Weekly News Highlights

A 13-year-old English girl, Emma Fraser Smith, was critically injured in a jet-ski accident at Mellieha Bay on Monday, police said. The girl was riding on the jet-ski when she fell off and suffered a serious head injury when she received a knock from the vessel.

Air Malta improves market share

The Air Malta Group on Monday reported an operating profit of Lm5.3 million, with Air Malta alone reporting a profit before tax of Lm109,000. However, Air Malta absorbed a Lm7 million loss in AZZURRAair and "a staggering Lm19 million impairment loss on the seven RJs which the company had to take at one go".

Outgoing chairman Louis Grech said when contacted that "notwithstanding an exceptionally difficult time for aviation, the Air Malta Group achieved a highly remarkable financial result". A company statement said the operating profit was attained in a period marked by economic recession and accentuated by the impact of September 11, 2001.

Unemployment down

The number of registered unemployed was 7,321 in May, down by 159 from the previous month, according to the National Statistics Office. The figure was also 102 lower than that of May last year.

Jailed for eight years for serious injury, thefts

Brian Agius, 24, of Siggiewi, who was found guilty the previous week, by six votes to three, of involuntarily seriously injuring a constable, Walter Sheldon, on Tuesday was given eight years jail for it and for a string of thefts.

Joseph Calleja, 24, of St Venera, who was found guilty, by seven votes to three, of involvement in only some of the thefts, was jailed for 30 months. Calleja's brother Noel, 22, and Kevin Falzon, 23 of Qormi, who had filed guilty pleas to the theft charges brought against them, were jailed for five and seven years.

The sentences were handed down by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono.

Drug charges

Mario Borg, 27, of Qormi, on Monday was charged with drug possession, trafficking and conspiracy was yesterday granted bail but bound to stay home at all times. Borg was bound by a Lm7,000 deposit and a Lm10,000 personal guarantee. He is pleading not guilty.

Italy to charge man again over Yioham tragedy

Dr Joseph Giglio has called on the government to intervene through diplomatic channels to ensure that a man extradited to Italy will not face charges other than those for which he was extradited. Turab Ahmed Sheikh, a Pakistani married to a Maltese, was extradited last October to face involuntary homicide charges in connection with the Yioham tragedy of Christmas Day 1996.

Around 300 illegal immigrants, some of whom were being off-loaded to a Maltese-registered launch from the ship, had drowned on that night in the Malta-Sicily Channel.

Sheikh was acquitted but may now face a new murder charge, which his lawyer in Malta, Dr Giglio, is objecting to on the grounds that he was not extradited to face that charge.

Conditional discharge for defrauding priest

Carmela German, 62, of Rabat was conditionally discharged on Tuesday for three months for defrauding Mgr John Azzopardi of over Lm3,000 between January and June 2002. She was cleared of misappropriation after the police dropped the charges against her when Mgr Azzopardi withdrew his complaint.

Jailed, fined for drugs

Kenneth ellul, 28, of Paola, was jailed for two years and fined Lm500 on Tuesday for trafficking in heroin six years ago. He pleaded guilty.

Man charged with fraud

Anthony Bezzina, 50, who gave no fixed address, was charged on Wednesday with defrauding Euro Tyres Ltd and Patrick Scicluna Calleja out of Lm1,050 and Gerald Camilleri out of Lm2,000. He was also charged with defrauding Paolo Bonnici Ltd, Stivala Ltd and Raymond Bonnici out of Lm411.73 and Carmelo Bugeja and Frans Zammit of Lm4,100. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail against a Lm5,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of Lm5,000.

EU treaty bill given second reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday gave a second reading to a bill ratifying Malta's treaty of accession to the European Union. The Labour Opposition voted against the bill, but did not call for a division.

Magro awarded Lm4,000

The tribunal for the investigation of injustices on Wednesday recommended that Labour Party general secretary Jimmy Magro be awarded Lm4,000 compensation for not being given work to do at the Malta Development Corporation after the 1987 election. Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco upheld Magro's application against the MDC.

Lm40,000 theft from container

A container packed with an estimated Lm40,000 worth of electronic equipment and TV sets was ransacked in a well-planned theft at the Hal Far Groupage Complex early on Thursday morning. A Customs spokesman said unknown individuals gained access by cutting through wire fencing. They made off with equipment, including DVDs, video cameras and top-of-the-range TVs.

20 years, Lm30,000 fine for heroin trafficking

Khaled Ali M. Musbah, a 28-year-old Libyan, on Thursday was jailed for 20 years and fined Lm30,000 after being found guilty in a trial by jury of importing heroin by eight votes to one, and of trafficking, by six votes to three. He was acquitted of the material possession of the drug by six votes to three.

Air becoming cleaner

The levels of benzene in the air have dropped substantially over the past three years, judging by the results of regular surveys by MEPA. The annual national average has decreased to 1.91 parts per billion (ppb) last year from 2.83 ppb in 2000, with this year's monthly averages also suggesting a sustained decrease, MEPA said on Friday.

Two injured in riding accident

Natasha Grixti, 28, and Alfred Mallia, 43, were injured in a horse-riding accident in Pembroke on Friday. Grixti suffered serious head injuries, although she was wearing a riding hat, after falling off her horse when she collided into Mallia's stationary horse. She was taken to hospital and Mallia suffered slight injuries. One of the horses was put down by the government vet.

Lm1,900 libel damages

The Malta Labour Party, represented by its president, Emanuel Cuschieri, and secretary-general Jimmy Magro, on Friday was ordered to pay Lm1,900 in libel damages to Ministers Louis Galea and Ninu Zammit following the publication of a notice in l-Orizzont under the heading Il-hbieb tal-hbieb.

Revenue down, expenditure up

Recurrent or ordinary revenue in the first five months of this year totalled Lm263.9 million and made up 34.2 per cent of this year's budget forecast, the National Office of Statistics said on Friday. At the same time, total expenditure amounted to Lm368.9 million, an increase of Lm26.8 million, over the Lm342.1 million expended in the same period in 2002.