Grech says PN leader Bernard Grech