Weekly News highlights

The Labour Party's election manifesto was approved on Monday in an extraordinary general conference at party headquarters in Hamrun lasting close to three and a half hours. The electoral programme is entitled Futur Ahjar - l-Ewwel Int (A better future - You come first).

Charged with Lm50,000 burglary

John Sultana, 22, of Hamrun, on Tuesday was charged in court with netting some Lm50,000 while burgling a house in Mqabba yesterday week, stealing a BMW and a painting, among other things, belonging to Anthony Aquilina. Sultana was also charged with handling stolen property and relapsing. He was remanded in custody.

Heroin and cocaine seized in raid

On Thursday, Alan Vella, 21, of Hamrun, was charged with drug possession. A kilo of heroin and 20 grams of cocaine were seized on Tuesday from a garage in St Venera, where police also found Lm1,000 in cash and items connected to drug use. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody.

BA bans two Xarabank shows

The editions planned by the popular TVM programme Xarabank on the three party electoral manifestoes have been banned by the Broadcasting Authority because the Labour Party rejected the producers' invitation to take part, and its absence would constitute imbalance on the state broadcasting station in the pre-election period.

The MLP continues to boycott programmes produced by Where's Everybody?, which is responsible for Xarabank. On Wednesday, PBS asked for the directive to be revised and on Thursday Where's Everybody? filed a court protest against the BA. The BA filed a counter-protest on Friday and categorically denied all the allegations.

Lm50 million spent on film productions

An estimated Lm50 million have been spent by the 50 foreign audio-visual productions shot in Malta in the five years leading up to September, the Malta Film Commission said on Tuesday.

Acting film commissioner Oliver Mallia said that in this period, six major film sets (including those for Gladiator and Julius Caesar) were built and 5,000 people worked in the industry.

Man to be extradited to Italy

On Wednesday, Magistrate Joseph Cassar ruled that there were sufficient reasons for extraditing Romeo Bone, 26, to Italy to face trial on cocaine and cannabis importation from Holland to Catania last year. Bone will not be extradited until the proceedings against him in Malta on a drug conspiracy charge are concluded.

Damaged megaliths

Peter Abdilla, 43, Luqa, was conditionally discharged on Wednesday for three months for incorporating megaliths into a wall of he built around his field in the Bir Miftuh area.

Abdilla also pleaded guilty to making developments without permission from MEPA. The necessary changes are to be carried out at Abdilla's expense and under the supervision of the relevant authority.

Cassola can vote

The Magistrates' Court on Thursday dismissed the MLP's application to have Alternattiva Demokratika candidate Arnold Cassola struck off the electoral register on the grounds that they had failed to prove their claim that he did not satisfy the requirement of residency. He will be able to vote in the next general election.

Three years ago Professor Cassola was elected secretary-general of the European Federation of Green Parties and has his office in Brussels.

Court finds violation of lawyer's human rights

The Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld an appeal by lawyer Patrick Spiteri against the Attorney-General and the police commissioner.

Dr Spiteri had claimed that his fundamental human rights had been violated when he was arraigned on charges of falsification and because he could not be released on bail a second time.

Reduced punishment in cannabis cultivation case

On friday Lawrence Axiak, 39, of Gharb, was convicted of cannabis cultivation. He had originally been jailed for five years and fined Lm5,000, but following the conclusions of the probation officer, the Court of Criminal Appeal put him on probation. The court heard how therapy had helped him come out of his shell and his willingness to reform. He has been put on probation for three years and fined Lm200.

Charged with church burglary

Joseph Galea, 43, of Swieqi, on Friday was charged with stealing less than Lm1,000 to the detriment of Fr Saviour Micallef and causing more than Lm50 damage to Naxxar parish church. He was also charged with trying to steal over Lm1,000 from Mosta later that day, handling stolen property and relapsing.

He was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm5,000 and on condition that he admits himself to Mount Carmel Hospital.

Two charged with dealing in cannabis

On Friday Anthony Paul Portelli, 32, and Glenn Andrew Gorman, both living in Britain, were charged with dealing in cannabis. Portelli was granted bail against a Lm1,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of Lm20,000. Gorman was denied bail on the grounds that his ties to Malta were not as strong as Portelli's and there was a greater danger he would abscond.